Chapter 2502: Taking Words
There were three pieces of paper on the desk in front of Mr. Zhuang. Manbao and the other two quietly poked their heads in from the door to take a look.
Mr. Zhuang, who was in a daze, noticed it and said without blinking an eye: "Come in."
The three of them hurried in, and Manbao asked with a grin, "Sir, what do you want with us?"
Mr. Zhuang waved to them and said with a smile, "Come here."
The three of them stepped forward and stood in a row in front of the desk obediently.
Mr. Zhuang looked at them carefully and smiled. "You've all grown up. Erlang will come of age in February next year, and Baishan will come of age in the winter. Originally, I wanted to choose your courtesy names after you came of age, but I think you'll all be getting married and starting families. Now that you're both successful in your careers, I've decided to choose your courtesy names now."
The three of them's eyes lit up, and Manbao asked directly, "Sir, do I have one too?"
Mr. Zhuang smiled and said, "Of course."
Manbao became happy and waited excitedly.
Mr. Zhuang and Bai Erlang said, "I have discussed this with your father. Your brother's courtesy name is Zhengjian, and since your name is Cheng, you should take the courtesy name Zhunxin."
He said slowly: "Be faithful and righteous, respect virtue and reward merit."
Bai Erlang nodded vigorously, "I understand, sir. I will definitely be trustworthy and sensible in the future."
Mr. Zhuang nodded approvingly, "Good boy."
Mr. Zhuang looked at Bai Shan. "I used to think your character 'Shan' meant auspicious, but later I learned that it comes from the first sentence of the Great Learning. So, you should follow your father's original intention and choose the character 'Zhishan'. The Great Learning Principle is based on three things: illuminating virtue, loving the people, and striving for the highest good. Self-cultivation is a lifelong endeavor. You are a very intelligent child. I hope you will live up to your conscience and to the heavens and the earth in the future."
Bai Shan agreed seriously.
Mr. Zhuang then looked at Manbao and said with a smile, "Speaking of names, the one your father gave you is not a good one."
Manbao: ...She thinks it's pretty good, very nice to listen to, and feels perfect as soon as she hears it.
Manbao habitually added a sentence in his mind, and then he thought seriously, well, according to the rules of scholars, this name is indeed not a good one.
Mr. Zhuang said, "When it is full, it must be drained, so few people use the word 'full' to name things."
Bai Shan couldn't help but whisper in defense of his future father-in-law, "Sir, the 'man' in Manbao means the granary is full of grain."
Well, following the names of Si Si Lang, Wu Wu Lang and Liu Liu Lang, this no longer has a bad meaning.
Mr. Zhuang couldn't help but smile before saying, "That's why I gave you the character 'Humble'. It's to complement your 'Pride', and to warn you that pride brings harm, while humility brings benefit. Time is the way of heaven. Don't forget this."
Manbao asked, "Just one character? Then people will have to call me Zhou Qian from now on. That doesn't sound very nice. Sir, could you please add another character for me?"
Mr. Zhuang couldn't help laughing when he heard this. After thinking for a moment, he said, "You're a good child. I hope you won't be complacent, but what you've done is admirable. Although it's only been a few years, your achievements in these few years have far surpassed most people in this world, including me."
He said, "Such an achievement deserves respect, so let's add the character 'zi' before 'qian'. Ziqian, Ziqian, hahahaha, great character, that's it."
After saying that, he wrote the word "Zi" on the first piece of paper in his left hand, and connected it with the word "Qian" at the end.
Although it sounds more like a boy's name, Manbao is still very happy because the name has a good meaning.
Mr. Zhuang handed them three pieces of paper and said with a smile, "You can tell your relatives and friends now. You can use your given name as your courtesy name. When you come of age and have your coming-of-age ceremony, more people will know about it."
Mr. Zhuang paused and asked, "You know how to perform the coming-of-age ceremony, right?"
Zhou Man did not have a coming-of-age ceremony. She just had a meal of noodles at home and that was it. It was a waste of the hairpin that Zheng had prepared for her, although she finally put it on her head.
Bai Shan and Bai Erlang were not so sure. They looked at each other and nodded under Mr. Zhuang's gaze. "Really?"
Mr. Zhuang automatically assumed that he would, and nodded, saying, "That's good. If it doesn't happen, then please ask for leave. You have the coming-of-age leave."
That’s right, the Great Jin Dynasty is so humane. It also has a coming-of-age leave. Officials can take one to three days off when they come of age. Bai Shan decided to strike a balance and take two days off.
"Alright, you can leave now." Mr. Zhuang stared at Bai Shan and said, "You're getting married the day after tomorrow, and you just gave us the betrothal gifts today. Logically, you shouldn't see each other again..."
He didn't finish his words, but his meaning was very clear: Aren't you leaving now?
Bai Shan could only bow and take his leave. After leaving, he couldn't help but complain in a low voice, "Sir, why did you chase me away?"
Manbao walked them to the door and waved to them, "Goodbye."
They won't be able to see each other after today until the wedding. Of course, the time is not long, just two days, no, just one and a half days.
Manbao packed up his things and wrote down the things that could be used as a storefront on the dowry list. He also copied the betrothal gifts sent by the Bai family and the list became a long one.
Qian asked her to try on the altered wedding dress.
The sleeves were a little long before, but now it is different from the past. Wedding dresses do not need to be lengthened and can be worn later. Manbao's wedding dress is very complicated, so it cannot be worn daily like in the countryside. It is only worn once, so Qian has very high requirements for it. It must be exactly right. This wedding dress has been altered twice.
Last time it was because she had lost weight after coming out of the Daming Palace, so the waist needed to be made smaller, and this time it was because she found that the cuffs were a bit long.
When Manbao put it on, even though Qian had seen it twice before, she couldn't help but look at it with amazement and satisfaction. She took her hand and said, "It looks good."
Zhou Lijun, who was sitting next to her, also thought she was pretty and couldn't help but say, "My aunt is getting prettier and prettier."
It's just that I always wear official uniform on weekdays, rarely wear fancy clothes, and even less often put on rouge, so no one noticed it.
Manbao was feeling pleased with herself, but when she thought of the name Mr. Zhuang had given her, she calmed down and said modestly, "It's OK, just average. The main thing is that my parents are good-looking."
Qian couldn't help but tap her forehead and laughed, "What kind of weird thing are you talking about?"
She smiled and said, "You have a lot of friends. Tomorrow I'll have your nephews and nieces and your fourth brother take you there. When you're making noise in the bridal chamber, be moderate and don't act recklessly, okay?"
Manbao nodded and said to her, "Don't worry, I've asked Madam Tang and her cousin, as well as Sister Fu Er, to help me with the raid. I also have Bai Er and Yin or Liu Huan watching over me, so they can't bully me."
And what is there to be afraid of? Humph, they will get married eventually. Even if they are already married, there is no need to be afraid. In the future, they will have to take exams, get promoted, and have wedding banquets. Who is afraid of whom?
See you tomorrow
(End of this chapter)
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