Yin Yin originally wanted to go with them, but was kept back by Liu Mei, who asked her to serve Wu Zhi and learn the rules of managing the backyard from Liu Mei. After Xu Jiang and Lou Yunchun got married, she would be sent to serve in their new house.
When she learned that she would be sent to do errands in the new house, Yinyin stopped clamoring and ran out, and stayed quietly in the house.
For two consecutive days, Xu Jiang was busy all the time, moving, visiting relatives and friends, shopping, managing the bookstore, looking for a caravan to send books, and delivering meals to Lou Yunchun who was detained in the Dali Temple and writing furiously. The most important thing was to decorate the bookstore in preparation for the matchmaker who would come to propose marriage later.
Manager Wang's family and Uncle Cao's family helped a lot in this matter.
Xu Jiang originally wanted to go to Uncle Cao to discuss the renovation and decoration of the new house, and at the same time ask Aunt Cao and Aunt Zhang about the customs in the capital. Aunt Cao was an experienced old woman who loved Xu Jiang, so she took on the matter.
First, he swept the house thoroughly. The backyard, the front shop, and even the street in front of the door were all cleaned so that even the soles of his shoes would not be covered with dust when he entered the house. Then he placed two pots of lush golden osmanthus in front of the door, which meant wealth and prosperity.
Finally, couplets were posted to indicate that the family had a daughter waiting to be married, hinting to the person proposing marriage that the woman was interested in marriage. Ordinary families were less familiar with poetry and prose, so they often posted bold and straightforward couplets, such as: "Seeking my commoner, suitable for his family" or "There is a beautiful daughter at home, waiting to be married."
Xu Jiang was shy and posted it very subtly. It was a handwritten couplet: The fragrance of red osmanthus fills the air as the cloud path nears, the sound of jade flute circles around the mirror stand high above.
Combined with the two osmanthus trees in front of the door, it is very appropriate.
After the couplets were posted, Aunt Cao pulled Xu Jiang aside and told her to prepare a token of trust and a return gift. The token was given to the matchmaker after the initial discussion, signaling the man's family's agreement to the engagement. Afterward, the man's family would invite the matchmaker to formally visit with gifts and a ceremony to accept the betrothal gift, effectively the engagement ceremony. At this point, the woman would also need to return the gift.
After the gifts are returned, the two parties are officially engaged, and then they ask for names, that is, exchange name cards.
Naji means worshiping the ancestral temple and fortune-telling, while Nazheng means formal engagement, with the woman hosting the wedding banquet and the man presenting the betrothal gifts.
As the name suggests, asking for a date means setting a wedding date. Welcoming the bride is the last and most important step in the wedding ceremony, which also includes welcoming the bride to the hall and spending the bridal chamber.
The complexity of the process and the tedious etiquette are enough to make people dizzy, so the elders and family members of both sides must work together to promote a marriage and bring together a good couple.
Just as Wu Zhi said, getting married is a very troublesome thing.
Fortunately, Master Lin and the Lou couple had already finalized all the rules, and Xu Jiang only needed to follow them. But even if she followed the rules, she still had to worry. Fortunately, she had Aunt Cao and Mrs. Zhuang, otherwise she would have been confused and would have made some jokes.
Aunt Cao said, "How can a newlywed couple not make jokes? That's why they should make jokes. It symbolizes constant laughter, harmony, and joy after marriage, and not caring about anything."
Xu Jiang humbly asked, "According to the customs of the capital, when accepting the bride's marriage proposal, what kind of gift does the woman usually give in return?"
Aunt Cao said, "They usually bring back tea, fruit, lotus roots, taro, persimmons, pomegranates, etc., usually in pairs. They also give trousers, shoes, and love locks. But they can also give other things. As long as it represents good luck, anything is fine."
"Oh——" Xu Jiang kept it all in mind.
Aunt Cao whispered a reminder: "After the proposal, you will be officially engaged. The bride and groom cannot see each other before the wedding ceremony. Remember this?"
"Okay, I got it." Xu Jiang nodded, but thought in her heart: But Master Lin also said that a truly prosperous world should be all-encompassing. Besides, she can resist not meeting him, but she is afraid that someone else can't resist it.
Well, she couldn't help it.
Accompanied by Aunt Cao and Mrs. Zhuang, Xu Jiang bought the return gifts. In addition to the return gifts mentioned by Aunt Cao, Xu Jiang also added the set of four treasures of the study given by the sage to the gift list. After all, the father and son of the Lou family were both officials in the court, so this would be considered solemn and would make outsiders feel that they were a good match.
After Xu Jiang officially moved back to the bookshop, Master Lin asked the sage for three days' leave to prepare for the matchmaker's proposal. The sage readily approved the request and, in passing, asked the Minister of the Central Secretariat and the Minister of the Chancellery if they had daughters who were ready to marry, so he could approve it as well.
He also wants to relax and unwind.
It was a pity that the Minister of the Central Secretariat and the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat had one daughter who was already married, but one of them still married him. The other had no daughters, but only sons, who were also married.
The saint was full of resentment. Why couldn't he learn from Lou Shaoqing and build a career before starting a family?
The day before the matchmaker came to propose marriage, Master Lin had already agreed on the rules with Xu Jiang.
It was not convenient for ordinary girls to show up when a matchmaker came to propose marriage, but Xu Jiang was different. She was a businessman and not an ordinary boudoir girl, so Master Lin did not restrict her. Whether she wanted to show up was entirely up to her, but he told her that if she wanted to show up, she could just watch and let Master Lin negotiate with the matchmaker.
After Master Lin left, Xu Jiang began to feel uneasy and was a little distracted when doing things.
Liang Mo knew that something important was going to happen tomorrow, so he postponed all his work and all his invitations to guests. After making all the arrangements, he saw that it was almost time, and thinking that he would come earlier tomorrow, he packed up his things and said to Xu Jiang, "Boss, I'm going home."
"Ah? Oh, okay." Xu Jiang came back to his senses and warned, "Be careful on the road."
"That's for granted." Liang Mo led the stubborn donkey away.
Xu Jiang sat there for a long while, feeling anxious and uneasy, so she stood up to find something to do. However, she had already done what she needed to do, and there was nothing else to prepare. She wandered around the shop aimlessly for a few times, then simply closed the door and went to Manager Wang's house.
Shopkeeper Wang was closing up shop at the time, and seeing the bewildered look on her face, he knew she was worried about tomorrow's affairs.
The two of them greeted each other, and Shopkeeper Wang said, "Your sister-in-law asked me to invite you to dinner tonight. It's a good coincidence that you're here, so I don't have to go look for you."
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