"Oh dear, stop it, there are so many people here!" Chunniang said coquettishly, but as she spoke, she rubbed against Magistrate Wang with a seductive air.
After Magistrate Wang had touched her hand to his satisfaction, he took it out. The two then walked to Niu Da and Shen Yu's iced drink stall and said:
"Give me five jars of chilled watermelon juice."
Upon seeing him, Niu Da recognized him as the former Butcher Wang, who had sold his property to buy an official position and was now the county magistrate of Niushan County. Although he despised him, he dared not offend him and hurriedly asked:
"Does Master Wang prefer a large jar, a small jar, or a medium jar?"
Upon hearing that there were different sizes of altars, Magistrate Wang, who was quite concerned about his reputation, immediately said, "Of course, it's the large altar!"
“A large jar costs four hundred coins, and five jars cost two thousand coins,” Niu Da handed five large jars of chilled juice to Magistrate Wang.
When Magistrate Wang heard that it cost two thousand coins, which was four taels of silver, he was reluctant to spend so much money on such a drink, even though he had amassed a considerable fortune in the year since he took office.
But thinking about it, having a sip of that on a hot summer day would surely be incredibly refreshing.
Niu said in a low voice, "If the county magistrate wants to drink, I'll reduce the price by five copper coins per jar for you. What do you say?"
It's easy to offend the King of Hell, but difficult to deal with his underlings.
Magistrate Wang was still somewhat hesitant, but hearing that Niu Da had given him an extra five copper coins, he said, "You're a shrewd businessman! Alright, I'll take them all! But I'll come back for the other three jars tomorrow; you'll have to keep them chilled for me first."
When Magistrate Wang was about to pay, he was slightly taken aback when he saw Shen Yu's appearance, and his hand, which was handing over the money, unconsciously tugged at her.
Shen Yu quickly withdrew her hand, her face flushed with anger.
Chunniang, who was standing next to him, noticed this and said coquettishly, "Oh, sir, hurry back! Aren't you satisfied with having Chunniang? Why are you still so envious!"
Magistrate Wang hurriedly replied, "Besides you, who else could I possibly fancy?"
There were so many people buying iced drinks that it was noisy and bustling, so Niu Da was busy serving customers and didn't hear the commotion.
Xiao Fubao noticed Chen Yu and Magistrate Wang, her eyes narrowing slightly. Niu Baolan said, "Xiao Fubao, your rock sugar water has all melted!"
The night market in Da Zhou was very bustling, with men and women walking together, busy until 9 PM before a family would pack up their stall.
By the time we got home, it was almost midnight.
The next morning, as the family sat together counting their coins, Chen Yu said, "From now on, I'll stay home and cook; I won't go with you to sell chilled juice anymore."
Niu Da was somewhat surprised, "Her mother, things were going so well, why doesn't she want to go anymore?"
"No, it's just that we've been making so many pickled vegetables at home that I'd like to take some out and sell them on the streets." "In a while, once the pickled meat dishes are ready, I'll send them all over to Madam You!"
Niu Da listened to Shen Yu's words and didn't say anything more. He thought that Magistrate Wang was originally a lecherous man who had four or five wives and concubines, all of whom were beautiful and charming.
It's better not to go!
The family took a shower and went to bed.
There are nine people living in the house, young and old. Xiao Fubao and Niu Baolan are young and need to be taken care of by Xiang Jinlan at night. However, during this time, the two sons of the Xiang family have fallen in love with two young maids in the mansion and have become engaged.
In addition, Xiang Jinlan's family has been busy repairing a new house recently. Her two sons will be getting married in three months, and they can no longer squeeze into three thatched houses like before.
Although her third son did not pass the county-level imperial examination, he had passed the preliminary examination and was waiting to take the prefectural-level examination next year. If he passed, she would also look for a girl to marry.
The betrothal gifts in the Great Zhou Dynasty were high. Although the dowries of wealthy families were higher than the betrothal gifts, the practice of demanding large sums of money as betrothal gifts in the common people could not be stopped despite repeated prohibitions.
When planning to marry, one should first inquire about the size of the dowry; when planning to marry off a daughter, one should first inquire about the amount of the betrothal gifts.
During the betrothal ceremony, the groom's family would present gifts to the matchmaker, including silk fabrics, plates and cups, paper money, and a gift box with flowers.
Three days before the wedding, the groom's family begins to send gifts to urge the bride's arrival, including a flower hairpin, a gold-embroidered veil, a flower fan, a powder tray, and painted fruits, etc. The bride's family reciprocates with a silk flower turban, a green robe, boots, and a scepter, etc. The "gifting of gifts" only truly ends on the wedding day.
However, the bride price has always been more important than the dowry, and some parents of the bride's family are considered very understanding if they do not withhold the bride price.
Therefore, many families had no choice but to let their sons marry into the family.
The Xiang family had previously intended to arrange for Zheng Si to marry into their family after he turned twenty-five and was still poor.
In the past two years, he and his two sons have worked with the Niu family and have made a name for themselves. They have accumulated quite a bit of savings, so they have given up the idea of having their sons marry into the family.
Zheng Si and Zheng Ye manage the two grain shops of the Niu family, earning 1,500 coins a month, totaling 3,000 coins.
She herself earns a thousand coins a month.
We can raise some chickens, geese, pigs, and the like at home.
During this period, Xiao Fubao and Niu Baolan slept with Niu Cuihua and Xiao Heng respectively, instead of sleeping with their uncle Niu Yong. This was mainly because Niu Yong was of marriageable age and it wasn't convenient for them to sleep together.
Niu Meihua is responsible for taking care of Niu Baozhu.
Actually, it was Xiao Heng who pulled her off the bed of Chen Yu and his wife.
The little one rolled over on the bed, swinging his chubby little body high in the air, and then lay on his stomach, sleeping soundly and sweetly.
Xiao Heng squeezed the little girl's chubby little hand, which was soft and delicate, unlike his own hands, which were covered in scars at such a young age. Her hand felt like that of a pampered young lady.
She deserved to be pampered like this.
He knows a lot of things, a lot of things about the future.
In his previous life, he did not find her as a child in the cave. He did live there, but he did not return to the cave that day because he had gone to steal something the day before.
To survive, he once hid in a farmer's house and stole. When the family's young girl saw him, she not only didn't scold him, but also gave him four steamed buns and an old piece of clothing, saying to him:
"Hey buddy, are you hungry and cold? You can't live like this by sneaking around!"
After that, he carried four steamed buns and struggled for a long time, begging and pleading with everyone he could to find a job, but after two or three days, no one wanted a child.
But later, he was taken in by an old man and made to do manual labor for a pitifully small salary.
At that time, he was not the adopted son of the Niu family.
Later, all he learned was that the little girl in front of him had been the adopted daughter of a wealthy family. When she was selected as a royal merchant, her uncle and adoptive father, who were both officials of the third rank in the imperial court, were murdered one after the other.
At that time, he was a powerful minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
He started working illegally when he was eleven years old, and the money he painstakingly saved was used to support his schooling from the age of fifteen.
He passed the imperial examination at the age of twenty-one, becoming a first-class scholar.
He was a scholar who performed the duties of a military general.
I met her when I was 25.
At that time, her family was destroyed and she died.
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