The Zhao family was unaware of the series of chain reactions triggered by Zhao Qingyi's engagement.
She got up early in the morning and began preparing to welcome the matchmaker.
Around noon, Wang Guangzu, Wang Guangzong, Wang Huaijing, and a matchmaker wearing a big red flower in her hair arrived at the door.
Two carts arrived, carrying two bolts of brocade, a pair of geese to represent wild geese, two sheep, two large fish, several kilograms of dried fruit, and a hundred kilograms of rice.
Although the items weren't worth much money, the Wang family had put in a lot of effort to put them together yesterday afternoon.
Putting everything else aside, those two bolts of brocade look like the latest model, each costing no less than 20 taels. The colors are peach pink and pale yellow.
Two large golden carp, each weighing about 5-6 pounds, were brought over in a large wooden basin filled with water. The two fish looked very comfortable inside.
I bought the dried fruit from the most expensive candy shop in town. The rice was milled yesterday afternoon.
The two sheep were bought through a middleman, and they looked plump and healthy.
It ran alongside the carriage for a while and looked quite energetic.
The belongings were unloaded, and the group went inside. The matchmaker immediately began praising...
"Congratulations, sir and madam! Everyone says that the eldest daughter of the Zhao family is beautiful and kind-hearted, with skillful hands that are the best in the surrounding area."
A beautiful and graceful lady is sought after by a gentleman. Wang Jiahuai, the newly appointed scholar in our town, has taken a liking to your eldest daughter and has come to propose marriage.
Grandfather and Madam, what do you think?
Mrs. Huang smiled.
"Of course I'm delighted. You must be tired from your journey. Let's eat first, and we can talk about the rest later."
The matchmaker was dumbfounded; she was the highest-paid matchmaker in Wufang Town. This was the first time she'd ever seen someone eat right after entering the house without saying a word.
Wang Guangzong was the happiest. The Wang family's food was delicious and he had always missed it. Now that his nephew was coming to propose marriage, they would be family. Would he still have to worry about not having a chance to come and freeload a meal?
He stood up first and walked towards the Zhao family's dining table.
Fortunately, the main hall of the Zhao family's house is large enough; otherwise, it would be quite difficult to accommodate two tables for meals every day.
Seeing that the other party had already stood up to go eat, the matchmaker had no choice but to stand up dumbly and follow them.
Because the matchmaker was a woman, she was placed at the women's table.
The matchmaker thought that even if a family from the countryside had some money, they must not have seen much of the world, and that the food she prepared would be good if they could cook a few meat dishes.
But when you look at the dining table, the red and green colors are pleasing to the eye.
The dishes include braised pork knuckle, steamed sea bass, roast duck, roast goose, roast chicken, spicy hot pot, dry pot pork intestines, boiled beef, boiled fish, Mapo tofu, hand-shredded cabbage, garlic lettuce, shredded pork with garlic sauce, sweet and sour pork with pineapple, steamed spare ribs with rice flour, and honey-glazed char siu, totaling sixteen dishes.
Judging from its appearance, it should taste good. The only special thing is that the tableware used by the Zhao family to serve the dishes is very special, a large soup bowl with a diameter of ten inches.
The matchmaker was quite surprised, thinking to herself,
"What kind of family is this? They're so wasteful! The portions are huge. If this were served at home, it would be enough for at least three tables and there would still be leftovers."
The Zhao family, of course, didn't care what the matchmaker thought, and handed her a bowl and chopsticks, saying...
"Don't be shy, eat your fill. In our family, everyone eats by themselves, and we don't do that kind of thing where we serve food or urge others to drink."
So don't feel like you're being neglected.
The long one is for serving chopsticks.
The shorter one is the chopsticks we use when picking food from the plate.
"Alright, let's eat." After saying this to the matchmaker, Huang picked up her chopsticks.
So the younger generation at the table started picking up the serving chopsticks, taking food and eating.
The Zhao family's rice was white rice, crystal clear and with each grain distinct, clearly the finest of rice, something the matchmaker had never seen before.
The matchmaker would sigh with emotion after eating each dish.
"This is so delicious!"
What exactly is this red stuff? It's spicy and tastes really good, but it was a bit embarrassing to eat; tears and snot were flying everywhere.
The women ate quietly at their table, ignoring everyone else. The matchmaker was someone who could multitask.
While eating, he kept glancing at the Zhao family members.
This was quite an eye-opener. All the women in the Zhao family, regardless of whether they were married into the family or were their own daughters, were all exceptionally beautiful.
Each person has a full forehead and a square jaw; to put it more bluntly, they look very auspicious.
In terms of appearance, they were above average, but none of the women in the Zhao family wore makeup; they were all bare-faced and looked clean and refreshing.
The matchmaker was perceptive; after looking around once, she stopped glancing around and focused on eating.
She noticed that the Zhao family members ate very quickly and generally had larger appetites than normal.
Especially the old lady and that little girl, why is it that everyone else eats from small bowls, but the two of them eat from large soup bowls?
If Madam Huang and Zhao Qingyan could hear the matchmaker's true feelings, they would definitely tell her.
"We have guests, otherwise we would have to eat from a bowl."
The men's table was eating and drinking heartily.
Although the engagement hasn't been discussed yet, the Wang family came today specifically to talk about it. Once the horoscopes are matched, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the marriage between the two families will be a done deal.
Before, I looked at Wang Huaijing with admiration and respect due to his status. Now that he's my son-in-law, does he still need to be pampered?
The answer is no. So what methods should be used to deal with a pig that wants to steal your cabbage? The first method is to force-feed it alcohol.
Wang Huaijing, who couldn't hold his liquor, quickly got drunk.
The Zhao brothers carried him directly back to Zhao Qingbei's room.
Little Qingbei had just finished eating, so she stayed in the room to watch over Wang Huaijing to prevent him from vomiting from drinking too much, which would be disgusting.
After the Zhao brothers returned, they continued eating and drinking. Fortunately, the Zhao family knew their limits and didn't get Wang Guangzu and Wang Guangzong drunk, as the two still had serious business to discuss.
Even so, the two of them seemed to be walking a little unsteadily.
In the end, the cook made a hangover soup for the two of them, and they gradually regained their senses.
"Here is a gold hairpin and a jade pendant, which are the engagement tokens given by our Wang family. After the horoscopes are matched, we will formally present the betrothal gifts."
Is a dowry of two hundred taels of silver acceptable?
After the eldest daughter entered the family, she took over managing the household. You all know my family's situation.
"We're just missing a lady of the house like that."
Wang Guangzu asked cautiously, afraid that the Zhao family would look down on the small dowry he offered.
On the Zhao family's side, it was still Huang who spoke first.
“That’s feasible, that’s feasible. This is just a formality for us. Qingyi will still take the betrothal money back with her.”
In addition, our Zhao family will prepare an extra thousand taels of silver as a dowry for our granddaughter.
As for the rest, my wife will find a way to get everything for the child.
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