Caijiazhuang was bustling with activity today. Mr. and Mrs. Xu were laughing so hard their faces were almost cramping.
Since Xu Kun became a sixth-rank official, the couple lost a lot, but also gained a lot.
They lost poverty and hunger, and gained the trouble of having so much money they didn't know what to do with it.
Besides the worry of not being able to spend all their money, they had another problem: the thought of their son becoming an official made it impossible for them to suppress the smiles on their faces.
Even when they were sleeping, the couple couldn't help but laugh out loud.
When they woke up and saw that the thatched hut where they had slept their whole lives had been transformed into a large courtyard with four entrances and four exits, they smiled even more happily.
From the moment they learned that Xu Kun had become an official until now, the smiles on the faces of the couple have never disappeared.
The sixth-rank military officer in Tai'an City held a position similar to, or even slightly higher than, that of the prefect of Huzhou.
The prefect of Huzhou was in charge of all affairs in Huzhou, and it could be said that he was the one who made the decisions in the entire city.
Xu Kun, in just over half a year, went from an ordinary citizen to someone on par with the prefect of Huzhou.
Thinking about their son's achievements, they couldn't help but laugh, their faces twitching from laughing so hard.
Mr. and Mrs. Xu were laughing so hard they were cramping, while Xia Yan was counting money until he was cramping up a bit.
As the most learned person, he was in charge of the gift ledger, recording how many gifts each person gave. Only when someone else did a good deed would he know how much he should give in return.
Normally, this kind of thing wouldn't require him, the father-in-law, to do it himself, but this time he received too many gifts.
The soldiers in the barracks had nowhere to rest, so when they heard that Xu Kun was getting married, they all came to join in the fun.
Whether they know each other or not, everyone wants to come over and have a drink at the wedding, to share in the joy.
Those who come to the wedding banquet are expected to bring gifts to congratulate the bride and groom on their marriage.
The villagers of Caijiazhuang would at most bring some eggs and make some snacks, and then help with the work and do odd jobs.
For families with better financial means, the gifts would be a few pieces of cured meat and some game they had hunted themselves.
The soldiers in the barracks had nothing to give away; all they had left in their pockets was money.
They had almost nothing except money, so the only gifts they could give were silver.
Because the smallest denomination of currency they carried was silver; copper coins were no longer in circulation in the military camp.
Xia Yan looked at the pile of silver coins on the table and couldn't help but swallow hard.
This was the first time in his entire life that he had seen so much silver placed in front of him.
As he swallowed, Yang Wenguang pulled a bag from his pocket: "Yang Wenguang of the Yang family, fifty taels of silver as a gift."
Upon hearing the name Yang Wenguang, Xia Yan immediately snapped out of his daze, stood up quickly, and bowed.
"Xia Yan, the magistrate of Changle County, pays his respects to General Yang."
"I was unaware of General Yang's arrival and apologize for any shortcomings in my hospitality."
Yang Wenguang patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Hey, I'm not wearing my official robes today, there's no need to be so polite."
As Yang Wenguang spoke, he emptied the bag in his hand, and the silver rolled down the pile of money from the table to the ground, all the way to Liu Yue's feet.
Looking at the silver coins covered in dust on the ground, Liu Yue felt they were so glaringly conspicuous.
What you can't get even by selling your body is something someone casually throws on the ground.
Thinking about what she had experienced in the capital, she felt that the world was very unfair.
The fat man picked up the silver from the ground, wiped it on his clothes, and then placed it on the table with both hands.
"Uncle Xia, here is your money, please keep it."
Xia Yan's expression changed immediately when he saw the fat man appear in front of him, and his eyes showed some disgust.
"I wouldn't dare call you Uncle Xia. You should just call me Old Man. It sounds better to me."
The fat man's smile froze for a moment upon hearing this.
However, thinking of his family's situation, he gritted his teeth and then laughed again: "Uncle Xia is joking. I was just young and disrespectful before, and I called you whatever I wanted. I am so grateful that you are so magnanimous and forgiving of my ignorance."
As he spoke, the fat man bowed and pulled out a worn-out bracelet from his pocket.
“My mother heard that Hua Niang was getting married, so she specially asked me to bring this bracelet over and give it to Uncle Xia.”
“My mother said that this was a gift from Uncle Xia a long time ago, and now it’s been returned to its rightful owner.”
Taking the bracelet from the fat man's hand, Xia Yan fell into memories.
He and Fatty's mother were childhood sweethearts, but they were separated because they were not from the same social class.
"Oh well, never mind."
Xia Yan sighed and waved for the fat man to go in and eat.
When the fat man saw Xia Yan's appearance, he was overjoyed and quickly led Liu Yue inside.
"Husband, can he really help our family?"
Seeing the fat man's happy expression, Liu Yue couldn't help but ask, "Those high-ranking officials in the capital are unwilling to help us when they hear it's about Fujian. Can a newly appointed county magistrate really help our family?"
The fat man looked at her and chuckled, "Do you know why those high-ranking officials in the capital aren't willing to help us?"
"Why?"
"Because this case in Fujian was ordered personally by the Regent of our Great Ming Dynasty."
"Those officials wouldn't dare offend that prince."
"But our newly appointed magistrate is different. My mother told me that the reason he was able to become magistrate is because he has a good son-in-law."
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