Chapter 106 Sending Betrothal Gifts (Part 2) Waiting for Me to Marry into the Marquis of Zhongyong's Mansion
The main gate of Rongguo Mansion was wide open, and red ropes and other items were tied to the trees on both sides of the road leading from the gate to Gu Ensi Hall.
Early in the morning, Tan Chun and Xi Chun were urged to go to Grandmother Jia's room: "It's chaotic today. If those people run around and bump into you, it won't be good."
Xichun became even more silent, only saying, "Thank you for your concern, Grandma."
Although Tan Chun wanted to say more, she was so emotional that she felt it would be inappropriate to say anything. After thanking her, she asked, "Where is Miss Xue?"
"I can't manage it all by myself," Grandmother Jia said calmly. "I sent her to your wife's place with her mother."
In the front courtyard, Jia Zheng believed in "ignoring everything outside the window and focusing solely on studying the classics." He felt that today was an excellent opportunity to cultivate his composure, so he called Jia Baoyu over early in the morning and said, "Start memorizing the Four Books today."
How could anyone possibly memorize that? Jia Baoyu could only dream about it.
Forget about going mad; he'd just been beaten up, and now he didn't even dare to explain, only showing respect: "Yes."
Jia Baoyu read it sentence by sentence, but didn't take a single word to heart.
Suddenly, the sound of firecrackers crackling outside startled him: They're here!
"You unfilial son!" Jia Zheng smacked him on the back with a stick. "Why aren't you studying?"
Jia Baoyu trembled in fright, and his voice grew even louder.
"Really... how much dowry must there be?" Madam Xing stood behind the gate, peeking out through the crack in the door.
Their main house has a separate gate, so the procession delivering betrothal gifts has to pass by her house first.
Madam Xing knew that the Rongguo Mansion would be emptying its coffers to raise money for Lin Daiyu's dowry, and she couldn't contain her curiosity, so she waited at the door early in the morning.
Leading the procession was the Earl of Zhongyong, riding a tall horse. Behind him were horse-drawn carts, oxcarts, and a white yak. At the very end, there were people carrying the load, the poles of which were bent over.
“The oxcart is piled high with gifts,” Madam Xing sighed. She then made way for Yingchun to come and see, “Take a look at their betrothal gifts.”
Yingchun blushed deeply. She couldn't bring herself to do such a thing, but Madam Xing had a strong grip and pulled her over forcefully, saying impatiently, "If you don't like it, I'll have them open the door and take you out to see."
"I'd rather be dead," Yingchun thought, suppressing her shame as she peeked through the crack in the door.
Madam Xing continued to explain: "Ordinary families send betrothal gifts, and for the sake of appearance, each item is counted as one load. But look at the Earl of Zhongyong, that one cartload is almost equivalent to five or six loads of other people's gifts."
"And the white yak, that thing... it's hard to say, but there are only five in the whole capital. The fact that he can use that as a betrothal gift shows that he is very wealthy, and also shows how much he likes you, Lin sister."
Entering the main gate takes a little longer, so they are walking quite slowly, but Madam Xing is enjoying the view.
Once the people who brought the betrothal gifts had gone inside and things quieted down outside, Madam Xing left the gate and saw that Yingchun's face was covered in tears.
"It's good that you can cry." Madam Xing rolled her eyes at her. "I wonder what you've learned over there? That Miss Xue, regardless of what kind of person she is, at least she never missed a greeting, and she goes to all over the Grand View Garden every day. How come you haven't learned that?"
"And then there's Tan Chun. She goes to Madam Wang's every day. Whenever she has free time, she's either making shoes for her brother Bao or embroidering handkerchiefs for him. You watch her every day, but you still haven't learned anything. Do you not have a wife or a brother?"
Yingchun cried as she said, "Madam, I..."
"You've seen the Sun family's betrothal gifts. There wasn't a single wild goose, not a single rare item. All the money went to your husband." Madam Xing's words held little warmth. "Although you don't respect me, you still call me Madam. I don't have much time to teach you slowly, but you'll remember this time."
“The Sun family doesn’t like you.” After saying this, Madam Xing gave Yingchun some time to react.
Yingchun nodded with tears in her eyes.
"You're going to marry into the Sun family..." Madam Xing hesitated for a moment, then said, "It's similar to when I married Master Li." I'm afraid no one in the whole family would like it.
“Don’t act like a lady,” Madam Xing said. “Act like a second wife, a concubine, a maid, or an old woman. Don’t act like a lady. Also… put the things Miss Lin gave you out in the open. If anyone asks, say they were given to you by the wife of the Earl of Zhongyong.”
Yingchun nodded while tears streamed down her face, but Madam Xing saw that she looked numb and didn't know how much she had taken in.
But no matter how much she hears, that's all there is to it; everyone has their own way of living.
Yingchun wiped away her tears and returned to the room. Siqi poured her tea and wiped her face. Suddenly, she knelt on the ground and said, "Miss, I have a cousin named Pan Youan. We grew up together and have long been engaged. Miss, could you please bring him along so we can serve you together?"
Yingchun stood up in shock. She had just received a shocking lesson from Madam Xing and was still in a daze. When she heard the words "Siqi has secretly pledged her life to her husband," she felt as if the sky was falling.
"You—you didn't go to see Aunt Wang, but came to me?" Yingchun asked instinctively.
Siqi is Wang Shanbao's granddaughter, and Wang Shanbao's wife is a maidservant to Madam Xing. With such a close relationship, why would she need to ask her for a favor?
It's as if she can get things done.
Siqi kowtowed, tears streaming down her face: "I've already pleaded with the madam, but she said I'm a maid who comes with the dowry and is meant for the son-in-law. Miss, I've served you for so many years, please put in a good word for me, I'll do anything to repay you. You're getting married in a couple of days, the madam will definitely agree."
When Yingchun thought of Madam Xing, the scene that came to mind was the one where she had been forced to peek through the crack in the door. How could she dare to do that?
“I can’t do it,” she said to Siqi. “How can someone who has already been arranged change for me? I’m not Miss Lin, who has picked and chosen all the servants in the Jia family over and over again, and still hasn’t settled on anyone.”
"Miss." Siqi kowtowed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.
Yingchun looked away, turned her body away, and refused to accept her courtesy: "Madam also said that the Sun family is not a good family. If you are capable, you might as well go and beg Madam not to let you go."
For a moment, only Siqi's sobs could be heard in the room.
"Why are you sending a cow?" Lin Daiyu asked with a smirk, standing next to Mu Chuan. Although her gaze was fixed on the white yak, her eyes were glued to her third brother. "You haven't even entered the family yet, and you're already asking me to raise a cow for you?"
"Don't you like it?" Mu Chuan said regretfully. "It was a gift from His Majesty. I'll take it back with me later."
"Who said I don't like it?" Lin Daiyu still didn't look at her third brother. White yaks were rare creatures, and this one was very clean, with long hair, colorful ribbons tied to its horns, and colorful braids mixed into the hair on its back. It was especially beautiful.
"I'll teach you how to ride an ox later," Mu Chuan said with a smile.
Lin Daiyu glanced at him and said, "Take off the colorful ropes on your body first. They're weighing you down, and it hurts to look at them."
Mu Chuan glanced at her hair subconsciously: "Your hairstyle is quite tight today."
Lin Daiyu blushed: "That's not what I meant."
The two matchmakers inside greeted them with smiles, "Come in quickly, it's sunny outside."
Madam Song laughed and said, "That's right, if the two of you go out, what can the two of us discuss?"
Madam Wan chimed in, "There's no need to discuss it anymore. We've come this far, all that's left is—the wedding procession." She originally wanted to say the bridal chamber, but the young girl was afraid she couldn't handle that.
Mu Chuan smiled and agreed, took two steps back, then turned around and saw that Lin Daiyu hadn't followed: "You want to... sunbathe?"
Lin Daiyu glared at him: "You go in first, I'm not going with you."
Mu Chuan laughed: "You're afraid of that?"
"Anyway, I'm not going with you."
Mu Chuan made no attempt to hide it, letting Lin Daiyu hear his laughter throughout.
The two entered and sat down on either side. To be honest, at this point, Lin Daiyu didn't know what else was there to discuss.
She glanced at Mu Chuan across from her, then at the two matchmakers.
Madam Song stood up and said with a smile, "You all chat, Her Majesty the Empress has some words to instruct the Rongguo Mansion."
Madam Wan got up as well: "I was just worried that it would be too sunny for you outside. It's much more convenient to talk inside."
The two ladies went out together, and Lin Daiyu and Mu Chuan exchanged a glance and laughed at each other.
"Third Brother," Lin Daiyu called out, "why did you send so many things?"
"I want to give it to you; I wish I could give you everything."
Lin Daiyu let out a soft moan: "Can't you say something else?"
Mu Chuan then brought over the coral tree, opened the box, and asked her, "Do you like this?"
Although Lin Daiyu had a slight upturn at the corners of her mouth, she didn't utter a sound.
“I also sent one to His Majesty and the Emperor Emeritus. From now on, this one in our house will be the same as the one in the palace, something we can show off.” Mu Chuan then took the land deed given by the Emperor Emeritus. “It’s land on the imperial estate. Keep this safe. These are all important things given to us by the palace. The ones outside are nothing special.”
Lin Daiyu accepted the gift list and said in a pretentious tone, "I will keep everything you give me carefully." But she couldn't hold back and laughed first.
Mu Chuan smiled at her: "Where's my return gift? Last time, everyone who came asked me about the second half of 'Man Jiang Hong'."
Lin Daiyu suddenly felt embarrassed and said shyly, "It's not finished yet. It's been hot these past few days, and my hands are sweaty. I also have to go to the palace. Good Third Brother, please give me a few more days, and I'll finish this for you."
She took out several sachets, some in the gourd shape mentioned last time, and others in the most common ingot shape.
Lin Daiyu didn't dare look at Mu Chuan and whispered, "At least... at least by the time we get married, the embroidery will be finished."
Mu Chuan deliberately reassured her in a serious tone, "It's alright. As long as the woman marries into the family, the embroidery is secondary."
"I know," Lin Daiyu urged him. "You should hurry up and go, it'll get hot soon when the sun comes up."
After thinking about it, Mu Chuan realized there was really nothing more to say, and he sighed loudly, "Just waiting for the wedding."
Grandmother Jia only hoped that they would never get married in this lifetime.
The two matchmakers who came over just now, using the Empress's name, showed her no respect whatsoever, and coldly said, "The dowry will be delivered around the tenth of the seventh month. The exact date will depend on the weather on that day, but as long as it doesn't rain, it will be the tenth."
Not only that, the older woman also said, "Do we need to instruct your second wife?"
These two men combined are not as old as her, and their combined titles are not as high as hers, especially since they did it in front of her two granddaughters.
Grandmother Jia suppressed her anger and forced a smile: "Well, it's been prepared for a long time. She's been raised by my side since she was a young child, and now that she's getting married, I'm really a little reluctant to let her go."
To everyone's surprise, the two ladies didn't take the hint at all. Without any politeness or pleasantries, they went straight to the point: "Use a cart, not people to carry it. How long will it take to get it delivered? Be quick and don't show off."
Grandmother Jia was so nervous that her lips were trembling. After everyone left, she still had to save face: "With a background like the Earl of Zhongyong, he must be completely ignorant of etiquette. The two matchmakers have also gone to a lot of trouble."
Xi Chun lowered her head and hummed in agreement, while Tan Chun chimed in with two sentences: "I saw him once last year, and his face certainly didn't look kind."
Grandmother Jia hurriedly said, "I feel sorry for your sister Lin. She was raised so pampered in our family, but she has to marry into Madam Wu's family. I don't know how much hardship she will have to endure."
After exchanging a few words of flattery, Grandmother Jia felt a little better. However, she was also very curious about the betrothal gifts sent by the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion, so she got up and said, "Let's go see your sister Lin. She's getting married soon, and she must be heartbroken."
Tan Chun and Xi Chun helped Grandmother Jia out, one on each side. Yuan Yang then called for a sedan chair and carried Grandmother Jia to the Grand View Garden.
Lin Daiyu was indeed looking at the dowry at this moment, and her eyes were indeed red, but it could not be said that she was sad; it could only be said that she was feeling emotional.
The betrothal gifts included two wooden boxes: one containing land deeds and the other containing indentures.
Four thousand acres of farmland, eleven shops, seven mansions, and indentures of nearly three hundred people have all been transferred to her name.
Lin Daiyu snorted and whispered, "Third Brother is always bullying others by relying on his power. I didn't even know that. He didn't even put a fingerprint on it. How did it become mine?"
She was full of enthusiasm thinking about how to treat her third brother well when Xueyan came in and said, "Miss, the old lady has brought the third and fourth young ladies."
"Please come in quickly, and bring tea and refreshments," Lin Daiyu instructed. She rose to respond and went to meet Grandmother Jia.
Grandmother Jia had already gotten out of the sedan chair. Looking at the main hall that was originally built for Yuan Chun's visit to her family, now it was piled with her betrothal gifts, and along with the dowry of two million, how could she be happy?
"We've come to see you," Grandmother Jia said with a smile. "Why are your eyes so red? Don't be sad. It's not like you can't come back after you've married. You can come back often when the time comes."
Lin Daiyu was not truly heartbroken.
Her third brother was afraid she wouldn't have enough, and her maternal grandmother's family was afraid she would have enough.
Years ago, her father brought two people with her to the capital, precisely to avoid making a big fuss and to save face for their relatives. Could it be that the Lin family couldn't even muster a few servants? If they really brought more than a dozen people to the capital, wouldn't that be a show of force? It would also be a clear indication that they didn't consider the Jia family as relatives.
Of course, the Lin family did not have such a rule as having more than forty servants to serve Jia Baoyu.
Unfortunately, the father's good intentions were misinterpreted.
Adding to this, her maternal grandmother subtly hinted, "She's a pitiful child, so it's no wonder I dote on her."
There was also the explicit statement from the second aunt: "All her food, clothing, and daily necessities came from the Hua family's money."
Later, it became known that she was a refugee, and that the Lin family had nothing left, so she stayed at the Rongguo Mansion and still insisted on being picky.
"It's quite far away," Lin Daiyu said. "It's near Shuntian Prefecture."
Grandmother Jia was taken aback: "Didn't you say it was near Donghua Gate?"
“That’s a residence bestowed by the Emperor Emeritus, and His Majesty bestowed it in Shuntian Prefecture.” Lin Daiyu smiled and said, “They go out every day, haven’t they told Grandmother? There are two imperial-built mansions for the Earl of Zhongyong in the capital.”
When Grandmother Jia heard this news, she felt dizzy and disoriented.
On what grounds?
The Ningguo Mansion is gone, and it's unknown how long the Rongguo Mansion can be preserved. Why does the Marquis of Zhongyong have two residences?
They were all bestowed by the emperor!
"This... isn't a good idea." Grandmother Jia said with feigned concern but actually with a hint of sourness, "You should persuade him properly after he marries in, and not let him take so much, otherwise the masters above will be jealous."
Lin Daiyu chuckled, "Grandmother, please sit here. It's not tidy up yet, it's a mess."
Grandmother Jia pretended not to understand that this was an implication that it was inconvenient to receive her, and instead said to Tan Chun and Xi Chun, "You two go for a stroll in the next room. I have a few words to say to your sister Lin. Well, it's not that I don't want you to hear, but when you get married, I will tell you the same thing."
Tan Chun and Xi Chun passed through the main room and arrived at the west side room.
Tan Chun felt that she really shouldn't be so arrogant, but as the old lady's closest confidante, she was bound to receive benefits, so she couldn't help but feel a little proud.
"Sister Lin, there are so many good things in this room." But as soon as she said it, Tan Chun regretted it a little. Why did it sound like she was jealous?
Tan Chun immediately fell silent again.
Grandmother Jia sat down next to Lin Daiyu, and Lin Daiyu took the initiative to say, "Of the servants we've chosen, I think the Huang family is good, the Liu family is also fine, and the Sun family is also acceptable. As for Granny Zhao's family, they are the ones that Grandmother is used to using, so I can't take them with me."
She had already told her third brother about it before, but he still only had one standard: more male offspring. So Lin Daiyu dared to make her own decisions.
Zhao Mama's family is definitely not suitable; there are many elderly people in the family, and the number of male descendants is not large.
"No rush," Grandmother Jia said with a smile. If she picked someone now, how would Yuanyang collect the money? She wouldn't choose anyone until the dowry was delivered in July.
But you definitely can't say it like that.
"Wait a little longer," said Grandmother Jia. "This is something I've been pondering for many years. By not announcing the candidates yet, we can see who is steady and who is impetuous. Managing subordinates is actually revealed in these little things."
Lin Daiyu said "Oh~", so this is the root cause of why no one in the Rongguo Mansion made any preparations beforehand, and they were caught off guard at the last minute?
It's pointless to prepare anyway.
Is it better to use money directly, rather than having good skills?
When Grandmother Jia talked about managing the household, she regained her confidence and said, "There's one more thing: you must keep your dowry firmly in your own hands. You know, your maternal grandmother loves you and will give you a lot of dowry, but this is for you, not for the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion. You must remember that."
Lin Daiyu didn't even want to speak anymore. Compared to her third brother's direct transfer of ownership, all her maternal grandmother had left to do was to say nice things.
She simply began to recite "Man Jiang Hong" silently:
...his hair stood on end in anger, as he leaned against the railing...
In the past six months, she has been writing this poem "Man Jiang Hong" at least two or three times a day. When she gets married, her third brother will have to practice calligraphy like this too.
"Yu'er, Yu'er?" Grandmother Jia called out, "I know you're not married yet, and I'm telling you about taking concubines and maids beforehand. You're sure you'll be unhappy. But if I don't tell you in advance and you're not prepared, you'll definitely lose your composure and be taken advantage of."
The shame of Jingkang remains unavenged...
"The maids around you are all quite beautiful and loyal. I originally intended Qingwen to be Baoyu's concubine; she is suitable to be a concubine."
...Let's rebuild our lost land from scratch...
"Grandmother is drinking tea."
He didn't listen to anything at all!
Grandmother Jia was so angry she wanted to slam her fist on the table, but then she thought that Jia had actually listened to her attitude, otherwise she wouldn't have ignored her completely.
Grandmother Jia was pleased. She laughed twice and said, "Alright, you won't listen to anything I say. I'm going back now. If you have any questions or worries, just come and ask me."
She recounted her glorious history again: "I started as a great-granddaughter-in-law when I married into the Jia family."
After Grandmother Jia left the room, Lin Daiyu added, "When I married into the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion, I started as the Marquis's wife."
After she finished speaking, she realized what it meant. Lin Daiyu blushed. When did she become so bold?
"It's all Third Brother's fault!"
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