Chapter 73: The Chen Family Proposes Marriage
Only after Chen Youtian mentioned it did Chen Zhonghua notice the unfamiliar box.
She initially thought her husband had bought something in the county town, but it turned out the box was also something prepared by the Guo family.
Unaware of his wife's thoughts, Chen Youtian placed the box on the table and opened it.
This is the box that Guo Baiwen had given him in the backyard beforehand.
In addition to the two items that were initially contained, there was also a small wooden box containing eighteen taels of cash, which Grandma Guo had wrapped in red paper in advance.
It doesn't look like it could fit two geese.
Chen Zhonghua stared at it for a moment, about to ask another question.
Then Chen Youtian opened the last small wooden box, faced it, and after seeing what was inside, even Chen Zhonghua was speechless this time.
Inside was a pair of silver hairpins, which should have been made of pure silver.
The wild goose that Chen Zhonghua had been asking about was now at the top of the silver hairpin.
...It turned out to be two hairpins.
Not to mention that Chen Zhonghua herself had never seen such a thing when she got married, even when her family was not yet impoverished, her mother used a pair of wild chickens.
The question that was about to be asked kept coming back and forth, but in the end it could only be said, "Why did you have to spend so much money?"
Only now did she truly understand just how sincere the Guo family was this time.
Guo Baiwen, somewhat embarrassed, explained, "It was originally supposed to be a pair of geese, but my connections are limited, and time was a bit rushed—"
But if he actually used pheasants or chickens and ducks as substitutes, he always felt that something was still missing.
So I had indeed inquired about it in various parts of the county beforehand.
But wild geese are hard to find, and living wild geese are even rarer.
He asked Granny Sun and learned that the price of wild geese in recent years was about one or two taels of silver for a live one. Some people, like him, would choose to buy a pair of wooden or cloth geese for good luck.
This incident instantly inspired Guo Baiwen.
Thinking that since he couldn't find any wild geese, he might as well make two 'wild geese' for the same price.
Thus, this pair of wild goose hairpins came into being.
but--
He scratched his head, feeling a little uncertain. "These hairpins were made to order in a rush. The craftsmanship may not be that exquisite, but the materials used are all top-notch."
He watched as the craftsman used his own silver ingots to make it, and after paying the wages, he stood by and waited.
Even though they were bothered by the heat from the stove, they didn't go to rest.
I was afraid that something might have been added to my body along the way.
With the tools silversmiths use nowadays, it would be considered quite good if they could even produce 925 silver.
Fortunately, the final product was quite white, so he tied a red string to it as if it were a wild goose and carefully put it in the box.
Even Chen Damu was somewhat shocked, let alone Chen Zhonghua and Chen Youtian.
I blurted out instinctively, "My goodness!"
At this opportune moment, Granny Sun pressed her advantage, saying, "These two hairpins represent wild geese, symbolizing Brother Guo's sincerity towards Miss Chen. He will surely treat her well in the future."
Since she had spoken, Guo Shitou followed up, saying, "The divination on this auspicious scroll is also very good. After the two families become related by marriage, their lives will be even more prosperous!"
These words sounded nice, and the Chen family was already quite satisfied. Upon hearing this, they could hardly contain their joy.
Chen Youtian said with some emotion, "Thanks to your kindness, in-laws, since our two families have already exchanged betrothal gifts, the marriage is naturally settled. I must thank your Guo family for all the trouble you've gone to."
After a long day of travel and a few more words, we've said everything we needed to say, so it's time to sit down and eat.
Chen Zhonghua prepared mostly home-style dishes, such as fried small fish, stir-fried greens, stewed chicken, stewed wild rabbit, and bamboo shoot and tofu soup. The two families also decided on the specific wedding date during the meal.
I traveled for half a day today, even though I had breakfast before setting off this morning.
But by now, it has long been digested.
I wasn't hungry while sitting and talking with my teacup in hand, but now that I see so many dishes of home-style cooking on the table, my stomach is rumbling.
The stewed chicken also contained dried bamboo shoots and shiitake mushrooms. Because not many seasonings were added, you could taste the natural sweetness of the chicken.
There was also stewed wild rabbit. Perhaps because the chicken had already been cooked without spice, there were quite a few chilies in the pot, including both green and red chili pieces.
Guo Baiwen had only taken a bite or two before, and didn't find it spicy. He even praised it, saying, "This chili tastes quite delicious." But before he could finish his sentence, the burning sensation spread from the tip of his tongue all the way to his throat.
Her previously composed smile turned red with suppressed anger, and she quickly looked down to find a water glass, taking several large gulps to finally suppress the spiciness.
Looking up again at the pot of stewed wild rabbit, his expression was one of surprise and uncertainty.
But strangely enough, Uncle Shi and Uncle Chen, while casually eating a couple of pieces of rabbit meat, were also able to take a small sip of wine.
Chen Damu couldn't help but praise, "This wild rabbit really does taste best when eaten with these kinds of chili peppers!"
Although Granny Sun and Chen Baoyue's faces were flushed from eating, their chopsticks never stopped moving.
Seeing this, Guo Baiwen couldn't help but glance around at everyone at the table, and then he realized—
Okay... as expected, he's the worst at eating spicy food.
Looks like I still need to practice more.
Fortunately, the remaining small fish, vegetables, and tofu weren't too spicy, and everyone was genuinely hungry.
After eating until they were about half full, conversations gradually began to break out at the dinner table.
Fortunately, neither family had the habit of not speaking while eating or sleeping, and everyone settled on the matters that needed to be settled later.
The dates offered by the gibbons were all quite good, but considering the current situation of both companies, we debated a bit more about whether to choose next year or the year after.
It was Sun Ya Po who said it was better to do it sooner rather than later, so the wedding date was finally set for the winter solstice of the following year.
It was a day when farming was in a slack season and it was also a holiday, so neither family was too busy. They had a little more time, which was perfect for taking their time to prepare.
The date was set, and the Guo family brought so many gifts today. Originally, Chen Zhonghua had Baoyue make a few pairs of shoes and two pieces of clothing as a return gift, following the local custom.
But looking at it now, it seems lighter.
But it's already too late to prepare now.
Fortunately, she had some food stored at home, so she took two cleaned and fresh rabbits from the kitchen.
A few days ago, Chen Youtian went down the mountain because he had hunted a deer and was in a hurry to sell the fresh venison and deer hide, along with the deer penis and deer bones.
However, Chen Zhonghua thought that the deer antlers were rare, so he left them at home and didn't let him take them down the mountain.
Taking it out now is just right as a return gift.
So they divided the rabbit and the other rabbit into two baskets, each tied with a red cloth and a red rope.
Together with the shoes and clothes that Chen Baoyue made, they were just enough to fill both ends of a carrying pole.
Guo Baiwen knew that these things were all obtained by the Chen family through hunting. Like the big spotted one last time, it looked like it could earn a lot of money, but it was all earned with their lives.
Wild beasts in the mountains won't play a game of 'stop when you're down'; one wrong move and you could lose your life.
Moreover, the location in these mountains is far too remote.
I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to persuade someone to move down the mountain.
The weather on the mountain has been pretty good these past few days. After the group finished eating, the midday sun made them feel a little sleepy.
But I can't sleep.
They needed to get back before dark.
Knowing that it was not easy for the guests to travel such a long way through the mountains, Chen Zhonghua filled their water bottles with tea and gave each person two boiled sweet potatoes.
They just wanted to wait until they got hungry on the way, so they had something on them to eat a little something.
Chen Youtian silently put on his straw hat, tapped the straw sandal he had picked up earlier on the ground to remove two small pebbles, and then put it back on.
It's alright. Although it's been exposed to the wind and sun for a few days, it's still quite sturdy.
Although he had arrived home, he still needed to lead the way and take the guests down to the foot of the mountain.
Fortunately, the oxcart they had hired earlier should already be waiting at the foot of the mountain, so he didn't need to worry about the road back to the county town from the foot of the mountain.
Seeing that Guo Baiwen and Guo Shitou were still fighting over carrying the carrying pole, he couldn't stand it anymore and simply stepped forward and carried the carrying pole himself.
As a result, the two men caught up with him again with the empty carrying pole. After much persuasion, they insisted on sharing some of their belongings with him and putting them in their baskets before finally giving up any idea of fighting him for the carrying pole.
According to Chen Youtian, the things on this carrying pole were not as heavy as the ones he had carried down the mountain last time.
It's not that easy to get tired.
Knowing what he was thinking, Chen Zhonghua pounded his chest and lowered his voice, "Don't be a hero! Speak properly!"
But even so, she was worried that he wouldn't be able to get back in time, so when she saw him off, she slipped some money into Chen Youtian's hand and told him, "If it gets late, don't push yourself. Just stay at the inn downstairs for the night."
"It's not too late to go up the mountain and go home when it's light tomorrow."
After having a meal at home, all the preparations were settled. I know my wife is always sharp-tongued but kind-hearted.
Chen Youtian was in a relaxed mood at the moment, and even joked with Chen Zhonghua, "I know! Why don't you come back tomorrow? This money is enough for me to bring you some braised pig's trotters from that foot-selling shop!"
That's what I meant.
Chen Zhonghua rolled his eyes at him, but a smile was on his face.
"If you want to take it, do you think I can stop you?"
After seeing everyone off from her doorstep, she waved and watched their figures gradually disappear into the distance. Just as she was about to turn around and pull Chen Baoyue back with her,
But before she knew it, she had already put the pair of wild goose hairpins on her head.
This little girl...
Chen Zhonghua couldn't suppress the smile on his lips, his eyelashes drooping slightly, pretending that he hadn't noticed anything.
"Let's go home with Mom. There are still a lot of dishes and chopsticks in the kitchen that haven't been washed yet!"
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