Chapter 4 Chapter 4 (Catching Bugs) Reply to the letter to pack up the valuables
The flower lady clapped her hands and laughed sharply.
"Oh my! You are truly a clever woman, much more astute than your parents. If you marry a man from the Sun family, your two brothers will benefit from it. The eldest master of the Sun family is a man respected by the government, so it's no problem for him to make your brothers minor officials. You will enjoy a life of luxury in the future. The Sun family has a multitude of servants at your disposal, and you will even have as much gold, silver, and treasures as abalone, shark's fin, and bird's nest."
Baozhu put on an envious look when she heard her talk, then put on an angry look, "I used to work hard at home from dawn to dusk, it's not a life for a human being. Now that someone like that has taken a fancy to me, why are you stopping me from enjoying myself?"
When Mrs. Hua heard her say this, she ignored even the shopkeeper Zhen and clenched her hand with a cry, "My dear girl, you have a longer-term vision than your parents. Spending every day in the kitchen is really unfair to your appearance. The Sun family is so hard for others to get into, even if they want to climb up. It's only because I think you are so outstanding that I took the trouble to find a place for you."
"That's right, aunt, what you said makes sense. I am so beautiful that those ordinary people can't compare to me. I wanted to buy a hairpin the other day, but my mother didn't agree. I heard that the Sun family has a golden bed and jade pillow. With my looks, if I get married, I can wear gold and jade if I want." Baozhu put on a look of being obsessed with money.
Aunt Hua's face showed some understanding. After all, she was still a little girl, and she was dazzled by a little wealth. She also liked such little girls the most. They were easy to fool and it didn't take much effort for her to get the job done.
As long as Baozhu is willing, in her heart the matter is already about 70% settled.
Granny Zhen suddenly appeared out of nowhere and took Aunt Hua's hand, "Are you here to propose marriage to our Dalang?"
Aunt Hua leaned close to her ear and said, "It's not Dalang! It's your eldest sister!"
"Girl, don't be in a hurry to get married. You should find some wives for my Dalang first! My Dalang is honest and capable." The old lady curled her lips in a strange way.
Baozhu thought it was a pity that grandma didn't go to perform in the opera.
Old Lady Hua smiled and said, "But they are very close! They are the most famous family in Gusu City, the Marquis of Jingyang Mansion. They are a very important family!"
"Are you talking about the second master of the Sun family? This is indeed a good match. The brothers in the family will be able to help you in the future."
"How could that be! It's not the Second Master!" Aunt Hua shook her head.
"Could it be the old man?" Grandma Zhen looked hesitant.
"Look at what you're saying. Old Master's age means he's powerless even if he wants to. How could I possibly do something so reckless?" Aunt Hua cut to the chase. "He's the eldest son of Second Master, a leading figure among the young talents of Gusu City." Aunt Hua praised Mr. Sun as a peerless figure. She glanced sideways at Mr. Zhen and Mrs. Xu, then sighed at Granny Zhen. "Others would beg for this kind of marriage, but Miss Xu doesn't want it. I see Miss Xu is the one who makes all the decisions in your Zhen family..."
Grandma Zhen's voice rose a few notches, "I am not dead yet, so it is not her turn to be the head of the Zhen family yet."
"Hey! Hey! I feel relieved after hearing your words—"
When Granny Zhen heard this, she smiled with satisfaction. Granny Hua took the old lady's hand and flattered her again, "Your days of happiness are still to come."
He glanced at the sky outside and said, "It's getting late today, so I'll go back first. You and your wife have lived to this age in vain, and you haven't thought as far as your eldest sister."
Before leaving, he held Baozhu's hand and praised her again.
Baozhu smiled and escorted the person out of the house. "My mother doesn't understand, but I know it myself. It's impossible for ordinary people to get close to me. Auntie has made plans for me, and I remember it in my heart."
The three of them were being affectionate with each other, while Zhen's father and Mrs. Xu sighed helplessly on the side.
The drama performed by the family today was a pre-arranged rhetoric. They just verbally agreed to the Sun family's request, but the family had decided to hide away if they couldn't afford to offend them.
As soon as the flower lady left, Baozhu asked her father, "How did the negotiation with the house in the east of the city go?"
Zhen Shide sighed. He hadn't just gone to the restaurant to get food this morning; he had also gone out to look for someone. "It's settled. Nine hundred strings of cash. I'll go sign the contract tomorrow."
The purchase price that day, including the deed tax, was 1,100 strings of cash. Although it was only a two-story house, it had a large courtyard and a fairly large garden, and the location was also good. It had been the residence of a noble family in the past, but later someone in the family passed the imperial examination and was sent to work as an official, and the house was sold because of the money needed to bribe officials.
Someone came to ask about the price a few days ago. At that time, there was no such thing, so naturally I was reluctant to sell it. Now, with the Sun family's incident, although not many people outside know about it, if someone suddenly comes to ask if they still want the house, people will definitely become suspicious, and they will try to lower the price by asking again and again.
Not only the house, but also the two restaurants are being prepared for sale. The situation in the two restaurants has been like this in the past few days, and they are planning to sell everything that can be sold in the house.
After selling everything that needed to be sold at home, he set off for Bian Jing. However, this matter must not be discovered by the Sun family, otherwise all the family's painstaking preparations would be wasted. If the Sun family knew about it, there was no telling what they would do.
When the old woman Hua saw that both the Zhen family's grandmother and Baozhu were willing, she felt that the matter was about 70% settled. She went to the Zhen family every day for half a week to persuade them, and finally Xu reluctantly agreed.
Xu agreed verbally, saying that since Sanniang had married into such a family, the dowry would naturally be generous.
Aunt Hua felt even more confident after hearing this, and secretly cursed the Zhen family for doting on the girl, but in the final analysis, they were just profit-oriented merchants.
Xu then said that after all, being a mistress in someone else's family was not honorable, so all those complicated etiquettes could be omitted. This matter should not be made public so that outsiders would know about it, so that outsiders would not say that the Zhen family was selling their daughter for fame and fortune.
Seeing that the Zhen family had finally agreed and that their request was not difficult, Hua Pozi naturally agreed immediately. Besides, she didn't want anyone to know, otherwise the daughters of good families would avoid her in the future and she would never be able to get in touch with them again.
"Another thing—" observing Mrs. Hua's expression, Mrs. Xu continued, "The wedding date needs to be calculated by someone in my family."
Old Lady Hua frowned. "Are you trying to find an excuse? How can I explain myself if you say that things haven't been going well for three to five years?"
"That's impossible. It will only last two or three months at most."
Mrs. Hua deliberately thought about it for a while, and finally nodded in agreement.
…
It’s done! It’s done!
Hua Pozi hurried to find Mr. Sun to report the good news. She exaggerated how hard it was for her to get this marriage. Mr. Sun not only gave her some money, but also sent a carriage from the mansion to take her home personally.
Ever since Mr. Sun knew that the marriage was going to happen, all the difficulties he had previously faced towards the Zhen family disappeared. The first restaurant opened as usual, but the second restaurant was temporarily closed.
Hua Pozi somehow heard that the Zhen family was selling two restaurants, so she came to ask Xu. Xu said to Hua Pozi without blushing or beating her heart that she had found a good wife now, and would have the support of the Sun family in the future, so she would not have to work so hard. The restaurant would be left to the eldest son of the Zhen family, and she and her husband would be able to enjoy a peaceful life in the future.
Now, Hua Pozi completely believed that Xu had figured it out. After all, she could never imagine that a whole family would abandon their homes and careers to escape this marriage for a little girl.
As time went by, Mrs. Hua came to urge her from time to time. The date of marriage that had been agreed upon earlier was to be calculated by the Zhen family, but it could not be delayed any longer like this.
After urging for several days, the old lady of the Zhen family went to the temple in a formal manner and came back to say that March 18th was a good day. She was originally afraid of delaying it, but unexpectedly the day was just around the corner. After getting the confirmation, Hua Pozi immediately went to report to Mr. Sun. When Mr. Sun heard the news, he wanted to go to the Zhen family to get acquainted.
Thinking of the beauty he had seen not long ago, he felt really itchy in his heart, but he was stopped by Xu at the door.
"It won't be long before you get married. Although we are a small family, we still have our own rules. Although my daughter-in-law was wronged to marry into your family as a concubine, she still has to abide by the rules, right?"
"Yes, yes, my son-in-law was rash."
This Mr. Sun must have known that the marriage was a done deal, so he didn't make a fuss. Baozhu heard the noise and, fearing something might go wrong, came out of the kitchen with a bunch of fresh green vegetables in her arms. Mr. Sun, who was about to leave, stopped in his tracks. Baozhu smiled sweetly and handed the basket to Mr. Sun.
"My mother is right. Mr. Sun, please go back first."
Mr. Sun could only smell the faint fragrance of the wind. He was stunned for a moment and then found a basket of vegetables in his hand. He looked again and saw Baozhu had returned to the kitchen. Thinking that there was still a long time to live, Mr. Sun followed his instructions and went out, looking back every few steps.
Last year, when Baozhu was trying a case in the yamen, she had seen this Mr. Sun from afar. She didn't quite recognize him and only half guessed that he was an ugly man with vulgar manners. Today, she saw that it was indeed true. He had a stupid and dull appearance.
Baozhu curled her lips and said, "Mother, please sweep the door. This has really made our place dirty."
The family was busy preparing, and coincidentally, a reply letter from the aunt in Bian Jing arrived. The letter said that Erlang was doing well in Bian Jing. Knowing what happened to the Sun family, she asked the Zhen family to abandon their family business in Gusu and the whole family to take refuge in Bian Jing first.
This is exactly what Baozhu thought.
Zhen's father wrote back to say that the family was planning to go to Bian Jing. Under the feet of the emperor, even the most powerful officials would have to think twice before bullying others. However, in order to avoid implicating his sister's family, he needed to ask his brother-in-law to find out whether the Sun family had any connections in Bian Jing. If so, the family would not go to live with their aunt, and they would have to be more cautious in their actions. If not, the family could act more easily. After sending the letter, it was time to pack up the house.
The second restaurant had a good location and was sold in a few days. It didn't go through a real estate agent, but was sold to someone who had wanted to buy it before.
Some of the cash at home was kept for use on the road, and the rest was exchanged for gold coins and Jiaozi. The gold coins were put into the interlayer of the broken boxes, and the Jiaozi were sewn up close to the body. Each person hid some on their body, and the rest of the jewelry was put into the boxes and taken away. Those that could not be taken away were secretly buried somewhere.
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