Chapter 50 Chapter 50 (Revised) People grow up with different ambitions...
Baozhu followed her aunt's lead to a seat at the table, only to feel two pairs of eyes following her. Lord Pei glanced at Dong Hengzhi calmly, then smiled and lowered his head to chat with the Second Young Master of the Zhen family.
Zhen Erlang had been in office for a few months now, and his speech had become more tactful than before. Pei Yanqing had passed the imperial examination and held an official position earlier than him, so he could learn a lot from talking with him. Seeing that Pei Yanqing had some insights into flood control, they had a very pleasant chat, and they even made an appointment to go to Fanlou for a drink together when they had some free time.
Pei Yanqing was concentrating on talking to him, while his eyes were always on Baozhu and the kid from the Dong family.
Aunt Zhen pulled Baozhu to sit beside her and chatted with Madam Xu.
"Erlang's horseback parade that day caught the eye of many people. I think the daughter of Lord Kong, the Junior Minister of the Imperial Household, saw Erlang that day and went back to ask Madam Kong about him. Madam Kong asked someone to ask me about him."
Erlang was in high spirits, so naturally some people wanted to find him as a son-in-law.
"Then wait until they'll look down on us, a humble family?" Outsiders saw Erlang's background as a liability, and these days, most of the marriage proposals came from merchants. Even if Erlang didn't say so, Madam Xu wouldn't readily agree. If she encountered someone with ulterior motives, it would create a bad reputation of collusion between officials and businessmen, and Erlang's reputation would be completely ruined.
"Mrs. Kong only has this one daughter. Her two husbands are both married and were sent to serve as officials elsewhere a few years ago. This daughter stayed with them and was spoiled since she was a child." Aunt Zhen thought for a moment and continued,
"The Kong family is also a noble family, and they have raised good children. In my opinion, Erlang's current job is very demanding, and he doesn't even see a female locust. Now that Dalang has married, and Erlang is of the right age, and since he has the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday at home, why not take advantage of the chrysanthemum viewing outside the capital to meet the young lady from the Kong family the next day?"
Baobao Zhurong pricked up her ears and listened for a while.
Madam Xu did not have the final say over the children. Although she knew that this marriage was a good one, she still had to ask Erlang.
"If Erlang agrees, come and let him know tomorrow. There will be many people admiring the chrysanthemums in the suburbs the day after tomorrow. They won't look so attractive to each other. Just take a look at each other. If it doesn't work out, forget it. But if it does, it will be a great thing."
Madam Xu nodded. Her family had a shallow foundation in Bian Jing. Even though Erlang was now an official, he was still looked down upon by the gentry who had been immersed in Bian Jing for many years. A lean camel is bigger than a horse, unless those aristocratic families had not produced a talented person for several generations.
"The Kong family's ancestors were military commanders, and they are still prosperous in this generation. Although no one pursues the path of military commanders anymore, they are still open-minded at heart, unlike those families that are obsessed with red tape and rules."
The topic gradually shifted from the Kong family to other things, but Baozhu still listened with great interest.
Lord Pei always kept an eye on this table, seeing Aunt Zhen and Madam Xu chatting happily, and Baozhu listening attentively. When he spoke to his cousin Dong, his tone was somewhat sharp. Dong Hengzhi usually interacted with his classmates, so how could he refuse others? Pei Yanqing drank a few cups and made him drunk.
In the end, it was Zhen Erlang who tried to smooth things over, saying that Dong's cousin couldn't drink alcohol, and this helped to somewhat alleviate the situation.
The moon was at its zenith, and the guests, having made a noise in the bridal chamber, dispersed.
Erlang originally lived in the same room with Dalang, but now that the room he shared with Dalang had been made into a new house, he squeezed into the room where A Zhong originally lived to rest for a few days.
My father and my second brother had a lot of wine poured into them today, and they went back to their rooms to rest unconscious. The maids who were invited to the wedding were washing dishes under the stove.
Baozhu, Zhurong and A'niang moved the tables and chairs together, preparing to return them to the neighbors tomorrow after A'die and the others got up.
Pei Yanqing had drunk a bit too much today and was fast asleep on the table. A Niang called out to him a few times but he didn't respond, so she asked Baozhu to make him some sobering tea. After all, he was a guest, so why would he get drunk in her own house?
After the maids washed the dishes and cleaned up, Madam Xu paid them all for the day, and then the maids went home.
The excitement died down for a moment. After all, it was late autumn and the dew was heavy. Mrs. Xu saw the man lying on the table, so she went into the house to get a fur cloak to cover him so that he wouldn't catch a cold at night.
Baozhu brought out some honey water, and seeing how drunk he looked, she muttered,
"My eldest brother is getting married today, and you drank more than him."
Baozhu placed the honey water on the table and watched him open his eyes, his eyes a little drunken. Red lanterns hung high in the courtyard, and the moonlight cast a somewhat ambiguous red.
Pei Yanqing slowly opened his eyes and, while still slightly drunk, asked Baozhu, "Does your aunt still want to discuss marriage with your family?"
Baozhu was stunned, and he continued, "I think the boy from the Dong family is just average, don't respond."
Before Baozhu could ask anything, he stood up, drank the honey water on the table, and bowed to Miss Xu who was coming over from behind Baozhu to say goodbye. His steps did not look like those of a drunk man at all.
Madam Xu looked at him in confusion as he left, holding the cloak, and then she carried the clothes back into the house in confusion.
Baozhu followed him out to close the courtyard door, and her face turned red in the reflection of the lanterns on the two corners of the door.
The next day, the bride served tea. The eldest brother had discussed it with Baozhu earlier, so he decided to tell the family about it today.
"Now that the Sun family's problems are resolved, there's no one bullying us in Gusu. Zhen's Restaurant has been a famous restaurant in Gusu for decades, and it would be a shame to let it go to waste. I want to go back to Suzhou and reopen the restaurant. My old customers are waiting for us, and Ah Xiu also wants to learn Suzhou embroidery."
"When the store starts to generate revenue, I'll keep 60% of the profits for my family and use the rest for my expenses in Suzhou."
"Baozhu can now manage the store in Bianjing by herself, and with my father's help, the business will only grow bigger and bigger."
Zhen's father had recently left Fanlou and was helping out at the restaurant. Madam Xu also wanted to stay in Bianjing. Her business was flourishing, and her children were grown, so the family still had plenty of expenses. Erlang's wedding and the daughter's marriage would all be expenses. While Bianjing was expensive, it earned more. She wanted to earn more money while she still had energy, so she could return to Gusu to retire when she was older.
But the eldest brother said that he would leave 60% of the profits with the family. No matter how much he earned, this share was considered a lot. After all, they were family. After discussing it, Madam Xu said,
"Your father originally planned to rent out the restaurant. He'll need to renovate it when he gets home, and the cost is unknown. He doesn't need to share the profits with the family. For the next six months, you can open the restaurant first, and after six months, pay 20 strings of cash in rent every month to the government."
The restaurant in Gusu is much bigger than the one in Bianjing. After all, they are a family. Twenty strings of cash for rent is not cheap in Suzhou, but it is also difficult to rent such a large shop.
While serving tea, the family decided on this matter. Seeing that Erlang was unaware, Madam Xu told him what Aunt Zhen had said yesterday about taking advantage of the chrysanthemum viewing to see each other.
Erlang was currently working on flood control at the Yellow River. After all, he had only just taken up his post, so it was common for him to be away from home for months at a time. With his future uncertain, he couldn't afford to delay anyone, so he asked A'niang to reject all the marriage proposals that came his way. He still had no intention of going to the chrysanthemum viewing tomorrow. A'niang tried to dissuade him, but seeing that he had made up his mind, she couldn't say anything, so she simply reported the matter to the Dong family.
When the children grow up and get married, Madam Xu always feels half happy and half worried when she thinks about this. She starts to worry again when she chats with Zhen's father at night.
They are not such a stubborn family. Only a fool would ignore his own family after he has already started a family. If they continue to live together after starting a family, conflicts are inevitable over time.
The Suzhou restaurant and courtyard should be left to Dalang, and the Bianjing mansion should be left to Erlang. In this dynasty, daughters marry with generous dowries, so the jewelry and real estate left by the family should be divided between Baozhu and Rong as dowries. She and the official are still capable and have some money on hand. After two years of hard work, they can earn Baozhu and Rong a shop each.
"The children are grown up and can earn money. We are not as energetic as we were when we were young, and we are not as promising as them. We can only support them from the sidelines, and the family wealth cannot be divided so equally." Madam Xu said this because she felt thirsty. She nudged Zhen's father with her arm and asked him to go downstairs and pour her a cup of tea.
"You decide."
Zhen's father lit the lamp, felt the tea in the pot which was still warm, then poured it into a cup and handed it to Madam Xu. After she finished drinking it, he put it back on the table.
The lights were dim, but a few white hairs were conspicuous. Zhen's father stroked the white hairs growing on Xu Niang's temples with some heartache. Perhaps only people who shared a bed with her could notice this subtle change. The couple pulled out each other's hairs for a long time in the light of the lamp before blowing out the lamp and going to bed.
My second brother declined the offer. Mid-Autumn Festival holiday wasn't long, and since the weather was getting colder, he didn't go out again. He just packed his clothes at home to take to his new post. He thought the incident was over, but the next day, the young lady from the Kong family showed up at the Zhen family restaurant. There were no seats available, and after waiting for so long, she couldn't wait any longer, so she came directly to Chao Baozhu to ask about Erlang.
Baozhu thought he was looking for trouble, and said in a somewhat unfriendly tone, "Who are you? What do you want from my second brother?"
"My...my last name is Kong. I'm a classmate of your second brother's. I heard that he's back from the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, so I wanted to catch up with him."
Seeing her wearing shabby men's clothes, Baozhu instantly thought of the young lady from the Kong family that her aunt had mentioned. She held back her laughter and didn't expose her fault. She just said that her second brother would leave for his post early tomorrow morning.
As soon as she finished speaking, Miss Kong hurried out, then came back after thinking of something, "Are you his sister?"
Seeing Baozhu nod, she bowed again to express her gratitude.
The eldest son of the Zhen family gave all the Bian Jing restaurants to Baozhu this time. There were still more than 300 strings of silver in the restaurant account. Baozhu paid another 100 strings of silver from her own family and gave it to her eldest brother.
"Opening the Suzhou restaurant will cost a lot more. Big brother doesn't want any more dividends from the Bianjing restaurant. The money we paid originally should be returned to you. The restaurant has been running till now, and we cannot do without your help. Don't refuse this money."
The big brother has learned how to run the business of the store after watching it for so long. He will take it slow when he goes back and offer benefits to attract old customers first. If he is not good at talking, he will hire someone who is good at it to manage the store.
They originally planned to celebrate the New Year this year and leave next year, but the boat would be delayed for a long time if it stopped in winter. So, while the river was not frozen and the boat could still sail, they picked a good day for traveling and went to the dock to see Dalang and Axiu off to board the boat.
Baozhu's nose was aching. Her eldest brother was the oldest, and when the other three were little, they'd always blamed him for any mistakes he made. He considered himself older, always protecting the younger ones without complaint. He was clearly the most obedient, yet he got scolded the most. Baorong had been crying so hard that her nose and tears were streaming. Just before her brother and sister-in-law left, she had painted a picture of them in their wedding attire, framed it, and gave it to them to take away.
Only when they could no longer see their elder brother and Ah Xiu waving goodbye did the family return home sadly. Baorong took out the spring outing painting he had drawn in the past and looked at it.
When people grow up, they all go their separate ways. Sometimes they disperse, and sometimes they gather together. Even if a family is not together, they are still a family.
Baozhu glanced at the yard next door. Last time, Lord Pei said those inexplicable words. She had always wanted to find an opportunity to ask him clearly, but she hadn't seen him since the second day. She thought he had an important errand.
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