The custom of marriage in Dongli Country is that the man prepares six gifts and betrothal gifts.
The six gifts generally consisted of two chickens, two pieces of cloth, two packages of brown sugar, two jugs of wine, two packages of red dates, and two packages of cakes. The betrothal gift was determined by both families, with a typical amount for country girls being 3 taels (approximately 100 grams) and for boys 2 taels (approximately 100 grams).
Of course, the above betrothal gifts and betrothal gifts are the most basic. If your family is wealthy, you can also get more betrothal gifts and betrothal gifts.
Before he passed the imperial examination, He Jinshu's family income came almost entirely from the money he earned from copying books and the money his grandmother earned from embroidery.
After passing the examination to become a scholar, He Jinshu was among the successful candidates (ranked 1st to 10th), so he could go to the government office every month to receive a court subsidy of one tael of silver and one stone of grain.
In addition, he had 30 acres of land under his name that was tax-exempt, so he asked others to register the land under his name, charging a registration fee of 300 wen per acre per year.
For scholars, such behavior will inevitably be criticized by others, who will say how can scholars bow down for a few pieces of silver.
But He Jinshu didn't care about these things. His family had no land and no one knew how to farm, so they naturally couldn't rely on the income from the land to make a living.
But as a human being, one needs to eat and drink, and food and drink require money, not to mention that he also needs to study. In the future, he will have to spend more money when taking the imperial examinations and the jinshi examinations, so he feels justified in collecting the registration fee.
What's more, the fees he collected were not high. The rice in Linshe County could be harvested twice a year, and the yield per mu of land was about 400 jin. The tax rate in Dongli State was 10%, so the tax per mu of land converted into silver was about 800 coins per year.
He charged less than half that, so John Horgan didn't think there was anything shameful about charging a fee.
He Jinshu planned to buy the most basic betrothal gifts today. As for the betrothal fee, he planned to give 3 taels of silver. Their family was not well off, and this was all he could do for now.
After arriving in the town, Chen Chen first parked the carriage in the livestock area, and then walked into the shop with He Jinshu.
He also wants to buy some things today, because Shen's mother told him that He Jinshu came to offer a betrothal gift, and they also have to return the gift.
Return gifts are usually in even numbers, so Chen Chen decided to go to the jewelry store to buy two jade pendants for Ah Shu. Scholars like to wear jade pendants, but he found that Ah Shu didn't wear one on his waist, so he decided to buy him two pieces to wear.
Then go to the bookstore and buy him two good inkstones and two good brushes.
After buying some things, Chen Chen took He Jinshu to a cloth shop and told the owner that he wanted to order two sets of the most popular wedding dress styles.
He Jinshu didn't want to have his wedding gown custom-made here because they were very expensive, costing several taels of silver. With that money, he could buy some cloth and go home to have Grandma He make him a wedding gown.
"Ashu, this is the only time we get married in our life, so we must dress beautifully for the wedding. Just listen to me, we can get the engagement dresses in town, and you don't have to pay, I have money." Chen Chen persuaded He Jinshu.
After hearing what Chen Zhen said, He Jinshu remained silent, but he finally nodded and followed Chen Zhen to have the boss measure his size.
After buying everything, the two prepared to go home.
When passing by the bun shop, Chen Chen asked He Jinshu, "Ah Shu, do you want to eat buns? The buns here are delicious."
He Jinshu shook his head and said, "No, just go home."
Seeing this, Chen Zhen stopped insisting and drove the carriage back home.
It was Si time when they arrived at Wujia Village. Qian A'mo was already waiting for He Jinshu at home, ready to go to Chen Zhen's house with him to propose marriage after he had packed up.
After sending the person there, Shen Zhen did not stay and went straight back to the Shen family.
After returning home, Chen Chen handed the return gift he bought today to his mother, and then said to her: "Mom, remember to put these things in when you return the gift later. These are all carefully selected by me for Ah Shu."
"Okay, I understand. When the young scholar comes to propose marriage, you just stay in the room and don't come out." Mother Shen took the things and instructed Shen Chen.
Originally, men and women rarely met in advance before getting married. It was the matchmaker and parents who would look at each other, and only when they liked each other would they start the engagement process. They would not meet formally until the wedding.
How could he be like Chen Zhen, who was so bold in his actions that he even pursued the person himself and sent her to the town to buy the betrothal gifts.
Although Shen's mother had been shocked and numb by his style of doing things, in order to prevent him from causing any more trouble, Shen's mother still specifically explained that it would be better for him to show up less.
Chen Zhen did not object this time. After all, Ah Shu had already agreed to marry him. The most difficult problem had been solved, and the rest could naturally be left to Chen's mother.
At three quarters past four in the morning, Qian A-mo and He Jinshu arrived at Chen Chen's house in an ox cart.
Mother Shen, Father Shen, eldest brother Shen, and second brother Shen were all sitting in the main room.
After seeing He Jinshu's appearance, the eldest and second brothers Shen couldn't help but snort in their hearts. Apart from being a little taller than Brother Zhen, what else was there in this man that made him worthy of their brothers? They didn't know what Brother Zhen saw in him that made him insist on marrying him.
He Jinshu didn't know what they were thinking. He just greeted them according to etiquette and sat on the stool without saying a word, letting Qian Amo communicate with Mr. and Mrs. Shen.
However, there was nothing to communicate. After all, it was her own brother who insisted on marrying her. In addition, He Jinshu didn't say a word. He only answered one question when asked and didn't say anything else. For a moment, the whole hall was filled with awkwardness.
Even though Qian Amo was quite familiar with the Shen family, she still felt that this situation was a little difficult to control, so they didn't talk much during this meeting. The two sides exchanged engagement letters and return gifts, and then Qian Amo and He Jinshu left the Shen family.
After sending Qian Amo and He Jinshu away, Second Brother Shen complained to Mother Shen: "Mom, look at that guy's attitude, it's as if we owe him something."
"Okay, stop complaining. It was your brother who insisted on marrying him, but we don't owe him anything." Mother Shen said with a somewhat unhappy expression.
At this time, Father Shen said from the side: "I think that although this scholar is a bit aloof, his manners and etiquette are quite good. Your brother should not suffer any loss after marrying him. After all, our family was in the wrong first, so his attitude is a bit bad, which is understandable."
After hearing this, Second Brother Shen said nothing more. He would have to teach that young scholar a lesson when he had time. If he dared to treat Brother Zhen badly after they got married, he would definitely not forgive him.
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