Chapter 136 Taking and Eating
After hearing Du Min's words, Du Li turned to Wang Zhou and said, "Okay, you have to be an older brother like me."
Upon hearing this, Du Min smiled and said, "Wang Zhou is definitely a better elder brother than you."
The tenderness on Du Li's face vanished instantly. "Is there anything else I'm not satisfied with?"
Seeing his expression, Du Min laughed and said, "I was just joking. There's nothing to be dissatisfied about."
"Did you get the list of betrothal gifts?" Meng Qing interjected.
“I got it.” Du Min walked over and took out the betrothal gift list that Magistrate Zhao’s wife had prepared for him. “Second sister-in-law, take a look. Now you’ll have a better idea of what to prepare when you help Wangzhou find a wife.”
Meng Qing smiled and said, "Alright, I'll take your kind words."
When an official is betrothed, the specifications of the betrothal gifts are related to his rank and must follow the established etiquette. Du Min's actual position was a seventh-rank county magistrate, but his honorary position was a sixth-rank official. Therefore, his betrothal gifts could be prepared according to the standards for a sixth-rank official.
Nine live geese, twenty bolts of silk, two pairs of deerskins, twelve hairpins, fifty bushels of rice and millet, fifty jars of wine, ten pairs of sheep, and twenty loads of fruit and cakes.
Meng Qing looked at it twice and said, "This betrothal procession must stretch for a mile! It's quite impressive."
Du Min nodded, "If the rank is higher, the betrothal gifts will be more generous, and it will be more prestigious."
Meng Qing returned the betrothal gift list to him, "Has the date for the betrothal ceremony been set?"
"October 18th." Du Min had already had someone choose the date. "Second Sister-in-law, when will you give birth?"
"Next May or June, at the latest June."
“Then let’s set the wedding date for May.” Du Min took out another piece of paper, looked at it, and said, “The sixth day of the fifth month is an auspicious day. Setting it on that day won’t interfere with your enjoyment of the festivities. But isn’t that a bit late? How about we move it forward by another month? That way, you won’t be too tired, and you’ll have to entertain the wedding party for me.”
After thinking for a few moments, Meng Qing said, "Let's make it the sixth day of the fifth month."
"Really?" Du Min glanced at her. "Why not choose April?"
Du Li was also curious.
Meng Qing didn't explain, "Just listen to me."
"Okay, I'll do as you say." Du Min put away the betrothal gift list, held out his hand and said, "Take the money, I need to prepare to buy the betrothal gifts."
Meng Qing looked at Du Li and told him to go open the warehouse and get the money.
While Du Min took the money and people to buy betrothal gifts, Meng Qing went out alone. She went to the street to buy a seal, commissioned the shopkeeper to carve words on it, then went to the dye shop for a while. In the evening, she arrived at Xingjiaofang and happened to meet Meng's parents returning from work.
"Are you alone?" Mother Meng asked in surprise. "Didn't your son-in-law come with you?"
"I went with Lao San to buy betrothal gifts," Meng Qing replied. "I'll have dinner here tonight."
“Alright, I’ll prepare a few more dishes. When it’s time to eat, my son-in-law and Wangzhou will definitely come looking for us.” Mother Meng took out her key, opened the door, and went inside. She sighed and said, “That stubborn Meng Chun is driving me crazy. I’d like to prepare a betrothal gift for him to get married, but he just won’t agree.”
Meng Qing did not respond.
Mencius' father dared not respond.
After venting her anger, Mencius' mother busied herself with cooking.
Meng's father took out the food from the house for Meng Qing, and Meng Qing also went to the kitchen to help.
Meng Qing walked to the kitchen door with the fried fish pieces and suddenly said, "I'm pregnant with my second child."
Mencius' parents were immediately overjoyed. They put down what they were doing and asked how long the pregnancy had lasted and if the woman was feeling unwell.
"I couldn't stand the smell of meat for a few days, but I'm fine now. I don't feel uncomfortable at all, except for being very sleepy. Once I fall asleep, I can sleep for a long time," Meng Qing said. "It's the same reaction as when I was pregnant with Wangzhou. I gave birth to Wangzhou in March, so I should give birth to this one in June."
After calculating, Meng's mother's expression changed. "It hasn't even been three months yet, and you dared to take a carriage all the way back from Luoyang? You really don't take your health seriously."
"It's alright. When I came back, there were five mattresses in the carriage, so it wasn't bumpy at all," Meng Qing said.
"Nothing wrong? If something were wrong, you'd be crying." Meng's mother glared at her. "You and Meng Chun are both so opinionated. One of you didn't get married, and the other waited seven years before having his second child. You're twenty-seven, not nineteen... Sigh, I can't control you. I'll talk to your son-in-law when he comes."
“He can’t control me either.” Meng Qing said with a hint of smugness. “You don’t need to talk to him, he’s already tried to persuade me. Who do you think made up those five mattresses? He can’t persuade me, so he can only work on this aspect.”
Mencius' mother was angry, "You're quite proud of yourself?"
Meng Qing did not answer, but the smugness on her face did not diminish at all.
Mencius' mother was amused by her daughter's words, "It's only because my son-in-law has a good temper. If it were someone else, you two would be fighting every day."
Meng Qing remained noncommittal. "The third brother's wedding is on the sixth day of the fifth lunar month. After he brings his wife back, I will move back here to give birth and have my postpartum confinement."
“Alright, I’ll take care of you during your postpartum period. I couldn’t help when you gave birth to Wangzhou, so I’ll take care of you this time.” But Meng’s mother’s expression wasn’t very pleasant. She frowned and asked, “Du Min’s wife has a bad temper? Why do you have the idea of moving in? Du Min shouldn’t kick you out.”
Meng Qing shook her head. "Madam Yin seems to have a good personality. I don't think there will be any conflicts between us, and I don't want to. It's better to avoid her. How can a newlywed have to worry about her sister-in-law's postpartum care? It's a difficult problem for her, and I don't want to take on this favor. Our family will move out for a few months so that the young couple can live alone and have more time to develop their relationship."
Upon hearing this, Mencius' mother's last worry vanished.
"Don't tell anyone else about this beforehand, and don't let Wang Zhou know either, lest he let it slip. If Du Min finds out, he'll probably be unhappy," Meng Qing instructed.
Mencius' mother nodded.
There was a knocking sound at the front door. Meng Qing said, "I'll go open the door. It must be Du Li."
“I’ll go.” Meng’s father strode out, avoiding Meng’s mother’s eyes. He smiled and said in a low voice, “This child is a good thing. Your mother has focused all her attention on you. Your younger brother and I haven’t had to listen to her nagging for the past two years.”
Meng Qing chuckled.
"Coming, coming, stop knocking!" Meng's father jogged out a few steps, deliberately asking, "Who's knocking on the door?"
“It’s me,” Wang Zhou said through the crack in the door.
Upon hearing his voice, the geese in the pen immediately began to squawk.
Meng's father opened the door, and Wang Zhoutou rushed in first, followed by the brothers Du Li and Du Min.
"Father, is Qingniang here?" Du Li asked.
“Yes, everyone come in. We’re having dinner here tonight,” said Meng’s father.
"Uncle Meng, I'm sorry to bother you," Du Min said politely.
"What a bother! I wish you would come over every day." Meng's father bolted the door, then turned around and saw Wangzhou letting out the four geese. He said with a headache, "Wangzhou, you are not allowed to leave tonight until you have cleaned up the goose droppings in the yard."
“I understand—Dad, could you bring me a basin of water? I need to bathe the goose,” Wangzhou said.
Du Li pretended not to hear and walked away.
Wang Zhou waited for a while but no one came. He went to the backyard and saw that his parents and third uncle had already started a fire. There were fried fish pieces and eggs roasting on the charcoal brazier. He immediately forgot about bathing the goose and went over to warm himself by the fire.
The group had just finished a lively dinner when Du Min, with his hands crossed and chin propped up on the table, asked with a grin, "Uncle Meng, Aunt Pan, have you ever heard of the Hundred Virtues Society?"
Upon hearing this, Meng's father immediately understood. He laughed and said, "You've come here today not only to eat but also to take! Tell me, how much do you want us to donate?"
"Why are you asking your own people for money?" Du Li asked.
“These are my connections. Everyone in Heqing County knows that I single-handedly organized this Baishan Association, which was spearheaded by the county government. If my own people didn’t support me, others would probably think I was ripping them off,” Du Min explained.
"Has anyone donated money yet? How much has everyone donated?" Mencius' mother asked.
Father Meng waved his hand, indicating to Mother Meng that there was no need to ask this question. Du Min had already made it clear that the Meng family relied on his influence to do business, and in such matters, they had to give him face and could not follow the fixed amount donated by other families. He asked cautiously, "Is five hundred strings of cash too little?"
“That works too.” Du Min nodded.
Meng's father understood his meaning, "Add another three hundred strings of cash, let's make it eight hundred strings of cash."
Du Min nodded much more readily, "On behalf of the people of Heqing County, I thank Master Meng, and I also thank Uncle Meng for giving this junior face."
Mencius' father smiled and said politely, "We merchants make money from ordinary people, so it's time for us to give back to them."
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Author's note: It's a bit short; I was delayed because I was rushing to catch the train back to my hometown.
There will be another update at 12 o'clock.
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