Seeing that Aunt Liu was a reasonable person, Jiang Yuwei happily said:
"Yes, Aunt Liu, we'll have Ningqiu and the others decorate your yard properly later. Then we'll have to let the two of them stay in your yard for the time being."
After saying that, Jiang Yuwei stood up and looked at Aunt Zhou.
“Aunt Zhou, I’ll go back and talk to Daya first, and then discuss the wedding date with my master and the others. Once it’s set, I’ll have Tiezhu come back and tell you. Let’s hurry up and get the wedding done so we can get on with our own things.”
Aunt Zhou also got up to see Jiang Yuwei out.
As soon as Jiang Yuwei entered the courtyard, she saw Tie Zhu looking at her excitedly, his hesitant expression making Jiang Yuwei laugh.
"Don't just stand here like a block of wood, go help Aunt Lin with the fire. Tomorrow morning you and Daya will go to get the marriage certificate."
Upon hearing this, Tie Zhu immediately widened his eyes and stammered:
"Sister Yuwei, what... what did you say? I don't think I heard you clearly..."
Jiang Yuwei glared at Tie Zhu and said as she walked into the house:
"I'm asking you to help Aunt Lin start the fire!"
Tie Zhu hurriedly waved his hand and said:
"No, no, not that sentence, the one after it!"
Jiang Yuwei walked to the door of the maid's room, opened it, turned to Tie Zhu, and said loudly:
"You and Da Ya should go get your marriage certificate tomorrow!"
At this moment, Daya, who was lying in the room, also heard Jiang Yuwei's words and immediately blushed as she looked at Tiezhu, who was standing behind Jiang Yuwei.
Tie Zhu also saw Da Ya's eyes and said with a smile:
"Da Ya, did you hear that? Tomorrow we can go get our marriage certificate."
Daya smiled and nodded.
Tie Zhu looked at Jiang Yuwei and smiled:
"Sister Yuwei, you and Daya chat, I'll go and start a fire for Aunt Lin now."
Jiang Yuwei smiled helplessly, then went inside and sat down next to Daya.
“Da Ya, Aunt Zhou and I have just discussed it and decided that your marriage will be held together with my master and the others. It will be more lively with more people. As for the bride price, I will give you two taels of silver, the same as Ning Qiu's, without any favoritism. Keep this silver safe for yourself. I will take care of your dowry and make sure you have a grand wedding.”
Ning Daya felt her eyes redden and tears flowed uncontrollably. She never expected that Jiang Yuwei could go to such lengths. As an orphan, she naturally dared not hope that she would be treated the same as Ning Qiu. She couldn't believe that Jiang Yuwei had arranged everything for her.
Seeing Ning Daya cry, Jiang Yuwei quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears.
"Da Ya, the better days are yet to come. Don't cry. Let's just focus on making the most of our lives."
As she spoke, Jiang Yuwei took out Ning Daya's indenture from her bosom, tore it to shreds right in front of her, and smiled as she looked at Daya, saying:
"This is something I've wanted to make for a long time, and it would be nice to use it as a wedding gift for you now."
Seeing this, Ning Daya burst into tears. At this moment, she had a thousand words in her heart but could not say a single one. She just kept crying. Her gratitude to Jiang Yuwei was beyond words.
Seeing that Ning Daya was crying so hard, Jiang Yuwei had no choice but to pull her into her arms and pat her back to comfort her.
“Da Ya, I see and remember all the good things you’ve done for me. You don’t need to feel bad about what I’ve done. These are all things that I, as your older sister, should do. Right now, I’m your family, your elder. As long as you don’t think I’m being presumptuous, I’ll arrange your marriage on my own.”
Ning Daya sobbed in Jiang Yuwei's arms and said:
“Sister Yuwei, I will follow your arrangements. Even if I get married, I will stick with you from now on. Your affairs will be my affairs. I can never repay your kindness in my lifetime.”
Jiang Yuwei patted Ning Daya on the back and smiled:
"You silly girl, stop talking nonsense. Let's not talk about gratitude or anything like that. Tomorrow, you can go with Tiezhu to get the marriage certificate. Liu and I will go together to prepare your dowry. As for the wedding clothes, Tiezhu will take you to pick them out tomorrow. Find the ones you like."
Ning Daya nodded through her tears.
The next day,
Early in the morning, Tiezhu came to the courtyard to pick up Ning Daya. Jiang Yuwei then drove the oxcart, called Liu Shi and Gou Dan, and went to the street to shop. She had just accompanied her master and mistress shopping yesterday, so this time Jiang Yuwei was very familiar with the process and quickly prepared Ning Daya's dowry.
After the group finished shopping, they returned to No. 36 Zhu Lane. Before they even entered the gate, they heard shouting and cursing coming from inside the courtyard. Jiang Yuwei realized something was wrong and quickly grabbed the hemp rope from the oxcart and rushed into the courtyard. Liu Shi was also very anxious, directing Gou Dan and the others to unload the things.
As soon as Jiang Yuwei entered the courtyard, she saw that the skilled healer Zhu had a broken head and was sitting slumped in the middle of the yard. She anxiously shouted to a man who was holding Aunt Lin:
"Lin Xiang, let go of your mother! You'll hurt her if you keep pulling her like this!"
Lin Xiang didn't lessen the force in his hand at all, and directly cursed at Master Zhu:
"Even if I drag my mother to her death today, it's all your fault. If you, you old geezer, hadn't kept seducing my mother, she wouldn't have abandoned our family and gone to live with you!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuwei whipped Lin Xiang hard across the back. Lin Xiang, wincing in pain, turned and cursed.
"Which bastard slapped me?!"
Jiang Yuwei walked confidently up to Lin Xiang, smiled, and said:
"I'll beat you up, you son of a bitch!"
Upon seeing this, Lin Xiang's eyes widened in anger, and he was about to hit Jiang Yuwei when Ning Huaizhi, who had just gotten off the oxcart, aimed directly at Lin Xiang's knees and shot two mud balls at him, causing him to kneel down straight.
Seeing this, Aunt Lin quickly stepped in front of Lin Xiang and said excitedly:
"Yuwei, Huaizhi, I know you mean well, but please don't hit my son. He's been weak since he was little and can't take any more physical abuse."
Seeing this, Ning Huaizhi slowly walked in, leaning on his cane, and said calmly:
"I only protect my wife. If he doesn't lay a hand on me, I naturally won't hit him either."
After saying that, he stood next to Jiang Yuwei and stared intently at Lin Xiang.
Lin Xiang usually runs between home and the fields, and had never seen Ning Huaizhi in such a manner before. He was so frightened that he dared not look up at him, and the fierceness he had shown when he was disciplining his mother was long gone.
Seeing this, Jiang Yuwei spoke up:
"Lin Xiang, right? Stop listening to your wife Cuiya's pillow talk all day long. You're in such a hurry to send your mother back because you're hoping she'll come back to help you with chores. Now that she's moved to my master's courtyard, your family is one less laborer. That Cuiya is a lazy bum; she doesn't do any chores and just expects you to do everything. You can't stand it after only two days and you want to bring your mother home?"
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