Chapter 166 165. Little Jiang is going to marry Brother Xiaobao?
"You really don't want to eat?"
“No.”
The little ginger boy had a chubby face and slightly raised eyebrows, with a conflicted yet generous expression, which made everyone laugh.
"Eat them all."
Lei Li smiled and tickled Little Jiang's chin, making the little fellow giggle as he hid behind the chin. "Daddy, buy a lot of them. Little Jiang, Xiaobao, and Sister Jingsheng can all eat them. Sister Huaer and Brother Xiaomu and Brother Tao can also eat them."
"Really?"
"Of course it's true."
"Yeah!"
Little Ginger smiled happily, hugged his father's face and gave him a big kiss, saying sweetly, "Daddy is so nice, Daddy, can you eat some too? And there are also Dad, Grandpa, Grandma, and Great-Grandma... I need to buy a lot!"
"Yeah, then I won't be able to hold the ginger with both hands."
"Wow!"
The little ginger's eyes sparkled, his face beaming with anticipation. He said modestly, "Then, if we take the gingers one by one, it will be more stable!"
This cute little appearance made everyone laugh again. When he saw people laughing, the little guy felt embarrassed and shyly threw himself into his father's arms.
In the time it took to speak a few words, the street became more and more lively. There were many more pedestrians and open shops. Graceful singing and tunes could be heard coming from some building somewhere on the street.
Everyone came out after dinner and was not in a hurry, so they walked slowly and looked around.
"I've been walking for a quarter of an hour and haven't even gotten out of this street!"
Liu Qishu said in surprise.
The streets of Qingmi County are also bustling, but not as large as those in Xiling Prefecture. You can walk around the commercial district of Qingmi County in just an hour, but in Xiling, you can only walk through a few streets in an hour.
"Xiling University."
Lei Li smiled and said, "What we've seen is just the tip of the iceberg. If we really want to tour the entire city, it will take several days and nights."
The city is large and more regulated than Qingmi County.
In modern terms, the Xiling Prefecture City is roughly divided into five districts: a residential area, an administrative area, a commercial area, a cultural area, and a river area for trade.
The residential area and the administrative area are almost connected without any separation. Next to the government office are official residences and private houses. The most eye-catching one is the house of the prefect. The prefect is a fourth-rank official, and his house is a five-courtyard house that shows his status.
"This five-story house is the largest in the city. No matter how rich others are, they can't surpass the prefect."
"Why?"
Sister Huaer asked, "Even the richest businessman can't do that? Even if he has money, he can't build a big house?"
"No."
Zhou Yi shook his head and said, "According to the laws of our Great You Dynasty, first-rank ministers and princes and dukes can live in houses with seven courtyards, second-rank ministers and marquises can live in houses with six courtyards, third- and fourth-rank officials and barons can live in houses with five courtyards, and officials below the fifth rank and viscounts and barons can only live in houses with four courtyards at most."
"The highest standard for ordinary people is four courtyards. However, to avoid mistakes, wealthy families usually only live in houses with three courtyards and three exits. They just focus on the size and decoration. If the house is not big enough, they expand it."
"So, although the land prices in Xiling are high, there are many wealthy people, and large mansions can be found everywhere. A three-courtyard house can be built bigger and more luxurious than a four-courtyard one, or even a smaller five-courtyard one."
"But the prefect is the highest official in the city, the boss. People shouldn't fight officials. To do business in the future without any trouble, even the richest merchants must give the prefect enough face and not surpass him."
"But that's just on the surface. Whether the house is luxurious and legal is beyond the reach of outsiders."
"That's true."
Everyone nodded.
They had seen many such houses when they were looking at houses during the day. Most of these large mansions were close to the government office and were the "first ring" of Xiling, while the small two-story house they rented was probably located in the fourth ring.
Neither correct nor biased.
It only takes about ten minutes to walk from the small house to the commercial street. There are no houses of officials or wealthy people on the road, so there is no need to worry about bumping into the powerful and influential with strangers.
"Our house is really nice. That broker didn't cheat us outsiders easily."
Grandma said so.
"Yes."
Liu Yeer continued, "Perhaps he didn't dare to think of deceiving us because he saw that there were more of us, including many young and strong men. He would not stand to gain by deceiving us."
Everyone thought so. Even though he was an outsider, he was not someone to be trifled with after suffering a loss.
"This commercial district has nine streets and three markets."
Lei Li smiled and said, "The one we just walked on is just the largest one, called Fuguiyun Street. There are also Anning Street, Gaobusheng Street, Xiling South Street, and so on."
"There's a street that scholars love to go to, and it's also very lively. It's called Minwenhua Street."
"Civil Culture Street?"
Xiaomu and Xiaobao were both interested. They both loved studying. "What do they sell there? Books, pens, inkstones, and so on?"
"The cultural area mostly sells things related to scholars, as well as some more elegant items."
Zhou Yi said, "For example, calligraphy and paintings by great calligraphers, rare ancient books, old books and newspapers, as well as ornaments, handicrafts, ceramics, bronzes, jades, bamboo carvings, rare stones, coins, incense burners, purple clay, ivory carvings, etc., all kinds of things."
The Folk Culture District was actually just a street in the commercial district at the beginning. Later, as it grew bigger and more lively, it became an independent district.
There are many commercial streets, and you can buy and sell anything you can imagine, including food, clothing, housing and transportation. Even rare and precious sea pearls can be obtained for you as long as you can afford the price.
Lei Li just saw a jade shop. There were dozens of kinds of jade in it, pink, green, blue, and yellow, like a hundred flowers competing for beauty, each with its own beauty and transparency.
"Then there's some shopping to do."
Liu Qishu smiled and said jokingly, "I don't know if my wallet can hold on. If I sell too much and don't have money to go back, I'll have to rely on Brother Li to help me."
"That's true."
Miao Fulang couldn't help laughing, "Just now in that silk shop, I saw Xiaocao wanted this silk and that silk, and he wanted to empty the shop. He touched his purse and reluctantly put it back."
The silk from Qingmi County is of medium to low grade, while the silk from Xiling Prefecture City is a new product brought over from Zhongchuan, Kyoto and other places. The silk is of the best quality, and the silk material is soft, smooth and thin. If it is made into clothes and worn, you will not feel hot even in the hot summer.
What's more, the colors are beautiful. Some are woven, some are embroidered. The flowers, birds, fish and insects are lifelike and seem to be about to jump out of the window. The stamens of the peonies are clearly visible, and Liu Xiaocao wishes she had two more pairs of eyes.
"That silk material is good, but it's also expensive."
Liu Xiaocao felt both love and hate for it. "A small piece of silk costs ten taels of silver! When I heard the price, I didn't even dare to touch it, for fear that I would damage the material with my rough hands and have to pay him back."
"I usually work in the fields, and we don't need such fine material in the village. If it gets snagged, I'll be heartbroken for years."
"That's true."
Lei Li nodded, knowing that Liu Xiaocao loved beauty more than money, but he glanced at Tao Ge'er, who also had a look of fondness and reluctance on his face, and said with a smile,
"But if Tao Ge'er gets married in the future, she will look beautiful in this material. It's not worth mentioning how expensive it is. This is the only time in a lifetime that she can enjoy such a glorious occasion, so she naturally wants the best."
"Of course!"
Even though Liu Xiaocao didn't know if she would be able to have children in the future with Tao Ge'er, she naturally tried her best to give him the best. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he grew up being pampered.
Upon hearing this, Miao Fulang agreed in his heart. His little treasure was also his treasure. Silk that cost ten taels per piece was expensive, but it was not as precious as his little treasure.
"I want one too!"
When little Jiang heard the word "the best", he immediately started dancing with joy and almost fell out of his father's arms.
"Ginger too! And Sisi too!"
Lei Li chuckled when he heard this. "What are you doing here? You're not getting married—Little Jiang wants to marry Brother Xiaobao?"
"hold head high!"
Little Jiang nodded heavily. He didn't understand what it meant to get married or not, but since his father said so, it must be a good thing. He was going to marry Brother Xiaobao!
"Hahaha……"
The adults all laughed when they heard this.
"Please make way!"
Suddenly there was a loud voice from behind. Lei Li looked back and moved to the side with his relatives and friends, holding Xiao Shengjiang, and following other pedestrians.
I saw two tall horses pulling a carriage slowly coming out of an alley. The coachman was holding the carriage steadily, and several maids and servants were following beside it.
One of them, wearing a silver cape, should be a maid. She bowed to the passers-by on the side and thanked them in a gentle voice before catching up with the carriage.
The carriage was huge.
It is obvious that the regulations are not suitable for ordinary people to use. The eaves of the car are like the wings of a flying bird, and there is a sign hanging underneath.
The words on the sign went away, and Lei Li and the others could not see it clearly. It was only after hearing what the people next to them said that they realized that it was the prefect's carriage, and there should be a lady or a daughter inside.
"The young lady of the prefectural family should be sixteen this year, right?"
"Yes, it's time to choose a husband. I heard that the magistrate's wife invited many rich ladies to her house last year. I saw that they all brought their sons with them. I think she will be chosen from among them."
"Then why haven't we heard any news yet?"
"The prefect's daughter, the daughter of the highest official in Xiling, naturally has high standards—"
"You didn't like any of them?"
"Yes, this is what the young lady looks like—a thumbs-up! Isn't this the provincial examination? Who knows, maybe she'll be able to find a husband for herself from the bottom of the list."
After listening for a long time, Liu Xiaocao couldn't help but gossip softly, "The young lady of the prefectural family must be as beautiful as a fairy. I wonder who is so lucky to become the prefect's son-in-law."
"If you are a kid from a poor family, you can achieve great success overnight."
Zhu Zhuer also said something in a low voice.
A high-ranking official of the fourth rank.
Xiling is a rich place with plenty of money. Isn't it better to have such a strong father-in-law to help you than to struggle on your own?
"If someone likes you, the prefect must have good character and talent. Even without the prefect's help, you can rise to prominence on your own."
Lei Li also responded softly.
Although a few people were curious about the gossip, they didn't say much. This was the family affair of the prefect, and the common people still had a lot of respect for officials. They were afraid that someone would hear it and get into trouble and be sued.
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