Chapter 125 [VIP]
Getting married is one of the most important events in a person's life, so it should not be taken lightly.
Chen Xi had saved up some money. Before Er Shun left, his employer had given him ten taels of silver. Later, when Er Shun returned, he received more than ten taels of silver. All of this money was a reward he received.
Er Shun ate and slept at his master's house. He was usually frugal, but this time when he came back, he spent one string of cash to buy two bolts of floral cloth in the county town. He brought the rest of the money back to his father.
With the host family also arriving, Chen Xi decided that the banquet couldn't be rushed. He asked all the men and women in the village to go out and inquire where they could buy a whole pig.
Because of the flood, there are no pigs left in Chenjiazhuang. The few pigs that were driven up the mountain were all eaten by everyone. After all, people don't have anything to eat, so where would they get food to feed the pigs?
A few days ago I found out that there are pigs for sale in Baishu Town, which is more than 40 miles away from the village, but the price is quite expensive. Pork used to cost more than 20 wen per catty, but now it has risen to more than 40 wen. Even if you buy a live pig, it will cost 30 wen.
After discussing it with his wife, Chen Xi gritted his teeth and decided to buy a fat carp to make a feast, since it wouldn't be good if their son got married without any meat dishes.
The pig arrived early the next morning. The 170-pound pig cost five guan, which was not cheap!
Besides pork, I also bought more than sixty chickens, which cost three coins each and less than two strings of cash.
There weren't many vegetables to eat in early spring, and Wang Ying couldn't easily take vegetables from the experimental field, so she ended up just making do with stewed cabbage, radishes, and various dried vegetables.
On the morning of the wedding, everyone got up very early.
The women in the village came over to help pack things up, while the men gathered around to slaughter the pig.
Yuanbao followed Mutou to see what was happening, but was terrified by the pig's squeals. Mutou, worried that he would be frightened, quickly carried him inside.
Chen Qingyan acted as the accountant, responsible for writing up the gift list. When he saw his son come in, he took a few candies from the table and stuffed them into their hands.
"Take it and eat it secretly, don't let your father see it."
Wang Ying was strict and never allowed Yuanbao to eat candy, for fear of causing cavities.
Wang Ying happened to witness this scene. He coughed at the door, which startled the two children so much that they ran away.
After Yuanbao left, she went inside and glared at Chen Qingyan, saying, "You just keep spoiling him. Spoiling a child is like killing him."
Chen Qingyan chuckled and said, "It's just a piece of candy, it's not as serious as you make it out to be."
"You're good at playing the good guy; my son is closer to you than to me now."
Chen Qingyan quickly stood up and apologized, "It's all my fault, Aying, don't be angry. You are his father, and no one can take your place."
Wang Ying snorted and took out a silver ingot from her bosom. "Write it on the gift list. Since we've made it, we can't leave empty-handed. It's not appropriate to bring other things, so a little silver is more practical."
"Are all of these coming along?"
"After Ershun got married, he came to the prefectural city with us. It's like we've taken someone else's son away. We'll leave some extra money as a retirement fund for Uncle Chen Xi."
“Yes, then I’ll write them all down.” Chen Qingyan put the silver into the money box and neatly wrote on the paper: “Wang Ying and Chen Qingyan gave ten taels of silver as gifts.”
Soon, more people came to give gifts. The gifts from the villagers were usually several dozen coins, at most a hundred coins. After giving their gifts, everyone gathered together to wait for the feast to begin.
Two large stoves were built in the courtyard, and a lot of meat was stewing in the pots. Soon, the aroma wafted out.
Everyone was so hungry they were swallowing hard. You have to understand that because of the flood, most families hadn’t had any oily food for half a year. How could they not be hungry when their stomachs were so empty?
Soon the food in the pot was cooked, and the new bride was brought home.
Er Shun's wife's surname is Qin, and her name is Qin Xiaofeng. She is a round-faced girl. She is not particularly beautiful, but she has a lovely smile with two dimples on her cheeks, and she looks like a kind person.
The time was almost up, and the master of ceremonies shouted, "Let the feast begin!"
Bowls of meat and vegetables were served on the table, and everyone ate them like they were in a battle. The stewed meat was so tender that it fell apart when picked up with chopsticks, and it was so delicious that it made your teeth ache. Everyone wanted to lick the soup clean.
The Li family didn't sit outside. Chen Xi was afraid that the villagers' unseemly eating habits would frighten the host, so he set up two separate tables inside the house.
Although everyone often eats meat and vegetables, the stew cooked in the village pot tastes different from what they make at home, and it's especially delicious.
Even my fourth aunt, who doesn't usually like eating meat, ate a few more bites and kept praising how delicious it was.
After the meal, the wedding was almost over. Except for those who stayed to help pack up, everyone else went home.
Wang Ying and the others should head back to town soon. They'll rest for a day tomorrow and return to the prefectural city the day after.
When she left, Wang Ying originally planned to leave quietly so as not to disturb the villagers.
Unexpectedly, the news still found out, and villagers of all ages spontaneously came out of their homes to see the carriage off.
An old man suddenly recited a jingle: "Wang Xiaolang from Chenjiazhuang, a reincarnation of Shennong, is incredibly skilled. He led his fellow villagers to fight the flood, and his reputation for planting and saving lives spread far and wide!"
"My lord, have a safe journey!"
"My lord, may you live a long and healthy life—"
Sitting in the car, Wang Ying was so moved that tears streamed down his face. He quickly covered his face with his sleeve, feeling utterly unworthy of such praise from the villagers.
*
Back in town, everyone had a good rest for a day. They hadn't been sleeping comfortably these past few days, having been crammed into the village.
The next morning, Er Shun arrived with his wife, along with Da Shun and his wife. They had come to town a few days earlier and cleaned up the shop inside and out.
Fearing trouble from others in the future, Wang Ying took the property deed to the yamen to explain the situation and even wrote a deed to prevent others from taking over the shop.
With everything arranged, it was already February 20th. Taking advantage of the bright sunshine, the group set off back to the prefectural city.
Once back home, you'll need to prepare for the prefectural examination, which is usually held in early April each year. The provincial examination is held immediately after the prefectural examination concludes. If you can achieve the top score in all three examinations, including the county examination, you'll be considered a "minor triple champion."
Only those who achieve the top rank in the provincial, metropolitan, and palace examinations are considered the most outstanding. Throughout history, many people have achieved the "minor three honors" (minor three honors), but those who achieve the "minor three honors" are extremely rare. As for those who achieve the "six honors" (six honors in a row), such a feat has never been heard of to this day.
After traveling for more than half a month, the group finally arrived in the prefectural city.
This was Lin Sui's first time visiting such a far place, and he was filled with trepidation. Chen Qingyun noticed his discomfort and stayed by his side for the past few days.
Strict checks were still required upon entering the city, but since he had documents with him and was already familiar with the city's clerks when he brought vegetables, he was allowed to pass after giving them two strings of cash.
Once inside the city, you'll hear all sorts of hawking noises. There's a small market south of the city gate, which is bustling with activity right now.
There were vendors selling food, wild game, eggs from their own chickens, ducks, and geese, and even baby rabbits, grayish-white ones only the size of a fist.
Yuanbao peered out the car window and immediately took a liking to the little rabbit. "Father, I want to raise a rabbit."
Wang Ying asked Er Shun to stop the car and inquire about the price. A rabbit cost ten coins, but buying a pair would save two coins.
"Let's buy a pair, and the three of you can take care of them when we get home."
The three children nodded repeatedly, like chicks pecking at rice.
The carriage drove all the way to the front door and stopped. Uncle Chen took out his key and opened the gate. There was still a layer of snow in the yard, with only the footprints left by sparrows on it.
Once inside the courtyard, Wang Ying first asked Qingyun to take Lin Sui to her room to rest, while she would figure out a place for her to stay.
The lease still has six months left, and if I terminate the lease now, I won't get a refund. Right now, I have enough money to rent a big house, but buying a yard is a bit difficult. I can only squeeze in for now, and making money is the priority!
Chen Qinghuai packed up and continued to live with Chen Qingsong, giving the room to Lin Sui.
The two brothers didn't complain much. After all, they were used to living together and had someone to talk to at night, so they were quite happy.
Lin Sui settled in. He used to be lively, but after this incident, he became much more introverted, but he also became much more sensible. When he got home, he started helping Wang Ying pack her things.
After getting everything ready, Aunt Chen went out to buy salt, so Wang Ying took the opportunity to take Lin Sui to the shop to familiarize herself with it.
Having been away for over two months, the house was covered in a layer of dust, so the two quickly grabbed brooms and rags to start cleaning.
A moment later, the owner of the shop next door came over to say hello, "Manager Wang is back. I thought you had closed your vegetable shop."
"How could that be? I'm just accompanying my husband back to his hometown to take the county examination."
"Oh my, I never knew Manager Wang's husband was a scholar! Did he pass the exam?"
Wang Ying said with a smile, "I passed! I got the top score in the county exam. My cousin and my younger brother also took the exam together, and all three of us passed."
This was even more remarkable—three scholars from one family, all of whom had achieved great things. The way the visitors looked at Wang Ying changed, and their tone became much more polite.
After everyone left, Wang Ying whispered, "Do you know why I showed off that your cousins passed the exam?"
Lin Sui shook her head. "I don't know."
"I did this to warn these people and tell them that our family is capable and they shouldn't try to take advantage of us."
He used to sell vegetables under the guise of Wang Tongzhi's identity, but it was all fake. If the truth came out, he would have other things to rely on.
Lin Sui nodded as if she understood, her sister-in-law always had her own methods, and she could just learn from her.
"We still have to sell popsicles in the summer, but if we sell too many, we're afraid it will attract envious people."
Ice is different from vegetables. Vegetables can be grown by anyone and are not anything rare. Although they are rare in winter, wealthy families can still eat fresh vegetables even if they build heated rooms.
Ice is different. It is controlled by the imperial court. Every winter, ice harvesting begins in the coldest period of the year. Ice craftsmen chisel ice from the river. The chiseled ice blocks are three feet long, three feet wide, and five inches thick, and are then transported to ice cellars for storage.
Most of the ice melted by spring and summer, and the remaining ice was prioritized for use by officials.
According to the custom of the Wu Dynasty, officials of the fifth rank and above were entitled to three feet of ice per month, while those below the fifth rank were entitled to only one foot. Only officials of the fourth rank and above could buy ice with money and enjoy the coolness of ice chests in the summer.
Moreover, stealing ice was a serious crime; stealing one foot of ice resulted in ten lashes, and stealing three feet of ice resulted in thirty strokes of the cane and exile for a hundred li. This shows how expensive ice was.
Of course, some people also privately harvested and stored ice, which was then sold in the summer. The price was very high, often a foot of ice could sell for a string of cash, which ordinary people could not afford. Only the extremely wealthy merchants were willing to use it.
In the past, it was fine for Wang Ying to sell popsicles in the village and town; although people found it strange, they didn't pay much attention to it.
Now that you're in the prefectural city, things are different. Everyone's watching you. If you can't produce evidence of making or buying ice, you'll probably face legal trouble.
Wang Ying dared not reveal the method of making ice with saltpeter. Although the method could deceive people, it was too difficult to operate and it was impossible to make so many popsicles every day. Anyone with a discerning eye would know that there was something wrong with it.
That's why Wang Ying mentioned that there were three scholars in her family, to make those who coveted the shop think twice, and it could be considered as taking precautions.
It was already late when they returned from the shop. After dinner, everyone went back to their rooms to rest. They were all quite tired from traveling for so long, so they took the opportunity to rest well during these days.
After resting for two days, Chen Qingyan took his two younger brothers to visit old friends in the prefectural city.
A note from the author:
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