Chapter 76
Time flew by, and Yueming had unknowingly spent three years in Yunxiang. A lot had happened during those three years: Yunkai had traveled extensively with Lan Yingde; Yang Laoliu had married and settled down in Yunxiang, and Yueming was engaged to Yunkai. She owed their engagement to Yang Laoliu and Lao Ben.
On days when Yang Laoliu was not running around selling goods, he would stroll around Yunxiang City. One of these times he came across the rice noodle stall of the young widow Yuman.
The young widow was charming and pretty, while Yang Laoliu was strong and sturdy.
I bought a bowl of brown sugar jelly from her stall. Yu Man handed the bowl to me with a serious mind, but Yang Lao Liu took it with a distracted heart.
Yang Laoliu thought she was pretty, and Yuman knew that he was Lan Yingde's most useful person. After a few visits, they fell in love with each other, and Yang Laoliu bought land and built a house, preparing to marry her.
Although the Dai marriage rules were not as elaborate as the Han Chinese Three Books and Six Rites, they were still quite complicated. He also wanted to have a grand wedding. However, the most respectable and prestigious person he knew was Lan Yingde.
He brought gifts to Lan Yingde's house and asked him to help him propose marriage. When he arrived at Lan Yingde's house, Changsheng told him that Lan Yingde had a guest. The tax collector came to the house to talk to his master, so he asked him to go to the study for a while.
Changsheng took him to the study and poured him tea personally.
Holding a small Ru kiln teacup with azure crackle and sunflower-shaped rim in his hands, Yang Laoliu sighed inwardly, "How come Mr. Lan is so frugal even though he makes so much money? He's spent all his money on this cup, and he's still reluctant to throw it away."
Looking at the study again, there weren't many pieces of furniture. Unlike other wealthy people, the antique display cabinets didn't have a jade Pixiu, a triangular golden toad with a gold coin in its mouth, or a cabbage carved from agate. Instead, there were just a few bottles and jars, all in a single, white or green color. It didn't look at all like a place of wealth.
And that little courtyard outside the flower window? Why not plant a few more flowers? Wouldn't it be nice to look at them when you're tired of reading? Grandpa Lan planted a crooked little pine tree outside, with a stone water tank next to it. It's so dull. Changsheng really doesn't care about it. He doesn't even shovel the moss when it grows, just covers the roots. It's a wonder the tree will grow.
While Grandpa Lan was still busy entertaining guests, he rolled up his sleeves and asked Changsheng to get him a hoe so that he could help shovel away the moss.
Changsheng couldn't help laughing. He quickly pulled him aside and stuffed a plate of sunflower seeds into his mouth. "You should take a rest. Master specially went to the stream to find this moss. He even asked me to water it when it didn't rain!"
Yang Laoliu muttered, "Master Lan loves this view? Aren't there pine trees all over the mountain?"
Changsheng smiled without saying anything, and kept urging him to drink tea and eat melon seeds.
Lan Yingde came back a little while later. Seeing him, he smiled and asked, "Why are you free to come here today?"
Yang Laoliu stood up and said with a smile: "I am free every day. It's you who are busy. I dare not disturb you."
Lan Yingde asked him to sit down, and after Changsheng had poured him some tea, he said, "I'm afraid you're not here to gossip with me. If you have something to say, just say it directly. There's no need for formalities between us."
Then he saw Yang Laoliu's usually heroic face turn suspiciously red. After a moment of hesitation, he finally said, "I do have something to ask of you... I'm not young anymore, and I've recently found a wife. I'd like you to help me propose."
Lan Yingde was overjoyed upon hearing the news and agreed immediately, "Great, great, you'll have a family after you get married. I wonder which family the girl is from?"
Yang Laoliu scratched his head and said a little embarrassedly: "It's Yuman who sells rice noodles on the street."
Lan Yingde was holding the cup to his lips when his arm stiffened. He slowly put the cup down, a little disbelieving: "Yuman? Yuman, the young widow selling rice noodles?"
Yang Laoliu nodded.
Lan Yingde was stunned for a moment before he slowly spoke: "With your current wealth and status, you can marry any lady from Mengquan. How could you..." fall for a widow? He couldn't bring himself to say the rest.
Yang Laoliu smiled nonchalantly, and said sincerely, "Master Lan, you are flattering me! How can I be considered a person of status? As for money, I have earned some after following you. But I am a rough man, and I can't stand the temper of the ladies in Mengquan. I just want to find someone who can make a living with me, who can endure hardships with me, who doesn't spend money recklessly, and who can stand up at home when I'm not around. Yuman has a bit of a temper, but she is a good hand at both the house and outside. It's a pleasure to live with her. We Zhenxiong people left our hometown, not only to make a living, but also to find someone who can live happily!"
Lan Yingde was speechless. How could one live a happy life? Fulfilling one's wishes was a happy life.
He thought of the Shuhe Zhaolang who had just left, Lao Ben's father, who had come today to propose marriage for his son.
Lan Yingde was stunned. Was his daughter so popular in Yunxiang? Proposals came one after another. He remembered that three years ago, when he and Han Tu went to the Eighteen Tribes together, the Wa King had also made a subtle proposal on behalf of his son Bao Guosheng. At that time, Han Tusi had secretly rejected it, saying that the two families were about to cross paths.
When Yunkai found out, he was so angry that he almost dragged Han Tusi away. The alliance was almost ruined. It was Yueming who persuaded Yunkai.
During that alliance, Tusi Han fully supported the Wa king in expelling the British who had seized the silver mines. Yunkai, enraged, demanded two additional lead mines beyond the originally agreed terms. Tusi Han still remembers the delighted expression on his son's face. He was so excited that he broke three bamboo tubes while drinking from a jar of rice wine.
Now even the tax collector's family has joined in the fun. He realized that his daughter has grown up and he must face her marriage seriously.
Over the past two years, he has brought Yunkai with him to teach him the ropes of business, and Yunkai has led him to explore the roads to Burma and Siam. He couldn't tell whether it was he who taught Yunkai or Yunkai who made him successful.
Preparing to marry into the Tusi family was a good excuse for him to reject Lao Ben's father, and he did not dare to complain.
But after hearing what Yang Laoliu said, he realized that he was wishing Yueming to leave Yunxiang and return to her original life. Is she happy? Is she satisfied?
Lan Yingde agreed to the marriage of Yueming and Yunkai. Yin Tai was overjoyed and opened the treasury to collect the betrothal gifts.
The eldest daughter-in-law helped Yin Tai to draw up a list of betrothal gifts. Seeing her wife adding one thing after another to the list, the eldest daughter-in-law Jin Yinan felt a little uncomfortable.
Although she knew that the betrothal gift given to Yueming by the Madam would not exceed her own, she was not as wealthy as Yueming. For a doctor's daughter, such a generous gift from the Madam was excessive.
She didn't dare say anything in front of Yin Tai, but complained to Li Yang before going to bed that night. Li Yang was furious when he heard this and sneered, "Your family education in Mengna Prefecture is just so-so. All they teach you is petty behavior of fighting with your brothers and sisters for food and clothing. My second brother was also born from Madam's womb. The Madam gave him a high betrothal gift for his wife just to save his face. And you can't tolerate this?"
Jin Yinan didn't expect that just a few casual complaints would provoke such harsh words from her husband. She said aggrievedly, "It's not that I can't tolerate it, I just feel that Madam is partial. I don't care about the value of Madam's things, but that Madam asked me to sit on the same level as a doctor's daughter. This is against the rules."
Li Yang threw off the quilt, got out of bed, and went to put clothes on the hanger in his slippers. As he put on his clothes, he said angrily: "Do you have the final say on the rules of this family? When all the elders in the family are gone, you start to dictate family affairs. Is this the rule of your Mengna Mansion? Yunkai is my younger brother. Madam has taught us three siblings to love each other since we were young. My eldest sister married to Siam and still protected her family. Yunkai was raised in a noble family since he was a child, and now he works hard to make money for the mansion. They all work hard for Prime Minister Yun, but you are arguing about Yueming's betrothal gift. I warn you, you are going to be a member of Yintai in the future, so put away these narrow-minded behaviors. If you say such narrow-minded words in front of me again, Liangyun will be sent to Madam for education. I don't want you, an ignorant woman, to lead him astray." After that, he slammed the curtain and left.
Jin Nanyi knelt on the bed, stunned. Ever since she married into the Yunxiang Tusi Mansion, the couple hadn't been completely in love, but their lives had been sweet. Her father-in-law didn't care about the inner chambers, and Yin Tai wasn't the gentle type to pick on her daughter-in-law. After giving birth to a son, her popularity within the Yunxiang Mansion was unmatched. Even the sarcastic Third Wife didn't dare to speak harshly in her presence. She hadn't expected the first time she'd been humiliated and harshly criticized would be because of Yueming.
Jin Yinan's personal maid heard the noise and stood up to check, but she didn't expect to bump into the angry young master. Li Yang thought she was standing in the middle of the road and was in the way, so he pushed her away and walked away. She quickly leaned against the door and called Jin Yinan softly: "Madam, are you okay?"
Jin Yinan finally found a place to vent his anger. He picked up the shoes beside the bed and threw them at the door, cursing, "What could be the problem? If you are too bored to sleep, go to the nanny to see the young master."
After the maid left, she lay on the bed and cried in front of the candle all night.
Yin Tai heard that Li Yang had originally stayed in Jin Yinan's room last night and later went to the concubine's room. When Jin Yinan came to pay her respects, Yin Tai saw that her eyes were red and swollen, with a dark spot under her eyes. She felt pity for her and held her hand, comforting her, "All men are like this. You can't control them, but you have good luck. He is your support for the rest of your life."
Jin Yinan didn't dare to say what the couple had quarreled about. She forced a smile and said, "Mother, you are too kind. I also hope that my other sisters can have more children for the family."
Yin Tai frowned when he saw that she was not sincere, then put down his hand and said calmly, "You are right, but I want to remind you that you must restrain what needs to be restrained, so as not to bring disaster to Liang Yun. In our mansion, the eldest son who can sit on the chieftain position has always been the legitimate son. From now on, Lian Yunkai will kneel and kowtow before Li Yang. This is the rule."
Although this was a lesson, it also gave Jin Yinan peace of mind. Yin Tai wanted her to control the bellies of those concubines! She had to wait until Liang Yun was older before giving birth. She changed her worries into joy and took the initiative to say to the wife: "I went back yesterday and told Liang Yun's father about the betrothal gift to the Lan family. We both think that the gift is a bit too little. Second brother is your beloved, and the Lan family is so rich. We can't let him down and let him lose face in front of his father-in-law. Anyway, the land and shops will be passed from one hand to the other after marriage. The Lan family may not like them. It's better to add some jewelry. Yueming is at the age of loving flowers and being pretty. If the styles in the warehouse are not popular, I will look for them in my dowry."
Yin Tai was very pleased to hear her say this: "I think the list of gifts for Yueming is enough. I love both sons equally, and I love both daughters-in-law equally. But you will be the mistress of Yun Xiang in the future, and it is enough that you have this heart. I can't let you down by favoring Yun Kai."
Jin Yinan picked up on Yin Tai's happy words and said sincerely, "We are brother and sister-in-law. The older one should take care of the younger one. It's shameful for family members to say anything. Yun Kai has been tanned for several layers of work for the mansion. As his sister-in-law, I feel so sorry for him. Considering how hard he has worked, how can we be careless about his marriage?"
After hearing her sensible words, Mrs. Yin was even more satisfied. She decided to put the betrothal gifts on the list and told her not to worry and to go back to her room to take good care of the children.
Seeing that Jin Yinan's steps were obviously lighter when he left than when he came, Yin Tai couldn't help but chuckle.
Tonglin, who was standing by, saw her happy and said with a smile, "The eldest young lady is very sensible. Madam should be happy."
Seeing that she was also pretending to be stupid, Yin Tai glanced at her and snorted, "I was laughing at the fact that our two young masters are both very good at teaching their wives. Yun Kai taught Yue Ming to read, and Yue Ming was so tired that she wanted to die every day, but she still came to class obediently the next day. You saw the look on the eldest young mistress's face yesterday. Her hand was shaking when she was taking notes. Li Yang got angry, but he changed his attitude this morning and said he would give Yue Ming a higher betrothal gift. My two sons are really amazing, better than their father. Look at what their father has spoiled them into."
Tonglin felt that ever since the second young master's marriage was settled, he had become more casual with the master and his wife. In the past, she would only scold him if he was extremely angry. Now, no matter what, she would dare to bring the master up and make a few teasing remarks.
She laughed and said, "After all, the eldest young lady dared not go against the wishes of you and the eldest young master."
Yin Tai sneered, "If she knew Yun Kai saved up some money and bought a sugar factory and rubber plantation in Nanyang with his father-in-law, she wouldn't be so easy to talk to. I was wrong at the time. A young lady like Xiang Kan was so petty. From now on, the entire Yunxiang will belong to them, and she's actually jealous of such a small betrothal gift. She would be happy if I gave Yun Kai to Lan Yingde as a son-in-law."
Tonglin felt it was difficult to respond to this, so he said vaguely, "She is still young. Madam, if you teach her well, she will be reborn in a few years."
Yin Tai frowned and sighed: "Why did I choose such a troublesome person?"
Yin Tai didn't expect that it was not only his daughter-in-law who was worrying, but also his own son.
Two days before the engagement, Yunkai learned that Lao Ben had instigated his father to propose to Lan Yingde. He no longer cared about maintaining the self-possession he had learned from Lan Yingde over the past two years. He was truly reckless in poaching the second young master, Han. He couldn't get over this without a fight.
He gathered his horse racing confidants and went to the cockfighting shed to find trouble with Lao Ben. When he saw Lao Ben, he punched him in the face without saying a word.
Lao Ben was devastated by Lan Yingde's rejection of his marriage, especially since the hollow-bamboo-like Second Young Master Han had rejected him. He felt this frustration was truly untold. Now that Yun Kai had taken the initiative to provoke him, he didn't hold back. After receiving a punch, he lunged at Yun Kai and threw him to the ground.
The cockfighting shed was abuzz with excitement. The Second Young Master hadn't caused trouble in years. He was so polite and well-behaved, so how could he not be excited to see him suddenly return to his true nature?
What's the point of fighting chickens now?! The boss was immediately made the banker, and they started betting on who would win, the Second Young Master or Young Master Lao Ben.
Although Yunkai suffered a lot while riding a horse, his boxing skills improved. Although he took a few hard punches from Lao Ben, he eventually knocked him to the ground.
He grinned smugly at Lao Ben with cracked lips and said, "If you fight, you'll only get whipped by your father again when you get home. But when I fight, someone feels sorry for me."
After saying that, he went to Lan's house in a domineering manner to find Yueming to apply medicine to him.
Yueming, seeing how badly he was bruised, couldn't bear to say anything, and had to help him apply medicine. Lan Yingde couldn't say anything either. Yintai, seeing how badly he'd been beaten like a pig-headed fool, told Tonglin to beat him to death using the family rules.
She jumped up and down, cursing, "What the hell are you talking about? Did you get brain damaged by the sha? How can you get engaged in this state? People who don't know the truth will think that you don't like Yueming and we are forcing you to marry us. What do you think her grandfather will think?"
Yun Kai said nonchalantly with a pig-like face: "I will tell everyone tomorrow that I love Lan Yueming to death. My face has become like this just to compete with others for her."
"Tonglin." Yintai screamed, "Give me the stick quickly."
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