mesbooks Chapter 120: 4 Ya Engagement
Chapter 120: 4 Ya Engagement
Sun Liujin did not stay at Zhang's house for dinner. After all, there were still unmarried women in the Zhang family, and it was inconvenient for him to stay there.
After the others left, Xu finally had time to ask her son, "What do the Sun family say? They're from the county, but they're so incompetent. At least they should ask a matchmaker to come over!"
Zhang Ping'an spoke frankly, "Before, our family asked a matchmaker to propose marriage to the third son of the Sun family. I guess the third son of the Sun family might not be interested in our family. Today, Sun Liujin came to say that he wanted to replace the matchmaker. His parents also agreed and asked what our family thought. If we also think it's okay, he will ask his parents to ask a matchmaker to propose marriage."
After hearing this, Mrs. Xu slapped her thigh vigorously and said happily, "Of course, this is possible. Besides, Sun Liujin is still studying in the academy. Maybe he can pass the exam and become a scholar or something. Then your fourth sister will become the wife of a scholar, right? And I will become the mother-in-law of a scholar? It's great!"
Zhang Ping'an nodded and said, "Sun Liujin is a smart man. Even if he fails to pass the imperial examination in the future, with his intelligence and his abacus skills, he is more than qualified to be an accountant. He will never have to worry about food, and he has a good personality too."
"Let's wait and see what your father says when he comes back tomorrow. If he thinks it's okay, we'll decide on it quickly," said Xu.
Si Ya didn't know that the young man who just came might be her future husband. She had been secretly worried recently, as she was almost past her prime and was afraid that it would be harder for her to marry into a good family.
Zhang Lao Er came back at noon the next day. Xu couldn't wait to share the good news, "We have to hurry up and make this a good match. If we delay any longer, Si Ya will become an old maid."
Zhang Laoer said decisively: "Let the matchmaker reply tomorrow and ask their family to propose marriage as soon as possible."
The matchmaker worked very quickly. After passing the message between the two sides, the engagement date was set on the 18th of this month. The wedding banquet and the wedding reception would be held in the county town, as it would be too inconvenient to go back to the countryside.
"What about the relatives in the village? It's not feasible to ask them all to come to the county for a drink," Xu said worriedly.
Zhang Ping'an thought it was actually a small matter: "Mom, when the time comes, we can just hold another one in the countryside to give the villagers another feast."
Zhang Laoer also felt that it was not feasible to go from the county to the countryside to welcome the bride. By then, the groom would not be able to catch up with the wedding ceremony and the banquet after the wedding. It would be better to hold another banquet in the countryside. "Let's do as my son said. When the time comes, let our relatives come to the county for a banquet, and the rest of the relatives with more distant relationships can hold another banquet in the countryside."
"This is the only way," Xu nodded.
In a blink of an eye, it was May 18th, and the Sun family came to propose marriage. Zhang Pingan specially asked his teacher for half a day off. Zhang Laoda and Zhang Laosan's families also rushed to the county town from the countryside. The yard was too small to set up a banquet at home, so they could only book two tables in the restaurant. Zhang Laoer also went to tell Jinbao's grandparents that the family wanted to stay overnight. The two families had a close relationship, so this little thing was not a big deal.
There are more than 20 people in the two families of Zhang Lao Da and Zhang Lao San. Er Zhu and Da He and Er He also brought their children with them. According to custom, the Sun family has to give red envelopes to the children. This wedding money cannot be missed.
Dazhu has become much more depressed in the past few years. Yingniang still has no children and has been taking medicine intermittently. Her complexion looks much better than before. The couple is out of tune with the liveliness and has nothing to do but drink tea and eat melon seeds.
Dahe took over Zhang Laosan's mountain product business. It was not the small-scale business that Zhang Laosan had done before, but a large-scale business. It was not a problem to support his family. Moreover, with the subsidies from the old couple from time to time, he lived a very comfortable life.
Erhe worked as an accountant in a money shop in the town. Although he didn't earn much, it was better than working in the fields. Moreover, his job was stable and he was sheltered from the wind and rain. He looked much younger than his peers.
In order to save face today, they all came to the county town in their best clothes, all made of fine cotton. Ma even wore a satin dress, and looked no worse than the people in the city.
Just as the hour of Si arrived, the Sun family came with music and drums, and the matchmaker followed them, talking non-stop about the good things that were free of charge. Sun Liujin also dressed up specially today and came with his father.
Old Man Sun is a thin man who looks like he has received education. He is neither tall nor short and is not young anymore, but his eyes are bright and it is obvious that he is a smart man.
As soon as he got off the mule cart, he bowed to Zhang Laoer and said with a smile: "I guess this is my father-in-law, right?"
Zhang Laoer responded with a gesture of respect: "That's right, please come sit in the courtyard!"
The Sun family members then went in one by one. Relatives helped carry the betrothal gifts, which included wine, meat, cloth, and gift cakes. They were quite polite. They also brought a lot of gift boxes tied with red silk, but no one knew what was inside them.
Li and Ma were filled with envy. Ma secretly thought that she should tell Xu to ask her daughter Erhua to keep an eye out for a good husband in the county so that she could be proud of herself when she told others about it.
Everyone on both sides drank tea and ate, and after they had almost finished discussing the wedding process, it was time for lunch. Zhang Laoer and Zhang Pingan led everyone to the restaurant they had booked to eat.
This is the inconvenience of living in a county town. The place is too small to hold a banquet. We can only eat in a restaurant. It costs a lot to hold a wedding.
Zhang Laoer originally wanted to find a small restaurant to eat, but Zhang Pingan felt that this was a major event concerning his daughter's life, and the money for the banquet could not be saved. Going to a big restaurant to eat would not only make the food more grand, but also prevent the man's family from looking down on his family.
Like the Zhang family, the Sun family also divided the family but not the household. There were more than 30 people in the family, and Sun Liujin alone had 12 cousins of the same generation. The thought of such a large family living together was a headache. Zhang Pingan was worried about the future relationship between his fourth sister and her mother-in-law and the sisters-in-law. However, Xu did not think so. She felt that every woman had gone through this and that it would be fine after just enduring it.
The meal lasted until the afternoon. After Ma came to the county town, she began to feel restless and thought about moving to the county. When she told Zhang Laosan about it, Zhang Laosan was also tempted, but the reality did not allow it.
After everyone returned to the courtyard where the Zhang family lived and drank a few bowls of tea, the Sun family said goodbye and left.
Only then did Xu start to arrange the betrothal gifts and prepare return gifts for the Zhang family. Only then did she realize that most of the things prepared by the Sun family were just showpieces and were not worth much in reality. They were not much better than what they were worth when the eldest, second, and third daughters got married.
"Oh my God, what a huge loss!" Xu said as she pulled Zhang Laoer and Zhang Ping'an into the room.
"Mom, what's wrong?" Zhang Pingan asked.
"The Sun family said they would give eight taels of silver as a betrothal gift, which is higher than what we offer in our village and town. But we also promised to give Si Ya half of it back home. In fact, the betrothal gift is only four taels. They brought so many things here today. They look fancy, but they are just for show. There are few valuable things. So, if we say we are marrying someone from the county town, what's the difference between that and marrying someone from the town? The Sun family is really bullying, aren't they?" Xu said anxiously.