Chapter 157

Chapter 157

"Marquis Wuping?" Chen Rong looked up in shock.

Lin Qiu was equally astonished. Though they lacked worldly experience, they knew well the status of a marquis—a position far beyond the reach of common folk like themselves.

Cao Kun frowned slightly. "Could this Marquis Wuping be an old man, looking to take Brother Sui as a new wife?"

Chen Rong was deeply worried. "The letter isn't clear about what kind of person this Marquis Wuping is. What if he treats our Sui'er poorly…"

Seeing her mother on the verge of tears, Lin Qiu quickly reassured her, "Don't worry. Let Cao Kun go to the prefectural city to sound things out. Cousin and his wife are sensible people; they wouldn't have written to us if this marriage wasn't suitable."

Chen Rong wiped the corner of her eye. "I just feel for Sui'er. He's had such a hard time these past few years. I'm afraid he might jump out of the frying pan and into the fire."

"That won't happen. Please set your mind at ease."

Perhaps sensing the adults' unease, Second Baby, strapped to her back, began wailing loudly. Chen Rong, forgetting her own distress, untied the child and carried her inside to prepare rice gruel.

Lin Qiu turned to Cao Kun. "You should leave for the prefectural city tomorrow."

"Alright. There's a cargo shipment heading to the prefectural city these days. I'll deliver it myself."

Once the couple had settled on the plan, they began preparing for the journey. With the weather turning cold, they packed extra thick clothing and more provisions. Lin Qiu changed clothes and headed to the market to buy some meat, planning to preserve it as dried rations for the road.

But before he had gone far, he suddenly saw a troop of soldiers riding toward him. Frightened, he quickly pressed himself against the wall to make way.

The soldiers rode past him and stopped directly in front of his house. Lin Qiu hurried home and found the leading soldier speaking with his husband at the door.

Lin Qiu asked nervously, "What business do these officers have here?"

Deputy General Zheng replied, "We were sent by Marquis Wuping to escort your family to the prefectural city."

"Escort us?"

Deputy General Zheng nodded, a warm smile on his face. "I assume you've received the letter from the prefectural city. The Marquis intends to marry your Lin Xiaolang and has specially sent me to bring you to the prefectural city to discuss the matter."

Cao Kun and Lin Qiu exchanged bewildered glances. The letter had only arrived that morning, and now the soldiers were here by afternoon. Had Marquis Wuping and their cousin planned this together?

In truth, Li Mu had already reviewed the letter before it was sent. Seeing that the Chen family did not oppose the marriage, he dispatched his men to accompany the letter and bring the family to the prefectural city to finalize the arrangements.

Now, there was no refusing the trip to the prefectural city. Lin Qiu said, "Please wait, officers. We need to pack our belongings." Since they wouldn’t be returning after just a couple of days, they had to bring changes of clothes and provisions.

Deputy General Zheng reassured them, "No need to rush. Carriages and horses are ready, and there are rations onboard. Just bring your clothes and personal valuables."

Lin Qiu and Cao Kun went inside to explain the situation to Chen Rong, who grew anxious. "Perhaps I should go alone. The two of you stay here."

"How could we let you go by yourself? I haven't seen Sui'er in so long—I miss him too. Let's bring Wheat and Second Baby along and see the prefectural city together!"

"But the children are so young. Is that really alright?" Chen Rong remained uneasy, especially since Second Baby was only three months old and the journey to the prefectural city would take over ten bumpy days.

Cao Kun insisted, "The weather is mild now—traveling won't be a problem. I'll inform the neighbors and ask them to let my mother know we've all gone to the prefectural city."

Chen Rong hurried to pack clothes for the adults and children, while Lin Sui took out part of their savings and hid the rest inside the stove. Once everything was ready, they locked the main gate.

The carriage sent by Marquis Wuping was the same one he used for his own travels—spacious and equipped with a stove for cooking, making it convenient to prepare rice gruel for Second Baby.

With uneasy hearts, the family set off for the prefectural city in the carriage…

*

Meanwhile, in the prefectural city, Third Aunt’s family had no idea their relatives were on the way. Ever since Lin Sui was scalded at the Marquis’s residence, Li Mu had frequently visited under the pretext of checking on him.

In truth, the burn hadn't been serious. When Lin Sui examined it upon returning home, it was only a red patch on the skin, which healed after two days of applying burn ointment.

Today, Li Mu visited again, bringing not only food but also high-quality tonics like ginseng, lingzhi mushrooms, and deer antler.

Lin Sui looked at the box of precious herbs, feeling somewhat overwhelmed. "Marquis, my burn healed long ago. There’s no need to keep sending gifts."

Li Mu insisted, "Keep them. You’re too thin—it’s good to build up your health."

"I feel embarrassed accepting such valuable gifts for no reason."

"You’ve taken care of Qing'er for so long—it’s only right to thank you. These were gifts to my mother, and she can’t finish them all before they spoil. I’m merely passing on the favor."

Lin Sui couldn’t help but smile and finally accepted the gifts.

"The elder lady felt quite apologetic about what happened last time. She asked when you might visit again, assuring you that no one would dare splash you with tea this time."

"I know it wasn’t your mother’s intention, and I didn’t take it to heart."

"For such an incident to happen on your first visit—it’s my fault for not managing the household strictly enough."

Lin Sui shook his head, changing the subject. "Why didn’t Qing'er come along?"

"He caught a chill yesterday and wasn’t feeling well this morning, so I left him at home."

Lin Sui grew concerned. "Did you call a physician?"

"Yes, it’s nothing serious."

"Then I’ll visit tomorrow."

Li Mu raised an eyebrow slightly. As expected, Lin Xiaolang cared more about Qing'er than about him. But that was enough—he had never been one to dwell on romantic sentiments, which was why he had remained alone for so many years.

"I’ll send someone to pick you up tomorrow."

Lin Sui hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Thank you, Marquis."

After Li Mu left, Chen Qingyun sneaked up and tapped him on the shoulder. "He’s long gone, and you’re still staring~"

"Yun'er!" Lin Sui chided her playfully.

"Hehe, this brother-in-law is quite impressive—he never comes empty-handed."

"Don’t speak nonsense. Nothing’s been decided yet. Besides, when has your Young Master Liu ever visited without bringing gifts?"

Chen Qingyun wasn’t offended. Having grown familiar with Liu Changyi, she was no longer as shy as before and said cheerfully, "I’ve told him several times not to bring gifts, but he never listens. He even said he’ll take me to Qionghua Pavilion to watch opera next time. Want to come?"

Qionghua Pavilion was a famous theater in the prefectural city, known for its southern-style operas.

Unlike modern opera, performances in this era focused mainly on recitation and singing, with simple librettos. The most famous piece, "Autumn Moon Over the Han Palace," always drew packed crowds, and private boxes had to be booked half a month in advance.

Lin Sui laughed. "I’ll pass. Let Brother Huai go with you instead."

"Come on, come on~" The two entered the courtyard just as Wang Ying emerged, holding Yuanbao.

Lin Sui quickly stepped forward and handed her the box of herbs. "The Marquis just brought these over. I have no use for them—please take them, sister-in-law."

Wang Ying declined, "The Marquis gave them to you—you should keep them. You can send them to Third Aunt later."

"Alright."

The next day, Lin Sui went to the Marquis' estate again. Qing'er had indeed caught a cold, but she looked to be in good spirits, which put Lin Sui at ease.

This time, Lin Sui did not trouble Wang Ying to accompany him. He felt guilty about always bothering his sister-in-law to run errands for his personal affairs.

However, the old madam was even more amiable than last time. She held Lin Sui's hand and chatted with him about household matters for a long while. Before he left, she even gave him two bolts of silk.

Lin Sui tried to decline, but the old madam said, "Such bright colors are not suitable for me, and Qing'er has more than enough clothes to wear. Take these and make yourself a couple of beautiful outfits. Young people should wear bright and cheerful colors to look their best. Don’t always wear such dark colors."

Lin Sui glanced down at his plain-colored robe. Ever since Shopkeeper Wei's harassment, he had grown accustomed to wearing such clothing.

One bolt of silk was sky blue, and the other was apricot-colored. He planned to make an outfit for his sister-in-law and a dress for Qingyun, and use the remaining fabric to make clothes for himself.

*

Time passed in a flash, and it was already late September.

There had been a few light rains over the past few days, and the temperature had dropped significantly. Wang Ying and Chen Qingyan were also busy, as Qingyun's wedding was approaching.

The dowry ordered from the woodworking shop had been delivered: a canopy bed, camphorwood chests, a five-drawer cabinet, a dressing table... all kinds of furniture, all of the highest quality. The rosewood material would last a lifetime.

In addition to the furniture, there were also quilts—a six-catty heavy quilt and eight sets of covers, all filled with new cotton.

Fourth Aunt had embroidered a mandarin duck pillow for Qingyun, while Li Shi had embroidered a dragon-and-phoenix double-happiness quilt for her daughter. She had worked on this quilt for six or seven years, finishing it just in time for Qingyun's wedding.

Liu Changyi was also busy on his end. The betrothal gifts included one hundred taels of gold and five hundred taels of silver.

In addition, there were one *dan* of betrothal cakes and eight varieties of seafood: abalone, dried oysters, dried scallops, dried shrimp, squid, sea cucumber, shark fin, and fish maw. Although these were dried seafood, they were expensive and represented the highest standard in the city.

The three ritual animals: a pair of wild geese, a pig, and a sheep.

The four capital fruits: dried longan, dried lychee, dried walnuts, and peanuts in their shells, symbolizing the wish for prosperous descendants and endless blessings.

The four-colored candies: rock sugar, kumquat cakes, winter melon candy, and golden malt candy, representing sweetness and a long, harmonious marriage.

These gifts were delivered to the bride's family a few days in advance. On the day of the betrothal gift presentation, the street gathered many spectators.

People marveled at the boxes of gifts, exclaiming, "Liu Changyi's family is truly wealthy!"

"Of course! Have you not heard who Liu Changyi's elder uncle is?"

Someone who didn’t know asked, "Who is it?"

"A high official in the capital, a favorite of the emperor."

"No wonder! I wonder which girl is so fortunate to marry into their family."

"I know! The bride is from the Wang family’s ice shop on Zhengyang Street. I’ve seen her a few times—she’s very pretty!" said the owner of the sesame oil shop, who had long heard about the marriage between the two families.

"Liu Changyi’s family is marrying a merchant’s daughter?"

"Not exactly. The ice shop is run by the woman’s brother. Both her brother and younger brother are scholars. I heard they recently took the provincial examinations."

"In that case, the two families are well-matched." The crowd watched enviously as the betrothal gifts were carried into the Chen residence.

Liu Changyi’s eldest and second paternal aunts came together to deliver the betrothal gifts. Both aunts were respectable people and praised Qingyun repeatedly to Li Shi.

Wang Ying accompanied them and entertained the guests. The betrothal gift presentation went smoothly, and all that remained was the wedding on the sixth day of the tenth month.

After seeing off the guests in the morning, Wang Ying was about to rest when the gate suddenly knocked again.

The gatekeeper, Xiao Fang, opened the side gate, exchanged a few words, and quickly called out to Wang Ying.

"Sir, the third paternal aunt has arrived!"

Wang Ying was taken aback, thinking, "Doesn’t Liu Changyi only have two aunts? Where did this third aunt come from?"

But when he reached the gate and saw Chen Rong, he exclaimed in surprise, "Third Aunt, what brings you here!"