Yoshida Mii

Chapter 189 Xiuyu's Engagement

Old man Song sighed, didn't say a word, and said after a long while: "Forget it, my eldest daughter-in-law paid for my injury, and it cost six taels of silver..." Old man Song couldn't go on, his heart ached so badly that he hadn't felt it in his life. After spending so much money, it feels like money has been thrown into the water and wasted in vain.

"She shouldn't have paid this money?" Huang immediately jumped up and shouted viciously.

Old man Song lowered his head and stopped talking, looking listlessly at his legs.

Should Mrs. Li pay the money? Everyone knew very well in their hearts that Mrs. Li's departure was due to affection, and the Song family should be grateful. No one could do anything to her if she did not come out. Even if the Song family couldn't afford the money for the medicine, they asked her for help. She lent the money to the Song family, and the Song family had to pay back the money afterwards. A widow, the most important link between the Song family and the Li family is gone.

In fact, everyone saw what the Song family did, and they didn't know what to say behind their backs.

Lying on the bed, old man Song looked at the dirty and dilapidated tent, and sighed, thinking that playing Dongbao as a maid was not enough. After returning from Anzhou, the family had never lived in peace, and his reputation was getting worse day by day, and life was not as good. In the past, even the most beloved youngest son, Song Bai, has gone down the road.

It's just that he has no way to complain. Looking back on the things that happened one by one, he and the Huang family were all contributed to, from the very beginning of the separation of the family to the fact that Li's mother and daughter were forced to move to the shop in the town. Li Zhu, if he wanted to complain, he could only complain that the eldest son died, and there was no one who could control Li Shi and Dong Bao.

The Lin family planted five acres of soybeans this year, and harvested nearly two thousand catties of beans. After Lin Fu and Qiuxia sorted them out, they dried them in the sun and put them in sacks. It is used to make tofu for Dongbao's family.

Mrs. Li is willing to accept Lin’s beans for free, but Qiuxia is determined not to ask for money, “This is an agreement between the old and the young in the family. When the beans were planted, I planned to give them to you. Buying beans from others has to be spent.” Money isn't it?"

"That can't be paid for nothing." Dong Bao persuaded with a smile, "Let's pay the price of beans from Lao Cheng's house, three Wen per catty. If you refuse to accept the money, Auntie, then we don't want beans either."

Aunt Qiuxia talked for a long time, but the mother and daughter Li still insisted on giving the money, and took Douzi back without taking the money.Qiuxia was so angry that she developed a stubborn temper. She dragged Lin Fu to sit there all afternoon, and re-sifted the two thousand catties of beans. She only chose the largest and plump beans and kept them for Dongbao's family. The remaining ones were small. The beans are kept by myself and go to the oil mill to squeeze oil.

Dongbao borrowed a large scale from the grain store and weighed it. There were more than 600 catties of beans in total. He calculated the price at three Wen per catty and settled the bill for Aunt Qiuxia.

Aunt Qiuxia sent along with the beans a pot of peanut oil weighing twenty catties. At this moment, Shang Qiuxia was still angry, so she deliberately asked, "Is this oil not worth the money?"

Dong Bao hugged Aunt Qiuxia's arm with a smile, and said, "How can this count as money, this is what my aunt gave me and my mother to eat!"

The little girl has an exquisite appearance, and she is soft and cute when she acts coquettishly, which melts people's hearts. No matter how angry Aunt Qiuxia is, she rubbed Dongbao's cheeks with a smile and said, "Auntie and Uncle can still be an outsider? If you have to pay, don’t you treat us as outsiders!”

Dongbao knew that Aunt Qiuxia felt that their family took too much care of the Lin family and wanted to compensate them, but Dongbao felt that after all, it was two thousand catties of beans and five acres of land. Ask for their beans.

When the sowing was over, Mrs. Li took Dongbao to see their more than 40 mu of land, which had been rented out by Liang Zi when they bought it.

At this time, there are two forms of rent collection, one is to collect rent according to receipt, and the other is to collect rent according to fixed rent.Dongbao chose to collect rent on a fixed basis. She and Mrs. Li are busy, so it is impossible to spend too much energy watching these tenants harvest crops. Regardless of the year, one mu of land is handed over 160 catties of wheat and [-] catties of corn every year.

According to Li Hongqin, this is already quite generous.If the year is good, one mu of land can harvest nearly [-] catties of wheat and [-] catties of corn in a year. Only a small number of landlords choose [-] to [-] cents, and most of them choose [-] to [-] cents. Sharing is possible. The tenants have worked hard for a year, and the grain they get is not enough to make ends meet.

After the field is rented out, paperwork must be written, and the tenant has to pay a deposit to the host, similar to modern renting a house, where a one-month deposit is required to prevent the tenant from not paying enough food in the coming year or simply escaping the rent.

After the busy farming season, Zhang Xiuyu's marriage should be finalized.

Zhang Xiuyu's home is in Zhangjia Village. Although there are no relatives and grandparents have passed away long ago, there are still a lot of messy grandpas, uncles and relatives. There are also chiefs and elders in charge in the village, and the affairs of the clan are resolved within the clan. .The power of the clan in this era is huge. As long as there is no crime, the government cannot go beyond the clan leader and clan elders to control the clan members.As for Zhang Xiuyu's engagement, the elders of the clan must also come forward.

People in Zhangjia Village attach great importance to Zhang Xiuyu's betrothal, not because the deceased Zhang's uncle is such an important person, but because Zhang Xiuyu's betrothed object, Liang Zi, is a government servant in the town. , is already an incredible person, and he can get along with the officials in the office, and he can also get in touch with the county yamen, tsk tsk, how amazing!
The engagement day was very lively, Mrs. Li brought Dongbao, and the Lin family all came over, and Hehua and Mantang, who had a good relationship with Dongbao's family, also went to give congratulatory gifts.

Looking at the lively people who came to see the lively Hexi, Zhang Xiuyu couldn't help complaining to Dongbao, "My father has been gone for so long, and I don't see these uncles coming to help our family. Now all of them come to my house with shy faces to act as elders!"

Dong Bao coughed twice, pretending to be serious: "Mr. Zhang, you have to pay attention. From today onwards, this is not your family, but your natal family. You and Brother Liang Zi are the only family. From now on, you will be Liang's family." Mrs. Zhang."

Zhang Xiuyu's face turned red, and she pinched Dongbao in embarrassment, "If you tease me again, I won't talk to you!"

Dong Bao giggled, and followed Zhang Xiuyu to hide on the window sill of the west wing and look towards the main room.

In the main room, the patriarch of Zhangjia Village and Mr. Yan sat first, followed by the elders of the village and Zhang Xiuyu's uncles. Liang Zi sat under Mr. Yan, and the patriarch took the lead, carefully flattering Mr. Yan.

As Zhang Xiuyu's biological mother, Li Hongqin, her only direct relative, was not even qualified to enter the main room to discuss the marriage. She could only greet female guests in the yard, or boil water and make tea in the kitchen.

There are a dozen tables set up in the yard, and the cooks and helpers in the corner are busy preparing for the banquet.

Mrs. Li helped to boil the water in the kitchen, while Lin Shi and Lin Fu set up a table at the gate of the yard. Lin Shi recorded the list of guests and the corresponding gift gifts on paper, and Lin Fu took a cloth bag and was responsible for collecting the gifts. Keynotes and gifts.

According to the customs of Anzhou, getting married is more formal than getting married. There is no need to serve wine when getting married, but getting married should not be sloppy.

Dong Bao glanced at the smoky main room. After all, this is a patriarchal society, and women are always a disadvantaged group.She didn't think about doing a big business or changing the rules of this society. She only hoped that in her small home in the future, her husband would put her on an equal footing with herself, respect her, and care for her.

When the banquet was about to start, almost everyone in the village had arrived, so Lin Shi cleared the table at the door and folded up the gift slips.

Dong Bao also came out of the West Wing, ready to serve Zhang Xiuyu a meal. She is the protagonist today, and a lot of girls, daughters-in-law and old women came to congratulate her, but they couldn't eat at the table.What made Dong Bao dumbfounded the most was that many people came to inquire about who the handsome boy who was writing the gift list at the door was, how old he was, and whether he was engaged...

Lin Shi saw Dong Bao, and immediately walked over, with a smile on his face, and asked, "Where are you going to eat later?" Zhang Xiuyu was already engaged, and he and Dong Bao would be engaged in a few years.

"My sister and I ate in her room." Dong Bao said, and looked at the main room again, during which Zhang Qian went in to deliver tea once.

Sensitively, Lin Shi noticed something was wrong with Dong Bao, and before the banquet started, he hurriedly dragged Dong Bao out of Zhang's house, walked to a quiet place, and asked, "What's wrong with you? Who bullied you?"

"No." Dong Bao said sullenly, kicking the pebbles on the road, "Many people asked me who you are, how old you are, and whether you are engaged."

Lin Shi couldn't help but asked with a smile, "Then what did you say?"

"I said you were engaged a long time ago. The woman is a fierce tigress. You can control her strictly! If you look at other girls more, it will be easy to chop your fingers." Dong Bao smiled slyly.

Lin Shixiao's shoulders trembled, her warm eyes shone softly, and she nodded seriously in agreement, "Yes, she is a fierce tigress, let them stay away from me."

Dong Bao couldn't laugh, she thought of the group of men in the main room, and there was no place for Li Hongqin to stand.

Lin Shi asked a few more questions, and finally asked what Dong Bao was thinking.In fact, from Lin Shi's point of view, there is nothing abnormal about this kind of thing. In Zhangjia Village, the patriarchal clan is more important than human feelings. It is the patriarch and elders, not Li Hongqin, who discuss and confirm the marriage.

"I just feel aggrieved by Auntie and Sister Xiuyu. It's clearly a matter of my own family, but because they are women, they don't even have a part in it." Dong Bao said in a low voice.

Lin Shi stood with Dong Bao, put a hand on Dong Bao's shoulder, and said softly: "Don't worry, when we two get married in the future, I will definitely ask my aunt to sit with my father and mother. The three elders The same filial piety. No matter what others think, we don't engage in those fake things."

(End of this chapter)