Mr. Jing and His Little Husband

Chapter 30

The engagement ceremony in the Dayuan Dynasty is generally divided into six steps: Nacai (betrothal gifts), Wenming (name inquiry), Najin (auspicious acceptance), Nazheng (auspicious betrothal), Qingqi (setting the wedding date), and Qinying (wedding escort).

During this period, there are also three letters involved: Pinshu (betrothal letter), Lishu (gift letter), and Yingqinshu (wedding escort letter).

The Jing family did not take shortcuts or skip any steps because they received the Lin family’s agreement. That would belittle Chuxia.

Completing all six steps and the three letters impeccably was what Jing Mother had in mind. She wanted to make the gossipy neighbors in Wangjiazhuang envy them.

The first steps were Nacai and Wenming. Since Wangjiazhuang was closer to the town than Xiwancun, Jing Mother didn’t want anyone to look down on the Jing family or mock Yuanyuan and Chuxia. She specifically used her connections and spent money to hire a renowned matchmaker in town named Hua Sao. It was said that she had a flawless record in successful matches.

It was a bit costly. The average matchmaker’s fee, including the betrothal gifts, was only one hundred wen, but Hua Sao charged half a tael of silver for her services. However, Jing Mother believed it was worth the silver. When she saw Hua Sao, she looked blessed, gentle, and spoke eloquently. She could praise people in a way that touched their hearts.

The Nacai and Wenming went smoothly as both families tacitly avoided mentioning their prior discussions.

As Jing Mother had expected, Hua Sao’s arrival caused a sensation in Wangjiazhuang. Coincidentally, a woman from the village had previously attended a relative’s wedding in town and had seen Hua Sao.

When the woman’s husband heard that it was Hua Sao who had just passed by, the atmosphere immediately became excited, and everyone speculated about which family had such a big occasion. Although they saw her going towards the village, they didn’t dare to follow and see, as offending a matchmaker was not a good idea.

After completing the Nacai and Wenming, Hua Sao was very satisfied with this marriage. Both families were kind and harmonious. The young man looked tall, handsome, capable, and the young lady was beautiful, elegant, gentle, and articulate. They were a perfect match. She estimated that her reputation would spread further.

As she was about to return to the town, she was approached by several men and women from wangzjiahuang with great enthusiasm. They asked whose joyous occasion it was and expressed their desire to share in the joy of a village.

Hua Sao heard the flattering questions but looked down upon them inwardly. However, she didn’t show it on her face and demonstrated her professional etiquette befitting half a tael of silver. She briefly mentioned the marriage between the Jing and Lin families and praised Jing Yi and Chuxia, with a particular emphasis on the Jing family and Jing Yi, hoping to silence and envy them.

Satisfied with her praises, she left.

Those who had good or average relationships with the Lin family dispersed after hearing the news, thinking of finding Lin Mother to congratulate him when they had the chance.

There were people who didn’t like Lin Mother, had grievances with the Lin family, or simply enjoyed spreading rumors. Several of them looked at each other in surprise when they heard it was Chuxia from the Lin family.

If it had been a year ago, they might have believed it, but the Lin family had been through a lot in the past year. They offended Mr. Liu, and their eldest daughter was sent back home. Who in a respectable family would be interested in marrying Lin Chuxia?!

“Well, who knows where that guy from Chuxia’s family appeared from? Maybe the Lin family deceived someone.”

“Oh, you dare to say that? Didn’t Old Lin go to your husband last time because of Wang Yuanyuan?”

“Enough arguing! In my opinion, maybe it’s just a poor family trying to put up a facade. Who knows how much suffering Lin Chuxia will endure when he marries into that family? Not to mention what happened with their daughter.”

“That’s right, that’s right.”

Upon entering Wangjiazhuang, the villagers recognized the red cloth strips on the cart and knew that it was delivering Najin gifts to someone’s home. Recently, the only person in the village who was getting married was Chuxia from the Lin family, so many people approached to see what kind of person he was, given the extravagant praises that the matchmaker had sung about him.

After observing, it was evident that the rumors were not unfounded. Chuxia’s appearance and stature were indeed exceptional. He was amiable in demeanor and spoke with confidence. Truly, he was a good prospective son-in-law.

However, some people started to feel bitter.

Looking at the Najin gifts, it was clear that they were not ordinary. The pair of live wild geese alone were not something that an average farming family could afford or obtain. Moreover, the meat, cloth, and pastries on the cart were all valuable items. Why were they given to the Lin family?

Those who were already sour began to feel even more jealous.

As they continued chatting with the villagers along the way, they arrived at the Lin family’s home. Some relatives who had close ties with the Lin family or those who loved joining in the excitement did not leave. They also wanted to partake in the joy of Najin.

The Najin ceremony went smoothly, and after the three Jing brothers had a cup of tea, Father Lin handed Jing Yi a prepared piece of sugar as a symbol of agreement with the marriage.

When Jing Yi received it and took a look, it happened to be from Yunzhi Pavilion. Judging from the high-end packaging and the size of the sugar cube, it must have cost quite a bit of money and effort. Jing Yi’s heart was filled with warmth and excitement.

The onlookers couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. The Lin family was indeed generous, and it seemed they were highly satisfied with this prospective son-in-law. Well, with such an impressive appearance and being financially well-off (because of the generous Najin gifts), who wouldn’t be happy to have him as a son-in-law?

Having completed the entire process, Jing Yi returned home with his two younger brothers.

Before leaving, he looked at the villagers inside and outside the Lin family’s courtyard and said to Mr. and Mrs. Lin, “Uncle Lin, Aunt Lin, thank you for your hospitality. The day after tomorrow, my parents will host a banquet at Jixiange Restaurant in town. I sincerely invite both of you and your family to join us.”

He finished speaking, his tongue almost tying itself in knots.

“Alright, nephew. We’ll see you at Jixiange Restaurant then,” Father Lin responded, his demeanor stiffening a bit. After all, his nephew had come forward.

“Then we’ll take our leave. Please stay,” Jing Yi said, and after bidding farewell, he took his two brothers and returned to Xiwancun village, leaving the envious and resentful villagers of Wangjiazhuang to deal with the socializing and entertainment for the Lin family.

After both families enjoyed the betrothal feast, the engagement temporarily came to a close. The remaining steps, Nazheng (proposing the wedding date) and Qinying (wedding gifts), could be postponed according to the Lin family. They suggested waiting until two years later when they would actually get married.

However, Jing Yi didn’t want to wait that long, and his parents also felt that preparing the wedding gifts after such a long time would not be ideal. If they rushed to prepare the gifts now, it wouldn’t look substantial, and the gifts themselves wouldn’t be very impressive.

Therefore, after careful consideration, they decided to set the date for the engagement gifts in the summer of the following year. By then, the engagement gifts had to be grand and impressive. They also invited the matchmaker to witness the confirmation of the date.

In ancient times, the six traditional betrothal gifts held great significance. Although the wedding would take place two years later, since Jing Yi and Chuxia already had a legitimate fiancé status, appropriate interactions would no longer raise any suspicion.

At the same time, in preparation for their new life, Jing Yi began thinking about expanding his own business. As the weather turned colder, business became slower. Tea eggs were still in high demand, but cold soups and cold cakes were selling less and less. Previously, he could close the stall by around 1 p.m., but now, even by 2 p.m., he might not be able to sell everything.

Jing Yi thought to himself, “It’s time to introduce the spicy hot pot from the time-traveling handbook.”