Playing Together
In the countryside, there is a saying, "Whether you have money or not, marrying a wife is better than celebrating the New Year."
Families with a generous nature often hasten to arrange marriages before the Winter Solstice, allowing the new wife to save on expenses for at least two months. After the New Year, they will be busy.
But there are also unlucky days. If they didn't choose a good day, or if they, like the two families, delayed the betrothal, most of them will marry before the New Year. Even though it's almost the Little New Year, the countryside remains indifferent. As long as the dowry is received promptly, it is customary to conclude the wedding banquet within three days.
This way, the family will have an extra pair of hands in the spring, just in time for the busy season.
Some families are frugal. Even if they get engaged early, they will intentionally plan the wedding around the Little New Year, saving on the initial food expenses, and getting married before the busy spring season.
Even more thrifty families will choose to get married in the first month after the New Year. As soon as the new wife enters the door, she will be busy.
To be honest, they got engaged late, and Zhou Silang is not young. The Fang family is deeply concerned that the Zhou family will decide to get married after the New Year. Upon entering the door, Erniu will have to start working immediately and adapt to her new life with her in-laws and sisters-in-law.
The fact that the Zhou family voluntarily postponed the date to May shows that they are very considerate.
The Zhou family is generous, whereas the Fang family is not unreasonable. Both sides have finalized the details of the betrothal with the assistance of the matchmaker.
Currently, a dowry of three or two silver coins is considered neither small nor large. Given the Fang family's financial situation, three or two is considered modest.
Qian Shi calculated that, in addition to the dowry, there are also expenses for the banquet and some gifts required for the wedding, amounting to about five or two.
Originally, after Zhou Silang gambled, he estimated that the cost of marrying a good wife for him would be between seven and nine.
Unfortunately, the groom's qualifications were too low, so they could only compensate for it with the dowry.
Fortunately, Zhou Silang didn't let the family down in this regard. Relying on his appearance and charm, he managed to find a high-quality new bride in Fang Xiaoniang.
The family does not have this money now, especially after moving into the new house.
Not long after Manbao recovered from her illness, the carpenter hired by Lao Zhou finally finished crafting the custom furniture and delivered it.
A bed was placed in each room, and Qian Shi and the others also used the fabric they bought to make the bedding. With some bamboo furniture woven by Zhou Erlang, the house was ready for them to move in on a sunny day.
There was, of course, a wedding banquet. As a result, Lao Zhou received a wave of gifts, but the value of the gifts and the cost of the banquet were essentially equal, so he neither incurred losses nor made gains.
So the money box, which originally had only two hundred and something wen, still had only two hundred and something wen.
Therefore, the three or two dowries given to the Fang family were borrowed from Zhou Xi, and Qian Shi also borrowed an additional two for the May banquet.
She estimated that there would be no significant income in the family until the autumn harvest.
Although Lao Zhou had been urging Zhou Silang to repay the debt himself, it was actually impossible.
On the night before the betrothal was finalized during the Little New Year, Lao Zhou convened a family meeting to discuss this matter.
"Lao Si is not capable." He lost fifteen taels of silver last year, but he has paid it all back this year. The money he owes you is all here with us. "The money used to build the house was all taken out before," Lao Zhou said. "This part of the account is on me and your mother." When the family has money, I will pay you back.
No one objected.
Lao Zhou continued, "Although I said that Lao Si has to repay the money for the marriage, the money for marrying a wife is from the family, so it's an exception when it comes to him and Xi. Therefore, the five taels of silver that Xi took are also to be repaid by me and your mother.
Zhou Xi opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn't say anything.
Lao Zhou then looked at Zhou Silang and said, "Marrying a wife means becoming an adult."" As a father, you may need to work hard and be responsible at all times. "If you continue to be irresponsible, I will punish you."
Zhou Silang responded quietly.
And so the matter was settled.
Due to the scarcity of money in the money box, this year's New Year celebration was rather modest. To save money, Qian Shi reduced many essential expenses.
For example, meat.
In previous years, except for last year when Zhou Silang lost the family's fortune gambling, Qian Shi would buy a batch of meat to make preserved meat for the New Year.
Not only for the family to eat, but also to share with relatives.
This year, just like last year, the family didn't buy any meat.
But unlike last year, even though there were fewer delicious dishes, everyone was very happy because they had moved into a new house.
Especially Manbao and the other children, they were as happy as if it were a festival every day.
She moved into her new house, and although Lao Zhou didn't provide her with a large bed using her money, he did give her a normal-sized one, which was much better than the makeshift small bed that Manbao was currently sleeping on.
Manbao couldn't help but roll around on the bed before going to inspect the room's furnishings.
Zhou Erlang worked diligently every day crafting bamboo items, not only to sell at the market, like bamboo baskets and dustpans, but also for household use.
For example, in Manbao's room, he made a bamboo screen to separate the inner room from the study.
Knowing that Manbao liked all kinds of plants, Zhou Erlang even allowed her to paint on the bamboo screen, which was then dried before being placed in the room.
Additionally, Lao Zhou made her a dressing table and two chairs, one positioned in front of the dressing table and the other in front of the desk.
The desk was also crafted by a carpenter hired by Lao Zhou. He had already announced at a family gathering that these items would be part of Manbao's dowry.
It can be said that Manbao's room had the highest expenses and the most complete furniture.
Zhou Dalang and Zhou Erlang also crafted a three-compartment bookshelf out of bamboo for her, which they placed next to the desk.
They also made two bamboo chests for her to store clothes and various items.
Of course, bamboo crafts were not as refined as wooden ones, but for an unmarried girl, especially a six or seven-year-old girl, these items were very precious.
Manbao was extremely happy.
Even though they could only eat meat a few times during the New Year, she was happy every day.
So happy that she forgot to be cautious, every day she ran around with Baishanbao. Even on the first day of the New Year, they went around the village together to exchange New Year's greetings and received many red envelopes.
Of course, most of the red envelopes given by the villagers only contained a single wen, but Manbao was still very happy.
And then, in her happiness, she went to pay New Year's greetings at the Bai family's house with Baishanbao.
Of course, Mr. Bai would not give them only a single wen. He gave the two of them an exquisite purse, and inside the purse were gold ingots inscribed with "Passing the Imperial Examination."
At that time, Manbao didn't pay attention; she just thought the purse was very beautiful and carefully examined it.
Mr. Bai liked Manbao very much and thought she was a very clever child. He deliberately brought his second son over and solemnly handed him to the two clever children, saying, "You have to play with your brother, don't leave him behind."
Baishanbao and Manbao received the gifts. Although they were reluctant to play with their slightly foolish classmate, they still reassured Mr. Bai that they would engage with him in a friendly manner by patting their chests.
Text: ### This is the improved and more elegant version of your text: ### ###
Chapter 191: Playing Together
He remarked, "The Zhou family is magnanimous, so we won't impose on them." The dowry should amount to three or two silver coins. We will keep two for ourselves and assign the remaining one to Erniu. Adding the dowry for her should suffice.
There's a rural saying, "Whether wealthy or not, marrying a wife is better than celebrating the New Year."
Families of a generous disposition will hasten to marry off a daughter before the Winter Solstice, enabling the new bride to economize on expenses for at least two months. After the New Year, they will be busy.
However, there are also unfortunate days. If they didn't select an auspicious day, or if, like the two families, they delayed the betrothal, most will marry before the New Year. Even though it's almost the Little New Year, the countryside is not particularly festive. As long as the dowry is promptly received, completing the wedding banquet within three days is considered normal.
This will add an extra pair of hands to the household in the spring, just in time for the busy season.
Some families are frugal. Even if they get engaged early, they will intentionally plan the wedding around the Little New Year, saving on the initial food expenses and getting married before the busy spring season.
Even more frugal families will choose to get married in the first month after the New Year. As soon as the new wife enters the door, she will be busy.
To be frank, they got engaged late, and Zhou Silang is not young. The Fang family is genuinely concerned that the Zhou family will choose to marry after the New Year. In that case, Erniu will have to start working as soon as she enters the door and adapt to the new life with her in-laws and sisters-in-law.
The fact that the Zhou family voluntarily postponed the date to May shows that they are very considerate.
The Zhou family is generous, while the Fang family is not unreasonable. Both sides, through the matchmaker, have settled the details of the betrothal.
Currently, a dowry of three or two silver coins is considered neither small nor large. Given the Fang family's financial situation, three or two is considered modest.
Qian Shi calculated that, in addition to the dowry, there are also expenses for the banquet and some gifts needed for the wedding, totaling about five or two.
Originally, after Zhou Silang gambled, he estimated that the cost of marrying a suitable wife for him would be between seven to nine taels.
Unfortunately, the groom's qualifications were insufficient, so they could only compensate for it with the dowry.
Fortunately, Zhou Silang didn't let the family down in this regard. Through his appearance and eloquence, he succeeded in finding a high-quality new bride in Fang Xiaoniang.
The family does not have this money now, especially after moving into the new house.
Not long after Manbao recovered from her illness, the carpenter hired by Lao Zhou finally finished crafting the custom furniture and delivered it.
In each room, a bed was placed, and Qian Shi and the others used the fabric they had bought to make the bedding. With some bamboo furniture woven by Zhou Erlang, the house was ready for them to move in on a sunny day.
Of course, there was a wedding banquet. As a result, Lao Zhou received a wave of gifts, but the gifts and the cost of the banquet were basically balanced, so he neither lost nor gained.
So, the money box, which originally had only two hundred and something yuan, still contained the same amount.
Therefore, the three or two dowries given to the Fang family were borrowed from Zhou Xi, and Qian Shi also borrowed an additional two for the May banquet.
She estimated that there would be no significant income in the family until the autumn harvest.
Although Lao Zhou had been urging Zhou Silang to repay the debt himself, it was actually impossible.
On the night before the betrothal was finalized during the Little New Year, Lao Zhou convened a family meeting to discuss this matter.
"Lao Si is not capable." He lost fifteen taels of silver last year, but he has paid it all back this year. The money he owes you is all here with us. "The money used to build the house was all taken out beforehand," Lao Zhou said. "This part of the account is on me and your mother." "When the family has money, I will pay you back."
No one objected.
Lao Zhou continued, "Although I said that Lao Si has to repay the money for the marriage, the money for marrying a wife is from the family, so it's an exception when it comes to him and Xi. Therefore, the five taels of silver that Xi took are also to be repaid by me and your mother.
Zhou Xi opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn't say anything.
Lao Zhou then looked at Zhou Silang and said, "Marrying a wife means becoming an adult. "You might become a father at any time, so you need to work hard and be responsible."
Zhou Silang responded quietly.
And so the matter was settled.
Due to the limited funds in the money box, this year's New Year celebration was rather modest. To save money, Qian Shi reduced many essential expenses.
For example, meat.
In previous years, except for last year when Zhou Silang lost the family's fortune gambling, Qian Shi would buy a batch of meat to make preserved meat for the New Year.
Not only for the family to eat, but also to share with relatives.
This year, just like last year, the family didn't buy any meat.
But unlike last year, even though there were fewer delicious dishes, everyone was very happy because they had moved into a new house.
Especially Manbao and the other children, they were as happy as if it were a festival every day.
She moved into her new house, and although Lao Zhou didn't provide her with a large bed despite her payment, he did give her a normal-sized one, which was a significant improvement from the makeshift small bed that Manbao was currently sleeping on.
Manbao couldn't help but roll around on the bed before going to inspect the room's furnishings.
Zhou Erlang worked hard every day to make bamboo crafts, not only for selling at the market, such as bamboo baskets and dustpans, but also for use in the house.
For example, in Manbao's room, he made a bamboo screen to separate the inner room from the study.
Knowing that Manbao liked all kinds of plants, Zhou Erlang even allowed her to paint on the bamboo screen, which was then dried before being placed in the room.
Lao Zhou also crafted a dressing table and two chairs for her, one positioned in front of the dressing table and the other in front of the desk.
The desk was also crafted by a carpenter hired by Lao Zhou, who had already announced at a family gathering that these items would be included in Manbao's dowry.
Manbao's room can be described as having the highest expenses and the most complete furniture.
Zhou Dalang and Zhou Erlang also made her a three-compartment bookshelf out of bamboo, which they placed next to the desk.
They also made two bamboo chests for her to store clothes and various items.
Of course, bamboo crafts were not as refined as wooden ones, but for an unmarried girl, especially a six or seven-year-old girl, these items were very precious.
Manbao was extremely happy.
Even though they could only eat meat a few times during the New Year, she was happy every day.
So happy that she forgot to be cautious, every day she ran around with Baishanbao. Even on the first day of the New Year, they went around the village together to exchange New Year's greetings and received many red envelopes.
Of course, most of the red envelopes given by the villagers only contained a single wen, but Manbao was still very happy.
And then, in her happiness, she went to pay New Year's greetings at the Bai family's house with Baishanbao.
Of course, Mr. Bai would not give them only a single wen. He gave the two of them an exquisite purse, and inside the purse were gold ingots with the inscription "Passing the Imperial Examination."
At that time, Manbao didn't pay attention; she simply thought the purse was very beautiful and carefully examined it.
Mr. Bai liked Manbao very much and thought she was a very clever child. He deliberately brought his second son over and solemnly handed him to the two clever children, saying, "You have to play with your brother, don't leave him behind."
Baishanbao and Manbao received the gifts. Although they were reluctant to play with their slightly foolish classmate, they still reassured Mr. Bai that they would engage with him in a friendly manner by patting their chests.