With the approval of the girl and her mother, Zhang Fangyuan passed the news to Mr. Tang. The Tang family was overjoyed and acted quickly. It wasn’t long before they sent a matchmaker over again. This time, knowing the marriage was certain, they brought lavish betrothal gifts—large boxes and cases carried over by a long procession of people, their joy visible from afar.
Villagers busy with spring plowing saw the commotion in the fields. When they caught sight of the handsome young master of the Tang family and the impressive array of betrothal gifts, they couldn’t help but feel envious.
But no matter how jealous they were, this was a union of two strong families, something ordinary folks could only dream of.
The Zhang family had risen to prominence later than the Tang family, and was not as well-established as the Tang family. Some might even say the Zhang family marrying up. However, as the old saying goes, "Women marry up, men marry down," so this match was quite fitting.
[Women marry up, men marry down: women are expected or encouraged to marry men of higher social, economic, or educational status than themselves, while men are expected to do the opposite]
The wedding was set for the following summer. With both families satisfied, it was one major matter settled.
Now that she was engaged, Xiao’e no longer attended school. Instead, she stayed home, focusing on needlework and preparing her dowry.
Seeing how smoothly Xiao E’s marriage was progressing, Zhang Fangyuan’s fourth uncle and aunt were both happy for her. But at the same time, they felt anxious about their own ge'er, Xiaomao.
The two children were close in age, and Xiaomao would be of marriageable age next year.
Zhang Fangyuan knew his fourth uncle’s concerns, so he reassured him, "When the time comes, I’ll make sure to find Xiaomao a good match."
Zhang Shicheng had been waiting to hear those words, now he could feel at ease. However, under the influence of wine, he still revealed his true feelings to Zhang Fangyuan: "We don’t expect her to marry as well as Xiao’e. Your aunt can’t bear to part with her only child, so we’re thinking of finding a live-in son-in-law."
Zhang Fangyuan considered his fourth uncle’s family situation and agreed that a live-in son-in-law would be more suitable. However, finding a suitable man willing to marry into the family was no easy task. Many families without sons had no choice but to marry their daughters out.
But now, with him supporting the Zhang family, finding a live-in son-in-law would be easier, though it was unlikely to be someone of exceptionally high status.
"I'll keep an eye out."
Zhang Shicheng was delighted to hear this: "Good, good, good!"
By late spring, most of the land the Zhang family had purchased had been cleared. The villagers were busy with spring plowing, so fewer people were available to help clear the Zhangs' land. However, Zhang Fangyuan wasn’t in a hurry. The two of them hadn’t planned to plant crops on the newly cleared land this year anyway. As long as the land was cleared and fertilized with manure from the poultry sheds, that would suffice.
When summer arrived, Song Yong finally came to collect the silkworm cocoons, though he was much later than expected.
Originally, he was supposed to come to collect the cocoons in the spring, but he hadn’t shown up. Xu He had even started to worry, fearing that Song Yong might have taken the secret recipe for the tooth fragrant chip and reneged on the agreement to buy the cocoons.
Not to mention, the warehouse was already piled with hundreds of catties of cocoons. With spring’s arrival, the mulberry leaves had grown quickly, and the villagers’ next batch of silkworms was about to start spinning silk. If the existing stockpile wasn’t sold soon and more cocoons piled up, the losses would be significant.
"I came from Kangjian City this year and was delayed by a mountain flood, which set me back quite a few days. I’m truly sorry for the delay."
Song Yong was full of apologies. The Song family’s business was extensive, with most of their operations spread across various prefectures and counties. This year’s delays had not only left Zhang Fangyuan anxious but also prompted numerous letters from other merchants. Song Yong had rushed over as quickly as possible, apologizing all along the way.
In fact, after doing business together for so long, Zhang Fangyuan trusted Song Yong’s character. The two parties had signed an agreement as a proof, and he would be able to win the lawsuit by taking the document to the government, given the Song family’s reputation, the case would be clear, simple, and easy to resolve.
Zhang Fangyuan had even prepared a letter to send to Suzhou to inquire about the situation. Before he could send it, a courier from the shop in the city arrived in the village to inform him that Song Yong had reached Siyang and requested that the cocoons be delivered to the city.
Without delay, Zhang Fangyuan called for help and had all the cocoons stored in the warehouse loaded onto two or three carts, which were then transported to the city.
"No worries, Boss Song, you’ve had a long journey. Why not rest in Siyang for a few more days?"
Song Yong, who was obviously tired from the journey, waved his hand and said, "I’ve been delayed too long on the road. Besides Siyang, I still have many places to visit, and other merchants are waiting for their goods. Summer has already arrived, and this year’s heat came early. If the cloths aren’t delivered soon, I’m afraid it’ll disrupt everyone’s business."
With a long sigh, he added, "This year’s weather has been strange. Siyang has been fortunate, with no disasters, but on my way from Suzhou, I encountered both floods and signs of drought. It seems like this year’s season is unfavorable, and it’s been tough for us traveling merchants."
Zhang Fangyuan lived in Siyang for a long time, so his keen insight into the weather was naturally not as good as that of a traveling merchant who had traveled far and wide, and also witnessed the conditions of various regions
However, Zhang Fangyuan thought it wasn’t unusual. The weather was unpredictable, and the past two years had been quite favorable, especially last year.
The common folk often said that after a bountiful year, there would be a period of decline, just like fruit trees. If a tree bore plentiful, sweet fruit one year, it would need to rest the next year and bear fewer and sourer fruits.
Thanks for the update!
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