Ms. Yan was extremely satisfied, thinking this girl was truly wonderful in every way. If the marriage proposal could succeed, she would have nothing else to ask for in this life.
Mrs. Chen was speaking to the Xu Family when she saw Miss Shang San coming over. She pulled Xu Zhong over to watch the scene and, upon seeing Miss Shang Sanâs good looks, felt a bit uncomfortable. But when she considered that the Shang Family wasnât as wealthy as the Xu Family, she felt content and asked Miss Shang San, "Whatâs your name, girl? Always calling you Third Miss feels too distant."
Each time someone called her Third Miss, Mrs. Chen couldnât help but think of Xu Ling, which annoyed her.
When Miss Shang San entered the room, she greeted everyone properly, recognizing Mrs. Chen as the most troublesome among the Qin, Gu, and Luo families. Miss Shang San immediately stood up and bowed, saying, "In response to Aunt Guâs question, everyone at home calls me Sister Dan."
The granddaughter of Village Chief Shangâs family is named after colors. Miss Shang Sanâs name is Shang Xiudan.
"So youâre called Sister Dan. Thatâs a nice name. This is my nephewâs fiancĂ©e who hasnât married in yet, a direct daughter from the Xu Family in the county! Her name is Linglong, and sheâs a few months older than you. Call her Sister Linglong." Mrs. Chen really disliked the name Xu Zhong, believing it sounded neither beautiful nor gentle, so she decided to say she was named Linglong.
"Hello, Sister Linglong." Shang Xiudan greeted Xu Zhong.
Seeing Shang Xiudan overly nervous, Gu Jinxiu pulled her hand, smiling and said, "Come, Iâll take you to see the bride. Miss Ouyang is also there; you all are similar in age and ranking, so youâll surely have lots to talk about."
"Sister Xiu is right, Sister Dan should go chat with Miss Ouyang." Ms. Jiang looked at Gu Jinxiu with relief. The child had become much more talkative over the years, not like in the beginning when she was always a bit shy.
Only then did Shang Xiudan nod and follow Gu Jinxiu and Xu Zhong into the inner room to visit Gu Jinli. Soon, laughter echoed from the inner room, which reassured both Ms. Yan and Ms. Jiang.
Mrs. Chen glanced at Ms. Yan and pulled her outside to whisper in the courtyard, "Sister-in-law, itâs not that I want to speak ill of anyone, but... donât you find Miss Shang San a bit too good? Such a wonderful girl, if she has no hidden issues, why would she marry into a rural area? In high-class families, which girlâs family isnât trying to push them into a high-class marriage? This is the first time Iâve seen someone wanting to marry down; doesnât that worry you?"
After speaking, Mrs. Chen gave Ms. Yan a meaningful look. Her words completely wiped Ms. Yanâs joy away, leaving her wanting to strangle Mrs. Chen.
"Little Sister-in-law Da Gui, donât say things carelessly. If these words spread, wouldnât it ruin the girlâs reputation?" Ms. Yan said, "Besides, the girl is Scholar Shangâs niece, and the marriage was arranged by Scholar Shang and his wife in person. What kind of relationship does Scholar Shangâs Family have with our families? How could we not trust them?"
Mrs. Chen was displeased by Ms. Yanâs remarks and retorted, "Sister-in-law Damu, look, youâre getting angry. Iâm just thinking of your familyâs interests."
"What are the two sisters-in-law discussing?" Ms. Jiang, supported by maid Taozi, walked over, smiling at them and said, "Itâs cold in the courtyard. Letâs chat under the veranda."
Being caught gossiping, Mrs. Chen hurriedly tried to slip away, but Ms. Yan pulled her back to apologize to Ms. Jiang, "Sister Shang, Iâm truly sorry. Mrs. Chen is just like this, speaking without thinking. Donât worry; after the wedding feast, I will certainly tell Third Aunt to give Mrs. Chen a good scolding."
Third Aunt refers to Third Grandma; Third Grandpa is younger than Old Mrs. Yanâs husband.
Ms. Jiang naturally knew Mrs. Chenâs nature and had no intention of reprimanding her. However, Ms. Jiang was quite impressed with Ms. Yan.
The temper of Gu Qingliang and Jin Niu seemingly followed Ms. Yanâs, appearing silent but having deep thoughts; it was commendable.
"No need to explain, Sister-in-law. I heard some of what you said and came to clarify. Letâs talk over there under the veranda." Ms. Jiang went to stand under the verandah first.
Ms. Yan hurriedly pulled Mrs. Chen along, while Taozi stood at the entrance of the verandah as a guard.
Ms. Jiang said, "I understand you both surely have doubts. Why would a young lady raised in a prefecture want to marry into the countryside? Actually, thereâs nothing that canât be discussed."
"Sister Dan has an elder sister who was married to a wealthy family in the Linhe Prefecture, which has a better status than the Shang Family. But because of this, the master of the house kept several concubines and even took another as a favored concubine, making the household unstable. Sister Danâs elder sister was harmed and had two miscarriages within five years of marriage, and till now hasnât even birthed a daughter."
"My sister-in-law deeply regrets this, and Sister Dan fears her own family background isnât strong enough and that marrying in the prefecture might bring bullying from the in-laws. After discussing it, they decided Sister Dan should look for a marriage in her hometown."
This matter is considered a secret of the Shang Family and isnât easy to share with outsiders. But Ms. Jiang also knew that if she didnât explain, it would definitely affect Sister Dan, so she told Ms. Yan and Mrs. Chen the story, concluding, "Sister Dan is from the Shang Family, and the girls from the Shang Family are pure and honest, with absolutely nothing shameful."
Ms. Yan felt relieved after hearing this and quickly apologized to Ms. Jiang, finally saying, "Both my mother-in-law and I really like Sister Dan. Sheâs such a good girl; if she approves of my family, Iâll treat her like my own daughter and ensure she never suffers. The men from the Qin, Gu, and Luo families do not keep concubines."
Ms. Jiang nodded with a smile, "Iâm relieved to hear this from you, Sister-in-law."
Then she looked at Mrs. Chen.
Mrs. Chen quickly defended herself, slapping her own mouth, saying, "This damned mouth, why does it love to gossip so much? I should just shut up forever..."
After hitting her mouth a few times, Mrs. Chen promised, "Rest assured, Sister Shang, todayâs incident is my fault. Everything you said, I wonât repeat a single word. If I do, may... my Silver be stolen!"
Since Mrs. Chen loved money, issuing such a curse showed she genuinely realized her mistake.
Ms. Jiang nodded, smiling, "Yuanyuan must be up to something with Xiao Yu again; Iâll go check."
With that, she left, taking Taozi to see Gu Jinli. After chatting with Gu Jinli for a while, the sound of joyful wedding music began to play.
"The Qin family is here to fetch the bride. Xiao Yu, quickly get ready; itâs time to leave." Ms. Chu and Aunt Tian came in together, urging Gu Jinli to prepare.
...
Outside the Gu Family Gates, Qin San and the procession of welcoming soldiers, dressed in red wedding robes, smiling like a breeze, proceeded to the Gu Family, bowing every ten steps according to the Zong matchmakerâs instructions.
Before reaching the Gu Familyâs main gate, they were stopped for the door wine. Qin San Lang could drink, and so could the soldiers from the Military Office. The three rows of door wine were quickly drained by them, and some felt it wasnât enough, asking the Gu Family People for more, which infuriated Brother Cheng.
Seeing they were all rough fellows, he let them guess riddles, which indeed stumped many.
Zhang Zhong scratched his head, "This black skin and black scales, master of both land and water... what in the world is it? A creature from the water that can rampage on land?"
The other soldiers didnât know either.
Young Master Dou was anxious hearing this; how could this group be so clueless? Even he wanted to help, but he was there to drink the Gu Familyâs wedding leaving wine, not the Qin familyâs bridesmaidsâ wine, so he couldnât help even if he wanted to.
But this was no problem for Qin San Lang. He smiled and said, "Itâs the Black River Dragon, master of the water, who can eat people on land."
The Black River Dragon is a crocodile by modern standards, but in ancient times, few knew of this creature, but it truly existed in the rivers of Great Chu.
Brother Cheng, reluctant to let his Second Sister marry off, posed a few more riddles, but Qin San Lang managed to guess them all correctly. In the end, Brother Cheng had no choice but to have Gu Jinâan present welcoming poems to stump Qin San Lang.
Having followed Mr. Feng in his youth, Qin San Lang had a foundation in poems and lyrics. He composed six welcoming poems in a row.
Six is considered auspicious, and if not anxious to marry Xiao Yu back home, he would have aimed to compose nine.
Brother Cheng was frustrated, rolling up his sleeves to challenge Qin San Lang to a fight, but his clothes were too thick, and he couldnât roll up his sleeves.
Gu Jinâan found it amusing and said, "Alright, we canât afford to throw a tantrum and miss your sisterâs lucky hour for marriage."
Finally, he casually posed two questions, and upon Qin San Lang answering them, he had them remove the barriers, letting Qin San Lang and his party through.
"Music play, welcome the groom!" Mai Dong shouted with all his might. His voice was almost worn out by the end of the day.