On the 20th day of the first lunar month, the Yang family sent someone to hire him.
After Zhou frowned and read the betrothal gift list once, her face was very gloomy, and then she closed her eyes and lay down on the bed, wondering if she fell asleep.
Yong Ruo knew why she was upset—even though she didn't know much about the ostentation of wealthy families in this era, she felt that the dowry was too simple!
Usually, the attitude of the husband's family towards the future daughter-in-law can be seen from the thickness of the dowry.
Along with the dowry gift and letter of engagement, there was also an old mother, two young maids and four servants from the Yang family. Before welcoming their relatives, they all had to live in Yong's house.
The old nanny's surname is Yan. It is said that she is an old man who is needed by Mrs. Yang's side. She is here to teach Yongruo etiquette. The four servants came to protect the women and children, but the Yong family only had one yard and five rooms. They couldn't squeeze in the Yong family, so they rented a house in the east and west neighbors.
After seeing Zhou's situation, Nanny Yan was also frowning, and she frowned tightly, muttering in a low voice: "Is this a joy for my son, or for your mother?!"
Yong Ruoxin said: Wouldn't it be good to kill two birds with one stone? But he couldn't say it, so he just pretended not to hear it.
After going around the Yong family for a while, Nurse Yan picked the layout of the Yong family one by one.
"What's the point of building a stove in the main room?" This is picking on the fake fireplace in the main room, "Aren't you afraid of breaking Feng Shui?"
With a peaceful smile on Yongruo's face, he replied calmly: "Go back to mother. My family is poor and I don't have any extra money to buy charcoal for heating. I built such a stove here last winter. You can use this stove to boil water and decoct medicine, and on the other hand, you can also use it to keep warm. It can kill two birds with one stone. As for Feng Shui, I have never found anyone to read it. It’s just that after having this stove, my family is destined to be married to the dignified Yongchang Marquis Mansion. This feng shui is not bad."
Sister Yan showed a little smug expression on her face: "That's true!"
Yong Ruo just smiled and said nothing, looking calm and elegant. Nurse Yan glanced at Yong Ruo, and then another, showing a little satisfaction.
"Are you sleeping on this bed?" Yan Momo pointed to another bed in the main room.
"Yes! I used to have my own house, but my mother is sick and needs someone to take care of me. It's more convenient for me to sleep here." As for the fact that she shared the bed with her two younger brothers, there is no need to mention it at this time, lest Sister Yan thought of some stinky rules like "men and women have different seats at seven years old".
"Could it be that you're over sick?" Yan Yan's eyebrows frowned again.
"Go back to Nanny, the doctor said, my mother's disease is beyond human."
Sister Yan still did not loosen her brows, and said: "You are about to leave the cabinet, there are many things to do, this job of personal service, let someone else do it! Or buy a little girl, or hire a woman."
"Mammy's right! Later I'll hire someone to..."
Widow Qin is a good person, but she is a widow, if she enters the Yong family at this time, will the Yang family feel taboo? It's better to find her daughter-in-law Mrs. Qin, that little daughter-in-law has a very cute round face, and she smiles very nicely.
After looking at the five rooms, Nanny Yan was a little dumbfounded: "Where do we sleep?"
There are only five rooms in the Yong family, three in the north, the main room in the middle, the main room in the east, and Yong Ruo's room in the west; kitchen. Where else is there a place for the three of them to live
Yong Ruo said: "I really wronged Mammy! How about this, I will hire a young daughter-in-law in this alley, she will serve my mother here during the day, and go back to her own home to sleep at night. I still sleep in my mother's room, and Mammy takes Wouldn't it be convenient for my two sisters to live in my house?"
Nurse Yan thought for a while, then said: "How can there be a reason for a servant to occupy the girl's house? The girl should live in her own room! Ask a maid to serve in your room, and I will take another girl to rent from a neighbor's house." to the house."
When she saw the piece of bamboo nails under the wall, Mammy Yan looked at Yong Ruo with a somewhat apprehensive expression, her slightly cloudy eyes seemed to say: You are a girl, how can you do such a thing
"Is this bamboo nail array useful?" Yan Yan asked casually.
"Of course there are. On the night when the bamboo nail array was set up, two thieves bullied our orphans and widowed mothers. They climbed over the wall and broke in to steal things, and were injured by the bamboo nail array." She gave a general account of that night. Anyway, no one in the whole alley knew about this matter, and they couldn't hide it if they wanted to.
The look of fear on Yan Nanny's face became more serious.
That night, Nanny Yan took a girl to rent a house from a neighbor in the alley.
When she came back the next day, she seemed to ask unintentionally: "I heard that you know a very wealthy young man?"
Yong Ruo didn't care much, and calmly repeated the previous lie: "I went to the Lantern Festival to sell plum blossoms on the night of the Lantern Festival, and I met a kind-hearted old lady, and I had some connections. The old lady sent me away the next day. The young man came, brought some meat snacks, and said he wanted to ask for a plum blossom to put in a vase. Yesterday, the young man came again, also to beg for plum blossoms, but he didn't bring anything else."
"I heard that the young master gave you a famous card?"
"There is such a thing."
"Maybe show me that name badge?"
"Forgive me, Mommy. The old lady gave me the name badge for our orphans, widows, and helpless mothers. She didn't allow me to show it to others at will. I dare not Meng Lang .”
"What is the origin of the nobleman?"
"I don't know what it is. The nobleman never revealed it, and I dare not ask. There is only one name and one address on the tattoo."
"Will the girl bring the famous thorns to the Yang family?" Yan Momo stared at Yong Ruo, seemingly inadvertently probing.
"No! The Yang family has a great career, and they have their own relatives and friends. How can they use the favor of this noble man whose origin is unknown? I will leave that name card to my younger brothers, just in case."
After explaining about the famous assassin, Yong Ruo smiled faintly, and looked at Madam Yan: "Mama interrogated me like this, but what kind of gossip did I hear outside? I want to teach Mama to know: the people who live in this alley People are not all good people. The Qin family in the east are all of good character, so I can trust their words more. The Jin family in the west, except for the eldest daughter-in-law, most of them are of poor character. Don't believe it; it's best for you to listen to what Aunt Jin said. Among the other neighbors, the brothers of the Wu family are not of good character, and they just suffered a big loss at my hands. Nothing good to say about me either…”
She gave an overview of the personalities and dispositions of the neighbors in the alley, and then said: "Inquiring about the personalities and family traditions of the in-laws and future daughter-in-law is a necessary process for getting married. It's not surprising. It's just that the mother needs to know, Those who talk about right and wrong are right and wrong. In this world, there are those villains who love to slander innocent people. If Mammy believes the words of villains and mistakes pearls for rubble, it is not only my regret, It will also be a pity for the Yang family."
Sister Yan said quickly: "Young lady is right." She showed a disapproving expression.
Yong Ruo felt depressed, and knew that Madam Yan was here on behalf of the Yang family and Mrs. Yang.
Madam Yan's attitude means that she is being rejected by the Yang family in various ways. And these servants sent to her family, in addition to the nominal purpose of helping her family, also secretly have the mission of inquiring about herself and her family.
She felt like she was the only piece of pork neck left in the market in the evening! The buyer is clearly unwilling to buy, but has no other choice but to hold his nose and pay.
It seems that after I go to the Yang family, at least there will be a difficult time for a while.
The wedding date is approaching, but Yong Ruo had no preparations for getting married before. She has no wedding dress, no dowry, and no gifts such as clothes, shoes, socks and purses for the relatives of the Yang family.
These things can only be bought. Fortunately, this is a capital city with very developed commerce, and there are many poor families who make a living by needlework. She took Madam Yan to contact two shops and paid the deposit. The people in the shops all patted their chests to promise that there would be no delay!
To buy these things, of course, the Yang family's betrothal money was used.
The dowry gift of the Yang family included six hundred taels of cash in addition to some real objects. Yong Ruo planned to set aside 200 taels of silver to press the box for emergencies, set aside 50 taels of silver for weddings, left 50 taels of silver for the Zhou family and Yongqiao and Yongmiao, and the remaining 300 taels of silver was used for dowry.
A dowry of three hundred taels of silver plus a box of silver of two hundred taels of silver, placed in an ordinary family, is definitely a generous dowry.
But in a family like Houfu, this little dowry is so shabby enough to become a laughing stock and be laughed at for a lifetime.
But Yong Ruo didn't take this to heart.
She has long known the huge gap in family status. As early as when she agreed to this marriage, she knew the current situation well. Now that she has made a choice, she has the courage to face all this unbearable.
She was just preparing for marriage calmly, handling all kinds of affairs in an orderly manner, neither disturbed nor joyful.
But three days before the wedding, she was hit in the head!
The Yang family said: They want to divorce!
break off an engagement? !
At that moment, Yong Ruo, who had endured for a long time, could no longer keep calm, and a deep sense of humiliation pierced her heart hard!
She had known for a long time that she was a piece of pork neck that was despised by others, and she didn't expect to be treated like pork belly!
But since you dislike it, why buy it? Since I bought it, why do I have to return it? ! Don't you know it's a piece of pork neck when you pay? !