The loss was not much money, but the humiliation was great.
Shopkeeper Sun scolded Wu Youde fiercely and told him to get out. He sat there and recalled the whole thing. Then, Shopkeeper Sun was surprised to find that Jiang Miao seemed to have anticipated that they would use such means in advance. Everything was within his expectations. It was estimated that he had fallen into Jiang Miao's trap when he eavesdropped on the conversation between Daniu and his grandmother.
Shopkeeper Sun spent all his time hunting geese but was pecked in the eye by a sparrow. He could not swallow this humiliation. He immediately wanted to seek revenge, but suddenly remembered the incident he had heard before. He only knew that Jiang Miao dared to confront those ruffians, but he never thought about how he could escape from their hands with such courage
Thinking of this, Shopkeeper Sun's anger cooled down a little, and he went out to inquire about the cause and effect of the incident. After learning the truth about the closure of Dingfeng Tea House, Shopkeeper Sun couldn't help but shudder, and at the same time, he couldn't help but feel lucky that he hadn't had time to offend him. As for Wu Youde, what did his self-willed behavior have to do with their welcoming guests
Different from the reaction of Shopkeeper Sun, Jiang Miao was nervous and expectant after hearing about this from Shopkeeper Wu. He was wary of possible revenge from Yingkelai, but also hoped that they would act quickly so that he could catch them.
But he waited for a few days, and everything outside was calm. Even Wu Youde quietly moved out of the courtyard. Jiang Miao was puzzled, but the best thing about him was that he didn't get stuck in a rut. He didn't think about things that he couldn't figure out. Anyway, even if they wanted to play tricks, he had someone to cover for them.
It was already the 25th of February, which was not far from the 5th of March chosen by Jiang Miao and his friends as the engagement date.
As the weaker party in this marriage, the betrothal matter had nothing to do with Jiang Miao. He only needed to call the elders to wait in the main hall and preside over the matter. But this was also what Jiang Miao didn't want to face the most. It was so shameful for a man like him to talk about getting married in front of his elders!
Xun Ge'er was absolutely right. People's joys and sorrows were not the same. As soon as Jiang Miao spoke of his pain, Pei Che laughed mercilessly.
Jiang Miao squinted at him and said, "If you laugh again, we'll do the opposite. I believe the emperor will be even happier when he hears that you're getting married, right?" His voice was indifferent, and he looked like he was smiling, which was clearly learned from Pei Che.
Before he finished speaking, Pei Che quickly put away his smile, sat upright, and looked very polite, as if the person who had just smiled brightly was not him.
Jiang Miao snorted coldly and ignored him. Instead, he prepared a plan in his mind, thinking about how to tell his uncle and aunt about this matter when he returned home. However, ordinary farmers would not dare to refuse the imperial decree to grant marriage, no matter how unwilling they were, right
"Don't worry, there are still a few days left, right? Do you want to go see the house first?" Pei Che suggested when he saw that he looked worried.
The place here was too small, and it was rented, so the betrothal gifts could not be put in. Because of the arranged marriage, they had already saved a lot of procedures, and the betrothal gift must not be neglected. In order to ensure that the process could proceed normally, Pei Che looked through his father's private property and found a house with three entrances and a large garden located at the west gate.
It was unknown when his father bought it. There was only an old couple guarding it. The house was still habitable, but it looked a bit run-down. Pei Che ordered people to come and repair and clean it. Within a few days, the house looked brand new.
"What house?" Jiang Miao looked up at him in confusion. He wouldn't let him go to the Duke's Mansion right now, would he? A few days ago, Pei Che asked Jiang Miao if he wanted to meet his grandfather, but Jiang Miao refused. The reason he gave was that he hadn't been engaged yet, so it was not easy for him to meet the parents. In fact, Jiang Miao was afraid that Pei Che's grandfather, Old Man Feng, would not accept a man as his grandson's wife, and would take out the imperial sword and make him bleed on the spot.
"You'll know when you get there." Pei Che refused to say it out loud, looking at Jiang Miao with a gentle smile in his eyes.
Jiang Miao looked at him suspiciously, and finally decided to follow him.
When the two of them went out, they did not forget to bring Pei Mu with them. Pei Mu hugged the kitten, lowered his head and stroked it gently. The expression on his face became more and more lively, no longer as empty as before.
The three of them got on the carriage and soon arrived at a street.
"Why did you bring me here? It's still early and Xiao Shitou hasn't finished school yet." Jiang Miao lifted the curtain and looked outside. This familiar street scene was definitely the place he walked twice a day.
"Not there yet." Pei Che said. After the carriage entered the main street, it turned into a wide alley on the side of the road and stopped in front of a mansion.
The house was inscribed with the Chinese characters "Jiang's House" and the vermilion gate looked very imposing. There were three steps in front of the door, just enough for getting off the carriage.
Pei Che got off the carriage, and the guard following behind him pulled the door knocker and knocked a few times, and the door opened.
"Come in and take a look?" Pei Che looked at Jiang Miao and invited him.
The master's tone, combined with the two large characters on the plaque, gave Jiang Miao a vague guess. He asked tentatively, "Is this... the house you prepared for me?"
"That's right. This house has been registered under your name and is considered your private property." Pei Che said. Generally speaking, both parties must be present in person to change the property rights at the government office, but for Pei Che, this was no big deal.
Jiang Miao was stunned at first after getting a positive answer, and then he was ecstatic. The boss was generous. He hadn't done anything yet, but he had already sold the house! If it were in modern times, how much money would it cost to buy such a house! Jiang Miao knew that it was impossible to sell this house for money, but he still couldn't resist the joy of having such a large sum of money.
After being happy for a while, Jiang Miao calmed down a little: "This house is not cheap, right?" This street is the most lively one in Ximen, and the price of the house is not comparable to that in Yifong Street.
At that time, Xiao Shitou signed up. In order to make him closer to school, Jiang Miao inquired about the rental prices here. When he learned that the starting price of a single room in a very old courtyard was five to six hundred coins, he suddenly felt that walking a few more steps every day seemed to be quite healthy.
"It's not expensive. My father only spent 1,500 taels when he bought it." Pei Che answered casually.
The nonchalant tone irritated Jiang Miao's fragile heart, and he cried out in surprise: "It only cost one thousand five hundred taels?" The tone of this part was particularly heavy.
"I don't think I can get it without 2,500 taels now." Pei Che said. Compared with the previous price, it was still cheap.
Thinking about it this way, it is indeed quite affordable. However, Jiang Miao's mouth became wider and wider. Who cares? Now this house belongs to him!
Jiang Miao walked in happily, and Pei Che followed behind with Pei Mu by the hand. As soon as Jiang Miao came in, he looked around. He knew that he probably looked as funny as "Grandma Liu Entering the Grand View Garden", but he was indeed curious.
After coming here, he only visited Zhu's house and Taohuayan's yard up close. In fact, he didn't visit either of them. He only visited the front hall and kitchen of Zhu's house, and only sat in the flower hall of Taohuayan's house.
Although the courtyard in front of him was not as rich and prosperous as the Zhu family, nor as elegant and beautiful as the Taohuayan family, Jiang Miao liked the vitality of the courtyard very much. In particular, there was a small pond in the middle of the garden. Thinking that he could go to the pond to catch fish and dig lotus roots, Jiang Miao couldn't help but feel happy.
Pei Che had been following behind him and watching him, and couldn't help but sigh that the saying "contentment brings happiness" is indeed a true saying. It's just a house, but it can make Jiang Miao look as happy as if he had the whole world.
After touring the garden, they went inside to take a look. The people in the Duke's Mansion worked very efficiently. In a few days, they not only cleaned up the whole house and made it look brand new, but also arranged all the furniture in it in an orderly manner.
After seeing this house, Jiang Miao's original resistance completely disappeared. He didn't want to be so shameless, but Pei Che gave too much!
After his resistance disappeared, Jiang Miao dared to face his family calmly. So the next day, after sending Xiao Shitou to school, he boarded the carriage and returned to Jiangjiawan.
There is still some time before spring ploughing, but the hardworking farmers are already restless. They are taking out the farm tools that have been idle all winter and checking them carefully to see if they are infested with insects and need repair.
When Jiang Miao got home, the whole family was there. He handed the things he brought back to Sister Xiaoyu and asked her to bring her younger brothers and sisters in to divide them. After sending the children away, Jiang Miao cleared his throat and announced that he was going to get engaged.
Unexpectedly, his uncle and aunt were not surprised at all. They smiled at each other. His second uncle said, "My dear nephew, your aunt guessed it the last time you came back to get your horoscope. Which girl is the one you are going to marry? How much do you want as a betrothal gift? If you are short of money, your second uncle still has some savings. By the way, tell them clearly whether you want to live with your brother?"
Jiang Miao laughed awkwardly twice: "This... The person I'm going to marry is very pretty, a famous beauty in Liangjing. His family background is also very good, and he doesn't even look down on our small fortune. He also knows that I will bring my brother with me."
Hearing such good conditions, Second Uncle Jiang was a little nervous: "How could a girl with such a good family background marry you? Is there something wrong with her body?" It's not that he looked down on his nephew, it's just that the difference is too big. In his opinion, it's better to find someone of equal status when getting married.
"Uncle, he is healthy and well-educated, and he is sincere and polite to others. The only downside is that he is not a girl."
Uncle Jiang was stunned: "Is she a widow, or was she divorced and sent home?" In his mind, if she is not a girl, she must be a woman.
Jiang Miao didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "He is not a widow, nor has he been divorced. He is a man."
"Oh, a man." Uncle Jiang nodded comfortingly, and then suddenly realized the meaning of Jiang Miao's words, "Man! The person you are going to get engaged to is a man?!" He stood up suddenly, and he didn't know what he was thinking about, his face was a little distorted.
Seeing that Second Uncle Jiang looked like he was going to clean up the Jiang family, Jiang Miao immediately took a step back: "Second Uncle, calm down first, I have my reasons!"
"What's your reason? Are you attracted by her family background?" Uncle Jiang looked around, as if he was trying to find a tool that would suit his needs.
"I'm not that kind of person!" Jiang Miao complained guiltily, "I was given a marriage by the Emperor, so I had to marry a man!"
"The Emperor... granted the marriage?" Uncle Jiang was stunned. After a moment, he yelled, "Why don't you say that it was the matchmaker? How dare you make up such an excuse!"
"I didn't make it up. What I said is true. The imperial edict is still where I live! If you don't believe it, I will go back and show it to you!" Jiang Miao said quickly.
Uncle Jiang was stunned when he saw that he didn't seem to be lying. After a long pause, he said in a hoarse voice, "Does the emperor still care about the marriage of the common people?" Even if he wants to care, he should give a girl to marry. Giving a man, what's the big deal
Jiang Miao took out the excuse he had made up long ago, which was that the emperor ate his buns one day and was so happy that he wanted to grant him a marriage, but when granting the marriage, the people below made a mistake and it became him and another man. At this time, the imperial decree had been issued, and the emperor was not joking. If they refused, the emperor would definitely be angry, and might even confiscate their property and execute them, so they had no choice but to accept it.
These words were full of mistakes, but they were more than enough to coax Uncle Jiang and the others. Uncle Jiang's emotions changed from anger at first to helplessness and then to sympathy. He looked at Jiang Miao who had to endure the bitter consequences alone in order to protect his family, and couldn't help but sigh: This child is too sensible!
(End of this chapter)