Time passed quickly, and the wheat harvest began. The whole family worked from dawn until dusk for seven or eight days before finally bringing in the grain.
After setting aside what was owed in taxes, the Chen family's harvest was quite good this year. Keeping enough grain for their own rations, selling the rest would still net them over two taels of silver.
That was the way of farmers—living at the mercy of the heavens. After a year of hard labor, once all the various taxes were deducted, a good year meant they could keep their rations and still exchange some grain for silver. But in a bad year, there might not even be enough to feed the family, forcing them to tighten their belts and scrape by.
"The autumn harvest is finally done. In a couple of days, Shitou and I will go to town and see if we can pick up some work," Father Chen said.
Mother Chen agreed with his words. Their daughter's dowry still needed more preparation, and the more money they had on hand, the better.
Elder Brother Chen had no objections either. Chen Shitou was also very fond of his only younger sister, and everything regarding the dowry preparations was left to the arrangements of Father and Mother Chen.
Mother Chen planned to have two trunks made for Chen Qiuyue, along with a set of bedding and two sets of clothing. All of these things took time, so they needed to start preparing right away.
The clothing was easy enough—Chen Qiuyue had good needlework skills and could make those herself. The bedding was something Mother Chen could handle on her own. As for the trunks, those would be Father Chen's responsibility. He knew some carpentry, so making trunks was well within his ability.
Early the next morning, Mother Chen called out to Chen Qiuyue, who was busy with her work.
"Qiuyue, how is your embroidery coming along?"
"I'll be done by this afternoon. What is it, Mother?" Chen Qiuyue set down her needle and thread.
"Then tomorrow we'll go to town together and buy some cloth to make you a few sets of clothing. Since your embroidery will be finished just in time, we can turn it in on the same trip."
Hearing Mother Chen's words, Chen Qiuyue thought of how the wedding day was drawing closer and closer. Her heart suddenly tightened with nervousness, yet at the same time, there was a faint sense of anticipation.
Chen Qiuyue was very curious about Zhao Huaiyu. She had imagined him as a thin, scholarly-looking young man, and she had also imagined he might be like any ordinary farmhand.
Every time she thought of these things, Chen Qiuyue would secretly blush.
What Chen Qiuyue didn't know was that she and Zhao Huaiyu had actually seen each other in town before—only, she had never noticed him.
The countryside morning carried a hint of autumn chill. After finishing their household chores early, Mother Chen and Chen Qiuyue gathered their prepared items and set out the door.
Goudan knew that his mother and older sister were going to town today and insisted on going along, throwing a fuss. But Mother Chen had too many things to take care of today and didn't want to bring him along.
In the end, after much coaxing and promising to bring him back some malt candy, the mother and daughter finally managed to get away.
Being women, the two of them walked at a relatively slower pace. By the time they reached town, the market was already at its liveliest.
Every stall and shop on the street was filled with people coming and going.
Mother Chen pulled Chen Qiuyue aside and discussed their plan: "Let's first go to the embroidery shop to turn in your pieces, then take a look at the fabric, and finally buy some miscellaneous goods."
Chen Qiuyue had no objection to Mother Chen's arrangement, and the two headed straight for the embroidery shop.
As they passed by Ruyi Tower, Chen Qiuyue instinctively glanced inside. By chance, her eyes met those of a thin, clean-featured man. Her heart suddenly began to pound. Flustered, she stole another quick glance before hurriedly lowering her head and walking past.
As she walked, Chen Qiuyue replayed the image of that man in her mind—wearing a dark blue cloth robe, neither new nor old, with a lean face that was clean-cut and proper.
The moment their eyes met, a flicker of surprise and delight appeared in his gaze. He seemed to be directing the waiters as they moved things around.
Chen Qiuyue formed a guess in her heart, and that guess unsettled her just as she had managed to calm herself. Mother Chen didn't notice her daughter's unusual state until they reached the embroidery shop's entrance, and only when Mother Chen called out to her did Chen Qiuyue snap back to reality.
On his side, Zhao Huaiyu was also seeing Chen Qiuyue for the first time since their engagement was settled. Though their accidental glance lasted only a few brief moments, it filled him with immense joy.
After that chance encounter, both young people harbored an indescribable happiness in their hearts.
The embroidery shop where Chen Qiuyue took on needlework was called Zhangji Embroidery Shop, run by a woman in her thirties surnamed Li.
Manager Li had a round face, big eyes, and two large dimples that appeared when she smiled. She greeted customers with warmth but without flattery.
When Mother Chen and her daughter arrived, Manager Li had just seen off a young woman who was carrying quite a few bolts of fabric—likely a good sale.
After seeing off the customer, Manager Li turned and spotted Mother Chen and her daughter, quickly greeting them with a smile: "Sister Chen, you've brought Qiuyue along! Come in and have a seat!"
The two smiled and followed Manager Li into the shop.
"Sister Li, Qiuyue has finished the needlework she took on. We happened to need to buy some thread and fabric today, so we brought the finished pieces to hand in as well," Mother Chen said.
As she spoke, Chen Qiuyue had already, with keen awareness, taken the finished embroidery from her basket and placed it on the counter.
"Sister Chen, I have to say, Qiuyue's craftsmanship is truly excellent. Her handkerchiefs just keep getting better and better," Manager Li said as she picked up the embroidery Chen Qiuyue had made and examined it.
After all, it was a small place, and there weren't many young women or married ladies with fine embroidery skills. Not only was Chen Qiuyue skilled, but she also had a talent for color coordination, and her finished pieces ranked above average in the shop.
After inspecting the embroidery, Manager Li turned and went back behind the counter to count out the payment, then walked over to the two.
"This is the pay for this batch. Please count it—it comes to three hundred and seventy-five wen." Mother Chen had already calculated it at home, so she accepted the copper coins without issue and tucked them directly into her pouch.
"Manager Li, go ahead and attend to your business. We'll look at the fabric," Mother Chen said, and the two began browsing the cloth.
Seeing their approach, Manager Li asked curiously, "Why are you buying so much fabric? Is something happening at home?"
"Yue'er's marriage has been settled. We won't be taking on any more embroidery work for now. Qiuyue will be busy at home making her wedding dress, and she'll come back for work after the wedding!" Mother Chen said without hiding anything.
"Oh my, Qiuyue's marriage is settled! That's wonderful news! Of course, the wedding takes priority—use these days to prepare for it. But when the time comes, I must get some wedding candy!"
Manager Li teased happily upon hearing the news.
By the time Mother Chen mentioned her engagement, Chen Qiuyue's cheeks had already flushed red on their own, and now with Manager Li's teasing, her face turned completely crimson.
In the end, the two spent nearly eight hundred wen on the fabric and thread they had planned to buy, then took their leave of Manager Li.
The Zhao and Chen families' wedding was set for the fifth day of the eighth month. Time flew by, and before they knew it, the day had arrived.
Early that morning, before dawn had even broken, Chen Qiuyue was woken by her eldest sister-in-law, Chen Cuicui.
In truth, Chen Qiuyue had tossed and turned the night before, only truly falling asleep after the hour of Zi.
So when Xu Cuicui called her name, she was still in a dazed state.
Xu Cuicui, having been through it herself, knew that her sister-in-law must not have slept well the night before either.