At night, after washing up, as the two were returning to their room, Shen Qi took advantage of the lack of people around to pull him over to look at the hole in the flower wall.
"Last time, when your family came to deliver the betrothal gifts, Sister-in-law had me peek out from here."
Xie Yuduo leaned in to look, but being tall, he had to lower his head to see. He deliberately said, "Can't see anything."
Shen Qi laughed and scolded, "Silly, it's the middle of the night now, of course you can't see anything."
Xie Yuduo asked with a smile, "What were you looking at that day?"
"To see what you looked like, of course!"
Xie Yuduo took his wife's hand and lowered his voice.
"Didn't you already see me the first time I came to your house?"
Shen Qi was startled and exclaimed repeatedly.
"Oh, so you really saw me that day."
Xie Yuduo raised his long eyebrows, looking quite pleased with himself.
"Of course I saw you."
He thought seriously for a moment.
"That day, I saw you come out of the room carrying a tea tray. At first, you pretended to be very proper and refined, but after just two steps, as soon as you reached a place with no one around, you started jumping. You walked while swinging the tea tray with such vigor, like… a little tiger just coming down from the mountain."
"Ah, that was all because of my little brother. If he hadn't been climbing the tree, maybe I could have slipped away."
Xie Yuduo smiled and gently tapped Shen Qi's nose.
"I should thank him. Otherwise, where would I find such a wonderful little Yue'er to be my wife?"
Shen Qi covered her mouth and giggled.
"If you really want to thank him, go to West Street tomorrow and find a kid named Ermao to fight. If you win, he'll be happier than with any other thanks!"
"Why fight? What if I lose?"
She patted his firm, solid frame, extremely confident.
"You'll definitely win. He's only twelve!"
She told him what her brother had said at the time, and both of them laughed.
Talking and laughing, they soon reached the door of their room. Xie Yuduo asked again, "So, you didn't see me that day?"
Well, Shen Qi felt a bit embarrassed and muttered guiltily.
"I did see, but it was a bit…"
"Too far away, couldn't see clearly?"
He guessed a reasonable reason.
"Yes, yes, exactly."
Shen Qi, as if grasping a lifeline, nodded vigorously and hurriedly turned to open the door.
Noticing something off in the girl's tone, Xie Yuduo, as soon as they entered, pulled her back and gently pressed her against the door that had just closed. His well-defined hand exerted a slight pressure.
"Could it be that you didn't see me?"
Unable to break free, Shen Qi could only confess.
"I… saw two of you at once and didn't know which one was you."
Xie Yuduo was greatly disappointed.
"So, it wasn't love at first sight for you, not captivated by my looks!"
Shen Qi laughed and hit him, then, afraid he might really be hurt, quickly explained.
"Even though I didn't know which one was you, it was you I fancied. Later, I was afraid I had mistaken the person, so Sister-in-law took me to sneak a peek."
Taking advantage of Xie Yuduo pulling her into his embrace, she added,
"I thought at the time, if it wasn't you, I'd rather not marry."
"Really?"
He lowered his head, smelling the fragrance of her hair, and asked softly.
"As true as pearls!" Shen Qi mimicked his words.
Xie Yuduo was very satisfied.
"So, when you went to look the second time, did you see clearly?"
Shen Qi snorted.
"Still saying that, you and brother had your backs to us and never turned around. I… waited for a long time, only seeing your… nose."
Xie Yuduo chuckled softly, lowering his head to touch her delicate nose with the tip of his own.
"My fault. So, what do you think of the nose?"
"Hmm, big, straight, handsome."
"When you were in the bridal sedan, did you ever worry about marrying a monster with a handsome nose but sunken eyes and a rotten mouth?"
Shen Qi giggled quietly in his arms.
"No, not really. I just felt a bit regretful that I didn’t get a clear look either time."
Xie Yuduo scooped her up in his arms and strode toward the bed.
"Come, come, this time your husband will definitely let you see clearly."
…
The next afternoon, the young couple bid farewell to Shen Qi’s parents, her brother and sister-in-law, and the little monkey.
Xie Yuduo first helped Shen Qi into the carriage, waiting until she was settled before going to lead the horse.
Mr. and Mrs. Shen exchanged a glance, quite satisfied.
This son-in-law was not only worldly but also shrewd and steady. He had a clear understanding of the family business and could discuss it in detail.
Most commendably, he was attentive and caring, willing to look after their most beloved youngest daughter.
And when they saw the adoration in their daughter’s eyes as she gazed at her husband, the elderly couple finally felt completely at ease.
Before leaving, Shen Qi told Zhang Shi that since she would no longer be at home, she feared her mother and sister-in-law would have to work too hard. She suggested letting Si’er stay on as a long-term helper.
On one hand, she could handle cleaning chores; on the other, with many children in her family, it would provide a steady source of income, sparing Si’er from washing clothes for one family today and moving goods for another tomorrow.
Zhang Shi sighed.
"When I ran into her mother last time, I asked about it. She said they wouldn’t let Si’er work outside these days, planning to keep her at home for a month or so to prepare for matchmaking."
Shen Qi was surprised. "Si’er is only thirteen, right? How can she be matched for marriage at such a young age?"
"Her family is expecting another child, another mouth to feed…"
Shen Qi fell silent.
Si’er was the fourth child in her family, with three older siblings and a bunch of younger ones. Her parents were lazy and indulgent, yet that didn’t stop them from having child after child.
By the age of eight or nine, Si’er was already sent out to work and earn money. Thanks to her diligence and the neighbors’ kindness, the family managed to scrape by.
Shen Qi had always liked her for her cleverness and efficiency, treating her like a younger sister. She never imagined that while she herself had married at eighteen, Si’er, still so young, was already being pushed into marriage.
In the latter half of the day, the Shen-Xie couple returned to the Xie household.
As soon as they arrived, Xie Yuduo was called away by his father. Shen Qi then distributed the gifts her parents had prepared for the Xie family members one by one, even including Second Aunt’s household.
Before Shen Qi arrived, Second Aunt was complaining to Second Uncle.
"I saw it clearly yesterday—the second son arrived in a large carriage! I found it suspicious. We’ve never seen that style when renting carriages before, and I vaguely remember that the Zhu family, the wealthiest in the county, had one just like it, bought from the provincial capital.
Today, I estimated they’d return in the latter half of the day, so I went to wait at the entrance early. I waited from after lunch until the sun began to set, and sure enough, I caught them.
Guess what? The carriage was even better than the Zhu family’s. It had tassels of five colors on the outside, such a large compartment, and even the step stool was made of cypress wood. All in all, it must have cost at least sixty taels of silver!"
Second Uncle sat cross-legged on the kang couch, muttering gloomily:
"Erlang has been away these years, surely he must have some private savings. It's not like he's spending the family's money. Every year when we tally the purchases and expenses, the accounts are always complete."
"Pah, can you even read an account book? I'm afraid the house could be robbed clean, and you'd still be dreaming in your sleep."
"I may not read them well, but there's Ming'er. He's checked the accounts too, and they're indeed fine. This carriage, perhaps it's Erlang's private money? Traveling all over the place, how could he go empty-handed? I've long said we should let Ming'er go out for a couple of years in Erlang's place, but you just couldn't bear to part with him."
"Hmph, it's so tough out there—not to mention the wind and sun, there might even be thieves and bandits! I'd rather earn less silver than let him go out. And you're the most useless person under heaven, so I have no choice but to work hard myself to keep this family afloat."
Second Uncle said nothing.
"But since he has a new carriage now, it belongs to our Xie family. And since it's our Xie family's, half of it is ours. In the future, when we visit relatives and friends, we won't have to go out under the scorching sun, and we won't have to rent those filthy carriages from outside, who knows whose hands have touched them."
"Mhm, as you wish."
Second Aunt thought for a moment longer.
"When Erlang goes out again in the future, I'll pull the carriage into our courtyard. By then, the East Courtyard will only have a young girl and a thin-skinned new bride—how could they compete with me? If they need to use it, they can come to me to borrow it, that's all."
In no time at all, this new carriage became hers.