This marriage arrangement had come about too swiftly and too smoothly, not only surprising everyone in the Shen Family but also giving the neighbors of Baihe Town a genuine shock.
By the time the Xie Family arrived to deliver the betrothal gifts, the entire street was filled with neighbors who had come to watch the spectacle.
It wasn’t that people were simply fond of joining in the excitement—it was truly because the display was too grand, too magnificent.
The Xie Family had brought two large horses and three large carriages.
The groom-to-be, Xie Yuduo, naturally rode on horseback at the very front.
In the first carriage in the middle was the Xie Family’s matriarch, Old Lady Wu, who was over sixty years old, along with her personal maidservant.
The second carriage carried Xie Yan, the eldest son of the main branch of the Xie Family and the father of the groom-to-be.
The third carriage carried Xie Ang and Lady Feng, the couple from the Second Branch.
Riding on horseback at the very back was Xie Yuming, the eldest son of the Xie Family.
For the betrothal gifts of the Xie Family’s second son, even Grandmother Wu, who rarely left the house, had been invited to attend.
In truth, Old Lady Wu had not planned to come—she felt it would be enough for Yuduo’s father and his second uncle and aunt to handle the arrangements.
However, after learning that Yuduo was to be engaged, she was overjoyed. Since the wife of the eldest son had passed away, she instructed the wife of the second son to prepare the betrothal gift list she had arranged long ago.
Unexpectedly, the second aunt harbored selfish motives. She skimmed off the best items from the betrothal gift list and replaced them with worthless, ordinary trinkets, passing off inferior goods as superior. The gifts appeared plentiful and impressive, but in reality, they were all flashy and useless.
How would the men of the family understand such matters?
But Xie Yuduo, who had traveled far from home at the age of seventeen or eighteen, understood these things best.
Not only did he understand, but he was also meticulous.
Holding the list in one hand and checking the items with the other, he meticulously verified each and every piece. By the time he had inspected just one-third of the gifts, the second aunt’s face could no longer conceal her discomfort.
Xie Yuduo did not expose her. Instead, he went along with her words, smiling cheerfully and saying there was no need to check further.
Then, he turned around and handed the mismatched list to Old Madam.
Over the years of traveling and gaining experience, he had witnessed countless instances of such deceitful and fraudulent behavior. Yet, the second aunt had dared to scheme with the betrothal gifts he valued most.
In the end, Old Madam flew into a rage, summoning the second uncle and giving him a severe scolding.
The second uncle feared only two people in his life: his mother in the main hall and his wife at home.
After being scolded, he dared not vent his anger on the second aunt in their room. Instead, he swallowed his pride and tried to reason with her, but his wife refused to return the valuable items she had already taken.
Finally, he had no choice but to tear off the veil of pretense and bluntly tell her that Old Madam already knew everything. Her face flushed red and then turned pale, and in the end, she returned the items exactly as they were.
Because of this incident, Old Madam began to look down on the second aunt, and the second aunt harbored resentment in her heart all day long.
The day before, during breakfast, Old Madam announced that she would personally deliver the betrothal gifts for her second grandson’s bride and that the couple from the Second Branch need not attend.
The second aunt immediately protested.
When her own son was engaged five years ago, Old Madam had excused herself, claiming poor health, and only allowed the couple from the Second Branch to handle the proposal and betrothal gifts themselves.
Now, for the second son’s turn, she was able to attend personally?
Old Madam stirred the rice porridge in her bowl calmly and unhurriedly.
“You know the reason yourself. Do I still need to say it?”
At these words, the second aunt remained composed, but her daughter-in-law, Sun Shi, could no longer sit still, her face flushing red. Even the eldest son, Xie Yuming, looked somewhat uncomfortable.
“Grandmother, didn’t we agree not to bring this up again? It’s been so many years, and you’re still talking about it.”
Old Madam remained calm and composed.
"It wasn't me who stirred things up. Your mother insisted on asking—what else could I say?"
Sun Shi immediately shot a glare at her meddling mother-in-law, declared she was full, pushed her bowl and chopsticks aside, and returned to her room.
Because of this turmoil, Second Aunt felt compelled to come even if she wasn't wanted, dragging her husband along.
She was determined to find fault with the Shen Family, at the very least to salvage some dignity for her own household.
The people of Baihe Town had no idea about the drama unfolding; they only saw the Xie family arriving on tall horses with three grand sedan chairs—a rare sight in their small town—and flocked to watch the spectacle.
When they saw the betrothal gifts, their astonishment only grew.
Sixteen trays of dried fruits, tea, and pastries; four sets of embroidered silk garments; six woven gold brocade handkerchiefs; assorted dried nuts like chestnuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, red dates, peanuts, longans, and melon seeds; grains including white rice, white flour, mung beans, red beans, soybeans, and millet; and various bolts of cloth and silk.
There were also several delicate wooden boxes containing medicinal herbs and spices, presenting a dazzling and overwhelming array.
In total, there were twenty loads, each adorned with bright red double-happiness symbols, creating a splendid sight.
Additionally, there were eighty gleaming silver taels as ceremonial money, paired gold rings, gold bracelets, silver necklaces…
All laid out on brass trays lined with crimson satin, they flowed like a stream into the Shen Family's home.
The onlooking neighbors chattered excitedly.
"Good heavens! A single dan of rice costs only eight qian of silver now, enough to feed our family for over half a year. Just the ceremonial money alone is eighty taels of silver—how much rice could that buy!"
"My shop couldn't earn that much in three to five years!"
"Look at those bracelets—they shine so brightly, they must be pure gold! Even if they're just gold-plated silver, they're worth a fortune!"
"I took a closer look—they're definitely gold! In all my years, I've never seen such extravagant betrothal gifts in our town!"
For ordinary families in Baihe Town, being able to offer ten taels of silver to buy a single gold bracelet as a betrothal gift was already considered exceptionally generous.
Even for a family like the Xies from Pingshan County, such lavishness was uncommon.
There was a reason for this.
The Xie family's second son had left home at eighteen, traveling far and wide, enduring hardships and sleepless nights along the way.
The Xie family's current prosperity was largely due to this grandson's efforts, a fact Old Lady Wu was well aware of, which was why the betrothal gifts had been prepared with extra generosity from the start.
Moreover, the incident involving Second Aunt skimping on the gifts served as a wake-up call for the Old Madam, who usually stayed out of household affairs.
If Second Aunt dared to tamper with something as important as the betrothal gifts, she must have been taking advantage of the eldest son's family in everyday matters as well.
The thought filled the Old Madam with anger, prompting her to add an extra layer of generosity to the already lavish gifts.
Furthermore, over the years, Xie Yuduo had traveled extensively for trade, seen many fine things, and accumulated some savings of his own. He also added a few items in his late mother's name, making the gifts even more impressive.
The sheer abundance of the Xie family's betrothal gifts took the Shen Family by surprise.
They had already reviewed the gift list and made preparations, tidying their home to accommodate the gifts.
But they never expected the Xies to send so much. The courtyard was soon filled to capacity, with some gift boxes still waiting to be brought inside.
Shen Shao had to temporarily open the front shop door, and it was only after filling every counter that they finally managed to welcome all the gifts inside.
Seeing the courtyard crowded with people and many items, Mrs. Zhang first locked the important betrothal silver, gold, silver objects, and the like into the bedroom. She then took out some dried fruits, tea, and pastries, distributing them on the spot to the neighbors who had come to watch the excitement.
She had her husband and son entertain the male guests, while she and her daughter-in-law attended to the female guests. She also entrusted her eldest son’s parents-in-law to help keep an eye on the bolts of cloth and other items placed in the courtyard.
Apart from the youngest, Shen Ji, who was running around everywhere, the entire family was busy yet orderly, not a single thing out of place.
As for her most beloved little Yue’er, who was usually the busiest when guests came, today she was the most leisurely one.
She sat properly in her own boudoir, waiting for wave after wave of female guests to come congratulate and tease her.
Just blushing shyly was enough to tire her out.
One auntie said, “The Xie family truly lives up to being a prominent household in Pingshan County. Look at all the betrothal gifts they sent today—the betrothal money alone is a gleaming tray of silver, looks like a hundred taels or so. They really are wealthy!”
Another auntie remarked, “I think the groom who delivered the betrothal gifts is quite handsome too, riding that tall horse—he even outshone your brother!”
Yet another neighbor sister-in-law chimed in, “Our little Yue’er is also so beautiful—she and that handsome young man are truly a match made in heaven!”
Listening to everyone’s teasing, Shen Qi lowered her head, her face flushed.
Perhaps because there were so many people in the room, a thin layer of sweat formed on her body, and her palms were damp. Her heart pounded like a drum.
What kind of person was he, really?
Just as they were speaking, a loud voice called from the doorway, “Come, come, make way, everyone—the honored guest has arrived!”