What a pity.
Shen Qi sighed inwardly. Since both men had their backs turned to her, no matter how hard she strained on tiptoe, she could only see their backs and necks.
Their noses, eyebrows, and eyes remained completely hidden from view, impossible to glimpse.
Perhaps Heaven heard Shen Qi’s silent plea. Just as Second Uncle Xie took a sip of wine, creating a brief pause in the conversation, Eldest Brother Shen Shao said something that made everyone at the table laugh.
Xie Yuduo laughed along with the others. As he chuckled, he naturally turned around and lightly patted the shoulder of the Shen family’s eldest brother beside him.
In that moment when he looked back, Shen Qi caught sight of a straight and upright nose, like the slanted edge of a blade, with clean, handsome lines.
Suddenly, she “whooshed” down into a crouch, swift as a startled fawn, then grabbed her sister-in-law’s hand, and the two of them dashed like the wind toward the inner courtyard.
Once they rounded the corner, they stopped under a tree, panting heavily. When their breathing had settled a bit, they couldn’t help but look at each other and laugh.
Her sister-in-law patted her chest to calm her breathing while eagerly asking, “Well? Did you get a clear look?”
“I… I only saw his nose.”
After saying this, Shen Qi herself couldn’t hold back a laugh.
Hearing this, her sister-in-law laughed even harder, nearly doubling over.
“Ah, his nose? What can you tell from just a nose?”
Half pouting, half complaining, Shen Qi said, “Who told him to keep his back to us and not turn around? How could anyone see clearly like that?”
Seeing this, her sister-in-law’s eyes sparkled with an idea, and she suggested teasingly, “Then should we go take another look?” Her tone held a hint of mischief and provocation.
At these words, Shen Qi was so startled she quickly waved her hands, shaking her head like a rattle-drum. “No, no, I don’t dare look anymore.”
“What are you afraid of? When your brother and I were betrothed, we met quite openly when the gifts were delivered to my home.”
“Amitabha! My dear Bodhisattva of a sister, the two of you have known each other since you were seven or eight. As children, you saw each other at least five or six times a day. Even as you grew older and met less often, you still ran into each other every few days. Why would you need to ‘look each other over’ when the betrothal gifts were delivered?”
Shen Qi paused, then added, “Besides… I’ll see him eventually.”
Her sister-in-law couldn’t resist teasing her with a smile. After saying this, Shen Qi felt shy herself and hurriedly turned to fetch the hot teapot.
The two returned to the banquet one after the other, refilling tea and pouring wine for everyone. The guests were still busy chatting, laughing, and enjoying the feast, and indeed, no one paid them any mind.
By the time the sun began to set in the west, the banquet finally drew to a close.
The Xie family members brought their horses, ready to depart for home.
However, Xie Yuming, the eldest son of the Xie family, had drunk too much and was too intoxicated to mount his horse. Second Uncle was also quite drunk.
Fortunately, the Groom-to-be was not very intoxicated and remained clear-headed. Father was also fine, so they had Xie Yuming ride in the carriage while Father and the second son slowly rode their horses back the way they came.
The Shen couple saw their guests off with great courtesy, accompanying them all the way to the main road before returning home.
The Xie family party was very satisfied with this marriage arrangement.
Especially Xie Yuduo, who was unusually cheerful today. Xie Yan felt particularly relieved, saying that now that his son was getting married, his deceased wife could rest in peace in heaven.
Although Grandmother felt the families were not entirely well-matched in status, she conceded that the young lady was outstanding and didn’t raise any further objections.
The most displeased was Lady Feng. She had come today determined to find fault and laugh at the Shen family, but to her surprise, the entire Shen household managed everything in an orderly manner despite being busy. Not a single mistake was made, and even the etiquette was flawlessly observed.
The yet-to-be-married young bride was even more poised and graceful, smiling at everyone with such a gentle and amiable demeanor that it was hard to find any fault with her.
Only the eight- or nine-year-old younger brother was a bit restless, running around among the crowd. Just as she was about to scold him, her eldest son swiftly stepped in, pulling the younger brother out of the crowd and telling him to behave and play outside later.
What a humble family, yet they managed to make their own Old Madam beam with joy.
In contrast, her own husband and son insisted on showing off at the banquet, not only refusing to decline drinks but even insisting on matching a few cups, ending up completely drunk.
"Hap…happy!"
Second Uncle mumbled in his drunken stupor.
Second Aunt, furious, slapped him.
After seeing off the Xie family, the Shen couple closed the courtyard gate, cleared the tables, chairs, bowls, and plates, and together counted the betrothal gifts sent by the Xie family.
Eighty taels of silver—this substantial sum had already been securely locked away at the bottom of the family chest, intended for their daughter’s dowry.
This enormous betrothal gift was equivalent to three years of pure profit from the wool shop. Neighbors who saw it couldn’t help but envy and gossip.
Back in the day, their own family had spent only thirty-five taels to purchase a few rooms along with a small courtyard.
Now, the Xie family could offer eighty taels as a betrothal gift—such extravagance was truly eye-opening.
Four sets of embroidered clothing, six pieces of gold-woven silk handkerchiefs, paired gold rings, gold bracelets, and silver necklaces—these were undoubtedly for Shen Qi to wear and would be taken with her when she married. Zhang showed each item to her daughter before storing them in her chest.
As for the bolts of cloth and silk, Zhang had long decided to use them to make dowry bedding, quilts, and seasonal clothing, all of which were also placed in her daughter’s chest.
As for the sixteen trays of carefully prepared dried fruits, tea, and pastries, though not treasures of gold or silver, they were filled with heartfelt sincerity. These were perishable items, especially in the heat of July.
Apart from distributing some to the neighbors today, Zhang had given six trays to the Qiao family to take back. The remaining four or five trays would be shared among relatives and neighbors in the coming days of celebration.
Four large jars of Jinhua wine from the south—these were durable items and would be indispensable for future gatherings and entertaining guests.
The Shen father and son were not heavy drinkers themselves, only having a few cups with guests. Father instructed Eldest Brother to store the wine in a cool spot in the inner room, to be opened and used when the son-in-law visited.
In the front shop, there were over a dozen crates of assorted dried fruits, boxes of medicinal herbs, spices, and tea leaves. Though these could be stored for a while, there were simply too many, taking up too much space.
If kept for the family’s own use, it would take three to five years to finish them all. Yet, sending them back as part of the dowry in their original state wouldn’t be appropriate either.
Knowing these were her betrothal gifts and that her parents, brother, and sister-in-law were hesitant to speak up, Shen Qi took matters into her own hands.
Aside from keeping half a peck or a peck of each item for the family’s use or as gifts, she asked her brother to inquire with the shop assistants from the grain and dried fruit shops they usually dealt with. If anyone wanted them, they could take them and pay in cash. This way, it would be easier to store the money and more convenient to purchase other items.
Everyone agreed that this made sense and followed her suggestion.
The remaining medicinal herbs, spices, and tea leaves, originally precious items, were used sparingly. Fearing that there might not be any shops in town that recognized their value, they were carefully stored at home for future needs.
The marriage certificate sent by the Xie family specified the wedding date agreed upon by both families, choosing the auspicious day of the sixteenth day of the eighth month for the wedding ceremony.
With less than a month left, the Shen Family couple could no longer attend to their shop’s business and entrusted it to their son and daughter-in-law.
The elderly couple went around purchasing gilded trunks, curtains, dressing tables, tables, chairs, and embroidered stools for the dowry, spending over twenty taels of silver in total.
After discussing it, the elderly couple gritted their teeth and spent another eighteen taels of silver to buy a Gilded and Painted Canopy Bed.
Although their family could not compare to the wealth of the Xie family, a prominent household in the county town, they did not want to hold their daughter back.
Seeing that Father and Mother had prepared a complete dowry for little Yue'er, Shen Shao and Qiao Shi had nothing else to add. Instead, they used their private savings to commission a gold hairpin for their sister, weighing about two taels, with a design of flowing clouds cradling the moon, which was exceptionally beautiful.
In private, Shen Shao teased, "You usually only wear a simple gold hairpin, the one I gave you as a betrothal gift back then. How could you bear to buy such an expensive hairpin for little Yue'er?"
Qiao Shi pretended to be angry.
"Don’t ask for trouble. Look at the endless stream of gifts sent by the Xie family. We can’t just send them back as part of the dowry, so they’ll end up staying with us. Although the Xie family isn’t as modest as our humble household, if we don’t prepare some good things for little Yue'er, people might look down on her. Wouldn’t that make her life difficult later on?"
Shen Shao laughed heartily, then leaned close to his wife and whispered a few words, making Qiao Shi both shy and amused.