Chapter 38 2/2

Sun Yuanni saw her usually gentle sister also putting on this expression, feeling both angry and somewhat guilty. Every word hit home, and she had no rebuttal.

With her neck stiffened, she scolded the Xia family for a few words of ingratitude, then left in a huff.

Before the wedding, Yu Shi’s uncles came asking for money, but the little money left at home had already been spent, causing great distress.

Even though Yu Lingxiao was proud and looked down on merchants, he ultimately had to humble himself to please them and negotiate protection, offering to reduce their taxes in exchange for a twenty percent cut.

Though reducing taxes for a Jinshi was a tempting offer, unfortunately, Yu Lingxiao’s reputation had spread far and wide, making it difficult not only to marry but also for legitimate merchants to engage with someone of questionable character.

Now thriving, he is able to harm former benefactors and tarnish the reputation of the younger brother, who knows if he will not later harm those who collaborate with him for profit.

This situation left him willing to lower his status, yet no one came forward to negotiate. Yu Lingxiao was furious, realising the profound impact of his past actions.

But life had to go on, and for his livelihood, he had to seek the protection of merchants, willing to lower his contribution by ten percent for the protection of an ordinary Jinshi.

After several negotiations, he had completely lost the dignity of a scholar, finally managing to settle debts with two families.

While the downfall of the Yu family was gloomy, the Ji family was exceptionally lively and joyful.

Thanks to Ji Yangzong’s early arrangement for poultry and fish, otherwise, with so many events happening at the end of the year, they would have had to scramble to buy ingredients for the banquet.

The Ji family was busy, and Huo Shu was also busy. Not only did he have to prepare for the wedding, but he also had to oversee banquet arrangements alongside his own work, leaving him with no free time.

When Ge Liang heard that Huo Shu was now working as a butcher again, he recommended Huo Shu to anyone in the village who needed livestock slaughtered, keeping him busy running between villages.

In early December, Qiao Tuzi returned to Tongzhou with his wife and children from Nan Yu County.

With the last month of the year approaching, the festive atmosphere was already permeating the area, and I occasionally heard the sound of firecrackers.

On the way back from the county seat, he saw many families preparing for weddings, making him feel envious.

Upon returning to the city, he happily visited the village.

“Qiao Tuzi is back! Is your father-in-law doing okay?”

“He’s doing fine; he passed another hurdle.”

“That’s good. You’ve returned just in time; there’s lively food and drink in the village!”

When Qiao Tuzi returned to the village, he met familiar villagers, who handed him a bunch of roasted pumpkin seeds and exchanged a few words with him.

Hearing about the festivity, Qiao Tuzi, munching on pumpkin seeds, couldn’t help but be curious: “Which family is so lively?”

“It’s the Li family; their son is getting married!”

“Wow! That’s truly a big event in our village.”

Qiao Tuzi smiled. “To marry into which family, that’s indeed lucky.”

The villager said, “It’s the Zhao family, the son recognised by Yuan Niangzi.”

“Who?!”

Qiao Tuzi’s smile froze, and the pumpkin seeds in his hand suddenly lost their flavour.

“It’s Huo Shu, the one who learned from you.”

The villager, completely unaware, continued, “You’re his master, so you have to sit at the head table during the feast.”

“Your apprentice is remarkable! I heard he gave a bridal gift of one hundred and twenty taels, making Li Zheng very happy.”

Qiao Tuzi felt as if a boulder rolled over his heart, hastily bid farewell to the villager, and hurried to the Ji family.

He had heard it before, but now he needed to see it for himself. As he approached the Ji family’s door, he saw the courtyard cleaned and decorated, lit up with lanterns. Clearly, they were preparing for a wedding.

“Oh! Old Qiao, you’re back. Everything went smoothly?”

Ji Yangzong, seeing Qiao Tuzi’s dismayed expression, approached him.

“It’s lively at the Li family. As soon as I got back, I heard about the wedding.”

Qiao Tuzi said bitterly, “If I had returned two days later, I might have missed this.”

“Look at you, the eighth day is auspicious, so we’re doing it now. The boy at home is not young anymore.”

Qiao Tuzi was straightforward: “I’m telling you, Old Ji, what you did was unfair! I mentioned to you about considering Huo Shu as a son-in-law, and right after I left, you went and arranged the marriage. What’s the reason for that?!”

Ji Yangzong, feeling somewhat guilty, replied kindly, “Look at what you’re saying; it’s not about arranging or not. Marriage is a matter of mutual consent. Huo Shu said he wanted to marry our Taoge, and the child was willing. As a father, how could I refuse?”

“You should’ve talked to Huo Shu, not just me.”

Qiao Tuzi knew this was true; just like boys and girls, if two families had their eyes on the same person, one would inevitably be disappointed.

Though it made sense, he still felt aggrieved. “If I hadn’t been away from Tongzhou, would this marriage have happened? That’s not arranging; what is it then? Fine, I didn’t expect you, old man, to pull this off.”

“Hey, you’re getting harsher!”

The two almost got into an argument, but a villager who brought things over quickly intervened, diffusing the situation.

Qiao Tuzi left angrily, and as luck would have it, he bumped into Huo Shu. He said, without knowing the reason, “Master Qiao is back; come for the wedding feast on the eighth.”

Qiao Tuzi looked at Huo Shu, feeling even more furious, but for a moment, he didn’t know what to say. Finally, he blurted out:

“Everything’s great; you’re all doing great.”

His finger trembled as he pointed at Huo Shu, but facing Huo Shu’s indifferent face, he didn’t dare to argue. It was embarrassing in both sentiment and reason.

Huo Shu hadn’t done anything wrong throughout.

So, feeling annoyed, he walked away with his hands behind his back, striding off.

Seeing Ji Yangzong equally angry in the courtyard, Huo Shu asked with a furrowed brow, “What’s going on?”

“Ignore him; he’s just stubborn.”

Two families enjoying good times unexpectedly started arguing over a son-in-law, giving the villagers more gossip to talk about. Surprisingly, Huo Shu became a sought-after commodity.

But then again, who wouldn’t be desirable if they were willing to give so much bridal money and live with their father-in-law?

Although there was a small hiccup, it didn’t ruin the joyous occasion. What needed to be done was still done.

On the seventh day, Ji Yangzong invited officials from the city to come over and help with the preparations. They set up tents, prepared food, and handled meat, making everything orderly and lively.

As dawn broke on the eighth day, the sound of firecrackers in the village awakened the villagers from their slumber. They got up, tidied themselves, and prepared to head to the Ji family to join in the festivities.