Before long, it was the end of the month. Zeng Ruixiang brought Zi Fu back, and it turned out that he had come to see Xia Yu off as a bride. Zi Qing still thought it was just a normal holiday. The old house on the other side hadn't had any visitors for days, and Zi Qing had been so busy that she had forgotten about Er Gu's upcoming wedding.

  It's been over a decade since Zi Fu hasn't seen his daughter, and Zi Qing has always followed him around, asking this and that. Even Zeng Rui Xiang felt a bit jealous, laughing: "This kid, why didn't she stick to me like this when I came back? She's closer to her big brother than her own father."

  Mrs. Shen smiled and retorted: "You're only at home for a few days in a year, it's good enough if the kids can recognize you."

  Zeng Ruixiang listened and was secretly hurt. These years have indeed been hard on the Shen family. He pulled Shen's hand and accompanied him with a smile, making a decision in his heart.

  Zi Qing only then realized that her father was not teaching at a private school in the county town, but at an official school. This official school was funded by the government and was for students from the county who had passed a certain assessment to be admitted. Her elder brother could attend school for free because of his father's job, but he had to take care of his own food and accommodation. However, the annual expenses were not less than those in the countryside.

  If Zifu passed the Xiucai, he could go to the official school run by the Anzhou government. However, Zifu said that there was a White Egret Academy in Anzhou which was also very famous, and its faculty was not inferior to that of the state academy. Many students from outside came to study there. On the other hand, tuition fees were not cheap either. In short, if it weren't for Zeng Rui Xiang teaching at the county's official school, Zifu would have had to pay another four taels of silver in tuition fees every year, no wonder children from poor families couldn't afford to go to school.

  On the second day, after breakfast, the whole family went to the old house. There were already many guests at home. Chunyu's family had arrived the day before. The chef invited from the village had started to work busily. He said that there would be a banquet dinner in the evening, with about 20 tables. It turned out that the red happy event here was to eat two meals.

  The Tian family has many siblings, the old man's two sisters, one of whom is gone but left a son, the Xiao family and their married-out daughters, the old man's aunt's and uncle's families, etc. Many relatives that Zi Qing had never heard of came. Zi Qing only knew then that the old man had an aunt who married into a landlord's family, but she was already gone, and it was her son and daughter-in-law who came, their attire naturally different from ordinary villagers, though only slightly better.

  Because there were people in the village who were specially responsible for the kitchen, Zhou Shi and Shen Shi didn't need to enter the kitchen. They accompanied Tian Shi to entertain guests. Zi Fu held Zi Xi, and Zi Qing went to find Xiao Xiu Shui. The back house's hall was also set up with eight tables.

  Zi Qing found out from Xiu Shui that it wasn't the Xiao family who was moving away, but rather Xiu Shui's older brother had arranged to get married on March 8th and had already bought a house in the city. After getting married, he would move to the city and wouldn't want any of the family's property, probably planning to keep all of Old Man Xiao's inheritance for himself. No one knew exactly how much it was worth. Xiu Shui's second brother saw what was happening and took some silver from his mother before running away to make a name for himself.

  "Granny passed away, don't we need to observe mourning?" Zi Qing had always wondered this.

  "It's been two New Year's since then, they said I could borrow one, I don't understand either, anyway he's not young anymore, already 19." So that's how it was.

  Zi Qing saw Xiu Shui's dejected expression and accompanied her in conversation for a while until the banquet began.

  The banquet started at three quarters past four, and the village women came in with their own bowls again. The two halls were still not enough to hold everyone, so several tables were set up in the wooden house in the back room. Ziqing saw that each family had brought gifts, Tian Shi was collecting gifts at the door, and Zifeng was registering them on the side.

  Ziying secretly asked Shen Shi, why when their family held the "up??" (a traditional Chinese wedding ritual) ceremony, the villagers didn't bring gifts? It turned out that according to local customs, weddings and funerals don't require gifts, but only a small token of condolence or celebration. The villagers' gifts were usually very modest, no more than two handkerchiefs or a wooden basin. Closer relatives might give a piece of cloth, mostly handkerchiefs. Ziying estimated that they had received over 180 handkerchiefs, which would be enough for Xiaoyu to use for many years.

  Shen's family burst out laughing and said, "This handkerchief won't be taken away by your second aunt, your grandma still needs to use it as a return gift. Whoever marries off their daughter will give it back, and it's possible that this handkerchief will end up back in our hands after making the rounds."

  Zi Qing thought of modern gifts such as mooncakes, white wine and beverages that have gone full circle and returned to his own home, it turns out that the past and present are one.

  Ziying went to Xiaoyu's room to take a look at the dowry, and didn't know when Tian Shi had made the furniture. There were two red trunks, one wardrobe, and on top of the wardrobe were carved several large white radishes, painted green. Ziying knew this meant great wealth. There were also two wooden basins, two small chamber pots, a dressing table, all in red. Four quilts with red satin covers, wrapped in fine white cotton batting, four mattresses.

  Xia Yu put on a new red padded jacket and came out to see the female guests, while the male guests were in the back room. Qiu Yu brought a cushion and followed, and when she saw relatives who were older than her, she would kneel and bow, including the host's sisters-in-law and female elders, but not the villagers. Chun Yu carried a tray and followed, and the people who were being bowed to would put a red envelope on it, which seemed to have names on them, apparently prepared in advance. Zi Qing noticed that Er Gu's red padded jacket had many copper coins and swastikas printed on it, and there was also a real copper coin sewn onto the front and back of the jacket, and the box on top had a pair of embroidered shoes made of bright red satin, with intertwined lotus flowers embroidered on them.

  After dinner, the female relatives and close family members of the bride's family stayed behind, saying they wanted to cry for the bride. Three elderly women were invited to lead the crying, but Zi Qing was puzzled - shouldn't the crying be done before getting on the wedding sedan chair? Why did it have to be a day in advance?

  At this time, all the unmarried girls and Pingyi's generation were accompanying Xiaoyu in the house, while the elders accompanied Tian Shi sitting in Tian Shi's room. After a while, they heard a sobbing sound coming from Tian Shi. Then, immediately after, they heard San Bao singing: "Daughter is going to get married, mother has a few words of advice: First, be filial to your parents-in-law; Second, respect your husband; Third, get along well with your sisters-in-law; Fourth, be diligent and wise, divide food and drink evenly, and be careful with fire and candles; Fifth, get up early, sweep the floor in front of the hall, and serve tea to distinguished guests when they arrive; Sixth, learn sewing and cutting, so as not to trouble others, and don't be lazy, or you will suffer later." The song is a mother's heartfelt advice and reminders to her daughter before she leaves.

  Three old women sang a sentence, and Xiaoyu responded with one. "I know." After the three old women finished singing this, they continued to count the years of nurturing kindness, counting one sentence, and Xiaoyu responding with one. What "one foot five inches of handle raised", what "laboring in vain, parents' hard work for nothing". Zi Qing didn't know how long she had been singing, nor did she know if San Popo was drinking water. Just thinking about it, someone on this side took over the singing, and Chunyu took Xiaoyu's place: "My father, my mother, one tangerine with twelve segments, parents and daughter will disperse; one bamboo with twelve sections, we'll meet again during holidays; one egg without scattered yolks, daughter's future life is long; one water jar with three hoops, siblings must not be estranged." Then also counting the parents' nurturing kindness, Zi Qing only saw her elder sister crying while blowing her nose, and the sound of sobbing filled the room, really being infected, couldn't help but laugh.

  It's unknown what time it was, but finally, it ended. The whole family rushed back home to sleep, indicating that they had to get up before dawn the next day. This made Qingzi not want to hear anything anymore, it was too depressing.