Records of the Lost Cases of Helaitang in the Ming Dynasty

The southeast wind blew slightly, and the boat swayed from Yuanhui to Fenhu. It only took more than half an hour with smooth wind and smooth water.

Tiedi Taoist at the end of the Yuan Dynasty once wrote "A Journey to Fenhu", saying, "The lake is eight miles wide from east to west, just like the north and south. The lake is divided into half, one belongs to Jiahe and the other belongs to Gusu, so it is named Fenhuyun."

The water surface of Yuandang is flat and wide, and the lake is narrow and beautiful. The clear water of the lake is like a green jade hairpin. The water and soil support one person. Miss Ye San must be a clever and beautiful girl, so Yueting fell in love at first sight and sincerely Sincerely asked for marriage with generous gifts.

The lake flows into Yejiatang, and the water surface begins to narrow. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, the east-west waterways in Suzhou were called ponds, and the north-south waterways were called pu. Yejiatang still retains the ancient name. It is a long and narrow waterway. of rivers.

After traveling for several miles, the Jiang family's first boat stopped and leaned against the water bridge along the river. The boatman got on the water bridge and tied a cable to the big willow tree next to the water bridge.

The next two boats also docked at the water bridge, and there was an old man standing in front of the water bridge. Judging from his dress, he must be a servant.

Yueting's nanny, Old Song, also came here last time to deliver small dishes, and recognized him as Uncle Xing, an old servant of Ye Mansion.

Uncle Xing stepped forward to present the gifts to Aunt Jiang, and Yueting ordered the young men to carry the large betrothal gifts from the two boats onto the revetment first.

Grandma Song was worried, but the Ye family only sent an old servant to pick them up. The last time they delivered small dishes, there were three loads in total. Old Song and the two boys each had one load, and this time there were seven or eight loads at least. Among the things, there were many hams, which required two people to carry them.

So Lao Song arranged the manpower, and it took at least two trips to complete the move.

Wang Heng volunteered to stay at Shuiqiao to watch things happen, while Xiaocai accompanied Yueting to sit at Ye's house first.

The Ye family didn't seem to be very close to the water bridge. They heard the sound of firecrackers in the distance, and after another tea scene, the three of them returned to the water's edge. They went back and forth twice before the betrothal gifts were moved.

Lao Song asked the boatman to rest by the water bridge, and then walked towards Ye's house with Wang Heng.

I saw the Ye family's mansion from a distance, and it was a great day to give out betrothal gifts. A Jinshi family like the Ye family must be a big family in the countryside, but it seemed that there were not many people coming and going, and it was very lively.

The Ye family's house is a three-entry house. The dark blue cornices are covered with aged evergreens, and the gate tower is inlaid with brick carvings of pine and crane longevity, telling the story of the extraordinary magnanimity of the past.

Besides, there is nothing to see.

The Ye family's house was so crude that Wang Heng and Xiaocai could not have imagined. It was far worse than the rich farmers in the countryside.

According to Wujiang custom, distinguished guests are first offered sugar soup and tea when they come to the door. Ye Tianliao, the father-in-law of Yueting, came and sat with him first. Ye Tianliao was in his forties and in the prime of life. He resigned from office the year before last and returned to Fenhu from the imperial capital. I am at home at home.

Ye Tianli has three daughters and one son. The eldest daughter and the second daughter are already married, and the youngest son is only three or four years old. The third girl hired by Yueting has a maiden name of Fangxue, and she is famous among the ladies of Wujiang for her talents.

Ye Tianli was wearing a Gebu robe. He looked very good, but his face was very thin. He seemed to be recovering from a serious illness.

Today is a happy day. Because the weather is still a little hot, Wang Cai and Wang Heng are both wearing familiar robes. Yueting is the new uncle, and she is wearing a fine lake silk robe and a jade crown. Compared with the Jiang family's attire , Ye Tianli's clothes looked too shabby.Yueting introduced the Wang brothers to his father-in-law. Although they were all considered juniors now, Ye Tianliao exchanged warm greetings for a long time before sitting down at another table of clan elders according to custom. Obviously he was very fond of Yueting. The son-in-law was very satisfied.

While the tea was being removed and the banquet was served, Xiaocai pulled Wang Heng out of the living room door and went to the patio to get some fresh air.

Xiaocai listened and said, "Brother Yueting's father-in-law looks a bit sickly at first glance. If I take a closer look at him, he must be a practicing practitioner."

After hearing what he said, Wang Heng nodded and said: "It makes some sense. I saw that his temples were bulging, as if he had some inner strength. This is strange. He is obviously a civil servant with a Jinshi background."

The two of them were in someone else's house and did not dare to speak freely. After a few hurried words, they returned to the living room to have a banquet.

The Ye family's banquet is considered simple in the countryside. The only person serving the dishes is Uncle Xing, the old servant, and Uncle Xing's old wife Ayue is cooking in the kitchen.

Xiaocai and Wang Heng looked at each other. The Ye family was so poor that they didn't even have a cook.

The new uncle finished his drink and left early because there was still nearly two hours of waterway on the return journey.

The Ye family gave the third girl's dowry list to Lao Song, and made an appointment to send the third girl to Mohua Village at noon on August [-]th three days later. Since the two families were far apart, Mr. Jiang did not have to go to welcome the bride in person. The river pier outside Huazhuang is waiting for you.

Old Song glanced at the dowry list, his expression changed, and he quickly handed it to Yue Ting. Yueting glanced at it briefly and said to Old Song, put it away.

The Ye family saw off their guests to the water bridge where three boats were moored. After setting sail, they returned to Mohua Village calmly.

Yueting said slightly apologetically: "My father-in-law is a poor scholar. He doesn't pay much attention to family finances. The lunch table was a bit rough, so we were treated slowly."

Xiaocai said hurriedly: "Brother Yueting is joking. I am a child of a poor family. My seventh brother and I eat in the dining hall every day in the academy."

Wang Heng said: "The girl has good character, looks good, and has talent and learning, but she is not a hundred times better than the family."

This was what Yueting meant, and the three of them joked all the way back to the Jiang family mansion.

Old Song handed the dowry list of the girl from the Ye family to Aunt Song. Aunt Song was furious when she saw it. Her lips trembled with anger and she said to Yueting: "Uncle, the Ye family is taking advantage of us. 580 taels of silver." As a betrothal gift, they gave me 26 acres of reed fields, [-] pieces of gold and silver jewelry, eight pieces of gold and silver jewelry, and dozens of boxes of silk and satin in exchange for six quilts. In order to get married, I even bought two rough maids for them. Grandma, I'm afraid that our maids won't please Grandma. Who would have thought that even a personal maid from the Ye family wouldn't be married off? The Ye family's calculations are too clever."

Old Song pushed Aunt Song and said, "Keep it as long as I tell you."

Aunt Song slapped her thigh and said, "It's strange that the matchmaker, Mrs. Sheng, doesn't want to go with us today. I have to talk to her about it."

In the evening, Aunt Song came back briskly, apparently victorious from the scolding, but the appointment and the dowry list were already a foregone conclusion, so her victory was of no avail.