AWB Chapter 123 Decision
Chapter 123 Decision
"How about it, are you satisfied with Ning Ge'er?" Grandpa Song poked Song Chunsheng. He saw that Song Chunsheng still felt sorry for Zhou Ning, which showed that he did have some feelings for Ning Ge'er.
Song Chunsheng pursed his lips. He didn't know how he felt about Zhou Ning. After all, they had only met three times. The first time was such a chaotic scene. He himself didn't notice Zhou Ning sitting in the corner. He only glanced at him hurriedly when the others were about to leave.
The second time was on the ox cart. He was driving the cart and didn't want to look back. Zhou Ning didn't say much. Song Chunsheng remembered how unpleasant it was last time and didn't dare to talk to anyone. He only heard from the few words Aunt Wang said to him that his voice was quite nice.
The third time was tonight. The last time they met, everyone was there as guests, but this time, only their two families were there. Song Chunsheng was not very happy when he found out, so he didn't take a close look at what Zhou Ning looked like. The only thing he remembered was that when he walked in, he raised his head and looked towards him. The look he gave him was clear and bright, which didn't match his appearance at all.
Zhou Ning has a delicate appearance, or strictly speaking, an ordinary person. His skin is a little sallow, probably due to years of hard work and malnutrition. He is very thin, so thin that his cheeks are sunken, and his hair is thin, soft and dry.
If this look happened in modern society, he would look like a refugee. It was rare that Song Chunsheng only remembered the other person's eyes. Those eyebrows and eyes were indeed the most beautiful part of Zhou Ning's body.
The Song family was still waiting for Song Chunsheng's answer. Under the gaze of everyone, his ears gradually turned red and he felt quite embarrassed.
"We haven't even met a few times, how can we be satisfied or dissatisfied?"
Grandpa Song said seriously, "This matter is very important. Go back and think about it. Give me a definite answer tomorrow morning. Whether you want to get engaged directly or ask the Marquis for help is up to you. This person will be with you for the rest of your life. You must think carefully so as not to delay him."
Song Chunsheng returned to the room and tossed and turned on the bed. Song Chunlin lay beside him and asked Song Chunsheng curiously what his first impression of Zhou Ning was.
Song Chunsheng thought for a while and replied, "Not bad, quiet and with bright eyes."
Song Chunlin was dumbfounded. Is this an good or bad answer?
The two people who had been single since birth had no experience with this kind of thing, and the person involved, Song Chunsheng, did not sleep much the whole night. He found that as soon as he closed his eyes, his mind would recall the time when Zhou Ning came in and raised his head to look at him. He actually did not quite remember Zhou Ning's expression at the time, only his eyes, which were exceptionally bright, making his sallow face seem full of vitality.
It's so strange. Song Chunsheng touched his chest. Was he doing this intentionally or unintentionally?
Not only Song Chunsheng had trouble sleeping that night, but Zhou Ning who lived in Wang's house also had trouble sleeping. Song Chunsheng's attitude today made him feel a little disappointed. This matter was most likely to fail. Fortunately, Aunt Wang told him that the Song family would go to the Marquis' Mansion on their behalf and ask the people in the Marquis' Mansion to help him get rid of the Feng family. If this was true, it would be great.
As for Song Chunsheng, if it doesn’t work, then it doesn’t work.
Zhou Ning slept uneasily that night and woke up at dawn in the morning. He lay in bed with his eyes open for a while before he slowly sat up, dressed, washed up, and went out to help make breakfast.
Just as the Wang family took away the bowls, Song Dazhuang arrived, and Song Chunsheng came with him.
When Aunt Wang saw the father and son coming together, she was delighted. It seemed that the marriage was likely to be successful.
Zhou Ning was standing in the corridor. When he saw Song Chunsheng walk in, he seemed to look around subconsciously, and finally his eyes fixed on him. The two looked at each other and then quickly looked away. Song Chunsheng touched his nose embarrassedly, while Zhou Ning's head turned red.
He quickly walked into the kitchen, put some cold water on his face, and waited until the heat on his face subsided before he cleaned up and went to the main room.
Sure enough, the people in the main hall were already discussing his marriage with Song Chunsheng. Song Dazhuang urgently made a list. Although the marriage was hasty, all the etiquette had to be followed.
"Here is the list of betrothal gifts. Please take a look at it. If you have no objection, I will go back to prepare it. We can't delay Ning'er's marriage any longer. Let's do it the day after tomorrow, which is the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month. It is also a good day. If we settle the marriage first, the Zhou family will have no complaints. It would be a bit hasty to prepare the wedding banquet in the spring, and I am afraid that I will neglect Ning'er."
Aunt Wang was so excited that she didn't know what to say. She was illiterate, but judging from the paper filled with words, the betrothal gift looked quite generous.
Song Dazhuang knew that the couple were illiterate, so he read out the list roughly. When he read the part about a set of solid gold necklaces, bracelets and hair crowns, the Wang family and Zhou Ning all gasped.
Zhou Ning blurted out: "Uncle Song, this is too expensive. How can a farmer use gold jewelry as a betrothal gift?"
Aunt Wang was also very terrified: "Yes, Brother Song, your family just built a house, and there are many places to spend money. The betrothal gift for marrying a daughter-in-law in the village is at most ten or eight taels, and the richer families will add a set of silver jewelry. You started with gold jewelry, and we can't afford the dowry."
Song Dazhuang disagreed: "The betrothal gift shows our family's sincerity. Besides, Ning Ge'er will be the eldest daughter-in-law and the eldest sister-in-law, the future mistress of the family, so she should be respected. Moreover, I prepare a set of gold jewelry for each of my children when they get married. My brothers and sisters have it, so Ning Ge'er should have it too."
Zhou Ning's eyes turned red when he heard this. Since his parents passed away, few people treated him so well. Although Aunt Wang loved him, she was still a married woman and could not take care of him all the time.
The Song family is the only family that has nothing to do with him but can treat him well without reservation.
The marriage between the two families was settled. Song Dazhuang knew that he could not completely bypass the Zhou family, and was afraid that Zhou Ning would be troubled by the Zhou brothers after returning. He reminded him to go back tomorrow night, and they would go to make the decision the day after tomorrow morning, so as to finalize the matter before the Feng family.
Zhou Ning still felt a little worried when he thought of the Feng family.
"Uncle Song, if the Feng family still refuses to give in, what should we do?"
Song Dazhuang patted his chest and said, "Just relax, your uncle will take care of it. You can rest for two days. Look at your thin face. Chunsheng must be distressed."
"Dad!" Song Chunsheng blushed. Why did his dad say such nonsense? He didn't feel distressed, he was just a little worried.
Before leaving, everyone deliberately walked in front, leaving Zhou Ning and Song Chunsheng behind. Song Chunsheng coughed lightly, then quickly took out an oil-paper bag from his arms and stuffed it into Zhou Ning's hand.
"This is the braised pork bun made by my mother. It's so delicious. You should try it." After saying that, Song Chunsheng quickly followed Song Dazhuang away without stopping at all.
Zhou Ning stood there in a daze holding the oil-paper bag until the backs of Song Chunsheng and Song Dazhuang disappeared around the corner. Aunt Wang and Uncle Wang both smiled at him teasingly. Only then did Zhou Ning realize that the oil-paper bag in his arms was still warm.
Aunt Wang looked like an experienced person: "Eat it while it's hot. It's hard for you to hold the child in your arms all the time. Don't let your husband down."
Zhou Ning's face turned red with embarrassment. He wanted to say that he was not hungry, but then he thought again that this was the bun that Song Chunsheng had hidden in his arms and gave it to him. He bit his lip and decided to eat the bun himself.
The braised pork buns made by Song Qin have thin skin and large fillings, with plenty of braised meat. The first bite is full of the meaty aroma, and the hot food goes down the stomach. It not only soothes the stomach, but also makes Zhou Ning feel warm in the heart.
Song Dazhuang deliberately brought only a small amount of goods out today. After selling them, he took his sons to buy various things for the engagement. Of course, there was no need to buy jewelry, as Song Chunlin had plenty of them in his space. The rest were combs, rulers, scissors, and scales. These were all easy to buy, but he couldn't find the wild geese. He could only buy a pair of wooden geese instead. As for the wine and tea, he planned to use the ones in Song Chunlin's space and just package them in nice bottles.
In addition, there were various boxes, chests, cloths, new clothes and the most important thing was a piece of bright red satin material with embroidered patterns. Song Dazhuang generously bought a piece of it to make wedding clothes for the couple.
When he left, he brought half a carload of goods, and when he came back, he brought a full carload, all of which were betrothal gifts for Zhou Ning.
Song Chunlin took out the jewelry from the space and put it into the box bought by Song Dazhuang. Song Qinshi pasted a red paper "囍" character on it, and it instantly became much more festive.
After finishing everything, Song Qin sat on the chair, pounding her waist, and sighed, "Oh, Chunsheng is going to get married. In two years, we will also be grandparents, right?"
Aunt Song had been smiling since morning, and after hearing what Song Qinshi said, she looked yearning: "Then I am the great-grandfather. I never thought I could become a great-grandfather in my lifetime."
The two human cubs looked at their elders in confusion, not understanding what their great-grandfather meant.
"Little Grandpa, what is a great-grandfather? Is he older than you and Grandpa? What about the eldest sister-in-law? What is the eldest sister-in-law? Is she older than you and Grandpa?"
"Sister-in-law is big!" This is Song Xiaobao. Like Song Xiaobao, he has no idea what sister-in-law means.
Song A-mo listened to their childish talk and chuckled, "You two little brats, wait until your sister-in-law comes home and gives birth to a nephew for you, then you will know what a sister-in-law is."
Song Xiaojiu still didn't quite understand why the eldest sister-in-law wanted to give birth to a nephew for them, and what was a nephew? Was he someone to play with them?
Song Chunlin was listening at the side with a frown on his forehead. How could his grandfather and mother think so far ahead? The boy named Zhou Ning looked thin and small, only two years younger than his brother. Fifteen years old would be just a middle school student in modern times, but in ancient times, people could get married and have babies before they were twenty. Song Chunlin silently worried for his future sister-in-law.
Time passed quickly, and in a blink of an eye it was the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month. Song Dazhuang had harnessed the carriage before dawn, and had also borrowed an ox cart from Uncle Wang in advance. The two carts were loaded with betrothal gifts with red wedding characters on them, and drove towards the neighboring village. At the entrance of the neighboring village, Song Dazhuang waited for the matchmaker he had invited, and the group entered the village in an unusually high-profile manner.
Early in the morning, we saw someone coming to propose marriage. People from the neighboring village came out to watch the fun and were whispering to each other about whose family the proposal was coming from and why it was such a big scene.
"Look, that's silk, isn't it? Or embroidered material, with such bright colors, it must be very expensive!"
"Of course not. That small piece of material costs six hundred coins. I'm afraid a whole piece of it would cost more than ten taels of silver. The Song family is really rich. I just don't know which girl or boy they want to marry."
"Who knows? Normally, no one in our village has any relationship with their family. Why did they suddenly come to propose marriage? Just now, they seemed to be asking about the Zhou family?"
"There are so many people with the last name Zhou in this village, which one are you talking about?"
The man pouted: "If they all go that way, which Zhou family can there be?"
Zhou Ning's home was right next to his two uncles', and they were the only three families around with the surname Zhou. So when the Song family walked towards Zhou Ning's home, everyone subconsciously thought that they were going to Uncle Zhou's home to ask to marry their eldest daughter.
Not only did they think so, but Aunt Zhou who was hidden in the crowd also thought so. She looked at the two cars full of betrothal gifts from the Song family with a look of joy on her face, her mouth almost grinning from ear to ear.
The person next to her even pushed her and said, "Stop smiling like an idiot. Go home and wait."
Aunt Zhou usually had a bad temper, but at this moment she was so happy that she didn't bother to care about the push others gave her. Instead, she went home happily to report the good news.
She took a shortcut home and went straight to the two old people's house as soon as she entered the house, with a smile on her face all the time.
"It's a big happy event, Dad, Mom, our family is going to have a big happy event! Do you know the Song family in the next village?"
"I know. What's the matter? What happy event is worth making such a fuss?"
Aunt Zhou smiled so hard that she couldn't close her mouth. She pointed at her own daughter and said confidently, "Of course it's a good thing for our eldest daughter. The Song family came to propose marriage today. I saw it with my own eyes. The betrothal gifts alone filled two full carts. The bright red brocade satin on top was so beautiful. I have never seen such beautiful material in my life."
Both Mr. Zhou and Mrs. Zhou were shocked. They opened their mouths wide and couldn't say a word for a long time. Just when they were about to ask what was going on, they heard a lot of noise outside. They were already right in front of them!
"Listen, they're here!" Aunt Zhou went out to greet them with a smile. She stood at the door, looking at Song Dazhuang and the others with a smile. When they walked to the door of her house, she was still thinking about how she would respond, but she saw Song Dazhuang and his motorcade walking straight past her.
Have you been there?
How did he walk by? Shouldn't he have stopped at his own door? Why did he walk by? Didn't he recognize me?