CHAPTER 407: CHAPTER 404 CAN’T WAIT

Old Mrs. Chen thought she might have seen it wrong, so she rubbed her eyes. The earliest of the three dates was February 26, and the latest was March 19.

While typically these three dates span at least half a year, they seem to have decided to celebrate within twenty-some days, aiming to bring Miss Chen into the family before the spring plowing.

Old Mrs. Chen said, "Did you perhaps write it wrong?"

Old Mrs. Song leaned over to look, "There’s no mistake. I’ve checked several times. We invited a few teachers to match the children’s birth dates, and chose the best days from there."

Old Mrs. Chen said, "Back when my daughter got married, the first and third dates weren’t even in the same year. Aren’t you being a little hasty?"

"Hasty," admitted Old Mrs. Song frankly, "If I’d known this day would come, I’d have sent Xian over to you when he was four or five years old."

Four or five years old? Even Chen, the child bride, wasn’t sold out by her parents that early.

Old Mrs. Chen laughed, "Could you bear it? And would you be at ease?"

"Why not?" Old Mrs. Song said, "Sooner or later, he belongs to your family. There’s nothing for me to worry about."

After speaking, she held Old Mrs. Chen’s hand, "Even though we mention three dates, there’s really only one that’s best, February 26. Do you see it as feasible?"

Old Mrs. Song’s eyes showed sincere concern, "Rest assured, elder sister. I will arrange everything perfectly so that Miss Chen won’t suffer any grievances."

With Song’s assurance, Old Mrs. Chen felt embarrassed to refuse, "I still need to show it to Miss Chen’s father. I can’t make the decision alone."

Old Mrs. Song nodded, "This is a serious matter; take your time discussing it."

As they talked about discussing slowly, Old Mrs. Song asked the housekeeper to bring over some embroidery patterns: "The two children’s happy clothes are nearly finished; do you think this selection for the collar and hem is suitable? This narrow-sleeve dress is for Miss Chen to wear when she returns home after marriage, and this cross-collared bijia — I know Miss Chen usually doesn’t like it, but it’s festive to wear for a few days..."

Old Mrs. Chen and Old Mrs. Song spent some time going through them, all being clothes for Miss Chen and bedding used in their room. Song Xian had only two sets of clothes in total.

Old Mrs. Chen said, "I’ve seen quite a few styles of men’s robes in the capital."

Old Mrs. Song couldn’t help but laugh, "My grandson’s garments need not trouble you, elder sister. Just two styles suffice."

Old Mrs. Chen didn’t understand the reason.

Old Mrs. Song said, "All the robes in his room follow the one pattern; aside from his official robes, doesn’t he always wear that same set?"

Old Mrs. Chen thought back and realized it was true.

Old Mrs. Song said, "This saves Miss Chen from a lot of hassle; she won’t need to fret over him much later. Making a few replacements casually will be fine, since he won’t notice."

Yet, Old Mrs. Chen felt uneasy, "No matter how much you make, we will still prepare some more clothes for the young groom." They have a weaving room, and produced their own thread tassels; though Miss Chen doesn’t enjoy needlework, everyone can help. Considering the marriage is less than two months away...

Realizing this, Old Mrs. Chen suddenly became alert, feeling as though she’d been unwittingly led by Old Mrs. Song.

...

Xie Liangchen came out of the house and saw Chen Yongyi waiting outside.

Chen Yongyi said, "Grandpa Sun and the village chiefs from Sun Family Village, Beishan Village, and Da Liu Village are here; they want to discuss something with you."

Xie Liangchen followed Chen Yongyi to meet the village chiefs.

Chen Yongyi said, "Before I went to the capital, I told the village chiefs about going to the eight states to make spinning wheels; I was about to go find them, when they came over asking about the information you gave."

Xie Liangchen said, "What did everyone say? Are they still willing to accompany you to the eight states?"

Chen Yongyi nodded, "Moreover, these village chiefs mentioned that they wouldn’t need our Chen Family Village to advance any wages; their villages have reserved silver coin, and they can provide for their villagers upfront."

As they spoke, Chen Yongyi and Xie Liangchen entered the room to meet the village chiefs.

"The Commandery Princess has arrived," the chiefs said one after another.

Xie Liangchen returned the gesture, "All the chiefs are my elders; just call me Liangchen as before."

The chiefs had to agree.

Xie Liangchen brought up the matter of wages, "Technically, we should cover them."

"That’s not right," Grandpa Sun spoke first, "When Chen Family Village took us to do business, they built spinning wheels without charging us; now, people outside say we’re all one in Zhenzhou. We learned to save silver coin from Chen Family Village too; if it was like before, why should it be different now?"

"Silver is scarce right now; if only Chen Family Village contributes, it won’t be enough, so why not let us share some of the burden? Our silver coin isn’t much, but ample for paying our villagers, and as we earn money, we’ll return the silver coin."

All the village chiefs nodded.

Sun Lizheng said, "Grandpa Sun is right; if we were to calculate, most of our village women learned to make thread tassels and flower felt from the Chen Family Village women, how should we settle the silver coin for that?"

Fan Lizheng said, "Those who returned from the eight states mentioned that the conditions there were worse than during Zhenzhou’s turmoil, with numerous deaths from starvation or eating clay, dilapidated villages with hardly any good houses in sight. It’s certainly difficult now, and we want to help during hardships."

Feng Lizheng said, "Just as Fan Lizheng mentioned, we’re willing to assist."

Since that was the case, Xie Liangchen did not refuse, "Then I thank the chiefs for their help; if there’s no extra silver coin in your villages, be sure to inform me, and I’ll find a way."

Sun Lizheng smiled, "We’ve earned quite a bit from selling flower felt; making more these days ensures we have enough this year."

Grandpa Sun said, "Going to the eight states to make spinning wheels, is there anything special to note? Should we brief the folks?"

Xie Liangchen nodded, "The eight states aren’t as stable as Zhenzhou; our new spinning wheel designs need to be memorized by everyone. Once there, prepare the necessary items but don’t assemble the spinning wheels right away; collect the critical components to prevent theft."

Xie Liangchen continued, "While we shouldn’t harbor ill intentions, we must guard against others."

The Chan Family Village’s thread tassels, wool felt, flower felt, pink wax paper gained fame, with others eyeing them, necessitating precaution.

...

Capital City.

Prince Lu and Prince Qi were preparing to leave the capital and return to their territories.

When they arrived, each brought their eldest and second sons; upon departing, only the second sons would accompany them back home.

Both prince mansions were filled with mixed emotions.

They rejoiced at the possibility of their young masters becoming Crown Prince, but worried over the uncertainty before the matter was finalized, not knowing whether this was a blessing or a curse.

Prince Lu returned home drunk every day, appearing like a mere drunken fool, constantly talking about how intelligent his eldest son is and how the Emperor and the Empress praised his son.

Such behavior from Prince Lu annoyed others, yet oddly gave the Emperor a sense of relief; the Emperor favored those who were easy to read.

After settling in his study, Prince Lu’s drunkenness gradually faded from his face, replaced by a clear-minded gaze in his eyes.

He picked up a cup of tea and took a sip. Shortly after, the door to the study opened, and a person walked in.

Once the door closed again, Prince Lu looked at the person, "How did the goods sell this time?"

The man, in his forties, with a distinguished presence, bowed and said, "The merchant ship’s goods were snatched up, especially the pink wax paper and wool felt, which were bought at high prices."