Chapter 59
59 Marriage Proposal
Zhou Jia called Ji Xiang and left in a hurry. Li Mei smiled and pulled Li Yu aside. “Yu’er, how are you and Mr. Zhou?”
Li Yu smiled and said with a blush, “He said he was going to find an official matchmaker to propose marriage.”
Li Mei was overjoyed when she heard that. She pulled Liu Changmin and said happily, “Zhaodi’s father, did you hear that? Mr. Zhou is going to invite an official matchmaker to propose marriage. After the engagement, I’m going to tell Ashan and sister-in-law that Yu’er has found a good marriage to reassure them underground.”
Liu Changmin also chuckled happily. “Alright, it’s time to talk to them. I’ll accompany you then.”
Li Qing scurried over from the side and frowned at Li Mei. “Aunt, who do you say my sister is getting engaged to?”
“Are you happy that your sister and Mr. Zhou are getting engaged?” Li Mei looked at Li Qing and said with a smile.
Li Qing pursed his lips and threw the grass into his backpack angrily. “I thought it was strange. Why does Mr. Zhou always ask me about my sister? It turns out that he has designs on her.”
Li Mei looked at Li Qing’s angry expression and said curiously, “Ah Qing, Mr. Zhou is not bad. Won’t you like Mr. Zhou to be your brother-in-law?”
Li Qing frowned in confusion. “Mr. Zhou is good, but I don’t want him to marry my sister.” Li Qing’s eyes turned red as he pulled at Li Yu. “Sister, I don’t want you to get married.”
Li Yu did not expect Li Qing to be so attached to her. She wiped the mud off her hands and patted Li Qing to comfort him gently. “Ah Qing, I’m not going to marry into the family soon. There are still a few years! Besides, even if I get married to Mr. Zhou in a few years, you can still live with us!”
Li Qing wiped his tears with his sleeve and looked at Li Yu with tears in his eyes. “I’m not staying at Mr. Zhou’s house. If I stay at his house too, you won’t have anywhere to go if he bullies you.”
Li Mei’s heart ached when she heard that. She walked over with tears in her eyes and hugged Li Qing. She comforted him gently. “Ah Qing, don’t be afraid! From what I can see, Mr Zhou is not that kind of person. He will treat your sister well.”
Li Yu smiled bitterly and patted Li Qing. “Ah Qing, believe me. If he doesn’t treat me well, I’ll divorce him.”
Li Qing smiled through his tears. “Yes, let’s divorce him.”
“How can you say that?” Li Mei smiled strangely and knocked on the siblings.
Zhou Jia brought Ji Xiang to the city to find the official matchmaker, Old Madam Wang. She said that she would send someone to pick her up on the 16th morning to propose marriage in Clearwater Town. Then, she brought Ji Xiang to the bank to exchange the banknotes for silver before going to the shop with him.
After the clerk, whose name was Zhao Cai, handed the money from selling the bags to Zhou Jia before and after the New Year, the three of them pulled the cloth goods back to Li Yu’s house in West Mountain Village.
When he arrived at Li Yu’s house, Zhou Jia saw Li Qing looking at him from afar and turning to leave. He felt a little puzzled and whispered to Ji Xiang, “Ji Xiang, what’s wrong with Ah Qing today? Did you offend him?”
When Ji Xiang heard this, he burst out laughing. “Young Master, you’re about to snatch Ah Qing’s sister away. Will Ah Qing give you a good attitude?”
Zhou Jia was enlightened and nodded with a smile. “I see. He shouldn’t give me a good attitude. I’ll go coax him later.”
Li Yu saw Ji Xiang and Zhao Cai each carrying a box. The three of them stood at the door and muttered, “Aren’t you going to come in?”
Zhou Jia looked at Li Yu and smiled. “I’ve exchanged the silver for you and even brought back the silver from the last batch of bags.”
Ji Xiang and Zhao Cai placed the boxes on the table with smiles and bowed to Li Yu before retreating to unload the goods.
Zhou Jia smiled at Li Yu. “The bags in the storeroom before and after the new year have been emptied. You have to arrange for someone to rush the goods!”
“They’ve also made a lot of bags these days. Take them and sell them first.” Li Yu smiled. “Sigh! They shouldn’t be as busy as they were in the beginning this year. There should be more shops following the trend!”
“It’s indeed a lot, but we’ve also earned a lot.” Zhou Jia opened the box and pointed at the silver inside with a smile. “In just three months, we’ve earned more than 10,000 taels of silver. I’ll leave it all to you.”
Li Yu looked at Zhou Jia. “Aren’t you afraid that I’ll run away with the money?”
Zhou Jia sat opposite Li Yu and pulled her hand. He smiled confidently and said, “I’m not afraid. I’m much more valuable than silver. You won’t bear to run away.”
Li Yu glared at him and pulled her hand back. “Let’s get down to business! It hasn’t rained much since last year, and the water in the ditch is getting shallower. I don’t think there’s going to be a flood. Instead, it looks like there will be a drought. If there’s really a drought, no matter how much silver you have, you won’t be able to buy water to drink. I think we have to think of a way to save some water.”
When Zhou Jia heard this, he thought that Uncle Zhou had also said the same thing. He looked at Li Yu and said gently, “I asked Uncle Zhou to save some water. When I gathered with Xia Tao before the New Year, I heard from him that the drought in Great Qi is still spreading. The Qingzhou Prefecture, which is adjacent to Great Qi, also shows signs of drought.
We went to check the Green Mountain County Records. According to the records, there has only been one drought in Green Mountain in the past hundred years. After suffering three consecutive years of drought, it suffered a locust plague. The entire Qingzhou Prefecture was filled with hunger. After the disaster, the Qingzhou Prefecture became empty.”
Li Yu was stunned when she heard that. That’s right! Water and food were the source of life for humans. Without water and food, how could everyone survive? When the time came, they could only escape through migration. It seemed that she had to make two preparations.
“Zhou Jia, I think we have to be prepared. If there’s really a drought, we can only migrate. Get someone to make a few big wooden barrels like those used to store vegetables and oil. In the future, we can use them to store food and water. Buy two big mule carts.”
Seeing that Li Yu did not panic and instead began to prepare to migrate, Zhou Jia felt much more at ease. “Alright, leave these to me to prepare. I also have to secretly find someone to forge a few bows and arrows to hide. When the time comes, there will be many bandits.”
“Alright, let’s take it slow. Don’t panic.” Li Yu looked at Zhou Jia and comforted him.
Zhou Jia stood up and looked at Li Yu, his face turning red. “Yes! Tell Aunt that Matchmaker Wang will come to propose marriage tomorrow.”
Li Yu nodded generously and sent Zhou Jia out. She watched the three of them leave with the goods before returning to the central room. Looking at the white silver in the wooden box, she felt sweet.
On the 16th day of the first month, Li Yu woke up early and went up the mountain to hunt.
Matchmaker Wang carried a pair of geese to Li Yu’s house. As soon as she entered, she congratulated Li Mei. “Madam Li, what a joyous occasion! Today, I was entrusted by Scholar Zhou to propose marriage to the noble lady, Li Yu. I hope that the two families can interact closely and get married.”
Li Mei welcomed Matchmaker Wang into the house with a smile. She poured a cup of hot tea and handed it to Matchmaker Wang. “The countryside is simple. Thank you for making this trip. Please have some tea to moisten your mouth.”
Matchmaker Wang chuckled and said, “I’m not tired. Young Master Zhou sent someone to pick me up.” Then, she pointed at the spacious dam and said with a smile, “It’s great that your place is so spacious.”
After the two of them exchanged pleasantries and agreed on the marriage, Matchmaker Wang stood up and bade farewell. Before she left, Li Mei gave Matchmaker Wang a red packet and two packets of pastries. Matchmaker Wang took them and went to the Zhou family happily.
Madam Li and the others waited for Li Mei to return to the room before asking happily, “Sister, it was Scholar Zhou from the East Village who sent someone to propose marriage, right?”
“Yes! He sent someone to propose marriage.” Li Mei couldn’t stop smiling.
Everyone was happy for Li Yu. “No wonder Xiaoyu went hunting today. She was afraid that we would tease her!”
Madam Li smiled and said, “Our Xiaoyu is very lucky. This Scholar Zhou is handsome and comes from a good family. His looks are also compatible with Xiaoyu. The two of them are really a good match.”
“That’s right! The two of them are both good-looking and capable. The Heavenly Matchmaker has finally pulled the right strings.” Madam Qian praised.