Chapter 25 – Rumors
Madam Chen’s and Madam Wang’s worries were not unfounded.
Soon, there was a rumor circulating that “the daughter of the Yu family does not know her own worth. Because of her beauty, she wants to get a scholar as her husband”.
Madam Chen was so angry she trembled and couldn’t say anything for a long time.
Yu Tang was afraid that her mother would harm her health so she asked Ah Cam to go get a physician.
Madam Chen took hold of Yu Tang’s hand. Her eyes suddenly moistened and turned red as she said, “Ah Tang, go and invite your eldest aunt over, I have something to discuss with her.”
Yu Tang listened and pondered it over in her heart.
If she pretended to be a little girl who knows nothing, her family wouldn’t discuss any major issues in the family with her. However, as she had knowledge of future events and the outcomes, so if she wants her parents to believe her, she has to come up with a way to make them feel that she was capable, insightful and can be trusted to help their family solve any predicament.
“Mother!” Yu Tang called out as she made up her mind. Not only did she not go to invite her eldest aunt, but she sat at Madam Chen’s bedside and said straightforwardly, “Are you trying to settle those rumors outside?”
Madam Chen didn’t want to bother her daughter with these things and said dotingly, “Don’t worry about adults’ affairs, just go and ask your eldest aunt like I told you. Be obedient!”
Yu Tang laughed and said, “Mother, I’ve already grown up. There are some things you can try to talk to me about. If you feel that I’ve spoken incorrectly, it’s also not too late for you to consult eldest aunt.”
Madam Chen was a little surprised.
Yu Tang continued, “If you are looking for Eldest Aunt to discuss something else, then I will go and ask Eldest Aunt right now. However, if it’s about those rumors outside about me, I have an idea. Maybe you wouldn’t mind to listen?.”
Madam Chen looked at her daughter who seemed like she was confident in her solution, but she was still a little hesitant.
Yu Tang said with a smile, “Actually, it’s not difficult. All you have to do is invite a marriage broker to our home and give her a sum of money, telling her what kind of son-in-law our family is looking for.”
Madam Chen said worriedly, “How can we do that? Marriage brokers are often unreliable.”
Yu Tang chuckled and said, “We don’t really need the marriage broker, so why does it matter if she’s reliable or not?”
Madam Chen was so shocked that she sat up straight and asked, “What do you mean by that?”
Yu Tang told her mother carefully, “Think about it, those rumor circulating outside, we don’t even know their origin. Even if we wanted to find out more, we can’t. And if we did actually find out, someone will just gloss over it, saying ‘it’s just a casual remark’, and there’s nothing we can do about it. The best way to deal with such things is for us to share information that will discredit those rumors. Didn’t those people say that it was me who didn’t know my own worth and wanted to have a scholar as my husband? So, why don’t we just announce our criteria for the potential son-in-law, and prove those rumors false? Won’t the matter be solved?”
Madam Chen still could not wrap her head around the idea and rebutted, “Are you saying that we should just casually pick a son-in-law? Those who have studied and those who haven’t are different. Those who have studied will know etiquette, honor and moral standards. If your family situation is bad, where you don’t have enough food to eat, how can you be so particular about etiquette and morality? Even if such a person marries into our family, he will be envying this and that, and the next day scheming this and the other, even if there’s nothing, he will also find a way to create trouble. If in the future, your child is influenced by the father …… how can you still enjoy a peaceful life?”
“Of course we cannot just casually find one!” Yu Tang laughed, “You’re thinking too much over this.”
Madam Chen frowned.
Yu Tang said calmly, “An educated person is not the same as a scholar who has obtained merit.”
After listening, Madam Chen instantly understood. She held her daughter’s hand tightly, saying, “How could I be so confused?”
Yu Tang chuckled.
Madam Chen said earnestly, “Those scholars who have merit to their name will definitely be reluctant to join our family. Even if they want to, it will only create trouble for us in future. We should look for someone from a family with a similar background to ours, educated, honest, literate and good in calculations so that he can help with general household affairs. In the future, the grandchildren will inherit good genes from the father. Later, let your father teach your children carefully for a few years, and maybe our family can also produce a scholar or even a scholar who passed the imperial examination?” The more she spoke, the more she felt that the idea was good.
Madam Chen continued “A son-in-law from such a family, the parents will certainly not be people that will keep silent and not help out when needed. In the future, our families will also be tied together, so if you encounter any difficulties, their family is another avenue which you can seek help from. We can also promise their family, after three generations, the youngest son will inherit their family name.”
After speaking, Madam Chen’s worries were swept away and she couldn’t wait to start.
She called Old Aunty Chen and gave her a handful of copper coins, instructing her to invite an official marriage broker to their house and said, “Invite a few of them. Since we want to share this news with others, the more the merrier.”
Seeing that there was a countermeasure in place for Yutang’s situation, Old Aunty Chen also cheered up and went away joyfully.
Madam Chen laughed. She turned around and took her daughter’s hand and examined her closely.
Yu Tang thought that she was indeed very different from the way she acted in the past, and inevitably felt unease in her heart, saying uncomfortably, “Mother, what’s the matter?”
“I’m looking at how mature our Ah-tang has become.” Madam Chen’s eyes were full of joy, “Previously, it was your father and I who misjudged, always thinking that you were just being mischievous and disobedient. But looking at what you’ve done these days, although the actions were very bold, but it’s clear, logical and wise.” After speaking, she sighed and continued. “In the past, we didn’t intend to make you stay with us because we were afraid you wouldn’t be able to handle the family business. Only now can we see that our family’s little girl has already grown up, and is a matured young lady with conviction and courage to make good decisions. “
There’s nothing wrong with your eyes! Yutang thought wryly.
It’s the will of the heavens that gave me another chance so that I can handle our family’s affairs during distressing and critical times.
The corners of Yutang’s eyes turned slightly red and she hugged her mother tightly, murmuring with guilt and heartache, “Mother, please don’t say that, it’s me, it’s my fault ……”
“Look at you, what silly words are you saying now?” How can Madam Chen guess what’s Yu Tang thinking of? She thought that her daughter just didn’t know how to reply, so she smiled and patted Yu Tang. She saw that Yu Tang’s face was full of tears and asked alarmingly, “What’s the matter?”
Her mother did not know anything, but just this knowledge alone made Yutang feel more secure.
She wiped her tears and laughed, “I’m fine. I’m just emotional because I haven’t been praised like this by Mother in a long time!”
“This child!” Madam Chen didn’t know if she should laugh or cry as she said, “Have you finished embroidering the slippers you were asked to make? This time, if there is a suitable family, you will be married soon. You don’t want to have to go to the shops to buy shoes by then.”
It was the custom in Jiangnan prefecture for the bride to give hand-made shoes as gifts for the family members of the in-laws on the second day after the marriage engagement.
Ever since she was little, Yutang loved being active and disliked being kept indoors doing needlework. Furthermore, her parents doted on her a lot. So her embroidery and needlework skills were pretty average. When she married into the Li family, Madam Lin treated her badly, so she was even more reluctant to do embroidery for anyone; she couldn’t even embroider a flower or a leaf properly. So now when her mother nagged her relentlessly, she didn’t dare to argue and quickly made her escape.
Mmadam Chen looked at her daughter’s retreating back and laughed so hard that she couldn’t stand properly. She met Yu Wen, who came rushing back from Changxing Street.
He sighed with relief and chuckled, “Why are you so happy? I just met Ah Cam, who said you weren’t feeling well and you needed the physician……”
Madam Chen smiled and told Yu Wen what had just happened, and said happily, “With Ah-tang’s idea, my discomfort was cured immediately.”
“There is such a thing?!” Yu Wen exclaimed, “Our Ah-tang has really grown up without us knowing. I really didn’t expect that.”
“Exactly!”
Both of them reminisced for a while.
Yu Wen called Yu Tang to his study and praised her, giving her the Yu family’s ancestral inkstone.
Yu Tang took the inkstone and complained to her mother: “Such an expensive inkstone, if I use it, father will definitely yell at me, what kind of reward is this? It’s just finding another place to keep it.”
Madam Chen laughed and poked Yu Tang in the forehead, saying, “Isn’t it good enough for you to keep it as your personal dowry?”
Yu Tang smiled mischievously.
Madam Chen loved her daughter dearly and didn’t want her to be disappointed, so she went to the shop and ordered a pearl hairband and a pair of pearl hairpins for Yu Tang, saying, “When your older sister Ma gets married, you can wear them to the marriage reception.”
Yu Tang said elatedly, “Older Sister Ma’s marriage date is set?”
Madam Chen nodded with a smile and said, “It’s fixed on the sixth day of the ninth month. Have you prepared the gifts? If not, go to the store quickly and order them. I will pay.”
She didn’t expect much from her daughter’s embroidery’s skills.
Yu Tang wanted to send more gifts to Ma Xiuniang, so of course the more silver she has the better.
She asked for five taels of silver from Madam Chen and went to the jewelry shop to order a pair of silver bracelets for Ma Xiuniang and a jade pendant.
Soon, the marriage brokers shared with the public the Yu Family’s son-in-law requirements, and further explained, “It’s not that the sons of those families weren’t good, it’s just that they don’t meet the Yu family’s requirements. So there’s nothing to be done about it.”
Everyone felt it was a justifiable reason, and the rumors about Yu Tang’s “high-mindedness and arrogance to have a scholar as her husband” slowly dissipated.
However, Yu Tang’s marriage was still on the minds of many people.
On this day, Yu Wen returned from giving his mid-autumn festival gift to Supervisor Tong. He was so happy, that in his drunken stupor, he said to Madam Chen, “Supervisor Tong said he would find a good match for our Ah-Tang!”
Madam Chen brought over hangover soup for Yu Wen to drink and said happily, “That’s a good matchmaker. Supervisor Tong is a trustworthy person, so the marriage he proposed should be good. Sit down and tell me more in detail.”
Yu Wen drank the handover soup, and said to Madam Chen: “Supervisor Tong said that he has a good friend, surnamed Wei, a hardworking person. The family owns an oil factory, with more than 30 acres of land, and a hill planted with more than 300 osmanthus trees. The family has five sons, all educated and personally taught. The eldest son must stay at home to inherit the family business, but the other sons are free to inherit our family name. If we feel it’s okay, then he’ll go and find out more and introduce one of the sons for our family to have a look. Once confirmed, let our Ah-tang make a pair of shoes for him. If you can’t, I’ll just take it as that I have another godson or nephew.”
“Five sons?” Madam Chen smiled happily, “That’s great. If this marriage is settled, we will have more relatives to lend us a hand. Look at you, being a scholar, but you have to take care of the store yourself. If we had more children in our family, you and Eldest Uncle wouldn’t have to work so hard.”
Yu Wen was happy that the arrangements for Yu Tang’s marriage was going smoothly, so he joked, “It’s all the Pei family’s fault. If it weren’t for the Pei family sponsoring so many students every year to take the examinations, how could Lin’an city produce so many scholars. Look at the other cities, scholars are few and respected. However in Lin’an, there’s so many!”
“Okay, okay, enough.” Madam Chen chided him, “You talk nonsense when you’re drunk. The Pei family did something good, and it still bothers you? I think that it’s good that we have many talented people in Lin’an. It’s good for our city’s reputation! Those who do business will not bully us so easily.”
Chapter 25 – Rumors
Madam Chen’s and Madam Wang’s worries were not unfounded.
Soon, there was a rumor circulating that “the daughter of the Yu family does not know her own worth. Because of her beauty, she wants to get a scholar as her husband”.
Madam Chen was so angry she trembled and couldn’t say anything for a long time.
Yu Tang was afraid that her mother would harm her health so she asked Ah Cam to go get a physician.
Madam Chen took hold of Yu Tang’s hand. Her eyes suddenly moistened and turned red as she said, “Ah Tang, go and invite your eldest aunt over, I have something to discuss with her.”
Yu Tang listened and pondered it over in her heart.
If she pretended to be a little girl who knows nothing, her family wouldn’t discuss any major issues in the family with her. However, as she had knowledge of future events and the outcomes, so if she wants her parents to believe her, she has to come up with a way to make them feel that she was capable, insightful and can be trusted to help their family solve any predicament.
“Mother!” Yu Tang called out as she made up her mind. Not only did she not go to invite her eldest aunt, but she sat at Madam Chen’s bedside and said straightforwardly, “Are you trying to settle those rumors outside?”
Madam Chen didn’t want to bother her daughter with these things and said dotingly, “Don’t worry about adults’ affairs, just go and ask your eldest aunt like I told you. Be obedient!”
Yu Tang laughed and said, “Mother, I’ve already grown up. There are some things you can try to talk to me about. If you feel that I’ve spoken incorrectly, it’s also not too late for you to consult eldest aunt.”
Madam Chen was a little surprised.
Yu Tang continued, “If you are looking for Eldest Aunt to discuss something else, then I will go and ask Eldest Aunt right now. However, if it’s about those rumors outside about me, I have an idea. Maybe you wouldn’t mind to listen?.”
Madam Chen looked at her daughter who seemed like she was confident in her solution, but she was still a little hesitant.
Yu Tang said with a smile, “Actually, it’s not difficult. All you have to do is invite a marriage broker to our home and give her a sum of money, telling her what kind of son-in-law our family is looking for.”
Madam Chen said worriedly, “How can we do that? Marriage brokers are often unreliable.”
Yu Tang chuckled and said, “We don’t really need the marriage broker, so why does it matter if she’s reliable or not?”
Madam Chen was so shocked that she sat up straight and asked, “What do you mean by that?”
Yu Tang told her mother carefully, “Think about it, those rumor circulating outside, we don’t even know their origin. Even if we wanted to find out more, we can’t. And if we did actually find out, someone will just gloss over it, saying ‘it’s just a casual remark’, and there’s nothing we can do about it. The best way to deal with such things is for us to share information that will discredit those rumors. Didn’t those people say that it was me who didn’t know my own worth and wanted to have a scholar as my husband? So, why don’t we just announce our criteria for the potential son-in-law, and prove those rumors false? Won’t the matter be solved?”
Madam Chen still could not wrap her head around the idea and rebutted, “Are you saying that we should just casually pick a son-in-law? Those who have studied and those who haven’t are different. Those who have studied will know etiquette, honor and moral standards. If your family situation is bad, where you don’t have enough food to eat, how can you be so particular about etiquette and morality? Even if such a person marries into our family, he will be envying this and that, and the next day scheming this and the other, even if there’s nothing, he will also find a way to create trouble. If in the future, your child is influenced by the father …… how can you still enjoy a peaceful life?”
“Of course we cannot just casually find one!” Yu Tang laughed, “You’re thinking too much over this.”
Madam Chen frowned.
Yu Tang said calmly, “An educated person is not the same as a scholar who has obtained merit.”
After listening, Madam Chen instantly understood. She held her daughter’s hand tightly, saying, “How could I be so confused?”
Yu Tang chuckled.
Madam Chen said earnestly, “Those scholars who have merit to their name will definitely be reluctant to join our family. Even if they want to, it will only create trouble for us in future. We should look for someone from a family with a similar background to ours, educated, honest, literate and good in calculations so that he can help with general household affairs. In the future, the grandchildren will inherit good genes from the father. Later, let your father teach your children carefully for a few years, and maybe our family can also produce a scholar or even a scholar who passed the imperial examination?” The more she spoke, the more she felt that the idea was good.
Madam Chen continued “A son-in-law from such a family, the parents will certainly not be people that will keep silent and not help out when needed. In the future, our families will also be tied together, so if you encounter any difficulties, their family is another avenue which you can seek help from. We can also promise their family, after three generations, the youngest son will inherit their family name.”
After speaking, Madam Chen’s worries were swept away and she couldn’t wait to start.
She called Old Aunty Chen and gave her a handful of copper coins, instructing her to invite an official marriage broker to their house and said, “Invite a few of them. Since we want to share this news with others, the more the merrier.”
Seeing that there was a countermeasure in place for Yutang’s situation, Old Aunty Chen also cheered up and went away joyfully.
Madam Chen laughed. She turned around and took her daughter’s hand and examined her closely.
Yu Tang thought that she was indeed very different from the way she acted in the past, and inevitably felt unease in her heart, saying uncomfortably, “Mother, what’s the matter?”
“I’m looking at how mature our Ah-tang has become.” Madam Chen’s eyes were full of joy, “Previously, it was your father and I who misjudged, always thinking that you were just being mischievous and disobedient. But looking at what you’ve done these days, although the actions were very bold, but it’s clear, logical and wise.” After speaking, she sighed and continued. “In the past, we didn’t intend to make you stay with us because we were afraid you wouldn’t be able to handle the family business. Only now can we see that our family’s little girl has already grown up, and is a matured young lady with conviction and courage to make good decisions. “
There’s nothing wrong with your eyes! Yutang thought wryly.
It’s the will of the heavens that gave me another chance so that I can handle our family’s affairs during distressing and critical times.
The corners of Yutang’s eyes turned slightly red and she hugged her mother tightly, murmuring with guilt and heartache, “Mother, please don’t say that, it’s me, it’s my fault ……”
“Look at you, what silly words are you saying now?” How can Madam Chen guess what’s Yu Tang thinking of? She thought that her daughter just didn’t know how to reply, so she smiled and patted Yu Tang. She saw that Yu Tang’s face was full of tears and asked alarmingly, “What’s the matter?”
Her mother did not know anything, but just this knowledge alone made Yutang feel more secure.
She wiped her tears and laughed, “I’m fine. I’m just emotional because I haven’t been praised like this by Mother in a long time!”
“This child!” Madam Chen didn’t know if she should laugh or cry as she said, “Have you finished embroidering the slippers you were asked to make? This time, if there is a suitable family, you will be married soon. You don’t want to have to go to the shops to buy shoes by then.”
It was the custom in Jiangnan prefecture for the bride to give hand-made shoes as gifts for the family members of the in-laws on the second day after the marriage engagement.
Ever since she was little, Yutang loved being active and disliked being kept indoors doing needlework. Furthermore, her parents doted on her a lot. So her embroidery and needlework skills were pretty average. When she married into the Li family, Madam Lin treated her badly, so she was even more reluctant to do embroidery for anyone; she couldn’t even embroider a flower or a leaf properly. So now when her mother nagged her relentlessly, she didn’t dare to argue and quickly made her escape.
Mmadam Chen looked at her daughter’s retreating back and laughed so hard that she couldn’t stand properly. She met Yu Wen, who came rushing back from Changxing Street.
He sighed with relief and chuckled, “Why are you so happy? I just met Ah Cam, who said you weren’t feeling well and you needed the physician……”
Madam Chen smiled and told Yu Wen what had just happened, and said happily, “With Ah-tang’s idea, my discomfort was cured immediately.”
“There is such a thing?!” Yu Wen exclaimed, “Our Ah-tang has really grown up without us knowing. I really didn’t expect that.”
“Exactly!”
Both of them reminisced for a while.
Yu Wen called Yu Tang to his study and praised her, giving her the Yu family’s ancestral inkstone.
Yu Tang took the inkstone and complained to her mother: “Such an expensive inkstone, if I use it, father will definitely yell at me, what kind of reward is this? It’s just finding another place to keep it.”
Madam Chen laughed and poked Yu Tang in the forehead, saying, “Isn’t it good enough for you to keep it as your personal dowry?”
Yu Tang smiled mischievously.
Madam Chen loved her daughter dearly and didn’t want her to be disappointed, so she went to the shop and ordered a pearl hairband and a pair of pearl hairpins for Yu Tang, saying, “When your older sister Ma gets married, you can wear them to the marriage reception.”
Yu Tang said elatedly, “Older Sister Ma’s marriage date is set?”
Madam Chen nodded with a smile and said, “It’s fixed on the sixth day of the ninth month. Have you prepared the gifts? If not, go to the store quickly and order them. I will pay.”
She didn’t expect much from her daughter’s embroidery’s skills.
Yu Tang wanted to send more gifts to Ma Xiuniang, so of course the more silver she has the better.
She asked for five taels of silver from Madam Chen and went to the jewelry shop to order a pair of silver bracelets for Ma Xiuniang and a jade pendant.
Soon, the marriage brokers shared with the public the Yu Family’s son-in-law requirements, and further explained, “It’s not that the sons of those families weren’t good, it’s just that they don’t meet the Yu family’s requirements. So there’s nothing to be done about it.”
Everyone felt it was a justifiable reason, and the rumors about Yu Tang’s “high-mindedness and arrogance to have a scholar as her husband” slowly dissipated.
However, Yu Tang’s marriage was still on the minds of many people.
On this day, Yu Wen returned from giving his mid-autumn festival gift to Supervisor Tong. He was so happy, that in his drunken stupor, he said to Madam Chen, “Supervisor Tong said he would find a good match for our Ah-Tang!”
Madam Chen brought over hangover soup for Yu Wen to drink and said happily, “That’s a good matchmaker. Supervisor Tong is a trustworthy person, so the marriage he proposed should be good. Sit down and tell me more in detail.”
Yu Wen drank the handover soup, and said to Madam Chen: “Supervisor Tong said that he has a good friend, surnamed Wei, a hardworking person. The family owns an oil factory, with more than 30 acres of land, and a hill planted with more than 300 osmanthus trees. The family has five sons, all educated and personally taught. The eldest son must stay at home to inherit the family business, but the other sons are free to inherit our family name. If we feel it’s okay, then he’ll go and find out more and introduce one of the sons for our family to have a look. Once confirmed, let our Ah-tang make a pair of shoes for him. If you can’t, I’ll just take it as that I have another godson or nephew.”
“Five sons?” Madam Chen smiled happily, “That’s great. If this marriage is settled, we will have more relatives to lend us a hand. Look at you, being a scholar, but you have to take care of the store yourself. If we had more children in our family, you and Eldest Uncle wouldn’t have to work so hard.”
Yu Wen was happy that the arrangements for Yu Tang’s marriage was going smoothly, so he joked, “It’s all the Pei family’s fault. If it weren’t for the Pei family sponsoring so many students every year to take the examinations, how could Lin’an city produce so many scholars. Look at the other cities, scholars are few and respected. However in Lin’an, there’s so many!”
“Okay, okay, enough.” Madam Chen chided him, “You talk nonsense when you’re drunk. The Pei family did something good, and it still bothers you? I think that it’s good that we have many talented people in Lin’an. It’s good for our city’s reputation! Those who do business will not bully us so easily.”
