Transmigrated Farmgirl's Scheme to Get Rich - Chapter 152
Ms. Liang was still considering her options when Mo Feng said, “Why don’t you invite Xiuying’s mother? She’s proper and dignified, and would be comparable to Mrs. Cao.”
After thinking about it, Ms. Liang thought Ms. Li would be considered respectable, and she would have no problem entertaining guests. She was the most suitable person.
“Okay, I’ll make some time to ask her.”
Mo Feng proudly said, “You don’t need to go in person, I’ll just ask Xiuying.”
“Alright.”
Xiuying went to the workshop early the next morning, and Mo Yan asked Chi Jie to test her.
As he thought that Xiuying’s work was acceptable, so she arranged for her to do the same work as Xiaoyue and the others.
Xiuying was observant and charismatic, and quickly made friends with the people in the workshop. She was especially enthusiastic to Mo Ling, calling her sister every other sentence. People who weren’t in the know would’ve thought they were actually sisters.
In the firm, Mu Feng was standing in front of a row of fabrics. Chuzi saw that he was busy, so asked, “Master Mo, what’s the issue?”
Mo Feng then asked, “Tell me, are there quilts with fortune symbols on them here?”
Chuzi pointed at them, “Aren’t they there? Who wants to buy them?”
“Me.”
Chuzi immediately regretted answering, thinking he should’ve refused. Now that Mo Feng had noticed them, he could only hand Mo Feng two of the cheaper quilts.
After taking the quilts, Chuzi asked Cao Zhang, “How should this be recorded on the accounts?”
Cao Zhang picked up a brush, “How it’s supposed to. The owners will decide whether they want him to pay for them.” He wrote that ‘two quilts with fortune symbols’ were sold, and remarked that ‘Mo Feng took them’ as well.
In the evening, Ms. Hua went to cry at her husband’s grave as usual, repeatedly saying that she had dreamed of her husband, that he was murdered and someone had set fire to their house.
With the amount she was crying every day, people inevitably started wondering if she was being truthful or not. Ms. Hua soon became the talk of the townspeople after dinner. Soon, Liu Fengchun became the prime suspect for being the arsonist. This baseless rumour was quickly spread by the city’s residents.
In the afternoon, guessing that the workshop was about to close for the day, Mo Feng took the quilts wrapped in paper and stood in front of the workshop, waiting for Xiuying.
People from Chenzhong Village passed by one after another, but no one greeted him. Xiuying was the last one to appear, and Mo Feng immediately went up to meet her, “Xiuying, why did you get out so late?”
“It’s my first day at work, how can I leave earlier than the more experienced workers?”
Mo Feng handed the quilt to her, “Take them back and ask your mother if these are the quilts she wanted. If not, I’ll change them out for her.”
Xiuying unwrapped the quilts and took a look, “The colour and embroidery looks good, and this material is much better than the quilts sold by the city’s fabric store. How much are they?”
“Money’s not the issue. My mother has something to ask yours. In a few days, my sister’s in-law’s family will come to hand over their dowry. She needs to find a respectable person to accompany our family.”
Xiuying immediately responded, “That’s nothing, my mother has been a guest at practically every wedding and funeral in the village. When your sister gets married, let my mother send her off. She’s highly experienced. When our village leader’s daughter was getting married, my mother was even invited to send her off!”
“Okay, then I’ll have to trouble her.”
Xiuying walked back to the village side by side with Mo Feng without hesitation. When they had to part ways, she bid goodbye to him.
The day Zhong Cheng was supposed to give the dowry, the Mo family’s courtyard was extremely lively. Ms. Liang couldn’t make dishes for two tables alone, and besides, she had to entertain the guests, so Mo Yan hired a chef from the city who specialised in preparing banquets, and also rented his dishes for the occasion.
In addition to the matchmaker, Zhong Cheng was accompanied by his uncle and two of his cousins. There are also two women in their thirties, one of whom he called sister-in-law and the other he called aunt. Finally, there was his second sister-in-law, who Mo Yan presumed was just there to round out the numbers.
As soon as they entered, everyone in their group congratulated Ms. Liang, who welcomed them into the living room to drink tea. Mo Ling could only stay in her own room, and couldn’t come out to meet the guests until the elder generation called her.
The matchmaker first delivered the agreed six and a half silver taels, which was put in a red cloth pouch tied with a beautiful knot.
Next, the groom gave the bride jewellery. Zhong Cheng’s cousin opened the box in his hand, and inside was a whole set of silver accessories. After removing the top layer, they saw that scarlet brocade was underneath it. The matchmaker kept praising him for his good taste, saying that Zhong Cheng knew how to buy high-quality items.
Zhong Cheng saluted Ms. Liang politely and said, “Auntie, these accessories are not worth much. I hope that my intentions are sufficient.”
Ms. Liang smiled and said, “I know, we just want you to treat my daughter well.”
Another large box contained the four mandatory betrothal gifts. A layer of white steamed buns with red dots for prosperity, a piece of pork belly tied with a red thread, two lotus roots and two bottles of wine.
The final step was to consult the farmer’s almanack, and choose an auspicious day for the engaged couple to get married.
After everything was done, the matchmaker kept congratulating them with a beaming smile. Zhong Cheng’s second sister-in-law was beside her and said strangely, “Since the dowry has been accepted, it’s time to talk about the bride’s dowry!”
Looking at the Mo family’s courtyard, they didn’t seem as rich as how they presented themselves during their visit to the Zhong family.
Mo Yan came over and bowed to Zhong Cheng’s party, “Hello, I am Mo Yan, the second daughter of the Mo family. My sister’s dowry isn’t ready yet, so a gift list can’t be issued for now. A full list will be provided when we send her dowry over to your family.”
The matchmaker sized Mo Yan up, “I didn’t see this girl the last time I came over. How can this child be born so cute, and also know etiquette and be so well-spoken? How old is she?”
Ms. Liang said politely, “She’s only eleven, she’s still young!”
“In the future, if there are good matches, I will definitely recommend them to you.”
Everyone was praising Mo Yan, leaving only Zhong Cheng’s second sister-in-law at the side.
Ms. Li called out to them from the back room, “Ling’er, all the guests are here, come out to see them.”
Mo Ling came to the main room, and everyone looked over. A silver hairpin held up her bun, and her emerald clothes complemented her powdered face perfectly. She looked beautiful without being ostentatious.
The crowd praised Mo Ling for her beauty and Zhong Cheng for his vision. Mrs. Li echoed from the side, “Our girl is not only good-looking, but also able to work. She worked in the fields, did business to make money, went to the workshop, this family depends on her support!”
With a smile on her face, Ms. Liang sighed softly, “That’s right! Now she’s getting married, it’ll be a lot harder for the family in the future!”
The matchmaker said, “You still have a son, he must be fifteen or sixteen! He just needs to marry a capable daughter-in-law.”
“I really want him to! I don’t know if I have that fortune.”
Mo Ling offered tea to the guests, and the banquet was about to start. There are two tables, men to the right and women to the left.
Today, Mo Ling was the main character, and sat in the main seat next to Ms. Liang. She had to be reserved, and couldn’t take care of anyone. The others sat according to seniority, with Zhong Cheng’s second sister-in-law opposite Mo Ling, and Mo Yan sitting next to her.
The matchmaker was the most important guest today. Ms. Liang and Ms. Li toasted her together, thanking her for bringing about a good relationship. Then, they toasted the others, with Mo Yan raising her glass to toast Zhong Cheng’s second sister-in-law: “Second sister-in-law, a toast for you.”
The woman glared at Mu Yan, raised her glass and drank it. However, Mo Yan didn’t drink, and put down the wine glass. She was pissed off by Mo Yan, but she is a guest today, so who could accuse her of impropriety?
Post-translation notes: Cao Zhang’s second sister-in-law is a pain in two different ways: in terms of her incredibly long name, and also in terms of her as a character. As always, thank you for reading!