$24, Wedding

After entering the school, Bai Gui's reputation was almost unknown to everyone in Bailu Village. He studied under Xu Xiucai and changed his appearance from a shabby and poor boy to a scholar who had read poetry and books. Read 520 official website

I shouldn’t say like him, but I should say he is a scholar.

Unlike Meng Tong from other families whose status as a scholar is different, Bai Gui's status as a scholar is recognized by scholars, and he has great hope of being named on the list and becoming a scholar.

In less than two months, such a big change has occurred.

"You don't know. I went for a walk in the village today. Widow Wang gave us three eggs and said she would give them to you to eat to replenish your brain..."

Bai Youde was weaving baskets with rattan while Bai Gui was studying. His face was full of grooves. Because of his smile, he looked a little younger than when he was at Lujia. He looked like a real man in his forties.

"Dad, I told you I don't want to get engaged."

Bai Gui frowned, put down the brush, and said.

Unexpectedly, I was forced to get married by my parents in my previous life. In this life, my family is a little better, but I am also forced to get married by my parents. Under the thin pieces of money exposed from time to time between his fingers, the Bai family's life changed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

I used to eat glutinous vegetables, but now I can eat more steamed buns.

This is better than many families.

After solving the most basic problems of food and clothing, Bai Youde began to worry about his marriage.

"Baby, it's not what dad said about you, the exam for scholar is still a thing. So many families in our village are optimistic about you, so you should take advantage of this moment to make an appointment first. Even if you don't pass the exam, your father-in-law will not regret it. , whoever dares to go back on his word and break off the engagement will lose his reputation. If he doesn’t talk about his own family affairs, the clan leader will not be able to spare him from this disaster..."

"Widow Wang's family has two acres of paddy fields, eight acres of dry land, and a dowry of five taels... If Widow Wang hadn't wanted to find a knowledgeable scholar, she would have made a good marriage long ago. Widow Wang said that as long as the engagement was made, These are all yours."

Bai Youde persuaded with earnest words.

Breaking off an engagement is an unthinkable thing under feudal ethics.

Not only will his own style be ruined, but the style of Bailu Village will also be ruined. From now on, if other villages want to marry a girl from Bailu Village, they need to be cautious. If Bailu Village wants to marry a girl from other villages, other villages will also hesitate...

Because Bailu Village has the name Village of Benevolence and Righteousness hanging on the archway, and this name was inscribed by Mr. Zhu, it has enjoyed many benefits invisibly. Anyone with a girl will consider Bailu Village, and the spoon-spooners from Bailu Village are also the most trustworthy.

Therefore, once there are women or men who corrupt the family tradition, people in the same village cannot stand it.

Bai Gui thought for a moment and understood Bai Youde's thoughts.

Whether he will pass the examination as a scholar or not is still unknown.

Marrying a girl to him in advance is equivalent to an investment. As long as he is a scholar, he will be prosperous. But if he doesn't win the prize, it will be a loss.

But if he has already become a scholar, this family... a family like the Widow Wang's will not be able to get into it. He must be at least a wealthy family like the Lu family or the Bai family to marry his daughter to him.

A gamble, whether it will succeed or not remains to be seen.

"Your father has already inquired about the scholar masters from several nearby villages. They all got married before they had taken the imperial examination. Don't worry about it. The matchmaker has said that the scholars who did not take the exam are the most valuable. , that is, a young girl who is not yet married. If she is a scholar taking the exam for the second time, she will have a pair of worn-out shoes..."

Bai Youde said.

In his opinion, it is right for his son to worry about his fame. But getting engaged now won't affect anything.

Although it is said that Widow Wang's daughter is not worthy of the scholar, it is not necessarily true. Besides, the girl from the rich man's family must be much better than the girl from Widow Wang's family.

If he didn't seize this golden opportunity, he was afraid that Bai Gui would be single for the rest of his life, or that he would marry someone far inferior to his current one, and he would regret it to death.

"Don't be anxious about this matter first. Think about it for a few more days and then talk about it after you have figured it out."

Bai Gui frowned, but did not forcefully change Bai Youde's thoughts.

In other words, Bai Youde's thoughts are the truly normal thoughts of this era, and there is nothing wrong with them at all.

As for him, his thoughts are not in line with the current situation.

Normally, a scholar like him would follow the conventions respected by people for thousands of years.

After all, no one can guarantee that he will pass the exam...

But he is not. As long as there are no mistakes, he will definitely win!

At this time, the engagement will be a loss!

Although it is said that marriage does not advocate any lintel, but if it is not a free love, everyone must consider the lintel.

Bai Gui glanced at home.

A thatched house without even a courtyard wall, incomplete pots and pans...

"Okay, okay! As long as you can figure it out, I'll reply to the matchmaker later and let me prepare first."

Bai Youde rubbed his hands and looked excited.

He knows that his knowledge is not as good as that of Bai Gui, so in addition to being able to make some decisions on marriage matters, Bai Gui is more independent than him in other matters. After all, he is a scholar. Don't all storytellers say that scholars don't go out? Then you will know the affairs of the world.

Mr. Zhu in the county town is regarded as a god by the villagers. You can know by asking Mr. Zhu which family has lost its chickens or cows. You can also know by asking Mr. Zhu when Yunyu comes.

As the saying goes, everything thrives when the family is in harmony.

Bai Gui always believed that this sentence was wrong and should be replaced by "Everything will be prosperous if a family is rich."

Poor and humble couples suffer from everything. Whether it is marital problems or other problems, they can all be attributed to financial problems.

As long as the family is rich, the door lintel is high.

Bai Youde, who has always been simple and honest, will definitely "disdain the poor and love the rich", and think that the daughter of the widow Wang is not worthy of his son, so he will reject this marriage.

Money is the courage in the heart.

No one has urged the rich children of his classmates to get engaged, because they have the confidence to bear the failure of the imperial examination, and their families don't worry about matchmakers.

A day or two later, Bai Gui took advantage of the ten-day holiday to go outing with Zhou Yuan outside the village.

Because of family reasons, the Lu brothers and the Bai brothers also formed a circle with Bai Gui and Zhou Yuan, which is the circle of academic masters in the school. Therefore, they agreed to go outing together.

It was almost spring at this time. Although it was not yet the end of the year, everything began to revive gradually, the grass grew and the warblers flew, the snowy scenery of the Qinling Mountains in the distance and the spring scenery nearby blended together, and the sound of the water pouring northward beside the ears was beautiful.

There is a poem to prove it: Where is my home with clouds across the Qinling Mountains? The snow blocked the Blue Pass and the horses could not move forward.