A Poor Man's Son-in-Law: He Picks Up the Daughter of a Duke's Mansion at the Start

In early June, the Lu family hired a matchmaker.

The person invited was the most respectable and blessed woman in the village—Aunt Chen. Aunt Chen was in her fifties, had both a son and a daughter, a large family, and a living husband; she was widely recognized as a fortunate person in the village. Asking her to act as matchmaker showed the seriousness of the occasion.

Lu Tiezhu and Zhao brought four gifts to the door: a packet of tea, a packet of sugar, a piece of meat, and a red paper envelope containing two hundred cash as a thank-you gift for the matchmaker.

Aunt Chen accepted the gift and said with a smile, "The whole village has heard about Dashan and Yunniang. Everyone says it's a good match. Don't worry, I'll vouch for them; I guarantee everything will go smoothly."

The next day, Aunt Chen went to the Wang family.

She didn't bring the gifts prepared by the Lu family—those would be given after the formal betrothal ceremony. She only wore a clean blue cloth dress, her hair was neatly combed, and she carried a palm-leaf fan in her hand as she entered the Wang family's gate with a smile.

Old Master Wang was waiting in the main room. Shopkeeper Wang and his wife were also there; Wang Xiu had specially returned from town to keep them company.

"Greetings, sir." Aunt Chen sat down. "The Lu family asked me to arrange a marriage. As you know, the Lu family's eldest son, Dashan, is twenty-five years old. He's honest, hardworking, and a master at farming. He has three brothers and two sisters, and both his parents are alive. The family has a good reputation."

She spoke slowly and deliberately, but each word was clear: "Your Xiuer knows the Lu family's situation best. Although we're not well-off right now, the whole family is united. Qingyan is studious and ambitious, Xiaoshan is skilled in crafts, and Dashan is hardworking and reliable. With such a family, the future is bright."

Grandpa Wang nodded: "Mother Chen is right. We are aware of the Lu family's situation."

Wang Xiu added from the side, "Father, my second brother and his wife are both reasonable people. I watched Dashan grow up; he's honest and kind-hearted, and he won't mistreat Yunniang."

Aunt Chen smiled and said, "That's exactly right. The Lu family said that although they are not wealthy, they will not neglect any of the proper etiquette. The new house will be renovated, the furniture will be new, and the bride price will be whatever your family wishes, with no room for negotiation."

Yunniang's mother spoke up: "Mother Chen, we're not the kind of family that cares about the bride price. As long as the children are doing well..."

"Don't worry," Aunt Chen said seriously, "The Lu family is marrying a daughter-in-law to build a life together, not to make a business deal. They value Yunniang's character and the bond between the two families through marriage."

As they were talking, Yunniang came out from the back room. Today she was wearing a light green dress, her hair was neatly combed, and her face had regained some color. She walked to the front of the hall and bowed to Aunt Chen.

"Yunniang greets Grandma Chen."

"Good child." Aunt Chen looked her over, nodding inwardly. "The Lu family asked me to inquire about your opinion. Are you willing to accept this marriage?"

Yunniang blushed slightly, but her voice was clear: "I do."

Grandpa Wang's eyes welled up with tears: "Good, good child."

Aunt Chen pressed her advantage: "Then shall we settle on it? The eighth day of the sixth lunar month is an auspicious day for the engagement ceremony. The twelfth day of the ninth lunar month is also an auspicious day for the wedding. What do you think?"

Old Master Wang looked at his son and daughter-in-law. Shopkeeper Wang nodded: "I'll listen to you, Father."

Wang Xiu also said, "The eighth day of the sixth lunar month is auspicious, with seven more days to prepare. The wedding will be on the twelfth of the ninth lunar month, right after the autumn harvest, so as not to interfere with farm work."

"Then it's settled," said Grandpa Wang.

Aunt Chen happily returned to the Lu family to share the good news.

The Lu family was already waiting. Seeing Aunt Chen return, Zhao hurried to greet her: "Aunt Chen, how did it go?"

"It's settled!" Aunt Chen smiled. "The Wang family has agreed. The engagement ceremony will be held on the eighth day of the sixth lunar month, and the wedding will be on the twelfth day of the ninth lunar month."

The courtyard was filled with joy. Lu Dashan rubbed his hands together, chuckling. Lu Xiaoshan also laughed, "Brother, you're getting married!"

Lu Tiezhu said to Aunt Chen, "Thank you for your hard work. Please stay for dinner."

"No, no, I still have to go and relay messages to both families," said Aunt Chen. "The Wang family said that the bride price is just a token amount, they don't care about that. But you two need to hurry up and fix up the house and make the furniture, so that the girl won't suffer."

"Definitely, definitely."

After seeing Aunt Chen off, the Lu family gathered in the main room. Zhao took out the calendar and turned to the eighth day of the sixth month: "Seven days left, we need to hurry and prepare."

The things to prepare for the engagement were: a pair of silver bracelets, two bolts of cloth, four kinds of gifts, and an engagement letter. The Lu family couldn't afford the silver bracelets, so Zhao decided to melt down and remake a pair of silver earrings that were kept at the bottom of her chest.

"Mother, those earrings were left to you by Grandma..." Lu Qingyan said.

"It's alright, it's melted." Zhao was very firm. "Yunniang is one of our family now that she's married into the family, we can't mistreat her."

Lu Qingyan thought for a moment: "I'll go to town to submit the manuscript tomorrow and get some money. If that's not enough, I can get an advance on the manuscript fee."

"No need," Lu Tiezhu said. "My family has money."

He took out a cloth bag containing loose silver coins he had saved over the years—including wages paid by Lu Xiaoshan, household expenses provided by Lu Qingyan, money from selling honeysuckle, and money given by Lu Tiechuan. The coins, in small amounts, totaled a little over four taels.

"It's enough to repair the house, make furniture, and hold a banquet," Lu Tiezhu said. "Keep the money for Qingyan; you'll need it for expenses in the prefectural city."

Before Lu Qingyan could say anything more, Madam Zhao waved her hand: "Listen to your father. You're going to take the imperial examinations; you can't skimp on that."

The Lu family was busy for the next few days.

Lu Dashan and Lu Xiaoshan went to the back mountain to cut wood in preparation for making furniture. Zhao Shi, along with Tao Hua and Shun Hua, made new quilts—the fabric was fine cotton cloth that Wang Xiu had given them during the Dragon Boat Festival, soft and breathable. Lu Tiezhu hired the village's bricklayers to discuss how to renovate the west room—it was intended for Lu Dashan's wedding.

Lu Qingyan wasn't idle either. He finished writing a storybook, went to town to collect his payment—two taels of silver. He then went to the bookseller's to take on new work, receiving an advance of one tael as a deposit. Adding this to his previous savings, he had more than four taels of silver in hand.

He kept two taels for his journey to the prefectural city, and gave the rest to Zhao: "Mother, take this."

Zhao declined, saying, "You keep it..."

"There are many expenses at home," Lu Qingyan said. "I'm going to the prefectural city with Brother Zhang, so it won't cost much."

Only then did Zhao accept it.

On the seventh day of the sixth lunar month, Lu Qingyan went to the Wang family—posing as Lu Dashan's younger brother—to deliver some mountain produce. Old Master Wang received him.

"Qingyan is here, please have a seat."

"Grandpa Wang." Lu Qingyan put down the mountain goods. "These are mushrooms I picked myself, dried. They're great for making soup."

"That's thoughtful of you." Old Master Wang looked at him. "I heard you're taking the academy entrance exam in August?"

"Yes."

"Study hard," said Grandpa Wang. "Your eldest brother is getting married, so you must also be successful. If you brothers help each other, this family will be fine."

"The student understands."

As Lu Qingyan left the Wang family's residence, he encountered Yunniang. She was hanging clothes to dry in the courtyard. Upon seeing him, her face flushed slightly: "Cousin Qingyan."

"Cousin Yunniang," Lu Qingyan said, "the betrothal ceremony is tomorrow, and everything at home is ready. Don't worry, cousin."

Yunniang nodded and said softly, "Thank you... for not minding."

"Cousin, you flatter me," Lu Qingyan said earnestly. "It's my elder brother's good fortune."

On the way back, Lu Qingyan thought about Yunniang's words. Women in this era had it so tough; the slightest disturbance could ruin their lives. Yunniang was truly lucky to have found a family willing to accept her.

But he knew even more that behind the good fortune lay the goodwill and choices of both families.

Back home, Lu Dashan was polishing furniture in the yard. He was very meticulous, making every part smooth and flat.

"Brother," Lu Qingyan walked over, "you're getting engaged tomorrow, are you nervous?"

Lu Dashan chuckled sheepishly, "A little."

"Cousin Yunniang is a good girl."

"I know." Lu Dashan stopped what he was doing. "I will treat her well."

This is a simple statement, but it is true.

At night, Lu Qingyan packed his luggage under the lamp. He was to leave for the prefectural city at the beginning of July, which meant he had a little over twenty days to go. During this time, his elder brother was getting engaged, the family needed to repair their house, and he also had to prepare for the imperial examination.