mtl008 Chapter 120 Don't Force Me to Get Married
Chapter 120 Don't Force Me to Get Married
The day for the formal marriage ceremony was the 18th day of the twelfth lunar month, an auspicious day.
Qian Haiduo arrived early with Mr. Fan.
Lu Tao and the others had also prepared incense, candles, wine, tea, and pastries in advance.
They also prepared a red envelope and a gift for Qian Fulai.
The first step in establishing a godparent relationship is to inform the ancestors, which means telling them about the matter.
Qian Haiduo knew that Tian Tian's family had been kicked out by the Tian family, so he simply ignored this step.
The second step, paying respects to ancestors, can also be skipped.
They immediately performed the kneeling and bowing ceremony.
Tian Tian bowed to Qian Haiduo and his wife, while Qian Fulai bowed to Lu Tao.
Then tea is served and gifts are exchanged.
Finally, with Mr. Fan as a witness, Tian Tian and Qian Fulai signed a sworn brotherhood agreement.
"Big Brother," Tian Tian called out confidently.
Qian Fulai awkwardly began, "Second Sister."
He scratched his head, still somewhat dazed. Had they really become siblings just like that?
Why, why do I feel a bit disappointed, something I can't quite explain?
Qian Fulai looked up at his parents, who were fussing over Tian Tian, and thought to himself that he must feel this way because his parents would care about Tian Tian more in the future.
definitely is!
Qian Fulai rallied his spirits, raised his head, and said, "Godmother."
He called out to Liu San Niang, "Aunt Liu."
Lu Tao and Liu San Niang became sworn sisters.
"Eldest sister, third sister, little brother."
The names called were Tian Xiang, Qin Youyou, and Tian Jinghe.
Tian Xiang smiled and nodded, taking the purse he handed her. Inside the purse were a few taels of loose silver.
Qin Youyou and Tian Jinghe also have them.
"Thank you, brother," the three said in unison.
Qian Fulai nodded sheepishly.
Over there, Qian Haiduo and his wife prepared many gifts for Tian Tian, from hair accessories to jewelry, to clothes, and small trinkets to play with.
Lu Tao felt embarrassed by all the gifts. She only prepared purses, clothes, and shoes for Qian Fulai, and nothing else.
She glanced at Liu San Niang, who shook her head, meaning not to worry about it so much.
It was originally the Qian family who proposed the idea of adopting godparents, so it's only natural that they value it more.
Tian Tian also sensed the importance that the Qian family valued her. "Godfather, Godmother, don't worry, I will definitely work with my elder brother to make Fulai Restaurant famous throughout Daqi!"
"well."
*
There are only twelve days left until the Lunar New Year.
Lu Tao and Liu San Niang invited Madam Qian to go shopping for New Year's goods.
Lu Tao planned to go back to see her parents; she had bought the most New Year's gifts.
In addition to the food, clothing, and daily necessities for the four members of the family, there were also the food, clothing, and daily necessities for the maternal family members.
Her parents, eldest brother and sister-in-law, two nephews, and one niece.
“I have two nephews, one should be eighteen and the other sixteen, and my niece is fourteen.”
Lu Tao became more talkative when she thought about seeing her parents in a few days.
"I wonder if they've gotten engaged yet."
“My niece was beautiful when she was little, and she’ll be of marriageable age next year. Come to think of it… I haven’t seen her for seven or eight years.”
"Your two nephews should be getting married by now, huh? After all, they're already so old."
Liu San Niang listened to her mutterings with a faint smile on her face.
Having witnessed the coldness of human nature after her husband's injury, she wasn't so optimistic about Lu Tao's family.
If her family valued her, they wouldn't have ignored Lu Tao after Tian Zhiyuan's death.
Of course, it's also possible that the Lu family is unaware of this matter.
“Third Sister, we’re family now. Why don’t you come back to your parents’ home with me?” Lu Tao turned to ask Liu Third Sister.
Madam Qian was unaware of Lu Tao's family background, only knowing that Liu San Niang was currently unmarried and had become sworn sisters with Lu Tao. Therefore, she agreed with Lu Tao's suggestion.
“Sure, it would be nice to spend the New Year at Sister Lu’s house. It’s much better than you and Youyou being alone together.”
Madam Qian took Lu Tao's hand and said, "We're going to pay New Year's visits on the first day of the Lunar New Year. You can go back together on the second day, and we'll get together again when you return."
She and Qian Haiduo had no relatives left.
With six days left until the Lunar New Year, Baishi Teahouse will close down.
The workers inside were officially given a holiday. After their wages were settled, Tian Tian also prepared rice, flour, and meat for them, and gave each of them a bonus of two taels of silver.
Tian Tian gave the aunties and servants she bought a holiday. They could go wherever they wanted before the shop reopened on the eighth day of the new year, as long as they came back before the eighth day.
In the following days, Lu Tao, Liu San Niang, and Madam Qian spent every day together making new clothes and sewing new shoes.
Fu Lai Restaurant did not close down and even booked several New Year's Eve dinners.
Before they knew it, it was New Year's Eve. Fulai Restaurant delivered a dozen or twenty dishes to the courtyard where Tian Tian's family was staying.
Qian Haiduo brought a jar of fine wine, and his family also arrived.
"Today is New Year's Eve, let's all drink together!" Qian Haiduo took the first sip of wine.
After drinking the beverages, everyone felt warm.
The adults' conversation eventually turned to their children's marriage.
“My Youyou… I’ll keep an eye out for her next year,” Liu San Niang chuckled.
“Youyou will be thirteen next year, it’s time to find her a husband.” Lu Tao nodded in agreement with Liu San Niang.
Qin Youyou nestled shyly into Tian Tian's arms, her voice barely audible, "No, I want to stay with Mother, I want to be like my second sister."
It was hard for others to hear clearly, but Tian Tian heard it perfectly: Qin Youyou said she wanted him to do the same thing.
Thinking about her plan to marry someone to bring good luck, Tian Tian quickly said, "That won't do, Youyou, you have to seriously find a good family to marry into."
"But..." Qin Youyou lifted her head from Tian Tian's embrace, "But I just want to be as smart and capable as you, Second Sister!"
"..." Tian Tian was speechless. So that's what it was.
Qin Youyou bit her lip, looked up at Liu San Niang earnestly, and said, "Mother, I want to study hard!"
"I want to be as amazing as my second sister!"
"Can you please stop pressuring me to get married?"
Liu San Niang was stunned. She wasn't trying to force Youyou into marriage, but... isn't that how everyone does it?
People get married when they reach a certain age, but many marriages are arranged without their consent.
It's quite an exception that she met Qin Han before they got married.
Now her daughter is saying these things to her...
Liu San Niang had many feelings, which finally came down to one sentence: "Alright, Mother will not force Youyou to get married."
Qin Youyou forced a smile. "Thank you, Mother."
She hugged Tian Tian happily, burying her face in Tian Tian's shoulder, "Second sister, I will definitely study hard and learn to read."
"I also want to learn arithmetic. I want to be like my second sister and be able to run a shop."
"Second sister, second sister, second sister..."
Tian Tian hugged her neck. "Okay, Youyou, keep it up."
At this moment, Tian Jinghe suddenly stood up, her little face flushed, and said in a loud voice, "Second sister, Jinghe will also study hard and learn to read and write, and in the future I will also take the imperial examination to become a scholar, so that Mother can become an official's wife and Sister can become an official's daughter."
Tian Tian blinked in surprise. This sounded so familiar. Wasn't this Tian Zhicheng's slogan?
“Jinghe, you study and learn to read to broaden your horizons and have better choices. Don’t be like those people who just want to be officials all day long.”