The engagement ceremony in the Dayuan Dynasty is generally divided into six steps: Nacai (betrothal gifts), Wenming (name inquiry), Najin (auspicious acceptance), Nazheng (auspicious betrothal), Qingqi (setting the wedding date), and Qinying (wedding escort).

 

During this period, there are also three letters involved: Pinshu (betrothal letter), Lishu (gift letter), and Yingqinshu (wedding escort letter).

 

The Jing family did not take shortcuts or skip any steps because they received the Lin family’s agreement. That would belittle Chuxia.

 

Completing all six steps and the three letters impeccably was what Jing Mother had in mind. She wanted to make the gossipy neighbors in Wangjiazhuang envy them.

 

The first steps were Nacai and Wenming. Since Wangjiazhuang was closer to the town than Xiwancun, Jing Mother didn’t want anyone to look down on the Jing family or mock Yuanyuan and Chuxia. She specifically used her connections and spent money to hire a renowned matchmaker in town named Hua Sao. It was said that she had a flawless record in successful matches.

 

It was a bit costly. The average matchmaker’s fee, including the betrothal gifts, was only one hundred wen, but Hua Sao charged half a tael of silver for her services. However, Jing Mother believed it was worth the silver. When she saw Hua Sao, she looked blessed, gentle, and spoke eloquently. She could praise people in a way that touched their hearts.

 

The Nacai and Wenming went smoothly as both families tacitly avoided mentioning their prior discussions.

 

As Jing Mother had expected, Hua Sao’s arrival caused a sensation in Wangjiazhuang. Coincidentally, a woman from the village had previously attended a relative’s wedding in town and had seen Hua Sao.

 

When the woman’s husband heard that it was Hua Sao who had just passed by, the atmosphere immediately became excited, and everyone speculated about which family had such a big occasion. Although they saw her going towards the village, they didn’t dare to follow and see, as offending a matchmaker was not a good idea.

 

After completing the Nacai and Wenming, Hua Sao was very satisfied with this marriage. Both families were kind and harmonious. The young man looked tall, handsome, capable, and the young lady was beautiful, elegant, gentle, and articulate. They were a perfect match. She estimated that her reputation would spread further.

 

As she was about to return to the town, she was approached by several men and women from wangzjiahuang with great enthusiasm. They asked whose joyous occasion it was and expressed their desire to share in the joy of a village.

 

Hua Sao heard the flattering questions but looked down upon them inwardly. However, she didn’t show it on her face and demonstrated her professional etiquette befitting half a tael of silver. She briefly mentioned the marriage between the Jing and Lin families and praised Jing Yi and Chuxia, with a particular emphasis on the Jing family and Jing Yi, hoping to silence and envy them.

 

Satisfied with her praises, she left.

 

Those who had good or average relationships with the Lin family dispersed after hearing the news, thinking of finding Lin Mother to congratulate him when they had the chance.

 

There were people who didn’t like Lin Mother, had grievances with the Lin family, or simply enjoyed spreading rumors. Several of them looked at each other in surprise when they heard it was Chuxia from the Lin family.

 

If it had been a year ago, they might have believed it, but the Lin family had been through a lot in the past year. They offended Mr. Liu, and their eldest daughter was sent back home. Who in a respectable family would be interested in marrying Lin Chuxia?!

 

“Well, who knows where that guy from Chuxia’s family appeared from? Maybe the Lin family deceived someone.”

 

“Oh, you dare to say that? Didn’t Old Lin go to your husband last time because of Wang Yuanyuan?”

 

“Enough arguing! In my opinion, maybe it’s just a poor family trying to put up a facade. Who knows how much suffering Lin Chuxia will endure when he marries into that family? Not to mention what happened with their daughter.”

 

“That’s right, that’s right.”

 

A few people here were speaking maliciously and making sarcastic remarks, but they didn’t dare to speak loudly, fearing that it would reach the ears of the Lin family. It was just a way for them to vent their frustrations.

 

Since then, whenever there was something related to the Lin family, they didn’t feel worthy of mentioning it.

 

Reaching the stage of “Najin,” which is when the man presents gifts to his beloved and officially establishes the marriage, there are certain rules for gift-giving. The top-tier gift should include wild geese, but wild geese are not ordinary items, so most families would substitute them with chickens, ducks, or geese. Other gifts depend on individual circumstances.

 

Some well-connected relatives would also have a pre-engagement meal together to show their importance.

 

Jing Yi had previously learned about the process of engagement and wanted to give Chuxia the best. So for Najin, he definitely intended to present wild geese.

 

He asked the matchmaker to delay the Najin date so that he could prepare the gifts. He also informed the matchmaker that two days after Najin, they would have an engagement meal together at Jixian Pavilion in town.

 

When the matchmaker heard this, she was surprised that the Jing family’s son could arrange an engagement meal at Jixian Pavilion. Although the matchmaker wouldn’t attend the meal, it would still give her face to spread the news.

 

Without a second thought, Jing Yi put aside his current tasks and went to Wangjiazhuang. He even thoughtfully rented a donkey cart.

 

The matchmaker calculated the Najin date as the 26th of the tenth month, and the engagement meal would be on the 28th. Both were auspicious days. It was currently mid-October, so they had plenty of time.

 

Jing Yi didn’t let his parents worry about the Najin gifts; he wanted to prepare them himself.

 

The most important gift was the wild geese.

 

Initially, Jing Yi planned to hunt them himself to show his sincerity and face. But after some thought, he abandoned that plan. He knew his own skills and realized he was better at hunting on the ground rather than in the sky. He also needed to keep the geese alive, which depended on luck. Moreover, they didn’t have a powerful bow at home, and he wasn’t sure if ordinary people could even buy one. There were too many limitations.

 

He had no choice but to go to the market in town, but he wasn’t satisfied with what he saw. Could those be called wild geese? They were only slightly larger than sparrows.

 

After searching the town’s pier, he still hadn’t found anything satisfactory.

 

In desperation, he sought help from the manager of Jixian Pavilion. It was indeed impressive how well he managed affairs in the capital. Jing Yi spent five taels of silver to buy a pair of genuine “big” geese. Although it was expensive, there was no other way. They came from the county town, so transportation costs had to be considered.

 

By the time the geese arrived, it was already the 24th of October, and the other gifts were also ready.

 

Jing Yi had prepared quite a few gifts for Najin. He had a pair of live wild geese, a pair of wild rabbits, two pieces of fine cotton cloth, two jars of wild honey he found in the mountains, and two boxes of Yunzhi Pavilion’s pastry gifts from town.

 

Jing Yi indeed put a lot of thought into preparing the Najin gifts. Normally, Najin gifts were relatively simple because there were still subsequent steps like Nazheng and Qinying, and some families would even skip this step if they were not particular or didn’t have enough resources.

 

But Jing Yi wanted Chuxia to feel his sincerity and love.

 

The custom in the Dayuan Dynasty was for the prospective groom to deliver the gifts to the brother’s home. He could bring one or two unmarried brothers or good friends along. After delivering the gifts, they would sit for a while and have a cup of tea. If there were no objections from the brother’s family, they would give a gift of sugar to express their agreement with the marriage and bless the couple with a sweet and happy future.

 

On the day of Najin, which was the 26th of October, the whole family woke up early and placed the gifts on a cart, securing them with red cloth strips. They pushed the cart and brought along Jing’an, their young son, and their third uncle’s unmarried cousin, Jing Feng, and headed to Wangjiazhuang.

 

Upon entering Wangjiazhuang, the villagers recognized the red cloth strips on the cart and knew that it was delivering Najin gifts to someone’s home. Recently, the only person in the village who was getting married was Chuxia from the Lin family, so many people approached to see what kind of person he was, given the extravagant praises that the matchmaker had sung about him.

 

After observing, it was evident that the rumors were not unfounded. Chuxia’s appearance and stature were indeed exceptional. He was amiable in demeanor and spoke with confidence. Truly, he was a good prospective son-in-law.

 

However, some people started to feel bitter.

 

Looking at the Najin gifts, it was clear that they were not ordinary. The pair of live wild geese alone were not something that an average farming family could afford or obtain. Moreover, the meat, cloth, and pastries on the cart were all valuable items. Why were they given to the Lin family?

 

Those who were already sour began to feel even more jealous.

 

As they continued chatting with the villagers along the way, they arrived at the Lin family’s home. Some relatives who had close ties with the Lin family or those who loved joining in the excitement did not leave. They also wanted to partake in the joy of Najin.

 

The Najin ceremony went smoothly, and after the three Jing brothers had a cup of tea, Father Lin handed Jing Yi a prepared piece of sugar as a symbol of agreement with the marriage.

 

When Jing Yi received it and took a look, it happened to be from Yunzhi Pavilion. Judging from the high-end packaging and the size of the sugar cube, it must have cost quite a bit of money and effort. Jing Yi’s heart was filled with warmth and excitement.

 

The onlookers couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. The Lin family was indeed generous, and it seemed they were highly satisfied with this prospective son-in-law. Well, with such an impressive appearance and being financially well-off (because of the generous Najin gifts), who wouldn’t be happy to have him as a son-in-law?

 

Having completed the entire process, Jing Yi returned home with his two younger brothers.

 

Before leaving, he looked at the villagers inside and outside the Lin family’s courtyard and said to Mr. and Mrs. Lin, “Uncle Lin, Aunt Lin, thank you for your hospitality. The day after tomorrow, my parents will host a banquet at Jixiange Restaurant in town. I sincerely invite both of you and your family to join us.”

 

He finished speaking, his tongue almost tying itself in knots.

 

“Alright, nephew. We’ll see you at Jixiange Restaurant then,” Father Lin responded, his demeanor stiffening a bit. After all, his nephew had come forward.

 

“Then we’ll take our leave. Please stay,” Jing Yi said, and after bidding farewell, he took his two brothers and returned to Xiwancun village, leaving the envious and resentful villagers of Wangjiazhuang to deal with the socializing and entertainment for the Lin family.

 

After both families enjoyed the betrothal feast, the engagement temporarily came to a close. The remaining steps, Nazheng (proposing the wedding date) and Qinying (wedding gifts), could be postponed according to the Lin family. They suggested waiting until two years later when they would actually get married.

 

However, Jing Yi didn’t want to wait that long, and his parents also felt that preparing the wedding gifts after such a long time would not be ideal. If they rushed to prepare the gifts now, it wouldn’t look substantial, and the gifts themselves wouldn’t be very impressive.

 

Therefore, after careful consideration, they decided to set the date for the engagement gifts in the summer of the following year. By then, the engagement gifts had to be grand and impressive. They also invited the matchmaker to witness the confirmation of the date.

 

In ancient times, the six traditional betrothal gifts held great significance. Although the wedding would take place two years later, since Jing Yi and Chuxia already had a legitimate fiancé status, appropriate interactions would no longer raise any suspicion.

 

At the same time, in preparation for their new life, Jing Yi began thinking about expanding his own business. As the weather turned colder, business became slower. Tea eggs were still in high demand, but cold soups and cold cakes were selling less and less. Previously, he could close the stall by around 1 p.m., but now, even by 2 p.m., he might not be able to sell everything.

 

Jing Yi thought to himself, “It’s time to introduce the spicy hot pot from the time-traveling handbook.”