Chapter 2

Author: VIP Book Friend Grandpa Cat

Secretary Yang and his entourage arrived at Shigang Village on time, and the banquet officially began. Toasts were made for longevity, for the good times to come, and for good health, and then the conversation veered towards farming and planting. After a few rounds of drinks, Yang did not mention the marriage proposal from last time, and Patriarch Park had come to terms with it—after all, it was obvious that the Yang family would not readily accept such a proposal. Marriage was a serious matter, decided by parents and matchmakers. At the time, influenced by the alcohol and his wife's urging, he had proposed the idea. Later, Mrs. Park comforted her daughter in the back room, feeling guilty and wondering whether to try harder, fearing that Secretary Yang might be too shy and whether to send a matchmaker to sound him out.

In the main hall, Secretary Yang and the village head, Mr. Wang Wutong, were having a lively conversation. Mr. Wang Wutong mentioned that his ancestors had followed the "King of Min" Wang Shenzhi from Gushi County, Henan, to Fujian, where they had branched out over several hundred years. After the fall of the Southern Song Dynasty, this branch of the Wang family refused to be ruled by the Mongol Yuan and crossed the sea to Taiwan. Although the Wang family gradually returned to the mainland during the Ming Dynasty, Mr. Wang Wutong's branch remained and thrived in this land, becoming a major clan in Shigang Village.

Mr. Wang Wutong and Patriarch Park had known each other for many years. Coincidentally, their wives had become pregnant around the same time, and the two families had arranged a marriage by betrothal. However, they ended up with a daughter, so they made Park July a goddaughter. Later, the second daughter of the Wang family married the eldest son of the Park family, making them one big family. This time, regarding the marriage proposal to Secretary Yang, Mr. Wang Wutong had also been very concerned. While chatting with Secretary Yang, he was actually thinking about his goddaughter's marriage and would kick Patriarch Park's foot under the table whenever he got the chance, but Patriarch Park remained silent, which worried Mr. Wang greatly.

Patriarch Park excused himself to wash his hands and went to the back yard. It was drizzling in Tainan in winter, and the fresh grass was green from the rain. The scent of the grass permeated his anxiety, and after calming down and taking a few deep breaths, he began to ponder the marriage proposal. He needed a clear answer, not just for his own sake but for his daughter's. He had heard from the clan members who had returned from the market that the穿越集团 (Crossing Group) Manager Mei was also getting married, to a daughter of a high official from the other side. The official's daughter was already staying in an expensive hotel, waiting to be married. Considering his own family, if they were to get married, it might not be easy to secure the position of the main wife, but it would also be inappropriate to send his precious daughter to be a concubine. Perhaps Secretary Yang already had someone he loved and just didn't want to say it. Even if he was directly rejected, as long as the matter was discussed openly, they could still maintain a good relationship.

Patriarch Park made up his mind and returned to the main hall, just in time to hear Secretary Yang talking about his daughter. Seeing Patriarch Park join the table, Secretary Yang composed himself and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Patriarch Park and Village Head, for your concern. After returning home, I have carefully considered your words... I'll speak normally... In short, our Crossing Group does not advocate early marriage. Miss Park is 15 years old (16 by the Chinese age system), and it's a good time for her to grow and learn. There is a girls' school in Fort Zeelandia. Why don't we send her there? She can learn more scientific knowledge and new things from our Han-Tang Group, which will be beneficial for both the Park family and Miss Park."

As soon as he finished speaking, the hall fell silent. For a moment, Secretary Yang wondered if he had offended the Park or Wang family. Or perhaps, they thought he was directly rejecting the marriage proposal and demanding an explanation?

"Blue Sky Technical School, also known as Blue Sky Girls' School, or mistakenly as Blue Sky Courtesan School. The girls in the school are all mainland refugees, divided by age and appearance. Those of suitable age and good looks are taught music and dance, while the older and stronger ones are taught weaving and sewing." There were rumors that during the New Year, the Blue Sky Technical School organized a "Sister Group" and other dance troupes to perform for the Han-Tang Group's officials, with various seductive and lively performances. According to a security guard, they had secretly watched the performances, which were both alluring and licentious, and the performers were barely dressed, not fitting for proper women. This made the Ming people both envious and resentful, marveling at the strange tastes of the Han-Tang Group.

In fact, Miss Park later attended Chikan Elementary School, not the so-called Blue Sky Girls' School. Secretary Yang's mind was full of images of the "Sister Group," and elementary school couldn't possibly teach those things, right? With the help of a shocked security guard, Secretary Yang spent a lot of time explaining to the Ming people, who were red-faced and angry, to calm them down. If it weren't for the respect for Secretary Yang as a member of the Crossing Group, anyone else who suggested sending their daughter to learn such things would have been beaten out!

After the commotion, seeing that Patriarch Park and Mr. Wang Wutong's faces had calmed down, Secretary Yang continued, albeit hesitantly, "I have no objections to Miss Park. I just think that marriage should be based on mutual understanding and mutual affection." He looked at Patriarch Park somewhat nervously, "I don't know Miss Park very well. Why don't we wait a couple of years, get to know each other, and see if we are a good match before discussing marriage?" Secretary Yang was becoming incoherent, still shaken by the earlier situation and his indecisiveness.

"So, Secretary Yang, you are willing to consider it?" Patriarch Park guessed, somewhat confused.

"Ah, yes, I mean, I am, but I want to get to know her first," Secretary Yang felt he was getting entangled in his own words and decided to use a delaying tactic to escape the awkward situation.

"Then, Secretary Yang, are you not interested in my daughter?" Patriarch Park guessed again.

"Not at all, I just think Miss Park is quite lovely, and I want to get to know her more," (Damn it, enough!) He couldn't get out of this.

"..."

"..."

Both sides fell into a brief silence. Mr. Wang Wutong then said, "From my understanding, Secretary Yang thinks that Miss Park is still young and not ready for marriage. That's fine. Since Secretary Yang is interested, why don't we arrange a betrothal and wait a couple of years before getting married? What do you think, Secretary Yang?"

"Um, um, that's what I meant," Secretary Yang felt he was falling into a pit, with Miss Park at the bottom. "But shouldn't we date first?" In matters of the heart, Secretary Yang was never very clear-headed, and he agreed without much thought.

The establishment of Chikan Elementary School had been widely publicized by Secretary Yang's agricultural propaganda team, with both boys and girls attending and a semi-residential system. The Park family did not take it seriously. Later, when they heard that the teachers included both male and female instructors, and even two young but knowledgeable male and female teachers, their concerns about gender segregation diminished. On the first day of school, Miss Park went with a few clan members, and an elderly widow from the clan followed, ostensibly to buy things at the market but actually to ensure Miss Park's safety in the mixed environment.

The private school that the Park family boys attended was set up in a side room of Mr. Wang Wutong's backyard. The students were from the Wang and Park families and nearby villages, with only two female students, the daughters of the Wang and Park families. The private school teacher was Mr. Sun Jingzhang, the Wang family's accountant. In addition to teaching the "Three-Character Classic," "Thousand Character Text," and "Children's Must-Knows," he also taught abacus and, on good days, advanced mathematics. Miss Park's name was given by the teacher, who, after consulting with the Park family, named her Park July based on her birth month. Her family and relatives called her "Second Daughter," and the names were used interchangeably. Miss Park, being playful and well-loved, attended the private school with her brothers for over three years. Though not skilled in needlework, she could "read and write, and do basic arithmetic," which was rare for women of that era.

Before the Han-Tang Group arrived, the Park family had intended to form a marriage alliance with the Zheng family in Fujian—Mr. Wang Wutong's maritime trade business, in which the Park family had shares, mainly dealt with the red sugar trade with the northern Zhoushan Islands and the Zheng family in Fujian. Although the Dutch had tried to monopolize the trade, smuggling had never been completely eradicated. Now that the Dutch were gone and the Han-Tang Group was rising rapidly, even the Zheng family and the officials in Guangzhou were respectfully doing business with them. Mr. Wang Wutong's calculations were running wild. The Zheng family had been vague about the marriage proposal, clearly looking down on the Park family as a wealthy family on the island, not even considering a marriage alliance. Seeing the rise of the Han-Tang Group, why not form an alliance with them?

To facilitate Miss Park's education, based on Secretary Yang's recommendation, the Park and Wang families rented a house near Chikan Elementary School. The house was spacious, with two courtyards and seven rooms, the front courtyard facing the street. The front room was a shop run by the eldest son and his wife of the Wang family, dealing in seafood. The inner courtyard's west wing was Miss Park's bedroom, with a side room for a Park family servant to take care of her. Additionally, the house was close to Chikan Elementary School and Secretary Yang's agricultural office.

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