Chapter 79

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Bao'er's father and elder brother were unloading gifts from the back of the carriage, one by one, filling an entire cart. At this moment, several neighboring households had also noticed that the Lu family's runaway daughter had returned. They all looked at Lu Xueqi with curious eyes, examining the carriage she had returned in and the gifts being unloaded.

Lu Xueqi's heart was pounding, feeling extremely nervous. She took a few deep breaths in front of the gate, then walked up the steps.

The main gate opened, and Lu Xueqi's mother came out with several maids. Lu Xueqi looked at her mother and suddenly felt a lump in her throat, her nose tingling. "Mother!" she couldn't help but call out, running to her mother and throwing herself into her arms.

"My child." Lu Mother opened her arms and tightly hugged her daughter. "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back. Come, let's go home."

In the living room, Lu Father had already come out of his study and was sitting in the hall, his expression stern. Lu Xueqi walked forward, "Father."

Lu Weizhang slapped the table, "You still remember you have a father? Didn't you run away with that Liu boy? Why are you back?" His tone was harsh at first, but he couldn't continue, tears welling up in his eyes. He had only one precious daughter, raised for eighteen years, and now she had run away with another man, which was very painful for a father.

"Let's not talk about that." Lu Mother interrupted her husband. In her view, it wasn't bad for her daughter to be with the Liu boy. The two children had been close from the beginning, but later, because of the dowry from the Zhou family, there was trouble, and the two young ones even tried to elope. In the end, although her daughter didn't leave, the Liu boy had to leave his hometown, and her daughter was also rejected by the Zhou family. For two whole years, her daughter hadn't left the attic once.

This time, the Liu boy came to take her away, and her daughter really did elope with him. Lu Mother was actually happy about it. After all, she only had one daughter, and she hoped to see her daughter happy. Being with someone she loved was a good thing, much better than being forced to marry the lame son of the Zhou family.

However, her daughter had been away for nearly two months and suddenly returned alone, which made her somewhat worried.

"Qiqi, why did you come back alone? Where is he? Tell Mother, did you suffer any委屈 (wrong) outside? Tell Mother, and Mother will stand up for you."

"Mother, we are fine. He came back yesterday, and he has been promoted to the position of Inspector at Tiger Head Pass, a ninth-rank military official." Lu Xueqi quickly defended her lover and eagerly shared the good news of his promotion with her parents.

Lu Mother wasn't too concerned about whether Liu Jun was an official; she only cared about whether he treated her daughter well.

Lu Weizhang was somewhat surprised and couldn't help but ask, "Didn't Liu Jiye join the local militia led by Chunjiang? How did he become the Inspector at Tiger Head Pass?"

"He originally joined the local militia with Chunjiang. Recently, Jiye and his subordinates participated in two anti-bandit operations, earning significant merit. He was recognized by the military commissioner Zhao Bingxian and the magistrate Mei Gong, and thus was promoted to the position of Inspector at Tiger Head Pass. The local militia, now that Chunjiang is preparing for the imperial exams and has no time to participate, has been transferred to Jiye's command and moved to Tiger Head Pass."

Lu Weizhang nodded, not making a judgment, but he secretly praised this future son-in-law, thinking that Liu Jiye had some talent.

Lu Mother then asked anxiously, "Why didn't he come over? And what about where you are living now? It's not clear. When does he plan to formally propose?"

Lu Xueqi hadn't expected her mother to ask about this so soon, and the tone of her voice clearly indicated that she didn't oppose their marriage. She felt a surge of joy in her heart. She hadn't considered her parents' perspective, but now, the Lu family had no choice but to agree to their marriage and let Liu Jun come to propose and marry her daughter.

The longer this situation dragged on, the worse it would be for the Lu family's and Xueqi's reputation.

In fact, Lu Father and Lu Mother had already agreed that as long as Liu Jun could give their daughter a decent wedding, they would not oppose it.

Lu Xueqi felt elated and quickly said, "Jiye is still at home. He asked me to come back first. He has invited Chunjiang to come over and propose on his behalf. Father, Mother, please grant your blessing. I will marry no one but Jiye!"

"Agreed, agreed, we agree." Lu Mother hurriedly said.

The matter went much more smoothly than expected. Not long after Lu Xueqi returned home, Li Chunjiang arrived with Liu Jun's friends, bringing gifts.

Li Chunjiang was a jieyuan (top scholar in the provincial exam) and a juren (scholar-official), and he was also a prominent young member of the Li family, one of the four major clans in Macheng. As Liu Jun's good friend, it was natural for him to propose on Liu Jun's behalf.

The Lu family served them fine tea and the best pastries.

"Try these fruits; they are the best from our Lu family's southern goods shop." Lu Weizhang was very polite to Li Chunjiang.

After some pleasantries, they got to the main topic. Li Chunjiang formally proposed on behalf of Liu Jun, and Lu Weizhang did not raise any objections, nodding in agreement. They then exchanged the birth dates and times of the couple to check for compatibility at the temple. This was a formality, and for a few taels of silver, the temple officials would say that the couple was a perfect match.

After this procedure, the marriage was almost finalized.

The next important step was the presentation of the dowry. Once the dowry was presented, the engagement would be official, and a marriage contract would be written. With a marriage contract, the union would be legally recognized and protected. Lu Weizhang invited Li Chunjiang and his friends to a sumptuous lunch at the Lu residence.

Li Chunjiang was flushed from drinking before he was finally let go. They rode their horses to Xibay.

"Brother Jiye, I have not failed you; the matter is done!" As soon as they entered the Liu residence, Li Chunjiang shouted loudly, and the whole Liu family heard him.

Liu Lao asked Liu Jun, "What did you ask Li Gong to do?"

Liu Jun had not mentioned this to his family before, so he said, "I asked Gong to go to the Lu family to propose on my behalf today."

Liu Lao's face darkened. He had always been against this marriage. He thought the Lu girl was not virtuous and had a bad reputation. He had opposed it before, and now that his son was an official, he opposed it even more. His son's status now required a better match, not necessarily beautiful, but virtuous and obedient.

Seeing his father's dark expression, Liu Jun guessed he would oppose it and quickly said, "Father, my marriage is my decision. Please don't interfere, okay?"

Liu Lao was furious but saw the determination in Liu Jun's eyes. He knew that even if he opposed, Liu Jun wouldn't listen. He had opposed before, but Liu Jun still brought the Lu girl to the county and lived with her.

"Son, have you reconsidered?"

"There's nothing to reconsider. I hope you can bless us."

Liu Xiu nodded reluctantly, his eyes dim.

Liu Mother was also unhappy about the marriage, but she only complained a bit to Liu Jun and didn't say more. It was his elder sister-in-law who supported them, "Second Uncle, marriage is a big decision, but it's also a personal one. You will be together for life. Most people have no choice and must follow their parents' wishes. You and the Lu girl fell in love at first sight and overcame many obstacles. Now that you are finally together, you should cherish it. Don't worry about what others think; choose based on your own feelings. I support you."

Liu Jun was surprised by his sister-in-law's words but also sensed that she was unhappy with her own marriage. She had no choice then and has even less choice now, but she hoped that Liu Jun and the Lu girl, who were in love, could have a happy ending.

With the initial agreement from his family, Liu Jun acted swiftly.

That day, he and his friends went on a big shopping spree to prepare the dowry. The next morning, Liu Jun set out with a group, including Li Chunjiang and his friends, as well as his father Liu Xiu and elder brother Liu Zhao.

Liu Jun's dowry was quite generous: 99 taels of gold, 999 taels of silver, and 1314 strings of copper coins, which he specifically requested to symbolize their lifelong love.

In addition to the money, which was worth about 3000 taels of silver, there were also many bolts of silk, brocade, and gold and silver jewelry, totaling 88 baskets.

The procession was grand, stretching into a long line. Fortunately, Liu Jun had earned a lot of money recently and had saved a considerable amount. Li Chunjiang also generously sponsored him, and his friends contributed many gifts, allowing Liu Jun to put on a lavish show.

He himself didn't care much about the show, but he had taken Xueqi away before, which had damaged her and the Lu family's reputation. This grand procession was to save face for the Lu family and Xueqi. The Lu family, being wealthy merchants, didn't really care about the dowry; it was more for show.

The hired porters wore red vests, and the lacquer boxes were tied with red silk flowers, forming a long, festive line. People on both sides of the street gathered to watch, "Whose family is this, such a grand procession?"

"Yes, I haven't seen such a grand procession in a long time, 88 baskets."

"88 baskets are nothing. I heard there are 99 taels of gold, 999 taels of silver, and over 1000 strings of copper coins. The gold, silver, and copper are all being transported by carts, not included in the 88 baskets." A well-informed person said.

"Over 1000 strings of copper coins, that's several thousand pounds. Of course, they can't be carried by porters; otherwise, it would take dozens of people to carry them."

"Whose family is this, making such a grand proposal?"

"The Liu family from Xibay, the second son of Scholar Liu, Liu Erleng."

"Don't call him that; he's now a ninth-rank official, an inspector."

"Who is he marrying?"

"Of course, it's the Lu family's daughter."

Hearing this, many people were surprised. The story of Liu Erleng and the Lu family's daughter was not news in Xibay. Recently, Liu Jun had come to propose and the Lu girl had eloped with him, causing a stir. Later, it was said that Liu Jun had bought a house in the county and lived with the Lu girl before marriage.

Now, people thought Liu Jun, as an official, was making a grand proposal to some other girl, but they were surprised to hear it was still the Lu girl. Many women secretly praised the Lu girl for her good fortune and Liu Erleng for his loyalty, not abandoning his old love after becoming wealthy.

When Liu Jun arrived at the Lu residence, the Lu family had already set off firecrackers, and the atmosphere was festive. The Lu family had decorated the house with lanterns and banners, creating a joyful scene.

"Uncle, Aunt."

Liu Jun dismounted, entered the residence, and respectfully greeted Lu Weizhang and his wife in the hall. Li Chunjiang had people bring in eight pairs of wild ducks and then presented the dowry list.

Liu Lao stood there, forcing a smile, "Brother Lu, Sister-in-law."

Lu Weizhang and his wife were smiling, greeting everyone and taking the list. They were slightly surprised when they glanced at it. They knew the Liu family's background, just a common scholar family with a hundred acres of land. Today, the dowry was so generous, at least several thousand taels of silver.

The Liu family had given the Lu family a lot of face, and Lu Weizhang's smile became even brighter, truly happy.

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