thedancenovel Chapter 585: Why Propose Only Now?
Chapter 585: Why Propose Only Now?
Signing the contract and affixing fingerprints was Tong Huaqiong’s idea.
Of course, this wasn’t the first time such a thing was done. Anyone working at Tong Huaqiong’s, whether short-term field laborers or long-term shop workers, had to sign a contract.
Only by signing a contract would everyone respect the job and minimize the chances of taking shortcuts.
For instance, if the verbal rule is to impose a tenfold penalty and a permanent ban for cutting corners on sewing cotton-padded clothes, someone might still try their luck. But if it’s written in a contract, with clear black and white confirmation, it becomes more intimidating.
Initially, everyone was rather reserved, but they relaxed once they received their cotton and cloth.
Su Qing continually emphasized that payment was calculated per item, and submissions were due every five days— the more one worked, the more one earned.
Hearing this, everyone started calculating how many cotton-padded clothes they could sew with the cotton and cloth they received, pleasantly imagining that what they held was not clothes, but money.
Young women thought about earning money to buy flowers to wear in town or saving for a dowry. Young wives thought of getting new clothes for their children and buying snacks. The older women thought of using the money to celebrate a prosperous year.
Everyone smiled and bid farewell to Tong Huaqiong, heading towards their homes.
After all, the sooner they finished sewing, the sooner they could get paid. After completing one batch, there would be another.
Those who didn’t receive work in the first batch crowded around Tong Huaqiong to ask how soon they could get some. Tong Huaqiong understood their eagerness to earn money since there were few earning opportunities during the farming off-season in the countryside.
Everyone was eager to be assigned work.
Tong Huaqiong didn’t promise a specific time, only mentioning that as long as the Weaving Workshop’s cotton and fabric reached a certain quantity, they would immediately assign tasks to everyone.
The Weaving Workshop was fully prepared, with cotton machines and looms running from dawn to dusk.
Tong Huaqiong asked He Chao to gather some craftsmen from surrounding counties to assemble looms with Gu Daqiao.
Everyone was full of energy, working without a break during the day and even by oil lamps into the night.
Tong Huaqiong didn’t like everyone working so hard, but the cotton-padded clothes for the border area needed to be rushed. Since taking on the task was like a military order, failing to deliver on time would cause big trouble.
Fortunately, the female workers had no complaints and even comforted Tong Huaqiong, saying that being in the Weaving Workshop was neither too hot nor too cold, with food to eat and money to earn, making it much better than working in the fields. Not to mention working till late night, they were even willing to work overnight if necessary.
While the Weaving Workshop was bustling, Mr. Lu and Huang Yuanwai had already mobilized shopkeepers and clerks to stockpile a large amount of cotton.
Tong Huaqiong also used all of Aunt Tang’s twenty thousand taels of silver to stockpile cotton.
When Mr. Lu sent people to deliver the cotton to Qinghe Bay, Tong Huaqiong was acting as a matchmaker in Pingchuan, helping Magistrate Yao propose marriage.
Fortunately, the proposal went smoothly.
With someone as capable as Yao Family and his solid background proposing to the Lian Family’s concubine daughter, it couldn’t have gone poorly.
Aunt Tang was worried that the Lian Family’s legitimate wife and her three sons might sabotage it, so she kept it under wraps. Mr. Lian only learned about it five days before the proposal, while Mrs. Hua and the others only heard about it the morning of the proposal.
Mr. Lian was initially furious, believing that marriage should be decided by the parents, and Lian Hengruo making the decision on his own without a word was unacceptable.
But upon learning that the suitor was Magistrate Yao, he couldn’t stay angry, his face breaking into a smile full of wrinkles.
For ages, merchants have desired to elevate their family status, hoping for a scholarly family member to pursue an official career, even if they were wealthy. He had made great efforts to send the second son of the Lian family to study at Wanliu Academy, yet he learned nothing from it and ended up completely wasted.
The eldest son was wholly focused on business, and the youngest son didn’t seem promising in pursuing the imperial examination while attending the county’s private school.
When Mr. Lian started blaming the poor feng shui of their ancestors’ tombs, suddenly having a magistrate son-in-law from a Shéng Jīng family boosted his spirits.
In his excitement, Mr. Lian added extra to Lian Hengruo’s dowry.
When Mrs. Hua and their sons and daughters-in-law learned that Magistrate Yao was proposing, they thought Aunt Tang had gone mad. They couldn’t understand how a merchant’s concubine daughter could catch the eye of a noble and powerful family.
It wasn’t until Magistrate Yao and Tong Huaqiong arrived that they believed it to be true.
Tong Huaqiong noticed Mrs. Hua’s face was unpleasant from beginning to end.
Apart from Mrs. Hua’s expression, the engagement process went smoothly, and the engagement letters were exchanged, setting the wedding for the following spring.
The Yao Family sent an old steward from Shengjing to help Magistrate Yao prepare for the wedding. Initially, the Yao Family intended for Magistrate Yao to return to the capital for his year-end report and marry Lian Hengruo there.
Magistrate Yao rejected this, setting the wedding in Ning City.
Due to the Yao Family’s rules, aristocratic wives had to remain at home to care for the elderly and manage the household. Magistrate Yao didn’t want Lian Hengruo confined in Shengjing’s inner quarters.
He planned to bring Lian Hengruo to the Yao Family when he would be transferred to Shengjing.
Tong Huaqiong learned these details from Aunt Tang, who praised Magistrate Yao for his thoughtfulness inside and out.
Tong Huaqiong also thought Magistrate Yao’s actions were rare for a good man during these times.
On the way back from the Lian Family, Tong Huaqiong couldn’t hold back her curiosity anymore and asked Magistrate Yao why, as the son of a prestigious family, he delayed his engagement until now. Magistrate Yao helplessly explained that he had three engagements arranged by his family, one of which was a childhood betrothal, but he never even met the first two fiancées, one died young, and the other died from illness.
The third one became a concubine in the palace while he was studying at Wanliu Academy.
Because of the experiences from the first two engagements, he acquired a reputation for bringing bad luck to his wives.
He explained everything to Lian Hengruo, and she said she was tough and not afraid, so they immediately hit it off and got together.
Tong Huaqiong: "..."
While in Pingchuan County, it was natural for her to visit Jufu Supermarket, and fortunately, everything there met her satisfaction.
Tong Huaqiong didn’t get back to Qinghe Bay until the afternoon of the following day.
Gu Taohua came up to ask, "Mother, was Heng Ruo and Lord Yao’s engagement smooth?"
Noticing Gu Taohua’s gaze repeatedly darting towards the direction of the private school, Tong Huaqiong followed it and saw Gu Ruinian standing in front of the school gate.
"Smoothly, the wedding is set for next spring," Tong Huaqiong said loudly.
She understood Gu Taohua’s intention.
Gu Ruinian most wanted to marry Lian Hengruo, and now his dream was entirely shattered. Tong Huaqiong didn’t mind stabbing him in the chest again.
Hearing the news of Lian Hengruo and Magistrate Yao’s engagement, Gu Ruinian’s eyes were instantly filled with hatred.
His leg, his current predicament, were all thanks to Lian Hengruo and the mother-daughter duo of Tong Huaqiong and Gu Taohua.
What made him even angrier was that he currently had no way to retaliate and could only watch as Lian Hengruo became the magistrate’s wife and Tong Huaqiong’s Weaving Workshop business boomed.
Gu Ruinian could barely catch a breather from under Mrs. Gu’s control, using the excuse of gathering firewood to make his way to the private school. He previously looked down upon a village teacher like Mr. Su, but this time he lowered his head to visit Mr. Su in hopes of finding a way to return to the path of the imperial examination.
Encountering Tong Huaqiong and Gu Taohua again only made him feel more discontent.
Tong Huaqiong and Gu Taohua headed towards the weaving workshop, while Gu Ruinian glared resentfully at their backs, then let out a cold laugh.
He stood by the window and listened to Mr. Su’s lecture for a while.
It seemed he discovered Mr. Su’s secret.