Chapter 62: Qinghe County, Cui Family
Xiaocao didn't know why Uncle Li sent her vinegar, ginger and wolfberries. First of all, she did suffer from insomnia, and secondly, how could she believe the words of that fool so easily?
During the more than ten years that Xiaocao has been seeking Taoism at Tiandao Peak in Fanjing Mountain, she has often read Taoist scriptures all night long. Over time, her sleep has been affected. In recent years, she has suffered from night sweats when she slept at night, and often lies down at midnight and wakes up in the early morning.
Being too sleepy to fall asleep is a really hard feeling.
After Uncle Li delivered the things to the room and put them down, Xiao Cao suddenly frowned and asked, "He's here?"
He, I'm talking about the man who was betrothed to her at birth. Xiaocao has known about this man several years ago. Just like she had no feelings for the eldest son of the Cui family in Qinghe, Xiaocao had no idea about the man who was betrothed to her at birth. It was as if both of them were characters who were not even passers-by in her life. I might not even be able to meet you, and there might not even be a need for me to know your name.
Uncle Li said: "He came here a few days ago and left again."
Xiao Cao said "oh" and asked casually, "What kind of person is he?"
This was purely out of curiosity. After all, the other party was her fiancé who had been arranged for her since birth. According to etiquette and reason in ancient times, they were already considered husband and wife in name only.
Uncle Li thought about it and commented truthfully: "He is a very ordinary person, nothing special about him."
The conversation ended here, and Xiaocao didn't even continue to ask, so she didn't know what Wang Jingzhe said before he left.
Wang Jingzhe said: "I will come here in person to cancel the engagement..."
That night, Xiaocao went to bed early, drank a cup of aged vinegar soaked with wolfberries, and put two slices of ginger under the soles of her feet.
The next morning, she woke up on time as usual, but she felt quite refreshed today. Xiaocao thought carefully for a while and found that she had slept about half an hour longer than usual last night. This situation had not happened for many years.
Xiao Cao curled her lips and said, "The fool knows a lot..."
"A-choo!" Wang Jingzhe, who was called a fool, was sleeping in a stilt house by the Wei River. He sneezed, rubbed his nose and got up from the bed. He opened the window and saw the Wei River. Looking at the wide river, he felt like facing the sea with warm spring flowers.
Wang Jingzhe was basking in the sunshine, standing in front of the river view room. He took out a tortoise shell from his bag and threw it casually on the table, tapping his fingers on the table.
"About half a month left?"
The Cui family of Qinghe County originated from one of the dukes and ministers of Qi State in the Spring and Autumn Period. Their descendant Cui Yan once served under Cao Cao and became a prominent family in central Henan. The Cui family was a prominent family with 23 people who served as prime ministers. In the late Tang Dynasty, the prominent families began to collapse, and the Cui family went into decline.
However, since there were many knowledgeable people in the Cui family, before its decline, many people turned to business by relying on the Cui family's influence in the court. Especially around the Ming Dynasty, Zheng He sailed overseas to explore, and some merchants from the Cui family went on board. He discovered that there were many countries outside of China. So many members of the Cui family took porcelain, silk, gold and silver and other items to sail overseas to settle down and do business. To this day, the entire Qinghe Cui family has flourished at home and abroad, with countless huge industries.
It is said that Cui's overseas industries are spread across at least a dozen countries, and many of them are hidden and controlled behind the scenes. Cui, who has survived for countless years, knows too well the truth that a big tree attracts the wind.
The government is a big world, and if you stay there for too long, even a fool can become smart. The people of Cui family know one thing very well: they can live much longer by making money quietly than by making a big fanfare.
In Qinghe County, in front of the old residence of the Cui clan , there was a long black Mercedes-Benz parked with its trunk open. Next to the car were young and middle-aged men wearing uniform Tang suits.
A man who looked like a housekeeper, holding an account book in his hand, shouted loudly: "One jade pendant with auspicious dragon and phoenix, three Tang Dynasty three-colored colored horses, two high-quality carpets from Persia, eight gold bracelets and necklaces..."
After the butler read out the list aloud, someone put the items he had ordered into the trunk one by one, and then closed the box after a professional checked it. At the same time, when the car was full, the trunk was also closed at the same time, and the driver immediately got in the car and waited.
The butler read for about four or five minutes in total, and a total of eight Mercedes-Benz were fully loaded. The total value of these things was probably many times more than that of the entire fleet of cars. Take the pair of jade pendants with auspicious patterns of dragon and phoenix and the Tang Dynasty three-color horse for example, these kinds of things would never appear on the market and can only be seen in major auction houses.
This is the betrothal gift, which is a must for wealthy and prominent families when they get married. The amount and value of the betrothal gift can show the importance of the family.
Families like the Qinghe Cui family and the Longxi Li family have been passed down for many generations and have preserved many of their customs to this day. Although they have entered the modern era, they still adhere to the old ideas in many aspects.
Just like this time, the eldest son of the Cui family is going to Longxi Li's family to propose marriage. Before that, they have to drive to Boling first, because during the Eastern Han many members of the Cui family migrated south to Boling and settled down again, becoming another large Cui family. Among them, several ancestors were famous celebrities. So according to the rules, the eldest son of the Cui family has to go to Boling to pay homage first, and then go to Longxi to propose marriage.
In front of the old Cui family residence, a young man who was about 30 years old looked expressionlessly at the housekeeper who was preparing the betrothal gifts. Next to him stood two men who looked similar to him. One of them said softly, "Brother, seeing you like this always gives me the feeling of a domineering CEO making a grand appearance."
"Are you envious?"
"I'm not envious. What I hate most in my life is the lack of freedom in marriage. Fortunately, you are the eldest brother. With you in the front, we younger brothers can save a lot of trouble and avoid becoming victims."
Another person pouted and said, "Don't say the grapes are sour just because you can't eat them. It is rumored that the eldest daughter of the Li family is extremely beautiful..."
The Cui family's eldest brother squinted his eyes and turned his head and said, "Are you envious?"
The person who just spoke was suddenly speechless: "Actually, I also advocate freedom of marriage"
The Cui family boss sneered and said, "It's all bullshit!"
The two younger brothers immediately swallowed their saliva and said nervously, "Brother, you can't do anything weird at this time..."
