“Father, the sages taught us that if something is improper, we should not speak of it. How can we casually talk about someone behind her back, especially a young woman?”
I could tell Father wanted to roll his eyes at me, but he held back for the sake of appearances.
Seeing this, my maternal cousin stood up and said:
“Silly boy, did you think your father brought you here today just to admire the flowers? The truth is, he’s worried about your marriage prospects! The young woman beside Niệm Niệm is Dương Tư Văn, younger sister of Dương Tư Quân, the newly named Thám hoa, and Niệm Niệm’s aunt by marriage. Niệm Niệm mentioned her aunt when she came home the other day, saying she was easygoing and had a lovely appearance and character. That’s why your father is thinking of arranging a match. But he was afraid you wouldn’t like her, so he came up with today’s outing.”
As soon as my cousin finished, Father chimed in:
“Come now, A-Qing. Looks like this young rascal isn’t interested in the young lady. All right, let’s head home.”
“Father, that’s not it. I…”
A sudden warmth surged through me. I hurried to stop Father, but had no idea what else to say. My ears burned, and my face flushed.
Father smiled at me, fanning himself, then turned to my cousin and said:
“All right, then. It’s settled. In two days, we’ll choose an auspicious date and go to the Dương family residence to formally ask for her hand.”
“In two days? Isn’t that awfully soon?” I was a little stunned. We’d been here less than an hour, and my marriage had already been decided?
Father finally lost patience and lightly tapped me with his fan.
“Soon? You think it’s too soon? Do you know how many families would love to have her, yet can’t? And she’s the younger sister of the Thám hoa. Do you think you’re the only one who sees how wonderful she is? You think nobody else has noticed? If we wait any longer, Madam Dương might marry her off to someone else.”
At that, I fell silent at once. I bowed to Father, unable to hide the smile spreading across my face.
Father looked at me and teased:
“Silly boy, your face is about to split from smiling so hard.”
My cousin jumped in too:
“Stop teasing Tử Hàn. I hear that whenever you find out you might get to visit the Dương family residence and see Tử Quy, you can’t stop grinning. And you have the nerve to make fun of him?”
“Tử Quy?” I repeated the name silently. I looked up at my cousin’s knowing smile, then caught the flush on Father’s face and thought:
“I think I’ve just uncovered a secret…”
Two days later, Father took my cousin and me to the Dương family residence.
My cousin, though, opened with “Little Gui-Gui.” Wasn’t she afraid Madam Dương would throw her straight out?
Sure enough, Madam Dương was exceedingly gracious; she merely gave my cousin a meaningful sidelong glance.
Father folded his arms and said:
“Tử Quy, it’s been a long time.”
So Madam Dương was Tử Quy. She seemed to be an old friend of Father and my cousin, so surely there wouldn’t be any problem with this marriage. That was what I thought.
But Madam Dương kept hemming and hawing, refusing to make her position clear. I couldn’t help growing anxious.
Father gave me a signal. Not caring whether it was improper, I spoke to Madam Dương:
“Madam, if I’m fortunate enough to marry Miss Tư Văn, I will protect, cherish, and respect her with all my heart. I won’t let her suffer the slightest grievance, and I’ll never let anyone hurt her, not even a little.”
Madam Dương studied me for a while, then let out a soft sigh. At last, she stopped putting it off and arranged for Tư Văn and me to meet in the pavilion.
I stood in the pavilion, both nervous and excited.
Before long, Tư Văn arrived with a senior maid. She had none of the shy, demure air of a sheltered young lady; instead, she seemed completely at ease. As I watched her approach, my heart pounded as if it were about to leap out of my chest.
Standing before me, she made me blurt out:
“M-Miss Dương, m-my name is Lục Tử Hàn. I’m eighteen years old, a student at the Thái Học viện, Niệm Niệm’s cousin, and the nephew of the current Deputy Chief Councilor. I’ve passed the provincial exam and am qualified to sit for the upcoming metropolitan exam. I came here today to… to…”
I was so excited that I let slip my whole background.
Tư Văn looked surprised for a moment, but quickly composed herself. She gestured toward the stone bench and said:
“Young Master Lục, please sit down first.”
Only then did I realize how foolish I’d been. My face turned scarlet as I sat down awkwardly. I didn’t dare look at her, and couldn’t think of anything else to say.
Tư Văn was the one who spoke first:
“Young Master Lục, you’ve come here today to ask for my hand in marriage, haven’t you?”
Her voice was clear, and she spoke with frank confidence.
I nodded and replied:
“That’s right. This humble student came today to ask Madam Dương for your hand in marriage. She said you would have to agree yourself.”
She replied calmly:
“I know about that. What I don’t understand is why you suddenly want to marry me.”
Nervous, I hurriedly told her about the flower-viewing outing in the outskirts the other day, without thinking through my words first. As soon as I finished, I realized what I’d said and stammered an explanation:
“Miss Dương, please let me explain. I didn’t mean to be disrespectful. It’s just… it’s just…”
“Pfft!”
Tư Văn suddenly burst out laughing and chided me softly:
“Silly!”
My face burned. I scratched my head sheepishly, tried to regain my composure, and spoke to her earnestly:
“Miss Dương, I won’t make any grand promises. But if I’m lucky enough to marry you, I’ll devote myself to you and never betray you for as long as I live.”
Tư Văn blushed a little too and smiled as she replied:
“All right, I’ll think it over. Go home and wait for word.”
“Word?”
“Yes. Wait for my answer.”
I went home feeling as if my head were in the clouds. I tossed and turned all night and couldn’t sleep, and I couldn’t concentrate on my books during the day either. But it didn’t last long. Two days later, someone from the Dương family came with the news: “She agrees.”
Once the engagement was settled, Father was overjoyed, smiling from ear to ear every day. So was I.
Mother came to see me and asked:
“Why don’t you want to marry a gentle young woman and live together in harmony, like you once said?”
I replied:
“Mother, I only said that when I was young and foolish. Please stop teasing me about it.”
Mother continued:
“Why does it have to be Miss Dương? Couldn’t it be someone else?”
I thought for a moment, then answered honestly:
“Mother, I don’t know why either. I just know it has to be her. It can’t be anyone else. If it isn’t her, then it won’t do.”
Hearing me say that, Mother looked at me with approval and gave a slight nod.
“At last, you understand. In this world, being able to spend your whole life with the person you love is a happiness nothing can replace.”
I watched Mother’s thoughtful expression. It seemed she was remembering something from the past. I couldn’t tell what she was thinking of, but for a moment, the corners of her mouth lifted in a faint smile, then a trace of worry flickered across her face.
On my wedding day, Mother was overjoyed and kept urging my cousin to drink. She grew a little worried and told me to go talk Father into stopping. My maternal cousin held me back and said to Mother:
“Don’t stop him. It’s a joyous occasion—let him enjoy himself a little. My husband will keep an eye on him, so he’ll be fine. And Tử Hàn, you’re the groom. Hurry back to the bridal chamber and take care of what matters!”
With that, my maternal cousin gently nudged me toward the bridal chamber.
My maternal cousin was already keeping watch over the front courtyard, so there shouldn’t be any trouble. Reassured, I went back to the bridal chamber.
When I lifted Tư Văn’s red bridal veil, her face appeared, beautiful as a peach blossom—delicate but not gaudy, with eyes sparkling like rippling water, red lips, and white teeth. I suppressed the flutter in my heart, stepped forward, and bowed in greeting.
“My lady, your humble scholar pays his respects.”
She gave a soft laugh, her cheeks flushing even deeper with embarrassment.
I turned and took out a small box containing all the personal wealth I’d accumulated over the years. I meant to give it to her as her dowry. My mother-in-law had always worried that Tư Văn would be mistreated marrying into a powerful family like the Lục family, so I thought that if I gave her all my savings, she might feel more at ease.
But before I could take it out, she quickly placed a large box in front of me. When I opened it, I saw it was full of banknotes and property deeds. She picked up the top sheet and said:
“This is my betrothal gift. Aside from the jewelry and clothes already put away in storage, everything else is here. Take a look. My mother says a husband and wife should be honest with each other. Now I’m showing you all my assets. Is that enough to prove my sincerity?”
I picked up the list of betrothal gifts and looked it over: a thousand taels of gold, ten thousand taels of silver, a house in Vũ Châu, dozens of shops, several acres of farmland, and a great deal of precious jewelry, silk, and brocade.
I couldn’t help asking:
“Did your mother give you the entire Dương family as part of your dowry?”
She shook her head and replied: