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He must manage his lair well to ensure his absolute safety.

Planting the Ice Lotus in the backyard would not only create a small world encased in ice but also allow for the breeding of insects that thrived in cold environments. He could even conduct various cultivation experiments.

This Ice Lotus was very special; he believed that if it was well cultivated, its usefulness would be no less than that of the Ancient Banyan Tree.

“Master Qin, are you at home?”

Matchmaker Auntie Hua waddled over with her plump hips swaying.

With her face glowing and radiant with joy, anyone unaware of the context might have thought there was a happy occasion in her own family!

“Auntie Hua, is the betrothal gift ready?”

After Qin Niu provided fifty taels of Silver Money, he hadn’t paid it any further attention.

Having spent yesterday preparing, it was assumed everything must be almost in place.

“All set, all set! I’ve procured generously just as you instructed. A set of gold and silver jewelry, a bolt of silk fabric, a bolt of brocade fabric, two sets of silk garments, numerous boxes of candies and assorted goods, and plenty of kitchen and dining wares. I’ve had people carry them over for your inspection.”

Auntie Hua called some people to bring them into the courtyard.

“I trust your work, Auntie Hua. Is the marriage proposal ready?”

“Haha, I appreciate Master Qin’s trust. Here is the marriage proposal; I had Zhang Banzui write it, and for his troubles, I gave him ten Wen Money and two pitchers of fine wine.”

Auntie Hua took out the marriage proposal.

Upon opening it, the writing inside was very beautiful.

In the guarantor’s section, there was clearly the seal of the village chief, Xu Zhenchang.

Marriage is no trifling matter and is always treated with utmost seriousness. In addition to the matchmaker, local elders or the village chief are typically asked to vouch for the marriage, known as guarantors.

If a quarrel arose between the newlyweds, or if the bride’s family demanded more dowry when the groom came to take her, the guarantor would step in to mediate.

Should a husband discard his wife arbitrarily after marriage, the wife’s family would seek justice from the guarantor.

Men fear choosing the wrong profession, women fear marrying the wrong man.

A woman discarded by her husband’s family was often in a pitiable state, not only bringing dishonor to her birth family but potentially being rejected if she returned there.

Especially in families with male heirs, they would follow the saying, ‘Daughters are like water spilled out of the house,’ and refuse to have a married daughter return home.

In such cases, the woman would find herself without recourse, possibly driven to despair.

Or she might flee to a distant land.

However, in this dog-eat-dog world, a vulnerable woman wandering outside would find it very dangerous.

The best-case scenario was to be taken in by a kind-hearted individual.

For instance, some solitary old men might take a young woman into their home if she was of a young age and possessed some beauty.

The most tragic were those young and beautiful women who would often be easy targets for the brothels, ending up with a miserable fate.

There was another option known as selling the wife.

A husband would sell his wife to another man.

Some women were fiercely loyal and would not tolerate serving a second husband, possibly unable to bear the shame and choosing to end their lives by throwing themselves against a pillar or into a river.

Therefore, a woman’s marriage was tantamount to handing over her fate to the man’s family, and it was generally approached with great caution.

The more substantial the betrothal gift, the more respect it showed the bride’s family.

After reviewing the betrothal letter, Qin Niu was very pleased.

“Auntie Hua, how about we go to propose to the Wang Family now?”

“I spoke with Wang Furen yesterday, and he is very confident entrusting his daughter to you. If we bring the betrothal gifts now, I believe the Wang Family will be very pleased.”

Auntie Hua said with a smile.

“Then let’s go now!”

Qin Niu looked at the villagers helping to carry the betrothal gifts, mostly composed of women and older men from the village.

Auntie Hua probably considered the cost of labor, too.

“I am grateful for everyone’s help in carrying the bridal gifts to the Wang Furen’s house, and I will definitely reward you afterward!”

Hearing that Qin Niu would give reward money, the crowd waiting in the courtyard all smiled brightly.

They usually had no opportunity to enter Qin Niu’s grand mansion.

Now they had the chance to go into the front courtyard; they took this opportunity to broaden their horizons and admire Qin Niu’s grand mansion.

The flowers and plants in the front courtyard and the hall were mainly arranged by Tang Caixian.

She had put a lot of thought into it, making the entire mansion look particularly elegant and full of vitality.

“Master Qin is too polite!”

“It is our honor to do something for Master Qin!”

The people were more than willing to help Qin Niu carry the bridal gifts.

Even without the promise of reward money, they were glad to help. If they could become familiar faces to Qin Niu, they might be able to count on some favor or consideration in the future.

This is the most enticing aspect of power; it can easily mobilize massive amounts of social resources at a very low cost.

Qin Niu, dressed in the Insect Master’s robe, went to Wang Furen’s house together with Auntie Hua.

Behind them, a group of villagers carried the bridal gifts.

“Haha, please come in!”

Wang Furen had heard the commotion and couldn’t wait to open the gate, greeting them with a beaming smile.

Both parties entered the main hall, took their seats according to their status, and the matchmaker proceeded with the marriage proposal.

Since the girl’s family had agreed to marry their daughter to Qin Niu, the matter was settled very easily.

“Uncle Wang, thank you for giving me your daughter in marriage. In addition to these bridal gifts, I am going to give you an extra hundred taels of silver money as a token of my respect. Buy whatever you want, eat whatever you like, it’s all up to you.”

Qin Niu was indeed generous, immediately pulling out a silver note of a hundred taels and handing it to Wang Furen.

“Oh my, you child, with such generous bridal gifts, and now even more silver money! It hasn’t been easy for you either, so I accept your kindness. I only have one daughter, and from now on, you’ll be like a son to me.”

Wang Furen took the silver note, his hands trembling with happiness.

He was a businessman and loving money was in his nature.

A hundred taels of silver was a sizable sum, even for someone of his modest means.

“Please rest assured, Uncle Wang, I will take good care of Wan Yan and will always honor you. There is another matter I would like to discuss with you and Wan Yan, in the presence of Auntie Hua, the matchmaker.”

After giving the silver, Qin Niu took advantage of Wang Furen’s good mood to discuss another important matter.

“Call the young miss over!”

Wang Furen seemed to guess a bit and instructed Nurse Wu to call Wang Wanyan over.

He then pressed the silver note on top of the table and picked up his cup of tea to drink.

Auntie Hua’s eyes were spinning with curiosity. She wondered what matter Qin Niu wanted to discuss.

Wang Wanyan quickly descended the stairs with light steps.

She glanced timidly at Qin Niu but smiled nonetheless.

“Master Qin has something he wishes to discuss with you and me. Please take a seat here,”

Wang Furen turned to signal to his daughter.

The father and daughter surely had a very deep affection for each other.

Conscientiously speaking, Wang Furen had treated his daughter well. Because she was the only child, there was no problem of favoring sons over daughters.

Wang Wanyan sat down gracefully.

“Wan Yan, to marry you is a blessing that I, Qin Niu, have cultivated over several lifetimes. I will treat you well and we will spend our lives together.”

“Mhm!”

She nodded shyly, this time not avoiding his gaze but boldly looking at Qin Niu.

Her eyes were pure and clear as water, as if they could speak.

Marrying such a beautiful girl made Qin Niu feel extremely content.