The carriage rocked and swayed as it headed toward Plum Blossom Ferry, wooden wheels pressing against the bluestone slabs, clattering with a rhythmic clack.
Turning out from the narrow alley, Fu You Street was especially lively.
More than ten Chen family servants stood on the street holding bamboo baskets, handing out wedding pastries and red envelopes to passersby.
The wedding pastries were from the old and prestigious Zhengxin Zhai bakery, filled with red dates, peanuts, longan, and lotus seeds.
The red envelopes contained five copper coins wrapped in red paper, given to all who received them.
Some people pretended to come repeatedly to get the red envelopes; the Chen family servants weren’t annoyed—if they came a few times, they would distribute a few times.
After two hundred trips back and forth, it only came to one or two taels of silver.
The Chen family was not short of money.
Chen Ji sat inside the carriage, lifting the curtain to look outside.
Curious pedestrians asked, “What great happiness is the Chen family celebrating today?”
The Chen family servant replied with a broad smile, “Today is the day the Chen family formally enters the Qi family’s household. Since the Southern Wild Goose has not yet returned north, the Chen family has simply made two golden wild geese as a small betrothal gift.”