The captain understood him best, taking out an extra-large one from his storage ring.
Fatty happily took it, looking as if to say, "You really get me."
In the darkness, the captain quickly closed his eyes, afraid that if he kept looking, he would be tempted to beat this guy up.
Alas, this brat now had backing, so he couldn't just hit him. Otherwise, his wife would be pestering Xinjie every day.
Xinjie needed to rest, so he endured it.
The night passed without incident.
As soon as dawn broke, the gates of the Meng family courtyard opened, and people who came to help started arriving.
Tomorrow was the grand wedding day of Qi He and Fu Xinci. The local custom was for neighbors and friends to come over the day before to help the master chefs hired for the banquet.
The Meng clan members also came in full force, everyone who could move their hands and feet came to help.
The younger ones proactively looked for tasks, while the older ones sat on the large heated kang in the east room and chatted with the second brother.
Meng Wu, the old patriarch, beaming with joy, sat next to the second brother, acting as if he were guarding against anyone stealing the second brother from him.
The other brothers glared at him several times in annoyance.
Meng Wu, the old patriarch, pretended not to see.
To them, the second brother was whoever could get him.
The younger generation, however, dared not interfere in the unspoken rivalry of the elders. The men followed Fu Yu, taking his directions.
The women followed Madam Fang, taking her orders.
Through the glass window, the smile on Grandpa Meng's face never faded, and wrinkles piled up around his eyes.
Old Patriarch Meng Wu’s gaze was fixed on Fu Yu. Seeing that he was getting hoarse from talking, he immediately got up from his seat.
"Old Fifth, where are you going?"
"I'm going to help my great-nephew. I'm the one who should handle this."
"Mm." Grandpa Meng agreed. "This really is something you should do."
Upon hearing the second brother's praise, the flesh on Old Patriarch Meng Wu's cheeks quivered with pride.
Looking at his gait, he didn't seem old at all.
Old Patriarch Meng Qi was envious. Pointing at Old Patriarch Meng Wu's retreating back, he began to grumble.
"Look at Fifth Brother showing off. He always claims his old leg pain acts up after walking a few steps at home."
"That's Fifth Brother's favorite excuse."
Old Patriarch Meng Shi's remark amused the group of old men sitting on the kang.
Just as Fu Yu was starting to feel dizzy, he saw Old Patriarch Meng Wu coming out of the room, and his mood was indescribable.
"Fifth Uncle."
"Come, great-nephew, leave this matter to Fifth Uncle. Fifth Uncle is quite skilled at this."
Ever since they had arrived in Liaodong, Old Patriarch Meng Wu had been the one to help arrange the weddings and other matters for the Meng clan.
Fu Yu had initially wanted to ask Fifth Uncle for help, but he worried about the old man's age and health, so he didn't bother him.
Later, he thought of asking Old Jin, who managed so many people in the garrison, surely he could handle such a matter perfectly.
However, Qi Yuanshan was faster than him. The Qi family's affairs were entirely handed over to Old Jin.
With no other choice, Fu Yu had to take charge himself today.
Now, seeing Fifth Uncle quickly getting the hang of it and arranging everything in an orderly fashion, Fu Yu once again admired Fifth Uncle's robust spirit.
If it weren't for the old man's help today, Fu Yu didn't know if he would have messed things up.
Ah, he could finally take a breather.
With some free time, Fu Yu had the chance to look towards the main entrance and saw Xiang Tong and the captain entering with their group.
He quickly and cheerfully went to greet them, "You're here, come in, please."
"Yes, Uncle Fu."
After they entered the west wing, Xiang Tong introduced Lan Tianyao to Fu Yu, mentioning that he was the town mayor of Qilin Town.
Fu Yu welcomed him warmly and then asked his youngest son to inform their daughter in the small building behind.
Although their daughter couldn't come over, she had to know her fellow disciples had arrived.
In the main hall, Mama Yang was tidying up some small, scattered items with Lichun and Chunyu.
The large items had already been packed into thirty-six large chests.
Mama Yang had seen her fair share of wealth, but even the dowries of the daughters of minor officials in the capital were not as substantial as their young lady's. Each chest was packed to the brim, to the point where Madam's hand couldn't be pushed in further.
Moreover, she had seen all of the young lady's dowry items, and they were all good things.
There was even ten thousand taels of silver for the dowry chests. Such an amount would be noteworthy even among the wealthy families in the capital; even their嫡女 (daughters born to the principal wife) didn't have that much.
Fu Xinci was standing by the window. She had seen the captain and his group arrive from upstairs, but Xinjie and the others hadn't, so she couldn't go over there without restraint.
Alas, thinking of the constraints of feudal society, she once again condemned the wicked old society.
The Meng family courtyard was bustling with activity all day. After dinner, Xiang Tong, the captain, and their group found a quiet moment to present their wedding gifts to Fu Xinci to Fu Yu.
Fu Yu looked at the "Hundred Years of Harmony" centerpiece carved from white jade, gifted by Lan Tianyao, and the "Golden Jade Full House" set from Xiang Tong.
He was amazed; they were all excellent gifts.
But before he could finish marveling, he was startled by what the captain and his group had given him.
For a moment, Fu Yu thought he had misread. He rubbed his eyes; he hadn't misread. It was indeed a set of lightweight metal armor.
It should be mentioned that private production of armor was forbidden in this era. When Fu Yu clearly saw that it was a set of armor, his face turned pale with fright.
The captain and his group were aware of the Ming Dynasty's laws and quickly explained, "This set of armor was made to fit Qi He's build."
Only then did Fu Yu remember that based on the build, it wasn't for his daughter, and he was slightly relieved.
The captain hadn't expected such a strong reaction from Uncle Fu regarding the armor, and they admitted their oversight.
After Fu Yu delivered these items to his daughter in several trips, Fu Xinci's eyes were fixated on the set of armor, unable to move away.
Without any hints, she knew this must be the work of Uncle Xu and Uncle Sun.
She wanted such a good thing, too.
Seeing his daughter's expression, Fu Yu knew she liked it.
Fearing that his daughter might bring trouble upon them, he quickly lectured her, "Ci'er, according to the laws of the Great Ming, individuals are not allowed to possess armor privately. Those who violate this will be charged with treason."
"Father, I know that."
"..." Hearing his daughter say she knew, Fu Yu patted his left chest, nearly scared to death.
Of course, he, as her father, had a good understanding of his daughter's temperament. She was definitely not someone who would disregard her family's safety and bring disaster upon them.
With this realization, Fu Yu began to discuss with his daughter.
"Ci'er, those items can be packed into two more chests and sent to the Qi family along with the dowry. But this..."
Fu Yu pointed at the set of armor, implying that it couldn't be sent with the dowry.