Chapter 3: Good News at the Zhou Residence

  The "he" that Leng Jiangbo was thinking of was named Zhou Shiming, who was also a fellow disciple and senior brother of Leng Jiangbo.

  When it comes to Zhou Shiming, he is the richest man in Mingwu County, with a reputation that spans over 100 miles. He lives in Zhoujia Village, a suburb of Mingwu County, tens of kilometers away from Jiangyue Mountain Villa, and operates a large-scale general store, silk shop, commercial firm, casino, lumber mill, grain and oil shop, gold shop, and pawnshop in the county town. In addition, he has land in the countryside, coal mines, and iron mines on the mountain, with an unknown amount of wealth that even his wife and servants are unaware of. His family's wealth is immeasurable. It is said that his ancestors moved to this place during his father's generation and were already wealthy at that time. By his generation, the business has expanded further, making him even richer, and it can be said that he is a big family with a large business. Although he is rich, he is not dark-hearted at all, often helping the poor and doing many good deeds for the villagers and outsiders. In the eyes of the common people, he is a great philanthropist.

  The residence of the Zhou family can be described in four words: "Rich and majestic", which is even more luxurious than that of ordinary officials. The front half of the Zhou residence is a magnificent mansion, consisting of over ten siheyuan (courtyard houses), with the largest one being the main hall courtyard located at the front. Inside the courtyard, the largest building is the main hall, which faces north and south, used by the master for receiving guests and discussing family matters. On both sides of the main hall are over ten side rooms, connected to the main hall by a corridor about seven or eight feet wide. In the center of the main hall courtyard is a circular fish pond with a diameter of over twenty steps, filled with various flowers, grasses, and shrubs. On both sides of the main hall are two larger moon gates, leading to the courtyards on either side and the rear residence. On both sides and behind the main hall courtyard are several equally luxurious siheyuan, which serve as the living quarters for the master, the ladies, and the servants.

  The rear half of the Zhou Mansion is a deep and beautiful classical garden, covering an area of over 50 mu. The mansion's architecture is solemn and majestic, simple yet elegant, with bright corridors and a grand atmosphere. The garden behind the mansion winds around the water and mountains, with ancient trees reaching for the sky, winding corridors and pavilions, rich and natural.

  In the west of Zhou's mansion, there is a castle-like courtyard. The surrounding wall is over 6 meters high and covers an area of more than 40 mu. The main gate faces east, with a pair of stone lions guarding the tightly closed gate under the dark glazed tiles. On the ancient copper-colored plaque above the gate, two golden characters "Rangyuan" are written. On both sides of the main gate, there is a small door every five meters or so, also tightly closed.

  On this day, the sun was shining brightly. In the mansion of Master Zhou Shi Ming, lanterns were hung and colorful decorations were put up, with the sound of gongs and drums filling the air, creating a joyful atmosphere, with guests seated in every corner. The entire mansion was filled with the character "囍" (double happiness), as the Zhou family had a grand celebration to mark a major joyous occasion. Master Zhou Shi Ming was marrying his fifth wife. Hundreds of tables were set up in each courtyard, laden with food and drink. In the center of the rear garden, a stage had been erected, where a big show was being performed, with a sea of people gathered below. The sound of gongs and drums, applause, and the clear voice of the dan (female lead) singer blended together, creating an atmosphere similar to that of Chinese New Year celebrations...

  The young master of the Zhou family, Zhou Tianhao, and the steward, Liang Xingchu, stood at the gate to welcome guests. Zhou Tianhao was the son of the master of the Zhou estate and the only child of the Zhou family, around 17 or 18 years old. The young man was nearly eight feet tall, slightly slender, with a clean and white face, revealing sharp and handsome features; his deep and mysterious eyes sparkled with an attractive color; his thick eyebrows, high nose, and beautiful lips all showed off his noble and elegant demeanor. The young man was dressed in festive attire, and today's task of welcoming guests fell on him and the steward. Old Liang was the steward of the Zhou estate, nearly 50 years old, with a round face, black headscarf, and a medium build that was slightly slender, wearing a crimson robe. He had been in the Zhou family for almost 40 years, growing up with Master Zhou Shiming since childhood, and had earned his deep trust.

  "Magistrate Ge has arrived..."

  Upon hearing the shout, Zhou Tianhao looked up to see that it was indeed County Magistrate Ge Zhenbang. Ge Zhenbang was in his forties, of medium build, with regular features and a straight nose and square mouth. Because he always wore a smile when speaking to people, he was nicknamed "Laughing Tiger". Today, although he wasn't wearing his official uniform but rather plain clothes, he still carried himself with an air of dignity. Due to his steady and efficient handling of affairs, he had earned the appreciation of his superiors and had risen from being a chief clerk to county magistrate within just a few years. Now in his fourth year as county magistrate of Mingwu, he had been acquainted with Zhou Renshan, the father of the estate owner, since his younger days. Because he had visited the Zhou residence several times before, Zhou Tianhao was familiar with him.

  Zhou Tianhao and Guan Jia Liang Xingchu hastily stepped forward to greet him, "Lord Ge, you are busy with a million things, yet you still take the time to attend my father's wedding, thank you so much!"

  "Zhōu Zhuāng's master is getting married, such a big thing, I'm busy but still have to come, besides, I'm the matchmaker after all."

  "Yes, yes, yes, please come in!" The steward bowed and called the servants to lead the way. Magistrate Ge strode in...

  "Oh, County Magistrate Wang, Chief Zhang, Captain Zheng... welcome!" Manager Liang bustled around shouting.

  Zhou Tianhao also nodded slightly and welcomed the guests with Liang Guan's family.

  At this time, Leng Jiangbo, the head of the wealthy family, brought several men carrying gifts to the Zhou residence. He whispered to his men: "Do you remember what I told you?"

  "Don't worry, sir. I'm being careful!" The servant presenting the gift said with a flattering tone.

  "You've messed things up, just wait and see how I'll deal with you when I get back."

  "Just you wait and see! I'm still waiting for Master to give me a couple of coins to buy some wine!" This guy's mouth is really poor.

  Several people spoke and arrived at the entrance of Zhou's house, "Congratulations! Congratulations!" Cold Jiangbo clasped his fists with both hands.

  "Ah, great master, welcome!" Liang Guan rushed to greet him first, with both hands clasped together in a fist. Then he turned around and introduced to Zhou Tianhao, "Young master, you may not know him yet, he is the Manor Lord's fellow disciple and younger brother, Leng Shifu."

  "Welcome, welcome, Uncle Leng!" Tianhao hastily cupped his fists in greeting.

  "Your old man is really blessed! At such an old age, he's still got a romantic affair going on! I told you, my senior brother here is just lucky! Haha..."

  "Master Uncle, this way, please..." Tian Hao bowed and invited them in. Leng Jiangbo and the others strode through the gate of the mansion.

  The several madams of the Chia family were assembled in the apartment of Madame Wang, and were too listless to come out and receive the visitors.

  "Alas," said the second lady with a sigh, "you say, we have another sister now."

  "Isn't that right?" said the fourth wife with a smile, "This old man is also like this, his body was not good to begin with. We several people can't take care of him properly, and now there's another little one added, how can his body bear it!"

  "Fourth sister, are you feeling a sense of crisis? Afraid that from now on you'll lose favor?" The second madam joked.

  "I'm not afraid at all. That's the master's business, I don't bother to care about it. As for me, as long as I have food for the next meal after finishing this one, that's enough." The fourth wife replied helplessly.

  "I've seen through it all. Eldest Brother came, and Master favored him. Eldest Brother trespassed into the garden and got scared to death, then you, Fourth Sister, entered the house, and Master favors you again. Anyway, good things never land on my head." Second Madam sighed once more.

  The first lady, who was chanting Buddha's name, became impatient and scolded: "Are you done yet? Don't let the servants hear you, it's embarrassing. Master discussed this with me, it's Gu County Magistrate's match. This time Master really had no choice but to agree to marry Xiao Wu. You should just accept it! Put yourself in Master's shoes and think about it, don't keep whispering all day." She stood up, "Today there are many guests, let's go out and entertain them. Don't make a fool of ourselves!" Saying that, she walked out the door. The second lady and fourth lady exchanged glances, stuck out their tongues, and followed the first lady out the door.

  As soon as the auspicious moment arrived, firecrackers crackled and popped inside and outside the courtyard, accompanied by a joyful combination of gongs, drums, and suona. The people in the Zhou family's large compound rushed towards the main hall. Suddenly, the compound was packed with people, bustling with excitement...

  A magnificent red sedan chair, decorated with auspicious ornaments, was carried into the main hall amidst joyful music. The master of the house, Zhou Shiming, a man in his fifties with a medium build, stood at the entrance of the main hall in front of an eight-immortals table. He wore a red hat adorned with precious stones, a red satin cloak, and a long red sash around his waist. A large artificial red flower was pinned to his chest, and he exuded an air of confidence. The eight-immortals table was filled with various grains, peanuts, red dates, and other offerings. Behind it stood a massive incense burner, from which several thick incense sticks emitted wisps of smoke. Behind the incense burner were arranged the ancestral tablets. A large piece of satin, several feet square, hung behind the ancestral tablets, featuring a design of mandarin ducks playing in water, with a giant "囍" character (a symbol of joy and celebration) attached to it.

  An elegantly dressed elderly woman shouted loudly: "The auspicious time has arrived, the ceremony is about to begin! The groom is waiting." Zhou Zhuang's master quickly walked to the front of the sedan chair, gently lifted the curtain, and bowed to invite the bride to get off. A slender and elegant young girl with a red veil on her head slowly got down from the sedan chair with the help of an attendant, and the woman acting as the matchmaker handed her a long red ribbon.

  "The bride and groom stand before the flower hall."

  The host of Zhou Zhuang and the bride walk hand in hand with a red ribbon to the Eight Immortals table.

  "The groom and bride take their positions, the groom and bride pay homage!"

  Two "new people" offer incense respectively.

  Kneel down, knock head... knock head again... three knocks of the head

  Under the loud cheers of the matchmaker, the two people knelt down in front of their ancestors and kowtowed three times before standing up.

  They made a bow to heaven and earth, then another one to the ancestors' hall, and finally the newlyweds bowed to each other. Amidst the cheering crowd, they finished all the traditional rituals and were sent into their bridal chamber.