During the Ming Dynasty, there were two wealthy families in a small town in the south. The eastern family, surnamed Zhou, opened a rice shop and a grocery store. The western family, surnamed Shen, opened a satin house and embroidery shop. Both of them immigrated here during the Jiajing period. It is said that the two previous families were family friends. After settling here for some reason, the two suddenly broke off their friendship and swore that they would never communicate with each other.

The Zhou family and the Shen family are both single-handed down from generation to generation. Although the two families do not communicate with each other, they are secretly competing with each other and competing for heights.

This morning, Shen Yuqing, the young master of the Shen family, got up and pushed open the window to see that the weather outside was sunny and spring was bright, and his heart was full of joy, ready to go out to play. At this time, a young woman in a yellow shirt came out of the west wing and shouted softly, "Yulang, don't go out today."

"Yingmei, you see how nice the weather is today, why don't I take you to the South Lake cruise together?" Shen Yuqing wore a green shirt, handsome and suave.

"Neither of you are allowed out today." A young woman in a red shirt walked towards them with a plate of exquisite snacks in her hand.

"Sister Yan, I still have to go to the store later!" Shen Yuqing said with a smile.

"Listen to me today, let's have tea and chat in the back garden." The woman who was called Sister Yan glared at Shen Yuqing.

Shen Yuqing pretended to be frightened, then smiled again, and made an exaggerated bow, "Okay, listen to the teachings of the two ladies, I won't go out to play today."

The two women in front of him were the one wife and one concubine that Shen Yuqing had married within two years.

At the age of 18, Shen Yuqing went to the city for the first time to buy goods, and when he came back, there was a young and beautiful woman by his side. At that time, Shen Yuqing's father had passed away, and there was only a frail old mother in the family. Although Shen Yuqing was young, under the guidance of his father since childhood, he had already taken over the family business and supported the facade. Shen Yuqing made her own decisions and did not pay attention to marriage customs and etiquette. She did not invite a matchmaker or a palm salute, but simply held a wedding banquet to marry Liu Yan. Because Liu Yan was two years older than Shen Yuqing, she was usually called Sister Yan.

As for Shen Yuqing taking Wang Ying'er as a concubine, a year ago, it became the talk of the townspeople after dinner. That afternoon, when Shen Yuqing was talking about business with people in a teahouse, he met a foreign woman who could not find her relatives and was deceived by local ruffians and hooligans to sell her into a brothel.

Shen Yuqing immediately took out fifty silver coins from her body and bought Wang Ying'er, and said she would take her as a concubine, and hired a sedan chair to marry Wang Ying'er to the family. Wang Ying'er is one year younger than Shen Yuqing, and Shen Yuqing usually calls her Yingmei.

At a young age, Shen Yuqing hugged his wife and concubines, and people talked about him behind his back.

In comparison, Zhou Chengrong, the young master of the Zhou family, looked much more mature and stable, unlike Shen Yuqing who played in the rouge pile all day.

Zhou Chengrong's parents had long since passed away, and there was only a grandfather in his eighties in the family. The old man Zhou was old and did not care about the world. Zhou Chengrong made decisions about the size of the Zhou family. Zhou Chengrong was not only tall and handsome, but also smart and wise, and he was dedicated to learning business.

Under Zhou Chengrong's careful management, the Zhou family's property grew bigger and bigger, and many families with daughters were watching him, and some even asked matchmakers to come to propose marriage. But it was strange that Zhou Chengrong let the matchmaker say that any woman looked like a fairy, but he was not moved at all. Seeing that he was about twenty-five years old, he still had no idea of marrying a wife and starting a family.

Although it is not clear what the grievances between the Shen and Zhou families of the previous generation are, Shen Yuqing has been warned by his elders not to interact with the Zhou family since he was a child, so Shen Yuqing occasionally encounters Zhou Chengrong in the business world, but only ignores it.

On the contrary, every time Zhou Chengrong met Shen Yuqing, he greeted him politely. After a long time, people said Zhou Chengrong was a big man and a man. In comparison, Shen Yuqing seemed a little petty.

Besides, in the back garden of the Shen family, butterflies fly and dance, and the garden is full of spring. In the corridor pavilion by the lake, Shen Yuqing and his wife and concubines were eating tea and chatting, looking happy. Suddenly, the housekeeper of the Shen family came to report that a sedan chair came to the door, and a person claiming to be General Song was coming to the Shen family to marry. Shen Yuqing's face darkened when he heard this, and asked the housekeeper if he knew who the man said he wanted to marry.

The butler hesitated for a while and said, "General Song has said he is here to marry Young Madam..." The butler saw Shen Yuqing's sullen face and swallowed the last half of his sentence in fright.

Shen Yuqing put the teacup in her hand on the stone table, glanced at Mrs. Liu Yan meaningfully, and said, "The two ladies are waiting here, and my husband will come when I go."

Shen Yuqing asked the housekeeper to bring General Song into the hall. I saw a tall, burly, shirtless, round-waisted black-faced man dressed in the groom's wedding dress, walking in happily.

"General Song, did you get married and go to the wrong house?" Shen Yuqing Yushu stood in the hall in the wind, and did not invite the guests to take their seats, so she asked directly.

General Song bowed with both hands, smiled and said, "This Song has seen Young Master Shen, and today I am here to marry Miss Liu Yan."

"What a joke, Liu Yan is the wife I married in the Ming Dynasty. She has already married as a wife, how can she marry you again?" Shen Yuqing sneered.

"Young Master Shen, I am here to marry Liu Yan today with all my heart. Please let Young Master Shen fulfill it. Song, thank you here." Saying that, General Song ordered his subordinates to carry boxes of betrothal gifts into the hall, "Thank you Young Master Shen for taking care of Liu Yan for two years. Please accept these gifts with a smile."

Shen Yuqing angrily waved her hand to stop the gifts from moving into the hall, and shouted, "Don't use these things to spoil people, move them back for me. Liu Yan is my wife, no one can take her away."

When General Song heard this, there was anger on his face. "Young Master Shen, I have said all the good things, if you insist on refusing, then Song will have to snatch the marriage today." Saying that, he was about to rush into the backyard.

At this moment, Liu Yan hurried in and glanced at General Song with complicated eyes. Then she walked in front of Shen Yuqing and knelt down with a plop. "Yulang, please help us."

Shen Yuqing was so shocked by Liu Yan's kneeling that she took a few steps back. "Sister Yan, you... do you really want to marry him?"

Liu Yan nodded tearfully.

Shen Yuqing saw Liu Yan's firm expression, her heart was sour, her lips trembled, and she was speechless.

At that moment, there was another sound of silk bamboo drumming outside the door. The butler went out to check what happened, and after a while, he ran over to Shen Yuqing in a panic and said, "Young master, another sedan chair came outside the door, and a person who called himself Lin County Magistrate said he wanted to get married."

When Shen Yuqing heard this, she frowned and looked at the door with a sullen face.

I saw a slender, white-faced scholar-like man wearing a groom's wedding dress, walking in with a spring breeze on his face. As soon as he entered the door, he gave Shen Yuqing a hand to greet, "Lin has seen Young Master Shen."

"Brother Lin, you're here!" A delicate figure fell into the arms of Lin County Magistrate like a butterfly. Shen Yuqing looked at the shy and lovely face, angry and annoyed, "Sister Ying, are you leaving my husband too?"

"Yulang, don't be angry!" Wang Ying'er pouted and looked embarrassed, "I know Yulang is the best for me, and I can't bear to leave you. But Brother Lin is here, and we finally..." Wang Ying'er wiped her tears as she spoke.

County magistrate Lin took Wang Ying'er's hand and came to Shen Yuqing. Shi Li said, "Lin came to Shen's mansion today to marry Wang Ying'er and hope that Young Master Shen will become a beautiful man."

Shen Yuqing smiled bitterly and asked, "If I don't agree with you to take Wang Ying'er away today, are you going to do the same to General Song?"

County Magistrate Lin said with a serious face, "As long as Wang Ying-er is willing to come with me, no matter what method I take, I will find a way to marry her home today."

Shen Yuqing was so angry that she laughed out loud, "Lord Lin, I want to remind you of one thing, Wang Ying'er is my concubine, and she has been sharing the bed with me for a year. I think Lord Lin understands the lingering love."

Hearing these words, Wang Ying'er's pretty face suddenly blushed.

"Hahaha..."   General Song on the side suddenly burst into laughter.

County Magistrate Lin coughed awkwardly and said sternly, "Young Master Shen, please respect yourself!"

"What? I don't respect myself?" Shen Yuqing cursed angrily, "The two of you, one because you are a general and the other because you are a county magistrate, can come to my house in a grand manner. One wants to marry my wife and the other wants to marry my concubine. Do you think I am really easy to bully?"

"And the two of you, who keep saying that you want to love me as husband and wife, and grow old, why did you leave me and run away with others as soon as you saw these two stinky men?"

"Yulang, I'm sorry. It's my fault." Liu Yan stepped forward to comfort Shen Yuqing.

"Yulang, didn't we agree, don't be angry..." Wang Ying'er also came over and tugged at Shen Yuqing's sleeve to plead.

With that said, Shen Yuqing suddenly raised her head and forced tears into her eyes back. She pretended to wave her hand, "Let's go, let's go. There are so many beautiful women in the world.

In the hall, a group of people looked at each other. Shen Yuqing's reaction was both expected and unexpected. For a moment, everyone didn't know what to do.

Liu Yan glanced at Wang Yinger, who followed her to the backyard with understanding.

Besides, at the gate of the Shen Mansion, it was really lively. Two big red sedan chairs, two welcoming teams, and boxes of betrothal gifts were constantly sent to the house of the Shen Mansion, attracting all the neighbors to come and watch the excitement. Everyone chatted. Everyone knew that Shen Yuqing liked Yingying and Yanyan at a young age. His wife and concubine were young and beautiful, but he didn't expect that someone would dare to openly come to the door to snatch the marriage. How can ordinary people bear the hatred of snatching the wife and snatching the concubine?

Of course, some people said that looking at the dowry gifts sent by the two families, it was enough for Shen Yuqing to marry a hundred wives in the future. If it were someone else, he would definitely agree.

At the gate of the Shen Mansion, everyone craned their necks and looked inside, and heard someone shouting, "Look, it's out, it's out." They saw that Liu Yan and Wang Ying'er had changed into bright red bridal clothes, and the two beautiful pear blossoms and rain, they wept and walked to the door with the help of the happy woman, followed by two bridegrooms, a fat and a thin, their eyebrows were filled with joy that could not be hidden.

Before Mrs. Xi covered her with a red scarf. Liu Yan glanced back at the inner courtyard of Shen Mansion and said softly, "Yulang, you have to take care of yourself!" With that said, she went to a sedan chair in the east.

Wang Ying'er kept wiping her eyes with a handkerchief, and said to the smiling county magistrate Lin, "You must promise me that you will often bring me back to visit Yulang in the future..."

"Okay, okay, I promise, I promise." County Magistrate Lin nodded and supported Wang Ying'er to a sedan chair in the west.

With the sound of firecrackers and the sound of drums, the two sedan chairs were escorted by two welcoming teams, one to the east and the other to the west, gradually leaving people's sight.

The people watching the excitement at the gate of the Shen Mansion still refused to disperse. They didn't see Young Master Shen Yuqing come out. With such a big thing happening, people guessed that Shen Yuqing must have fallen ill with anger.

Sure enough, for the next half month, no one saw Young Master Shen go out.

In the blink of an eye, it was sunny weather again. Early in the morning, the neighbors found that the Zhou family in the east of the town was festive and lively. The front door and backyard, the east and west rooms, were covered in red silk and hung with ribbons inside and out, and the housekeepers and servants were busy going in and out to work. The most famous wedding handshake in town happily came to the Zhou family, and Qiuniang, the most famous wedding woman in town, was also dressed up and walked into the gate of the Zhou family with a smile.

When people saw that the Zhou family was going to have a wedding, they asked again and said that it was Young Master Zhou who married today. Which girl did you marry? If you inquire again, you won't be able to find out. Although the neighbors were curious, they were not in a hurry.

The greeting sedan chair was carried all the way to the shore, and people found that there was a richly decorated greeting boat docked on the lake at an unknown time, and there were eight small colored boats that were also covered in red and green behind the greeting boat. Zhou Chengrong dressed as a festive groom, surrounded by a group of bridesmaids, stepped on the greeting boat, and set off with the greeting fleet under the backing track of silk bamboo drumming.

Everyone in the town put down their work and came to the shore to watch the excitement. Everyone knew that the Zhou family had a strong economy, and Young Master Zhou married, so the wedding pomp must be exquisite. Just say that the eight little colored boats, the lively scene of rocking the clipper to welcome the wedding, must be very exciting.

The excitement of the Zhou family on the way to greet relatives was of course extraordinary, but people were even more surprised that the most beautiful sedan chair in the town stopped at the gate of the Shen mansion in the west of the town. The people watching the excitement wondered, who is Zhou Chengrong going to marry? The Shen mansion has only one son, Young Master Shen. Besides, Shen Yuqing's wife and concubine were married half a month ago, and I didn't hear that Shen Yuqing had other female relatives? Could it be that Young Master Zhou took a fancy to some maid of the Shen mansion?

Everyone stood there pondering and talking nonsense, and the Shen mansion was also busy. The housekeeper of the Shen mansion ran to the backyard in a panic to report: "Young Master Shen, the Zhou family's sedan chair has been carried to the gate!"

Shen Yuqing sat alone in the bedroom of the inner house, thinking about his thoughts with a confused expression.

Last night, his mother called Shen Yuqing over and combed his hair carefully, saying only one sentence: "Mother only hopes that you can live a happy and safe life."

Shen Yuqing recalled what Liu Yan and Wang Ying'er said when they left, "Yulang, we are both fortunate to have met you, so we are happy today. You are a good person, and we both hope you can find your own happiness."

Shen Yuqing was immersed in the memories of the past, her father taught her to read and read, and learned the way of business, while her mother secretly taught her female workers. Shen Yuqing was handsome and dashing, so she knew people, could afford the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, and could drink and punch, but... Thinking of this, two lines of hot tears fell from her eyes.

Suddenly, a tall red figure stood in front of Shen Yuqing.

"Yu'er, if you don't come out again, I'm really going to come and snatch someone!Zhou Shaorong stretched out a hand and gently placed it on Shen Yuqing's delicate shoulder, "Don't worry, everything has me!"

When Shen Yuqing heard this, she cried out with a "wow." The grievance that had been held in her heart for 20 years was finally released in the cry. The custom of crying and marrying here made Shen Yuqing cry so much that others couldn't help but cry when they heard it.

When Shen Yuqing walked out in a wedding dress that depicted a dragon and a phoenix, people couldn't believe their eyes. Was the bride in front of them really the suave young master Shen from before? Then the wife and concubine she married earlier...

The wedding of the Zhou Shen family was definitely a unique and lively event in the town. People found that at the Zhou family's banquet, there were many guests, and General Song and county magistrate Lin were also drinking and chatting in the VIP seat.

The wedding that shocked the whole town ended. The Zhou family and the Shen family got married, and both businesses were managed by Zhou Chengrong.

Until Shen Yuqing gave birth to a son and a daughter, the curious and gossipy neighbors were still discussing after dinner, guessing - how could the Shen family think of raising their daughter as a son? How did Zhou Chengrong fall in love with Shen Yuqing this week? Also, how could Shen Yuqing's beautiful wife and concubines be so lucky, one married a general and the other married a county magistrate, what's the story here?

There were many versions of stories among the people, each of which was more exciting and the other more bizarre. But one thing was certain. Liu Yan and Wang Ying'er visit Shen Yuqing every few years.

Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, it was the day Zhou Chengrong and Shen Yuqing's son carried the sedan chair to get married, and the neighbors were still discussing with relish, saying that back then, three flower bridges came to Shen Mansion to grab the marriage…