Chapter 50
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
Chapter 50: Marriage
Liu Yueyue chuckled and said: “Luck can’t compare to your destiny, which is given by heaven. You just wait to slowly enjoy your happiness. As for me, I just want to stick to my dream, having him read poetry I love, composing verses that belong to me, leisurely watching the flowing streams by a small bridge during idle times, and at night, adding fragrance to his red sleeves.”
Liu Qian replied: “Yueyue, love is indeed sweet, but life is realistic. You and I share the same dream, but fate has arranged Zhang Xiaolong for me. I can only choose my life as a village woman. Different people have different ways of living. I hope we both find our own happiness in life.”
Liu Yueyue said: “Sister, I also believe we will both find happiness. However, sister, have you really decided to do this? I just want to ask you one last time. Are you going to marry a farmer who barely knows a few characters in such a hurry? Decades later, when you look back on your life, won’t you regret today’s decision?”
Liu Qian listened to this and took Liu Yueyue’s hand, saying: “Yueyue, some things aren’t decided by reason alone. Even if I were to go against the wishes of thousands, I would go ahead. Perhaps today’s decision will shape a different version of myself. Maybe decades later, I’ll regret today’s choice. But right now, I have no regrets. When you hesitate and fear to move forward, you lose the right to choose. Life is about the amalgamation of many choices, and different choices lead to different lives. If you and I make the same choices, wouldn’t life lose its diverse pleasures? Xiaolong may be a farmer, but he’s not illiterate. He’s not a piece of useless wood that can’t be carved. I believe our life together will be a process of mutual influence and change. Maybe he won’t compose poetry for me, but I can teach him to read and write. We may not have streams and bridges, but we can have men farming and women weaving. Though I can’t add fragrance to his red sleeves, isn’t managing the household also an art? I can have him grind ink for me. In short, we’ll gradually change and make our lives happier.”
Liu Yueyue smiled and said: “Sister, you’ve always been better at studies since we were kids, and you’ve read more books than me. I can’t argue with you there. But I always feel like you will suffer a lot if you marry into the Zhang family. Why choose discomfort for yourself?”
But Liu Qian said: “Yueyue, you’re still a bit stubborn. The concept of happiness is the same for everyone. The happiness of a poor person is no different from that of a wealthy one. Having money doesn’t mean your happiness is better than others. So whether I choose poverty or wealth, I’m choosing happiness. There’s happiness in hardship, and there’s happiness in comfort. As long as it feels like happiness to oneself, why fear hardship? Even what others see as suffering may hold sweetness for you. It’s like the saying: ‘You are not a fish, so how can you know the happiness of a fish?’ There’s only so much happiness in this world. If you have more happiness, others will have less. If you feel unhappy every day, others will have a bit more happiness each day. Instead of letting others share more of your happiness, why not live happily every day?”
Liu Yueyue listened, furrowing her brows slightly, and after a moment of contemplation, she let out a sigh and said: “Sister, I came here to persuade you, but your words have given me something to think about. However, even if what you say is true, I still feel no attraction towards that Zhang Xiaohu.”
Liu Qian said: “You girl, I was just sharing my thoughts with you. I haven’t the slightest intention of playing matchmaker.”
But without mentioning the two sisters talking and joking in their room, in the hall, the prospective in-laws from both families had already settled all the specific details. By this time, it was already getting late, and if they were to return to Guo Village, they would have to travel at night. Mr. Liu naturally wouldn’t allow them to do so. They had dinner at Mr. Liu’s house. After the engagement was settled, they were already considered one family. This meal was naturally enjoyed heartily, with both hosts and guests rejoicing.
Early the next morning, while the sky was still dimly lit, Zhang Cai and Guo Sufei bid farewell to Mr. Liu and hurriedly returned to Guo Village. There were only a few days left until the end of the month, and they needed to quickly take care of the wedding arrangements. The task was indeed daunting.
When the two elders returned to Guo Village and shared the good news with the anxiously waiting Zhang Xiaolong, Zhang Xiaohu, and Zhang Xiaohua, who were waiting nearby, they were so happy they nearly jumped for joy. They had a great impression of their future sister-in-law and didn’t expect to see it become real in just a few days. It was indeed surprising.
Grandmother, upon hearing that Liu Qian had resolutely set the date to just a few days later, kept exclaiming: “What a good child, what a good daughter-in-law!” If there were ancestral tablets, she would have already burned several sticks of high incense, thanking the ancestors for finding such a wonderful granddaughter-in-law.
Zhang Cai and Guo Sufei’s family had a good reputation in Guo Village, and since there hadn’t been any major events in their family, the villagers naturally offered their full support for the eldest son’s wedding. Many people had also met Liu Qian. Although the Zhang family hadn’t previously acknowledged Liu Qian’s relationship with their family, people had privately gossiped about it. This time, being able to rightfully marry Liu Qian into the family was something everyone expected. They just didn’t anticipate it would happen so quickly. Some people even thought in a crooked way, but once some people mentioned Grandmother, everyone immediately realized and couldn’t help but give Liu Qian a thumbs up.
For a wedding in a rural family, the arrangements were simple. A large canopy was set up in the small courtyard, with tables arranged inside and a chef hired. Meat and vegetables were prepared, ready to entertain the villagers who would come to celebrate. The new house had to be prepared, and for the time being, they used the room where the three brothers lived. Zhang Xiaohu was temporarily made to share a kang bed with Zhang Xiaohua. The houses in the courtyard also needed some minor repairs. Fortunately, with everyone’s efforts, everything was completed on schedule with the help of the villagers. By the day of the wedding, the entire Zhang family’s courtyard was brand new and filled with a joyful atmosphere.
Before dawn, the Zhang family’s courtyard was already bustling with activity. Many people had arrived, each busy with their tasks. Village women came to help arrange tables and chairs and prepare vegetables. The chef lit a big fire and began cooking. Zhang Xiaolong was also awakened early, got ready, and prepared to ride a big horse, accompanied by the bridal sedan chair and the band, to Baligou to marry Liu Qian.
The route for fetching the bride was naturally not their usual path, so it took longer than usual, and they needed to return before noon, requiring an early departure under the stars. As everyone was getting ready to leave, Guo Sufei suddenly noticed that the best man, Zhang Xiaohua, was missing. She quickly asked Zhang Xiaohu, who was also puzzled. He had heard someone in the courtyard in the middle of the night, got up early to help, and had called for Zhang Xiaohua when he woke up.
It seemed Zhang Xiaohua hadn’t gotten up. Zhang Xiaohu hurried back to the house to check, and sure enough, Zhang Xiaohua was still sound asleep on the kang bed, not waking up no matter how much Zhang Xiaohu called him. In the end, Zhang Xiaohu resorted to pouring water on him, but Zhang Xiaohua just turned over and continued sleeping, leaving everyone at a loss.
Since the role of the best man had been assigned to him the previous day and no one else could be found at the last minute. Fortunately, there was a bridal sedan chair, and Grandmother knew that Zhang Xiaohua would sleep until the sun was up. So, they decided to carry Zhang Xiaohua in the bridal sedan chair, letting him continue to sleep. What a good thing, the eldest sister-in-law hadn’t even sat in her bridal sedan chair yet, but her younger brother-in-law got to sleep in it first.
The wedding procession thus carried the still-sleeping Zhang Xiaohua in the sedan chair, heading to Baligou in the dark. By the time they had covered half the journey, the sky began to lighten. When the sun’s first rays peeked over the horizon and touched the sedan chair, Zhang Xiaohua finally opened his eyes. Rubbing them, he realized he was in an unfamiliar environment. Surprised, he lifted the curtain of the sedan chair and suddenly realized what happened. He quickly greeted the bearers to stop, got out of the sedan chair, and ran to Zhang Xiaolong’s horse, hurriedly apologizing to his elder brother.
Zhang Xiaolong pulled him up onto the horse, holding him and saying: “Xiaohua, it’s alright. You’re still growing and need your sleep. You didn’t delay anything, so why would you need to apologize? But I have to say, you opened my eyes, I never knew you could sleep so well, how come you didn’t wake up even with water?”
Blushing, Zhang Xiaohua said sheepishly: “I didn’t know either. Maybe I’ve always slept this way, I just never had to wake up this early before.”
Zhang Xiaolong thought about it and realized it made sense. He and his brother had always slept together, and he had never noticed anything unusual. Besides, they had never had to wake up this early before. Perhaps Xiaohua had always been a deep sleeper. Since it wasn’t a problem and there wouldn’t be many occasions requiring such an early start in the future, he didn’t ask any more questions.
The remaining journey wasn’t far, and it was quickly completed amidst the brothers’ chatter and Zhang Xiaolong’s excitement.
From a distance, they could already see the entrance to Baligou Village. Zhang Xiaolong then reined in his horse and stopped, allowing the bridal party to take a short rest. The designated master of ceremonies arranged for people to set off firecrackers, and the band began to play music. With the sounds of drums and cymbals, they proceeded towards the village. Zhang Xiaohua jumped also down from the horse obediently, took the reins from his eldest brother, and walked ahead, leading the horse slowly forward.
The Liu family members naturally waited at the village entrance early on. Upon seeing the bridal procession, someone hurried back to inform Mr. Liu. The wedding band broke the early morning quiet, waking up the villagers of Baligou. Even before the bridal party entered the village, many children and villagers intercepted them, asking for candies and other treats. The Zhang family had already prepared for this and began distributing the prepared goods to the crowd. Everyone picked up candies joyfully and dispersed, allowing the bridal procession to continue towards the Liu family’s house.
The journey from the village entrance to the Liu family’s house was short, but the bridal procession was intercepted several times along the way. However, everyone was in high spirits and not annoyed by the interruptions. It was a rural custom that everyone shared in the joy when a family had a celebration. The more joy shared, the greater the happiness for the family hosting the celebration. The bridal procession even welcomed being stopped as it added to the festive atmosphere.
✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦
Orluros’s Vault of Secrets: If you liked the chapter feel free to donate 🙂 and if you find any errors in the translation please mention them in the comments
