Chapter 11 – Marriage

Though the snow was not heavy, it fell continuously through the night. The next day, the world was covered in snow, as if the world had been washed clean.

The Zhou Dynasty army implemented a system of guard posts. Each prefecture had several Qianhu departments, and each Qianhu department had many Baihu departments. The number of Baihu departments depended on whether the place was a military stronghold.

Wen Wei was in charge of a Baihu Department in the southwest of Qingzhou, protecting the region.

Soldiers were stationed in the garrison to cultivate the land, one Baihu Departments, or almost a hundred families which would be considered as a village. Usually, a fortress would be built as a stronghold where the soldiers were stationed, cultivated, and lived.

If something happened, they could attack if they opened the fortress, and defend if they closed it.

Not to mention soldiers, if the situation was urgent, even women and children would be able to pick up a staff and go into battle.

The Wen Family lived in such a fortress. Their residence was also the largest and tallest in the fortress.

Madam Lu asked about Lu Rui after waking up. A servant reported Lu Rui went out early in the morning with the Wen Family’s father and son to inspect the fortress.

Madam Lu rubbed her temples, saying “I really believed it when he said it was Qingzhou. I thought it was the capital of Qingzhou, who knew it was such a rural place.”

Her maid handed her a cup of warm honey water and agreed, “Yes, it’s not even as good as our village in Yuhang. Madam, to moisten your throat.”

Madam Lu moistened her throat and sighed, “Jiangnan’s exquisite scenery is not comparable to the north. I wonder what’s so beautiful here. Going out early morning and the cold is even unbearable. Is it still snowing?”

The servant replied, “The snow has stopped, and it looks quite beautiful.”

Madam Lu said, “If we were at home, we could enjoy wine, composing poems, arranging plum branches in vases, and drawing a line and slowly filling it with color painting.”

The servant covered her mouth, “Look at the master of this place, is he someone who knows how to tend to flowers and recite poetry? I took a quick look yesterday and didn’t see any flowering trees, let alone plum blossoms. However, there are many fruit trees in the yard, jujube, hawthorns, persimmons … there are all of them.”

It was clear the master here was not a man of a taste, but rather practical and skilled in managing daily life.

The servant girls covered their mouths and giggled.

Madam Lu held her forehead and sighed, shaking her head.

A maid leaned closer to Madam Lu, speaking in a low voice, “It’s good for the young master to take a look. On the way here, I noticed the fortress was in a mess with cow dung everywhere. Young Master is a clean and cultured person. Let him see the environment Miss Wen grew up in us a good opportunity for him to consider if such a girl is worthy of being our young madam.”

Madam Lu, on the other hand, recalled Wen Hui’s pointed chin, oval-shaped face, watery and pitch-black but bright eyes, and beautiful face. She couldn’t help but worry.

Lu Rui was at the age when young men started to develop romantic feelings.

Today, Wen Hui wore new clothes.

The outfit from yesterday had only been worn for a day and normally, she wouldn’t have changed them so quickly. However, Madam Wen specifically instructed her to change into a new set of clothes today.

Today, the Wen family had split into two groups.

The men brought Young Master Lu out while the women invited Madam Lu to chat in the inner courtyard.

They invited Madam Lu to sit on the heated brick bed, while Yang and Wen Hui accompanied her on embroidered stools. The three of them maintained a dignified posture, waiting for Madam Lu to brought up the ‘serious matters’.

However, Madam Lu sipped her tea and tasted some dried fruits, only asking, “What do you do for leisure on such winter days?”

Madam Wen replied, “Nothing much. The kids ride horses and have snowball fights. Sometimes we set up a ring for some friendly competitions. What about you?”

Madam Lu said, “Not much either. Nothing more than painting, mixing incense, and occasionally enjoying the snow while playing the qin. When bored, we play double six dominoes, set some prizes, and have the young maids play pitch-pot.”

Madam Wen and Madam Lu exchanged polite smiles, but both inwardly struggled. They were not only separated by geography, they were also separated by duties of civil and martial arts. Their backgrounds were also as different as heaven and earth. Their interests and hobbies were opposites. If they wanted to find a topic of common interest … they had almost finished talking about it yesterday.

Fortunately, they were both used to being matriarchs and had a lot of experience in hosting guests. Thus, they changed the topic to talk about the weather and food, even though they had talked about it once yesterday, they continued. As they chatted, Madam Wen deliberately led the topic towards Wen Hui.

“Last year, I caught a cold. This child insisted on cooking with her sister-in-law. She cooked porridge and decocted medicine. It’s good I didn’t raise her for nothing. She knows how to be filial.” Madam Wen smiled and said, “Now that she’s following her sister-in-law, she helps around the house, lending a hand here and there.

Madam Lu twisted her handkerchief and dabbed at her mouth slightly, asking, “What books does Hui Niang like to read?”

Madam Wen’s smile stiffened slightly.

Today, Lu Rui was not present, so Wen Hui felt that the inexplicable tension disappeared. Hearing this question, she wanted to say she enjoyed reading storybooks the most, but she knew that she could not say that. She answered properly, “I’ve read Three Hundred Thousand Sutras, including the Daughter Classic, The Biographies of Heroic Women, and some Buddhist scriptures.”

Feeling that this answer was somewhat deceptive, in the end, she could not help but add, “Occasionally, I read some leisure books to pass the time.”

These were all basic children’s enlightenment. How could they be counted as “reading”? When Madam Lu heard this, she sneered inwardly and lost any remaining expectations. She found Wen Hui was unsatisfactory in every aspect. Wen Hui was not the daughter-in-law she wanted at all.

But this was her husband’s decision, and the son’s choice.

It was really frustrating.

At noon, the Wen family’s servant came in to report, “Master said they take Young Master Lu hunting and won’t be back for lunch.”

Madam Wen saw Madam Lu’s expression change slightly. She secretly cursed Wen Baihu for not telling her in advance. She quickly reassured, “Madam, don’t worry, the nearby forests are familiar to us and there are no wild beasts there.”

Madam Lu forced a smile and said, “He usually spends his winters reading and writing in a warm room. He never rode a horse in the snow …” She wanted to ask Madam Wen to send someone to call Lu Rui back and not do such a dangerous thing, but she could not say it outright.

Although Madam Wen found it was improper for Wen Baihu to take Lu Rui hunting without notice, she wasn’t concerned about the hunting. Wen Hui had been riding a pony and followed the adults to hunt when she was eight or nine. Madam Lu’s way of raising children seemed overly pampered not to mention that Lu Rui was already a young man. She said, “Madam, don’t worry. With my husband there, nothing will happen!”

Madam Yang was also from a military household and already used to such activities, adding, “The three brothers are with them. So it will be fine.”

Lu Rui was a scholar with a title. Madam Lu could not openly treat him like a child in front of outsiders. When she heard this, although she forced a smile, her expression was not very good.

Wen Hui faintly sensed that her mother and sister-in-law’s words were not what Madam Lu wanted to hear. However, since her mother and sister-in-law did not take it seriously, she didn’t feel it was her place to intervene.

On this day, the women had a hard time socializing with each other.

Fortunately, Madam Yang was smart and found a common interest between the two different women: playing leaf cards.

In the afternoon, they set up a table. Wen Hui did not know how to play, so the Wen family’s mother and daughter-in-law, Madam Lu, and Madam Lu’s personal servant played together. Since they played cards, there was no need to find a topic to talk about, much to their mutual relief.

Madam Lu watched coldly as Wen Hui served tea to Madam Wen and carefully instructed the maids to add charcoal to the brazier. Although she lacked the grace of a Jiangnan scholar’s daughter, she was diligent and filial. She looked pleasant with an honest and simple appearance. If she weren’t a prospective daughter-in-law but just another family’s daughter, she might even be cute and likable.

However, Madam Lu had high standards. In the past, she rejected many daughters from scholarly families. Now, she found it hard to accept the daughter of a crude military officer.

She could not disobey her husband. She could only hope that her son would dislike this marriage.

To her surprise, the men returned in the afternoon. Although Lu Rui was unharmed and Madam Lu was finally relieved, his handsome face was in high spirits. It was obvious that he was in an extremely good mood. This made Madam Lu’s heart sink again.

During dinner, she overheard Lu Rui calling “Uncle”, “Big Brother”, “Second Brother”, and “Third Brother” through the screen. The men of the Wen family also warmly called him “Jiayan”. There was laughter from time to time.  The atmosphere was much more relaxed and lively compared to the previous evening.

Meanwhile, at the women’s table, Madam Wen, who had waited for Madam Lu to mention the matters all day, felt anxious. And, Madam Lu felt that the situation was hopeless and her heart sank. Both women had their own worries. Occasionally, their eyes would meet and they would force a smile, they felt even more strained than yesterday.

—

When they retired to their rooms, Madam Wen was too anxious to sleep, “She hasn’t said anything today either. What is she thinking? Could it be she doesn’t like our Yue Ya’er?”

Wen Baihu was also a little uncertain, “It can’t be. Let’s wait and see tomorrow. Look at how many boxes Madam Lu brought. There must be betrothal gifts among them.”

He continued, “Speaking of Jiayan, he is a good child. He may look weak, but he can draw a bow. He said he trained both academically and physically at the academy. He even got top marks in archery. He mentioned he wanted to go out again tomorrow.

Madam Wen scolded, “Next time, inform me in advance before taking someone out to hunt. I saw Madam Lu’s expression change.” After reprimanding Wen Baihu, she added, “He’s such a good son, it’s just hunting, wheat she’s so worried about. It’s like she’s raising him like a daughter.”

Wen Baihu laughed. “They’re from a scholar household. The women hardly step outside, how can she be like my wife, what do they call it? ‘A woman defending the pass, no man able to pass’.”

In the past, when Wen Baihu was only a low-ranking guard at Ling Mountain, he encountered pirates who raided the coast. With no men at home. Madam Wen tied Wen Bai to her back and killed six or seven pirates with her spear. She was covered in blood.

Even the Baihu at that time praised her bravery.

Later on, that Baihu became acquainted with nobles and wanted to follow them to Lintao. He wanted to bring a few of his trusted men together. Madam Wen originally didn’t get along well with her family due to her marriage, and Wen Baihu couldn’t bear to let her leave her hometown, so they didn’t follow.

His sworn brother, Old Huo, brought his wife and children along. Who knew that it would be a road of no return?

Madam Wen spat at him but kept worrying about Madam Lu’s attitude.

—

In the guest courtyard, Madam Lu scolded her son, “You ran off with someone without a word. We’re not familiar with this place, and we didn’t bring many guards. What if something happens?”

“It’s my fault for making you worry, Mother.” Lu Rui admitted his mistake first and smiled, “But this is Uncle Wen’s territory, he knows every inch of it. The Wen brothers are skilled in archery and riding, they won’t let anything happen to me.”

He knew that if he had told his mother in advance, she would have stopped him. Although he was a scholar, he was still a fifteen or sixteen-year-old young man, how could he not yearn for adventure? Today, the Wen men showed him around and pointed to the distant forest, saying, “We often go there to hunt”. His heart itched and he faintly expressed his interest before Wen Baihu immediately asked, “Young Master is a scholar, have you ever hunted before?”

When he said no, Wen Baihu slapped his thigh, “Then how about trying it with me? Are you willing?”

He immediately agreed. Without anyone to restrain him, it was indeed very enjoyable.

Madam Lu was displeased, “A family of boorish people, how can they take a child to do such a dangerous thing without informing the elders?”

Lu Rui’s gaze froze, also displeased, “Mother.”

“I understand.” Madam Lu waved her hand, “You’ve grown now, you don’t want me to control you. I know that’s why I worried all day but forced myself not to ask Madam Wen to call you back. But you have to understand my worry as a mother too.”

Madam Lu sighed, “I really can’t chat with Madam Wen. She knows so little. She only knows a few words, barely literate. Miss Wen has only read Three Hundred Thousand Sutras, a thing you finished when you were four. I think that if you marry such a wife, in the future, you can forget about having a beautiful wife or having a harmonious marriage.”

“That’s fine.” Lu Rui said, “She can learn slowly. There’s no end to learning, even scholars like us don’t dare to say that we’ve learned everything. Life is long, we just have to take it slow.”

Madam Lu was furious and said, “Her father and brothers are boorish martial artists. You’ll have many unpleasant interactions with them.”

Lu Rui responded, “Uncle Wen once killed a wolf barehanded. He also went up the mountain to exterminate bandits, went to sea to fight pirates, and accumulated military merits to become a Baihu. He is a brave person. The Wen brothers are all straightforward and hearty. Interacting with them is refreshing, not unpleasant.”

Madam Lu angrily said, “You have set your mind on her, haven’t you?”

Lu Rui recalled the brief glimpse of Wen Hui during dinner.

She was dressed in a light yellow jacket and a green skirt, looking delicate and fresh like a young onion. She was originally quietly staying by her mother’s side, but when he glanced over, she seemed startled like a frightened deer, yet tried to maintain her composure in front of the adults, which was very cute.

The corners of Lu Rui’s lips slightly curled into a smile, but he quickly restrained himself.

“Mother,” he said seriously, “we came here to arrange this marriage. This is Father’s wish. Since we are destined to connect with the Wen Family, let’s not delay any longer and proceed with the ceremony tomorrow.”

“After all, we’re here to get married, not to make enemies.”