Chapter 16: A Condition

Zhao Qiao’e put down her chopsticks and looked at Song Yuntang.  “Tang’er, I’ve been thinking.  That Huang family scoundrel keeps bothering you. To be safe, I’ll ask a matchmaker tomorrow to find someone from a distant village. We can arrange the marriage. As long as he’s kind, even without wealth, a peaceful life is possible.”

If Song Yuntang hadn’t changed these past few days, she wouldn’t dare suggest this.

Song Yuntang shook her head without hesitation.

“I don’t want to casually entrust my life to a stranger. Don’t worry about Huang Heyu; Mr. Xu said he’ll handle it.”

“Mr. Xu?” Zhuzi blurted out.  “He doesn’t seem like someone who meddles in other people’s business.”

Song Jinsheng clicked his tongue and glared at him.

Zhuzi shrank back.

“After lunch today, I went to Mr. Xu.  It just so happens that I can cure his illness. We agreed that I’d treat him, and he’d help me deal with Huang Heyu.”  She looked at Zhao Qiao’e. “So, Mother, don’t worry about my marriage. I’ll find someone suitable.”

If all else fails, she wouldn’t marry.

But she didn’t dare say that last part.

“Mr. Xu is a reliable person. If he says he’ll do it, he will.  But we can’t be sure Huang Heyu won’t use underhanded tactics against you.” Zhao Qiao’e looked at Song Yuntang with worry. “I still think it’s best for Tang’er to marry smoothly. You’re sixteen. Even without Huang Heyu, it’s time to consider marriage.”

Song Jinbao nodded. “Your mother is right.”

Song Yuntang pursed her lips. “Second brother isn’t married yet, why should I rush?”

“That’s different!” Zhao Qiao’e said earnestly.  “If we were rich, your second brother would have married already.  Now, it’s unavoidable.  Without Huang Heyu, I wanted you to stay home for a year or two, to keep me and your father company.”

Song Yuntang said “Oh” indifferently.

“Doesn’t marrying a daughter require a dowry?  Since we don’t have money, there’s no need to rush.”

Zhao Qiao’e had already considered this.

“Our family has had high expenses these years. I still have a few taels of silver.  We’ll keep some for household expenses; the rest will be your dowry.” She apologetically looked at Song Jinsheng. “But this means Jinsheng’s marriage will be delayed for another year or two.”

Song Jinsheng shrugged. “I’m fine. Let’s focus on my sister first.”

But secretly, he was reluctant to see his sister marry at this juncture.  He felt she was only just beginning to accept the family and become close to him. If she married, they wouldn’t have as much time together.

When Song Yuntang mentioned the dowry, she hadn’t been concerned about the family’s meager savings.  She simply hadn’t considered marriage yet and wanted to dissuade Zhao Qiao’e.

Now, mother and son were working together, leaving her speechless.

“In that case, I have a condition.”

“What condition?” Zhao Qiao’e asked.

“Before the marriage is decided, I must meet and get to know the other person first. And you can’t make decisions for me without my permission.” Song Yuntang looked at her seriously. “If you can’t meet this condition, I’d rather not marry.”

Zhao Qiao’e readily agreed.

“Of course. It’s you getting married, so you must approve.”

Little did she know, this promise would cause her considerable worry in the coming days.

Song Yuntang nodded, her bright eyes turning to Song Jinbao.

“Father, can we use the wood stored on the pigsty’s rafters?”

Hearing Song Yuntang call him “Father” again, Song Jinbao still found it unusual.

He looked puzzled.

“What do you need the wood for?”

That wood was leftover from building their current brick-and-tile house five years ago, when they divided the family property.  Because the wood was still in good condition, they had kept it stored on the rafters, intending to use it to expand the house later.

But in recent years, the two younger sons hadn’t needed separate rooms yet, and the family was short of money, so they hadn’t started.

Song Jinsheng spoke before Song Yuntang. “Father, don’t ask. It’s a surprise.”

After some hesitation, Song Jinbao nodded.

“Alright, you two do as you please. If we need to build more rooms later, I’ll just go cut some more wood from the mountain.”

With that settled, Song Yuntang fumigated her room with mugwort before washing up. She hadn’t eaten enough, so she needed to sleep before her food was fully digested; otherwise, sleeping on an empty stomach would be uncomfortable.

…

The next day, Song Jinsheng called Song Ma Zi early. With Song Jinbao and Song Jinyuan helping, they quickly took down the wood from the pigsty rafters.

After transporting the wood to Song Ma Zi’s house using a cart, they went home and fetched water buckets for the fields.

With the wood, they could start making the waterwheel. Tung oil was the biggest expense, but they weren’t in a hurry; buying it in ten days would be fine, or they could ask Song Ma Zi to buy it, and she would pay later.

After yesterday’s incident, Song Yuntang didn’t dare go into the mountains alone.  But with nothing to occupy her time, she couldn’t stay idle at home.

Lying in bed, she pondered. The conditions here were limited.  The mountain’s emptiness during the famine was one thing, but Huang Heyu lurking in the background was a major distraction.

Suddenly, she heard Liu Shi and their neighbor’s wife, Tian Shi, talking outside.

“Xiangyun, you’re four months pregnant, but your belly isn’t showing. Is something wrong with the baby?”

Liu Shi touched her belly, smiling gently.

“Probably not. Jinyuan got medicine from town, and I’ve felt much better these days.”

Tian Shi, holding her six-month-old son, glanced strangely at Song Yuntang’s room and whispered, “The medicine he got you… wasn’t it prescribed by your useless younger sister-in-law?”

Liu Shi’s smile vanished.

“Don’t say that about her.”

Tian Shi glanced at her. “Only you are so carefree to take her medicine. I heard she went to see Mr. Xu yesterday.  She’s never been known to practice medicine. If something goes wrong, she’ll be harming people!  It’s fortunate Mr. Xu is so good-tempered.”

Liu Shi shook her head. “I believe Tang’er wouldn’t harm me.”

She had spent so much time with Song Yuntang and had never seen her hurt anyone.

In the past, she had indeed had a spoiled young miss’s temperament, but that was understandable. She had been a young miss in Master Lin’s house for over ten years.  But recently, she seemed to have changed, not as aloof as before.