Chapter 17: Candied Hawthorn

They were preparing to return to the village. The baskets on the backs of the mother and her two children were packed to the brim. If it hadn’t been for Yan Fengru saying they truly couldn’t carry any more, Madam Kang would have stuffed in even more things.

“Sister-in-law Zhou’s embroidery is really wonderful. Big Sister, please tell her my cousin really liked the new pattern she designed. Here’s a deposit from her. She said to proceed with this new style.”

Madam Kang pulled out a red envelope from her bosom and handed it to Yan Fengru.

Yan Fengru tucked it away immediately and replied with a smile, “That’s great to hear. I’ll let her know when I get back.”

Madam Kang had a cousin who was marrying off her daughter. The girl was considered lucky—she had secured a good marriage. The groom was a scholar who had passed the county-level examination at a young age, indicating a promising future.

They said it was because he admired the good family background and decent upbringing of Madam Kang’s cousin, along with the daughter’s gentle and proper demeanor. It made her cousin overjoyed.

But in Madam Kang’s opinion, wasn’t it really because her cousin’s husband was a teacher?

The groom was actually a student of her cousin’s husband. Technically, the two were in a teacher-student relationship.

However, it was said that the groom came from a very poor family. If it were Madam Kang, she certainly wouldn’t be willing to marry her daughter into such a household.

It wasn’t that she looked down on poverty. It was more about how the groom’s parents were still alive, and he had three brothers and a younger sister who had yet to marry. The brothers hadn’t even separated their households. The entire family was tightening their belts just to fund his education.

Madam Kang had once seen the man from a distance with her cousin. He looked decent enough.

But she just couldn’t get over a bad feeling.

A household with too many siblings meant complicated family dynamics. Madam Kang thought that if she ever had a daughter, she would prefer to find her a husband from a family with fewer people. Character was also important when it came to a son-in-law.

Still, all of that was her personal opinion. Her cousin was very pleased and even complained that her daughter didn’t have good needlework skills. She insisted on hiring a skilled embroiderer to make a beautiful wedding dress, so she could marry off her daughter in style. That’s how she ended up seeking out Madam Zhou.

Later, when her cousin saw Madam Zhou walking arm in arm with Yan Fengru in town, she recognized Yan Fengru. Now, whenever she had requests that were inconvenient to convey herself, she would ask Madam Kang to pass them along—mainly for Yan Fengru to relay to Madam Zhou.

Madam Kang understood what her cousin really wanted: for more people to know that her daughter had secured a good marriage.

Privately, Madam Kang didn’t quite approve of her cousin’s behavior. But there wasn’t much she could do. Her father’s side didn’t have many relatives, and her mother had four sisters and only one brother. That uncle had passed away early, and most of the next generation had lost contact. Only this cousin stayed in touch more frequently, so she let it slide.

This cousin was the daughter of one of her late mother Fang’s sisters. The two of them were maternal cousins.

Gu Yuzhu was being pulled aside by her elder brother, the little gentleman, who whispered into her ear. But even then, she noticed at a glance the conversation happening between her mother and her big aunt.

Perhaps because they thought the children were still too young, neither Yan Fengru nor Madam Kang tried to avoid them. Madam Kang thought for a moment and said, “My cousin prefers ‘Blossoms and Full Moon.’ She says ‘Mandarin Ducks Playing in Water’ is too trivial and petty.”

Yan Fengru couldn’t help but burst out laughing, while Madam Kang blushed.

“Oh come on, Big Sister, don’t take her words too seriously. If she could, she’d want dragons and phoenixes symbolizing auspiciousness all over the dress! She said something about ‘Mandarin Ducks Playing in Water’ being too caught up in romance—too small-minded and unrefined…”

When Madam Kang had married into the Yan family, even wearing a modest red wedding dress with cloud patterns embroidered on the cuffs and collar had been considered decent and proper.

She couldn’t help but laugh again. Dragon and phoenix motifs weren’t something common folks could afford. Among ordinary people, wedding embroidery usually featured auspicious patterns like “Blossoms and Full Moon” or “Mandarin Ducks Playing in Water.”

“Alright, got it. I’ll let Sister Zhou know.”

…

“Little Sister, do you know what Mother and Auntie are talking about?”

Gu Yuzhu blinked in surprise, then heard her little gentleman brother speak with a very serious face: “I know. They’re talking about marriage. Do you know what marriage is?”

Gu Yuzhu: “……” Big Brother, do you know you’re ruining your charming little prince image right now?

Kang Bowen and Yan Bowen couldn’t bear to see their little cousin leaving, so they took out their precious stashes of candied fruits and pastries to give her as parting gifts. Gu Yuzhu promised to come find them in town to play again sometime.

In fact, the Yan family also lived in Qingshan Village, but Yan Xingjia and his wife spent more time in town. Since Old Master Kang lived alone, they usually stayed in town with the two boys.

After his sister and wife finished their conversation, Yan Xingjia sensibly picked up his sister’s basket and carried it on his own back. He carried his sweet and adorable niece in one arm and held his handsome nephew’s hand with the other, marching confidently toward the city gates like a triumphant man with a perfect life.

Unfortunately for Gu Yuzhu, who had been cooped up all day at her aunt’s house and hadn’t gotten to go out, she stretched her neck to look around—only to be greeted with the sight of closed stalls and vendors packing up.

Tattered banners fluttered in the wind, with names like “Such-and-such Shop” or “So-and-so’s Old Brand.” Most of the pedestrians hurried by without much pause. All those bustling and lively scenes from TV dramas were completely fake. However, the ground was nicely paved with bluestone, and the buildings around were mostly single-story houses. Here and there, a charmingly designed little courtyard could be spotted…

In reality, Qingyun Town wasn’t big at all. From south to north, there was only one street. There wasn’t really anything exciting to see. Gu Yuzhu didn’t know if she’d come at the wrong time or if the market was always this dull. Either way, she was truly disappointed.

She couldn’t help but comfort herself—after all, ancient productivity was low, and transportation conditions poor. If a small town were really bustling with shops like a modern commercial street, that would be strange.

In truth, this so-called “town” had merely evolved from a village gathering spot. Maybe she had just come at a bad time. Perhaps noticing her disappointment, Uncle Yan Xingjia chuckled and asked, “What’s wrong, Zhuzhu’er? Why so down?”

“Oh, Uncle forgot. Your mother had to pick up your brother today and take care of errands. Your Aunt figured it wasn’t a market day, and the streets wouldn’t be lively, so she didn’t take you and your cousins out. Feeling a little bored? Come, Uncle will buy you a candied hawthorn stick.”

Yan Fengru rolled her eyes at her younger brother. “You’re always spoiling them. Don’t let them get too used to it.”

Yan Xingjia just grinned sheepishly, but his feet didn’t slow down in the slightest. In no time, both the “fake child” Gu Yuzhu and her handsome little brother were each holding a bright red candied hawthorn stick.

The hawthorn used at this time of year was truly wild. The skewers were small, but cleaned thoroughly, and the sugar coating was thick and glossy. One bite was both sour and sweet, making Gu Yuzhu squint her eyes in delight, which made Yan Xingjia laugh heartily.

When they reached the city gate, they saw Old Man Huang from Qingshan Village with his cart. Upon seeing Yan Fengru, Old Man Huang’s face crinkled into a wide smile. The Yan siblings were all accomplished people in the village and not ones to be offended lightly.

Even that cart had been modified based on instructions from Yan Xingjia. How could Old Man Huang not be enthusiastic?

…

The journey home went smoothly, with no unpleasant encounters. But as soon as they got home, Gu Yuzhu saw Gu Qingshan with a stony face—and Madam Li standing off to the side with her head lowered…