Chapter 18: Third Girl’s Marriage – Wuyou Grass

Li Xing’er heard from the villagers that the steam from boiling eggs could help reduce swelling, so she went to the kitchen, boiled two eggs, and brought them to Li Guo’er to use as a warm compress.

Watching her parents and siblings busying themselves for her, Li Guo’er thought to herself that she needed to get better as soon as possible.

After Jia Qingshan returned home, he put down the firewood, killed the rabbit, and prepared it. Then he made himself a pot of brown rice porridge and had it with some salted radish as a simple meal.

Lying on the kang, every time Jia Qingshan closed his eyes, he saw Li Guo’er’s tearful face, which kept him awake all night. He couldn’t sleep at all.

Li Guo’er had been lying down for seven or eight days. Her ankle had finally stopped swelling, and she was able to walk normally again.

This was all thanks to Jia Qingshan. If it weren’t for the herbs he gathered from the mountain, she wouldn’t have recovered so quickly.

For several days, Jia Qingshan seemed dispirited, with no energy. The image of Li Guo’er’s smile and her eyes kept circling in his mind, and it tortured him, making food tasteless and causing sleepless nights.

Returning from a short-term job, Jia Qingshan saw a group of children surrounding a skinny little boy from a distance, talking about something.

He vaguely heard them saying… “Big sister… marriage… can’t get married…”

As he got closer, he saw a round-faced, sturdy-looking little boy glaring fiercely at the children who were bullying him, his eyes brimming with tears.

Jia Qingshan approached and scared off the children, telling the little boy that the sun was setting and that he should head home soon, or his family would be worried.

The boy crouched in the corner, crying. Jia Qingshan, who had never been good at comforting children, wasn’t sure what to do.

He reached out and patted the boy’s head, saying, “Don’t cry. Crying is a sign of weakness. As long as you become strong, no one will dare to bully you anymore.”

Li Wen, the boy, understood what “strong” meant. He wiped his tears and said to Jia Qingshan, “Big brother, I want to become strong. I want to protect my sister.”

“Then no one will dare laugh at her anymore, saying she was the woman who was rejected by someone and can’t get married.”

When Jia Qingshan heard the boy’s words, he was taken aback. Although he didn’t often interact with the villagers, he knew a little about the town’s gossip.

If he wasn’t mistaken, Li Guo’er was the only one in the village who had been rejected by a suitor.

Looking into the boy’s eyes, which resembled Li Guo’er’s, Jia Qingshan realized this must be Li Guo’er’s younger brother, Li Wen.

Looking at the little boy, Jia Qingshan’s eyes seemed to sparkle for a moment.

The boy was indeed Li Guo’er’s brother. He had originally gone to look for Xiao Pang to play, but Xiao Pang had gone to his grandmother’s house.

So he came to the village alone, and when he overheard the other children talking, he got upset and started crying.

Li Wen believed that his big sister, Li Guo’er, was not only able to catch wild chickens and ducks but even capable of catching roe deer. She should be the most amazing sister.

The other children, unwilling to accept this, started arguing and mocking Li Guo’er, saying she had been rejected in a marriage proposal and would remain an old maid at home.

Li Wen, who had grown fond of the older brother who had helped him, soon became quite familiar with Jia Qingshan.

He knew that Li Guo’er’s ankle was badly swollen, and he remembered a type of herb on the mountain that worked wonders for treating sprains and injuries.

He took Li Wen to his thatched house, told him to wait inside for a moment, and promised to be right back.

The herb was located just at the foot of the mountain behind his house, and he quickly found a bunch. When Li Wen found out the herb was meant to help his sister’s swelling, he liked Jia Qingshan even more.

Jia Qingshan sent Li Wen to the foot of the mountain and watched as his figure disappeared from sight before leaving.

Li Wen hopped and skipped all the way home, and when his parents saw how happy he was, they curiously asked, “Why are you so happy today, Wen-ge?”

Li Wen explained what Jia Qingshan had done for him. Since only Mrs. He next door knew about his sister’s injury, it was clear the young man who had brought the herb was the one who helped them.

Looking at the herb in his son’s hands, Shen Shi couldn’t help but recall that handsome young man.

“Now that Li Wen has taken the herbs to find his sister, what do you think of Jia Qingshan?” Shen Shi asked, unable to hold back her thoughts.

That day, when Li Guo’er had been injured, Shen Shi had heard about Jia Qingshan’s situation through casual conversation.

“I liked him the moment I saw him,” Shen Shi continued. “He has no father or mother, and he’s all alone. He’d be the head of his household right away after marriage, and we wouldn’t have to worry about a mother-in-law making life difficult. The more I think about it, the more suitable he seems.”

Li Youyin, looking at his wife’s satisfied expression, replied, “What good is it if only we think it’s a good match? The kids have to think it’s right for them to live together.”

Shen Shi agreed with her husband’s point. After all, wasn’t it the same for them when they got married?

When they looked at the Sun family’s son, who seemed so fine in many ways, they hadn’t considered whether the two kids were truly compatible. Following the tradition of parents arranging marriages and matchmakers, they had set up the marriage, only for it to be broken off later.

Now that they understood everything, the couple let go of their worries. They wouldn’t force their daughter into something she didn’t want. They decided to let things happen naturally.

The Li family returned to their usual calm, but next door, things were starting to get busier.

Third Girl, or San Ya, was already sixteen years old, but she was as thin and frail as a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old girl.

Sometimes, San Ya would think about escaping from this home.

To escape the endless chores, insults, and beatings every day, Third Girl, or San Ya, often wished to leave her home.

Although her two older sisters were both married off for a high bride price, San Ya sometimes overheard people in the village talking about them when she went out.

She heard that her older sister, despite marrying a widower with a child, was living a relatively good life. The child, a boy, was already five years old.

Her brother-in-law’s first wife had died from complications during childbirth, and his daughter had been without a mother since she was three, growing up with only her father.

Her older sister had a great deal of affection for the little girl, who had never experienced maternal love. The girl relied heavily on her older sister.

Her brother-in-law, seeing how well his wife and daughter got along, was so happy that he cried. After his wife passed away, the matchmaker had introduced several women to him, but he always hesitated to remarry because he feared his daughter might be mistreated by a stepmother in his absence.

Although his new wife was the result of a high bride price, he didn’t mind. He sympathized with her past and treated her with great affection. He showered her and his daughter with love, and they formed a harmonious family.

The second sister, though married to a disabled man, found a kindred spirit in him. Both had been neglected by their parents, and their mutual understanding and support helped them live a life that, while not luxurious, was peaceful and content.

In the end, both older sisters went through hardship but found happiness. They met the right people.

As for San Ya, she didn’t have any way out. She also dreamed of marrying someone, but would her mother allow it?

She couldn’t stand staying at home for even a moment longer. She thought that if anyone was willing to marry her, she would accept, even if the man wasn’t handsome. As long as she could escape her current life, she would accept it.

Perhaps the heavens heard San Ya’s wish. Truly, they sent her a husband.

The man was a butcher, tall and burly, with a fierce look. He was seven years older than San Ya. He had been married before, but his wife had passed away due to illness, leaving no children behind.

San Ya was quite satisfied. A butcher would be good! She could have meat every day. The fact that he looked fierce was even better—this way, her mother wouldn’t dare bother her anymore.

So, San Ya quietly entered a small sedan chair and started her new life, beginning a different chapter.