LIGHTNOVELONLINE
Chapter 191
Dong Shan was someone they had encountered not far from Qingshi Town, and Wang's Mother had instinctively gone to the town to seek out a matchmaker, who had previously visited their home and was somewhat familiar.
She poured Wang's Mother a cup of water and smiled, "As a matter of fact, someone just came to me earlier, and from his description, he does sound a bit like your daughter. Should we introduce them to each other?"
Without further ado, the two were simply matched by the tails of a pair of wild chickens.
The matchmaker briefly explained Dong Shan's family background, and Wang's Mother's brow furrowed.
"Is he the only one left in his family now?"
"Yes," the matchmaker sighed. "The boy is a good one, it's just that his life has been a bit hard. But he's quite capable now, hunting in the nearby mountains, earning quite a bit to support his family."
She said, "Since he's the only one, your daughter won't have to take care of any in-laws when she marries him. And you're not too far away, so it'll be convenient for you to come visit them from time to time."
Wang's Mother didn't think it was too far, but she was worried that her husband might feel it was, so she didn't agree to it right away, saying she needed to go back and discuss it.
When she went back and told him about it, Wang's Father indeed disapproved. It wasn't because of the distance, which was just half a day's journey, no big deal.
He disapproved because Dong Shan didn't have any land, and being a hunter, while the income was decent, it wasn't an easy job. What if he encountered wild boars, wolves, or tigers in the mountains, things that could harm or even kill him? Then what would happen to his daughter?
There was no way he'd let her spend her life with a disabled man.
Wang Chunhua glared at her father angrily, "Father, can't you think of something good for me? He can earn so much, maybe I'll be able to eat and drink well if I marry him."
"Don't be ridiculous!"
Wang's Mother also agreed, "It is quite dangerous. Chunhua, should we look for someone else?"
She tentatively suggested, "If you like this kind of person, I can ask the matchmaker to find you someone similar. How about that?"
Wang Dazhuang nodded and whispered to his sister, "I think Tiechu is quite strong, and his family has a lot of land. Maybe we can have Mother talk to you about him."
"I don't want to! If you don't let me marry him, then I won't marry anyone!"
Seeing that no one approved of this, Wang Chunhua got angry and kicked her brother Wang Dazhuang, then stormed off to her room.
Wang Dazhuang hugged his leg and looked at his parents helplessly, "What are we going to do? Our big sister has a stubborn temper, she's hard to persuade."
Wang's Mother knew her daughter's temperament, and couldn't help but feel troubled. Wang's Father slammed the table and stood up, ordering his wife, "Go cook some rice, and kill a chicken, make a few more dishes."
Wang's Mother frowned, "What are you doing?"
It's not like it's the last meal.
"Just do as I say!"
Although she didn't understand the reason, Wang's Mother still followed the instructions. That night, when Wang Chunhua saw the abundant feast, she thought her parents had made it to appease her, and her appetite immediately opened up, eating three bowls of rice.
Seeing her put down her bowl and rub her belly contentedly, Wang's Father knew she was full, and asked with a smile, "Chunhua, is the rice good?"
"Mm-hmm, delicious!"
"Do you want to eat more?"
"Yes!"
"Then forget about marrying into the Dong family."
Wang Chunhua was a bit taken aback by how quickly her father changed his mind, and angrily retorted, "Father, what are you saying?"
"What am I saying?" Wang's Father snorted, pointing to the pile of chicken bones by her bowl, "Just look at how much you can eat in one meal. The Dong family doesn't even have any land, if you marry there, do you want to starve to death?"
"I..." Wang Chunhua couldn't refute it, looking at the clean bowl in front of her, but she felt aggrieved and lowered her head.
After a while, she softly said, "If I marry into their family, I can eat less, just one bowl would be enough."
And that's exactly what she did in the following days, only eating one bowl of rice per meal, enduring the hunger. Her parents were at a loss, and could only agree to it.
Wang Chunhua never told Dong Shan about this, and whenever she thought about it, she couldn't help but want to laugh. She didn't even know where her courage came from, having only met him twice.
Perhaps it was because she had heard from her mother that he had also inquired about her with the matchmaker.
"Don't forget that," Wang Chunhua pointed to the two feathers still hanging on the wall, reminding him, "That was the first thing you ever gave me."
Dong Shan smiled and nodded, "I know, I'll never forget."
He reached up to take down the feathers and put them in a box.
Wang Chunhua had been ill recently, and Dong Lei was worried, insisting that they all live together. They had already packed up their belongings, waiting for Dong Lei to come pick them up to set off.
"Anything else?"
"I think that's it," Wang Chunhua said, though she still went around the courtyard one more time to make sure, then nodded, "That's it."
She sat down on the bed, feeling the quilt, and sighed regretfully, "They were all in such good condition, but we're not taking them."
"Oh, but your son-in-law has already instructed, the bedsheets, quilts, and other old things, we don't need to bring them, Qianqian has prepared new ones for us."
Dong Shan said helplessly, "Your son is an official now, he wants you to live well, you shouldn't have any trouble with that."
Wang Chunhua pouted, "Of course I can live well. Who can't live a good life these days?"
She sighed, "I'm just worried I won't get along with Qianqian."
"How won't you get along? Qianqian is well-educated, polite, and sensible. She's been sending us things every once in a while. What's not to like?"
"I guess so."
If the daughter-in-law wasn't to her liking, she wouldn't have agreed to let her in.
It's just that Qianqian's temperament wasn't quite to Wang Chunhua's taste, always so slow and sluggish. Wang Chunhua was an impatient person, sometimes when she tried to talk to her or ask her something, it always took so much effort, they could never quite see eye to eye.
But since her son liked her, she could accept it. In the past, they only saw each other a few times a year, which was fine. Now that they were going to live together, she couldn't help but worry.
Dong Lei was stationed in Tongjiang, and Tongjiang to Anhuai was only a two-day journey. He had specifically taken the time to come back and pick up his parents.
Dong Shan and Wang Chunhua didn't want to delay his official duties, so they were going to set off with him the next day. Li Mingwei and Liu Yizhu came to see them off. "Sister, when are you leaving?"
"Soon, in the next few days."
Wang Chunhua invited, "Why don't you two come with us and stay in Tongjiang for a few days?"
"No, thanks." Li Mingwei glanced at Liu Yizhu and smiled, "We still have some matters to attend to at the academy, and we're also planning to go to Shaohua Mountain to watch the sunset."
Dong Lei clicked his tongue, "Aunt and Uncle are really leisurely, aren't they?"
Li Mingwei sniffed, "How bitter!"
Liu Yizhu chuckled and patted his shoulder encouragingly, "If you work hard for another ten years, you can be like us too."
Ten years?
Dong Lei shook his head, ten years probably wouldn't be enough.
Li Mingwei gave him a shove, "Stop dwelling on it, hurry up and go, you're wasting time."
"Okay!"
The three got on the carriage and headed to Tongjiang. Li Mingwei watched them leave, then turned to Liu Yizhu, "With the sister gone, we can start packing up too."
"Alright."