On the wedding night, there was no groom, but Ning Yuchan was not left to keep the empty bridal chamber alone. Mother Huo had sent Taohua to accompany her.
The Huo family was considered a large clan in the village, but without a groom, not many villagers attended the wedding banquet.
First, the Huo family had no intention of making a grand celebration.
Secondly, the villagers themselves did not know with what mindset they should come to offer congratulations.
On the contrary, the Liang family at the west end of the village was bustling with visitors, every seat filled.
The commotion lasted well into the latter half of the night, and even then, the lights were still brightly lit.
Not long ago, Ning Yuchan had met Scholar Liang. At that time, Scholar Liang had been full of confidence, his face glowing with joy, his ears flushed red as he said to her, “I will soon come to propose. Wait for me.”
Her cheeks had flushed with shyness, wanting to speak yet holding back.
At that time, she had also been full of anticipation.
Unfortunately, life was unpredictable. In less than two months, she had already become someone’s wife, and he had also become someone’s husband.
“Sister-in-law, there’s a chamber pot placed by the door. If you need to get up at night, call me.”
Taohua had been instructed by Mother Huo. The sister-in-law had just married into the family and was not yet used to many things, so she was told to take extra care of her.
The big rooster had been taken away by Mother Huo, who was worried it might defecate at night and dirty the bridal chamber.
With her arms suddenly empty, Ning Yuchan felt somewhat unaccustomed.
“I understand. You should go to sleep early.”
Taohua yawned, but stubbornly said, “I’m not sleepy. Sister-in-law, you sleep first. I’ll wait until you fall asleep before I sleep.”
Ning Yuchan asked curiously, “Is there some particular reason for that?”
Taohua felt a little embarrassed. She carefully glanced out the window, then lowered her voice and said to Ning Yuchan, “My elder brother is gone. They told me to keep an eye on you, afraid you might run away in the middle of the night.”
Ning Yuchan: “…I won’t run.”
Taohua smiled and said with certainty, “I know.”
Ning Yuchan did not know where her confidence came from. “How do you know?”
Taohua still spoke in a firm tone, “Because my eldest brother is not dead at all.”
Ning Yuchan frowned. “How do you know?”
Taohua snorted. “I just know. My eldest brother is like a cat, he has nine lives. Anyone else could die, but my eldest brother won’t.”
A twelve-year-old girl, yet she seemed to understand everything.
“Sister Yuqiao didn’t want to marry over here. Hmph, sooner or later, she’ll regret it. Sister Yuchan, you just wait to enjoy your blessings in this life. My eldest brother is strong, he can fight. Maybe he’ll even come back as a great general…”
Ning Yuchan knew the little girl was holding resentment in her heart, so she reached out and tucked the blanket around her.
It would be best if Huo Jingye was not dead.
In Ning Yuchan’s mind, Huo Jingye’s appearance slowly surfaced.
Completely opposite to Scholar Liang.
If Scholar Liang was a refined and elegant young gentleman, then Huo Jingye was a rough and sturdy man.
Looking closely, his appearance was actually quite good.
Nine chi[1]“chi” is a traditional Chinese unit of length; in most historical contexts, one chi is about 30–33 centimeters, so nine chi is approximately 2.7–3 meters (around 8 ft 10 in to 9 ft 10 in). In … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1949183_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1949183_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); tall, broad and powerful.
When other families slaughtered their New Year pig, it took several people to hold it down, but he alone could restrain a fat pig weighing two to three hundred jin.
Her elder sister often disliked him for not being refined enough.
Like Scholar Liang, he also often went to Old Man Ning’s stall.
However, he had never paid a single copper coin.
Whenever the Ning family had any heavy lifting or moving to do, he never complained, rolling up his sleeves and getting to work.
Otherwise, even after hearing that the man had died, Old Man Ning would not have been unwilling to break off the engagement.
In truth, he genuinely liked this rough man.
Old Man Ning often lamented that if the elder sister married Huo Changsheng, she would certainly not have to worry about making a living.
Huo Changsheng could do anything.
At a glance, he was the kind of man who cherished his wife and could not bear to let her do hard labor.
Scholar Liang, on the other hand, was indeed well-educated, but he was not capable of physical labor.
If he could pass the provincial examination in the future, that would be fine.
If he could not, then being his wife would require enduring some hardship.
Old Man Ning often worried about Ning Yuchan, afraid that after marriage, all the household work would fall onto her alone.
…
“Sister-in-law, what are you thinking about?”
Taohua noticed that Ning Yuchan had lost herself in thought and tugged at her sleeve.
Ning Yuchan came back to her senses and shook her head. “Nothing. I think the same as you. Brother Huo is definitely not dead. It won’t be long before he comes back.”
Taohua liked hearing that. “Sister-in-law, you’re right.”
Before going to sleep, Mother Huo placed the big rooster that had stood in for her son during the wedding ceremony inside the room and covered it with a basket.
The big rooster that had performed the wedding rites in place of her son had to be raised well.
Father Huo felt displeased when he heard her speak so improperly and urged, “Go to sleep early.”
Ning Yuchan did not fall asleep until very late.
As for Taohua, she lay on the kang and within a short while began to let out soft snores.
Ning Yuchan tucked the blanket over Taohua and could not help but sigh with emotion. Being young was indeed good, lying down on the kang and falling asleep right away.
The next morning, Ning Yuchan was awakened by Mother Huo’s pig-slaughter-like wailing.
“…Oh my heavens, which damned person actually carried off my Changsheng.
Aren’t they afraid of having a son without an anus.
You immoral bastard, you wretched thing destined to have no descendants…”
Ning Yuchan hurriedly climbed up, while also pushing the still half-asleep Taohua.
“Taohua, Taohua, get up quickly, it seems something in our house is missing.”
Ning Yuchan hastily put on her clothes in a few quick movements and shuffled out in her shoes.
Only after stepping out the door did she have time to properly slip her shoes on.
Seeing Mother Huo holding a kitchen knife and standing at the doorway cursing loudly, Ning Yuchan quickened her steps and went over, asking, “Mother, what happened?”
When Mother Huo saw her, tears streamed down like rain.
“Last night I even told your father to keep an eye on the rooster. This morning, when we got up, we were going to scatter it some grain. I was thinking that since it stood in for Changsheng in the wedding ceremony, then it should be treated the same as Changsheng. We should raise it well and see it through to old age. Who would have thought that when we got up this morning, that rooster was gone. I don’t know which bastard stole it.”
Not to mention that the Huo family’s life was not well-off.
Even in wealthy households, a big rooster was something people cared about.
Having it stolen was indeed hateful.
However, Ning Yuchan still felt it was strange. “Mother, could it be that the rooster ran out by itself? How do you know it was stolen?”
Mother Huo said resentfully, “Last night I checked the main gate three times, it was definitely closed properly. The house door was also tightly shut. I covered that rooster with a wicker basket and even pressed a stone on top. It was impossible for it to run out.
This morning, your father first saw the stone thrown at the doorway, then saw the basket overturned. Nothing else was missing; only the rooster was gone.
The main gate had also been opened.
If someone didn’t come in to steal it, then what else could it be?
At first, I thought the same as you. We searched around the front and back of the house more than a dozen times, and didn’t even see a shadow of it…”
From Mother Huo’s account, the rooster had indeed been stolen.
That was the rooster that had performed the wedding ceremony together with her. What kind of immoral person would steal even such a rooster?
“Mother, can you guess who stole the rooster?”
As soon as Ning Yuchan said this, Mother Huo seemed as if she had been injected with chicken blood. She first shouted into the courtyard, “Changsheng’s father, come with me to catch the thief,” and then, carrying the kitchen knife, walked out.
Ning Yuchan was worried something might happen to Mother Huo and hurriedly followed after her.
“Mother, don’t be impulsive. Let’s find evidence first before saying anything.”
How could Mother Huo hold herself back. “I know who stole our Changsheng, that shameless thing. These past few days, he has been staring at Changsheng. Today, I will definitely chop off his head. Why is he so greedy, eating everything he sees.”
Ning Yuchan corrected her, “Mother, that is not Changsheng.”
Mother Huo had already lost all reason.
That rooster had been raised by her with her own hands.
Originally, she had planned to stew it for her son when he returned.
But unfortunately, her son had still not come back until now.
Later, it took the son’s place in the wedding ceremony.
In her heart, it was already no different from her son.
“Anyway, it stood in for Changsheng to perform the wedding ceremony with you. Whoever dares to steal it is stealing my son, stealing your man…”
The more Ning Yuchan listened, the more uncomfortable she felt.
“Mother—”
Taohua also found it unpleasant to hear. “Mother, what you’re saying is too harsh.”
Mother Huo did not care about any of that.
Gripping the kitchen knife, she rushed into the east courtyard.
Sure enough, she saw several chicken feathers scattered at the entrance of the garden. Judging from the color pattern, if it was not the one she raised, then which one could it be!
“You shameless, short-lived wretch, come out here. I know you stole my chicken. If you don’t hand it over today, I’ll report you to the authorities and have you arrested. You poor, greedy, shameless lowly thing, you wouldn’t even spare your own younger brother.
Have you people of the Huo family no shame at all?”
Mother Huo, clutching the kitchen knife, stood at the gate of the eldest Huo family’s house and shouted curses at the top of her voice.
It was early in the morning, and many people had not yet gotten up.
Hearing the shouting, they all put on their clothes and came out to see what was happening.
The Huo family’s ancestors had made a living by producing dog-skin plasters and had once lived quite well.
Later, there was a period of warfare in the court. The dog-skin plasters required many kinds of medicinal materials.
Once the war began, it became difficult to gather the materials.
Even when they managed to collect them all, the prices were extremely expensive.
Ordinary people simply could not afford them.
Moreover, the Huo family had no connections to send their dog-skin plasters into the yamen or the army.
This caused the Huo family to go a long time without making any plasters.
By the generation of Huo Jingye’s great-grandfather, even the craft had become rusty, and only a prescription was left behind.
By the generation of Huo Jingye’s grandfather, they did not even know where the prescription had been placed.
Fortunately, the Huo family’s ancestors had once been wealthy and had bought several hundred mu of land.
The descendants of the Huo family lived off this land.
Grandfather Huo and Grandmother Huo had a total of three sons and two daughters.
Grandfather Huo died early.
Grandmother Huo raised the children alone.
Now she lived together with the eldest son and the youngest son.
The second son was Huo Jingye’s father, who lived separately with his wife and children.
Huo Jingye’s mother was the daughter of the Old Tian family from the neighboring village.
Originally, Second Brother Huo and Tian Fengying had been betrothed since childhood.
Later, discord arose between the two families. Grandmother Huo wanted to cancel the marriage, but her son insisted.
Grandmother Huo then declared harshly that if he dared to marry into the Tian family, he would have to live separately and would not receive a single share of the family property.
Second Brother Huo had been honest, simple, and filial since childhood. This was the first and only time he disobeyed Grandmother Huo.
When he came of age, he asked villagers for help to build a thatched hut at the entrance of the village. He drove a donkey cart to bring Tian Fengying over.
Grandmother Huo was ruthless. Since she said she would not give any property, she truly did not give a single coin.
Fortunately, Second Brother Huo and Tian Fengying were hardworking. They borrowed money to rent a few mu of land and also reclaimed more than ten mu of wasteland at the foot of the mountain. After enduring for several years, by the time Huo Jingye was in his teens, their life gradually improved.
Huo Jingye was strong and powerful. At seven or eight years old, he could already do as much work as an adult woman.
By his teens, he had surpassed Father Huo.
Unfortunately, five years ago, he went to join the army.
Father Huo’s family lost a laborer for no reason. Their household had many people, and Father Huo was getting older.
In addition, Grandmother Huo would cause trouble every now and then and even seized several mu of their land.
In the past two years, life had become worse and worse.
Even the money for yesterday’s wedding banquet had just been borrowed from a friend.
Before that, the family had not eaten a single bite of meat for an entire month.
…
Ning Yuchan had previously heard that the Huo family’s life was quite decent.
Yesterday, when she married into the family, her embarrassment, panic, and uncertainty about the future left her with no energy to observe the situation of the Huo household.
Today, hearing Eldest Aunt Huo come out to argue and expose the background of Father Huo’s family, she finally understood some of the family’s difficulties.
Eldest Aunt Huo had a savage, cunning, unreasonable, and calculating personality. Even though her eldest son had clearly stolen someone else’s chicken, she still refused to admit it.
When she heard Second Brother Huo’s wife scolding her, she raised her voice and came out to shout back.
“Oh, the second son’s wife has eaten gunpowder early in the morning, running to our doorstep to make a scene.
Didn’t you just marry a new bride? Instead of staying with your new bride and living your life, you have so much free time?”
With one hand on her waist, she rolled her eyes while cursing, “I say, second son’s wife, you too, you’re so poor you can’t even afford food, yet you still insisted on taking a wife. You even borrowed two taels of silver just to hold a banquet. When are you going to repay that money?
Besides, Changsheng is already dead, yet you bring back a young and beautiful girl. You’re ruining her, and you’re not afraid of losing your virtue…”
Ning Yuchan stood beside Mother Huo. Hearing Eldest Aunt Huo’s words, her heart skipped a beat.
The banquet held when she married into the family yesterday had been paid for with borrowed money?
After Huo Jingye went to the army, there were four people left in the Huo family.
Father Huo and his wife, plus twelve-year-old Taohua and ten-year-old Changshou.
Relying only on a few mu of land to live, life was indeed difficult.
Now with her added to the household, and she could not do much heavy labor, life would probably become even harder.
Just as she was lost in thought, a plucked, bare-skinned rooster suddenly flapped out from the window.
If it were usual, with Ning Yuchan’s soft and frail nature, she would definitely not dare to catch that rooster.
After all, in the past when her family slaughtered chickens or rabbits, she would hide far away.
But after hearing Eldest Aunt Huo say that their family had not eaten any meat for a month, she did not know where the strength came from.
Taking advantage of the moment when the eldest Huo family was not paying attention, and since she was closer to the doorway, her eyes seemed to emit a green light.
She lunged toward the rooster, fast, precise, and timely, and pinned down the bare rooster.
Then she shouted to her mother-in-law, “Mother, come quickly and grab the chicken—”
References[+]