At the third quarter of the hour of Mao, the crowing of roosters broke the tranquil serenity of the small village. Curls of cooking smoke wound their way above the village as early-rising farmers began their day’s work, and the whole village gradually grew lively.
Chen Qiuyue awoke to the sound of roosters, rose briskly, dressed herself, and stepped out of her room.
Her father Chen Daniu and her older brother Shitou were tidying up farm tools in the courtyard, while her mother Mrs. Chen Liu had already lit the fire and started cooking. After a quick wash, Chen Qiuyue walked into the kitchen, crouched down, and began helping Mrs. Chen tend the fire.
“Yue girl, remember to wake your sister-in-law for breakfast before you head out. Your father and I will be off to the fields first.”
Chen Qiuyue’s sister-in-law had just been found to be over a month pregnant a few days ago. Mrs. Chen had instructed that she was not to do any heavy work until she was three months along, and was to rest at home to nourish the pregnancy. At this hour, Chen Qiuyue’s sister-in-law Xu Cuicui had not yet risen.
“All right, Mother, don’t worry. I’ll remember,” Chen Qiuyue replied softly.
The Chen family had three children. Her older brother Chen Shitou had married just last year, and his wife Xu Cuicui, who had entered the family a little over half a year ago, was now expecting their first child. As the first of the grandchildren’s generation, Father Chen and Mother Chen both regarded it with great importance.
Her younger brother Goudan was seven this year, at the age when boys were always teasing cats and dogs, never able to sit still for a moment. By now he was already rummaging about in the courtyard.
Chen Qiuyue herself was fifteen this year, and she did not look at all like an ordinary farm girl. She had an oval face, fair skin, a pair of phoenix eyes that were clear and gentle, and a slender, graceful figure.
Her outstanding looks were renowned throughout the nearby villages. Now that she had reached the age for discussing marriage, the matchmakers had nearly worn down the family’s threshold.
Breakfast in a farming household was simple and ordinary—a big pot of vegetable porridge and a basin of steamed corn buns made for a fine breakfast.
Because Xu Cuicui was with child, Mrs. Chen cooked an extra egg every morning for Qiuyue’s sister-in-law to nourish her body.
The family sat around together, finished breakfast, and then each went off to their own tasks. Mrs. Chen and the others took hoes and other farm tools and headed to the fields.
After sweeping the courtyard, Chen Qiuyue went into the room and woke her still-sleeping sister-in-law Xu Cuicui.
“Ayue, these past few days I can never get enough sleep no matter how much I sleep, and I’ve even put you to the trouble of coming to wake me. It’s quite embarrassing.” Xu Cuicui slowly draped on her clothes and sat up.
“It’s nothing, Sister-in-law. You’re pregnant now, so being sleepy all the time is perfectly normal. Besides, it’s no trouble to me at all. I’ve kept your food warm in the pot—you can eat it once you get up. I’m going to go find Xiaohua to gather pigweed. She should be waiting for me by now.”
The Chen family raised two piglets, and every early morning, before the sun grew too harsh, Chen Qiuyue would go with the village girls to the wasteland at the west end of the village to gather pigweed.
Today was no exception. Chen Qiuyue slung her bamboo basket on her back and left the house, meeting Xiaohua, who was already waiting at the intersection at the west end of the village.
“Ayue, you’re here! Come on, hurry—Erya and the others have already gone ahead. Let’s hurry too, so we don’t miss the good spots.”
Xiaohua grabbed Chen Qiuyue’s hand and spoke anxiously as they walked.
Chen Qiuyue quickened her pace to keep up with Xiaohua. After searching for a while, the two found a spot where the pigweed grew thick and lush, and only then did they stop.
“Ayue, I heard your mother has been looking into families for you recently.” Xiaohua leaned close to Chen Qiuyue’s ear and asked in a mysterious whisper.
“Mm, that’s true, but my mother always does it behind my back.” Qiuyue blushed, avoided Xiaohua’s gaze, and answered in a low voice.
“Ayue, you’re so beautiful—you’re famous throughout ten miles and eight villages. You must let your parents choose carefully. So what kind of man do you want to marry? Tell me in secret, and I won’t breathe a word to anyone.”
Xiaohua winked and teased Chen Qiuyue.
“I… I don’t know either,” Chen Qiuyue said after a long silence, then shook her head to dispel the thoughts in her mind.
“Never mind that. Xiaohua, hurry—while the day isn’t too hot yet, let’s quickly gather the pigweed from this patch and take it back. If we’re too slow, the sun will make us miserable.”
Seeing that Chen Qiuyue didn’t want to say more, Xiaohua didn’t press further and focused on gathering pigweed.
On a summer afternoon, the whole village was quiet. Suddenly, there was a knock at the Chen family’s door. Chen Qiuyue hurried to open it. When she saw it was her paternal aunt Chen Meihua, she quickly welcomed her inside.
“Auntie, why have you come at this hour? Come in and sit. My parents are resting in their room.”
Chen Daniu and his wife, hearing the commotion, got up to welcome the guest.
Chen Qiuyue went to the kitchen, brought a bowl of water, placed it on the table in front of her aunt, and then turned to withdraw.
Chen Meihua smiled as she looked at her niece, who had grown ever more delicate and lovely—even in plain cloth, her beauty could not be concealed. She picked up the bowl and drank the water in one go, then explained her purpose to Chen Daniu and his wife.
“I’ve come this time to propose a marriage for the girl Yue. You two think it over. I know you’re very cautious about Ayue’s betrothal, so the family I’m proposing this time is, in my view, an excellent one.”
“You know Zhao Family Village, right? The one where someone in the clan holds an official post. This time, the proposal is for a young man from that village named Zhao Huaiyu.”
“The old Zhao couple have two sons and a daughter. The eldest son and the daughter are already married—one wed, one given in marriage. Now only the second son, Zhao Huaiyu, remains unbetrothed.”
“Zhao Huaiyu is seventeen this year. He studied for several years at the Zhao clan school, and it’s because of his studies that his marriage was delayed until now.”
“He now works as an accountant at a tavern in town—no wind, no rain, and a monthly wage of several hundred coins.”
“As for the Zhao family, their circumstances are quite good. Through generations of accumulation, they now have over ten mu of farmland.”
“There are only the two brothers in his family. Even if they divide the family property in the future, the second son’s share won’t be too small. The key is that Zhao Huaiyu himself is capable. If girl Yue marries him, she’ll certainly never worry about food or clothing.”
The more Chen Meihua spoke, the more she felt this was a good match. She secretly thought that if not for her niece Ayue’s good looks, the Zhao family’s match might not have come to the Chen family at all.
Father and Mother Chen listened quietly and also felt the match was decent.
The Zhao family was fairly well-off, and Zhao Huaiyu was literate and worked as an accountant in town. If their daughter married him, she likely wouldn’t suffer.
Moreover, Chen Qiuyue herself had a skill—embroidery—to supplement the household income. With both young people having trades to make a living, they wouldn’t do poorly.
But they couldn’t take the proposal at face value; they still needed to discreetly inquire and see if there were any problems.
Besides, some time ago, the eldest son of Chen Tiezhu from the same village had also sent someone to propose.
Chen Tiezhu’s family had over ten mu of farmland—already a good condition for a farming family—and he was the eldest son, who would inherit the majority of the family property in the future.
More importantly, being from the same village meant they knew the family thoroughly, and in the future, if anything happened to girl Yue, her family could back her up.
Chen Qiuyue had been pampered and raised by the Chen couple since childhood, and now that she was both capable and beautiful, they naturally wanted to arrange an even better marriage for their daughter.
With the two comparisons side by side, Chen Daniu and his wife exchanged a knowing glance, and a plan had already formed in their minds.