Lou Zhaoshui had no time to reply. He had run all the way back as if fleeing for his life—his legs had gone weak, and his throat was nearly raw from gasping for breath.
Voices approached from the distance. Seeing the dogs gathered outside the Lou family’s door barking, the villagers had followed.
“Don’t come out,” Lou Yi instructed. He opened the door and stepped outside. First, he explained that he had a habit of practicing martial arts at the military commander’s household, and upon returning home, he wanted to go out for a run—he hadn’t expected the village dogs to all chase after him and drive him back. Then he apologized, stating clearly that disturbing everyone was his fault.
After sending the people away with a few words, Lou Yi pushed the door open and went inside. He saw that the whole family had gotten up and come out of their rooms, but all of them were silent, clearly not knowing how to begin asking.
“At daybreak, we’ll drive the cattle and sheep across the river to propose the marriage,” Father Lou declared.
“Did the Fu family know you slept there overnight?” Mother Lou asked in Xianbei, afraid that someone next door might be eavesdropping.
“If they knew, would he have run back before dawn?” Lou Yi responded. He kicked his younger brother and warned, “Little Lamb, the Han people are different from us. They have many formalities. Now that we’ve come to Han territory, we must follow Han customs. You seduced a girl before marriage—if this were discovered, you’d be beaten to death.”
Lou Zhaoshui couldn’t explain. He certainly couldn’t say that Ruyi had seduced him—she wanted to get along well with his family, and he had to protect her reputation.
“Then let’s follow the Xianbei custom. I’ve done the trial marriage, so after the wedding I’ll go serve at my in-laws’ home,” he said, following his second brother’s line of thought.
“Would the Fu family be willing to let you live there?” Father Lou asked.
“They’d be willing, I think. The Fu family’s old family home is very large, with plenty of rooms, and their household has fewer people than ours.” Lou Zhaoshui didn’t know the Fu family’s attitude, only Fu Ruyi’s. “Everyone in the Fu family dotes on Ruyi. If she wants to stay at her natal home, no one would drive her out.”
Hearing this, Lou Yi formed a suspicion. He asked his parents whether the Fu family had never found fault with this match. Receiving an affirmative answer, he understood the situation. “No need to puzzle over it. Given how much the Fu family’s parents dote on their youngest daughter, they probably had this idea from the very start. Alas! In their eyes, our Little Lamb is only worth coveting for his looks.”
He was certain now—Fu Ruyi had clearly taken a fancy to Little Lamb’s appearance, and the Fu family probably didn’t have much expectation of him either.
“Lucky him again,” Lou Yueming said enviously. “From childhood to now, his face has made us dote on him and yield to him. Now that he’s grown up, he’s used that face to find himself a capable wife. As long as he behaves himself, he’ll have nothing to worry about.”
“We’ll go deliver the betrothal gifts tomorrow,” Father Lou decided once more. “The sooner we hold the wedding feast, the sooner we stop worrying about him.”
No one objected.
“Second, your little brother has found himself a wife. What about you?” Mother Lou urged her second son. “You’re not much less handsome than him. Has no girl taken a liking to you?”
Rosy dawn broke through the clouds, and a sliver of light fell across Lou Yi’s face, exposing the bitterness and bewilderment written there. The expression vanished in an instant, and he said in his usual carefree manner, “My standards are high. I’m still choosing.”
“Ruyi is a local. She knows many people and she’s reliable. Why not have her introduce a few candidates to you?” Wan Qianhong offered a suggestion. “Marry someone from nearby. When you’re away from home, she can often visit her natal family and won’t feel lonely.”
Mother Lou was tempted.
“Don’t! I’m afraid she might take a liking to me,” Lou Yi said, refusing the suggestion.
“Nonsense!” Lou Zhaoshui burst out. “You can’t go hanging around in front of her.”
Lou Yi laughed. “See? Even the Little Lamb has that thought in his mind.”
“She wouldn’t take a liking to you. She likes me.” Having just climbed down from Ruyi’s bed, Lou Zhaoshui was quite confident.
“I’m just teasing you. I’m your second brother; I wouldn’t fight you over her.” Lou Yi was merely using this to cut off the family’s plan of having Fu Ruyi play matchmaker for him. She was the only acquaintance they had here, and without her involvement, they’d have no way to find him a wife even if they wanted to.
Mother Lou sighed. “Fine, I can’t control you anyway. You’d better take care of your own affairs.”
“Mm, don’t worry about my affairs. Just get the household in order so that my eldest brother and I don’t have to worry about it,” Lou Yi said seriously. “Does the family still lack money or cloth? I bought two oxen and still have some left over.”
“There’s still some, enough for use. There’s grain in the fields and hemp planted—no need to buy food or clothing. When we have free time, we’ll set a few traps in the mountains, and we’ll have meat too. There’s no extra expense,” Father Lou reported on the family’s situation. “Give it two or three years, then buy a few sheep to raise. Sheep give birth to sheep, and in five or six years we’ll have a big flock. By then we won’t lack for anything—just need to buy a jar of salt each year. It’ll be much more secure than the days of herding on the northern plains.”
“I’ll chip in some money, and you can buy the sheep this year,” Lou Yi suggested.
Father Lou waved his hand. The second son wasn’t married yet—how could he drain all his spare money?
“There’s a lot of work in the fields, and we can’t keep up. There aren’t any extra hands to tend sheep,” Father Lou made an excuse. “Besides, this plot of land is small. Look at this courtyard—where could we raise sheep? There’s open space outside the yard, but it’s not ours. If we dare touch it, someone will come looking for trouble. The more sheep we raise, the more conflicts there’ll be. Believe me—once the sheep start bleating, the neighbor to the east will come knocking right away.”
At first it was just said casually, but as he spoke, Father Lou genuinely grew worried. This wasn’t the northern lands—there were no pastures or unclaimed grasslands here, so large-scale herding wasn’t possible.
“I can’t solve these problems. Wait until the Little Lamb gets married, then discuss it with his wife,” Lou Yi said, unable to take on so many worries. He waved to his eldest brother. “It’s daylight now. Shall we three brothers take a walk outside?”
Lou Zheng nodded silently.
Lou Zhaoshui went back inside to change clothes, then followed his two elder brothers out. On the way, he remembered what Ruyi had said yesterday and asked cautiously, “Eldest brother, are you all right?”
“It’s only now that you think of your eldest brother?” Lou Zheng kicked him.
Lou Yi also kicked him. “That’ll teach you to run! I was calling after you and you still ran off! Did I actually try to steal your wife? What kind of person do you take your second brother for?”
Lou Zhaoshui didn’t fight back or talk back in front of his two elder brothers, which made Lou Yi even angrier—he wasn’t this spineless in front of Fu Ruyi.
“Eldest brother, Ruyi is afraid of you. Don’t scare her anymore.” Having taken the kicks, Lou Zhaoshui wasn’t afraid his eldest brother would get angrier. He brought up the serious matter: “She’s good to Father, Mother, my eldest sister-in-law, and Beinu. She’s never hated the Xianbei people.”
“She’s afraid of eldest brother?” Lou Yi sounded like he’d heard a joke. “She told you she’s afraid of eldest brother?”
Lou Zhaoshui sensed the shift in his tone and chose not to respond.
“I was wrong yesterday. I’ll apologize to her when I see her.” Lou Zheng had already been scolded by the family the day before, and after hearing Lou Yi’s analysis of Fu Ruyi’s farming theory, he now stared blankly at the patchwork of green and yellow wheat fields in the distance.
Lou Yi and Lou Zhaoshui remained silent, standing on either side of their eldest brother, keeping him company in stillness.
“The Xianbei kingdom has fallen. Does that mean Beinu won’t have to inherit my military household status and serve as a soldier?” Lou Zheng muttered to himself. Having a son made him afraid to die and afraid to flee.
“Maybe there won’t be any more wars in the future.” Lou Yi could only use this reasoning to comfort his elder brother. His eldest brother hadn’t enlisted voluntarily—when the conscription came, the lot fell on their household, marking them as a military household. To protect him and Little Lamb, their eldest brother had chosen to take their father’s place in the army and had opted to split the household, so only his branch would bear the military household status.
“Let’s head back.” Lou Zheng didn’t respond, turning to walk back.
“Eldest Brother, I’ll go apologize to Ruyi for you. You don’t need to.” Lou Zhaoshui caught up to say.
Lou Zheng let out a light laugh, wrapping his arm around his younger brother’s neck. “Don’t pity me like your wife does.”
“I’m not…”
“I’m not actually crazy—I can own up to what I’ve done.” Lou Zheng released him and patted his younger brother’s sturdy shoulder. “Little Lamb, your second brother and I are away most of the year. Take good care of things at home with your wife.”
“All right,” Lou Zhaoshui agreed, then said dejectedly, “Eldest Brother, I feel like crying.”
“Cry my ass—today’s your happy day.” Lou Zheng gave him a slap that made him wince.
The three brothers went home for a full meal, then drove the ox and led the sheep across the river. Under Lou Zhaoshui’s guidance, they headed to the Fu family to present the betrothal gifts.
When they ran into Granny Wei in the village, Lou Zhaoshui remembered there was supposed to be a matchmaker. He immediately grabbed her, and the four of them went to the Fu family’s home.
The clothes and bedding washed in the middle of the night were still damp. Lou Zhaoshui spotted them the moment he entered, and his legs suddenly went weak. Standing on Fu family ground, he broke out in a cold sweat—both guilty and thrilled.
Ruyi was still asleep. She’d been scolded that morning, dragged up to eat breakfast in a daze, and had only just fallen into a deep sleep when the knocking jolted her awake.
“So sleepy—what now?” Ruyi pulled the quilt over her head without opening her eyes.
“Serves you right, staying up all night messing around. Get up now—the Lou family is here with betrothal gifts: a half-grown calf and a pregnant ewe.” Mother Fu was delighted; these gifts were among the finest in Dapo Village. “I heard from your father that the Lou family is poor, but that doesn’t seem to be the case—they’re being quite generous.”
Ruyi snapped fully awake. Lou Zhaoshui was here with betrothal gifts this soon?
“Hurry up and get up—I’ve sent Xiaoying to call your father and your brothers and sisters-in-law back,” Mother Fu reminded her.
“I’ll be out in a moment,” Ruyi responded.
By the time Ruyi dressed and fixed her hair properly and walked out, her eldest brother and sister-in-law, and second brother and second sister-in-law had all arrived. One side praised her for being blessed and protected by the spirits; the other praised her for her talent and beautiful handwriting, all working hard to prove that Lou Zhaoshui was the lucky one to marry her, and that she was worthy of such generous betrothal gifts.
“Ruyi’s here.” Granny Wei, the matchmaker, couldn’t get a word in edgewise. She sat idly and spotted the guest of honor at once.
Lou Zhaoshui looked up, and the moment he saw her, yesterday’s memories came flooding back. He couldn’t help but stare at her lips, her neck… further down, he didn’t dare look.
Fu Ruyi didn’t dare look at him either. The indulgence of yesterday, suddenly exposed to the light, made her face flush hot with embarrassment. She couldn’t even bear to recall it—it was too much.
“Aiyo! Rare to see Ruyi shy,” Granny Wei teased.
Fu Ruyi pressed her lips together and smiled, then greeted them, “Eldest Brother, Second Brother.”
Lou Zheng and Lou Yi both responded.
“The two of them are mutually fond of each other—why not hold the wedding early?” Lou Yi discussed with the Fu family. “I leave in five days, and by the time I return, it’ll be if not around the end of the year, then in winter. Once I’m back, Eldest Brother will be gone again—it’s rare for us to gather. We have no relatives here, just a household of a dozen or so. Losing one or another makes it lonelier still.”
Fu Changgui and Cao Xin both looked to Mother Fu, waiting for her decision.
Mother Fu glanced at the bedsheets and quilt covers hanging on the clothesline, then said, “Country folk don’t stand on much ceremony. The betrothal gifts have already been sent—holding the banquet a bit early is fine. We don’t have many relatives either, she just has plenty of brothers and sisters. Preparing the feast won’t be troublesome; two or three days will be enough to get everything ready.”
“Why not have the two families gather for a meal together?” Ruyi interjected. “That way neither side feels lonely, and it saves the trouble. From now on, Lou Zhaoshui will be staying at our place to learn the skills of spring plowing and autumn harvest. His fields will also rely on my brothers’ help—there’s no avoiding close dealings between our families. We’ll be like one family, so let’s get closer.”
“The son-in-law will live with you all?” Granny Wei asked Mother Fu.
Mother Fu looked at Lou Zheng and Lou Yi, and only after seeing them both nod in agreement with Ruyi’s words did she respond, “Yes. Little Lou doesn’t understand farming, and his two brothers aren’t at home. The burden would fall too heavily on Ruyi alone—her father, brothers, sisters, and I would all worry. Better to let the young couple live here, where we can help out more.”
Granny Wei suddenly understood—this was almost like taking in a live-in son-in-law. The son-in-law was handsome and tall, and could be kept right in front of them to put to work. No wonder the Fu family never said a word against it outside. Ruyi had scored a good deal.
This only worked because they were Xianbei. If it had been a Han man, this marriage could never have come together.
The Xianbei were good, the Xianbei were good. Granny Wei no longer despised the Xianbei at all. She even began to wonder whether she should find a Xianbei man for her granddaughter too.