After Song Shi left, the Song family’s courtyard was quiet for two days.
Old Master Song said nothing, but he was anxious inside. Scholar Fang’s seventh-day memorial had passed, and the days ahead would fly by faster and faster. The period of fresh mourning would last only a little over three months at most. If they did not hurry with the arrangements and missed the proper date, it would cause trouble.
Old Master Song invited Granny Wang to his home.
The moment Granny Wang stepped through the door, she smiled. “Village Head, are you in such a hurry to hold your grandson already?”
Old Master Song ignored her teasing. He ushered her into the main room, poured her some tea, and said solemnly, “Sister-in-law Wang, I asked you here today to discuss something serious. You’ll have to visit the Fang Household a little more often on my behalf. The marriage between Shi-ge’er and Little Wan must be settled as soon as possible.”
Granny Wang slapped her thigh. “Village Head, you can rest easy. Leave this matter to me! I know the Fang Household well. Sister-in-law Fang is an honest, decent woman. As long as you handle the proper formalities, all she’ll have left to do is nod.”
Old Master Song nodded and drew a sheet of red paper from his sleeve. Song Shi’s birth details were written on it.
“These are Shi-ge’er’s eight characters, calculated by Half-Immortal Li at the head of the village. Take them to the Fang Household and compare them with the girl’s. Once the match is confirmed, we’ll present the betrothal gifts and choose a date.”
Granny Wang took the red paper and carefully tucked it into her bosom. Then she asked, “Village Head, is there anything particular we need to keep in mind about the timing?”
Old Master Song lifted his teacup and pondered for a moment. “Scholar Fang has only just passed away, and Little Wan has to observe mourning. According to custom, the wedding must be held within the hundred days. I’ve done the calculations. From the day Scholar Fang passed to the hundredth day, there are still a little over two months.”
“Two months is plenty!” Granny Wang counted on her fingers. “Matching the birth charts, the betrothal ceremony, asking the names, receiving the auspicious response, presenting the formal betrothal gifts, setting the wedding date, and welcoming the bride—if we hurry, we can complete the whole process in a month. Village Head, you can rest easy. I’ve been a marriage broker for thirty years. This is what I’m best at.”
Mother Song listened from the side without saying a word.
After Granny Wang left, she could not help speaking up. “Old man, does it really have to be this rushed? Scholar Fang only passed away a few days ago, and we’re already hurrying to marry off his daughter. It may sound fine when people hear it from us, but it won’t sound good when it gets around.”
Old Master Song glared at her. “What do you understand? Marrying during the period of fresh mourning is the custom. The Fang mother and daughter are widows and orphans with no one else to rely on. Arranging the marriage sooner will put their minds at ease. Besides, Shi-ge’er isn’t young anymore. What would it look like if we dragged this out?”
Mother Song pursed her lips and did not dare argue further.
Old Master Song set down his teacup, his tone softening. “Old woman, I know you’re unhappy. You think the Fang girl is too pretty and are afraid Shi-ge’er will end up under her thumb. Let me tell you, being pretty is a good thing. If our Shi-ge’er marries a wife as beautiful as a celestial maiden, that means he’s blessed. If you keep making a sour face and offend your daughter-in-law, you’ll be the one who suffers in the future.”
Mother Song’s face flushed red, then pale. Only after a long while did she mutter, “I never said I disagreed…”
“Good, then.” Old Master Song rose to his feet. “From now on, you should visit the Fang Household more often with Granny Wang. Not a single gift that ought to be sent may be omitted, and not one proper step may be skipped. Our Song family is respected in the village. We must not give anyone an excuse to find fault when we take a daughter-in-law.”
Mother Song sighed and nodded.
That very afternoon, Granny Wang went to the Fang Household.
Fang Wan was hanging clothes in the courtyard. When she saw Granny Wang arrive, she wiped her hands and welcomed her into the main room.
Mother Fang also came out from the inner room. She wore an indigo jacket, and her hair was combed neatly into place. Although her eyes still often reddened these days, her spirits were much better than they had been before.
Granny Wang sat down and chatted about ordinary household matters for a while before taking the red paper from her bosom and placing it on the table.
“Sister-in-law Fang, these are Shi-ge’er of the Song family’s birth details. The Village Head said to match the birth charts first, and once they’re compatible, the marriage can be settled. The Song family is sincerely hoping to form this marriage alliance, so you can rest assured.”
Mother Fang picked up the red paper and looked at it. Then she turned to her daughter. “Wan'er, there’s a red cloth bundle in your father’s book chest. Your birth details are inside. Go fetch it.”
Fang Wan answered and turned toward the inner room.
When Scholar Fang had been alive, he had been a scholar, but he had not been the sort who only knew how to read. Besides the several dozen mu of farmland passed down through his ancestors, he had also taught at a private school for years, earning several dozen taels of silver in tuition each year. The Fang family had few members and did not spend much, so after saving for all these years, their means were no worse than those of Village Head Song’s household.
It was only because Scholar Fang had died so suddenly and they had spent a large sum on an elaborate funeral that some of their silver had been used up.
Fang Wan searched through the bottom of the book chest and found a red cloth bundle. Inside was a sheet of red paper covered in neat writing detailing her birth date and time. Scholar Fang had calculated it himself. His handwriting was upright and orderly, and although the paper had yellowed, it had been preserved perfectly.
She handed the birth details to Granny Wang and said, “Auntie Wang, I have an unreasonable request.”
“Go on, go on.” Granny Wang looked at her with a beaming smile.
“My father has only just passed away, and holding a wedding during the mourning period is already somewhat rushed. But I still hope that we can follow every proper step in full. It isn’t that I distrust the Song family. It’s just…” Fang Wan paused. “My father placed the greatest importance on propriety throughout his life. I don’t want him to be unable to rest easy after he’s gone.”
Her voice was not loud, but her tone left no room for negotiation.
Granny Wang secretly approved. This girl was young, yet she handled her words and actions with such thoroughness. The Village Head truly had a sharp eye for people.
“Don’t worry, don’t worry. The Village Head feels the same way,” Granny Wang said quickly. “The Song family has said that not a single proper courtesy is to be omitted. They absolutely won’t wrong you.”
Fang Wan gave her a slight curtsy. “Thank you for taking the trouble, Auntie Wang.”
After Granny Wang left, Mother Fang took her daughter’s hand. There was a rare firmness in her voice. “Wan'er, your father managed to save some money over the years. We can’t say we’re wealthy, but it will be enough to prepare you with a respectable dowry. I’ve already thought it through. The farmland cannot be touched—that will be your younger brother’s foundation in the future. But the cash in the household, along with some calligraphy and paintings your father left behind and a few pieces of good wooden furniture, will all go toward your dowry.”
Fang Wan’s brows drew together slightly. “Mother, my younger brother is still small, and there are expenses everywhere at home. My dowry can be simple. There’s no need to spend too much.”
Mother Fang shook her head. There was an unusual stubbornness in her tone. “Your father loved you most of all when he was alive. If he knew that your dowry was shabby when you married, he wouldn’t be able to rest easy even in the Underworld. Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing when it comes to your younger brother. I won’t keep anything that should be left to him from him. But we can’t be careless about your dowry either.”
Fang Wan knew that although her mother had a gentle nature, she could be stubborn about matters like this. She was silent for a moment and did not argue any further. In her heart, however, she had already made up her mind: when the time came, she would choose a few things merely for appearances. Wherever she could save, she would save, so that more could be kept for her younger brother. That was what truly mattered.
The days passed one after another, and Granny Wang made frequent trips.
The matter of matching the birth charts soon yielded a result. Half-Immortal Li said that the two charts were compatible. Although Fang Wan’s destiny was somewhat strong-willed, Song Shi’s birth chart could suppress it. It was a superior match that would bring prosperity to both children and household.
When Old Master Song heard this, the wrinkles on his face smoothed out. That very day, he sent word for Song Shi to return and prepare for the betrothal ceremony.
======
Night had fallen deep, and Fang Wan sat alone in the courtyard.
Moonlight flowed like water, spilling over her plain white clothes. She took the silver hairpin Song Shi had given her from its box and examined it beneath the moonlight. The pearl at the head of the pin glimmered with a soft radiance, round and translucent.
Fang Wan looked at it for a long time before putting it back into the box. She closed the lid and let out a quiet sigh.
It would be a lie to say she was not nervous.
She did not know what her life would be like after marrying Song Shi. He was attentive to her, but how long would that attentiveness last? Sister-in-law Song did not seem very pleased with her. Would there be friction between them in the future as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law? Once she married into the Song family, her mother and younger brother would be left to guard this courtyard together. Her brother was still young, and the family’s farmland needed someone to look after it…
One question after another bubbled up like air beneath the surface of the water. She pressed them down, only for them to rise again.
Fang Wan closed her eyes and drew a deep breath, forcing all those thoughts back down.