After dinner, Meng secretly took a look at Song Tingzhou’s shoe sole, since it would be quite embarrassing to ask him directly.
No longer accompanied by the noisy sounds from next door, Meng Wan slept soundly at night and woke up early the next morning to the sound of Song Tingzhou reading aloud.
Meng Wan was itching to borrow a book from Song Tingzhou. It wasn’t that he was particularly studious, but rather that he wanted to learn more characters to study the laws of the Yu Kingdom. Although he was a third-rate college student who barely graduated, everyone understood the importance of law. Even if he didn’t have access to it in the future, it would be good to know more characters.
He had something weighing on his mind. When he got up, Chang Jinhua had already started the fire. Meng Wan looked at the gloomy sky outside, squatted down next to Chang Jinhua, and said, “Auntie, I’ll start the fire.”
Chang Jinhua shooed him away, saying, “You young ger, you’re so uncouth. Why are you running to the kitchen instead of washing up? Go on, go away.”
Helpless, Meng Wan went to wash up. After he finished washing up and tied his hair up, Chang Jinhua had already put two bowls of soy milk on the table, along with two leftover pancakes from yesterday. She stood by the stove, watching the tofu in the pot, and also took a bowl of soy milk to drink.
”Cousin, dinner’s ready,” Meng Wan called softly to Song Tingzhou.
The sound of reading in the small house stopped, and Song Tingzhou opened the door and came out. He had gotten up before dawn to grind soybeans, and then lit a lamp to read after returning. He was truly hardworking.
I drank a bowl of hot soy milk with the flatbread, and all the coldness in my body was driven away, leaving me feeling warm and cozy.
Song Tingzhou slung his book box over his shoulder and prepared to leave. Meng Wan saw him off at the courtyard gate and asked softly as he was leaving, “Cousin, may I read the books in your room?”
Song Tingzhou paused for a moment, then said, “Sure, you can read whichever book you want, but some of them have annotations inside, so be careful not to lose them.”
Meng Wan’s voice was filled with joy, “I will definitely be careful!”
Chang Jinhua sold tofu at the door in the morning. Meng Wan tidied up the kitchen, let the chickens out of the coop to find food on their own, and then went to the small hut to find books to read.
He had noticed the books in the cabinet in the small house a while ago, but he didn’t dare to look at them without Song Tingzhou’s permission.
Now, as soon as you open the cabinet, a peculiar smell of paper and ink wafts out.
Meng Wan sniffed, finding the smell unpleasant, somewhat stale.
He casually flipped through the cabinet and found it full of books, mostly paper used by Song Tingzhou, with handwriting that had progressed from childish to skillful, and the style of his writing gradually becoming more refined.
At the bottom of the cabinet were a few old, worn-out calligraphy brushes, the cheapest kind made of boar bristles, which were completely unusable.
Meng Wan couldn’t tell what kind of hair it was at this moment. He just felt that these brushes were soft, forked, and shapeless. He had seen his classmate’s purple hair brush in college. That brush was fine and hard, and looked exquisite and luxurious.
Classical Chinese is really difficult to read and understand. Meng Wan read it by guessing and occasionally making notes and gestures. He almost fell asleep in the small room.
Just after noon, Chang Jinhua brought in the wooden tray. “Didn’t you say yesterday that you were going to find Man-ge’er to make shoe soles? Why didn’t you go?”
Meng Wan came out of the small house. “I was just worried that you were selling tofu at home by yourself. I’m going to find him now.”
Chang Jinhua almost laughed at the young man, “I’m so old, do I need you to keep an eye on me? Go on.”
Meng Wan took the initiative to carry his small basket out, but unfortunately, he ran into Zhu Ge’er and Xiao Mei returning from outside as soon as he stepped out.
Xiao Mei spoke up first, “Wan-ge’er, where are you going?”
Meng Wan gave an awkward laugh, “I’m going to find Man Ge’er to do some work.”
”Who is Mange’er? I’ll go with you to find him and play.” Xiaomei is also a new bride this year, and doesn’t know everyone in the village yet. She thought Xiaoman was a local ger.
”He’s Dali’s new husband, and he’s a bit shy, so it might not be convenient for him,” Meng Wan said, offering an excuse to refuse.
Xiaomei said disappointedly, “Okay then.” She’d been busy with family matters these past few days and hadn’t been able to visit Meng Wan for a while.
Behind Xiaomei, Zhu Ge’er seemed to have regained some of his senses, and remained as taciturn as ever.
Meng Wan quickly slipped away after only a few words. It wasn’t that he was afraid of Zhu Ge’er and Tian Xing, but rather that he felt they were like a combination of a venomous snake and a slug—one might take the opportunity to bite you, and the other looked harmless but was actually the most disgusting.
In the afternoon, Meng Wan worked with Man Ge on making shoe soles again. He was much more skilled than yesterday. He had almost finished making the sole of his own shoe, but he didn’t plan to make the other one. Instead, he cut a pair of soles in Song Tingzhou’s size and planned to start making them tomorrow. It was getting late, so Meng Wan got up and went home.
Mange saw him off and asked, “Are you going to the market in Hongmiao Village tomorrow?”
Time flies. Meng Wan was taken aback when he heard about the market. “It’s market day again? My family definitely has to go. We’re going to sell tofu.”
”That’s right, I was thinking of going with you, but I forgot about that.” Man Ge had heard from his mother-in-law that Meng Wan could make tofu, and after coming to the Song family, he taught his aunt how to make tofu. He was very envious of Meng Wan; a young man who hadn’t even gotten married yet already had the ability to earn money.
Meng Wan replied, “My aunt and I went early. We’ll come back together after we’ve sold all the tofu.”
When he arrived at his doorstep, Uncle Song and his son Dali were stacking firewood in front of his house. The two men were used to doing manual labor, and they had already gathered more than ten bundles of firewood in just two days.
”Sixth Uncle, Brother Dali,” Meng Wan greeted.
”Hey, Wan-ge’er’s back,” Uncle Song said with a smile.
Ever since Meng Wan and Chang Jinhua started selling tofu, the villagers have looked up to him. However, there are also those who don’t like him, such as Zhang Xiaoyu and the fourth aunt who had a falling out with him at Song Dali and Mange’er’s wedding banquet.
As soon as Meng Wan entered the house, this fourth aunt was sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) and praising Chang Jinhua.
Meng Wan stopped in his tracks, quickly slipped into the small house, and closed the door.
“My nephew’s family owns fifteen acres of fertile land, and he’s an honest and hardworking man. His parents live with the eldest son’s family, so once Wan’er marries into that family, he’ll be able to take charge…”
Blah blah blah, Aunt Song’s big mouth never stopped for a moment, and Chang Jinhua couldn’t find a chance to interject. Her face showed undisguised impatience. Everyone in the village had guessed that her Wan-ge’er was going to marry Da-lang, but Aunt Song was so clueless that she still came over to say that she wanted to introduce a marriage to Meng Wan.
Many people were envious of Meng Wan’s ability to make tofu. When she was selling tofu, people from other villages would ask Chang Jinhua about it. She was already annoyed by the daily excuses and explanations, and then her sisters-in-law would come and interfere.
“Wan’er has only been in my family for less than half a year. I would like to keep him for a few more days. Thank you for your kindness, Fourth Sister-in-law. I won’t keep your nephew from getting to know others.”
They’re all from nearby villages. Do you really think she doesn’t know about her family’s messy affairs? Of the fifteen mu of land, only five mu are paddy fields. The eldest son’s family takes all five mu of paddy fields and five mu of dry land. The second son only gets a thatched house and five mu of dry land. Let alone that Wan-ge’er could never marry into their family, even if he did, would he just be stuck with those five mu of dry land and taxes, waiting to starve to death?
Chang Jinhua grew angrier the more she thought about it. She hadn’t even let him do any farm work when he came to her house. At most, he could tidy up the vegetable garden and tend the fire. She really treated him half as her own son and half as her future daughter-in-law. How could the Song Si’s family be worthy of him? That family of lazy, cunning people had the nerve to even open their mouths!
Whether Aunt Song was truly unable to read people’s expressions or what, she simply sat there and refused to leave, repeating the same old lines about her nephew.
Chang Jinhua politely saw the guest off several times, but the guest wouldn’t budge. Helpless, Meng Wan had no choice but to go to the kitchen to cook, otherwise what would Song Tingzhou eat when he came back?
”Isn’t Wan-ge at home? Sister-in-law, you’re still lying to me.”
Aunt Song got off the kang (a heated brick bed) and went into the kitchen. “Wan-ge’er, are you cooking? Look how capable you are!”
Meng Wan was making pancakes. Song Tingzhou loved the ones he made last time and could eat three in one sitting. Seeing that Aunt Song was looking at him like he was a monkey, he said with a forced smile, “I’m just a cook, not as capable as Aunt Song, who helps people arrange banquets everywhere.”
The story of how Aunt Song ruined a pot of food at her younger brother’s and sister-in-law’s banquet last time had already spread throughout the village. She looked displeased and said, “Your Wan-ge’er really has a silver tongue.”
Chang Jinhua casually remarked to Meng Wan, “How dare you speak to your fourth aunt like that? Hurry up and cook, I’ll see your fourth aunt off.”
Aunt Song’s lips twitched. “Your fourth brother came back late today, so I’m not in a hurry to leave.”
Meng Wan rolled his eyes behind her back. “Since Fourth Aunt isn’t in a hurry, she can sit inside for a while. We’ll eat in the kitchen. It won’t bother either of us.”
Aunt Song cursed Meng Wan inwardly for being a little brat with no parents and no manners, who didn’t even know how to invite his elders to sit down for a meal. She tilted her head to look at Chang Jinhua, but Chang Jinhua was like a mute, not saying a single polite word.
Could it be that you really intend to stay and smell the aroma of other people’s food?
Aunt Song walked out with a long face, and Chang Jinhua saw her off.
”Fourth Aunt”.
Meng Wan poured oil into the pan to make pancakes when she heard Song Tingzhou’s voice coming from the doorway.
After seeing the people off, Chang Jinhua came in with her son. “Your sixth uncle is a very honest man. He had already stacked half of his own firewood when he heard that we wanted to buy some, so he prioritized ours and stacked it first. Every bundle was tied tightly, much better than what you can buy at the market.”
Song Tingzhou said, “Since we’re buying, let’s buy more. It’s going to snow soon, so we can prepare in advance.”
Chang Jinhua thought about it and realized that her family not only heated the kang (a traditional heated bed) in winter, but also made tofu every morning. Over time, a single stack of tofu would probably not be enough.
“Your sixth uncle’s family also needs to gather their own firewood, so why don’t you buy another stack from Old Man Tian’s family? They usually sell theirs too.”
Meng Wan interjected, “Xiao Mei is pregnant this year, so her family might not be willing to sell. Why don’t we ask around?”
Chang Jinhua said, “There are plenty of families selling firewood. The Liu family, who rent our land, also sells it. I’ll go ask them when I get back from the market tomorrow.”
Meng Wan had heard of the Liu family. The Song and Tian families were the most common in Sanquan Village, along with a few other families who had moved there. Among them was the Liu family. A few years ago, their village north of the prefectural city was flooded, and the entire village was destroyed. They came to seek refuge with relatives and settled down in Sanquan Village.
Because they had no land and couldn’t afford to buy any, they rented land from other villagers to cultivate. Chang Jinhua was quite honest; the land tax in this dynasty was thirty-per-one percent, which wasn’t considered heavy, with one jin paid for every thirty jin.
After the land tax on the grain that should be paid is paid, the two families will then divide the remaining grain equally.
Every year, the Liu family would dry, husk, and clean the rice before delivering it to Chang Jinhua, while Chang Jinhua would grind the wheat herself.
The Liu family is honest and hardworking, and never defaults on payments. The two families have had a good relationship over the years, and the Liu family recently delivered grain to Chang Jinhua.
Song Tingzhou’s family has six mu of paddy fields and eight mu of dry land. One mu of paddy field can produce 140 jin of rice, while the dry land yields about 100 jin of wheat. After paying the land tax, each family can still have 600 to 700 jin left. This is the grain stored from this year to next autumn’s harvest. Most villagers keep half for themselves and sell the other half. The whole family depends on this income to pay the corvée tax or to repair and build houses.
Unlike other families with large households waiting to be fed, Chang Jinhua and her son were a small family with enough food. So when she bought Meng Wan’s house, Chang Jinhua was confident; for one thing, she had enough food.
Tomorrow we’ll go to the market to make two slabs of tofu. After dinner, Song Tingzhou will first take a bucket to the grain drying yard to grind soybeans, and Chang Jinhua will follow.
”Fourth Aunt rarely comes to our house,” Song Tingzhou asked, carrying two buckets of soaked soybeans.
Chang Jinhua said helplessly, “Came to introduce a husband for Wan-ge’er.”
Song Tingzhou paused, “What did he say?”
Chang Jinhua didn’t understand at first. “Who? Oh, you mean Wan-ge’er? He dislikes your fourth aunt even more.”
“Let’s get engaged before the new year.”
Chang Jinhua was still rambling on about what happened at Song Dali’s wedding banquet a while ago, but he suddenly said something that made her speechless for a long time.
”What?”
Hongmiao Village Market —
Meng Wan stood blankly next to Chang Jinhua as he received the money. He was about to get engaged. Although he had expected this to be the outcome, he still felt lost when he was actually notified.
Chang Jinhua was selling tofu with a cheerful expression. She usually had a stern face and looked miserable, but today she looked several years younger when she smiled.
The market was crowded, and they quickly sold out their two slabs of tofu.
”Your sixth aunt will buy me a few feet of cloth. You and Man-ger can go for a stroll.” Chang Jinhua stuffed a handful of copper coins into Meng Wan’s hand, about twenty or so.
Meng Wan was pulled away by Man Ge’er, “It’s snowing heavily today. In previous years, it would have snowed twice by now.”
Meng Wan replied absentmindedly, “Really?”
Man-ger noticed that he seemed a little distracted, so he asked him, “What’s wrong?”
Meng Wan gave a wry smile. He couldn’t very well say that he was unwilling to get engaged to the Song family, or others would call him an ingrate.
He could only ask Mange’er in return, “Weren’t you nervous when you were about to get married?”
Mange rubbed his hands together, his face flushed with embarrassment, and said in a very soft voice, “I’m nervous, but my father and mother said that Dali’s family is very nice and a good family. My mother-in-law has also been to my house. The two families have discussed it and agreed that I met Dali when we got engaged. It’s not bad. My cousin didn’t even meet my brother-in-law until the night of the wedding.”
In ancient times, the traditional customs of marriage included the “Three Matchmakers and Six Rites,” which consisted of betrothal, asking the name, accepting auspicious gifts, presenting betrothal gifts, setting the wedding date, and the wedding ceremony itself. However, in the countryside, where even getting enough to eat was difficult, everything was simplified, with only the “accepting auspicious gifts” ceremony (which included engagement) and the most important “wedding ceremony” retained.
The matchmaker is invited by the man’s family to the woman’s family to propose marriage. After the woman’s family agrees, the two families can discuss and arrange the engagement by exchanging tokens, usually needlework or embroidering a handkerchief. If the man’s family is well-off, they will give jade jewelry; if they are not wealthy, they will at least give some food as a token.
At the same time, the groom’s betrothal gifts must also be sent when the engagement is made. In the village, it is usually cloth and silver. Wealthy families are much more particular about these things, but we will talk about that later.
After the engagement is finalized, the groom’s parents consult a reputable geomancer in the neighborhood to determine an auspicious date for the wedding. They then send the chosen date to the bride’s home. Finally, the groom personally goes to the bride’s home to fetch her and take her back to his own family for the wedding ceremony.
Similar to what Man-ger said, it’s considered lucky to meet the groom once before marriage. More often than not, it’s an arranged marriage where whatever the parents say goes. Once the parents have agreed on the marriage, all that’s left is to wait for the bride to leave.