At the beginning of the chen hour, when the villagers of Jian Family Village were usually bustling with activity, the entire village was instead gathered along the main road at the entrance. On ordinary days at this time, the men would already be in the fields with hoes and rakes slung over their shoulders, while the women tidied the house and worried over what to prepare for the family’s midday meal. Today, however, everyone stood in clusters, whispering and exchanging anxious glances.
Jian Renjie stood at the back of the crowd, cradling a teacup in his hands. As clan head, he had always kept himself informed about every matter, large or small, in the village. Yet now he found himself completely in the dark. Judging by the villagers’ expressions, something significant had happened, but he had been standing here for quite some time without anyone telling him what it was. Even more unsettling was the way they looked at him. Two people who had been chatting animatedly would lower their voices the moment they saw him approach.
He stroked his beard, his brows knitting together. Did he really have to ask personally?
Just then, several children came running out from deeper within the village, laughing as they shouted, “The bride is coming out!”
Jian Renjie froze. A bride? Whose bride? Which family was marrying off a daughter? Why had he heard nothing about it?
As he was still puzzled over this, a tall figure appeared at the fork in the road at the far end. Looking closely, he saw an unfamiliar young man leading a fine, tall horse. Seated on the horse was Jian Jia, dressed in plain cloth garments with her hair coiled up neatly.
Jian Renjie gasped. “What? Since when was Jia’er betrothed?”
Only then did a villager beside him mutter, unable to hold back any longer, “You still don’t know? Jian Xiaoqiang and He Xiaohong took fifteen taels in betrothal gifts and sold Jian Jia off.”
All the blood in Jian Renjie’s body seemed to rush to his head. He staggered, the teacup slipping from his hand and shattering on the ground. “Sold her? How dare he?”
He was Jian Xiaoqiang’s uncle and had indeed intended to look after his nephew. The Jian family was well off, and he had thought that by letting Jian Xiaoqiang and his wife be adopted into the clan, their lives would be far better. But he was also the clan head, and whatever he did had to command respect. After this stunt, where was he supposed to put his dignity?
Breathing heavily with rage, Jian Renjie stood stiffly as he watched Jian Jia ride past him on the spirited horse.
This was Jian Jia’s first time riding a horse in both her lives. The animal beneath her was far taller and sturdier than the ponies used for photos in parks. At every slight movement, her whole body tensed rigidly, afraid to shift even a little. When she was nervous, her expression naturally turned solemn, so from the outside she appeared to be in a foul mood.
In farming households, a daughter being married off usually wore red and green in celebration. Jian Jia did not want to use the original host’s wedding clothes and instead chose a relatively new set of garments. A slender silver hairpin adorned her neatly arranged hair. Though she wore no powder or rouge, the original host had been blessed with good features. Even with the simplest hairstyle, she looked strikingly beautiful.
On ordinary days, such a lovely bride would have drawn praise from every onlooker. Today, however, aside from the children who knew nothing of the circumstances and continued to cheer, the villagers were unusually silent. Some of the older women even reddened their eyes, tugging at their sleeves as they quietly wiped away tears.
When Jian Zhishan and his wife had still been alive, Jia’er had been the most lively and charming girl in Jian Family Village. No one had imagined she would end up worn down by her elder stepbrother and sister-in-law. No wonder she had flown into a rage yesterday and struck her elder sister-in-law without caring about the consequences. If it had been anyone else, they might not have endured even as long as she had.
Behind the horse followed more than a dozen villagers carrying dowry chests, each one wrapped in red cloth. The varying shades of red had been gathered by Third Aunt, who had gone door to door collecting scraps from each household. With every inch of red cloth she borrowed, the shameful deeds of Jian Xiaoqiang and He Xiaohong were mentioned once more.
There was no bridal sedan chair, no suona music, only the steady rhythm of hoofbeats. Since the founding of Jian Family Village, never had there been such a silent wedding procession. The modest line soon passed beyond the village entrance and turned a corner, gradually disappearing from sight.
Only after the procession was gone did the villagers disperse with sighs. Jian Renjie’s face shifted between green and white as he hurried toward the Jian family courtyard. Before he could step inside, Third Uncle emerged from within, hands clasped behind his back.
The two nearly collided. Third Uncle greeted him at an unhurried pace, “Elder Brother, you’re here early,” then shook his head with poorly concealed schadenfreude and strolled off, humming to himself.
Jian Renjie’s anger could no longer be suppressed. He rushed into the courtyard in three strides.
Once the wedding procession had left, He Xiaohong finally let herself go. Sitting beneath the eaves, she slapped her thighs and wailed, “Heavens above, all the good things are gone. Husband, say something!”
Not only had that wretched girl Jian Jia ruined the eggs and fine flour she had hidden in the cupboard, she had also taken the white candles and lard from the house. That would have been bad enough, but she had even carried off the dowry He Xiaohong had long coveted and forcibly squeezed eight hundred copper coins from her as additional dowry.
Eight hundred copper coins, money she had painstakingly saved over several years, gone just like that.
Jian Xiaoqiang kept a sullen face, scratching his forehead as he let out a long breath. Although there had been unexpected twists today, at least Jian Jia had been safely sent out the door. Once he treated those who had escorted the bride to a meal tonight and paid Granny Qian her gift money, the matter would be settled. Thinking that from now on the vast Jian household would become his private property, He Xiaohong’s wailing no longer troubled him.
“You beast!”
His uncle’s furious voice suddenly exploded behind him. As Jian Xiaoqiang turned around, a heavy slap struck his face.
Stars burst before his eyes, and he nearly fell. “Uncle?”
“Don’t call me that. I have no nephew like you. You’re worse than an animal. In broad daylight you dare to sell a person?”
Jian Xiaoqiang muttered, “How is it selling? Didn’t we give her the dowry, and even extra besides? Besides, Granny Qian handled everything. They’re properly husband and wife now.”
Jian Renjie’s head buzzed. “You still dare to talk back? Tell me honestly, where are the fifteen taels of betrothal silver?” In Jian Family Village, six or eight taels was already considered generous. Fifteen taels, and Jian Xiaoqiang had the nerve to demand it.
What infuriated him even more was that the whole affair had been carried out so publicly that the entire village knew. He wished he could swallow Jian Xiaoqiang whole. “You dare take this money? Aren’t you afraid Jian Zhishan and his wife will come looking for you at night? Hand it over.”
Jian Xiaoqiang had not intended to comply, but seeing his uncle truly enraged, he stammered, “There are only five taels left.”
Not only was Jian Renjie shocked, He Xiaohong sprang to her feet. “Five taels? How can there be only five?”
Under the devouring stares of both his uncle and wife, Jian Xiaoqiang lowered his head guiltily. “The other ten are at Wanlong Gambling House.”
He Xiaohong’s face twitched violently before she let out a piercing wail. “I can’t live anymore!” She had thought to use Jian Jia’s betrothal money to subsidize the household, yet her good-for-nothing husband had gambled again.
Crying hysterically, she ran out of the courtyard. Jian Xiaoqiang started to chase after her, but seeing his uncle’s ashen face, as if he might faint at any moment, he stayed behind instead. “Uncle, are you all right?”
Jian Renjie clutched his chest, taking a long while to steady his breathing. With trembling hands he said harshly, “Give me the money.”
Reluctantly, Jian Xiaoqiang reached toward his chest. “Uncle, you want this betrothal money too?”
Jian Renjie sneered. “Don’t call me that. I don’t have a fool like you for a nephew. Listen carefully. Jian Jia was married off today. If you still want to live in this village, you will insist that you only accept ten taels, and that the remaining five were returned to her husband’s family. Do you understand?”
Jian Xiaoqiang paused, gripping the money pouch. “Ah? Uncle, you mean these five taels are for Jian Jia?”
Jian Renjie shot him a glare and snatched the pouch away. “What else? Or do you want the whole village pointing at our backs and cursing us for seizing the Jian family property and tormenting an orphan?”
With the pouch in hand, Jian Renjie flicked his sleeve and prepared to leave. Suddenly he remembered something important. “By the way, someone like Third Uncle, who never moves without benefit, why would he stand up for Jian Jia?”
Jian Xiaoqiang was equally puzzled. “Exactly, I handled this quite discreetly. How did he find out?”
Whatever schemes Jian Renjie and his nephew were plotting, Jian Jia knew nothing of them. She only knew that after passing through several villages, she was growing increasingly adept at controlling the horse. Her body was no longer as rigid as when she had first mounted, and she finally had the leisure to observe her surroundings.
Of course, her improvement owed much to Qin Yi, who led the horse. The village paths were uneven, yet he guided the animal skillfully, avoiding every rut and ditch so that she felt almost no jolting at all.
Qin Yi was a man of few words. As Jian Jia watched his straight back, she fell into deep thought. It was precisely such a man who, even after the original host’s repeated self-destructive behavior, had been willing to squander his entire fortune a second time just to carry her broken body home for burial. A man so loyal and devoted should have lived a good life if not for encountering the original host.
Just as she was lost in thought, a shout rose from behind. “Jia’er, wait!”
Turning at the sound, she saw someone galloping toward them on a donkey. From the original host’s memories, she recognized him as Jian Dayue, the eldest son of Clan Head Jian Renjie. She had once addressed him as Elder Brother.
It did not take long for Jian Dayue to catch up. From his robes he produced a piece of red silk, smiling awkwardly and avoiding her gaze. “Jia’er, you left in such a hurry that you forgot something. My father asked me to bring this to you and to tell you that Jian Family Village will always be your natal home. Come back to visit when you have time.”
Jian Jia accepted the red silk and said calmly, “Thank you, Elder Brother. And please thank the Clan Head for me as well.” The object wrapped within felt weighty and solid in her hand. Though she did not yet know what it was, for Jian Dayue to make this trip alone, it must be something of value.