After the oil lamp was extinguished, Qin Junyao lay on the kang, listening to her younger sister Qin Xiaoyu recount how Qin's father had beaten her arm until it was badly bruised, while also thinking about the words spoken by her grandmother and third uncle today, she couldn't sleep.
Was marrying Zhao Liangcai not good?
Objectively analyzed, it was good.
It was as good as it could get.
Today's affairs were handled cleanly and efficiently, stopping the rumors and showing the villagers of Yangshu Village the Qin family's strength. At least when it came to fighting, the Qin family was serious.
The smashing of Village Chief Hao's house was her grandmother's revenge.
The death of Sun Pozi and her engagement to Zhao Liangcai should be the biggest blow to Qian Shi.
Overall, this matter only brought benefits to the Qin family and to Qin Junyao herself.
Then why was she still feeling conflicted? Qin Junyao lay on the kang and pondered the entire night.
It wasn't just Qin Junyao who had a sleepless night; Zhao Liangcai, Qian Shi, Qian Duo, Village Chief Hao, Sun Laiwang's family, and others who knew that spreading rumors could lead to imprisonment were all restless.
Early in the morning, Grandma Qin instructed the family to tidy the rooms, clean the courtyard, and change into new clothes, treating it with the solemnity of the New Year.
Many villagers, instead of working in the fields, loitered near the Qin family's residence, eager to see if General Zhao would truly propose to a peasant girl.
As the hour of Hai (9-11 AM) arrived, a well-dressed middle-aged man, accompanied by several porters, appeared at the entrance of the Qin family's courtyard.
Grandma Qin recognized the man as an official matchmaker by the ornaments on his waist.
In the country of Qing, matchmakers were divided into official and private ones.
Official matchmakers were officials who received a salary and held significant power. They were responsible for registering newborns in their jurisdiction and urging young men and women of marriageable age to marry.
Most importantly, if a woman reached sixteen and was not married and had not paid taxes, the official matchmaker could forcibly arrange a marriage for her, and the woman could not resist.
Engaging an official matchmaker was more expensive than a private one, but official matchmakers did not lie arbitrarily for profit like private ones; they would investigate thoroughly before arranging a match.
For marriages arranged by official matchmakers, couples could seek mediation from the matchmaker if conflicts arose, and the matchmaker could also bear witness to a divorce.
Some official matchmakers would also keep records of the betrothal gifts and dowries of the marriages they arranged, documenting the detailed dates and processes of the ceremonies from proposal to wedding, to prevent future disputes.
"Esteemed Old Madam Qin, Master Qin, Madam Qin, I am here on behalf of the young master Zhao, carrying gifts."
Grandma Qin saw the geese and lambs carried by the porters behind him and knew that Zhao Liangcai had prepared the six rites in full.
When the wedding rites are issued, geese are used for the proposal.
Today marked the first of the six rites of marriage, the proposal.
"May I ask, esteemed matchmaker, what is your surname?" Grandma Qin asked politely and gently.
The official matchmaker's smile widened upon hearing Grandma Qin's address. "My surname is Yu."
"Esteemed Matchmaker Yu, please," Grandma Qin moved aside and invited Matchmaker Yu into the courtyard.
The porters followed Matchmaker Yu, placing a goose, a lamb, wine, millet, glutinous millet, and rice and flour, each in a hu (a measure of capacity), in the courtyard.
Zhao Liangcai's late arrival yesterday was to prepare these items.
After glancing at the items in the courtyard, Grandma Qin asked Qin's Second Aunt to pour water for Matchmaker Yu and led him into the house.
Matchmaker Yu held a teacup filled with plain water, his heart filled with satisfaction.
Matchmakers never drank tea on their first visit, as "the tea grows cold when the person leaves, and offering tea means seeing them off," which was not a good omen.
"Master Qin, Madam Qin..."
While the Qin family elders entertained the matchmaker indoors, the younger generation of the Qin family were in the Gobi Desert digging for wolfsbane.
"Big Sister, do you think General Zhao will really send a matchmaker today?" Qin Erniu asked, emptying the wolfsbane from his basket onto the ground and squatting beside Qin Junyao.
"Should Second Brother go back and take a look?"
Qin Erniu shook his head. "I wouldn't dare. If I go back, Xiaoyu will have to follow, and if Grandma finds out, she'll skin me alive."
"Big Sister, what do you think General Zhao likes about you?"
Qin Junyao stuck the kitchen knife into the cutting board and stood up, looking at a spot not far ahead. "Ask him yourself."
Qin Erniu looked up and saw Zhao Liangcai approaching. He picked up his empty basket and returned to Qin Daniu.
Zhao Liangcai walked over, first examining the wolfsbane, some with leaves and some without. He squatted down and picked up the kitchen knife.
"I'll cut it."
"Be careful not to get it on your hands; it's itchy," Qin Junyao warned as she watched Zhao Liangcai expertly and quickly cut the wolfsbane with his left hand.
The corners of Zhao Liangcai's lips curved, his smile hidden by his beard.
"Ax stayed with you for two days. He caused quite a bit of trouble, didn't he?"
Qin Junyao moved the grass mat further away from Zhao Liangcai and sat down, watching the leaves being cut off the wolfsbane one by one on the cutting board.
"No, but he wet the bed the day before yesterday. He's this big and still wets the bed. Shouldn't you check on him?"
"I have."
Qin Junyao frowned. "You have? Grandma Ma doesn't know?"
Zhao Liangcai shifted from squatting to sitting, stretching his long legs out until one of them reached Qin Junyao's feet.
"I didn't tell her."
"Grandma Ma had two daughters before. The elder daughter was drowned in a urine bucket by her mother-in-law as soon as she was born. The second daughter lived to be one and a half years old before being bitten to death by a dog belonging to a wealthy family in the village."
"She went to their house to make a scene, demanding the wealthy family kill the dog as compensation."
"That wealthy family gave her mother-in-law money, and Grandma Ma was then sold by her mother-in-law and her own husband."
"Because the money the wealthy family gave was enough for Grandma Ma's husband to remarry two virgins."
Qin Junyao shifted her gaze from the cutting board to Zhao Liangcai's face, disbelief etched on her features.
"Scared?" Zhao Liangcai looked up at Qin Junyao's expression. "This is quite common. Mothers-in-law torment their daughters-in-law, and there's no limit to what they do. But you don't have to worry, Qian Shi is not qualified to be your mother-in-law."
"Alright, alright, let's talk about Ax," Zhao Liangcai said, raising his hands towards Qin Junyao.
"The doctor in the northwest city said Ax is very likely scared. He indeed wets the bed when he's frightened. When I first saw Ax, he was thin and small, and timid. But he's not afraid of me."
"My father is a hunter. Logically, Ax shouldn't be as timid as a rabbit."
"Heh," Qin Junyao was amused by Zhao Liangcai's deliberate avoidance of the word "mouse."
Seeing Qin Junyao smile, Zhao Liangcai felt a sense of relief. "Later, I took Ax with me."
"In the military camp, he saw people, training, soldiers sparring, and looked at the armies clashing from the city walls. As his courage grew, the number of times he wet the bed decreased."
"Grandma Ma knows Ax wets the bed when he's scared. What does this have to do with you not telling her and getting him medical attention?" Qin Junyao asked, hugging her knees.
Zhao Liangcai put down the knife he was holding and imitated Qin Junyao, resting his arms on his knees. "Grandma Ma is very sensitive. Perhaps she blames herself for not protecting her daughters well enough. Whenever something concerns Ax, she becomes extremely sensitive."
"I suspect Ax was frightened by Qian Shi or Zhao Rui. Grandma Ma cannot know this right now."
Qin Junyao leaned closer to Zhao Liangcai.
"How could that be?"
"Why?"
"Tell me."
Qin Junyao asked Zhao Liangcai twice, and his silence made her impatient.
"Ouch, the wound on my arm seems to have reopened," Zhao Liangcai said, lifting his right arm as if in pain.
"You're injured again?" Qin Junyao stood up and squatted beside Zhao Liangcai. "Your right arm? You..."
Zhao Liangcai grabbed Qin Junyao's hand with his left hand and looked into her eyes. "Qin Junyao, you don't hate me, yet you care about me. Why were you crying yesterday?"