The night was deep, the moonlight cold and desolate, hanging in the air and pouring down.
Tonight, it was Wei Shouzhong keeping watch in Wei Zhao’s room.
Having busied around for a whole day, clearly every bone in her body was shouting with exhaustion, but Hui Niang just couldn’t fall asleep.
Truly, the things that happened in the daytime were too beyond her expectations.
Who knows how long had passed; she turned over and got up, put on her cotton-padded clothes, and walked outside.
Just like her, not asleep, was also Wei Shouzhong.
Hui Niang gently pushed open the door and called Wei Shouzhong out.
The two stood at the doorway, speaking in low voices.
Hui Niang: “What are you thinking?”
Wei Shouzhong: “Knew you wouldn’t be able to sit still.”
“Still that same sentence, the girls in the matchmaker’s hands, no need to worry about the in-laws’ side. What kind of conduct that maternal aunt of Wan Niang has, you should know clearly.”
“Not to mention Wang shi, just Wan Niang’s maternal uncle. If he comes knocking in the future, accusing us of deceiving the girl of their family. His son is a scholar, also decent in the village. By then, he calls out and everyone responds — how much more of a commotion will that cause?”
Hui Niang’s eyes dimmed.
She said in a low voice: “But I just fancy Wan Niang more. This child, from the very first glance, I felt delighted looking at her.”
“Those girls are fine, but standing next to Wan Niang, simply cannot compare.”
She was a mother. When there were clearly better options, how could she be willing to let A’Lang settle?
“How could I not know, this counts as wronging Wan Niang.”
“By reason, with Wan Niang’s looks and temperament, a family like ours is not worthy.”
“If A’Lang hadn’t had an accident, I’d have thickened my face and gone to propose, but now the house is in such chaos, how would I dare to hope.”
“I shouldn’t delay her.”
But Wan Niang said, she wants to marry in.
She said, she took a liking to me being her mother-in-law.
She even said, she’s not afraid of being a widow, even if A’Lang really in the future… she would never regret it.
How great must that determination be!
Hui Niang was both moved and shaken.
In the courtyard, it was pitch-dark with not a trace of light.
Wei Shouzhong, however, suddenly asked.
“You say, why did Wan Niang suddenly want to move out of the Hu family?”
Hui Niang affirmed: “Naturally because Wang shi went too far.”
“But she endured more than ten years, seeing that she’s already at the age for betrothal, it shouldn’t make a difference of just a few more days.”
Wei Shouzhong: “I was just now inside the room thinking the whole time.”
“Wan Niang is so certain that she can decide her own marriage, it can be seen that she doesn’t care whether Hu Dazhu agrees or not.”
Or perhaps… even if he doesn’t agree, Wan Niang wouldn’t care.
She even wants to never have dealings with him again for the rest of her life.
Clearly before, everything was fine, and Wan Niang was especially respectful toward this maternal uncle.
Wei Shouzhong looked toward his wife and guessed: “You say… could it be that she has found out about what happened that year?”
——
The next day.
Yu Tingwan did not know that her self-recommendation made the couple lose sleep for an entire night.
Anyway, she slept very soundly.
Yu Tingwan couldn’t wait to go next door and ask:
Had they made up their minds yet!
Just as she opened the door, she saw Chen Po standing outside the old house, just about to knock.
Yu Tingwan frowned: “Something wrong?”
Chen Po, entirely different from yesterday’s black-faced attitude, now had a smile on her face.
“It’s that I have something to ask of you, young lady. How about letting me come in and speak?”
Yu Tingwan didn’t trust her.
Her resistance was written all over her face, without the slightest concealment.
“If you’re here to beg me to give up, I won’t agree to you either.”
“Since I’ve made my decision, then I’ve set my mind on it. Unless the Wei family shakes their head, I won’t let it go to someone else.”
She used her body to block the door: “I advise you, best not to ask for humiliation.”
Chen Po hurriedly said: “It’s not about that.”
Yu Tingwan let out a breath, her expression relaxing.
“Then I even more have nothing to say to you.”
Just then, her arm was grabbed by Chen Po.
Chen Po, calm and unruffled, gave Yu Tingwan a once-over from head to toe. Aside from those hands with chilblains, she was extremely satisfied with everything else. Her eyes even flickered with light.
Ever since returning yesterday, she had already gone to ask around about Yu Tingwan, and understood that she couldn’t live on her own anymore, so she smashed the broken jar, thinking to marry into the Wei family.
Chen Po was now very confident, treating Yu Tingwan as a money tree.
“Young lady, with this kind of appearance of yours, why stay cooped up in this desolate little mountain village?”
“I just think it’s a pity. After all, that Wei family A’Lang’s body is in such poor shape, I fear that even if cured, he won’t live long. You mustn’t be foolish.”
Yu Tingwan’s face showed no expression. There is no merchant who isn’t cunning. So it turns out she had her ideas hitched onto her.
Chen Po saw that she didn’t speak and just assumed she had listened in.
“I know you look down on me, thinking I sell girls to the pleasure house, but that is their fate — it was their own parents who handed them into my hands.”
Chen Po: “But you are different. I’m reluctant to let go of you.”
“I also pity you. I wouldn’t let you go to those places full of mixed fish and dragons.” [鱼龙混杂 (yú lóng hùn zá): literally ‘fish and dragons mixed together,’ meaning a chaotic place filled with both good and bad people — often used for brothels or disreputable areas]
“If you’re willing to come with me, there will surely be wealth as vast as the heavens waiting for you in the future. I’ll train you a bit, dress you up nicely, let you show your face — those young masters from wealthy families, every one of them will be scrambling to have you.”
She waited for Yu Tingwan to agree.
Such a good thing — only Yu Tingwan, with her good fortune, could run into it.
Marry into the Wei family? Not even a single copper coin could be split into two uses. They have to worry even for meals, and might not even see meat a few times in a year. But if she became a favored concubine of a large household, she could eat meat every meal, wear gold and silver.
Anyone would know how to choose.
But someone from next door rushed out.
It was Hui Niang.
With a grim face, the broom in her hand directly fell on Chen Po’s body.
“You heartless old hag, actually coaxing a good girl to go be someone’s concubine — what kind of intentions are those!”
A concubine — is that something easy to be?
Aren’t there enough concubines in the Dong family? And what were their ends? If they weren’t favored, their lives were worth less than grass — even if they died, no one would collect their corpse.
Chen Po took that blow solidly, the pain made her sharply inhale.
Hui Niang grabbed Yu Tingwan’s hand and pulled her along: “Come, come sit at Aunty’s house. You mustn’t fall for her tricks. If you really went with her, in a place where you know neither the people nor the terrain, you’d just be meat on a chopping board. What could a young girl like you do?”
Chen Po was unwilling, about to chase in — only to see a young man sitting inside the Wei family’s courtyard. His back faced her, so his face couldn’t be seen clearly, but presumably, it was the Wei family’s son.
Thinking that this was still Xilin Village, Chen Po made a fool of herself and had no choice but to slink away.
After Yu Tingwan entered the Wei household, she looked at Hui Niang with sparkling eyes.
“Wan Niang, if A’Lang could marry you, it would be his blessing.”
“But I just fear you’ll regret it. A lifetime is so long…”
Yu Tingwan was very serious: “I’ve truly thought it through.”
“All right then, Aunty will take it as real.”
She asked: “Have you eaten morning meal yet?”
Yu Tingwan shook her head.
“I’ll go serve you a bowl. We’ll talk more later. Today I made sweet potato congee — soft, glutinous, fragrant and sweet.”
Hui Niang entered the kitchen room. Yu Tingwan grinned.
She took a few steps and walked to Wei Zhao’s side.
Wei Zhao slowly lifted his gaze and met Yu Tingwan’s eyes.
Thinking that the two of them would be husband and wife in the future, it was only proper to greet one another. Yu Tingwan cleared her throat.
“Surprised?”
Wei Zhao: …
Yu Tingwan clasped her hands behind her back, finding even the sight of him pleasing to the eye:
“I’m willing to fill this pit of yours!”