“Oh my, why have you piled the firewood at the doorway?”
Zhang Fangyuan was busy messing around inside the house when he heard a shout from outside. He put down his work and went out. Matchmaker Gan was standing at the courtyard gate, looking at the firewood outside as she spoke.
“Fangyuan, why did you pile the firewood outside?”
He truly did not know when a small hill-like pile of firewood had appeared beside the courtyard gate. Zhang Fangyuan went out to greet her. He tilted his head and looked left and right outside the courtyard a few times, but could not see any clue as to how it had gotten there.
“The firewood I gathered hasn’t been put away yet.” He smiled. “Aunt Gan, come sit.”
Zhang Fangyuan led her into the main room, bringing over a stool and pouring tea. His attentiveness made Matchmaker Gan quite satisfied.
“Big Nephew, to say something unpleasant, I really put in a lot of effort for your matter.” Matchmaker Gan sat down without any politeness and took a big gulp of tea.
If not for the two jin of meat having been taken home and then stewed at her husband’s insistence for them to enjoy, followed by her being thoroughly scolded when she went to the Hu family, she would have wanted to give up on this job altogether. After working as a matchmaker for so many years, this was the first time she had been cursed at so harshly.
He Shi had also sent another basket of eggs. Thus, she had no choice but to shamelessly run to several more households. After mentally preparing herself, although she had still been spoken to sarcastically a few times, fortunately no one had cursed her as unpleasantly as the Hu family.
In the future, she would never go to the Hu family to arrange a marriage again. Even if a marriage could not be arranged, there should still be some basic goodwill between people. They were all villagers who had to see one another when they looked up or lowered their heads. Those people truly did not know how to behave.
“Thank you for your hard work, Aunt Gan. Once the matter is successful, I will definitely give you a big red-envelope reward.”
Matchmaker Gan waved her hand. “Forget it. Even if I don’t look at your face, I should at least look at the face of your father, mother, and Fourth Aunt, shouldn’t I?”
“Remember this properly. This time, the Guang family has agreed to meet you. Their family has many children. The one of suitable age is their fifth daughter. I took a look at her. Her features are proper, and her temperament is quiet and gentle. She seems like a virtuous woman who is good at managing a household. Get yourself properly tidied up, bring some gifts, and go with your Fourth Aunt to meet her. If both sides find each other suitable, then the matter will be settled.”
Zhang Fangyuan’s heart warmed, but he still cautiously asked, “The Guang family? Is it the household at the boundary of the village?”
Matchmaker Gan nodded. This family had moved to their village a few years ago. Because they lived at the far boundary, they normally did not have much interaction with the villagers. If she had not been unable to find a suitable household in their own village and been preparing to ask around in the neighboring village, she would not have remembered that there was such a household after passing by the Guang family.
The Guang family lived a poor life and had many children, six or seven in total. Matchmaker Gan had not even seen all of them; she had only looked at the one who was of suitable age. Now that the Guang couple were getting older, with so many people in the household, the taxes they had to pay were considerable, so they were also eager to marry their child off.
The laws of the Dasheng Dynasty stipulated that unmarried women and ge’ers between fifteen and thirty years old would have their head tax doubled. Originally, the tax was calculated at one person and one year, amounting to one hundred and twenty wen. If a woman or ge’er reached marriageable age without marrying, the older they became, the more the tax would be doubled along with their age, with the highest reaching five times the original amount.
This meant that if a household had one late-marriage woman or ge’er, that one person alone could require the family to pay as much as six hundred wen in taxes—nearly one tael of silver. Unless the family was extremely well-off, who could stand paying taxes like that?
When Matchmaker Gan went to the Guang family to mention the proposal, although they hesitated slightly upon hearing that it was Zhang Fangyuan, they were still willing to meet him.
“Auntie specifically asked around for you about the betrothal gifts. The betrothal gifts in our village aren’t considered high. For an ordinary family, three to five taels of silver is already respectable. The Guang family is also quite open-minded and hasn’t demanded an excessive amount of betrothal gifts. Your Fourth Aunt understands this as well. When the time comes, just negotiate according to this amount.”
The matchmaker’s instructions were so thoughtful that Zhang Fangyuan naturally thanked her profusely and said a whole basketful of pleasant words.
Matchmaker Gan also happily drank her tea. She looked around the Zhang family home from the corner of her eye. The last time she had come here was to attend the funeral feast, and several years had already passed since then. At that time, the Zhang family had kept everything very well. Now, weeds had grown all over the courtyard. Although there were signs that the inside of the house had been tidied, it was ultimately not as carefully arranged as a woman or ge’er would have done it. There was still dust on the tables and stools that had not been completely wiped away.
A bachelor’s house was simply like this.
But it was also difficult for Zhang Fangyuan. He was a butcher by trade, with rough hands and feet, and he still had to make time to take care of these delicate household matters. Being able to get things to this point was already quite good.
“All right, Auntie has brought you the news. I won’t sit around and delay you any longer. Hurry and get prepared to go to the Guang family for the meeting. The sooner the matter is settled, the sooner Auntie can receive your matchmaker’s celebration money.”
Matchmaker Gan smiled and took her leave.
Zhang Fangyuan saw her to the gate, then put his hands on his hips and looked at the firewood beside the courtyard gate. He helplessly shook his head.
“That youngest Xu boy! His leg healed that quickly? He can already go up the mountain to gather firewood again.”
He carried all the firewood into the house, put everything in order, locked the door, and then turned around and went to his Fourth Uncle’s house again.
……
“Why are you coming with me? Is there no work to do in the fields?”
“I’m going with you into the city to have a look. That way, I’ll know what gifts you need to bring when asking for a marriage and meeting a marriage prospect. They’ll come in handy when I ask for a marriage myself.”
The next morning, Zhang Fangyuan was going into the city early to buy the things needed for the marriage meeting and proposal. Early in the morning, Chen Si came over and pestered him.
“How did you know?”
Chen Si pursed his lips. “Matchmaker Gan talked to so many households in the village. Other families might only brag that a matchmaker came to their house to arrange a marriage for their daughter or ge’er. They probably wouldn’t say who the person seeking the marriage was. But she went to the Hu family. Could that big mouth possibly keep it to herself? By that afternoon, more than half the village already knew that you, Zhang Fangyuan, had asked a matchmaker to arrange a marriage. Then yesterday, I saw Matchmaker Gan go to your house, and she came out smiling. So I knew for sure she must have found you someone.”
“You’re really something else. You’re getting married, such a big matter, and you actually kept it under wraps without even giving me a heads-up.”
Zhang Fangyuan strode toward the village entrance. “You’re younger than me, and you’re not in a hurry to get married. What, did you want to compete with me for the chance to go meet girls and young men?”
“I’m only one or two years younger than you. I’m already old enough to get married.”
Zhang Fangyuan said, “Unlike me, your reputation isn’t bad. Since you’re old enough to marry, why are you still waiting?”
Chen Si sighed. “My third brother hasn’t married yet, has he? My parents say that no matter how eager I am, I can’t jump ahead of my older brothers. I have to wait until my third brother gets married before it’s my turn.”
Zhang Fangyuan thought that the Chen family was rather old-fashioned. It seemed that while households with many siblings were lively, there were also plenty of restrictions. Being an only child like him had its advantages.
“Then you should find someone suitable first. Once your third brother gets married, you can go straight to propose. Wouldn’t that solve it?”
“That’s what I think too.”
After saying that, Chen Si turned around and asked, “You haven’t even met the girl from the Guang family. You’re going to meet her this time, and if things work out, you’ll get married. Aren’t you going to look for someone you actually like?”
Zhang Fangyuan had thought about this last night too. But whether in this life or his previous one, he had never given much thought to such matters. Right now, he simply wanted to start a family as soon as possible. After all, he was no longer young, and there wasn’t anyone he particularly fancied either.
“Our village is already much more open-minded. At least we can meet someone ourselves before getting married. It’s not like in the cities, where there are all sorts of rigid customs and formalities. Everything is decided entirely by the parents and matchmakers. The couple doesn’t even get to see each other until their wedding night, after the marriage has been arranged. We shouldn’t be demanding so much.”
Once he had a family, he could focus on working and making money.
Chen Si scratched his head. “That’s true.”
Zhang Fangyuan looked at Chen Si and smiled. “But you have the chance to meet someone you like yourself, so don’t let it slip by. I should have been doing that at the age when I was supposed to find a suitable match, but I spent all my time fooling around and missed my chance. Now I can only settle for this.”
Chen Si acknowledged his words.
“Hey! Driver! Wait up! Give us a ride!”
Zhang Fangyuan looked up and spotted an ox cart carrying passengers on the main road. He hurriedly waved to flag it down.
Chen Si stepped forward and grabbed him. “There’s no rush to get to the city. We’re both quick on our feet. It’ll only take a little over an hour to get there. Why waste the money?”
“Then you can walk. I’m taking the cart.” Zhang Fangyuan swung his leg up and climbed aboard.
“Look at how impatient you are. It’s as if the girl will run away if you arrive late!” Chen Si hurried after him.
Today was market day in the city, so there were more people heading into town than usual. The main road was crowded with people carrying things on their backs, shoulders, and in baskets. During winter, there were fewer ways to earn money than during the busy farming season, so the villagers were all holding tightly to their silver. Even the ox-cart driver was having trouble making a decent fare. Including Zhang Fangyuan and Chen Si, there were only four passengers on the cart. None of them knew one another, and they weren’t from the same village.
Zhang Fangyuan had a rather imposing appearance. His brow ridge was prominent, his eyebrows thick, and his face sharply defined. He was tall and broad, naturally intimidating even when he wasn’t angry. After he climbed aboard, the women who had been chatting quietly fell silent. The entire cart grew quiet.
“Everyone, the ox cart will stop for a while at Xijiao Village up ahead. I need to go to the village entrance to pick something up.”
The driver announced this, and the passengers readily agreed.
While Zhang Fangyuan was idly sitting around, the ox cart stopped beneath a large pine tree. The driver jumped down and hurried off to collect his goods.
Zhang Fangyuan lifted his long legs and climbed down as well. The cart wasn’t small, but with his long arms and legs, sitting cramped up on it wasn’t particularly comfortable.
After getting off, he stretched his arms and neck. Then he heard Chen Si, who had also gotten down, call out excitedly, “Brother He! Are you going into the city today too?”
Following his voice, Zhang Fangyuan looked over. Near the mountain wall stood several enormous rocks, each as tall as a person. People carrying goods into the city would set their baskets down on the rocks to take a breather. Xu Laomo was there too.
Hearing him, Xu He gave a rather indifferent greeting. “Cousin.”
That was how things were among the villagers. Some were close relatives, others distant relations. One way or another, everyone was connected somehow.
“Why are you carrying so much? What are all these things?”
Xu He’s voice sounded even hoarser than before. He answered briefly, “Just some handmade woven goods.”
Seeing that Xu Laomo treated his cousin with the same reluctance to engage in conversation, Zhang Fangyuan unexpectedly felt a sense of satisfaction. Although even he didn’t know what exactly he was feeling satisfied about.
“Chen Si, let’s go. The driver is back.”
He saw the ox-cart driver returning with a sack slung over his shoulder and placing it back on the cart, so he went over and climbed aboard again.
“Brother He, why don’t you take the cart? You’re carrying so many things. By the time you reach the city, it’ll almost be noon. If you go earlier, you can sell everything sooner too.”
Chen Si warmly called out to Xu He, who, as expected, turned him down.
Taking the cart was certainly convenient, but the fare to the city was four coins. That was enough to buy two plain steamed buns there. Xu He simply didn’t have that kind of spare money.
Chen Si, however, refused to give up. His eyes darted around before he suddenly called out loudly, “Zhang Fangyuan is paying for the ox cart!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he slyly picked up Xu He’s basket and carried it over to the cart.
Xu He hurried after him. Why was everyone suddenly so fond of snatching other people’s baskets?
“Cousin!”
“Quick, give me a hand!”
Chen Si passed Xu He’s basket up toward the cart. Zhang Fangyuan scoffed, “You’re inviting someone for a ride and making me pay? That’s quite an idea you’ve come up with!”
“We’re all villagers from the same place. Besides, Brother He calls you ‘older brother’ even though he’s younger than you. What’s wrong with looking after your younger brother a little?”
“Since you’re his proper cousin, why don’t I ever see you spending money to look after him?”
Despite his words, before Xu He could catch up, Zhang Fangyuan had already lifted the basket onto the cart.
Chen Si jumped aboard and called to Xu He, who was standing on the ground in a hurry, “Your basket is already on the cart. Hurry up and get on!”
Xu He’s chest rose and fell rapidly. He shot his cousin, Chen Si, an indignant look.
The ox cart swayed slowly along the road. The cold wind and morning frost blew against them. Traveling by cart was certainly faster than walking, but the wind was also much stronger.
Chen Si looked at Xu He, who was sitting with his legs together and his head lowered. He paid no mind to the fact that the other man clearly had no desire to entertain him. Instead, he treated him like a guiding lantern, eagerly asking, “Brother He, are you the only one going into the city today?”
“Mm.”
“What about your second older sister? Isn’t she going?”
“No, she’s at home.”
Chen Si asked again, “Then when will your second older sister be going into the city?”
“I don’t know.”
“When you come back later, don’t rush off. There are lots of good pastries at Eight Treasures Studio in the city. How about I buy a couple for you to take back and give to your sister?”
Xu He sat opposite the two men. His large eyes were lowered, and both his face and lips were unnaturally red. He had caught a chill after getting soaked in the rain a few days ago, and the wind blowing against him now made his face even redder. The injury on his knee had not completely healed either, and it still hurt from time to time at night.
He wasn’t feeling well. Today, he had only wanted to use the trip to sell his goods as an excuse to visit the city and see a doctor. He hadn’t wanted to talk, but since he was accepting a favor by riding in someone else’s ox cart, he had no choice but to respond.
After speaking a few sentences, he couldn’t hold back the itchy, hoarse feeling in his throat and began coughing. He only hoped the ox cart would move a little faster so he could spend less time exposed to the cold wind and have to speak less.
“Then what kind of pastries does your second older sister like? How about pea cake? Has she tried it before? Girls should like it, right? It’s sweet and refreshing…”
Xu He pressed his lips together and managed to suppress his coughing a little. He couldn’t be bothered to answer.
“Come on, do me a favor and tell your cousin. I’ve even paid for you to ride the ox cart.”
Xu He held back another cough. Of course he knew there was no such thing as a free favor in this world. If it weren’t for his second older sister, which man in the village would bother paying him any attention? Considering that they were relatives who had some dealings with one another, he still had to humor him. Just as he was about to answer, a large sleeveless outer vest made of rabbit fur was suddenly extended in front of his knees.
He looked up and saw that his cousin had taken a punch from Zhang Fangyuan.
The butcher’s cold voice rang out. “Why do you have so much to say? You’re making my ears hurt. Shut up!”