Chapter 43: A Graceful Young Lady Appears

Sixteen years old? Able to bear children? Liu Yitiao felt a pang in his heart. Who wouldn’t want to take a wife? But to have him marry a sixteen-year-old girl—wasn’t that a bit too much? Girls that age used to call him “uncle,” after all...

Old Liu didn’t notice the look on Yitiao’s face and continued on his own, “The girl lives in Xiaoxin Village. Her surname is Zhang, given name Chuchu, daughter of Zhang Buliang. She has an elder brother, Zhang Chuwen—the scholar who came to treat our cow last time, you all met him. They’re both very fond of you…”

“Father,” Liu Yitiao interrupted, forcing a bitter smile, “I still have many matters that need my attention. Could we talk about this later?”

“Later?!” Old Liu’s face darkened immediately, and he scolded, “This isn’t for you to comment on! Just stand aside. Your mother and I both like Miss Chuchu, and everything has already been arranged.”

“That’s right, Yitiao,” Liu Heshi chimed in to persuade, “A man your age should marry—eighteen already! If you don’t take a wife and start a family soon, what will people say about us?”

“But, Mother...” Yitiao tried to protest, but Old Liu cut him off sternly, his face set, “No buts. I’ve decided. Tomorrow we’ll bring the betrothal gifts and set a wedding date. The Liu family line is waiting for you to carry it on!”

With that, Old Liu flung his sleeves and left, not giving Yitiao a chance to reply.

Yitiao looked at his mother’s eager face, then at his younger brother Liu Ertiao, who was grinning mischievously at the side, and sighed helplessly. He couldn’t tell if he should feel happy or worried. Gathering up little Liu Xiaohui, he walked out of the house as well.

Truth be told, when it came to marriage, Yitiao was more than willing, both in heart and in body. Who doesn’t wish for a beautiful companion—or several—to share one’s days and nights? But to marry someone so young—his conscience found it hard to accept.

That was why, when Old Liu insisted on arranging this marriage, Yitiao opposed it but didn’t vehemently resist.

He found a clean spot, sat down, and placed Xiaohui on his lap. Gently, he asked, “Little sister, let me ask you something, and you must answer honestly. When you got to Xiaoxin Village just now, did you see Sister Chuchu?”

“Yes. I saw Sister Chuchu. She really likes me.” Xiaohui nodded sweetly.

“Oh? Is Sister Chuchu pretty?” Yitiao felt somewhat shameful. He kept saying he didn’t agree, yet here he was fishing for gossip.

“She’s pretty! Even prettier than Mother!” Xiaohui clung to his arm, pouting, “Big brother, why don’t you marry Sister Chuchu? I want to play with her.”

“Uh…” Even a child could say such things? Still, to win over a child’s affection in less than an hour—this Zhang Chuchu was certainly extraordinary. Yitiao patted Xiaohui’s head gently. “We’ll talk about that later. For now, how about I take you for a ride on Little Yellow?”

“Yes! Thank you, big brother!” With Xiaohui’s delighted laughter ringing out, Little Yellow became her steed.

After some play, and seeing that Ertiao had almost finished copying the contracts, Yitiao brought Xiaohui back to their mother. Then, taking the stack of copied agreements, he set out with Ertiao.

Wang Kui’s former fields lay just north of Sanyuan County, less than two li from Gutian Village where Yitiao lived. It took him less than half an hour to reach the cluster of tenant households.

Ninety-one households. Three hundred and eighty-one people. Of these, one hundred and fifty-eight were able-bodied men fit for farm work. The rest were old people, women, and children—unable to till the fields, unable to create wealth for Yitiao. So he had only brought a hundred and fifty-eight contracts.

He had sympathy for their plight, but he couldn’t sign on a crowd of idle mouths to feed. After all, he was poor himself now and couldn’t afford it.

Besides, the wage he offered the workers was enough to support a family for a month—there was nothing more he needed to concern himself with.

By the time Yitiao arrived, Li Dechen had already gathered all ninety-one households on the list. Only men aged fifteen to sixty were present. Seeing Yitiao, they stood respectfully to the side, harboring the common fear that tenants held for their landlord.

Yitiao paid it no mind and asked Li Dechen to bring out a table and chair to the courtyard. Sitting, he laid out a brush, an inkstone, a box of red seal paste, and the stack of contracts. Then he addressed the crowd, “Fellow villagers, we’ll now begin the signing. If you can write, sign your name; if not, leave a handprint. You keep one copy, I keep one. Once you’re done, go home and wait for news. When the spring thaw comes and the land softens, I’ll have Old Li notify you to begin clearing the fields.”

“There are thirty hectares in all, eleven oxen, and a full set of plows, seeders, and other essential tools. The land will be divided evenly among you, and the oxen shared in rotation. The details, Old Li will explain in due course. Let’s begin.”

Yitiao glanced at Li Dechen. “Let’s start with Old Li. Then the rest, one by one, from nearest to farthest.”

“Thank you, sir!” Li Dechen came forward and bowed.

Yitiao nodded, handing him the brush. Over a hundred contracts took nearly half an hour to sign. By the time they finished, the afternoon was gone. Yitiao hadn’t even had time to visit the smithy—he had to put off ordering new plowshares for now.

When he got home, he found the main hall filled with bolts of cloth. Old Liu was examining one in his arms.

Yitiao approached, puzzled. “Father, why is there so much cloth at home? What’s it for?”

Old Liu laid the bolt on the table and smiled. “Yitiao, come look—five bolts of cloth, three jade bracelets, a set of hair ornaments, two new outfits. That should be enough for tomorrow’s betrothal gifts, wouldn’t you say? Ha ha…”

“Betrothal gifts?” Yitiao was stunned; he hadn’t expected Old Liu’s words that afternoon to be serious. “Father, don’t you think this is a bit rushed?” he said. The matter had only just come up, and now they were bringing the gifts the very next day—wasn’t that too hasty?

“Hasty?!” Old Liu glared. “I wish I could marry you off tomorrow and have a grandson the day after. You think this is fast? Others your age already have two or three children!”

Seeing Yitiao fall silent, Old Liu softened his tone, “I’ve set the date—fifth day of next month for the main wedding. I’ll arrange with the in-laws to set the day for the wedding feast. You’ll come with me, meet your future father- and mother-in-law, and pay your respects for the New Year. If you’re lucky, you might even get to see Miss Chuchu.”

Yitiao’s eyes lit up; that last line from his father, he had to admit, was rather appealing…