Da Qiangzi knew Wan Changsheng and knew the approximate location of his home. His home was at the foot of the west mountain in He Village, while Wan Changsheng's home was at the foot of the south mountain in Wanjia Village, and he was the only family there.

According to Da Qiangzi, this place is good and spacious enough, but it is a bit deserted. It is a quarter of an hour's walk from the village, and there is usually no one to talk to.

Wan Changsheng had just finished lunch. In the morning he went to the mountains to look for some herbs, and then he went to the trap and found a little rabbit and a pheasant.

He planned to go to the town to sell them later. These little things were not valuable, two were only two hundred coins, but he was not a good cook and the food he made would not taste good. It would be better to turn them into silver, which could be exchanged for twenty or thirty kilograms of grain.

If the marriage goes through, there will be more people in the family and food will be consumed faster. His family only has one acre of land and the annual grain output is only two to three hundred kilograms. In the past two years, some of the wasteland has been opened up to grow some vegetables and sweet potatoes. One person can feed the whole family.

But in the near future, if there is a family of three, or maybe even a family of four next year or the year after, these fields will not be enough.

In the third year after his father's death, when he was just seventeen years old, he came to serve in the military. The remaining money in the family was used to marry his eldest brother and to treat his father's illness. Not only did he spend it all, he also owed a debt of ten taels of silver.

If it weren't for the war, military service could be completely replaced by silver. Each household had to pay eight taels of silver, or one person would have to be sent away.

There was no money in his family, and he had no place to borrow from. Logically, the eldest brother should go, as he was already married and had children, while Wan Changsheng had not even gotten married.

But the eldest sister-in-law was crying, while the eldest brother just kept his head down and said nothing. When the old mother looked at him with pleading eyes, he felt uncomfortable, but he still agreed to join the army.

He had only one request, that the property be divided before he left. As a soldier, each person could earn a few taels of silver, which could be used to pay off debts. If he died on the battlefield, the property would still belong to his eldest brother. If he came back, they would become two families.

The family was divided, with the clan leader and village chief as witnesses. He took one acre of the family's three acres of good farmland and a piece of land at the foot of the south mountain, and he didn't take anything else.

I also let my eldest brother farm the land during the years I was in the army. He didn't ask for any rent from the land and just gave it to my mother to eat.

The military service in the Great Zhou Dynasty is generally replaced every five years. If you are still alive within five years of your military service, you will be retired normally. Unless there are special circumstances, you basically do not need to serve in the army again.

Because he had studied for two years, he was assigned to the Medical Department, where he assisted the military doctor and sorted out medicinal materials. Because he did a good job, the Medical Department directly asked him to stay for two more years.

It's just that in the past two years, he has received a lot more monthly salary.

During his seven years of military service, he saved more than fifty taels of silver. With the ten taels of compensation he received after retirement, he had almost sixty or seventy taels of silver in savings.

When he returned home, his mother had been dead for two years and he had nothing to worry about.

The eldest brother was still as quiet as usual, and the eldest sister-in-law was still crying poor, but he didn't care about it. He had a clear conscience towards his eldest brother.

He spent twenty taels to hire someone to build the house, and in the end he even owed some debts after buying more things. It wasn't that he was too thoughtful, but he really hid the remaining fifty taels very well. There was no need to attract attention, and no need to make people jealous.

Two years after returning, he hunted, collected some herbs, and planted his own fields, and was able to save about fifteen taels a year. Of course, he had already paid back the few taels he owed.

If the marriage can be completed this time, the remaining twenty taels should be enough to get things done. After all, most families in the countryside spend about ten or eight taels for a wedding.

He Meiniang, before he left, he wanted his mother to propose marriage, but it was too late because the Chang family said they had gone.

Seven years later, he left. In the first month of this year, I accidentally saw the mother and son returning to her parents' home. When I asked them, I found out that this woman had been a widow since she was eighteen or nineteen years old.

He was moved.

He is twenty-six years old this year, one year older than Mei Niang. He doesn't care whether he gets married for the second time or not. His parents are not in charge, so he can make the decision on his own.

Speaking of children, the one he saw in the first month of the year was really cute. If he turned out to be his son, he would be very happy.

"Is Uncle Changsheng home?"

When Wan Changsheng heard someone shouting, he hurried out of the main room and found He Daqiang standing outside the courtyard gate.

"Da Qiangzi, why are you here?"

Da Qiangzi said shyly, "Uncle Changsheng, my mother asked me to tell you something. My aunt brought my little cousin here and asked if you are free. If you are free, please come and talk to my little cousin by the river."

Wan Changsheng was delighted when he heard this, thinking there was hope.

"Da Qiangzi, wait a moment. I'll pack up and leave right away."

Since he was going to meet someone, he took the small prey with him. He carried them in a small basket, locked the door, and the two of them walked towards He Village.

Wan Changsheng thought about it and asked, "Da Qiangzi, your aunt and cousin just came back? Is your little cousin easy to talk to?"

Da Qiangzi was a little unhappy: "My aunt and her family just came home not long ago, and my cousin is a very well-behaved person, how can he say anything good or not?"

Wan Changsheng smiled and said, "Da Qiangzi, I really don't have any other intentions. I just want to get married to your aunt and live a good life as a family of three. I ask you because I want to know what your little cousin likes and what hobbies he has."

But Da Qiangzi said nothing. His cousin is his family. If you want to live a good life with his aunt and cousin, then you should be sincere. Why ask about their preferences? Are you trying to take advantage of others?

Seeing that Daqiangzi didn't want to talk, Wan Changsheng also stopped talking.

Soon, the two arrived at He Village.

"Da Qiangzi, take this basket back with you. It's from today and it's still fresh. I'll wait by the river and I won't go to your house."

Da Qiangzi was unwilling to accept it.

Wan Changsheng said, "Da Qiangzi, this is not worth anything. I didn't buy it. You take it, or I will have to give it to you."

Da Qiangzi was an honest man. After a few words, he thought about it and took it.

"Well, thank you, Uncle Changsheng. I'll go back and bring my little cousin over."

Wan Changsheng looked at Da Qiangzi's back, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

He Meiniang, he only had feelings for her in his life. He thought they had missed each other, but unexpectedly, after many twists and turns, they could still renew their marriage.

He will treat her child as his own and love him as his own, even if he has his own children later, children of six or seven years old, or little animals. If you are sincere to him, he will also be sincere to you.

Wan Changsheng found a place with a slope to sit down. From this angle he could see the river, but it was not easy for people on the river to spot them. As long as the matter was not done, they could not let others gossip about them.

He was already thinking about how to make more money. His child was already that old, so he definitely needed to go to school.

There were fifty taels of silver hidden at home, and twenty taels of silver prepared for the wedding. These could not last a scholar for a few years. If he had children in the future, the whole family would need money for everything.

Unfortunately, when Doctor Ma wanted to take him in as an apprentice, he was unwilling, fearing that the barracks would not let him go, and he did not want to live in the north all his life.

After seven years in the military camp, he learned some martial arts and was a good archer, but he was not very skilled in martial arts and did not dare to go hunting in the mountains. He could only set traps in the shallow mountains and collect some medicinal herbs. He could live well alone, but it was not enough for a whole family.