Chapter 10: Get Married Within Three Days

In this dynasty, girls began to get married when they reached the age of fifteen.

There are very few girls like Chunzhi who have not yet married at the age of 19.

Previously, everyone in Linshui Town knew that she was the child bride of the Lu family. Lu Jingyun had been studying away from home in recent years, so the two had not gotten married, and the government turned a blind eye to them.

Now that Lu Jingyun has married the prime minister's daughter, Chunzhi has also been driven out of the Lu family.

The yamen runners came to the house to discuss the law.

The leading yamen runner had a rough appearance and a loud voice. His shouts made Chunzhi's eardrums hurt.

She was a little frightened, her face pale, and she tried to explain: "Brother Yacha, I'm not unmarried at the age of eighteen. My original fiancé broke off the engagement and married someone else, so..."

"Stop talking nonsense!" the leading yamen runner interrupted gruffly, "A woman over eighteen years old who is unmarried is violating the laws of this dynasty. Come with us to the yamen!"

Chunzhi took two steps back, refusing to surrender. "Even if the law stipulates that unmarried women over 18 must be forced into marriage by the government, there should be a deadline. They can't be arrested the same day they're notified!"

The yamen runners didn't expect that Chunzhi, a tofu seller, actually understood the law.

The four yamen runners looked at each other and felt that this matter was a bit tricky.

Originally, this law had not been implemented as strictly as before in recent years. If the young lady of the Xiangfu had not sent someone to inform the prefect, and the prefect had not ordered their county magistrate to make Chunzhi pay, none of them would have come here specially to embarrass a tofu seller.

Chunzhi saw that their attitude was not as tough as it was at the beginning.

She immediately spoke again: "Marriage affects a woman's life. Please give me a few days, sir. I will do it as soon as possible..."

"Three days!" The leading officer interrupted her, not waiting for her to finish her words. "If you are still not married after three days, you will have to pay a fine, be forced to marry by the government, or go to jail."

Chunzhi asked anxiously, "How can we make it in just three days?"

"Whether you make it in time or not is your business."

"Anyway, our message has been delivered, you can do whatever you want!"

The bailiffs left their words and turned away.

Chunzhi stood by the door, brows furrowed in worry for a moment.

Aunt Li, who lived next door, watched the whole thing and came over to Chunzhi and said, "It's been years since a girl over 18 years old in Linshui Town has been unmarried. The last time...

I remember the last time it was the youngest daughter of the Yang family in the north of the city. She was delayed for three years in mourning for her mother, from the age of fifteen to eighteen. After finally being out of mourning, she was about to marry her fiancé, but guess what happened?

Before Chunzhi could reply, Aunt Li took over, "Miss Yang's fiancé had fallen in love with someone else. He said he could marry her, but he wanted to marry two women at once. Miss Yang refused, so the marriage was called off. The delay lasted until she was over eighteen. The government fined the Yang family a large sum of money, and finally forced her to marry a gambler. A few months after the marriage, Miss Yang hanged herself... A good person was gone just like that. What a sin."

Chunzhi didn't say anything for a long time.

Aunt Li said, "The government is forcing you into a marriage. How could they possibly marry you off to a good man? Chunzhi, listen to what I'm saying. Either go back and beg the Lu family to let the number one scholar take you in. Or, hurry up and find a matchmaker and find a reliable man to marry you off to!"

There is no other way right now.

Chunzhi came to her senses after hearing this and said, "I understand, Aunt Li. Thank you very much."

"Why thank me? We're all neighbors." Aunt Li waved her hand and suddenly changed the subject. "Oh, by the way, I have a nephew from my mother's side. He's 23 years old this year. He's tall and handsome. He's a fisherman. Look..."

"No thanks, Aunt Li."

Chunzhi said as she walked inside.

Aunt Li originally wanted to catch up and continue talking, but when she saw Chunzhi running fast and immediately going into the house and closing the door, she had to give up. She said, "It's already this late, and you're still picking," and turned around and went back home unhappily.

Chunzhi went back to the house and sat down to calm down for a while, then immediately took out ten taels of silver and prepared to go out to find a matchmaker.

The government can impose fines that can bankrupt people.

Forced marriages will not result in a good person.

She can't go to jail either, because if a woman goes to jail, her life will be ruined.

Today, the two most famous matchmakers in Linshui Town were competing to arrange a marriage for her. She thought that the person she found would be better than the ones randomly arranged by the government.

Chunzhi took the silver and went out. As soon as she walked out of the house, she ran into Huo Qi who was pushing a wheelchair out of the house.

Huo Zheng asked, "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"I have to go out for something urgent, so I might not be back for dinner tonight. The rice and flour are by the stove. If you're hungry, make yourself something to eat. If it's inconvenient to change the dressing, you can wait until I come back. I'm leaving..."

Chunzhi said this and walked out quickly, closing the gate behind her when she left.

Huo Zheng watched her hurriedly leaving and thought to himself that this girl was quite unlucky.

I encounter some bad things every day.

…

Chunzhi found Matchmaker Li and Matchmaker Zhao in a teahouse on East Street. The two were busy trying to bring two young men and women together. Both of them were eloquent and spoke in a very exaggerated way. As soon as they saw her coming, they immediately walked up to her.

Matchmaker Li smiled like a flower, "Chunzhi, are you looking for me?"

Matchmaker Zhao took two steps at a time and asked, "Chunzhi, have you figured it out?"

Chunzhi hummed, "I want to find a reliable person and get married within three days."

The two matchmakers said in unison, "Get married within three days? Such a rush!"

Chunzhi held the silver in her pocket and asked, "Can you find it?"

"able!"

"Of course!"

Matchmaker Li and Matchmaker Zhao were afraid that Chunzhi would run away, so they pulled her from both sides and asked her to sit down at the tea table.

"Sir, please have some tea."

The waiter immediately came forward with the freshly brewed tea, stepped aside, and listened to what they were saying with his ears perked up.

Chunzhi is a famous tofu beauty in Linshui Town. Her affair with the top scholar is known to the whole city. Now Chunzhi comes to find a matchmaker, she must be going to marry someone else.

Matchmaker Li said, "I told you this morning about Mr. Zhou from the south city. Do you remember him? He's willing to pay you five hundred taels to be his second wife! That's a full five hundred taels of betrothal gold. Chunzhi, please consider him!"

"That Mr. Zhou is already over forty years old, and he has two daughters and a son. If you marry him, you'll be a stepmother, and your life won't be easy. In my opinion, Mr. Chu is better." Matchmaker Zhao said, "Mr. Chu is unmarried, has a wealthy family, and is educated..."

Matchmaker Li said sarcastically, "How did the last educated man treat Chunzhi? Do you still dare to find an educated man for her?"

Matchmaker Zhao said, "Whether it's good or not, we'll know only when we see it in person. Chunzhi, since you're here, please sit here for a while. I'll call Master Chu over and have him look at you."

Without waiting for Chunzhi to say anything, Matchmaker Li said, "Then I'll go get Mr. Zhou right away!"

The two matchmakers were afraid that Chunzhi would change her mind, so they flew away.

Chunzhi drank her tea slowly and said, "Let's just look at each other."

After all, she only has three days.