Life away from home is nothing like life at home, but the men of Shanshui Village are already quite content.

The thought of the generous pay and plenty of food made the tiring work of pulling the cart bearable.

They weren't afraid of being tired; they were only afraid of working hard but not earning enough money to support their family.

After dinner, the people on night watch were assigned, and the rest of the people found a place to sleep.

The night watchmen were divided into two groups, one responsible for the first half of the night and the other for the second half. This trip would require them to rest outside for at least two to three nights, and each of the men was assigned a night watch duty.

After a long day, everyone took the opportunity to rest. Hu Wenhua was among the first to keep watch. He carried a sharp broadsword and occasionally threw some dried mugwort into the fire to burn.

Artemisia can repel mosquitoes. In this desolate wilderness, there are so many mosquitoes that they could eat people. So, as soon as they arrived, they started by cutting artemisia everywhere. After cooking, they dug three large pits and put firewood in them to burn artemisia.

Firstly, it can repel mosquitoes, snakes, and rats; secondly, it can deter carnivores.

After adding mugwort to all three bonfires, Hu Wenhua went to the convoy loaded with goods and sat down with everyone.

Li Wu had spent the whole day with Hu Wenhua and thought the young man was really good. Plus, there was his sister's connection to him. Thinking of his cousin Tiantian, Li Wu's heart was truly moved.

He asked Hu Wenhua, "Hey, Wenhua, have you said you're engaged yet?"

Keeping watch is inherently a tedious and boring task, especially since everyone is exhausted after a long day, and it's very easy to fall asleep if you don't find something to talk about.

Upon hearing Li Wu's words, the others became alert and stared intently at Hu Wenhua in the darkness.

The firelight illuminated Hu Wenhua's dark, rugged face, making it impossible to see any redness. After a while, he shook his head, "Not yet."

His mother had told him that the family originally had more than 20 taels of silver in savings, and they earned more than 40 taels from brewing wine. This was the family's total assets. The house they originally lived in was too small, so his parents planned to buy the house next door to expand it or buy another piece of land to build a new house for him to live in after he got married.

This cost about thirty taels of silver, and the remaining silver could be used for betrothal gifts and banquet expenses, allowing for a grand and lavish affair.

Given his family's circumstances, the money was more than enough for the girl he was looking for. However... he had overheard his sister mention that Uncle Ding and Aunt Ding made a lot of money selling medicinal herbs. He didn't know the specifics, but just from the profits they made from helping his sister process yams, they received nearly five taels of silver in dividends last time.

She grew up in a wealthy family, so the family she marries into can't be too poor.

When Xu Laosan heard that Hu Wenhua was still unmarried, he patted him on the shoulder and said excitedly, "What a coincidence! My eldest niece is also unmarried. She is sixteen this year. I remember you are also sixteen, right?"

Isn't that a coincidence?

Li Wu, annoyed that he had been beaten to it, grumbled, "Hey, don't you know what first come, first served? I said it first, so of course I asked first."

Wenhua, have you met my little cousin Li Tiantian? Her mother is Aunt Li. If you marry her, I guarantee your future in-laws will be wonderful!

Xu Laosan followed up, saying, "It's as if our Xu family is bad. If he were to marry my niece, wouldn't our Xu family be a good in-law family?"

“Your sister-in-law isn’t as capable as Tian Tian’s mother, nor is she as generous and open-minded. She also doesn’t have the same authority at home. When it comes to marriage, the mother-in-law is very important,” Li Wu replied without thinking.

Xu Laosan opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but found that what Li Wu said seemed to make a lot of sense.

The others burst into laughter and chimed in, "The mother-in-law is so important! If she's reasonable and doesn't cause trouble, then we sons-in-law will have a much easier time."

"When it comes to marriage, the mother-in-law's opinion is much more effective than the father-in-law's. Daughters usually listen to their mothers. You young men who haven't been married yet should keep this in mind: it's better to offend the father-in-law than the mother-in-law."

"We can't offend either of them! But if we have to choose one, let's offend the father-in-law, otherwise we might not get any food when we go there."

"Hahaha."