Chapter 30 Chapter 30 When the Zhong family saw that Xiaomei Zhong had not returned...
When the Zhong family saw that Zhong Xiaomei did not return, they searched for her in the village for a while.
However, just like the last time when Brother Zhong was missing, when they saw that he had not returned the next day, the Zhong couple simply gave up. He just cried in the village, saying how miserable his life was. The son and daughter he had raised with great difficulty were both gone!
Everyone knew that the Zhong couple were just worried about the five taels of silver for the bride price. Although the villagers didn't say anything to their faces, they all talked about it behind their backs, saying that this was the retribution for the Zhong family selling their children.
These words eventually reached the ears of the Zhong couple, making Aunt Zhong very angry.
For several days in a row, she pointed her finger at the sky and cursed at the person who gossiped behind her back, wishing that the person would get sores on his head and pus oozing from his feet, and that her family would never be able to give birth to a son.
When the villagers saw it, they all avoided it, but they reached a consensus behind the scenes.
That is, never marry your daughter or son to the Zhong family. Just look at Aunt Zhong's appearance. She is not nice to her own children, let alone her married daughter-in-law.
What if the daughter-in-law can't give birth to a son? Will she still be able to survive?
The word spread from one person to another, and even reached the neighboring village.
Afterwards, Aunt Zhong went to find a matchmaker to find a wife for her son Zhong Xiaobao, but there was no good family in the village willing to do so.
Even if there are others who are willing, they will ask for a high amount of dowry like the Zhong family, and the first thing they ask for is five taels of silver.
A few days later, it was the beginning of autumn. After two light rains, the weather became cooler.
The sixth day of August was the auspicious day that Wang Xiaolian had chosen to get married.
He put on his wedding dress early and sat in the house waiting for the Sun family to come and pick them up.
Because the youngest son was about to get married, Grandma Wang's family prepared some tea, sugar residue, dried sweet potatoes and other snacks according to the village customs to entertain the neighbors who came to join in the fun.
However, the auspicious time was almost approaching, but there was still no sign of the wedding procession sent by the Sun family.
The neighbors in the village began to talk about it, and Nanny Wang was getting a little impatient, so she asked Wang Dalang to go out and take a look.
As a result, as soon as Wang Dalang went out, he saw an ox cart tied with red silk coming from afar.
An old man sat on the ox's back. He was from a neighboring village. When he saw the Wang family, he said, "Don't worry, everyone. The Sun family has asked me to come and pick them up. Please let the new husband come out and take the dowry with me."
When Wang Dalang saw it, he immediately became furious, his face turned red and he turned around and went home.
The Sun family is really going too far. Not only did they not give any betrothal gifts, they didn't even hire a wedding procession.
The Wang family paid three acres of land as compensation for marrying off a boy, and he dared to come and pick her up by renting a bullock cart. He simply didn't take the Wang family seriously!
There are examples of people using ox carts to pick up newlyweds in the village, but most of them are from very poor families.
Whenever there was some status in the family, they would invite a wedding procession, and carry the bride in a sedan chair with music and dance.
What's more, Sun Jia was a scholar after all, and Wang Xiaolian's dowry was considered considerable in the nearby villages.
When the Wang family saw that the Sun family had sent an ox cart to pick them up, their faces turned dark. Especially Nanny Wang, whose face was as black as the bottom of a pot.
Wang Erlang went straight back to the house, too lazy to bother with Wang Xiaolian's marriage.
However, the villagers who came to join in the fun laughed at the joke. Wang Xiaolian had been flirting with the scholar for a month, but not only did she not give him a betrothal gift, it was obvious that she did not take him seriously.
On the wedding day, the Sun family dared to humiliate Wang Xiaolian and gave him a warning.
Wang Xiaolian didn't expect that the Sun family only sent an ox cart to pick people up, and her excitement instantly disappeared.
But now the word has been spread, and everyone knows that she is going to marry the scholar.
If a fuss is made now, even if the Sun family invites a wedding procession, they will inevitably miss the auspicious time. According to the villagers, the marriage will not be completed.
If Sun's mother-in-law and Mr. Sun knew about this, they would probably be unhappy.
"The auspicious time is almost here, Wang's boys, are you going to get married or not?" The old man driving the ox cart saw him coming to pick people up. The Wang family didn't even give him a sip of sugar water, which made him very unhappy.
Nanny Wang became even angrier after hearing this and was about to argue with him, but Wang Xiaolian came out on her own.
"I will marry you!" Wang Xiaolian said loudly.
Nanny Wang shook her head in dismay and said to Wang Xiaolian, "You are so stupid. The Sun family is so unruly that they dared to intimidate you when they came to pick you up. You will be tortured to death after you marry me."
"After all, he is a scholar, which is better than marrying a random idler in the village," said Wang Xiaolian.
He is already eighteen years old and is the oldest unmarried boy in the village. Apart from Mr. Sun, all the men in the village who were willing to marry him were from extremely poor families.
If I can’t marry Mr. Sun this time, I don’t know how I will be laughed at!
Wang Xiaolian had been spoiled in the Wang family and didn't want to marry a family that couldn't even afford rice and be laughed at by the villagers.
Seeing their younger brother so eager to marry Mr. Sun, Wang Dalang and Wang Erlang felt ashamed.
According to custom, the elder brothers should take turns carrying the newlyweds, but the two of them just gave up.
Wang Xiaolian gritted her teeth and carried the dowry quilt, clothes and several other items onto the ox cart, then covered herself with a veil and sat on it.
Nanny Wang had no choice but to wipe away her tears and say goodbye to Wang Xiaolian, watching the ox cart from the neighboring village take him away.
Wang Xiaolian's ox cart was going to Sun Xiucai's house, and it had to pass by Shen Xuan's house.
Shen Xuan happened to be staying at home today. He saw the oxcart passing by from afar. Wang Xiaolian was looking around with her veil lifted. She was sitting alone on the oxcart.
Seeing Shen Xuan, Wang Xiaolian immediately raised her chin and said proudly: "Shen Xuan, your husband has run away, but I am going to be a scholar's husband!"
Shen Xuan glanced at him, too lazy to pay attention, and turned into the room.
"You! Don't go!" Wang Xiaolian saw that Shen Xuan didn't accept the challenge at all. She was so angry that she had no place to vent. She could only watch Shen Xuan's yard getting farther and farther away.
I thought with some pride in my heart: No matter what, I won against Shen Xuan this time. Now that her cheap husband has run away, she is an unwanted widower, while she herself has become the husband of a scholar.
After a while, the ox cart arrived at the door of Sun's house.
Wang Xiaolian was wearing a veil and could not see outside, but she could hear that the door of Sun's house was deserted and there was no sound of guests talking, which made her feel a little strange.
The ox cart stopped, the drivers shouted, and the mother and son of the Sun family came out to greet them.
Sun's mother held a red-hot brazier in her hands and placed it at the gate of the yard.
Then he went to move Wang Xiaolian's dowry, and after taking a look at him, he said, "The new husband is here, come over and step over the fire basin first. Don't bring your bad luck to my son."
Mr. Sun had a handsome face, but he was not wearing wedding clothes. Instead, he was standing in the yard in ordinary plain clothes. He didn't come over to help, and just watched his mother busying around there.
Wang Xiaolian couldn't see the road clearly because of her veil. She walked forward slowly a few steps before she reached the brazier.
Looking under the veil, I saw a pair of feet wearing men's shoes opposite the brazier. They were obviously Mr. Sun's. Then she stretched out her hand shyly and said, "My feet are hot in this brazier, please help me, sir."
But when Sun's mother heard this, she was very angry and hit his hand and said, "You are so shy to step over the fire basin. You are unlucky to step over the fire basin. My son is a scholar. He is the Wenquxing from heaven. He is blessed. You should step over it quickly and then go in. Don't let him get your bad luck."
Wang Xiaolian was hit by her mother-in-law before she even entered the door. Her hand felt burning and painful, and she felt very aggrieved.
He was a hot-tempered man, but now that things had come to this, he suppressed his anger and stepped over the fire basin to enter the house.
After he entered, Sun's mother came over and pulled him into the house.
After putting him on the bed, he said, "Give me the land deed first. We are a small family, so there are no such things as marriage. Later, you can come with me to find a room and pack up the dowry you brought."
Wang Xiaolian hesitated for a while, but still took out the deed of three acres of land from her bosom and gave it to Sun's mother.
Mother Sun immediately put away the land deed, and then continued, "Although my son passed the imperial examination and the family no longer has to pay taxes, he still has to continue studying and take the imperial examination in the future."
"Now we only have five mu of land at home, plus the three mu you brought, that's eight mu. After deducting the food rations, we can only have five or six taels of land left from the annual harvest. It's not enough to use it all for my son's education, so I have to do some odd jobs outside."
"You are a strong man, so you will be responsible for farming and housework. I will also work for the village gentry. The autumn harvest is approaching and the village is busy everywhere. I can earn at least three cents a day."
The more Wang Xiaolian listened, the more she felt something was not right. She lifted the veil and took a look. The Sun family's courtyard looked nice from the outside, but the house was bare and there was not even a decent piece of furniture.
He never expected that the Sun family would be like this.
Looking inside the yard again, the promised wedding banquet was not set up, and it was deserted with no one around.
Wang Xiaolian was stunned. She really couldn't understand how a scholar's family could be so poor that they had to ask her mother-in-law to go out and do odd jobs!
In fact, with a scholar's talent, it would be easy for him to find a job in the city that requires literacy and writing. He could earn at least two or three taels of silver every month, which was much better than ordinary people.
But Mr. Sun is a weirdo. Because his mother dotes on him, he has never done any work in his life.
His mother had been the only one working to support him while he was studying. Now that he had passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, he just sat back and did nothing, and had never thought about finding a job outside.
Wang Xiaolian couldn't help but look at Sun Xiucai beside him, but saw that Sun Xiucai frowned at his face, took a step back, and a look of disgust appeared on his face.
After a while, Mr. Sun and his mother left the room. Wang Xiaolian heard the sound of two people arguing outside.
Sun Xiucai said, "This Wang Ge'er looks too ordinary, and he's still a boy. I don't know why you insisted on letting me marry him."
Mother Sun replied, "At least his family gave him three mu of land, which will make it easier for you to study. Besides, my brother is strong and can help with more work at home. If you don't like him, then just don't touch him. When you pass the imperial examination, you can marry a gentle and beautiful concubine and have children."
Wang Xiaolian was struck by lightning when she heard this. She never expected that the mother and son of the Sun family had such a plan.
However, he had already entered the Sun family and became a husband of the Sun family. The three acres of land in the family also became the property of the Sun family. At this time, he could no longer move forward or backward.
In order to marry Sun Xiucai, she had offended her brothers at home, and Wang Xiaolian did not dare to go back to them for support.
When Wang Xiaolian thought about the hardships she would have to endure in the future, she finally couldn't bear it anymore and fell on the Sun family's wedding bed and burst into tears.
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