The next day, neither of them slept well, and they got up and washed, rubbing their sleepy eyes.
The government granted Song Lin three days of wedding leave, saying that they were newlyweds and encouraged him to spend more time with his wife at home.
Just after I finished washing up, Captain Song, Aunt Zhang, and a few neighbors who came to help clean up came over.
Since it was not customary for newlyweds to use brooms as they were believed to sweep away the good luck, several women picked up some of the rubbish with their hands. They cleared the central hall for the ceremony on the second day.
Constable Song seemed to have drunk a lot of wine yesterday. He looked a little listless and his face was not as rosy as usual. It seemed that he did not sleep well.
He saw the two of them holding each other and tidying up each other's clothes, and a loving smile appeared on his face.
As his only father-in-law, the two of them were to serve him tea this morning. Captain Song took out a black whistle and placed it on the corner of the table, while he sat on the other side, a smile on his face.
"The new daughter-in-law serves tea."
Song Lin and Shen Xu knelt on the soft cushion, and the neighbor beside them brought a cup of tea.
Shen Xu respectfully held the tea in both hands and bowed his head to offer it: "Uncle, please have some tea."
"Okay, dear niece." Captain Song took the tea with a smile, took a sip, took out a cloth bag from his pocket, and slowly opened it. It was a pair of gold bracelets with very delicate workmanship. Although the style was old, it was obvious that they were of great value.
When the neighbors saw this, they were shocked. They didn't expect that Old Song's family was so wealthy and he even had a gold bracelet to pass on to his niece-in-law.
"This is a family heirloom of our Song family. Now that my son A-Lin has grown up, it's time to pass it on to the next generation. I hope you and your spouse will be united in love and respect, and live happily ever after."
Shen Xu took the bracelets with both hands and held them in his palms. He saw a word engraved in traditional Chinese characters of Yanyang Country on the inside of one bracelet, while the same place on the other bracelet had a deep scratch.
She was just trying to see what was engraved on the bracelet when Song Lin smiled and picked it up and put it on her, gently reminding her, "Why don't you thank your uncle?"
Shen Xu hurriedly thanked his uncle, but then he heard Captain Song continue, "Give A-Lin's parents a cup of tea as well."
Captain Song cast his gentle gaze on the black whistle and gestured for Shen Xu to offer tea to the relics of Song Lin's parents.
Shen Xu nodded, and respectfully held the tea in the direction of the relic: "Master, please have some tea."
Then they poured the tea on the ground very piously, and the two of them kowtowed three times to the relic, as if to pay their respects to Song Lin's parents.
"Okay." Captain Song picked up the whistle, stood up, and put it around Song Lin's neck. He sighed softly and said, "When we fled, we didn't have much money with us. After packing along the way, we only have these two things left. Ah Lin, this is your mother's legacy. Now your uncle is giving it to you for safekeeping. You must keep it well. In the future..."
He paused and said, "Anyway, keep it well and don't lose it."
Song Lin nodded and raised his hand to touch the piece of whistle. It was a bone whistle made of black jade. It was flat and the edges and corners on it had been smoothed out. It felt very smooth and there was a dark cracked pattern on it.
When he was a child, he often saw his uncle take out and touch the whistle. One time, he took it out secretly to play with it and accidentally dropped it, causing a crack.
The uncle beat him for the first time, and he beat him very fiercely. The constables came to persuade him, and finally the county magistrate came to persuade him to leave.
He had always thought his uncle had been drunk and mad that day, which was why he beat him so hard. Only now did he realize that this was the only relic left to him by his parents, and his uncle wanted to preserve this last relic.
"Thank you, uncle. I will definitely keep it safe." Song Lin carefully put away the whistle and helped Shen Xu stand up.
At this moment, a strong voice came from the gate of the courtyard, "Old Song!"
Shen Xu turned his head and saw a man in dark blue clothes who looked like a scholar standing at the door with a bit of anger on his face.
"How could you arrange a marriage for my nephew while I was in Beijing on business? You made me miss A-Lin's wedding!"
Song Lin quickly called out, "Uncle Ma, please come in and sit down."
"Alin, congratulations." Master Ma's tense face revealed a kind smile and he presented a gift.
"Master Ma, it's only been a few days since you went to the capital. Why are you back just now? I, Old Song, thought you were a stingy guy and came late on purpose to avoid paying the membership fee." Captain Song came out with a smile, accepted the gift for Song Lin, patted Master Ma on the shoulder and invited him in.
Master Ma walked away, shaking his hands. "Oh, don't even mention it. The capital is in turmoil right now. The new ruler of Panshi Imperial City has just been appointed, and he favors Imperial Master Hua. He's executed many of the princes and ministers who opposed them. The powerful and influential people with connections have all fled the capital, taking their valuables with them. They're arresting people everywhere, and the checkpoints are very strict."
Captain Song groaned and said, "With every new iteration of the imperial court, there will always be some chaos. I hope that peace can be restored soon, so that the people will not suffer."
"Yes, yes, but I think this time it seems to be a big deal. If things go wrong, the whole world might be in chaos. I heard that the emperor doesn't care about anything and listens to Master Hua. In order to eliminate the dissidents, he has already killed many loyal ministers and generals."
Master Ma lowered his voice. "I heard that the Xue family of Beiguan and the Yang family of Jiangling Prefecture are about to start a rebellion. Zhou Muhou of Dongning Prefecture has even directly enclosed his territory and proclaimed himself king. He is currently gathering an army to attack the capital."
"Jiangling Prefecture is not far from our Qingzhou Prefecture. Please don't let the war spread to us. My son A-lin just got married, and I, Old Song, want to enjoy a few years of peace with my baby." Captain Song frowned. He pulled Master Ma to sit down, poured a bowl of wine for each of them, and started to eat with the leftovers from yesterday's banquet.
"In this case, wouldn't it be even harder to find Xiuxiu's family?"
Upon hearing this, Song Lin pulled Shen Xu to sit at the table. He originally wanted to ask Master Ma whether he had found out about Shen Xu's family situation on his trip to the capital, but he heard the news that the situation in the capital had changed.
Captain Song sighed and warned, "In this world, there are frequent rebellions and wars, and many people are displaced. Whether or not you can find her depends entirely on fate. Since Xiuxiu has entered our Song family, we are her family. Ah Lin, you must treat her well and don't abandon her after having sex with her."
"But..." Song Lin frowned slightly.
Shen Xu obediently poured wine for the two elders, gently took Song Lin's hand and said, "Uncle is right. From now on, my husband and uncle are my family. As for my parents and Brother Yan, if fate allows, we will see them again."
Master Ma smiled and praised, "My niece-in-law is a very sensible person. I saw that the marriage certificate she wrote is very elegant, she knows many languages, and she has such a skill in making crossbows. She has the demeanor of a lady from a noble family. She must come from a prominent family."
"Our dynasty has always had women serving as officials. When the world is at peace, my niece-in-law might as well give it a try. By then, she'll have a wider network of contacts and might even be able to find her family."
Shen Xu nodded and smiled, "Uncle Ma, you are too kind. I don't know how to take the imperial examination. I will just follow my husband."
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