Chapter 46 A New Wife
Finally, they sat down obediently after being pulled by the villagers.
Su Chunlin asked: "Are you all from the same place?"
The man shook his head and said, "I escaped with some people from the village. We met other people on the road and we gathered together for warmth. Originally, my family only had my father and my daughter, but my father..."
The other two women followed up and said, "We are sisters-in-law. Our father-in-law and mother-in-law are dead, and only the three children in the house are left."
"Where are your men?" Han asked.
The two shook their heads and wiped their tears in silence.
Han suddenly realized something and her eyes couldn't help but turn red. Life in this world is difficult already, and it's even more difficult for an orphan and a widow.
There were only three adults left alive. Su Changxi at least knew some information, but the situation of several children was still unknown. He could only ask them one by one. When he learned that the others had become orphans, everyone felt even more depressed.
Huang whispered in Tao and Han's ears, "They are all orphans, I'm afraid they have nowhere to go. For those little ones who are still young and ignorant, you can ask the village, maybe someone is willing to adopt them."
Tao said: "There are not many left, what should we do with the remaining half-grown children?"
Huang replied without hesitation: "You can take her home as a child bride, which will save you a sum of money for the bride price and also give the child a chance to survive, but the child must be willing."
Tao nodded repeatedly, "This is a solution. This way, there will only be a few people left. If they don't want to, they can stay in our village temporarily and wait until the snow melts in the spring."
"Yes!" Huang smiled and hurried to discuss with Su Changxi.
Han seemed to be thinking about something.
Seeing that everyone was whispering, he pulled Su Chunlin to a corner and said, "Just now, Su Sheng's mother said that we can take a girl back to be a child bride. I think this is a good idea. What do you think?"
Su Chunlin was stunned for a moment, and gave Han a thumbs up. "Wife, you women are really quick-witted. I haven't even thought about it. If you really want to get a child bride, you'd better hurry up, otherwise the good ones will be picked up by others."
"You think this is buying meat, and you are so picky!" Han was speechless for a while, pulling Su Chunlin's sleeve and said, "The child must be happy when the time comes."
"Of course we have to! Looking at the entire village, our family is the only one that built a big yard this year. The white flour they eat is also provided by our family. Anyone with a normal mind would know which family to choose!" Su Chunlin is very confident in his family's strength.
While the couple was whispering, the village chief called all the children out of the house.
After confirming that several children under the age of two were orphans, Su Changxi cleared his throat and said loudly: "While everyone is here, I want to announce something. I believe everyone knows the general situation of these children taken in by our village.
Since they have come to our village, it means they have a connection with our village. They have no parents, and if we don't take care of them, they will definitely have no way to survive. I happen to know that some families in our village don't have children, or want to adopt children. If you have this idea, go back and discuss it with your family now. If you can raise a child, come back and come to me.
As for the others."
Su Changxi looked at those frail children and subconsciously slowed down his tone of voice, "Children, uncle wants to discuss something with you. If you really have nowhere to go and are willing to marry into our village, please step forward.
We are all decent people. If you are willing, you can choose the family you like. If you don’t want to, we won’t force you. You can stay in the village temporarily and wait until the spring. "
The group of teenagers breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.
In the end, several younger children were taken home by the villagers. Some of them were childless and treated as treasures, while others were unable to give birth to a son and urgently needed to raise a son as a son-in-law to support the family in the future.
During this period, Han and Su Chunlin also selected a thirteen-year-old girl named Ruan Xiaoyu.
The reason why the couple chose Ruan Xiaoyu was not because of her good looks, but because of her filial piety.
After Su Changxi finished speaking, the child stood up and knelt on the ground, saying that she would marry into whichever family could help her grandfather buy a coffin for burial.
Originally, many families in the village had their eyes on her, but when they heard that they had to pay for a coffin and help with the burial, they all kept silent.
These days a thin coffin costs several hundred coins, and a better one costs more than one or two ounces or even more, which is enough for them to get married properly.
Although Ruan Xiaoyu is good-looking, she has no relatives or friends. Since they are spending the same amount of money, they naturally want to find someone of equal status.
Han and Su Chunlin don't care about these things. What they value more is character.
The remaining girls who were not chosen by the villagers were because they were surrounded by brothers and relatives. Everyone was not rich, so it was okay to support one more person, but if the other party had a family, it would be difficult to support them.
They also knew their situation and did not make things difficult for the villagers. They only prayed that the village chief would temporarily take them in to help them through the winter.
Su Chunlin also wanted to do something good, so he immediately promised that they could live in the house until the snow melted in spring.
After the matter was resolved, Su Changxi went to the town in person to report the situation to Liu Tiechui.
Su Chunlin and his family took Ruan Xiaoyu back home.
Before going out, Han gave Ruan Xiaoyu an old jacket. The jacket belonged to Su Tai. It was too loose on Ruan Xiaoyu and didn't look like it fit her at all.
Ruan Xiaoyu followed them nervously, stepping on the snow step by step. Her helpless eyes froze when she saw the Su family's courtyard.
Seeing her standing still at the door, Su Tai reached out and pulled her, "Go to the kitchen and warm up the fire first. I'll boil some hot water for you to take a good bath later."
Ruan Xiaoyu came back to her senses and swallowed nervously.
She had guessed from the old house that Su Tai's family was well off, but she hadn't expected it to be so well off! For a moment, she didn't know what to do.
When she realized what was happening, she was already sitting by the stove, and Han was busy on the stove. "I'm going to boil some water for you to take a bath. We don't have any clothes suitable for you at home. We'll go to the market in a few days and buy you some."
"Thank you, auntie." Ruan Xiaoyu tugged at the corner of her clothes nervously, looking very embarrassed.
Han looked at her, smiled, and said, "Since you are in our house, you are a family. There is no need to be so nervous. As long as you are diligent and have a clear mind, it will be fine."
"Don't worry, auntie. I will." Ruan Xiaoyu assured immediately.
Han's smile deepened, and after a long while she said thoughtfully, "Xiaotai's father will go to town to buy a coffin for your grandfather and put his body in it. It's too cold to bury him. We have to wait until spring when the snow melts."
"I understand." When Ruan Xiaoyu mentioned her grandfather, her nose felt sore. She tried hard not to let the tears fall and kowtowed to Han before standing up.
In the main room, Su Zhan was secretly observing every move in the kitchen.
Su Tai whispered beside him, "This is the young wife your parents chose for you. Are you happy?"
She did not agree with what Su Chunlin and his wife did, but she also knew that in this world, parents had the final say in children's marriages, and personal opinions were not important. In addition, Su Zhan had not said anything just now, so she had no right to speak.
(End of this chapter)
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