Chapter 29: Is it an engagement?
Upon seeing her daughter awake, Liu rushed forward to help the weak girl up.
The girl was about thirteen or fourteen years old, with delicate and youthful features. Her face was very similar to Liu's, except that there was an unyielding sorrow between her brows, her eyebrows seemed to be shrouded in mist, and her eyes seemed to be filled with tears.
"Mother, I don't want to get married..."
Before Liu could speak, Ma Erlang interrupted, "Yanyan, your parents and brothers would never harm you, so why don't you get married?"
Ma Yan'er stared wide-eyed at her second brother:
"I've already been defiled by that filthy woman, and now I have to drag down a respectable family's son too? Second brother! Someone like me would be better off dead, at least to restore our family's honor."
Because of me, your engagement with your older brother fell through, and you had to watch helplessly as your sister Lin'er married someone else.
As she spoke, Ma Yan'er shed tears and choked out, "No one says anything openly, but behind my father's back, people talk about him behind his back, and my eldest and second brothers' marriages are also being hindered."
Yan Yan was heartbroken. "I know my parents and brother love me, but... but I don't want to be a burden on my family. Mother... I beg you, let me die!"
"My darling, you're going to kill me with those words!"
Ma Jia Dalang paused for a moment, looking at his usually obedient younger sister: "Brother, I don't know where you heard these rumors. Yan Yan, the marriage was arranged by both families. Neither our family nor your sister Wu's family made a commitment. It was justified that a better candidate came along. This has nothing to do with you."
Ma Jia Erlang explained with a hint of helplessness, "It's not that your second brother doesn't want to get married, Yan Yan. Your parents are already looking for suitable daughters for your brother, but your eldest brother hasn't settled down yet and it's not good to make a fuss about it. This has nothing to do with you. Be good, open your mouth and drink your medicine."
Ma Yan'er paused, looked at the medicine being offered to her lips, pursed her lips, and finally, unable to resist her second brother, opened her mouth and drank it.
When Ma Erge saw his sister drink the medicine, his somewhat fierce face immediately relaxed.
"Ah~ That's right. Yan Yan, listen to your second brother. We brothers went to inquire and found out that the young man who saved you that day is only one year older than you, and he's now a captain."
He's still a student; the fact that he risked his life to save you despite being injured suggests he's not a bad person.
The brothers thought that if they asked their father to promote him and give him a generous dowry, the young man would be willing to marry them.
If he's willing, then let Father think of a way to transfer him to the clerical office. That would be better for both him and you!
As he spoke, he poured the entire bowl of medicine down his throat.
After drinking her medicine, Ma Yan'er's voice was filled with anger again: "Second brother! What we're doing is no different from repaying kindness with enmity! It will also tarnish Father's and your official reputations!"
If my family insists on me marrying, I'd rather die!
Liu glared at her two sons and then hugged her daughter, saying, "My dear Yanyan, I won't marry, I won't marry!"
Ma Erge rubbed his nose, put down his bowl, and was punched hard by his elder brother before leaving the house.
"Brother, why did you hit me?"
"You deserve to be hit! Yan Yan just woke up, let's not talk about that. Once Father is feeling better, we'll take Yan Yan to thank them."
"Oh? Yan Yan is going too?"
"Let's go too. That boy is handsome. Maybe I'll take a look." Yan Yan changed her mind.
Ma Erge's eyes lit up as he raised an eyebrow at his eldest brother: "So, eldest brother agrees with my approach?"
Brother Ma slapped Brother Ma on the head in a huff.
"Even if we're forcing a marriage, we can't be too forceful. We want to get married, not become enemies!"
Let Yan Yan meet him. Afterwards, you and I should visit his family more often, and let Yan Yan show her face. If the two develop feelings for each other, nothing else will be a problem.
Brother Ma chuckled and cupped his hands in greeting: "It has to be you, Big Brother, you old fox!"
"Go away, you brat! How's your marriage proposal coming along?"
A blush suddenly crept onto Ma Erge's fierce face: "What, what can happen? Just, that's it. Mother has seen her, she's a straightforward girl..."
Brother Ma could tell from his expression that he had his eye on her, so he laughed and cursed before going back to his room.
The second child is almost settled, and his parents have been looking for a suitable match for him, but they haven't found one yet.
Thinking this, Brother Ma's expression suddenly turned gloomy. Back when his sister had her accident, he was originally going to make a vow.
But that year there were many things going on at home. After those few busy months, when I went to the Wu family, Wu Lin'er had already been betrothed by her stepmother to a family of one hundred households as a second wife.
Wu Lin'er was also a woman with a tragic fate. Her mother died early, and her father had worked hard for many years to barely become a centurion. The two families had made an agreement years ago.
Both mothers exchanged messages, waiting for Wu Lin'er to marry into the family when she turned seventeen. However, a few years later, Wu Lin'er's mother passed away due to illness, leaving behind her only daughter to live with her father.
Wu Lin'er started learning to take care of her father and manage the household when she was around eight years old.
A few years later, his father remarried, and the new woman was no pushover.
Wu Lin'er had a tough few years, and her family didn't seem to be doing well, so her mother often helped her out.
That year, his father and Uncle Wu discussed the marriage, and they originally planned to finalize the engagement at the end of the year. However, his sister had an accident that year, and the family was in complete chaos.
Wu Lin'er initially helped out frequently, but later she disappeared.
It's also their fault for not being thoughtful enough. They only thought that everyone would be busy at the end of the year, and that their sister would feel better after the New Year, so their mother would think about the engagement.
Upon arriving at the door, they learned that Wu Lin'er's stepmother had received fifty taels of silver during the New Year's holiday and had directly betrothed Wu Lin'er to a thirty-something-year-old centurion as his second wife.
By the time they found out, there was no turning back. He sneaked into the Wu family home at night and learned that during the time his sister had an accident, Lin'er had been locked inside the house.
Her stepmother was a vicious woman. She was pregnant and the family was in dire straits, so she wanted to marry her off to get a dowry. Wu Lin'er disagreed and locked her up until she was on the verge of death before releasing her.
After the marriage, the two families made a commitment, and Wu Lin'er is now someone else's wife this year.
Mr. Wu was also irresponsible. He thought that since his second wife was pregnant and the family was indeed short of money, he didn't stop her and watched his daughter jump into a fire pit.
Because of this incident, her father was furious, and both Wu Lin'er's husband and her father suffered the consequences.
That day he saw Lin'er. She was only a few years older than her sister, but her husband had aged her by more than ten years. She stared at him for a while, but didn't dare to speak to him. She turned around and left.
It was his fault. If he had known, even if it meant forcing her back from the wedding, he shouldn't have watched her jump into the fire.
It's too late to say anything now. I can only hope that she will get better in the future.
I also hope that Yan Yan will get better.
Looking at that young man today, he seems to have a good life, is knowledgeable, and has a good heart. If he can accept Yan Yan, that would be the best outcome.
Life is inherently difficult for women. We only hope that Yan Yan can find a better home in the future, so that her family can rest assured.
I recently heard that the emperor is going to cut military spending; these people live a life of constant danger.
Don't underestimate him just because his father is a commander of a thousand men, a minor official. He's still looked down upon by the scholars, and his future as a military officer will likely be even more difficult.
If Yan Yan can marry into a decent family while her father still holds an official position and both her brothers are capable, that would be ideal.
If things don't work out, there's no guarantee that something might happen to her father and the two of them at any time. Then, there won't be anyone to support Yan Yan. If she's left without anyone to protect her, her sister might really be driven to her death by this world.
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