After a farce, the originally joyful family reunion dinner ended in discord.
The next morning, He Nuan and her family left without even having breakfast, after only a quick greeting.
"Sigh, this child..." Cheng Hua watched her daughter's family's mule cart disappear into the distance, and couldn't help but sigh. Then, she took Cheng Ruyi's hand and explained, "Ruyi, Xiao Nuan has been spoiled by us since she was little, but she has a very good heart. Don't worry about her."
"Don't worry, Auntie, it's nothing serious. I'll forget about it in a few days. But... why did my cousin choose such a... uh..."
Cheng Ruyi didn't finish her sentence, but Cheng Hua knew what she wanted to ask, so the two of them talked about He Nuan's past as they walked back to Qiushi Courtyard.
According to Cheng Hua, He Nuan, who had lived with them in a small village near the military camp since childhood, was actually an innocent and cheerful girl whose name reflected her personality.
It wasn't until more than a decade ago, after He Gang was injured and his family moved to Fucheng, that He Nuan slowly began to change.
He Nuan, pretty and adorable since childhood, was always loved by adults and children alike in her small village. Wherever she went, she was always surrounded by a large group of children. However, after arriving in the bustling city, she found herself out of place among the girls her age. The girls here didn't run around or talk loudly in the streets; they walked with small, quick steps and spoke in soft voices. They were all delicate and gentle, preferring to stay at home with their girlfriends, embroidering and chatting. Moreover, everyone had fair skin and hands without any calluses...
He Nuan was considered to have fair and smooth skin in the small village, but compared to the girls in the city, she was skinny and dark. In addition, she dressed casually, spoke in a rough voice, and acted in a carefree manner. After spending a few hours with her, the girls in the neighborhood all kept their distance.
This huge sense of disparity is a devastating blow to eleven- or twelve-year-olds who are in a sensitive period!
The competitive He Nuan underwent a complete 180-degree transformation. She stopped practicing martial arts with her father and brother, changed her lifestyle, and worked hard to learn embroidery, calligraphy, painting, and playing the zither, forcing herself to gradually become a qualified young lady from a prominent family in the prefecture.
The He family saw everything, especially He Gang. He knew that if he hadn't moved to the prefectural city for his son's future, his daughter wouldn't have been so hurt. Feeling guilty, he could only spoil He Nuan even more and try his best to fulfill whatever she asked for.
In fact, He Nuan herself was already quite good-looking, with a slender figure and delicate and beautiful features. With her deliberate changes, in just a few months, she became completely different from her former self. No matter how others looked at her, she was a graceful, beautiful and dignified young lady from the city.
Finally, she became the focus of all the children in the neighborhood once again, and as she grew older, she blossomed into a well-known beauty. The number of people lining up to propose to her was almost enough to break down the threshold of the He family's house!
Logically speaking, the He family's conditions were actually quite good. Although they weren't extremely wealthy, He Zheng's job in the government office was very respectable and promising. With such a family background and beauty, He Nuan shouldn't have had any trouble getting married.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Both the rest of the He family and He Nuan herself had strong opinions about their marriage partners.
He Gang and Cheng Hua hoped their daughter would marry into a wealthy family, fearing she would suffer if she married into a poor one. Therefore, they chose men from families of higher social standing than the He family.
However, families of higher social standing than the He family were almost all complex in their relationships and had large numbers of members. He Nuan herself was unwilling to be controlled in every way after marriage, and even less willing to have a husband with many wives and concubines in the future.
So, after searching around like this, she still couldn't find a very suitable partner. Occasionally, she would meet a few people whose conditions were barely acceptable, but after they met, He Nuan would reject them, saying things like they didn't catch her eye or weren't her destined one, which were completely unfounded.
During that period, He Gang and his wife were always frowning and looked several years older!
The matter dragged on and on, and while other girls of similar age in the neighborhood were getting married one after another, He Nuan remained unmarried.
As this situation continued, some unpleasant rumors began to circulate, and the number of potential partners dwindled. Helpless, He Nuan finally gave in and chose her current husband, Gao Qingshan.
Gao Qingshan was He Zheng's colleague. His family had lived in the prefectural city for generations. He was not only the only son in the family, but also an orphan. He was left to rely on his grandfather.
Logically speaking, the He family wouldn't have considered him, but Gao Qingshan fell in love with He Nuan at first sight. No matter how tactfully the He family rejected him, he remained devoted and attentive to He Nuan.
Finally, he even agreed to let He Nuan manage the household and hand over all the money to her to manage. He also promised to listen to her in everything from now on, and most importantly, he would never take a concubine.
He wrote down all the conditions, pressed his fingerprint and signed them, and then sent them to the He family as a marriage certificate.
He Gang and Cheng Hua were both moved by his sincerity, and He Nuan really had no better choice, so the two eventually got married.
After listening, Cheng Ruyi couldn't help but sigh. Her cousin was indeed a very opinionated woman who planned her future life. Such a personality was indeed rare in this day and age.
So even though Gao Qingshan has a lot of flaws, even though he is annoying and shameful, He Nuan can still tolerate him, because none of these things will cross her bottom line. As long as he doesn't do anything to betray her and as long as he respects her and listens to her, then nothing else matters.
Based on Gao Qingshan's performance last night, it proves that he has fulfilled his promise over the past ten years. Therefore, he is not entirely without merit; at least he truly loves He Nuan.
Perhaps He Nuan had expectations for love when she was young, but when faced with such a huge gamble that would cost her the rest of her life, she ultimately chose to sacrifice love in exchange for a marriage that would allow her to live comfortably.
Cheng Ruyi suddenly realized that He Nuan and she actually had some things in common. If they had known each other when they were young, they might have become very good friends...
Although He Nuan's family left early, the rest of the He family stayed in Lishan for several days.
On the eighth day, Cheng Ruyi took them to visit the county town, to see the Cheng family's old house, which had been transformed into a bustling snack shop, and then to Zhiwei Restaurant for a meal of the famous Boxia Gong. Finally, they went to Lingyun Pavilion for a hot spring bath to end the day's itinerary.
On the ninth day of the lunar new year, I originally planned to take them to Dabeisi Temple, but the heavy snow had blocked the road up the mountain, and it looked like it would be closed for quite some time.
Although they couldn't visit the legendary top of the three great temples of Dai Viet, everyone still had a great time in Lishan. Cheng Ruyi had the children's playground in the front yard of Qiushi Temple cleared out, and then a simple tent was made out of a huge tarpaulin and set up in the open space in the front yard. After blocking out most of the snowflakes and lighting several braziers, both adults and children could play to their hearts' content.
The most eye-catching and largest attraction in the children's playground is a complex amusement facility consisting of a slide connected to a climbing frame.
The small tower on the left has two levels. After going up the small stairs to the first level, there is a straight, ordinary slide, which is only about one meter high and suitable for young children.
After continuing up the stairs to the top floor, there are two paths to choose from. One of them is a spiral slide, which can only rotate once due to technical limitations, but it is still exciting and thrilling enough for children.
The other route is a small suspension bridge made of wooden planks and sturdy hemp ropes. The suspension bridge is 1.5 meters above the ground, which is actually a bit dangerous. So a hammock is woven under the suspension bridge so that if a child accidentally falls from the suspension bridge, the hammock will catch him and he will not be injured.
After crossing the suspension bridge, you will come to a smooth and sturdy three-tiered, nine-square grid climbing frame made of wooden sticks. Children can climb down the frame to land, which can exercise their arm strength and is also fun.
Besides this largest amusement facility, there were two swings, one large and one small, a seesaw, and two small rocking horses. Although these facilities are nothing special in modern times, they were enough to keep children entertained for a whole day in ancient times.
On the morning of the tenth day, the He family members reluctantly boarded the mule cart to leave, and the children cried so hard that they didn't want to go.
Cheng Ruyi was both amused and exasperated. Luckily, she was prepared and quickly stuffed a large bag of various snacks into their mouths. Only after both families promised to bring them to play often in the future did they reluctantly get into the car.
In fact, it wasn't just the children who were reluctant to leave; the four adults also expressed their immense fondness for Qiushi Inn and their deep reluctance to part with it. The inn was not only spacious and comfortable but also exquisitely and beautifully decorated. After only a few days, they had already grown accustomed to the warm underground fireplace, the clean and convenient bathrooms and toilets, the abundant and delicious meals every day, and the rooms that remained clean and tidy without them having to clean them themselves. Thinking back to their old house in the capital city… indeed, it's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but difficult to go from luxury to frugality!
"Sigh... No wonder these courtyards are so expensive and so many people come here. I believe that once you've stayed there, no one will be able to refuse."
He Zheng broke the dull atmosphere by speaking first. He asked himself if he had any requirements for living conditions. After all, the conditions in the village when he was a child were much worse than in the prefectural city. Moreover, when he worked in the prefectural city, he occasionally stayed in the guest rooms of wealthy families and did not find anything special about them.
Only after this experience did he realize that he simply hadn't seen truly good houses before...
Seeing her husband say something like this, Tian Fenfang immediately chimed in with beaming eyes, "That's right! Those courtyards cost ten taels of silver a day for lodging, and they only accept guests staying for more than three days. Although they include three meals a day and daily cleaning, and you can ring the bell to call the maid in the next room for help if you need anything or get hungry, it's still thirty taels! Thirty taels is three or four months' salary for you!"
He Zheng, who works in the government office, earns a basic monthly salary of five taels of silver, but his line of work often receives many other "subsidies," averaging about eight to ten taels per month.
Although prices in the prefectural city were a bit higher than in the county town, they weren't double. So the He family lived a relatively comfortable life, able to afford to support their two sons' martial arts training and education, and to enjoy lavish meals every day. They just had almost no savings.
Cheng Hua frowned upon hearing her daughter-in-law's words. "You still have something to say! If you hadn't been pestering Ruyi these past few days, asking her to open a shop with you, I wouldn't have felt embarrassed to stay any longer. Ruyi is capable, that's her skill. Don't be so unreasonable and nagging, it's outrageous!"
"Mom, why do you say that? I just want to share Zheng's burden. In a few years, we'll be preparing for the children's weddings. How can I not be anxious!" Tian Fenfang knew that the He family members were all thin-skinned, so she was willing to take the lead and be the one to make a fool of herself. "Besides, these things are easy for my cousin. My brother-in-law is right about one thing: my cousin clearly has ways to make money but didn't include us. That's really not very kind of her."
"Enough!"
Although He Gang's voice was not loud, his tone was very serious. Everyone in the carriage was immediately frightened and lowered their heads, sitting obediently without daring to move.
He ignored Tian Fenfang and instead sternly reprimanded his son: "Keep your wife in check. It's one thing for her to be shrewd and greedy in the past, but what kind of woman is she to scheme against her own family? Our He family will not tolerate any morally corrupt person!"
These words were quite harsh, and they successfully extinguished Tian Fenfang's burning desire to make money. Now, preserving her life was more important.
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