Chapter 105 Guo Banshan and Yang Xianu
Uncle Shi and his father knew their son quite well. When they heard that Guo Banshan wanted to marry a woman with a child, they had already asked him what he thought.
Although Yang Xianu lost her husband early in life and had a three- or four-year-old girl by her side, the current dynasty did not have any negative views on widows.
Moreover, although Guo Banshan now has a proper job, his hands are truly unable to exert any strength.
If we really want to argue about it, it's hard to say who's complaining about whom.
Moreover, now that the two of them have fallen for each other, it's not up to the old couple to say anything.
Moreover, Uncle Shi had met this girl a few times when he visited Grandma Guo's house before. In addition, because of Guo Baiwen's wedding, Guo Banshan's mother came to help out, and she had a very good impression of Yang Xianu.
So, it's considered an implicit acceptance of the relationship between the two of them.
And so the marriage was arranged, with Grandma Guo serving as the witness.
When Guo Baiwen finally understood the whole story, he was dumbfounded.
When he arrived at Guo's shop, he stared at Guo Banshan and Yang Xianu's clasped hands for a long time. Then he turned to look at Yang Qiaomai and Grandma Guo, who were constantly busy. After a long while, he finally managed to utter a sentence, "Could it be that I'm the only one who doesn't know again?"
Upon hearing this, Guo Banshan, who was still basking in his joy, scratched the back of his head somewhat embarrassedly and explained, "It's just that I've been seeing how busy you've been lately, Baiwen!"
"If such a trivial matter disturbs your studies, not only will my parents scold me, but I myself will feel terrible!"
"Brother Banshan! You're being too polite!" Guo Baiwen pretended to be angry. "Wen Shu is Wen Shu, but for such a joyous occasion, you should at least have given me a heads-up beforehand!"
Guo Banshan was also somewhat surprised, "I thought Grandma Guo had already told you..."
After all, he worked at the academy and didn't often come to Guo's shop.
Grandma Guo also looked bewildered, "I thought Banshan had told you about it in private..."
They were both in the same academy, one studying and the other working, but they would inevitably run into each other. Moreover, they were of similar age, so they thought they should get closer.
Guo Xiaohua shook her head vigorously, "I only found out about Sister Yang's matter today—" Chen Baoyue, who was standing next to her, nodded silently in agreement.
Everyone was shocked by this news.
Seeing this, Guo Baiwen breathed a slight sigh of relief, as long as it wasn't something he was deliberately keeping from him alone.
Now that things have been clearly stated, it's time to establish a plan for how to proceed.
Guo Banshan meant that he wanted to hold a grand wedding, just like when Guo Baiwen and Chen Baoyue got married.
Yang Xianu felt that it was enough for her family to have a lively gathering. After all, she had helped out when Guo Baiwen got married, and while the wedding was very grand, it also cost a lot of money.
It would be better to save that much money and use it to live a good life.
After all, neither the Guo family nor the Yang family lived a particularly comfortable life.
Both of them made sense. Guo Banshan originally wanted to argue, but after talking with Yang Xianu for a while, he finally decided to do as she said.
Since they weren't planning a grand wedding, the process became much simpler.
Uncle Shitou plans to hold a celebration in Guojia Village right after the Lunar New Year, before the first month of the lunar calendar is over.
The date was chosen carefully, as it's an even number rather than an odd number, making it an auspicious day for marriage.
In this way, the neighbors in the village won't have to make a special trip to the county town. They can all join in the fun and get the marriage officially off the hook.
After the wedding in Guojia Village is over, on the third day after the bride returns to her parents' home, we'll set up three or four tables in the backyard of Guo's house and invite a few acquaintances from the county town to join us for a lively celebration.
As for the rest, such as wedding dress, dowry, and bride price, there's no need to follow the practices of the county town. Just follow the customs of Guojia Village and keep it simple.
After the specific regulations were almost finalized, there were still some details left to discuss.
Grandma Guo, who was practically Yang Xianu's elder, sat down with her to discuss the matter with Uncle Shi and the others. Guo Baiwen was slowly accepting the new information, and seeing everyone busy at work, he couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion.
Just as I was about to pick up the teacup in front of me and take a sip, I looked up and saw Yang Qiaomai sitting there blankly, as if she hadn't spoken for a long time.
Guo Baiwen felt a pang of emotion, put down his teacup, and sat down beside him. "Sad?"
Yang Qiaomai shook his head, "Not really," after all, he was still young when his sister got married before, and he had already seen her once.
My sister-in-law was a good person back then, but unfortunately she didn't live long.
“My older sister had told me about her relationship with Brother Banshan before,” he said. At that time, he couldn’t quite accept it, and whenever he saw Guo Banshan come to the house, they would bicker over a few words.
It wasn't until quite some time later that people noticed how much Guo Banshan loved both his older sister and Tian Qiao.
He gradually came to accept it.
"As long as my sister is happy, that's all that matters."
If Yang Qiaomai hadn't had tears in her eyes when she said this, it would have been even more convincing.
Unable to resist, Guo Baiwen patted him on the shoulder from behind, half to comfort and half to reassure him.
The cart that Uncle Shi brought over this morning contained the betrothal gifts they had helped prepare. Previously, Guo Banshan would give half of his wages as a vegetarian cook to his family every month for household expenses.
"After you and Madam Yang started your own family, this money should naturally be kept for your own use." Uncle Shi said, while taking out a silver bracelet from his pocket.
This was given to him by his wife when he left home this morning.
"To be honest, this thing was passed down from Banshan's grandmother." When Guo Banshan's hand was injured and the family was short of money, he had considered pawning the bracelet.
Fortunately, no matter how difficult it was back then, we've finally made it through.
The aunt took Yang Xiaonu's hand and helped her put the bracelet on. "If you have time in the future, you can come and visit us in Guojia Village."
Yang Xiaonu nodded, "Of course I will go."
After finishing her business at Guo's place that day, Yang Xianu was walking home with Xu Tianqiao in the evening. She turned her head and glanced at Yang Qiaomai, who was following behind like a silent little tail.
She sighed subconsciously, then went over and pulled the person's arm up, saying in a half-teasing tone, "What's wrong? Anyone who didn't know better would think you don't like your future brother-in-law."
Yang Qiaomai walked forward silently, following Yang Xia's lead, until they reached the gate of his own courtyard. Only then did he finally speak, "If he treats you and Tianqiao badly, I'm still here!"
"Don't keep it to yourself, you have to tell me!" Yang Qiaomai unconsciously increased the force with which she pushed the door open. "I'll definitely stand up for you then!"
Looking at her younger brother, who was almost as tall as her, Yang Xiaonu's eyes welled up with tears upon hearing this, but she still couldn't hold back her words, "And let me tell you, you're just a little bean sprout who's not even fifteen yet!"
But once inside, Yang Xiaonu's tone suddenly changed, "Then you'd better eat more and grow taller. I don't want you to be unable to beat someone when you really need their help!"
Yang Qiaomai glanced at his sister, then bent down and picked up Tianqiao. The heavy weight in his arms made him feel much better.
"knew."
*
The first month of the lunar calendar passed quickly amidst the lively celebrations. These past few months have been very busy for Guo Baiwen, with the days flying by.
It seems that besides studying, all that's left is eating.
Speaking of which, the food at Chengnan Bookstore's canteen isn't as good as that at Yangzheng Academy.
But lately I've been busy with schoolwork and studying, so I haven't been in the mood to be picky about food. I eat whatever they give me.
After Guo Banshan and Yang Xianu got married, he rented a courtyard near the academy and planned to save up his money so that he could buy a small house in the county town the year after next.
We had originally planned to bring Yang Qiaomai to live with us, since the new courtyard was in a better location and much more comfortable than the place we lived in in the west of the city.
However, Yang Qiaomai said that it was inconvenient for her to work every day, so she refused the idea of living together.
Now that he lives alone, it would be a waste for him to continue living in such a large courtyard as before.
Guo Baiwen simply gave him a key to the back door of Guo's house as well. The rooms in their backyard had been vacant, and Grandma Guo's room downstairs was used to be occupied from time to time.
The room on the rooftop was still empty, just enough to accommodate him.
Therefore, Yang Qiaomai insisted on handing over the rent money for the house. Guo Baiwen kept trying to refuse, but couldn't get it back, so in the end he just accepted a token amount of eighty coins per month as rent.
There's no need to pay rent in cash; the money can be deducted directly from the monthly wages.
In this way, Yang Qiaomai felt more at ease living in Guo's backyard.
In late March or early April of this year, the provincial examinations will be held in various prefectures and cities, and the students preparing for the examinations have been preparing for this day for a long time.
After the first month of the lunar calendar was over, Guo Baiwen devoted all his attention to policy essays and current affairs, studying diligently with Master Zhang of the Chengnan Study for two months.
When the vegetable garden in the yard started to sprout, the day of the imperial examination was drawing near.
On the day they packed their things to go to the prefectural capital, the weather wasn't very good. While Grandma Guo was worried about the long journey, she couldn't help but add two more winter coats to his luggage.
It's a time of fluctuating temperatures, and it's easy to catch a cold if you're not careful.
Although his health has improved a lot recently, he is unfamiliar with the prefecture and has a lot to do.
Seeing that Grandma Guo was still worried, Chen Baoyue simply packed her own things, saying, "I've already told my husband that I'll go to the prefectural capital with him this time."
The prefecture is, after all, a prefecture. The journey there is much longer than the last prefectural examination. If we are unable to find an inn or guesthouse to stay at night, we may have to sleep in the open.
Having spent so much time roaming the mountains and forests with her father and uncles, Chen Baoyue knew better than her husband, who was a complete novice in this field, how to live comfortably in the wild.
Upon hearing that Chen Baoyue would also be going, Grandma Guo felt much relieved. "Okay, okay."
But I still gave you a few more words of advice: "Spend money where it's necessary, don't be stingy."
"When you're out and about, you have to be extra careful."
"Understood, Grandma!"
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