Chapter 72 Crossing Mountains and Valleys to the Chen Family
Father came down the mountain two days ago.
Not long after we left that day, hail suddenly started falling from the sky.
Although her mother didn't say anything, she still looked worried.
But by nightfall that day, Father had not returned from the other side of the road; he must have gone to the county town in the face of the hail.
Chen Baoyue was originally able to wait patiently.
But even if they stayed in the county town to sell furs, no matter how difficult it was to sell them, judging by the days, their father should be coming home soon.
But no one was seen for a long time.
She couldn't help but feel a little worried.
For families like theirs living in the mountains, the biggest fear is encountering danger alone on the way up or down the mountain.
His family was unaware of the situation and were anxiously waiting at home.
By the time you realize something is wrong and try to find out, everything has already changed.
She had a vague sense of unease in her heart. Although she hadn't told her mother, she had searched the path leading up and down the mountain from their house several times in the past few days when she went out with her uncle.
The same is true today.
She was chasing a pheasant, but unexpectedly found a straw sandal in the grass.
So I stopped chasing the pheasant, and my heart was in my throat.
Just as he was burying his head in the position of the straw sandals, searching further ahead, he suddenly heard his uncle beside him call out, "Big brother!"
? !
Upon hearing this, Chen Baoyue hurriedly turned around and discovered that four or five figures had suddenly appeared on the mountain path in the distance. The person in front was none other than her own father!
So he took the straw sandal and waved it far away, calling out, "Father—Father—"
He watched as the people in the distance quickened their pace because of his greetings.
When they got closer, Chen Baoyue realized that the people following her father were Guo Baiwen and two strangers.
!
So worried about her father's safety, she almost forgot why he had come down the mountain in the first place.
Chen Baoyue's face suddenly turned red, and the straw sandals she was holding suddenly felt like a hot potato. She hurriedly threw the things on the ground and slowly began to tidy her hair.
He had just chased the pheasant for a long time and had just crawled into a clump of grass. He was still wearing a short, coarse gray-brown cloth outfit suitable for hunting.
It's incredibly dusty and gray now.
But Chen Youtian was clearly unaware of his daughter's little thoughts. He had been away from home for several days and was finally back, his heart filled with joy at seeing his family.
Seeing that Chen Baoyue was hiding most of her body behind Chen Damu, he was a little puzzled, but he didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
He couldn't help but glance at the straw sandals that Chen Baoyue had just thrown on the ground.
The more he looked at it, the more familiar it seemed. So he picked it up from the ground, examined it carefully for a moment, and asked in surprise, "Moon, where did you find this straw sandal?"
Chen Baoyue peeked out from behind the crowd and answered her father's question: "It's in the bushes over there."
Upon hearing this, Chen Youtian couldn't help but burst out laughing, "Isn't this the one that ran away when I came down the mountain!"
"ah?"
He happily tossed the straw sandal back into the basket on his back, still feeling a bit pleased. "I felt it was a pity back then, because this pair of straw sandals was still brand new and one of them was lost."
Unexpectedly, the one that had fallen was found by their own daughter.
Go back, wash and dry them, and you can wear them again.
As he spoke with the two men, the three who had been following behind finally caught up, panting heavily.
Guo Baiwen was carrying a shoulder pole on his shoulder. He hadn’t expected the road into the mountains to be so far. He was relieved that he hadn’t let his grandmother come along this time, and he couldn’t help but put down the things he was carrying.
He had originally intended to greet Chen Baoyue, but before he could even open his mouth, a long string of uncontrollable coughs came out.
His face was flushed red, and he didn't look much better than Chen Baoyue.
Upon hearing the cough, Chen Baoyue instinctively peeked out from behind her uncle, looking at him with some concern.
Guo Shitou then put down the carrying pole from his shoulder and patted him on the back with some concern, helping him catch his breath.
Granny Sun felt as if her feet were no longer her own after walking so far.
If it weren't for the fact that Guo Baiwen and she had a past relationship, and the fact that the commission for this matchmaking was quite substantial, she wouldn't have accepted the job at her age.
Even though she wasn't carrying anything heavy, when she saw the walking group stop, she quickly took off the bamboo water bottle hanging from her waist and drank a couple of mouthfuls of water.
It's too difficult to walk this path.
No wonder Brother Guo gave such a thick red envelope when he came to visit.
She even said he was being too polite.
Looking back now, it wasn't just being polite; it was downright impolite!
If she can't be at the head table at their wedding once the marriage is settled, she'll definitely be angry!
The guests are almost at their doorstep; it would be impolite to speak in the middle of the road at this point.
Fortunately, Chen Damu hadn't managed to catch anything when he went out today. Seeing that Guo Baiwen and Guo Shitou both looked exhausted, he asked them what was wrong and took some things from their carrying poles to help them carry them.
Two jars of wine, ten catties of brown sugar, and ten catties of glutinous rice were taken away at once, and the originally heavy burden became much lighter.
Because Chen Baoyue was quick on her feet, she had already gone home to tell her mother.
After resting for a while and exchanging a few pleasantries, the group continued towards the Chen family's house with their belongings.
After walking for another ten or twenty minutes, the group finally saw a small village not far away.
It was almost noon, and white smoke could still be seen slowly rising from the chimneys of several houses.
Everyone had been traveling all morning and was now starving.
It was only because Chen Youtian and Chen Damu were used to walking on such mountain paths that they not only didn't pant at all, but even quickened their pace. "Wife—I'm back!"
Chen Zhonghua received the letter from Chen Baoyue and had already begun preparations.
Fortunately, I had anticipated this would happen sooner or later, so I had prepared a lot of things in the kitchen in advance.
After cleaning the yard, Chen Baoyue fetched water and went back to her room to wash and change clothes.
When Guo Baiwen arrived at the courtyard gate, he saw the two smiling faces waiting for the group.
After everyone had put their things down and taken their seats, it was time for the elders to exchange pleasantries. Grandma Guo wasn't there today, so Guo Shitou, as Guo Baiwen's elder, also showed his sincerity as the pillar of the family.
Fortunately, Chen Damu helped carry a lot of things earlier, otherwise it would have taken me a long time to drink tea and recover.
At that moment, the group was exchanging birth charts. Guo Baiwen listened silently, then turned around and noticed that Granny Sun, who was holding a teacup, had a somewhat dazed look in her eyes.
I couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
Although Granny Sun was almost twenty years younger than her own grandmother.
But people who have always lived in the county town, it is hard to imagine that Kuku has ever walked so many miles in a single day.
Unfortunately, Najib needed a matchmaker or officiant to witness the wedding, even though Sun Ya Po said she hadn't been a matchmaker in a long time.
However, Hu Qingshan strongly recommended Granny Sun to him, saying that every match she made was successful.
Therefore, even though the marriage seemed to be a done deal on the surface, he still sought out Granny Sun for a more secure outcome.
"Grandma Sun? Grandma Sun?"
Having finally recovered her senses, Granny Sun heard someone calling her from the side. When she looked at Guo Baiwen's face, she couldn't help but give a troubled, bitter smile.
"Brother Guo, you're exaggerating how far it is—it really is far!" Just thinking about the way they came and how they would have to walk back like that later...
Granny Sun felt that the sky outside was no longer blue, and the few red envelopes stuffed in her pocket were no longer so cute.
But since she was already there, she still had the awareness of being a matchmaker.
Otherwise, we would have come all this way for nothing!
She stretched her shoulders and knees slightly, managing to pull her attention back from her wanderings.
Her silky smoothness blended into the small talk among the group, and they chatted and laughed, showing no sign of her earlier fatigue.
This whole thing left Guo Baiwen, who was standing to the side, completely dumbfounded.
"Oh my, this must be Miss Chen! Tsk tsk tsk, no wonder Brother Guo was in such a hurry to come find me!"
Following the betrothal scrolls they were looking at, she continued, "These were all personally calculated by the temple keeper of the City God Temple. He divined an auspicious omen, a match made in heaven, which is why he specially invited me to come and deliver the auspicious gifts!"
She had rested enough by then, stood up, and opened the cloth covering the four baskets that Guo Baiwen and Guo Shitou had painstakingly carried up.
Inside were three and a half lengths of coarse cotton cloth and three and a half lengths of fine cotton cloth, ten catties of pork tied with two red ropes, and two boxes of rice cakes.
In addition, the rice wine and brown sugar that Chen Damu had just been holding were both even numbers of auspicious gifts.
Chen Youtian knew on his way here that the Guo family had brought a lot of things, but he didn't expect them to bring so many.
No wonder it was swaying a bit when it was carrying the load on a shoulder pole the whole way.
He had been wondering if Guo Xiaoge's health was a bit weak, but seeing so many things now, he was quite satisfied.
After carefully examining the gifts he had brought, Chen Zhonghua had a general idea of the Guo family's financial situation.
Just as she was about to call everyone to sit down and eat, she suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Guo Shitou, "Didn't Najib always need the groom's family to prepare a pair of geese?"
She could understand that wild geese were hard to find, but surely there couldn't be no chickens or ducks among all the gifts?
Upon hearing this, Guo Shitou opened his mouth to explain, but Chen Youtian had already taken out the wooden box he had brought with him.
He chuckled as he looked at Chen Zhonghua, then patted the box with a 'bang bang' sound.
"Don't worry, my wife—everything's here!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
