Chapter 147 Talking about Marriage
Song Liyun said, "I'll go to the garrison and borrow an old horse. Juqing should stay at home. Uncle Han will take care of her for a few days."
Song Zhenping slowed down his brushing of the horse, stroking its back awkwardly and muttering to it, "Why are you so stubborn? You're no longer fit to fight on the battlefield, yet you refuse to pull the cart properly. If you're truly useless, you'll be killed and eaten. No one can save you."
There was nothing he could do, Ju Qingma just wouldn't listen.
No one was allowed to ride it, and even pulling a cart would make it crazy. The guards asked if it still didn't obey, and if it did, they would replace it with another horse. This horse was killed immediately.
Song Zhenping had developed feelings for the girl after raising her for a month and was reluctant to let her go.
Fortunately, it can barely pull a cart. The furs are delivered at night, when there is no one on the road and it is dark. Juqing Ma's occasional temper tantrums will not cause any trouble, so he is kept and raised.
Now we are going to the provincial capital, so we can't let it act willfully anymore.
Song Liyun had been preparing to leave for a long time. After arranging Han Ming's work, the three Song siblings drove a borrowed old carriage and set off before dawn.
The last time Xiao An rode in a carriage was when he left Qingping Town.
At that time, the Zhenbei Army was robbing people on the way. He was despised and could only lean pitifully in Song Liyun's arms with an empty stomach.
When he rode in the carriage again this time, he was no longer afraid. He just lay on the carriage board and looked around with a curious look on his face.
The small cloth bag he carried was filled with dried horse meat, roasted peanuts, and roasted acorns.
The basket in the carriage contained water, crispy fried cakes, and some steamed buns and snacks.
Yunniang made all these things in one night.
The old horse from the garrison pulled the cart very steadily, but Song Zhenping drove the cart seriously with a whip.
At this moment, his mind was full of what Zhou Xiaoqi said to him in the field.
Zhou Xiaoqi said that now that the garrison has issued rewards and everyone has money, many people want to get married.
It would be best if the family settled in Suijin Town as a military household, so that when you are on duty in the camp, you can go home during your break without any delays.
In fact, there are very few unmarried women in Suijin Town, and the only one of marriageable age is Song Liyun.
These people mentioned the Song family in their words and deeds, but they did not have the courage or opportunity to mention it to the Song family.
Song Zhenping felt panicky when he heard this.
When Second Uncle wanted Yun'er to go home, he mentioned the reason of getting married immediately.
Yun'er is now eighteen years old. In the Wu Dynasty, girls have to get married at the age of sixteen. If she doesn't get married soon, she will become an old maid.
In Suijin Town, if Song Liyun wanted to find someone to marry, it would be very easy.
Among the hundreds of soldiers in the garrison, most of them are unmarried. As long as the Song family likes someone, no matter how tall or short, fat or thin, handsome or ugly, they can choose him or her and marry into the family.
This is what Wang Junxue said to him during loading.
Song Zhenping had selfish motives. He didn't want Yun'er to marry into his own family, and he didn't want Yun'er to get married like this.
He didn't want his sister to become a soldier again.
There is a saying in the Wu Dynasty: "Good iron is not used to make nails, and good men do not join the army." This means that soldiers are not only poor, but also have no way out except to work hard to gain military merits.
The same applies to military households, who cannot take the examination and enter the officialdom for three generations.
I changed my nationality to a military household because I had no choice. Anyway, Xiao An and I just wanted to live a peaceful life like this, and I didn't think about future generations.
Yun'er is different. She can choose a good family to marry and leave the military household.
But if she rushes into marriage now, Song Zhenping has no suitable candidate.
Apart from the garrison, the only people he could get in touch with were in Suijin Town, and now he got to know a few more people from the Wan family.
In his eyes, no one in Suijin Town was worthy of the girl who could hold the "treasure bag".
But how should I tell Yun'er this, asking her not to rush into getting engaged?
If things go wrong, Yun'er might think that I don't allow her to get married.
Song Liyun left home early today and leaned against the wall of the carriage, squinting her eyes to catch up on her sleep.
The excited Xiao An did not affect her. Instead, Song Zhenping, who was sitting motionless on the shaft of the cart, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, made her lose her sleepiness.
"Brother, what are you thinking about? The horse hasn't even moved."
At this time, the old horse, which was not driven by anyone, had stopped and was nibbling on the green grass that had just sprouted on the roadside.
Song Zhenping suddenly came to his senses, quickly swung the whip and lightly hit the old horse on the butt.
Only when Lao Ma pulled the cart slowly and started again did he look at Song Liyun who was looking straight at him.
"Brother, what do you want to say?" Song Liyun couldn't help feeling anxious when she saw him hesitating.
"Yun'er, your birthday is in June, and you will be eighteen soon. It's time... it's time for you to get married. If your parents were still alive... you would have to prepare your dowry when you were fifteen." Song Zhenping looked confused and a little uncomfortable.
Time flies so fast. It’s been four months since I left Xiaoshi Village.
But back then in the village, every day felt like a year.
When Song Liyun heard the word "marriage", her eyebrows immediately twisted into a thin rope.
Why did Song Zhenping suddenly think of this?
Is it that spring has arrived, everything is reviving, grass is growing and birds are singing, and it is the mating season for humans and animals?
She has no idea of getting married and having children early.
Especially since I am only eighteen years old now, such a good age, like a flower bud, why should I be tied up at home so early?
"Song Zhenping, I don't want to get married yet." Song Liyun said seriously.
Song Zhenping glanced at her and knew that his sister was a little angry. She was calling him by his name. He continued stubbornly, "I'm not saying no to marriage, but I want you to choose a good family."
Song Zhenping was stuttering as he spoke. Yun'er often went in and out of the garrison, and he was worried that she might get together with someone.
"Those people in the garrison are no good, Yun'er. I think you should choose a good family in the future. Don't marry a soldier and don't become a military household."
Hearing that it wasn't a forced marriage, Song Liyun laughed: "Brother, you said that those people in the garrison are not good enough, so of course I won't get together with them secretly."
At this time, Xiao An heard his brother and sister talking, and hurried over to lean next to Song Liyun.
Seeing that his sister didn't misunderstand him, Song Zhenping breathed a sigh of relief: "But you are about to turn eighteen..."
"What's wrong with being eighteen? I just came back and don't want to get married. Who can force me to do that?
Brother, we have only had a few days of full meals, and we haven’t done anything we should have, so I don’t want to talk about marriage yet.”
Having not been taught by any elders since childhood, Song Zhenping had only a vague understanding of marriage. He only knew that girls had to get married when they turned 18.
But he didn't want Yun'er to marry a soldier, and Yun'er was not in a hurry to get married. No one cared anyway, so he could just wait.
Song Liyun touched Xiao An's head and looked at Song Zhenping: "I want to treat your leg and Xiao An's illness. After I finish these, we can talk about getting married."
Xiao An took out a handful of peanuts from his cloth bag and stuffed them into his sister's hand in a flattering manner.
Song Liyun took it with a smile and said to Song Zhenping, "Xiao An is much smarter now than before. This time when we go to the capital, we will find a good doctor who will definitely cure him. He will grow into a tall and handsome young man."
When Xiao An heard her sister praising her, she covered her face and chuckled.
When talking about the tall and handsome young man, a man's figure instantly appeared in Song Liyun's mind.
(End of this chapter)
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