Chun Tao was embarrassed. Yang Hua said she was her cousin, but she was actually only a few days younger than her.
Having never been a matchmaker before, I could only ramble on and on before running out of things to say.
She was straightforward, and now that Song Liyun had asked about Yang Hua, she didn't need to beat around the bush: "Yang Hua, this is Da Ping's younger sister."
Yang Hua stood up, casually wiping the bits of grass off her sleeves and trousers, and nodded to Song Liyun, saying, "Hello, Miss Song!"
Song Liyun looked at her with a smile: "Sister Yanghua, I heard from Sister Chuntao that you not only farm several acres of land by yourself at home, but also cut grass and raise chickens and ducks. You leave home at dawn and don't return until dark every day."
Hearing Song Liyun talk about her hardships, Yang Hua's face showed neither pride nor sorrow, but only a relieved expression: "When my parents passed away, I promised to take care of my younger siblings until they grew up. This is what I have to do."
Song Liyun smiled and said, "That's what my brother said too, and that's what he did too."
Yang Hua stared at her for a moment, then turned to look at Song Zhenping, who was bending over to harvest rice in the field. Suddenly, she lowered her eyes, picked up a sickle from the ground, and said, "The sun is about to rise, let's harvest the rice!"
After saying that, he walked past Song Liyun and went straight to the row next to Song Zhenping at the edge of the field. Without looking around, he buried himself in his work.
Her movements were quick and efficient, and she soon surpassed Song Zhenping in harvesting rice.
The sickle swept away half of the rice that Song Zhenping was about to harvest.
Song Liyun and Chun Tao were still standing by the haystack.
Seeing Yang Hua leave, Chun Tao quickly went to Song Liyun's side and whispered, "Miss Song, my cousin doesn't talk much. She's the kind of person who says what she means and does what she says. She can be a bit impulsive, but she's very meticulous in her work!"
Seeing how nervous she was, as if she were marrying off her own daughter, Song Liyun smiled and said, "It's fine!"
"Really? You don't mind her?" Chun Tao's eyes widened. When she mentioned Yang Hua to the Song family, she was actually unsure of herself.
Although Song Zhenping was rather thin and had a leg problem, any children she had in the future would only be able to join the army.
Even though life is better now, families who truly care about their daughters will hesitate, after all, it concerns the future of their descendants.
The Song family has a large house and a simple household. Most importantly, they will not lack money in the future, which is better than living in the mountains where they lack food and clothing.
Chun Tao thought about how Yang Hua had been exposed to the wind and sun all year round, and was quite old, so she didn't have the delicate beauty of a young girl. In the mountains, the only men she could marry were old widowers in their forties or fifties. So she tentatively suggested it once.
Unexpectedly, Song Zhenping wanted to meet her after hearing the news, and Miss Song didn't seem to mind at all.
Song Liyun squinted at the field. Yang Hua had already cut the rice past Song Zhenping, but he didn't stop and kept going forward.
In front of Song Zhenping, there was a large gap in the rice row, which looked like an approaching embrace.
When Song Zhenping's sickle swept across the land, it left behind flat, fertile soil.
Yang Hua was tall and slender, even taller than Song Zhenping, with regular features and clear, bright eyes.
Having worked in the fields year-round, her complexion was sallow, her hair was dry and yellow, and her hands had thick calluses.
She is indeed a hardworking village girl.
Judging by her appearance alone, she's not bad-looking. Song Liyun just wants to know what's going on with her younger brother and sister, and her sister-in-law.
Family disputes cannot be resolved simply by saying who is right and who is wrong. If Yang Hua is used to being the head of the household, it is possible that her newlywed sister-in-law will not be able to accept it.
Marrying a wife is not just about marrying a person; she also has the foundation for her growth and an environment she cannot escape.
Seeing that Song Liyun did not dislike Yang Hua, Chun Tao took the initiative to talk about her younger brother and sister.
Compared to Song Zhenping's stammering words, Chun Tao naturally spoke in more detail.
When Yang Hua's parents died, Yang Hua was fourteen years old, Yang Ji was twelve, and her younger sister was ten.
She was the eldest sister and had been diligent since childhood. At that time, people started to arrange marriages for her.
"Let her get married, and her younger siblings can grow up eating food from the villagers."
“But Yang Hua disagreed. She said her younger siblings were still small and it would be better for her to work hard herself than to beg for food with others. So she took the two younger ones to farm.”
“Yang Ji is the only son in the family. He never did any work when his parents were alive. His two daughters did all the work. Now that his parents are dead, he has to work in the fields, but he is still young. The family still relies on Yang Hua.”
“Everyone in the village said this family couldn’t support themselves, but Yanghua said she would show others. She was very strict with her younger siblings and wouldn’t allow them to take anything from others, no matter how hungry they were. She said that if you eat someone’s food, you are indebted to them; if you take someone’s money, you will never be able to stand up straight for the rest of your life.”
"In the first year or two, we couldn't even afford to eat. The three siblings were so hungry that they locked themselves in the house and cried."
At this point, Chun Tao pinched the corner of her clothes and rubbed her eyes. The harvest from the mountain was meager, and the children had no other produce. Relying solely on farming meant they would always be short of food for a month.
"Later, Yang Hua worked day and night, and the family gradually got better. When she brought back a wife for Yang Ji and prepared a dowry for her younger sister to get married in the same month, Yang Hua fell seriously ill after the two things were done."
He couldn't get out of bed for months, and had to spend money on doctors and medicine. His newly improved life was already strained, and he was in debt to the village.
At first, Yang Ji's wife didn't say anything about having an unmarried older sister-in-law in the family.
However, Yang Hua's illness dragged on for several months, preventing her from working. As time went on, her sister-in-law's family became unhappy.
Previously, people thought that since Yang Ji had no parents, the girl could take charge of the household after marrying into the family. However, her sister-in-law takes care of everything and has spent a lot of money on medical treatment. Doesn't that mean there's an extra mother? In the future, Yang Ji's children will have to take care of her sister-in-law in her old age.
In addition, some gossip spread in the village that Yang Ji's wife had to wash her sister-in-law's clothes in cold water every day.
My sister-in-law's family came to Yanghua's house and yelled at her once.
"Yang Ji wasn't home at the time. When he came back and heard about it, he argued with his wife."
My sister-in-law ran back to her parents' home in a fit of anger, and it was only after Yang Hua and her brother went to invite her back three times that she finally returned.
"After my sister-in-law came back, Yang Hua said she wanted to separate the family property. She would pay back the money for her medicine and the money borrowed for the two weddings herself."
She also said that she had fulfilled her promise to her parents, and that the two families would live their own lives from now on, with no more grudges between them.
Caught between his wife and his sister, Yang Ji was in a difficult position.
He couldn't bear to let his sister live out her days alone after separating from the family, so he announced that he would arrange a marriage for her, and that this marriage could only be one that she agreed to.
Song Liyun pursed her lips and let out a long breath. At this moment, she had only one thought: admiration!
Not everyone has a cheat code, and not everyone has the abilities of a time-traveling woman, but this Yang Hua is truly a leading lady. She is a child herself, yet she raises two children. She is also clear-headed in all matters and has a good character.
Her biggest worry was gone; now it was just a matter of what Song Zhenping thought.
At noon, both families went home for lunch.
Originally, Song Liyun said that they would have the meal at Baolinju, since Yunniang was at home and the food would be ready.
But the Zhang family father and son disagreed, saying that the Song family had less rice and they couldn't take advantage of them.
Chun Tao winked at Song Liyun: "My mother-in-law is cooking at home too, let's talk about it this afternoon!"
The two families went back separately to inquire about the situation.
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