The Song family's rice was transported back to Baolin Residence by horse-drawn carriage.
Seeing Song Zhenping riding the tall Juqing horse along the country path, Yang Hua's slender face flushed with shyness.
That evening, Yunniang was pulled into the main room by Song Liyun, who asked her to give her and Song Zhenping a crash course on the wedding ceremony.
The Song family had no elders, and they knew nothing about matchmaking or engagement, so they wanted Yunniang to give them some guidance.
Actually, Song Liyun meant to have Yunniang handle it on her behalf.
But Yunniang refused, saying that she was unlucky and did not want to be involved in such happy events, but she could still offer guidance from the sidelines.
Han Ming thought the marriage was quite good.
Yunniang also said that if the girl were to settle down and be devoted to the Song family, it would be a good marriage.
After all, the Song family lacked nothing except a woman willing to make the bed and give birth to Song Zhen's child.
The next day, Song Liyun and Song Zhenping went to the Zhang family with gifts and asked Zhang Da Niang, Chun Tao's mother-in-law, to act as matchmaker and propose marriage.
Aunt Zhang was a kind-hearted person, and seeing that she could help make this happen, she readily agreed.
Since the two families had already met, the marriage proposal and engagement were combined into one process.
The third day is the closest auspicious day and is suitable for weddings.
Dressed in new clothes, Song Zhenping boarded the carriage, carrying several gifts prepared by Song Liyun, and picked up Aunt Zhang, Sister Chuntao, and two children before heading to the Yang family.
For the first time, Song Liyun experienced the feeling of her child growing up, about to leave her, and about to become a close-knit family with someone else.
No wonder mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law have been enemies for ages.
A normal mother-in-law would be both happy and reluctant to let go; as long as her son is happy and can live a joyful life, that's all that matters.
An abnormal person will naturally see this sense of separation as being plundered; the wife is already an enemy before she even enters the family, and it has nothing to do with whether life will be good or bad in the future.
Song Liyun did not go to Qili County that day; instead, she and Yunniang were drying rice in the courtyard.
Xiao An was also acting strangely; she didn't play with Hei Jin and just quietly stayed under the eaves pasting paper boxes.
During lunch, she suddenly said, "Second sister, once my sister-in-law moves into Baolin Residence, will this place no longer be our home?"
Song Liyun asked curiously, "How could it not be our house? Didn't my brother say yesterday that his house is our house? Who told you that?"
Xiao An frowned and poked at the poached egg in the bowl with her chopsticks: "I heard it from that tree root at the cardboard factory. He said that since my sister-in-law's surname isn't Song, she'll be in charge of the household. If I don't listen to him, I'll get a beating with a broom."
As he spoke, he seemed to recall his past experiences, and he shuddered. He pursed his lips and forced back his fear, saying, "Second Sister, I'll go with you from now on."
Song Liyun put down her chopsticks, squeezed his hand and smiled, "With your older brother and sister here, they will find you a good sister-in-law. Your sister-in-law will also care for you just like Aunt Yun and Uncle Han."
Xiao An thought about it and realized that Aunt Yun's surname wasn't Song, but she had always been very kind to him, and even Uncle Han, who looked fierce, never hit anyone.
He relaxed and made Song Liyun promise that if his sister-in-law ever hit someone again, she would have to take him with her.
Song Liyun agreed and even made a pinky promise with him: if his sister-in-law ever hits someone, he, Hei Jin, and the little dog will all go with her.
When Xiao An started eating again, Song Liyun couldn't eat anymore.
I'll have Han Ming drive that tree root out of here.
The Song family will not tolerate someone who talks too much about the affairs of the main family.
Xiao An's fear stemmed from the trauma of being tormented by that family in Xiaoshi Village since childhood.
Although it has been almost a year since Xiao An left Xiao Shi Village, the fear is still ingrained in her bones and needs time to heal.
Song Liyun stroked Xiao An, who was nestled in her arms, and wondered: perhaps, she should just eliminate those people right in front of Xiao An...
Back in Xiaoshi Village, she only had three short days, which was too rushed to cover up the incident without leaving a trace, which is why those people survived.
Now that I have the ability and energy, I need to find an opportunity to get rid of those people before I feel at ease.
Not for any other reason than for the harm done to Xiao An throughout her life, and for Song Zhenping's wish to return to his hometown to pay respects at his parents' graves.
The day passed quickly, and in the afternoon, the carriage returned.
The carriage stopped outside Baolin Residence. Aunt Zhang and Chun Tao got out with their child, both looking somewhat embarrassed.
When Song Liyun invited the two of them to sit in the courtyard, Aunt Zhang took her hand and apologized, "I'm sorry, the Yang family didn't agree to the marriage proposal."
Chun Tao's eyes were a little red, and she said angrily while holding the child, "Yang Hua is definitely going to marry into this family."
Aunt Zhang sighed, "Chuntao, how can a young girl like you make such a decision?"
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law refused Song Zhenping's offer to see them off again, saying they needed to go to town to buy things, and left on their own.
Song Zhenping's face showed no sadness or anger, he was just a little more silent than usual.
After washing up and having dinner, Song Zhenping called Song Liyun to his room and recounted in detail the process of proposing marriage to the Yang family.
Yang Hua and Chun Tao's maternal home is in the mountains, in a place called Yangshulin.
When Aunt Zhang arrived with Song Zhenping, it was not yet noon.
A horse-drawn carriage entered the village, causing quite a commotion. It was surrounded by people and couldn't move.
Fortunately, Chun Tao and Aunt Zhang were there. They simply said it was a visit between in-laws, and after a while of gossip and onlookers, the crowd dispersed.
Song Zhenping went there specifically to propose marriage. After sitting at Chun Tao's parents' house for a short while, Aunt Zhang went to Yang Hua's house to discuss the matter.
Yang Ji also came to Chun Tao's house to meet his brother-in-law.
Yang Ji was about the same age as Song Zhenping. At first, he spoke very well, saying that he would support his sister as long as she was willing.
When Yang Ji noticed that Song Zhenping was walking with a slight limp, his expression changed.
The morning was short, so we only had a brief meeting to discuss the arrangements before the formal meeting in the afternoon.
At noon, Song Zhenping had lunch at Chun Tao's parents' house.
The news of Yang Hua's engagement spread quickly, and by noon, Yang Ji's wife's family had already arrived.
Yang Ji was fine in the morning, but after going home, he started arguing with his sister Yang Hua.
Before they had even finished their meal, they called over Aunt Zhang and Song Zhenping.
The reason is simple: the betrothal gifts agreed upon this morning were too little, so we need to add more!
Yang Ji said that his sister was a well-known good girl, and ten taels of silver was too little for a betrothal gift. He said that at least fifty taels should be given to his sister as a dowry.
If Song Zhenping doesn't have enough money, he can leave Ju Qingma behind.
Chun Tao was married out of Yangshulin Village, so she naturally knew that ten taels of silver was the local custom. She had paid that much back then, and the amount was set by Yang Hua herself.
Now Yang Ji suddenly wants to raise the price to fifty taels, or else he'll have to take a horse. It sounds like the idea came from his sister-in-law's family.
Song Zhenping said, "Yang Hua didn't agree, saying that she didn't want him to interfere in her marriage. I'm just informing him now."
Speaking of these things, Song Zhenping had a smile on his face.
He recalled that when Yang Ji asked for fifty taels of silver, Yang Hua raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face, stunning Yang Ji on the spot.
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