Chapter 18 Old Stories Could she still be thinking about that Pei family boy? ...
The family sat around the now peaceful main room, enjoying the fragrant braised pork and scrambled eggs served by the dim light of an oil lamp. In the comfortable and peaceful atmosphere, Deng San Niang ate a couple of bites of rice, but still couldn't help but speak up.
She picked up a piece of braised pork with alternating layers of fat and lean meat and put it into Yu Man's bowl, but didn't eat it herself. She frowned slightly and said, "I reckon this matter is definitely not over yet! Listen to what your third brother said before he left, 'If it were someone else, they wouldn't be so easy to deal with.' Tsk, it's obvious that there are still tricks waiting for him!"
As she spoke, she couldn't help but glance sideways at Yu Chengfu, who was eating silently beside her. Her tone was a mix of sudden realization and complaint. "No wonder you're usually so quiet and never mention visiting relatives. It turns out that all your relatives in the Yu family are like leeches, swarming at the slightest smell of blood and forgetting the pain as soon as they're gone!"
Yu Chengfu was embarrassed by his wife's words. He awkwardly shoveled a few mouthfuls of rice into his mouth, swallowed, and looked up. His gaze swept over the faces of the three children, and with an unprecedented determination, he said in a deep voice, "Third Aunt, Aman, Xiuxiu, don't worry. From now on, no matter who comes, no matter what tricks they play, I will never let them bully you three again! Even if the sky falls, I'll hold it up!"
Yu Man couldn't help but smile, picked up a piece of scrambled eggs for her father, and then said thoughtfully, "Dad, Aunt Xiang, don't you think it's strange that Third Uncle and the others came this time? For so many years, although our relationship was distant, we lived peacefully. But it just so happened that... right after Eldest Sister returned from her wedding in the county, they came to cause this scene. I have a feeling that there's more to these two things than meets the eye."
Upon hearing this, Yu Chengfu's hand holding the chopsticks froze in mid-air. He frowned, trying hard to recall, as if some loose thread in his mind had suddenly been connected! He abruptly raised his head, his eyes wide, and almost blurted out, "Could it be... that girl Fangyu... she, she still thinks about that brat Pei Ji?!"
"What?! There's such a thing?!" Upon hearing this, Deng San Niang's eyes lit up instantly. She forgot about her meal, put down her chopsticks, and leaned forward, her face full of urgency, "Tell me in detail!" "What happened? Tell me quickly! How come I've never heard of this before? Fang Yu is several years older than A Man, right? And she had some kind of connection with the Pei family boy?"
Even Xiuxiu, who had been engrossed in her food, perked up her little ears and blinked her big eyes curiously at her father.
Yu Chengfu glanced at his eldest daughter, and seeing that she was calm and not resistant, he sighed, lowered his voice, and slowly recounted this old story:
“Well, it’s a long story, and the root of it all goes back much further.” He organized his thoughts. “Back then, our two families lived close by and had a lot of contact. Once, Brother Mingyuan came to our house for drinks, and after a few too many drinks, he got into a good mood and grabbed my father’s hand, saying that since our two families were so close, why didn’t we arrange for our children to become in-laws? It was just a drunken remark, but my father knew what he was talking about and didn’t really agree. He just laughed it off.”
“But somehow these words got out,” Yu Chengfu shook his head. “Once these rumors started, it became difficult for both families to clarify them. They couldn’t just go from house to house saying it was drunken talk and not to be taken seriously, could they? At that time, the children were still young. Aman and Fangyu still had two little braids, and Pei Ji had just started his studies. They hadn’t even met him properly a few times, so everyone didn’t take it too seriously and just thought it was a joke.”
"But later, things changed." Yu Chengfu's tone became more serious. "Pei Ji is a promising young man. Everyone in the surrounding area knows he's a scholar with a bright future ahead of him. Madam Li had her own ideas. She felt that the 'drunken marriage agreement' was a golden opportunity and was determined to solidify that reputation by marrying her daughter to Pei Ji. Fangyu herself, after meeting Pei Ji a few times, was also more than willing."
“You know my father, he hates trouble the most and feels he's in the wrong. He even told me back then, ‘People have good and bad qualities. That Pei family boy is about to soar to great heights, and Brother Pei is a scholar with high aspirations. How could he possibly be interested in a girl from our peasant family? Besides, it was just drunken talk.’”
"But the third son's family made a huge fuss!" Yu Chengfu frowned even more as he recalled the scene. "Li Shi went back to the village and cried to Father every day, saying that her daughter's reputation was ruined by this marriage. Chenglu also complained to Father that he didn't fight for his daughter. Father was so bothered by them that he had no choice but to think that she was his granddaughter after all, so he... so he mustered up the courage to find an opportunity to seriously mention this matter to Brother Pei in private and ask what their family's plan was."
"And what was the result?" Deng San Niang pressed.
“Brother Mingyuan is a man of principle!” Yu Chengfu said. “He didn’t directly refute Father’s request. He spoke tactfully, essentially saying that the children are still young, especially Erlang, whose mind is focused on his studies, so it’s too early to talk about marriage. He also said that marriage is a serious matter, and it has to be a matter of mutual consent. He suggested waiting until the children are older and seeing how things go. It sounded polite, but the meaning was clear: he didn’t agree to Fangyu’s marriage.”
He paused, a hint of recollection on his face: "That year, Fangyu was fourteen, Aman was twelve, and Peiji was thirteen. When Father heard this, he understood and got up to take his leave without saying anything more. He thought that was the end of it."
"But no one expected this!" Yu Chengfu's tone was tinged with disbelief. "The very next day, Pei Ji actually took leave from the academy and came back with his father to formally visit us. Brother Mingyuan said in front of our father that he was grateful for the old kindness of the Yu family and wished to turn that kindness into marriage, thus establishing a bond between our two families. This was truly a windfall, leaving our father completely stunned!"
"Father was naturally delighted at the time. Although he doted on Aman the most, and Aman often played with Pei Ji back then, according to the usual rules of marriage, it is better for the girl to be older. Moreover, she and Pei Ji were both young at that time, and they seemed to be just playmates, not like... Father thought to himself, since the Pei family has agreed to the marriage, then according to seniority, Fangyu, who is of suitable age, should be the first choice..."
The main room fell silent, with the flickering light of the oil lamp.
Deng Sanniang listened intently and couldn't help but ask, "And then what happened..."
Yu Man also raised her eyes; this was the first time she had ever heard of something from a third-person perspective.
Yu Chengfu didn't keep anyone in suspense. He paused for a moment, and his face showed the same disbelief that his father had shown years ago.
“Who would have thought,” he said in a low voice, as if he were revealing some incredible secret, “that as soon as Father mentioned Fangyu’s name, he saw that Brother Mingyuan didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he turned his head and looked at Pei Ji standing behind him. His posture clearly indicated that he wanted to hear Pei Ji’s own opinion!”
“Pei Ji was only thirteen back then! Just a kid, but his demeanor was already extraordinary.” Yu Chengfu recalled, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible admiration. “When he saw his father looking at him, he stepped forward and gave our father a proper bow, his back ramrod straight.”
He began by praising Fangyu, saying, "The eldest sister of the Yu family is gentle and sensible."
These words made Deng San Niang and Xiu Xiu hold their breath, and even Yu Man slowed down her eating.
"But then he added a 'but'," Yu Chengfu mimicked Pei Ji's composed tone at the time, "He said, 'However, thanks to my grandfather's kindness, I have known Aman since childhood. She is pure and clever, and although I am not talented, I am willing to do everything in my power to look after her and protect her.'"
Yu Chengfu looked at Yu Man, his eyes filled with complex emotions: "When I heard those words, my brows furrowed. He stared at Pei Ji; it was the first time I had ever looked at Erlang with such scrutinizing eyes. I was silent for a long while before asking him in a deep voice: 'Pei family boy, you must think this through. That girl, Aman, is the apple of my eye. If you only think of the brotherly affection we've known since childhood, and pity her for having no mother to care for her, then you don't need to dedicate your life to her. I only hope that she can find someone who truly loves and cherishes her in the future. And the first word in 'love and cherish' is 'love.' Do you understand?'"
The main room was so quiet you could hear the lamp flames popping. Deng San Niang nervously gripped the hem of her clothes, and Xiu Xiu's eyes widened.
Yu Man lowered her head, looking at the rice in her bowl, her chopsticks unconsciously poking at it, but her heart was beating inexplicably fast.
Yu Chengfu sighed and shook his head: "How Pei Ji answered Father back then... Father didn't even tell me later. He only said that what that boy said left this old man speechless, and he felt... at ease."
“It was from that day on,” Yu Chengfu said with certainty, “that this marriage, which was originally hanging in the air and no one thought was very likely, truly and firmly fell on Aman’s head. My father later only told me that Pei’s son is a thoughtful and stubborn man. Once he has made up his mind, not even ten oxen could pull him back.”
After he finished speaking, he looked at Yu Man and said with emotion, "Over the years, I have seen how Pei Ji has treated you. He really is... without a single fault. When your third uncle and the others made a fuss before, I was thinking that this marriage was hard-won and there were old grudges, so I always tried to be tolerant. I didn't expect that they would take advantage of me."
Deng San Niang was truly dumbfounded this time. When she married into the village, the marriage between Yu Man and Pei Ji was already a done deal. Everyone in the village thought it was just an arranged marriage from years ago. They never expected there to be such twists and turns in it. It was actually Pei Ji who fought for it himself! She couldn't help but look at Yu Man. She saw her head down, eating her meal silently. She seemed calm, but her chopsticks picked up the slightly overcooked vegetable stalks that she usually didn't like to touch, two or three times in a row.
Upon seeing this, the inexplicable worry that had arisen in Deng San Niang's heart instantly vanished.
It's good that they're mutually interested.
A slight smile crept onto her lips as she picked up her chopsticks, grabbed a large, glistening piece of braised pork, and placed it in Yu Man's bowl. Her voice, usually crisp and cheerful, returned to normal:
"Alright! I get it now! Bringing up old, trivial matters is pointless and only makes people feel disgusted! Some people are just sour grapes, unable to bear seeing others do well! We should focus on living our own lives well! Ah Man, eat some meat! This meat is stewed until it's tender and delicious!"
Xiuxiu followed suit, picking up a piece of untouched egg from her bowl and giving it to Yu Man: "Sister, eat meat! Eat eggs! Sister is the best!"
Yu Man looked at the meat and eggs that had suddenly appeared in the bowl and couldn't help but laugh. She then put meat on the plates of the three of them and said, "Things will get better and better at home. Tomorrow I'll go deliver the sauce and ask around while I'm at it."
“Okay, bring an umbrella tomorrow. I think it’s going to rain. And the millet…” Deng San Niang turned to Yu Chengfu and began to discuss it.
"Host..." the system suddenly spoke.
Sensing the sour undertone behind its electronic voice, Yu Man replied: "Didn't expect that, did you? To be honest, before you appeared, I thought..."
"Why?" the system asked curiously.
I thought I was playing the role of the darling of the main characters in a farming novel.
The system thought about it carefully for a long time.
Don't tell me, you really shouldn't tell me.
Could it be that this system is just unlucky for the host?
A note from the author:
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