Jia Dafu scratched his head and smiled foolishly. He didn't have much hope of getting married and having children. He just thought that having enough food to eat and a place to live was already very good.
"Mom and Dad, I've been drafted. Let's have something good for lunch and I'll tell you about the benefits of the military camp."
"Ah, you've been to the military camp."
"Yes, the officer took us there. We ate in the mess hall, and there was a meat dish every day. They said it was to nourish our bodies so we would have the strength to train."
"The accommodation is also very good. It's not a large dormitory, but everyone has their own bed and a locker..."
Father Jia and Mother Jia were dumbfounded when they heard this. They all said that the conditions in the military camps were very poor, that they only ate black flour buns, and that they lived in large bunk beds with 10 to 20 people in each room.
This sounds much better than being at home. It's not like going to the army to suffer, it's clearly a place to enjoy life.
Jia Dafu spoke briefly, his face full of longing.
"Mom and Dad, as long as I stay in the military camp for fifteen years, someone will take care of me in my old age. Even if my children and grandchildren are unfilial, it doesn't matter. It's great to have hope for both ends."
Father Jia nodded and said, "Son, you are right to think so. Since Lord Jiang has posted the notice, he will definitely do it. Joining the army is a good choice."
Grandmother Jia smiled happily and immediately went to catch a chicken and kill it.
There was a knock on the door and it was pushed open. The three of them looked at Widow Liu with a gloomy face, wondering what had happened.
"What's the matter, Sister Liu?"
Widow Liu's smile was uglier than crying. She chased after him and asked, "Big sister, was your Dafu selected in the conscription? My Choudan didn't. They said he was too weak."
Grandmother Jia nodded and said, "You've been selected. My Dafu will go to the military camp for training in two days, and your Choudan will have more training and will be recruited later."
"...Hey, your family is really lucky. My ugly boy is just unlucky. He's just a little bit weak. Being a cook should be fine, right?"
After talking a lot, Father and Mother Jia's faces became a little stiff. When they finally stopped nagging, they sent them away with a few words.
"Hoohoo, they're finally gone. More than a dozen people from our village went. Dafu, do you know how many of them are soldiers?"
"Mom, it seems there are less than five people. The rest were rejected. The reasons are nothing more than old age, weakness, illness, etc."
Father Jia patted his muscular arms, a look of pride on his face: "My son is strong enough to join the army. It's better than scraping for food at home."
"The boy's mother will go catch a chicken and kill it. When the second and third sons come back, we'll have a good celebration as a family. The eldest son won't have to worry about it anymore."
Jia Dafu arrived at the field and began to work without saying a word. He weeded very efficiently and said softly, "Second brother, third brother, I'll be leaving in two days."
"Please take care of my parents in the future. I will send them money every month. Three hundred coins is enough for our family to live a better life."
Jia Shun, Jia Shan looked up and said with some reluctance: "Brother, how long will it take for you to come back after you leave? How will we find you if we want to?"
"Come back once a month. If you need me, go to XXX in the military camp. Once you've collected enough money, you can get married and have children. I'm fine in the military camp, so don't worry about this for now."
"...Brother, you are the eldest in the family. If you don't get married, how can we get married? Even if you are in the military camp, it's okay. You can come back once a month and get married."
Jia Dafu shook his head: "If you don't want to get married, and you can't come back many times a year, it's like wasting the girl's time."
At noon, the family sat together. Before they could say a few words, people kept coming over and asking a lot of questions. They found out that the food, drink and accommodation in the military camp were so good.
Many people were tempted to go.
Jia Dafu greeted them, "Dad and Mom, let's eat. It's normal for other villagers to want to go. As long as they can enter the military camp, it's a good place. Even if they can't enter, it's okay. Let's just be honest."
"Well, eat while it's hot."
The next morning, Jia Dafu went up the mountain to cut bamboo and brought it back to weave things. He also cut a lot of firewood. His two younger brothers were still young, so he had to do as much of the rough work as he could.
While he was busy chopping bamboo in the yard, the matchmaker came in with three girls, staring at him.
Grandmother Jia came out of the house and was startled when she saw the newcomer: "Uh, why is Matchmaker Wang here? Please sit down quickly and I will pour you some tea."
Matchmaker Wang smiled from ear to ear and held the person's hand affectionately, saying, "Hey, big sister, don't be polite. Just pour some water. I came here to tell you something good."
"What do those three girls think? If your eldest brother is interested, you can settle down first and get married in a few months."
"...But, but my family is relatively poor, I'm afraid I can't afford the betrothal gift, I don't want to let the girl down."
The matchmaker covered her mouth and laughed secretly: "Look at what you said, big sister. Now everyone knows that your eldest brother has directly joined the Jiang family army. He is not just a soldier doing odd jobs."
"It will be easy to make meritorious deeds on the battlefield in the future. Why worry about not having money then? Besides, Beihuang City is not far from here, so it will be very convenient for us to come home."
After hearing these words, Grandmother Jia also became interested. It was rare to meet a family that did not require a betrothal gift. Being able to find a marriage for the eldest son would also be a way for her to get rid of one of her problems.
The three girls secretly looked at the man in the corner who was busy chopping bamboo. His sleeves were rolled up and the bulging muscles on his arms looked very strong.
His skin is a little dark, but his facial features are regular and he works very hard. He looks like an honest and simple man, not to mention that he is now a soldier, which is different from the imperial court's conscription.
Jiang's army, not everyone can get in there.
Jia Dafu noticed the burning gazes and turned his head to look over. He met three pairs of eyes looking at him. He was stunned and didn't understand why a girl suddenly came to his house.
Linglan lowered her head quickly, too timid to dare to look again.
Grandmother Jia called out, "Big Boss, come here. Mother wants to talk to you. Come quickly."
"Um."
He pulled his son into the house, whispered something to him, and then asked, "Boss, which of the three girls do you like?"
"...Mother, I said I'm not getting married, so please don't bother. We don't have any money at home. We should just focus on living a good life now."
Grandmother Jia sighed and said helplessly, "Son, now people don't want a betrothal gift, and these three girls all look good. If you miss the opportunity, you will lose it."
Jia Dafu was silent for a moment, then said, "If you must choose one, Mom, I want the thinner one, even though she's not as good-looking as the other two."
"But her eyes are clear, and you can tell she's a good person. Those two are not quiet, and I can't control them even if I marry them."
"...But that one is too thin. I'm afraid it will be difficult for her to have children in the future."
"Just raise it. Mom, I want that one. If that doesn't work out, then I don't want any of them. That way, I won't have to worry about it."
Grandmother Jia couldn't persuade him, so she opened the door and went out to talk to the matchmaker. The matter was then settled, and the next day the Jia family came to the house to present the betrothal gifts.
Get married in three months!
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