Chapter 122: Chapter 71: The Business Closes Down, Sun Liu’er Gets Married

In the end, Liu’er’s mother didn’t have a fit and refuse the Zheng Family’s gift. Instead, she went with the flow and accepted it, even sending Tie Zhu over to invite Zheng Changhe for a drink.

She wasn’t a fool. Recently, all the villagers had started to look at the Zheng Family in a new light. The Zhengs were no longer who they used to be—they had somehow managed to get rich over a single winter, which was truly unbelievable. If she continued to be at odds with the Zheng Family, she was afraid the other villagers would start to shun her family.

Besides, Sun Jinshan wouldn’t have allowed her to do so anyway. As soon as the Zheng Family’s gift was recorded in the gift register, Sun Jinshan had immediately made a show of goodwill by having his son go and invite Zheng Changhe personally.

But Zheng Changhe had already come up with an excuse—he had to go to Xiatang Market to deliver acorn jelly to Juhua’s maternal uncle. Mrs. Yang and Juhua couldn’t get away, and Qingmu was at the academy, so Sun Tiezhu failed to invite anyone.

Mrs. Yang politely told Tie Zhu they were busy and that he should hurry back to help out instead of wasting his time there.

Tie Zhu gave a couple of simple-minded laughs and turned to leave. Before he went, he shot a glance at Juhua—her fierce display during their last argument had left quite an impression on him.

Juhua watched the tall young man, unsure of what to make of him. He certainly couldn’t be called shrewd, but he didn’t seem to have the same simple honesty as Big Mouth Zhao either. He was a sturdy man, built like a door, yet he seemed completely oblivious to his sister’s feelings. She found it rather strange. ’I wonder what’s really going on in his head.’

Watching his retreating back, she thought, ’Thank goodness Qingmu isn’t like him, or I’d be in for it. My own brother is still the best!’

The high, piercing sound of the suonas, accompanied by the clang of gongs and drums, created a joyous rhythm that made you want to sing along. She recalled what Meizi had told her: the Tang family originally hadn’t planned on hiring these musicians. Taking a concubine didn’t call for such fanfare. But Liu’er’s mother had somehow convinced them, so the Tang family arrived with blaring suonas and a small sedan chair to receive the bride. This truly allowed Liu’er’s mother to show off in the village.

As for Liu’er, Juhua felt a mix of sympathy and wistfulness, but she couldn’t tie herself to the same world. It was as if she were watching a television drama or reading a novel, silently observing the characters follow their fated paths, be they tragic or joyous. And yet, she lived in the same village, and there were even connections between them. But she couldn’t take part in Liu’er’s life.

’Getting married, a woman’s most beautiful moment… does Sun Liu’er feel happy?’

’Even with the experience of two lifetimes, I can’t guess what her future holds. Perhaps, after this, she will be completely transformed, reborn as a proper lady of a wealthy household. Or perhaps, this rural wildflower will wither away in that gilded cage.’

No one could hear Juhua’s musings, but the words of Liu’er’s mother were heard loud and clear by all the married women and matrons.

People were coming and going in the courtyard of Sun Jinshan’s home. Several pieces of the dowry, wrapped in red cloth, were placed squarely in the center of the yard for all to admire. Bustling men and women scurried back and forth between the kitchen and the main hall, carrying trays. Inside the hall, a banquet of four tables was laid out, and the guests’ boisterous chatter rose in wave after wave of noise.

In Sun Liu’er’s room, the hired wedding chaperone had finished preparing her and was now checking her over and over for any last imperfections. The made-up Sun Liu’er sat on the edge of the bed, stunningly beautiful, but her face was as placid as still water. There wasn’t a hint of joy in her expression, and even her peach-pink dress couldn’t lend her the slightest festive air.

Meizi, Lanzi, and the other girls sat with her on the bed, periodically commenting on and praising her clothes and the jewelry in her hair.

Liu’er looked at her innocent and carefree friend, Meizi. There wasn’t a trace of worry or calculation in her big, sparkling eyes, and that cheerful, untroubled spirit pierced Liu’er’s heart with a pang of pain.

’She’ll definitely marry a man she loves one day, and her life will be much more comfortable than mine,’ Liu’er thought to herself.

Liu’er’s mother was currently bragging to some people about the size of the dowry she had prepared for her daughter.

“The quilts, the covers, the linings, everything for the bed, the chests and cabinets, plus clothes for all four seasons, jewelry, gold and silver items, basins, buckets, all the miscellaneous little things… I spent the entire betrothal gift, and I even added ten taels of silver of my own! All those little odds and ends might not look like much, but getting a complete set costs a lot of silver. It’s not like the big furniture pieces. Those just look impressive because they’re large, and we already had the wood for them at home, so they barely cost a thing.”

For a while now, many people had been gossiping that she was greedy and had sold her daughter. She was absolutely furious and was determined to win back her face on her daughter’s wedding day. She had truly put a lot of thought into Liu’er’s dowry. On one hand, it was so Liu’er would have an easier time in the Tang family household—a meager dowry would get her laughed at, especially since they had given a betrothal gift of one hundred taels of silver. On the other hand, it was to restore her own pride.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep