eurekapd Chapter 123: Voluntary or coerced?
Chapter 123: Voluntary or coerced?
Song Yuntang thought he had heard wrongly.
"what?"
Xu Qingye's calm eyes were full of seriousness.
"I say, let's get married." Then he said, "Don't worry, it's just a change of status. I won't touch you without your permission. After we get married, you can come with me to the county town. It will be more convenient to do business there, and I can take care of you with good reason. Or you can stay in Cile Town. With your parents backing you up, you will definitely not be bullied by others in the future."
Song Yuntang was a little confused.
"You want to continue your studies, so you must be planning to enter the government. I heard that some official relationships rely on marriage to maintain. Aren't you afraid that I will be a burden to you?"
Xu Qingye shook his head. "I studied hard and passed the imperial examination to become an official. If I still have to rely on a woman to get to the top, then I don't have to force my way into this officialdom."
"Will you take a concubine in the future?" Song Yuntang asked again.
"I will only have you as my wife in this life."
Looking up at his serious expression, Song Yuntang nodded as if possessed by a ghost and said, "Okay."
Hearing her answer, Xu Qingye breathed a sigh of relief.
"When I get home, I'll ask my parents to find someone to pick a date."
"I don't want to make it too grand, just a family dinner together will be fine. Also..." Song Yuntang looked at him seriously and said, "If you really have another girl you like in the future, I hope you won't hide it from me. Tell me openly. I will withdraw gracefully and make room for your sweetheart."
Xu Qingye shook his head.
"There won't be anyone else."
Song Yuntang smiled. "Although I'm happy you said that, it's still a little early to say it now. Life is neither long nor short, and no one knows what kind of people you'll meet in the future."
Xu Qingye smiled helplessly and shook his head, not arguing with her anymore.
Now, it is indeed too early to say some things.
Only over time can one see a person's true character.
The next moment, Jiang's voice came from the kitchen, "Tang'er, is your second brother back? The meal is almost ready."
At the same time, there was a knock on the door, "Sister, I'm back."
Song Yuntang was about to stand up with a smile, but Xu Qingye held his arm.
"You take a rest, I'll go open the door."
The courtyard gate was open. The moment Song Jinsheng saw Xu Qingye, the smile on his face suddenly froze. He stretched his neck and looked into the courtyard.
"Where's Tang'er?"
"She's in the house." After Xu Qingye let the person in, he closed the gate again.
Song Jinsheng entered the yard and saw a strange figure busy in the kitchen, with a look of doubt in his eyes.
The next moment, Jiang turned around and looked at Song Jinsheng with a smile, "Second brother Tang'er is back."
Song Jinsheng looked at Xu Qingye in confusion, and then heard him explain calmly, "My mother."
Although Song Jinsheng was a little surprised, he immediately smiled and greeted her, "Aunt, just call me Jinsheng. Why are you bothering me here today?"
"Tang'er is feeling a little unwell, so cooking a meal won't take up much time. It's the same if I cook. Jinsheng, go wait in the room. The meal will be ready soon."
Hearing that Song Yuntang was not feeling well, Song Jinsheng responded and hurried into the room.
"Tang'er, are you okay?"
Song Yuntang smiled and shook his head. "I'm fine. I just felt a little dizzy after being in the sun for too long. I'll be fine after a rest."
Song Jinsheng frowned, feeling somewhat guilty. "I should have known not to let you go to the manor. It would be the same if I came back and carried the things over."
"Although the village isn't far away, carrying things there takes a lot of effort. It's not as convenient as pulling them there by oxcart." Song Yuntang changed the subject. "Did your trip to the county town go smoothly this time, second brother?"
"Everything went well." He took off the purse from his waist and handed it to Song Yuntang, "Here is the four taels of silver for Furongju and the three taels and six qian of silver for Wan Qingsi to buy the pills. Please count them."
"If I can't trust Second Brother, then I can't trust anyone else either." Song Yuntang smiled and took out five coins from his purse and handed them to Song Jinsheng, "Second Brother, take this and use it for yourself."
Seeing this, Song Jinsheng hurriedly stuffed the silver into Song Yuntang's hand.
"I don't want this. You've already spent enough money on me, buying me clothes and shoes."
Song Yuntang stuffed the silver into his hand without saying anything, "Second brother, you are working for me now, how can you not have some silver on you? Besides, five cents of silver is not a lot, unless you don't want to help me anymore."
Song Jinsheng waved his hands quickly, "I don't have any."
"That's it, take it." Song Yuntang smiled and took the purse to his room and put it away.
Song Jinsheng had no choice but to put away the silver and went to the kitchen to help Jiang.
Soon, the food was on the table. Jiang cooked a pot of rice porridge for Song Yuntang and Song Jinsheng, made a few pancakes with the freshly bought white flour, and stewed a pot of meatball soup.
Seeing this, Song Yuntang hurried to the kitchen to get two more bowls and served a bowl of meatball soup to Jiang and Xu Qingye respectively.
"Auntie has been busy for so long, please eat with us, otherwise we will feel bad."
Song Jinsheng quickly responded, "Yes, auntie, you and Xu Qingye should both come to the table and have something to eat."
Jiang had no choice but to sit at the table happily, drink soup with them, and share half a white flour pancake with Xu Qingye, chewing it in her mouth.
"Tang'er, there's something I've been thinking about for a long time while I was busy in the kitchen. If it's not to your liking, please don't mind, okay?"
Song Yuntang slowed down his chewing.
"Aunt, please speak."
Jiang rested her forearms on the edge of the table.
"I thought, it's not easy for a woman like you to make a living outside. I like you very much, but we're not close enough yet. To avoid gossip, I don't want to get too close to you."
"Why don't you marry our Qingye sooner rather than later? After you get married, you can live in Lushan Village or in town. At least he can stay with you and you can look after each other. You're just feeling dizzy today, but if something urgent happens someday, you'll be left with nothing to turn to."
Xu Qingye put down his chopsticks and said, "Mom, I just said this, and she agreed."
Jiang was stunned and was unable to react for a moment.
"A... agreed?"
Xu Qingye hummed, "When we get home, Mom will ask someone to pick a date so we can get married as soon as possible."
Jiang smiled happily.
"Okay, let's get married. We're finally getting married."
Song Jinsheng stared at Song Yuntang in a daze, as if he wanted to know whether she did it voluntarily or was coerced.
Although he also thought it would be better to get married earlier.
But she said there was no rush just two days ago, why did she suddenly change her mind?
Song Yuntang gave him a reassuring look and then looked at Jiang. "Aunt, I just told Qingye that we don't want the wedding to be too grand. Just a family meal will be enough."
Jiang's expression froze, "Doesn't that mean you're being wronged?"