WSMTATMC C158

Chapter 158

At first sight, the two were both overwhelmingly excited. If one were to speak of the person in this world closest to them apart from immediate family, it would be Third Aunt Chen Rong. Though there was not a drop of shared blood, she was like a true aunt.

Chen Rong said, “Some time ago, didn’t Qingyun send a letter saying she’d found a good match for Sui? So I thought to come have a look, and as it happened, the Marquis sent people to escort us to the prefectural city.”

“Did Lin Qiu and the others come too?”

“They did, all of them—they’re in the carriage.”

“Then come in quickly!”

The soldiers drove the carriage into the courtyard, and Wang Ying called out, “Third Aunt is here!”

In the house, Fang Ling froze for a moment. “Which Third Aunt?”

Madam Li said, “Could it be that Third Younger Sister has come?”

The two hurried out, and at the sight of Chen Rong in the courtyard, their eyes instantly turned red. As people grow older, they grow all the more sentimental and cherish kinship all the more.

Madam Li held Chen Rong’s hand and looked her up and down. “Third Younger Sister, how did you get here?”

“The Marquis sent people to fetch us; the whole family has come.”

When the carriage stopped, Cao Kun was the first to jump down. He set Xiaomai on the ground, then took the baby from Lin Qiu’s arms.

Everyone gathered around. Wang Ying picked up Xiaomai and said, “Xiaomai, still remember Uncle by marriage?”

Xiaomai could already speak and shyly shook his head.

Madam Li took the baby from Cao Kun. “And this must be the second one, right? So plump—truly adorable!”

“There’s wind outside—come in quickly.”

Everyone went into the main room. Wang Ying sent a servant to inform Lin Sui and Qingyun that Third Aunt had arrived.

Lin Sui and Qingyun were sewing clothes inside. Hearing the message from the servant, Lin Sui was so excited the needle pricked his fingertip, and ignoring the pain, he shoved his shoes on and ran out to the courtyard.

At the doorway, hearing his mother’s voice inside, Lin Sui could not hold back tears and pushed open the door. “Mother, Big Brother…”

“Sui’er!” Lin Qiu and Chen Rong hurried over and wrapped him in an embrace.

Lin Sui broke down and cried—not from grief, but from the longing and joy after so long apart.

Chen Rong and Lin Qiu also shed tears, and only after a long while did the three of them calm down.

Wang Ying brought handkerchiefs and handed them over. “No more tears. Today we’re reunited as a family—let’s all be happy.”

Lin Sui wiped his eyes and nodded, helped Chen Rong sit down, and then looked at his two little nephews.

“Xiaomai, do you remember your little uncle?”

Xiaomai hid behind Cao Kun and shook his head. When Lin Sui had left, the boy was just over one year old; after more than half a year, of course he would not remember.

Cao Kun drew Xiaomai forward. “This is your own little uncle—he dotes on you the most. Greet him.”

“U… Uncle,” Xiaomai stammered.

Lin Sui picked the child up, stroking his small face with heartache. “Later, little uncle will buy you sweets.”

Yuanbao said, “I want sweets too.”

Wang Ying tapped his nose. “Your teeth are nearly rotten, and you still want candy?”

Yuanbao lowered his head in embarrassment, but soon he and Xiaomai warmed up to each other. He pulled the boy to play with his pile of knickknacks in the room. With Mutou and Chunsheng watching on the side, nothing would go wrong.

The baby got sleepy again. At this age, children eat and sleep well. Madam Li had Aunt Chen make rice gruel and planned to stroll the street in the afternoon to see if there were any ewes that had just lambed, so the baby could have some sheep’s milk. Yuanbao had been raised that way and was very healthy.

After the greetings, Chen Rong inquired about her son’s marriage.

“I saw in the letter that Marquis Wuping has taken a liking to Sui’er. We don’t know how old he is or what his temperament is like.”

Lin Sui said, “The Marquis is twenty-five this year, a steady sort of person.”

At that, Lin Qiu exclaimed in surprise, “Only twenty-five? Mother and I worried ourselves sick along the way—we thought he must be an older man.”

Everyone laughed. Hearing the title “Marquis,” it does make one assume an advanced age.

Marquises of the Wu Dynasty were not many, and most resided in the capital, many of them imperial kin. For example, the Marquis of Changle was His Majesty’s own maternal uncle, and that title was hereditary for his sons and grandsons.

There were also second-tier marquises, like the Marquis of Wenxuan, a founding minister. Though hereditary, the rank would be reduced by one degree every generation, and if the descendants were lackluster, over time the title could be rescinded.

As for a third-tier marquis like Li Mu, his title could not be inherited by his sons or grandsons, so he had no particular intention of having a son for the sake of inheritance.

Chen Rong took her son’s hand. “Then he knows that you…”

Lin Sui nodded. “He knows. The Marquis knows everything, and yet he’s still willing to marry me.”

Lin Qiu was still uneasy. “Does he have children in his family?”

“There’s a little daughter named Qing’er, four and a half years old—a very well-behaved, lovable little girl. I’ll bring her over for you to meet when there’s time.”

“You’ve met the child already?”

Wang Ying said, “More than met—those two’s red thread of fate was tied by that child.”

He recounted how Qing’er had accidentally climbed into their ice-delivery cart, and how afterward she had become as close to Lin Sui as if he were her own father, leaving Chen Rong and Lin Qiu clicking their tongues in amazement.

“Who would have thought there’d be such a fated bond? Perhaps in a past life you two were father and son.”

Lin Qiu blessed the good match.

As Lin Sui said: since he was to marry rather than be cast off, why not choose the best possible match?

Chen Rong tucked his hair behind his ear and examined him carefully. “My son has grown taller and more handsome—the prefectural city has not been a waste!”

As for food, this was the advantage of the prefectural city: eateries and restaurants everywhere, and few with poor flavors.

After the meal, Wang Ying went to arrange their rooms. Lin Sui wanted to sleep in the same room as Chen Rong; after so long apart, he missed his mother dearly.

Cao Kun and Lin Qiu took the two children to a guest room—the room previously used by their Li cousin. It was fortunate they had moved to a new courtyard; otherwise, there wouldn’t have been space for so many people.

After such a long journey, everyone was tired and went to rest in their rooms in the afternoon.

—

Elsewhere, Li Mu was in the military camp reading military texts when he was informed that Deputy General Zheng had returned.

At the news, he put the book down and went to greet him. Soon he saw Zheng Guang jogging over with a wide grin. “I’ve lived up to the Marquis’s trust—everyone’s been brought back!”

Li Mu patted his shoulder. “You’ve worked hard.”

“Pah, such a small matter hardly counts as hardship—it was just a nerve-wracking trip, afraid of frightening them.”

“Come inside to talk.”

Once inside, Li Mu moved to pour tea, but Zheng Guang quickly waved his hands. “No, no, I’ll pour it myself.”

Li Mu laughed and scolded him lightly, setting the teapot down.

Zheng Guang poured himself a cup, gulped it down, and then began his report. “When we arrived, they had just received the letter. After reading it, they were planning to come to the prefectural city anyway, and it just so happened I said I’d bring them.”

“How were Lin Sui’s mother and elder brother? Did they show any reluctance to let the son marry over?”

“Not at all. Their family is very proper and polite—careful not to cause trouble. We also looked after them as best we could. Especially since they brought two babies, we feared they might fall ill on the road.”

Li Mu’s heart tightened upon hearing this. He hadn’t known beforehand that Lin Sui’s brother had had a baby not long ago; the second child was just over three months old. For such a small child to make the journey was no easy thing.

“So long as they arrived safely, that’s good. Go rest now, and come early tomorrow for drills.”

Zheng Guang winced. “Can’t I have two more days off?”

“I see your hide needs tightening.” Li Mu raised a foot to kick him, and Zheng Guang ran off with a grin. “Tomorrow—I’ll be here tomorrow.”

After he left, Li Mu paced back and forth for a while. It wouldn’t do to pay a rash visit; better to wait two days and then bring his daughter along.

—

On the fifth day of the tenth month, the Chen family courtyard was spread with red carpets, and red double-happiness characters were pasted on doors and windows.

Tomorrow was Qingyun’s wedding day, and everyone was busy.

In the main room, Madam Li and Chen Rong were weaving lover’s knots. Fang Ling didn’t know how to make them and held the baby while watching.

Chen Rong asked, “I haven’t had time to ask—how is Qingyun’s husband’s family? How old is he?”

“He’s eighteen, a classmate of Qingyan’s. His father works at the yamen, and his mother manages several shops. The family is well-off.”

“Sounds good! What about the mother-in-law—easy to get along with?”

Madam Li said, “You’ll know when you see her—her temperament is much like yours.”

Chen Rong couldn’t help laughing. “Talkative like me?”

“Talkative and warm—very easy to get along with!”

Fang Ling said, “You’ve come at just the right time. We were regretting that you might miss Qingyun’s marriage.”

Chen Rong said, “If the Marquis hadn’t sent people to fetch us, we really couldn’t have come this time. Originally, we planned to have Cao Kun go to the prefectural city to inquire, since the second baby is still so little and Lin Qiu would have trouble taking care of everything alone. It was just as we hadn’t finished packing that the Marquis’s carriage arrived.”

Madam Li said, “The Marquis, honestly—without a word, he fetched everyone over.”

“The carriage we rode in was spacious, and when the two children got sleepy, they could sleep inside—it wasn’t too tough a trip.”

“It’s good you came. Stay for more days this time.”

“Cao Kun still has business at the rickshaw shop—he can’t be away too long.”

“Then let him go back first. You and Lin Qiu stay here. Wait until Lin Sui’s marriage is concluded before leaving—save yourselves the back-and-forth.”

Chen Rong thought it over—that was indeed reasonable. “All right, then I’ll be shameless and stay on. Sister-in-law, don’t mind the bother.”

Madam Li patted her. “How old are you to still tease your sister-in-law like that?” The sisters-in-law all burst into laughter.

Fang Ling said, “After Qingyun marries, I’ll head back to Shanzhou and discuss Qing Huai’s marriage with Chen Jing.” Qing Huai was already eighteen; he could not afford to delay. The Bai family girl could not be made to wait, or in time the in-laws would become enemies.

“That’s right. It’s a pity Fourth Brother is too busy with official duties to come, otherwise the whole family could be together.”

Chen Rong said, “Indeed. I haven’t met your third child yet—is he five now?”

Fang Ling nodded. “Five—he’ll be six after the New Year.”

“I remember he had just been born when we last received news. In the blink of an eye, five or six years have passed. When you have time, bring him back for us to see.”

“Let’s see how Jing-ge’s evaluation goes next year. For two years in Shanzhou, his rating has been upper-middle. If the February evaluation is still upper-middle, he might be transferred. Where to is unclear. If it’s back to the capital, that would be best.”

Chen Rong comforted, “No matter—Fourth Brother is clever and capable. He’ll do well wherever he goes.”

“True, but that poor and remote place is taxing. His hair has gone gray over these years—he looks ten years older than his peers. I only hope this time he can be transferred somewhere better.”

After working for half a day, the three finally finished the lover’s knots. In the back courtyard, Wang Ying, Lin Qiu, and Lin Sui were helping Qingyun pack her things.

The dowry had already been boxed up—sixteen sedan-loads neatly arranged in the courtyard, to be taken back along with the Liu family’s betrothal gifts the next day.

Around the hour of Shen, the Liu family delivered the “hurrying-the-bride” cakes—a basket of baked flatbreads—signifying urging the bride to come quickly.

Wang Ying handed out rewards and instructed that early the next morning, they would send Qingyun off to be married.