Along the mountain road, Xu Chunniang returned home not long after.
Looking at the familiar thatched house in front of her, which was obviously the house she lived in every day, she actually felt like she hadn't seen it for a long time.
Xu Chunniang shook her head and suppressed this strange feeling.
"Third girl, didn't you go up the mountain to chop firewood? Why did you come back so soon? Hey, where's the firewood?"
A confused voice came from behind, it was my mother asking questions.
Xu Chunniang turned around and then remembered that she went up the mountain to chop firewood.
But for some reason, after going up the mountain, she felt confused and in a daze, as if she had forgotten something.
After waking up from that state, she went straight down the mountain, even forgetting to cut firewood.
Seeing the three girls looking so distraught, Xu's mother showed a trace of distress and helplessness on her face.
"Forget it, if it's not chopped, it's not chopped. Anyway, we still have a lot of firewood at home. When it's almost burned, it's not too late to go up the mountain to chop wood."
Xu Chunniang nodded, put the backpack on her back in the yard, and walked into the room feeling somewhat depressed.
Xu's mother followed Xu Chunniang, talking nonchalantly.
"Third girl, how have you considered what I told you a few days ago?
Although Xu Quangui is older and lame, he is an honest man and has several brothers above him. If you marry him, he will not be in trouble."
As she spoke, Mother Xu's face showed a trace of sadness. The three girls were fine everywhere, except for the birthmark on their face...
Thinking of this, Xu's mother shook her head, there was nothing she could do about it.
Fortunately, Xu Quangui is an honest man, from the same village, and his family knows everything about it.
Third Girl's temperament is not one to be taken advantage of, and she is capable of doing things. She is a leader inside and outside. After marrying her, life will not be too difficult.
Xu Chunniang remembered the conversation a few days ago. In fact, she had heard these words countless times after she turned fifteen.
As she grew older, she heard similar words more and more.
It probably means nothing more than that my mother hopes she can find a good family and get married as soon as possible.
Xu Chunniang was a little annoyed. What she said actually made sense. Men should get married when they get older, and girls should get married when they get older. The living customs in Xujia Village have always been like this.
In Xujiacun, once a girl reaches the age of fifteen, her family will help arrange the marriage.
Xu Chunniang is almost seventeen now, and her marriage has not been settled yet. No wonder Xu's mother keeps urging her.
In fact, Xu Chunniang is the only one in these ten miles and eight towns. At such an old age, the marriage has not even been settled.
You know, those women who got married earlier were already mothers of two children at Xu Chunniang's age.
Because of this incident, Xu Chunniang became a joke in Xujia Village, and many people gossiped about her family.
And her marriage completely became Xu's mother's heartache.
Xu Chunniang sighed secretly in her heart. Xu Quanfu is thirty-one years old this year. To put it nicely, it is his duty to be honest, but to put it worst, he is cowardly and incompetent.
His family was poor and he was lame in one leg. No one from all over the country looked up to him, so Xu Quanfu had been a bachelor until now.
Do you really want to marry such a person?
Xu Chunniang was naturally reluctant. However, Xu's mother's constant nagging was really too much for her.
During dinner, Xu's mother unexpectedly brought up this topic again.
"Third girl, if you don't want to get married, you'll be miserable for the rest of your life, but you'll be hurting your younger brothers and sisters."
Xu's mother sighed and spoke. She knew her daughter's nature very well.
The third girl has been stubborn since she was a child. She believes that even ten cows cannot pull back something. However, she loves and takes care of her two younger brothers and sisters very much.
Xu Chunniang remained silent. Her younger brother was already thirteen this year and her younger sister was twelve. In two years, they should talk about marriage.
Xu's mother continued to speak.
"Sanya, it's not that Mom wants to force you. Mom also knows that Xu Quanfu is not a good home. But, your situation..."
At this point, Xu's mother paused.
The third girl has a birthmark on her face, she is known for her strong personality, and she is so old. There are really not many people in this country who are willing to take her.
Even one or two families took a fancy to the third girl's ability, but were afraid of her temper and did not dare to propose marriage.
Xu's mother sighed, "If you, my sister, can't get married, your younger brothers and sisters will be affected by you, and it will be equally difficult for them to get married."
If the third girl, the elder sister, stands in the way and refuses to get married, the marriage between the younger son and the younger daughter will not even be mentioned.
This is the custom in the village. The elders and younger ones are arranged in an orderly manner. They must wait for the elder brother and sister in front to get married before it is the turn of the younger ones. Otherwise, it is unlucky.
In fact, in Xu's mother's opinion, if the marriage between the third girl and Xu Quanfu can come true, it will be a beautiful thing.
Although Xu Quanfu is weak and timid, the three girls in her family are strong and bold. They can run the family as soon as they marry and are not afraid of being bullied.
When Xu Chunniang heard this, she remained silent for a long time.
Mom is right, she doesn't care about the rumors in Xujiacun, but what if these rumors fall on her younger brother and sister?
She doesn't want to get married, and she can't let her younger siblings be unable to start a family because of her.
Seeing that the third girl was wavering, Xu's mother said with a hint of pleading on her face, "Third girl, even if mother begs you, just agree to this marriage. If you don't get married, if mother goes out, she will be stabbed in the spine."
Already."
"I see."
Xu Chunniang's heart felt helpless and sour, and she suppressed all her unwillingness.
Maybe this is her fate.
But this fate is so unfair!
She considers herself to be as courageous and courageous as ordinary men. Just because of her female body and the small birthmark on her face, her destiny in this life has been determined.
In the past one or two years, Xu Chunniang has been refusing to marry. Isn't this a struggle against fate?
Now it seems that she has completely lost this battle.
Xu Chunniang is an ugly girl from a small peasant family. She has parents, brother-in-law, and unmarried younger siblings. How can she do whatever she wants, live her life the way she wants?
Seeing that the third girl finally listened to her advice, Xu's mother was overjoyed and put the few vegetable leaves on the table into Xu Chunniang's bowl.
"Third girl, you are a good girl... you are my mother, I am sorry for you..."
Xu Chunniang looked at the one or two vegetable leaves in the rice bowl, but she had no appetite. It seemed that she had eaten much more delicious food than this, and she was not interested in the clear soup and side dishes in front of her.
This idea had just arisen, and Xu Chunniang secretly found it funny. How could she have such a strange idea?
The family has always been poor, especially after my brother married his sister-in-law three years ago.
In order for my brother to get married, my parents emptied the last of their wealth and owed a lot of foreign debt.
Thinking of this, Xu Chunniang was slightly startled. Why was there a shortage of money at home? With one hundred taels of silver, her brother should be able to easily arrange a marriage.
The next second, Xu Chunniang became more and more confused. One hundred taels of silver, where did the family get the one hundred taels of silver? Could she be dreaming?
My family is obviously very poor, but I have never been rich.
Why does she think that there are one hundred taels at home? What's going on?
Xu Chunniang's head suddenly hurt, and she hit her head, feeling as if she had forgotten something important.
But my mind went blank and I couldn't think of anything.
When Xu Quanfu learned that Xu Chunniang had agreed to get married, they quickly set a date for the wedding, which was three days later.