Song Yiren hurriedly said, "How... how could that be possible? Your daughter has waited over forty years—how can the engagement be broken?"
Ma Yuanwai shook his head and sighed endlessly. "It is all fate. Everything is fate!"
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Ziya took a bright red fruit from his pouch and handed it to the maid on the ground. "Go. Give this to your young mistress."
Song Yiren's eyes lit up. "That is a precious treasure! Hurry and let her eat it!"
The maid immediately took the fruit and hurried away.
Ma Yuanwai asked in confusion, "What is it?"
Jiang Ziya said, "It is a spiritual treasure of heaven and earth from Kunlun Mountain. Consuming it increases one's vitality and lifespan. I have another one, so I shall give it to my father-in-law as well. Consider it this time's betrothal gift."
Ma Yuanwai quickly tried to refuse.
Song Yiren hurriedly persuaded him, "Hurry and accept it. There is still a long road ahead. What if you can still hold a grandson someday?"
Hearing that, Ma Yuanwai felt it made sense and promptly ate the fruit.
After Miss Ma ate the fruit, she did not notice anything at first, but the maid beside her suddenly cried out.
"Miss! You, you, you! Look at yourself!"
Miss Ma picked up a mirror and saw that the wrinkles on her face had vanished. Her long black hair had become much younger as well.
"Miss, you look just like you did when you were young!"
Miss Ma sighed. "Oh dear! I still do not look like I am in my twenties..."
The maid smiled. "Miss, I just heard that Master wanted to break off the engagement. What should we do?"
Miss Ma anxiously said, "Quickly, quickly, go tell them! I do not... I do not want to break off the engagement! I want to marry him! I will marry him!"
The maid headed outside. "Miss! I am going, I am going!"
The young maid was happy for Miss Ma too. She had served her since childhood, and in the blink of an eye, they had shared fifty years together.
Ma Shi sat on the bed, holding her clothes as she thought about bringing some dowry with her...
At that moment, the maid ran to the front and found that Ma Yuanwai's appearance had changed too. "Master! You... what happened to you?"
Ma Yuanwai laughed heartily, his voice full of vigor. "I have become younger too! I need to hold a grandson!"
The young maid nodded happily. "Master, you are right!"
Song Yiren suddenly said, "I think the day after tomorrow is an auspicious day. Why not hold the wedding directly then?"
"Good, good, good! I have had all this dowry that I have never been able to send off. It has been weighing on my heart! Hahaha!"
Ma Yuanwai's words filled Jiang Ziya with shame.
"Old Father-in-Law, I delayed Miss Ma's important affair..."
But Ma Yuanwai did not mind. "Do not say such things. It is already a good thing that you came. Besides, you sought immortality and the Dao. A good man's ambitions lie in all four corners of the world. Still, your coming has allowed my daughter to find a good home. Say no more. In two or three days, you may come and take her away."
Feeling there was nothing else to do, Song Yiren brought Jiang Ziya back to Song Family Village.
As soon as they entered, they found Hong Lie in his true form, sitting on the sofa and happily eating fruit.
Hong Lie asked, "What happened?"
Song Yiren laughed. "Ziya is getting married! Ziya and I decided that the wedding will be held in three days!"
Hong Lie's eyes widened. He folded his two wings behind his back like a person clasping his hands behind him, then circled Jiang Ziya and looked him up and down.
"Old Jiang, I suddenly thought of a poem for you!"
Jiang Ziya had not known Hong Lie could write poetry. "Ah, you can write poems too?"
Hong Lie recited, "Leaving Kunlun for Song Village, Ziya takes a bride today. A sixty-eight-year-old maiden, a seventy-year-old groom! Hahaha! What a fine poem, what a fine poem!"
Jiang Ziya stared blankly at Hong Lie. He knew Hong Lie never had anything nice to say...
"Very good."
Ao Lie raised his neck. "Of course it is!"
Three days later, Jiang Ziya married Miss Ma.
For a while after the wedding, the couple was fairly loving. More than a month later, Jiang Ziya began wondering whether he ought to find something to do.
Teacher had sent him down the mountain to assist a wise ruler. Cheng Tang's fortune was now nearing its end.
Would Zhou Wang abdicate when the time came?
The new ruler would surely be short of capable people. It would be the perfect time for him to show his skills!
However, Jiang Ziya had spent forty years on Kunlun Mountain and did not know much about life in the mortal world.
Seeing Jiang Ziya deep in thought, Miss Ma asked, "Husband, do you have something troubling you?"
Jiang Ziya said, "I stay at home all day with nothing to do."
Miss Ma smiled. "How can anyone live without managing some business? Doing nothing truly will not do. Go out for a walk and run a small business. It would also let you understand the hardships of the common people."
"But... Wife, I spent forty years on the mountain. I do not know how to do anything. I can only weave bamboo strainers..."
Ma Shi nodded. "That is not bad. It does not require much expense. You only need to chop some bamboo and weave strainers!"
Jiang Ziya nodded. He cut some bamboo, wove quite a few strainers, and the next day hauled them directly to Chaoge to sell.
But he arrived as soon as the sun rose and waited until sunset without selling a single one.
He was so hungry that his head spun, and he could only head home. The round trip was sixty or seventy li!
Jiang Ziya was so exhausted that he could barely walk.
That evening, Miss Ma noticed that it was already late and Jiang Ziya still had not returned, so she waited at the door.
From afar, she saw Jiang Ziya slowly making his way back, looking utterly exhausted. Ma Shi looked at the strainers, not one fewer than before, and felt a little heartbroken. "Husband, are you tired? How about we stop selling them? Perhaps Chaoge simply has no need for strainers?"
Jiang Ziya shook his head and sighed. "Nonsense. Strainers are something everyone in the world uses. Perhaps I simply do not know how to sell them. I will try again tomorrow..."
Seeing Jiang Ziya drenched in sweat, Miss Ma thought of how he was practically an immortal. How could he do such rough work?
She did not want Jiang Ziya to suffer.
"Husband, too many people know how to weave these things... Perhaps they are not easy to sell?"
"But this is the only thing I know how to make. Should we sell gold instead? I know the Turning Stone into Gold Technique!"
Ma Shi's mouth twitched. "I will discuss it with Elder Brother."
Song Yiren came into the room and asked, "Second Brother, did you not go do some small business? How did it go?"
Jiang Ziya sighed. "I spent the whole day there and could not sell anything."
Ma Shi said from the side, "Elder Brother, persuade him. Do not let him sell anymore."
Song Yiren nodded. "That is true. Our family is not short on money, so why do this business? There is still some wheat in the granary. Grind it into flour and sell flour tomorrow!"
Miss Ma's eyes lit up. "Elder Brother is right. Flour is something every household uses!"
The next day, Jiang Ziya brought another sack of flour to Chaoge to sell.
But it was just like the day before. He went hungry from morning until night and did not sell even a single jin.
As he was about to head home, Jiang Ziya leaned against the city gate to rest for a while. Just then, someone passed by him. "Hey, are you selling that flour?"
Jiang Ziya hurriedly nodded. "Yes, yes, yes!"
The person said, "Give me one tael."
One tael???
That little?
But he could not refuse a sale.
Jiang Ziya felt that the voice sounded very familiar.