On the road back from Baligou, Zhang Cai kept thinking about what Mr. Liu had said. "I agreed to let Qianqian take care of Xiaolong because I wanted her to repay his kindness. A hero saving a beauty, and the beauty offering herself in return—that's the stuff of legends. I never expected it to happen for real. Now that Xiaolong's injuries have largely healed, I intend to bring Qianqian home in a few days. She can't keep staying at Old Brother Zhang's place forever, can she?"
What could Zhang Cai say? There had always been a gap between his family and the Liu family. Xiaolong was only a farmer; compared with Liu Qian, a sensible and well-educated young woman, he truly was not a match for her. During these days together, the Zhang family had regarded Liu Qian as a golden phoenix, but the Zhang family had no Wutong tree—how could they let a phoenix settle upon them? Though Liu Qian truly liked Zhang Xiaolong and was willing to live with the Zhang family, who knew what things would be like once they truly lived together? Rather than suffer heartache later, it was better not to come together now. Alas, what a pity for such a fine daughter-in-law as Liu Qian, and what a pity for Xiaolong's devoted heart.
Zhang Cai sighed as he walked, sighing all the way to Guo Village, his furrowed brow never relaxing.
Naturally, Zhang Xiaolong and the others at home had been eagerly awaiting his return, hoping Zhang Cai would bring good news. But when they saw him enter with a dark face, they knew things had not gone well. Zhang Cai entered the room and dropped onto a chair. Zhang Xiaolong hurriedly poured him some water. After drinking and resting for a while, Zhang Cai recounted what had happened at Mr. Liu's home. Everyone, their hearts hanging in suspense, fell silent. Guo Sufi asked Zhang Cai, "Should we tell Mother about this?"
After thinking for a moment, Zhang Cai said, "Not yet. Mother knows we went to Baligou. If there had been happy news, she would certainly have been the first person we told. Since we aren't telling her, she'll probably know it isn't good news. Right, where's Liu Qian?"
Guo Sufi pointed toward the inner room. "When she saw you coming back just now, the child got shy and hid herself away. I'll call her out and tell her what her father said, so she can start packing her things."
Zhang Xiaolong said from the side, "Mother, I'll call her. I don't think Qianqian will go back, so there's no need to pack anything yet."
Guo Sufi looked lovingly at Zhang Xiaolong, who was in love, and said, "All right, you go. Perhaps Qianqian can persuade her father."
Before long, Liu Qian followed Zhang Xiaolong out of the inner room. Her face was somewhat pale. She looked at everyone but said nothing, quietly taking a seat in the corner. The others sat down as well and silently watched her. In truth, Liu Qian's thoughts were churning like rivers and seas, and she could not understand what her father meant. Ever since she was little, her father had indulged her and never gone against her wishes. Take the matter of choosing a husband—she alone had always made the decisions. Countless people had come to propose before, yet her father had never offered an opinion, leaving everything to her likes and dislikes. That was why this was so strange. She had made her choice, yet he opposed it. Could he be afraid that Uncle Zhang had deceived him? But that did not seem likely either. Could he truly want her brother to marry first, then consider her? Thinking of this, Liu Qian felt another wave of distress. Liu Kai's standards were extraordinarily high as well; he had his eye on none of the girls from nearby villages. If she had to wait for him to get engaged first, would she not become an old maid?
Liu Qian raised her head. Seeing everyone's eager gazes upon her, she forced a smile. "I don't really understand Father's intentions either. When he comes to take me home in a few days, I'll ask him properly."
Then she looked at Zhang Xiaolong and nodded at him. Only then did a faint smile appear on Zhang Xiaolong's face.
This night was destined to be a stifling one. No one ate much dinner. They hurriedly ate a little, then cleaned up. When Guo Sufi brought food to Grandmother, Grandmother asked whether Zhang Cai had brought back good news. Guo Sufi had just been about to evade the question when Grandmother said, "It's all right, Sufi. I know our family's situation well. The children are all outstanding, but our household circumstances are what they are. It's only natural for others to look down on us. Let the children follow fate. Those who are not family will not enter the same door; if she is meant to be our daughter-in-law, she will marry into our family sooner or later."
Guo Sufi felt both joy and sorrow. She was glad that Mother saw things more clearly than she did; she had truly been thrown into confusion because she cared too much. But she was also worried that Mother's final wish might never be fulfilled. That made her feel somewhat unfilial.
After dinner, no one had the heart to work. They chatted briefly, then each went to sleep. Only Zhang Cai and Guo Sufi remained in the main room, whispering together for a long while before returning to their own room.
No oil lamp had been lit in the inner room. Guo Sufi climbed onto the kang in the dark. As she lay there thinking over what she and Zhang Cai had discussed, she heard Liu Qian tossing and turning, unable to sleep. She asked, "Are you thinking about what your father said?"
"Yes, Auntie," Liu Qian answered indistinctly.
Guo Sufi said, "Qianqian, your father is doing this for your own good. You are still young, and there are too many things you have not experienced. You lack life experience. Your father has his own ideas and hopes you can live a happy life. We all understand that. After all, a family like ours truly cannot give you much. When your father was young, because of his family's circumstances, he could not let your mother properly care for her health, and that became his lifelong regret. That is why he places such importance on this. And most importantly, I think he wants to find you a scholar. He and your brother are both educated men, so naturally he hopes your husband will be educated too. Then the two of you can compose poems and match couplets; that is the kind of life you ought to have. As for Xiaolong, he is my own son, so of course I think he is very good. But our family circumstances really were poor back then, which was why we could not let him study and learn to read. Life forced us into it. What family would not want their children to amount to something?"
"I know, Auntie. I vaguely understand Father's intentions now too. But I still feel that while composing poems and matching couplets, with all the romance of wind, flowers, snow, and moon, is certainly happiness, a life where you carry water while I tend the garden, where you plow the fields while I weave cloth, is also a kind of happiness. If two people in a household understand each other's hearts, respect and love each other, then even if life is somewhat poor, they can change it with their own hands. I grew up in the countryside. I do not have my mother's frail constitution; I am very healthy. Though I never did farm work in the fields when I was little, I believe that if I did, I would not be worse than anyone else." Liu Qian sounded very unconvinced.
Guo Sufi smiled. "Qianqian, you truly are a child who refuses to admit defeat. Actually, marriage is often not merely a matter between two people. You have to blend into a new family and adapt to their way of life, and you must also let them accept you. It is not enough for only your husband to accept you. Besides, there are countless trivial matters at home—oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, all those chicken-feather-and-garlic-skin details. Any little matter can make your life unpleasant."
Liu Qian said, "Auntie, I know all of that. When I was at home, Father and Brother did not understand household matters at all. I did everything myself. I believe I am fully prepared for these things. And... and during the time I have lived here, I have felt that the atmosphere in this household is very good, very harmonious. Here, I can feel something that I could not enjoy in my own home. I think I can blend into this family very well."
Her voice grew softer and softer, as if she were embarrassed.
"And most importantly, I think Xiaolong is very good, good in every way. I do not want to lose the chance for a lifetime of happiness because of family circumstances. Actually, I hesitated before too. I thought that since Xiaolong could not read, perhaps we would have nothing to talk about. But I thought it over—I can teach Xiaolong to read and write, and he agreed. I think we will live well and not make any of you worry." By the end, Liu Qian's voice was so soft it was nearly inaudible. Fortunately, in the darkness, no one could see how red her face had already become, allowing her to say all these things.
Guo Sufi felt greatly comforted. She consoled Liu Qian as well. "Qianqian, I am very happy that you have spoken so openly today. You have seen that everyone in our family likes you very much. Not only Xiaolong—even your uncle and I sometimes regard you as our daughter-in-law. Xiaohua and Xiaohu want even more to call you Sister-in-law. We will do everything we can to marry you into our family. Do you remember that last time in Lu Town, that bully paid us silver?"
Liu Qian said, "Oh, yes. If you had not mentioned it, I almost would have forgotten. That was quite a large sum of silver."
Guo Sufi said, "Your uncle and I discussed it just now. If your father truly thinks our family is poor and lacks enough silver to let you live a good life, we plan to cash that banknote. I believe that amount will certainly satisfy your father."
Liu Qian immediately stopped her. "Auntie, we absolutely must not use that banknote now. What if that bully has laid a trap at the money house in Lu Town? Wouldn't we be walking straight into the net? Without absolute certainty, we must never do that. Otherwise, we will not even be able to live our normal lives, much less reassure my father. Besides, my father is not someone with his head buried in a money pit. He surely has other thoughts. Let us wait until he comes before saying anything."
Guo Sufi said, "Exactly. That was what I told your uncle too, but he seems to have burrowed into a bull's horn. He is terrified that your father will take you away, which is why he came up with this idea. When your father comes, we will ask him properly what is on his mind. In any case, I think if Xiaolong cannot marry you, he will not fancy any other girl. He might not marry for the rest of his life."
Liu Qian gave a coy laugh. "Auntie, listen to yourself. How could I possibly be that wonderful? Being able to meet Xiaolong is fate between us."
Guo Sufi said, "Yes, it is fate. But fate is decreed by Heaven; turning that fate into a real family depends on people. Heaven does not take care of that. We should sleep early, restore our strength, and take good care of this home."
Liu Qian said, "All right, Auntie. You should sleep early too."
Liu Qian had poured all her worries out to Guo Sufi and felt immensely relieved. Before long, she fell asleep. Listening to Liu Qian's soft snores, Guo Sufi felt happy too. Even if such a girl could not become her daughter-in-law, she still wished her happiness. Thinking this, she too fell asleep.
Only Zhang Cai and Zhang Xiaolong, in the small room opposite, found it difficult to fall asleep for a long time. No one knew when they finally drifted off.