RMCF: Chapter 6

 

Chapter 6

“Aiya, why is there a pile of firewood blocking the gate?!”

Zhang Fangyuan was busy inside the house when he heard the exclamation from outside. He put his work aside and went out to find Matchmaker Gan standing at the entrance to his yard, eyeing the firewood piled outside.

“Fangyuan, why have you left the firewood out here?”

He truly didn't know when a pile of firewood, small hill-like, had appeared leaning against his gate. Zhang Fangyuan stepped out to greet her, glancing left and right outside the yard, but spotting no clues.

“Haven't had time to tidy up the firewood I gathered yet,” he said with a laugh. “Auntie Gan, please, come in and sit.”

Zhang Fangyuan ushered her into the central room, fetching a stool and pouring tea with an attentiveness that greatly satisfied Matchmaker Gan.

“Nephew, to be blunt, I've put in a great deal of effort for your sake.” Matchmaker Gan sat down without ceremony and took a large gulp of tea.

Had those two jin of meat not been immediately stewed at her husband's insistence for a rare treat, and had she not been thoroughly scolded at the Hu’s household, she would have liked to abandoned the match altogether. In all her years as a matchmaker, it was the first time she'd been cursed out so harshly.

When He Shi brought over another basket of eggs, she had no choice but to thicken her skin and visit a few more families. Having mentally prepared herself this time, although she still received some sarcastic remarks, thankfully it wasn't as vicious as the Hu family's tongue-lashing. She decided she would never act as a matchmaker for the Hu family again. Even if a match isn't made, courtesy should remain. Being villagers who see each other all the time; they truly don’t know how to behave.

“You've worked hard, Auntie Gan. Once the matter is settled, I'll definitely prepare a large red envelope to thank you properly.”

Matchmaker Gan waved her hand. “Enough, enough. If not for your sake, then for the sake of your parents and your aunts.”

“Now, listen carefully. The family I've arranged this time is the Guang family. They have many children. The one of marriageable age is the fifth daughter. I took a look; her features are pleasant, her temperament is quiet and gentle, and she seems virtuous and good at managing household affairs. Tidy yourself up, bring some gifts, and go with your aunt to meet them. If both sides find it suitable, the matter will be settled.”

Zhang Fangyuan's heart warmed, but he still asked cautiously, “The Guang family? The one living on the edge of the village?”

Matchmaker Gan nodded. This family had moved to their village a few years ago. Because they lived on the border, they didn't interact closely with the other villagers. She hadn't been unable to find a suitable family in the village and was preparing to ask in the neighboring one, which lead to her passing by the Guang house and being reminded of their existence.

The Guang family lived in poverty and had many children—six or seven in total. Matchmaker Gan hadn't seen them all, only the one of marriageable age. Now, the Guang couple was getting older, and with so many mouths to feed, the heavy taxes levied on their large household made them eager to marry off their children.

Under the laws of the Da Chao Dynasty, any woman or ger unmarried between the ages of fifteen and thirty had to pay a doubled head tax. Originally, it was one suan per person a year, which is a hundred and twenty wen. If a woman or ger remained unmarried past the marriageable age, the tax would double with increasing age, reaching up to five suan.

This meant that if a family had one late-marrying woman or ger, that single person alone could cost the family up to six hundred wen in taxes—almost a tael of silver. Unless the family was extremely well-off, who could afford to pay taxes like that?

When Matchmaker Gan went to their door and mentioned Zhang Fangyuan, the Guang family hesitated slightly, but were still willing to meet.

“Auntie specifically asked about the bride price for you. The bride price in our village isn't high. For an ordinary family, three to five taels of silver is considered respectable. The Guang family is quite reasonable; they didn't try to inflate the price. Your aunt also has an idea about this and will negotiate according to that price when the time comes.”

With the matchmaker being so thoughtful, Zhang Fangyuan was profuse in his thanks, showering her with a basketful of pleasantries.

Matchmaker Gan happily drank her tea. She glanced around the Zhang house out of the corner of her eye. The last time she was here was for the funeral feast, several years ago. Back then, the Zhang house was very well-kept. Coming today, she saw weeds growing in the yard. Although the inside showed signs of having been tidied, it still wasn't as meticulous as when a woman or ger takes care of it; there was dust left on the tables and stools. A bachelor's home was just like that.

Still, one must give Zhang Fangyuan credit. A butcher's hands are rough, and he still had to find time to manage these finer tasks. Reaching this state was actually quite good.

“Alright, Auntie has brought you the news. I won't sit around and delay you any longer. Hurry up and prepare to go meet the Guang family. Settle the matter sooner, so Auntie can receive your happy money earlier, right?”

Matchmaker Gan said her goodbyes with a smile.

Zhang Fangyuan saw her to the gate, then stood hands on hips, looking at the firewood by his yard entrance. He shook his head helplessly. That Xu youngest!

“His leg healed that fast? Already back up the mountain gathering firewood?”

He gathered up all the firewood and carried it into the house. After tidying up and locking the door, he turned and went to his fourth uncle's house again.

…

“Why are you tagging along? Don't you have work in the fields?”

“I'm coming with you to the city to see what kind of gifts one needs to bring for a marriage proposal meeting. It'll come in handy when I'm seeking a wife myself.”

The next day, Zhang Fangyuan planned to go to the city early to buy things for the meeting and proposal. Chen Si came pestering him first thing in the morning.

“How did you find out?”

Chen Si pursed his lips. “Matchmaker Gan visited so many families in the village. Other families might just boast that a matchmaker came for their daughter or ger, without saying who the suitor was. But the Hu family? Can that big mouth keep anything quiet? By afternoon, half the village knew you, Zhang Fangyuan, had asked a matchmaker to find you a match. Then I saw Matchmaker Gan going to your house yesterday, and she came out all smiles, so I knew she must have found someone for you.”

“You're really not being a good friend, keeping such a big matter secret and not even giving me a heads-up.”

Zhang Fangyuan strode towards the village entrance. “You're younger than me, not in a hurry to marry. Surely you don't want to compete with me over finding a match?”

“I'm only a year or two younger than you, already old enough to marry.”

Zhang Fangyuan said, “Your reputation isn't as bad as mine. Since you can marry, why are you still waiting?”

Chen Si sighed. “My third brother isn't married yet. My parents think no matter how urgent it is, I can't jump the queue ahead of my brother. I have to wait until Third Brother is married before it's my turn.”

Zhang Fangyuan thought the Chen family was quite old-fashioned. It seemed large families had their liveliness, but also many inconveniences. Being an only child had its advantages too.

“Then you should just start looking around first. Once your third brother is married, you can go make a proposal directly, isn't that right?”

“That's what I think too.”

After a pause, Chen Si pressed further, “You haven't even seen the Guang family's daughter. If you meet her this time and she's suitable, you'll just get married? Aren't you going to find someone you actually like?”

Zhang Fangyuan had pondered this question at night. But not just now; even in his previous life, he hadn't considered these matters. Right now, he just wanted to settle down quickly, especially since he wasn't young anymore, and he didn't have anyone specific in mind that he fancied. “Our village is already pretty good. We can meet the person ourselves before marrying. It's not like in the city, with all those strict rituals and rules, where it's entirely the parents’ orders and the matchmaker's words, and you only see the person you're marrying on the wedding night. Let's not ask for too much.”

Once married, he intended to work and earn money.

Chen Si scratched his head. “That's true.”

Zhang Fangyuan looked at Chen Si and smiled. “But if you get the chance to meet someone you like yourself, don't miss the opportunity. I'm the one who wasted the years when I should have been looking for someone I liked by fooling around. Now I can only do this.”

Chen Si grunted in agreement.

“Hey! Driver, wait! We need a ride!”

Zhang Fangyuan looked up and saw an ox-cart for hire on the main road. He quickly waved his hand.

Chen Si grabbed him. “What's the rush to get to the city? We're fast walkers; it'll only take a little over two hours. Why waste the money?”

“Then you walk. I'm taking the cart.” Zhang Fangyuan swung his leg up onto the cart.

“Look at you, so impatient, as if the person will run away if you're late.” Chen Si hurriedly chased after him and climbed on.

It was market day in the city, so there were more people heading into town than usual. Quite a few people were carrying, shouldering, or balancing loads of goods on the main road. In winter, ways to earn money were scarcer than during the busy farming season. Villagers held onto their coins tightly, making it hard even for the ox-cart drivers to earn their fare. Including Zhang Fangyuan and Chen Si, there were only four people on the cart, all strangers from different villages.

Zhang Fangyuan's face carried a certain fierceness. His brow bones were high, his eyebrows thick and dark, his facial features sharply defined. His large build commanded authority even without anger. After he boarded, the women who had been chatting softly fell silent. The cart became very quiet.

“Folks, the cart will stop for a while at Xijiao Village up ahead. I need to pick something up from the village entrance.”

The ox-cart driver spoke up, and everyone agreed without objection. Just as Zhang Fangyuan was feeling bored, the cart stopped under a large pine tree. The driver jumped down and hurried off to get his goods.

Zhang Fangyuan swung his legs down and also got off. The cart wasn't small, but with his long limbs, crouching on it wasn't very comfortable.

After getting off, he stretched his arms and neck, hearing Chen Si, who had also disembarked, call out excitedly, “He Ger! You're going to the city today too?”

Zhang Fangyuan turned to look. Over by the mountain wall were several large, person-sized rocks. People carrying loads to the city would rest their baskets on these rocks to catch their breath. Xu’s youngest was there too.

He heard Xu He call out indifferently, “Cousin.”

That's how it was in village families; if not close relatives, then distant ones. In any case, everyone was connected somehow, near or far.

“Why are you carrying so much? What is all this?”

Xu He's voice was even hoarser than before, his words brief. “Some handwoven items.”

Zhang Fangyuan saw that Xu’s youngest maintained the same unwillingness to engage in conversation even with his own cousin, and felt an unexpected sense of balance—though he couldn’t fathom why he felt so about it.

“Chen Si, let's go. The driver's back.”

He saw the driver carrying a sack of something back to the cart and followed, returning to his seat.

“He Ger, take the cart. Carrying such a heavy load, it'll be almost noon by the time you reach the city. Going earlier means you can sell your things sooner.”

Chen Si enthusiastically called out to Xu He and, as expected, was refused.

Riding the cart was certainly better, but with the four wen fare one could buy two plain steamed buns in town. Xu He didn't have that kind of spare cash.

But Chen Si wasn't ready to give up. His eyes darted around, then he raised his voice. “Zhang Fangyuan is paying for the ox-cart!”

With that, he mischievously lifted Xu He's backpack basket and carried it towards the cart.

Xu He hurried after him. Why was everyone so fond of snatching other people's baskets these days? “Cousin!”

“Quick, give me a hand!”

Chen Si passed Xu He's basket up towards the cart. Zhang Fangyuan scoffed, “You invite someone to ride the cart, and I pay? You've really got some nerve!”

“We're all fellow villagers. By age, He Ger even calls you 'brother'. What's wrong with looking out for a younger brother?”

“You're his proper cousin. Why don't I see you digging out money to look after him?”

Even as he said this, Zhang Fangyuan's hands had already lifted the basket onto the cart before Xu He could catch up.

Chen Si hopped onto the cart and said to Xu He, who was standing on the ground looking frantic, “The basket's already on the cart. Hurry up and get on.”

Xu He's chest was heaving rapidly. He shot his cousin Chen Si a look of indignation.

The ox-cart swayed and jolted forward. The cold wind and morning frost blew fiercely. Riding on the cart was indeed faster than walking, but the wind was also much stronger than when walking.

Chen Si looked at Xu He, who sat with his legs together and head bowed, ignoring the fact that the other clearly didn't want to engage with him. He acted as if he'd seen a guiding light and couldn't wait to ask, “He Ger, are you going to the city alone today?”

“Mhm.”

“What about your Second Sister? She's not coming?”

“No, she's at home.”

Chen Si asked again, “Then when will your Second Sister go to town?”

“I don't know.”

“Don't leave in a hurry when you come back later. The Babao Zhai shop in the city has many good pastries. I'll buy a couple; can you take them back for your sister?”

Xu He sat opposite the two men. His large eyes were lowered, his face and lips unnaturally red. He'd caught a chill from the rain the other day, and now, with the wind blowing, his face was even redder. The wound on his knee wasn't fully healed either, hurting him frequently at night.

Not feeling well, he wanted to use this day’s trip to sell goods as an excuse to see a doctor in town. He didn’t feel like talking, but having accepted their help in taking the ride, he had to open his mouth and respond.

After exchanging a few words, the dry, itchy sensation in his throat made him cough. He could only hope the cart would move faster, so he'd be spared more wind and cold, and have to speak less.

“So, what pastries does your Second Sister like? How about pea flour cake? Has she tried it? Young ladies should quite like it, right? Refreshingly sweet and tasty…”

Xu He pressed his lips together, barely stopping his cough, too impatient to answer.

“Have a heart, tell your cousin. I even paid for your ox-cart ride.”

Xu He suppressed another cough. Of course, he knew there were no free benefits in this world. If it weren't for Second Sister, which man in the village would pay him any attention? Thinking that they were, after all, somewhat related, he felt he should respond. Just as he was about to speak, a large, rabbit-fur-lined vest, meant for outer wear, was suddenly placed over his knees.

He looked up and saw his cousin get punched by Zhang Fangyuan. The butcher's voice rang out coldly, “Why do you have so much to say? You're noisy enough to kill someone. Shut up!”

 

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