Splendid peasant girl busy farming

Chapter 11983

According to the local wedding customs, on the day of her wedding, the bride is to be accompanied by a group of relatives who will accompany her to her husband's home.

These wedding party members must be brothers of the same generation in the family. Da'an is not required to be the groom's brother-in-law, but because Da'an is the governor of Changhuai Prefecture, both sides of the groom's family have repeatedly informed Yang Yongjin in advance of this role, inviting Da'an to the groom's family for a midday banquet in another capacity to bestow blessings upon the newlyweds.

Yang Yongjin had mentioned to Yang Huazhong that Da'an hadn't returned yet, and Yang Huazhong thought it wasn't a big deal, so he took it upon himself to agree on Da'an's behalf. It wasn't until now that he suddenly remembered.

“Father, this is exactly what I was about to tell you,” Yang Ruoqing turned around and said seriously.

"Even if Da'an and Hua'er didn't have this mess, Da'an can't attend the Wang family's banquet in town under a different identity!"

"Why?" Yang Huazhong asked, puzzled. "It's my niece's wedding. Just showing up, even if she doesn't drink or picks up her chopsticks, is enough to go through the motions. It's not a loss for Da'an, but for Xiuxiu, it's about showing up. After all, her situation is special. She's remarried and has a child. She's worried about the Wang family's relatives and friends, right? You know what I mean."

“Father, Da’an’s identity is that of a governor, the head of a province. If word gets out about him at such an occasion, do you know how many people who want to curry favor with him will take advantage of this opportunity?” Yang Ruoqing originally thought that she would just mention it once and Yang Huazhong would understand on his own without much explanation.

Unexpectedly, Yang Huazhong was slow to react in this regard. This is not surprising, as if he could have grasped it quickly, he would not have taken it upon himself to agree to Da'an and Yang Yongjin's request.

"Father, what His Majesty dislikes most is officials forming too many private connections and cliques."

"Qing'er, don't worry. Yongjin said he gave the Wang family a vague but reliable explanation. The Wang family assured him that everyone attending the banquet would be business associates, not officials or anything like that, so they wouldn't cause any trouble for Da'an..."

"Dad, Dad, you believe everything people say?" Yang Ruoqing was speechless. She felt that Yang Huazhong was really not suitable to continue in the position of village head. When it came to slightly sensitive matters, he still used the old tricks of a peasant family.

“Father, even if no officials come, it’s all merchants who will come, which is even worse!” Yang Ruoqing said.

"Officials at the level of Da'an are high-ranking officials. In their circle, dining with the big and small shopkeepers and wealthy people from small counties and towns is a symbol of lowering one's status!"

"Besides, those people reek of money, and Da'an wouldn't feel comfortable hanging around them!"

"Besides, whether it's Second Brother or the Wang family, they definitely want Da'an to go. They say it's to support Xiu Xiu, but isn't it also to bring honor to the Wang family?"

“Our Da’an is the governor of Changhuai Prefecture. We should avoid such occasions if possible. Otherwise, if you make an appearance in such a setting, anyone who has spoken a word to Da’an or shared a drink with him might use this to expand their network. Da’an will inexplicably become the unwitting cover for many people to use to gain influence!”

“I agree with Qing’er’s statement,” Sun, who had been silent for a long time, actually figured out the key point before Yang Huazhong.

“My dear father, there’s no way to arrange the wedding banquet tomorrow morning, since it’s our cousin’s wedding. But we should try to postpone the banquet at the groom’s family’s house at noon.” Sun continued to analyze, “Besides, Da’an went to the Wang family’s house but not the Sixi family’s house, which doesn’t make sense, since they are the same family.”

"Instead of doing that, we should learn from Qing'er and Tang Yazi and not attend any banquets except for the second son's family's!"

When Yang Huazhong heard his wife and daughter say this, he finally realized that it was indeed inappropriate.

"But I've already agreed to Yongjin's request, so if I don't go, I need to have a plausible reason to excuse myself..." he said.

“Father, the reason is obvious! Da’an has important business to attend to back in Changhuai Prefecture!” Yang Ruoqing clapped her hands together. “What else could be more important than the governor’s official business? Anyone who dares to be unhappy or dissatisfied, or utter a single complaint, is simply being unreasonable! We won’t be able to help such unreasonable relatives and friends in the future.”

"Okay, let's say it like that, half true and half false. Yongjin and the others should understand! I'll go and tell Yongjin right now."

“Dad, let me go with you. My fourth sister-in-law and her family asked me to come over to see the dowry. I should also deliver two wedding gifts to them.”

Two gifts?

Yang Ruoqing raised an eyebrow and glanced at Madam Sun. "Mother, you actually prepared two sets after all? Didn't Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law say long ago that they would only accept Xiu Hong's set and not Xiu Xiu's?"

Mrs. Sun smiled and said, "That's what they say, but we still need to prepare what we should. It's never a bad thing to be polite!"

"What about your fourth and fifth aunts? And my eldest aunt, they all agreed to send you double portions?"

“Your fourth aunt only sent one portion, but the rest of us sent two.”

Yang Ruoqing turned her head and said, "Fine, you guys are all stupid and rich..."

"Qing'er, what about you? How many gifts have you prepared?" Madam Sun asked Yang Ruoqing.

Yang Ruoqing shrugged. "Of course, one serving."

“Alright.” Madam Sun smiled and followed Yang Huazhong to the second room.

Yang Ruoqing also went out with them, but returned to the Luo family.

When they returned to the Luo family home, none of the children were home; they had all gone out to play, and were all playing in the small second room.

"The courtyard of the second house is full of children, it's so lively, the two of them can't stay at home." This is what Wang Cuilian told her as they passed by the front yard.

"So who's taking care of them now?" Yang Ruoqing asked.

“Ronggu and Shaoyao, and right, Maili’er is here too.”

"Okay, then I'm relieved. By the way, where's Tang Yazi?"

"He's over at the stables in the backyard."

"Okay, I'll go find him."

Luo Fengtang was tending to the horses in the stables in the backyard. As a general, in his eyes, these horses, especially the warhorses that accompanied him in his campaigns, were not livestock, but his comrades-in-arms, his brothers who had gone through thick and thin with him and experienced life and death together!

So whenever he had free time, he would come to the stables to personally tend to the horses. Today the sunlight was nice, so he took off his outer cloak and wore a fitted black robe. His dark hair was tied up high, and when he bent down to scoop water, the lines from his shoulders to his waist and long legs were perfect. His wheat-colored skin glowed with a healthy luster in the sunlight, and his incomparably cold and handsome features added to his charm. He was a walking embodiment of masculinity.

Seeing him busy there, Yang Ruoqing's mood, which had been depressed all day, suddenly improved a lot. "How is the situation over there?" Luo Fengtang turned around, looking at Yang Ruoqing with a gentle gaze.

For some reason, being enveloped by his gaze made Yang Ruoqing feel as if she were immersed in the warm spring breeze and sunshine of March.

Even though she had gone through a heart-wrenching ordeal at her parents' home in the past two hours, she suddenly felt much lighter at this moment.

"Don't even mention it, they did both dramatic and action scenes, and there was even blood!" Yang Ruoqing shook her head gently, a helpless bitter smile on her face.

"Blood?" Luo Fengtang frowned slightly. He washed his hands and came out of the stable to stand in front of Yang Ruoqing.

"What happened? Who drew blood?" he asked, remembering that he was the one who brought Da'an back from the pasture. "Could it be that my father-in-law and Da'an got into a fight? That can't be right. Da'an is a scholar; he wouldn't be so disrespectful to his elders!"

Not to mention that Da'an was a scholar who had studied the classics, even among the illiterate men in the village who couldn't read a single character, you couldn't find one out of ten who would fight with his own father.

There are many arguments, but if anyone dares to lay a hand on his father, that is the greatest act of filial impiety. His bad reputation will spread throughout the surrounding villages, and he will be talked about behind his back no matter where he goes. If he is not yet married, no girl may dare to marry him.

If he is already married, other girls might not dare to marry his son. If the son beats his father, and the matter goes to the government, the officials will punish him severely!

“Of course it wasn’t Da’an and my dad. He can be beaten and scolded by my dad without daring to fight back,” Yang Ruoqing quickly explained.

"It's Hua'er! Hua'er suddenly came back halfway and overheard our conversation,"

"Later, Da'an went to the back room to talk to her privately. The two got into an argument. Hua'er took scissors and destroyed the sachets and other things. Da'an tried to take them back, and in the struggle, Da'an accidentally cut his finger with the scissors. Fortunately, it was just a flesh wound and he is fine now."

After hearing Yang Ruoqing's explanation, Luo Fengtang suddenly understood.

"No wonder you've been looking so worried ever since you arrived. Anyone who saw this would be quite distressed." Luo Fengtang looked at Yang Ruoqing in front of him, feeling genuinely sorry for her.

Yang Ruoqing shook her head. "I'm fine. Fortunately, under the pressure from me and my parents, Da'an has finally made up his mind to make a decision."

"Oh? What has he decided to do?" Luo Fengtang asked.

"After the banquet tomorrow morning, take him to the county town. He can go to Changhuaizhou to persuade Ruan Xiaowei to abort the baby in her belly, and then give her a large sum of money so that she can live a worry-free life."

Luo Fengtang raised an eyebrow. "If he can really do that, it can be considered that he has made a firm decision to return to his family."

“You’re implying something,” Yang Ruoqing looked up at Luo Fengtang. “You don’t trust Da’an? You think this is a smokescreen he’s putting on us?”

Luo Fengtang shook his head, "It's not that I don't believe in him, it's that I believe in the decision and determination he's making in front of you right now."

"You mean, once he arrives in Changhuaizhou and meets Ruan Xiaowei, she'll soften and change her mind after a few words of crying and pleading?" Yang Ruoqing asked. To be honest, she actually had this worry in her heart, but she didn't dare to say it in front of her parents.

Luo Fengtang nodded: "That possibility cannot be ruled out. I talked with him for a while last night. Men understand men. He must have fallen in love with Ruan Xiaowei."

His gaze remained fixed on Yang Ruoqing's face. "For a man, when faced with a woman he has truly fallen for, that is an insurmountable obstacle."

If he's lucky, this woman will be his wife; that's a blessing from heaven.

If you're unlucky enough to meet the right person at the wrong time, it can be a very painful thing, because you can't let go of the past or give them what they want.

Hearing Luo Fengtang's explanation and sensing the meaning he wanted to convey from the way he was staring at her, Yang Ruoqing understood.

She pursed her lips, resting her chin on her hands, her expression a mixture of worry and heartache.

“Qing’er, my thought is that some things are up to us. As ‘outsiders,’ this is all we can do,” Luo Fengtang said.

Yang Ruoqing nodded gently, "In the end, this is something that Da'an, Xiaohua, and Ruan Xiaowei have to do in bed. We can only get involved here."

Whether it's a calamity or a blessing, they can't escape it; this is their script.

"Let's not talk about them anymore, let's talk about our own things." Yang Ruoqing shook her head, temporarily putting those negative thoughts behind her, and began to roll up her sleeves: "I'll help you groom the horses. It's a nice sunny day, let the horses feel comfortable."

"You don't need to get your hands dirty, I can do it. If you'd like, you can stay by my side and talk to me."

"It doesn't get my hands dirty, and I enjoy doing this job. Besides, I'm happy to do the same work as you!"

"Really?" Luo Fengtang asked, his eyes bright.

"Bao Zhen!"

Today, the two not only groomed the horses in the stable thoroughly, but also took them to the small bamboo grove in the backyard to bask in the sun. They also thoroughly cleaned the stable, cleaning the feeding troughs and replacing them with clean hay and drinking water.

“The New Year is just around the corner, and this year is the Year of the Horse. How about we put up some Spring Festival couplets in the stable?” Yang Ruoqing discussed with him while working.

"Okay, if Qing'er says to put it up, then let's put it up!"

That evening, the gate to the small house across from the Luo family's house was wide open, and red lanterns were hung all the way from the gate to the courtyard. The warm red light made the small house not only bright but also festive.

Tonight, every single member of Old Yang's family gathered in the second room.

The men gathered together to prepare for tomorrow's banquet, dowry, guests, and other matters, while the women's "battlefield" was concentrated in the kitchen. In addition, Cao Bamei specially invited Sun Shi and Jiang Guiling to act as "blessed people" for the Xiuxiu and Xiuhong sisters, and to take full charge of their dressing and grooming before their wedding tomorrow.

“Your second sister-in-law originally wanted to invite Hua’er to be the lucky person, but I made up an excuse that Hua’er was not feeling well and turned it down, so I took her place.” After finishing her work at the second branch of the family that night, Madam Sun stopped by the Luo family for a while and mentioned this to Yang Ruoqing.

Yang Ruoqing nodded. If it weren't for Ruan Xiaowei's incident, Hua'er would indeed be the top choice for the 'Full Fortune Person'.