The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 491 - 489 Everyone is Satisfied

Chapter 491: Chapter 489 Everyone is Satisfied

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When they returned to the Wang Family, the Wangs were all taken aback by the fully loaded cart of mountain goods.

No one had expected that the hunter’s home in Chongzi Gou contained such treasures.

There were pelts of the blind bear, bear paws, tiger bones, assorted fox furs, and precious items like deer antler and lingzhi mushrooms.

In the hunter’s household, these were heirlooms that were rarely put up for sale.

Wang Yongzhu was so startled while checking the list.

It seemed that the decision to have Wang Yongping purchase mountain goods in Chongzi Gou couldn’t have been wiser.

Wang Yongfu wanted to call people to unload the goods, but Wang Yongzhu stopped him, "With so many mountain goods, if we unload them, the warehouse won’t be able to accommodate them all. It’s better to cover them with oil paper cloth. I’ll go with Brother Song first thing tomorrow morning to trade the goods in town."

Wang Yongfu promptly instructed Jindou and Jinhoo to fetch the oil paper cloth and carefully covered the mountain goods securely.

Wang Yongzhu left the rest to be handled and, taking the hot water Jinhua had brought, washed her face while calling out, "Father, Mother, I have something important to discuss shortly."

Wang Laozhu’s steps, which were initially headed towards the door, came to a halt.

It was quite unusual, considering the affairs of the Wang Family were always decided by the mother-daughter duo. What matter could there possibly be to discuss today?

The others all pricked up their ears.

Only Old Granny Zhang’s eyes lit up, as she thought of a possibility.

Once Wang Yongzhu finished her ablutions, the family gathered in the main room, where she brought up the matter of Wang Yongping taking a liking to Miss Liu.

The room suddenly erupted into a buzz of excitement.

Old Granny Zhang grinned with joy, "That rascally boy has finally come to his senses."

Even Wang Laozhu revealed a smile.

After the recent scolding he received from his wife over Laosi’s marriage affair, Wang Laozhu had given it some thought.

His wife was right; marrying a girl from the nearby area wouldn’t be much help to the family.

It would be better with Miss Liu whose family was in Chongzi Gou, at least it would benefit their own business.

Besides, with her family far away, there would be less trouble.

Moreover, he felt somewhat guilty towards his son Wang Yongping; the marriage affair with Li Jinzhi had nearly ruined his youngest son.

Now that the boy had found a girl he liked, if he didn’t agree, stubborn as Laosi was, he feared a serious fuss might ensue.

With these thoughts, Wang Laozhu nodded his head, "This is indeed a great joy for our family. Wife, we mustn’t skimp on the ceremony. Tomorrow, we’ll find a reliable go-between to propose to the Liu Family."

Old Granny Zhang, having arranged the weddings of three sons, was naturally well-versed in the rituals and had already figured out in her mind which matchmaker to employ, what gifts to prepare, what dowry to offer to the Liu Family...

Hearing Wang Laozhu’s words, she nodded repeatedly, "Of course."

Not to mention the others, Wang Yongfu and Wang Yonggui were also delighted. In other families, young men married at seventeen or eighteen. Their own Laosi had had bad luck, delayed by that vile Li Jinzhi.

Otherwise, they might already be holding grandchildren.

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Once Laosi gets married, let’s see who else has the gall to talk behind his back, saying that my youngest brother is still pining for that bitch, Li Jinzhi.

When Lady Lin heard that Wang Yongping was getting married, she couldn’t help but look at her own children, Jindou and Jinhoo. Now that Laosi had a wife, it was time to find matches for Jindou and Jinhoo, wasn’t it?

Especially since she heard that Laosi’s wife was a girl from the mountains, Lady Lin secretly sighed in relief.

Since the Wang Family had come into better times, many had planned to marry their daughters into the Wang Family. She had been worried in secret since those families were more powerful than her own.

Having a daughter-in-law who came from a good family background, had her own parents to rely on, and could win the favor of her in-laws, was unlike the wife of the second brother, who had an air of superiority and only cared for her husband. Besides, living in the city, they barely saw her once a year, so she wasn’t much of an obstacle.

But the wife Lanosi was going to bring home would definitely be around on a daily basis.

Now that she herself couldn’t win favor with her in-laws and her sister-in-law, Lady Jiang, was faring better, if another daughter-in-law came along who everyone liked, wouldn’t her position as the eldest daughter-in-law be rendered insignificant?

She was too wise to reveal these trivial thoughts to Wang Yongfu, as even he wouldn’t let her off the hook.

Now that she heard the bride was just a hunter’s daughter from the mountains, whom she had met before,

They must have clinched the marriage to the Wang Family by banking on the life-saving favor from last time.

This was fine, as the marriage Laosi had arranged wasn’t anything to brag about.

After some time, she would talk to the head of the household and say that it was time to find matches for Jindou and Jinhoo too.

By then, she would pick two daughters-in-law from wealthy families with substantial dowries and strong maternal families. Later on, they would birth several plump grandsons with the family’s support.

The children of the other branches were still young. By the time they grew up, her grandsons would be older.

Being from the first branch with many members, they wouldn’t be at a disadvantage when it came to dividing the family assets.

Lady Jiang never had the habit of voicing her opinions, and as the wife of an elder, she didn’t have much to say about her younger brother-in-law getting married.

Therefore, this marriage was to everyone’s satisfaction.

Wang Laozhu, seeing no one opposed, pondered for a moment and tapped his tobacco pipe against the kang bed’s edge, "I’ve thought it over, and we should have a matchmaker propose the marriage. Once it’s settled, you and I can make another trip to Chongzi Gou and personally deliver the betrothal gifts. Let’s get this done before the New Year! Laosi is no longer young. We can’t delay any longer!"

Old Granny Zhang did some thinking: "These days, everyone is too busy with the mountain goods to spare any hands. We’ll give the betrothal gifts first. Once that’s dealt with, we’ll start building the big house, which will be perfect for Laosi’s wedding. It’ll be joyous and lively, a good omen!"

Wang Yongzhu actually felt that, considering Wang Yongping and Liu Xiaoqiao’s ages, they were still too young, particularly Liu Xiaoqiao, who was a few months younger than her. Getting married so early wasn’t good for a girl.

But she knew that in this era, it was normal for girls to marry as young as fourteen or fifteen, perhaps with the exception of daughters from official or noble families, who might marry slightly later.

In ordinary families, once a girl reached fourteen or fifteen and had her first period, she was considered ready for marriage and childbirth.

Little did they know that at this time, a girl’s body wasn’t fully developed, and pregnancy and childbirth could be detrimental to both the girl and the baby.

Fortunately, Old Granny Zhang cherished her and was reluctant to marry her off early, or else her marriage to Song Chongjin would also be imminent.

Looking at the village now, there were hardly any girls who hadn’t been spoken for at fourteen or fifteen, except for those with defects who truly couldn’t be married off. Otherwise, families always arranged their daughters’ marriages early.

If she were to suggest now that the two simply get engaged and have Xiao Qiao marry later, not to mention that Wang Yongping wouldn’t appreciate it, even Old Granny Zhang would likely not agree.

Worse, the Liu Family might think that the Wang Family was unwilling to form a marriage alliance, creating a rift that would be troublesome.

Therefore, she swallowed her true thoughts and nodded in agreement, "I think it’s a good idea too! It’s getting cold, and the business for mountain goods will only last for about a month. Once the busy season is over, we’ll start building the big house and leave just one person to watch the home. Having everything settled before New Year would let our family have a good celebration!"