Embers of the Huntress

Untitled 2-1

It is still idle, Peach Blossom Gully men, women and children after breakfast, one after another to the Tong family this side came over, waiting to see the Xiao family hired the lively.

In previous years, when things were good, the family will do red and white wedding banquet village people, after the war, families are poor, can not afford this kind of toss, can save on the province, the villagers come to see the fun do not have to send gifts, the hosts do not need to waste money hospitality.

Tong family is decent, prepared a vat of red dates sweet soup, a large bag of fried melon seeds, guests, each person scooped bowl of soup to grab the melon seeds, is to add joy, of course, the bowl are villagers from their own home.

So simple, the villagers are also joyful, men try to help do some labor, daughter-in-laws to go to the stove room to help Zhou Qing prepare lunch, the little girls flocked into the west room, gleefully poking fun at Tong Sui to be married.

“Sister Ah Man is so good looking, brother Xiao family will definitely like you.”

“I've heard that the Xiao family is especially rich, so you'll be able to eat meat all the time when you get married, right?”

Tong Sui sat on the kang in a red dress, looking at these twelve or thirteen or even seven or eight year old girls with mixed feelings, all of them were skinny and thin, like cucumbers planted in the mountains, growing thin and pitifully because of the lack of fertilizer.

But they are not the most pitiful, the most pitiful are those girls who are similar to her age but were scourged by the soldiers and bandits, some of them died directly, some of them became crazy, and some of them were taken away and never heard from again.

Not only unmarried girls, younger daughter-in-law and even a little bit of the aunts have gone through similar things, Tong Sui can survive without danger rely on a pair of legs and familiar with the East Ridge, mother Zhou Qing rely on grandfather, father, second brother before and after the shelter.

In this world, men are not easy, women are even more difficult.

Love is nothing, living is important.

.

There is still an hour from noon, a front and back of two flatbed mule carts appeared in the Peach Blossom Gully village south of the dirt road.

The first car sat in the man's family elders, grandfather Xiao Mu, second uncle Xiao Shouyi, the second aunt He.

The two families are far away from each other, and the elders always need to meet before the wedding to show their solemnity, and the next offer is the best time to do so.

In the second car sat the groom-to-be, Xiao Jian, his brother Xiao Ye, plus the matchmaker Fang and a few gifts.

While the villagers of Peach Blossom Gully were looking at the two mule carts from their perch, the Xiao family and their party were also taking stock of the village's general situation.

The more He looked, the more she disliked them, and glancing at the old man sitting in the center of the cart as if he were resting his eyes, she muttered in a low voice to her husband, who was driving the cart, “How can a beauty come out of such a small, remote, and poor village? How can it be as reliable as my niece, I really don't know what our father was thinking.”

Xiao Shouyi immediately looked back and saw that the old man looked as if he didn't hear, then glared at his wife, “Father has his own thoughts, you keep your gossip to a minimum, and when you get to the Tong family later, you can't be any more cavalier.”

He skimmed her lips, “I know, I'm not stupid.”

In the back of the car, Xiao Ye looks out over the rolling hills that are almost in front of him, his eyes are full of excitement: “Second sister-in-law's house is so close to the mountains, hunting is really convenient.”

His face was full of joy, more like a groom than a groomsman.

Matchmaker Fang joked, “This is just a wedding today, you're calling your second sister-in-law too early.”

After saying that, she looked to the regulator seat on the left.

There sat the real groom-to-be, sitting sideways and looking forward, only revealing a broad and upright back to her.

Just a single backshot made Matchmaker Fang proudly puff out her chest.

In order to earn money from matchmakers, she did coax some people, intentionally boasted the ugly man to handsome, or intentionally made up the ugly woman to beautiful, and then when the bride and groom really met, under the disappointment, they could not help but curse her a few times, and more often than not, let her reputation is not so good to hear up.

Only this time, Fang Matchmaker heart is not at all false, because she dares to pat her chest to ensure that the man and woman are near and far the village and town of a top of the good skin.

“Second brother, are you nervous?”

Xiao Ye came over to his elder brother's side and asked with a playful smile.

Xiao Zhen's right hand, which was holding the whip, was casually resting on his leg, as if he hadn't heard.

Under Matchmaker Fang's guidance, the two mule carts quickly turned to the small street where the Tong family was located, with a total of three households.

Matchmaker Fang pointed to the neighbor to the right of the Tong family and introduced: “This house also belongs to the Tong family, six years ago, Song Jinshi moved here with his son, and has been renting this side of the house ever since. Mr. Song is a great scholar, Ms. Tong studied with him, her talent is not worse than the girls in the county, after all, it is an official family, not everyone can get a scholar to teach their children, right?”

Her voice wasn't small, and all the people in the Xiao family looked towards the Song family's side.

Coincidentally, the Song family's father and son had also come out to observe the ceremony because of the sudden clamor on the street.

Mr. Song, Mr. Song Lan, in his forties, was dressed in a cloth coat that could not hide his elegance, and looked with a smile at the two mule carts that were gradually approaching.

Song Zhi Shi figure thin face handsome, just at this time a face of depression, do not look at Master Xiao also do not look at the car full of bridegroom's gift, only to look straight to the prospective bridegroom wearing red robes.

The other villagers did not have the heart to pay attention to a fellow village scholar, was Song Zhishi grudgingly looked straight at Xiao Jian but instantly noticed the indignation of the scholar.

Xiao Zhen didn't pay any attention to it, and shifted his sight to the people welcoming out from the Tong family.

The mule cart stopped, Fang matchmaker was the first to jump down, joyfully said some auspicious words, and then help the two families introduced up.

The villagers didn't listen to her, but sized up the Xiao family in awe, and the first one to praise them was the old man, Xiao Mu. Already seventy years old, that body is actually more robust than some young people, straight back, cloth clothes vaguely outline the broad and sturdy back and arms. In addition to his body shape, the old man also had a head of black hair, his face was tightly muscled, and there would be no doubt in anyone's mind to say that he was only fifty years old.

With such an old master, it was no surprise that Xiao Shouyi, Xiao Jian, and Xiao Ye's upright figures were not surprising.

Only then did the crowd scrutinize the prospective groom's appearance, seeing that he was really as handsome and majestic as Matchmaker Fang had boasted, the more they envied the Tong family for having formed a good marriage.

“A-Man that child, long ago saw that it is a blessed one.”

“Or her mother will name, Sui, full, full-grown bulging spikes, how festive.”

“Hey, the groom's brother hasn't gotten married yet, right? He's also a popular man.”

In the rising and falling sound of envy, Xiao Shouyi, Xiao Jian, Xiao Ye will take down the bride price one by one.

At this time of year the geese had not yet traveled north, so the Xiao family prepared a pair of fat geese instead.

Next was a deer skin, two adult goats, four jars of wine, and eight kinds of tea and fruits.

In addition to the tea and fruits, any other one of them is an expensive bride price that is rarely seen in the villages nowadays, and the Xiao family actually prepared so many in one go!

The eyes of the villagers watching the ceremony were all going to look straight.

Xiao second aunt He touched the deer skin with beautiful spots, eyes swept through a trace of reluctance, and then smilingly said to Tong Youyu couple: “This is our family Lao Er personally went to the mountains last year to hunt, see how complete and gorgeous this fur, the old man said at that time, do not sell, to save for a bride as a bride price, this is not, really for the in-laws to send it. ”

Said the last, more or less a bit of gnashing of teeth.

Tong family is a hunter, Zhou Qing also know the market, this deerskin is in good condition, get the county can sell ten taels of silver, this is only after the war cheap price!

So, she can understand He's greed, but that deer is the prospective son-in-law hunted, sent by Master Xiao as a bride price, which shows that the Xiao family is very important to their daughter, He's a second wife aunt, what is the qualification of yin and yang?

Ignoring He, Zhou Qing sincerely said to Master Xiao, “You are too polite, we are a small family, we can't use such a good fur, why don't we ......”

Xiao Mu waved his hand to interrupt her words, smiled and said, “The world is no longer difficult, the rituals can not be abolished, but where we have the conditions we have to do the wedding ceremony thoughtful and decent, besides, it is not easy for you to raise a daughter, which can be easily called us to marry away, in the future are a family, do not be polite.”

The old man looks stout and brave, speak but call people physically and mentally comfortable, at first glance is a good to get along with.

Zhou Qing then no longer push, directing nephew Tong Gui to help carry the bride price, she and her husband will guide the crowd to the east room.

Xiao Ye carried four jars of wine and walked behind his elder brother, looking at the west room where the sound of women's laughter came from time to time, he quietly bumped his brother with his shoulder.

Xiao Zhen turned around.

Xiao Ye winked at the window of the west room.

Xiao meticulously looked at the wooden window, only opened the upper layer of light, where can see the people in the house.

The west room.

A few girls crowded in front of the door, peering through the doorway at the men of the Xiao family who entered the hall one after another and then turned to the east room.

Tong Sui watched this scene helplessly.

If she was by herself, she would have peeped in to see how her fiancé looked, but now that there were so many people, she would be laughed at if she really tried to squeeze in.

There was no way, Tong Sui could only endure the itch to sit still.

“Ah Man sister, Xiao brother looks really handsome!”

“Yes yes yes, even more handsome than Mr. Song, Matchmaker Fang didn't lie this time!”

With these two sentences, Tong Sui's curiosity was half satisfied, her husband's ability to save his life was already established, the man wasn't ugly, as long as his temperament wasn't too bad, she had nothing else to ask for.

After about two quarters of an hour, He, as a member of the man's family, came to the west room to see the bride-to-be in the company of Zhou Qing, in addition to recognizing her face, it was also a test to see if the Fang matchmaker had lied to them.

“Go, you guys go out and play first.” Zhou Qing smiled and persuaded away the little girls in the room.

He casually swept her eyes and looked towards the bed.

The bride-to-be only needs to sit on the kang and let the guests watch, she doesn't need to go down to entertain, seeing the strange lady on the ground looking over, Tong Sui's face warmed up slightly and returned a coy smile.

She usually wear old clothes to facilitate the work, this deliberately changed a red fine cloth clothes, and sitting in the warm sun through the window, it became a jade like people, cheeks white light.

As if born very beautiful, because of the poor dress loss of two points, halo actually that loss to make up for the back.

He is holding a small mind to pick over, but all of a sudden was surprised by this unexpected beauty, staring blankly at Tong Sui, half a long time did not make a sound.

Zhou Qing also did not remind her, smiling and watching.

He came back to God, first Tong Sui complimented, followed by Tong Sui asked what books Tong Sui read what they usually do.

Tong Sui answered truthfully.

He pulled over the little girl's hand, found that the palm of the hand really has a layer of often hold the bow and arrow left behind calluses, she smiled, with the tone of elders to point out: “the most important thing for a girl is gentle and virtuous husband and mothering, and later married over, the bow and arrow these are still less touching, hunting things have men it.”

Tong Sui pulled the corner of her mouth and pulled her hand out of the other's hand.

Zhou Qing can see that He is not a good person, find an excuse to take people away, they left, guarding the outside of the little girls flocked to come in, but to save Tong Sui have time to think nonsense.

East room, He's two people back, Xiao Ye first looked over.

He looked at Xiao Jian and smiled, “Lao Er is so lucky, Ah Man looks even more beautiful than the matchmaker boasted.”

Xiao Zhen lowered his eyes.

Matchmaker Fang: “Aigoo, the second master is still shy!”

Xiao Ye snorted, shy? Second brother clearly doesn't want to bother with you guys.