Chapter 15: Plans Before the Wedding

Su Wan poured Madam Wang a bowl of warm water. “Have a drink first, Mother. It isn’t worth making yourself ill with anger.”

Madam Wang’s hand still shook, but she took the bowl and drank. Su Qing said quietly, “If we don’t curb Xue’s temper, who knows how much she’ll suffer after she marries?”

Su Wan looked at him. “Don’t be angry with her, Brother. Xu Xiuzhi is all she can think about now; she won’t listen to anyone else. But we’ve said what needed saying. If she still refuses to see reason, whatever hardship follows is her own choice.”

Madam Wang’s tears fell again. “How did I never see how foolish she was? We’ve said everything we can for her good, and she won’t listen. Would her father and I ever harm her?”

Su Wan sat beside her and softened her voice. “Mother, her marriage to the Xu family is settled. There’s no use dwelling on it. What matters now is keeping it from causing more trouble for the family. If she wants to marry, let her stay home and embroider her wedding clothes. She mustn’t make another scene or give the Xus anything else to use against us. Once she enters their household, the life she leads will be her own fortune to make.”

The room fell quiet. The words were unpleasant, but true.

Madam Wang wiped her eyes. After a while she said, “I’ll listen to you, Wan.”

Su Dashan took a sip of tea and set the bowl down heavily. “From tomorrow on, she’ll stay in her room and embroider her wedding clothes and quilts. If she makes trouble again, I’ll beat her to death.”

“I’ll keep an eye on her,” Su Wan said.

Madam Li added quietly, “I’ll watch her too, Mother. I’ll take care of the housework for now.”

Madam Wang looked at her daughter-in-law, feeling both sorrow and guilt. “Good girl. You were treated unfairly today.”

Madam Li quickly shook her head. “Please don’t say that. What family doesn’t have disagreements?”

Seeing everyone relax a little, Su Wan rose. “I’ll go and see her.”

In the west room, Su Xue lay face down on the bed, crying into a handkerchief that was already damp. She did not lift her head when Su Wan came in. “You must be pleased to see me like this.”

Su Wan sat on the edge of the bed. “If you want to lose your family forever, keep making scenes and crying.”

Su Xue stopped sobbing and jerked her head up. “Stop frightening me!”

“Frightening you? Think about what you’ve done lately.”

Su Xue bit her lip without answering. Su Wan counted the incidents off for her. “You went to see Xu Xiuzhi privately and gave the Xus something to use against you. They insulted you with a hundred coins, and you defended him. They sent *Admonitions for Women* to put you in your place, and you still defended them. Today they openly calculated how to get your dowry. Instead of blaming them, you accused Father and Mother of giving you too little.”

Su Xue went white. Su Wan’s voice remained calm. “Everything you’ve done has hurt our parents. Now our brother and sister-in-law are unhappy with you too.”

Tears clung to Su Xue’s cheeks, but she insisted, “You turned them against me.”

“You know whether I did. I don’t think you’re stupid, Xue. There’s nothing wrong with wanting a good life, but you need to see who truly cares for you and who is using you.”

Su Xue lowered her head and gripped her handkerchief. Su Wan continued, “If you still care about this family, behave yourself for the time being. Embroider your wedding clothes and do the work you’re supposed to do. Stop crying and pressing Mother for silver. If you keep it up, Father really could put an end to the match.”

That struck at Su Xue’s greatest fear. She looked up sharply. “He wouldn’t…”

“You can try him.”

Su Xue fell silent, looking at her sister in alarm. At length she lowered her head. “I understand.”

Su Wan watched her a moment, then picked up her needle and thread and resumed the quilt cover. For a time, the only sound was the needle passing through cloth. Su Xue covered her face and shed a few more tears, but did not sob aloud again.

From the following day, she did behave herself. She stopped asking for more dowry and, after breakfast each morning, sat in the west room embroidering her wedding clothes and sewing her quilts. Her stitches were rougher than Su Wan’s, but she worked diligently.

Madam Wang’s expression softened when she saw it, and the atmosphere at home gradually improved. Su Dashan went to the fields as usual, with Su Qing helping. Madam Li washed clothes and cooked, occasionally coming into the west room to help the sisters sort their thread. Sometimes Su Xue sat with her lips pressed together; at other times she quietly addressed her sister-in-law, and Madam Li answered. Madam Wang said nothing, but felt considerably lighter.

Over the next few days, Su Wan finished the quilt covers and touched up the edges of her wedding garment. In her spare time, she bundled the herbs she had dried.

At dawn on the twenty-second day of the fourth month, dampness still hung in the courtyard. Su Wan sorted the dried herbs, tied them into small bundles with hemp cord, and packed them in her carrying basket.

Madam Wang, making breakfast, watched her. “Are you going to the county town today?”

“Yes. The herbs are dry, so I’ll sell them there and buy a few things for myself and the household.”

“By yourself?” her mother asked uneasily.

“I’ll take the ox cart and be back soon. Don’t worry.”

Madam Wang fetched two coarse-grain flatbreads from the kitchen and pressed them into her hands. “Eat these on the way. Keep your money safe and out of sight.”

Su Wan accepted them with a smile. “I will.”

Inside, Su Xue looked up when she heard about the trip. Envy showed in her eyes, but remembering what Su Wan had said, she kept quiet.

Su Wan slung the basket onto her back and left. Roosters and dogs called along the busy village road. Villagers greeted her warmly.

“Going to the county town, Wan?”

“With that many herbs, you must make a good sum.”

“What a capable girl, knowing so many medicinal plants!”

She answered each politely. “I’m going to have a look.” “They won’t bring much.” Her manner was mild, and she neither talked too much nor boasted.

Several women watched her go and murmured, “The Su family’s eldest is a fine girl.” “The Huos are fortunate.” “Much more sensible than the younger one.”

Su Wan left the village and reached the main road. She had not waited long before an ox cart came swaying along. Old Uncle Wang from the neighboring village was driving. Several women and girls from nearby villages were already aboard, their baskets and cloth bundles packed tightly together.

Su Wan paid one copper coin for the ride. As she searched for a seat, someone called from the back, “Wan, sit here.”

It was Granny Zhao, her hair streaked with gray and her blue cotton clothes faded from washing. She held a bamboo basket covered with grass. She shifted over to make room, and Su Wan sat beside her.

Hearing her name, the other passengers turned. A round-faced woman whispered to her neighbor, “Is that Su Wan, the Su family’s eldest?”

“That’s her. The Huos delivered her betrothal gifts recently.”

“She’s pretty, and what a figure. No wonder they chose her.”

Another woman joined in. “Look at her broad hips. She looks well suited to bearing children.”

Someone laughed. Su Wan’s expression did not change; she pretended not to hear. Country women spoke directly, and if she blushed or answered, they would tease her all the way to town. She settled her basket and turned to Granny Zhao. “Are you going to sell eggs?”

Granny Zhao nodded with a smile. “Only a dozen or so. Mostly I’ve dried some herbs lately and want to sell them. I don’t know whether they’ll take them.”

“Give them to me when we get there. I’ll help you sell them.”

The older woman’s eyes crinkled with pleasure. “Thank you, Wan. You know the people at the pharmacy; you’ll do much better than an old woman like me.”

“We can go together and perhaps get a few more coins,” Su Wan said with a smile.

Granny Zhao nodded repeatedly, then took her hand. “After you marry into our village, come visit often. Xiao Shitou was asking about you a few days ago, wondering when Sister Wan would come.”

At the boy’s name, Su Wan’s heart softened. The previous summer, returning from gathering herbs in the mountains, she had passed the river and seen several children floundering in the water. Xiao Shitou, only six then, had been swept into deep water while the others cried in fright. Su Wan had dropped her basket, gone in after him, and brought him out. She had pressed several mouthfuls of water out of him, pulling him back from the brink of death.

Granny Zhao had treated her very kindly ever since. Later Su Wan learned that the older woman’s husband, son, and daughter-in-law had all died, leaving her to raise her only grandson. Taking pity on her, Su Wan had taught her to recognize several common herbs. Granny Zhao was hardworking; when the fields were quiet, she dug a little, dried it, and sold it to the pharmacy for extra salt and rice money.

“Once I’m married, I’ll certainly visit Xiao Shitou,” Su Wan said.

Granny Zhao smiled even more broadly. “He’ll be delighted.”

A woman who had overheard asked, “Wan, you can recognize medicinal herbs?”

“A few common ones.”

The woman’s eyes brightened. “Could you teach us too? There are many herbs in the mountains. If we could sell them, it would help with household expenses.”

Several passengers looked over. Before Su Wan could answer, someone said, “How can she teach just anyone? She makes money from that knowledge.”

Another woman remarked sourly, “The Huos gave her eight taels. Does the Su family’s eldest still need a few copper coins?”

Su Wan looked at the speaker without anger. “Who would turn down more money?”

The woman stiffened, and the cart grew quieter. Su Wan addressed the others. “Medicinal herbs aren’t wild greens. Mistaking one can cause harm. If you want to learn, someone needs to show you clearly. When there’s time, I can teach you a few of the most common ones, at least for your own household use.”

She had neither pushed them away nor allowed them to take advantage of her. Several people nodded. “That’s true.” “Mistaking an herb is no small matter.”

Old Uncle Wang flicked his whip, and the ox cart continued toward the county town. Granny Zhao held Su Wan’s hand and patted it gently. Wheat seedlings had grown tall along the road, and the wind carried a pleasant scent of fresh grass.

Su Wan’s thoughts were on her errands. In four days she would marry. It was a once-in-a-lifetime event, and she wanted to enter the Huo family looking her best. She would buy a few more things for herself.