Chapter 5: Eight Taels in Betrothal Gifts

In the fields, Madam Wang had pulled only a couple of handfuls of weeds before she looked up toward home again.

Su Dashan noticed. “What’s the matter with you? You haven’t settled down all morning.”

She tossed the weeds onto the field ridge. “How could I? Wan went to meet Madam Guo at Matchmaker Wang’s, and I don’t know whether she liked her. It’s the Huo family! If they aren’t satisfied, won’t the match fall through?”

Su Dashan straightened and wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Worrying won’t help. Whether they take to each other is a matter of fate.”

“We’ll know when she gets home.”

The more Madam Wang thought about it, the more anxious she became. At last she pushed her hoe toward Su Qing. “You keep working. I’m going back to see. I told Xue to feed the pigs before I left; I don’t know if she’s done it.”

She hurried along the ridge and walked quickly all the way home. In the courtyard, she found Su Wan beside the pigsty, tipping a wooden bucket of feed into the trough. The pigs grunted and crowded forward, knocking against it.

Madam Wang’s face darkened. “Why are you feeding them again? I told Xue before I left! It’s nearly noon, and she’s put it off until you got back!”

Su Wan emptied the last half bucket and scraped the bottom with a ladle. “It’s all right. I was here anyway.”

“What do you mean, all right?” Madam Wang took the bucket from her, grumbling. “She’s sixteen and still dodges work at home. What will she do in her husband’s family? Will her mother-in-law spoil her the way I do?”

Su Wan smiled without answering. She knew Su Xue had no intention of living as an ordinary daughter-in-law. Her sights were set on Xu Xiuzhi, the capital, and a noble title.

But marrying into the Xu family would not be so easy. Su Xue knew nothing of what the original Su Wan had suffered in her previous life. She had seen only the public splendor, not the misery behind closed doors at night.

Once the pigs were fed, Madam Wang set the bucket beside the well. At last she could contain herself no longer. “Wan, did you meet Shi’an’s mother at the matchmaker’s today?”

“I did.”

“What was she like? Was she pleasant to you?”

“Very pleasant.”

Madam Wang’s eyes brightened. She leaned closer. “Was she pleased with you?”

Without answering at once, Su Wan took the silk flower from inside her clothes. It was wrapped in a handkerchief and lay perfectly flat when she unfolded it. Its colors were discreet, its stitches fine; clearly, it had been made with care.

Madam Wang stared, then broke into a broad smile. “Shi’an’s mother gave you this?”

Su Wan nodded.

Madam Wang slapped her thigh. “Good! I knew it. My daughter is so wonderful—how could she not like you?”

She took the flower and examined it again and again, growing more pleased each time. “This means she wants to settle the engagement. If she weren’t satisfied, why would she give you this? Wan, the match is made.”

Su Wan put the flower away again. “We still have to hear what Matchmaker Wang says.”

“What else could she say? The Huos have given you a gift. The matchmaker will surely be here with word soon.”

Beaming, Madam Wang took Su Wan’s hand. Her heart felt both tender and sore. Her eldest daughter had been sensible since childhood, never needing to be told to do the housework. Yet precisely because she was so sensible, few people ever asked whether she felt wronged.

Now that the match had fallen to her, perhaps Heaven had finally taken notice. “My Wan, your good days are still ahead of you.”

A scoff came from the west-room doorway. Su Xue leaned against the frame, an embroidered handkerchief in her hand and mockery in her eyes. “Aren’t you saying that a little too soon, Mother?”

Madam Wang’s smile vanished. “What do you mean?”

Su Xue curled her lip. “How do you know Sister will have a good life once she marries? The border towns haven’t been peaceful these past two years. Huo Shi’an spends all his time at the army camp. Who knows when he might meet with an accident?”

The mood in the courtyard changed at once. Madam Wang’s face turned livid. She strode over and jabbed Su Xue in the forehead. “What filth have you been eating to say such a thing? You’re cursing him! The match isn’t even settled, and you’re already speaking such unlucky words. What are you thinking?”

Su Xue stumbled back a step, her eyes immediately filling with tears. “I’m not wrong. I only meant well. I wanted Sister to be prepared.”

“Meant well?” Madam Wang’s voice rose. “If you meant well, you wouldn’t have pushed the match onto her and then turned around and said that. Xue, I think you can’t stand seeing your sister do well!”

Humiliated, Su Xue bit her lip. “You favor her! You scold me for one remark, but everything she says is right.”

“You dare talk back?” Madam Wang rolled up her sleeves, ready to strike her.

Su Wan reached out to stop her. “Mother, let it go.”

Madam Wang was still furious. “How can I? Listen to the things she says! Huo Shi’an is perfectly well, and she opens her mouth to talk of accidents. What kind of girl has so little sense?”

Su Wan looked at her sister, her tone even. “Thank you. Don’t worry about me.”

Su Xue stared.

“A good life is something you make for yourself,” Su Wan continued. “Mine will only get better from here.”

Su Xue felt a knot of frustration. She had wanted to hurt Su Wan, to make her afraid and uneasy. Instead, her sister had not lost her composure at all and had turned the words back on her.

Her face went pale, then flushed. With a final snort, she retreated to the west room and slammed the door.

Madam Wang was still angry. “I really have spoiled her. She’ll say anything.”

Su Wan poured her a bowl of water. “Don’t be angry, Mother. Xue is young and doesn’t know when to hold her tongue. Let’s keep what she said within the family. If the Huos hear it, they’ll be upset.”

Madam Wang took a couple of sips and calmed down. “You’re the sensible one.”

Su Wan picked up her basket, then went to the wall and slung her pack basket onto her back.

“Where are you going?” her mother asked.

“To look around the foot of the mountain. On my way back this morning, I saw some tender bamboo shoots coming up. I’ll dig a few to stir-fry tonight and see if there are any herbs.”

Madam Wang thought of stopping her, but the family was short of vegetables. She waved a hand instead. “Don’t go deep into the mountain. Stay near the edge and come back early.”

“I will.”

Su Wan set off with the basket on her back. At the gate, she glanced toward the west room. Su Xue had probably found a way to send her letter already. Good. The sooner she made contact with Xu Xiuzhi, the less chance she would have to turn back.

Su Wan looked away and headed for the mountain. The narrow path behind the village was thick with damp grass. She walked slowly, watching for wild greens and herbs.

What she needed most now was money. The Sus would give her a trousseau when she married into the Huo family, but it would not be much. She did not intend to rely on anyone else to arrange her life. Every coin she saved would help.

At the foot of the mountain she dug half a basket of tender shoots and picked some dandelions and plantain. Just as she was about to go farther, the lotus in her mind stirred.

She stopped and looked beneath a tree root ahead. Several plants grew there, with thick, dark leaves. She crouched to examine them, her eyes brightening. They were medicinal herbs—not rare, but worth more than plantain. Dried and sold to the town apothecary, they would bring a few extra coins.

Su Wan carefully dug them up by the roots, shook off the soil, and laid them on top of the basket. The lotus’s vitality circulated through her body, easing some of her fatigue. She did not press her luck; once she had gathered enough, she turned homeward.

Not long after she left the Su courtyard, Matchmaker Wang arrived. Her laughter reached inside before she did. “Sister Wang, are you home?”

Madam Wang was tidying the kitchen. She wiped her hands and hurried out. “Come in!”

The matchmaker could hardly contain her smile. “Congratulations, Sister Wang! The match is agreed!”

Madam Wang had already guessed as much, but still had to ask. “Truly?”

“Would I deceive you? After Wan left, Madam Guo told me she was very pleased with her. She said Wan was hardworking and pretty. The Huos have no objections; they’re waiting for your answer.”

Madam Wang was so happy she hardly knew what to do with her hands. “We agree, of course we agree.”

“Good. The Huos don’t want to delay. They propose the twenty-sixth day of the fourth month for the wedding.”

Madam Wang’s smile froze. “The twenty-sixth?”

She counted on her fingers and felt her heart tighten. “That leaves only a month. Isn’t it too rushed? We have to prepare her wedding clothes, quilt covers, and trousseau.”

Matchmaker Wang put down her bowl. “I know it’s hurried, but Huo Shi’an is in the army, and it isn’t easy for him to come home. The Huos say that if they miss this chance, they don’t know when he’ll be back again.”

Madam Wang frowned. She could not bear to lose the match, but she could not send her eldest daughter off looking too poorly provided for. “A month really is tight.”

The matchmaker leaned closer and lowered her voice. “The Huos know it’s rushed, and they’ve made it clear they won’t treat Wan poorly.”

Madam Wang looked up. Matchmaker Wang held up her fingers. “Eight taels in betrothal silver.”

Her eyes widened. “Eight?”

“That’s right, eight taels. Besides that, there are two bolts of cloth, one silver item, six packets of pastries, two chickens, and ten jin of meat. Madam Guo says they’re taking a proper wife into the family, and they won’t skimp on any of the customary courtesies.”

Most of Madam Wang’s hesitation melted away. Eight taels of silver, and so many other gifts! In the village, two taels was considered a good bride price. Eight showed how highly the Huos valued Wan.

She thought of their blue-brick house with its tiled roof, their yellow ox, and the silk flower Madam Guo had given her daughter. Her heart settled. “All right.”

Matchmaker Wang’s eyes narrowed with pleasure. “Shall I take your answer back to the Huos?”

Madam Wang nodded firmly. “Tell them the Sus agree. The twenty-sixth it is!”

In the west room, Su Xue heard every word. She crushed her handkerchief into a ball, her face ugly with anger.

Eight taels. The Huos were giving Su Wan eight taels, when in the previous life they had offered Su Xue only six, with fewer gifts besides. She did not want to marry into the Huo family again, but hearing how highly they valued her sister still rankled.

Why should Su Wan have more?

Su Xue clenched her teeth, jealousy and resentment filling her eyes. A few moments later, some thought occurred to her, and she suddenly smiled.