Chapter 55: Marry A Man Into The Family
Madam Bian’s face flushed red, and she walked over with a face full of shame, her head lowered, not daring to meet Pei Qinghe’s eyes: “Qinghe cousin sister, I… I…”
“Lift your head, puff out your chest, and look at me when you speak.”
Madam Bian subconsciously straightened her chest and lifted her eyes.
Pei Qinghe looked at Madam Bian and said clearly and slowly: “You haven’t done anything wrong, so why are you so uneasy and ashamed?”
Madam Bian’s nose soured, and her eyes instantly reddened: “Women guarding chastity for their deceased husbands is worldly custom. I have already kept it for four years, and I was originally supposed to keep it for a lifetime…”
“Bullshit worldly custom!” Pei Qinghe calmly cursed: “When a woman dies, the man immediately takes a wife and concubines. When a man dies, the woman has to live as a widow. Such customs that extinguish human nature should have been abolished long ago.”
“Cousin has been gone for four years, and you have kept widowhood for him for four years, showing filial piety to your parents-in-law and raising Xiao Wan’er big. You haven’t done anything to wrong cousin.”
“The clan rules for marrying a man into the family were set by me. You were the first to actively respond, and I am very happy. Just lift your head and marry a son-in-law into the family. In the future, husband and wife will be of one heart, live a good life, have children who will all bear the Pei surname, and I will raise them.”
Tears streamed down Madam Bian’s face.
Zhao Hai knelt down with a thud, kowtowing three resounding heads: “Thank you, Sixth Sister Pei, for making this possible. I will definitely treat her well from now on and never be an ungrateful man. I swear a poisonous oath right now: if I wrong her, let me be struck by lightning.”
Pei Qinghe tugged at the corner of her mouth: “The Lord of Heaven is very busy and can’t attend to such small matters. If that day really comes, no need to trouble the Lord of Heaven; I will chop you with one knife.”
This was not a threat.
Anyone who had personally seen Pei Qinghe kill bandits knew very well how ruthless and merciless the girl before them was. If she said she would chop you with one knife, she would do it with one knife, without needing a second.
Madam Bian wiped her tears and knelt down together, kowtowing three heads to Pei Qinghe.
Pei Qinghe reached out to help Madam Bian up, her voice softening: “Does Xiao Wan’er know about your matter?”
Madam Bian was involuntarily helped up and replied in a low voice: “I haven’t told her yet.”
“Tell her sooner.” Pei Qinghe said: “She is also at an age to understand. Also, I will make the decision for you on this matter. No matter who tries to persuade you privately, you don’t need to pay them any mind.”
Several stubborn and conservative elders of the Pei Clan had stood up today to oppose marrying a man into the family, and Madam Fang, Bian Shulan’s mother-in-law, was among them; she certainly would not be willing for Madam Bian to marry a son-in-law, not daring to do so openly but definitely advising against it behind her back.
With Pei Qinghe backing her, Madam Bian could stand tall and marry a son-in-law into the family.
Tears hung on Madam Bian’s face, but her heart burned hot as she nodded vigorously.
Pei Qinghe suddenly asked another question: “Do you still remember your own name?”
Madam Bian was stunned by the question: “Of course I remember; my given name is Shulan.”
She had married into the Pei Clan at sixteen, and it had been eight years now. In these eight years, she had first been Madam Bian, then Xiao Wan’er’s mother. It had been a long time since anyone had called her name.
“Bian Shulan,” Pei Qinghe smiled slightly: “It’s a good name. From now on, let everyone call you by your name directly.”
Bian Shulan’s whole body trembled, as if struck by lightning all over. It was as if something had turned to ashes and scattered, and as if something new was born within her body.
She was not a Pei Family daughter-in-law with a blurred face, nor an expendable Madam Bian.
She was not only Xiao Wan’er’s mother; she was also herself.
A brilliant light burst from Bian Shulan’s eyes, unprecedented: “I understand.”
Only then did Pei Qinghe glance at Zhao Hai, who was kneeling on the ground, of average build and unremarkable appearance: “Are you sure it’s him? Do you want to wait a bit? I am recruiting refugees and hidden households into the village; wait two years, and you can marry a strong and handsome son-in-law.”
Zhao Hai: “…”
Bian Shulan burst out laughing, reached out proactively, and pulled Zhao Hai up. Then she replied earnestly: “It’s him.”
Pei Qinghe hummed: “You chose him yourself; don’t regret it later.”
Bian Shulan was usually cautious in speech and action, overly careful; today she boldly joked for once: “What if I regret it? Can I divorce my husband?”
Pei Qinghe touched her chin and thought seriously for a moment: “If you really can’t get along, then divorce. The child stays, and the man must leave Pei Family Village. This rule also needs to be written into the clan rules.”
In any case, the clan rules could be supplemented at any time, and the right of interpretation was in Pei Qinghe’s hands.
Zhao Hai clearly had some opinion on this clan rule but did not dare to speak up.
Bian Shulan, however, felt completely happy and happy. What Pei Qinghe said was all standing up for Pei Clan women. Every point was to her benefit.
Was this the kind of life men in the world lived? It was too happy, too unrestrained!
“The brand-new Pei Family Village will take over half a year to build. You don’t need to wait. I will have someone clear out an empty thatched hut for you two as the new house. Get married in ten days.”
“Conditions are simple now, so your marriage can only be simply arranged. At that time, buy two fat pigs to kill, everyone gathers together to eat a sumptuous meal with meat and vegetables, and the ceremony will be completed.”
“A marriage certificate must be drawn up. Zhao Hai is marrying into the Pei Clan as a son-in-law, so it must be clearly written on the marriage certificate.”
Whatever Pei Qinghe said, Bian Shulan and Zhao Hai both nodded.
After Pei Qinghe left, Zhao Hai looked around like a thief, confirming no one was nearby, then quickly reached out and gripped Bian Shulan’s hand: “Shulan, don’t drive me away in the future.”
Bian Shulan pulled her hand back and gave him a coquettish glare: “We haven’t married yet; don’t be handsy. If others see, they’ll talk idle talk.”
Zhao Hai felt utterly comfortable being glared at and quickly let go: “Alright, alright, I will listen to you.”
He was not ugly, just too poor. At twenty-eight, he still hadn’t managed to take a wife and start a family. He had originally thought he would be a bachelor for life. When the soldiers grabbed able-bodied men and made him drive the cart, he wasn’t even that panicked. His life had always been at rock bottom; how much lower could it go?
Not two days after driving the cart, the sickly Bian Shulan was carried onto the grain cart.
The bumpy journey was inevitable. He deliberately slowed the speed and drove the cart extra carefully. He would also secretly bring water to Bian Shulan during moments when no one was paying attention.
On the long road of exile, the two had not spoken, but their eyes had silently met countless times.
A frail and lonely widow and a healthy and passionate bachelor—two equally lonely souls quietly sparked upon collision.
“It feels just like a dream.” Zhao Hai grinned and chuckled foolishly: “Soon I’ll have a wife and a daughter.”
Bian Shulan smiled with pursed lips: “It’s not a dream. From now on, following Qinghe, we will surely live good days. We must remember Qinghe’s kindness.”
“Do I need to say it?” Zhao Hai puffed out his chest: “From now on, Sixth Sister Pei is my benefactor reborn. If she tells me to go through a sea of swords and flames, I won’t even furrow my brow.”
Bian Shulan’s gratitude and thanks to Pei Qinghe were even deeper than Zhao Hai’s.
As a woman, bound by heavy rules. Without Pei Qinghe backing her, she could never take this step. She would forever only be Madam Bian.
Now, she was going to be Bian Shulan.
