The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure-Chapter 81 - : Even More Moved

Girls in peasant families almost all knew how to sew and mend clothes, make shoes, and because people in the countryside weren’t fussy about clothing, everything was made generously sized, especially for children, to prevent them from outgrowing their clothes too quickly.

And making shoes, especially attaching the soles, required a bit of strength.

Neither task required much skill.

But Old Granny Zhang, as unworldly as she was, knew that embroidery was a valuable skill for a woman, one that could increase her worth and ensure that, even if married to a nasty mother-in-law, she wouldn’t starve.

When she had agreed to Lady Jiang’s marriage to Laosan, it was not only because a small dowry could virtually secure a daughter-in-law for nothing, but more so because she had surreptitiously inquired around Lady Jiang’s maternal home.

She found out that Lady Jiang’s mother had once been an embroideress for a wealthy family; what crisis befell her patrons was unclear, but their servants ended up being sold, and Lady Jiang’s mother was among those bought by a trafficker. She was cunning, deliberately kept her face dirty, acted ugly and strange, and was far more passive than the other girls, which made her less appealing. After selling the others, the trafficker brought Lady Jiang’s mother to town.

Lady Jiang’s mother seized that opportunity. Because she was unattractive, the trafficker figured that opulent households wouldn’t want her, so as he passed through Shiqiao Town, he thought that the country folks, unexposed to the wider world, might settle for such a girl at a lower price, perhaps even trick someone into buying her.

At that time, Jiang Chengye was a poor scholar; to support his education, his family was left with nothing, and they could no longer afford it, so he had to drop out and return home with several younger siblings still depending on him.

With heavy family burdens and Lady Jiang being frail and helpless, they moved to town where they survived by writing letters for people and other menial tasks.

Fortunately, they had a little bit of money when they heard the trafficker selling people; somehow, Jiang Chengye and Lady Jiang’s mother took a liking to each other, and he spent what he had to bring her home.

It was said to be the most sensational event in the region for many years and was the talk of the townsfolk for a long time.

After entering the Jiang household, Lady Jiang’s mother was industrious and thrifty. Thanks to her excellent embroidery skills, their family’s situation improved greatly, and they could even afford to continue Jiang Chengye’s education.

Jiang Chengye did not disappoint either; after marrying Lady Jiang’s mother, he studied for over a decade and, finally, lived up to everyone’s expectations by becoming a Scholar.

By that time, Lady Jiang was Jiang Chengye’s eldest daughter, already eleven or twelve years old.

You’d think that with Jiang Chengye becoming a Scholar, Lady Jiang’s mother’s hardships would have paid off, but fate was unkind; within a few years, decades of hard work took their toll on her health, and she died, leaving behind Lady Jiang and three sons. freēnovelkiss.com

The Jiang family had relied on Lady Jiang’s mother to take care of everything, including marrying off her younger brothers-in-law and sending off two younger sisters-in-law. She had also looked after the in-laws, and without her, the household was left without anyone capable of managing its affairs.

With the old too old, and the young too young, and with Jiang Chengye being unable to handle the practical matters of life, the situation was dire. Yet, because he still had the title of a Scholar, it took less than the traditional mourning period before people began to propose marriage.

No one knows what was going through Jiang Chengye’s mind; among all the suitors, some were from wealthy families ready to offer a dowry, and some were diligent peasant women who had put off marriage for the sake of their younger siblings. Yet, he rejected them all.

From many, he chose one, a girl from the Yang Family, so poor that they had sold their young daughter for their son’s marriage.

The girl from the Yang Family was young but beautiful, and for her, Jiang Chengye spent nearly half of the wealth accumulated by Lady Jiang’s mother, just to bring this delicate wife into his home.

In less than two years, the Jiang family fell into utter decline, barely able to afford meals, and although Jiang Chengye, now priding himself on his Scholar status, could no longer do the letter-writing work, he managed to find a job teaching at a private school. But these were peasant children; how much could they offer in terms of payment?

The family still often ran out of food.

The Yang Family’s daughter had endured for less than a year before she could bear it no longer. Taking advantage of Jiang Chengye’s absence, she eloped with a peddler she had somehow become involved with.

After a severe illness, Jiang Chengye’s health collapsed, and he was no longer capable of teaching in the private school. He spent his entire days drowning his sorrows in drink until he passed out.

It was entirely up to Jiang Chengye’s elderly parents, already approaching the end of their days, to drag their ailing bodies along with their grandsons and granddaughters and barely manage to work enough to support Jiang Chengye.

Lady Jiang’s marriage was conceived in a drunken stupor by Jiang Chengye after Wang Yongan became a Scholar. Influenced by someone’s suggestive remarks, he entertained a ludicrous idea, thinking that by marrying his daughter off to the Wang Family, he could count on Wang Yongping becoming a Graduate and after achieving high rankings, perhaps lend him a hand. Then he too might bask in that glory and possibly even pass the Graduate examinations himself.

Lady Jiang’s parents doted on their eldest son and complied with every request. Moreover, Jiang Chengye argued that marrying Lady Jiang into the Wang Family would not only reduce the number of mouths to feed at home but also potentially elevate their status by association with the Wang Family in the future, helping their son climb the social ladder. Where was the reason for them not to agree?

Without any reservations, they took the initiative to propose the marriage.

It was only after Old Granny Zhang had made inquiries and heard everywhere that Lady Jiang had a good temperament, handled nearly all household affairs, and was a diligent girl, that she began to warm up to the idea.

Hearing that this girl could also embroider to subsidize her family’s income and had inherited a bit of her mother’s true skill increased Old Granny Zhang’s interest even further.

Upon finding an opportunity to meet her, Old Granny Zhang found Lady Jiang to look frail, which she did not regard highly, yet she appeared to have a good temperament, quiet and compliant, someone she could dominate.

Moreover, the fact that Lady Jiang could embroider to help the family finances was more than desirable. Old Granny Zhang was well aware of her third son’s nature—he was conceited and lazy, loath to undergo hardships.

As long as she and her husband were alive, they wouldn’t split the family and he could still scrape by, but if they failed to find a capable and provident daughter-in-law, she feared the family would starve once the household divided.

Eldest Brother’s wife, Lady Lin, though plain and robust, was strong enough for labor in the fields. Though she had a difficult temperament, she would guard the family lands once they were divided and dedicate herself to the well-being of her immediate family, promising better days ahead.

For Laosan, there was no need to say more. He’d achieved Scholar status and married a woman from the town with a substantial dowry. With the title of a Scholar and as long as he did not court disaster, they would not starve.

Laosi was still young and worth waiting on, but for Laosan’s family, after much consideration, she found that Lady Jiang was the most suitable choice.

Lady Jiang’s life at home had also been tough. As a daughter, she knew all too well that with a stepmother came a stepfather. Her own mother’s body was barely cold, not even past the mourning period, when her father took a young wife and squandered the family fortune her mother had scrimped and saved for with her life.

By that time, Lady Jiang was sensible enough to understand the situation. Anyone with the slightest conscience would feel resentment.

Furthermore, Lady Jiang’s three younger brothers were raised by their grandparents to be dull and useless, unable to help Lady Jiang in the slightest and only serving to hold her back.

This was the kind of daughter-in-law to hope for, one who, once married into their family, would not favor her family of birth over her in-laws, providing her mind was somewhat clear.

Old Granny Zhang had observed and judged that Lady Jiang did not seem mentally unsound.

Therefore, after the assessment, she settled on Lady Jiang.