Grandma Qin took the pork out of Qin Junyao's carrying basket and frowned at the little yellow dog held by Qin Sanniu. "Undying Pup? You really know how to name things."
"The two rabbits are named Big Beauty and Big Grace, and the puppy is called Undying Pup. Big Yellow is better than it."
Qin Sanniu tightened his grip on Undying Pup, his head bowed lower.
Seeing Sanniu's demeanor, Grandma Qin waved her hand. "Alright, keep it. If it messes or pees in the house, I'll stew it."
With that, she carried the pork out to the village.
"Ooh~~ my family has a puppy now," Qin Xiaoyu was even happier than her third brother. She followed behind him, asking if Undying Pup was male or female, and if it would have puppies when it grew up.
Aunt Qin watched her son answer Qin Xiaoyu, her tears almost spilling again. She took the carrying basket handed over by Qin Junyao, nodded at her niece, and went into the house to cook.
After the busy farming season, most families in the village had two meals a day. It was nearing dinnertime, and many adults and children were outside.
Grandma Qin carrying the pork was quite conspicuous, especially to those six or seven-year-olds who knew everything and were boisterous, shouting for meat.
"Old sister, where did you get this meat?"
The question came from a Mrs. Li, one of the elderly women Grandma Qin had been chatting with at her doorstep earlier. Her grandson was tugging at her trousers.
Grandma Qin's eyes lit up, then she stammered, "Nowhere, I'm going home."
"Don't go, old sister, let's chat for a bit. Where did you get it? This meat is really fatty," Mrs. Li's mouth watered as she looked at the pork in Grandma Qin's hand.
"Heh," Grandma Qin, uncharacteristically, just smiled without replying.
This made Mrs. Li even more curious. This old sister, like herself, loved to watch a good show. She could stand by and comment on any quarrel or child-beating.
"Old sister doesn't usually take this road home."
"Go get your Grandma Qin a stool," Mrs. Li directly sent her grandson away, determined to get to the bottom of it.
Grandma Qin saw people gathering around and, feigning alarm, pulled Mrs. Li aside. "It's not that I don't want to tell you, sister, but Madam Zhao gave it to me."
Mrs. Li pointed in the direction of Zhao Liangcai's house. "The Madam Zhao from that family?"
"Who else can be called Madam Zhao? Sister, you know how my grandchildren work hard every day, and it pains me. I was thinking if only they could have a meat meal. Guess what?"
Mrs. Li cooperated, "What?"
"I was passing by the Zhao house and muttered aloud about wanting to eat meat, and Madam Zhao overheard me."
"And so, she gave it to me for free. Oh dear, you mustn't tell anyone. I'm going home now," Grandma Qin said and left quickly.
She went straight home, making Mrs. Li have no reason to doubt her words.
The meat was brought home and, along with two pork ribs, was made into cured meat by Qin's mother. For dinner, they had cornmeal and bone soup with dumplings, which satisfied their cravings.
That night, as Qin Junyao was about to enter her space to dig for ginseng, Qin Xiaoyu crawled beside her. "Sister, Grandma is going to marry you off."
Qin Junyao turned to face her sister, tucking her quilt in. "Who told you that?"
"Uncle went out with the stall today, and Mom and the others came back earlier than usual. Uncle was called into Grandma's room when he returned. I overheard," Qin Xiaoyu was quite proud that she hadn't been discovered.
"Why were you eavesdropping? Be careful Grandma hits you."
"Hmph, Grandma would hit me even if I wasn't eavesdropping. Sister, I'll tell you what I heard. Can you buy me a red hair tie next time you go to Salt County?" Qin Xiaoyu's face was full of anticipation.
Qin Junyao tucked Qin Xiaoyu's hand, which had strayed out of the quilt, back in. "I can buy you a hair tie, but not in exchange for information. It's because I want to buy it for you."
"Just buy it for me," Qin Xiaoyu didn't dwell on the process. "I heard Uncle say he didn't see General Zhao. Grandma said there's no rush, he'll definitely have that intention. Besides, our girls aren't worried about getting married."
"Sister, you're the only one in our family who can get married. Grandma can't possibly mean marrying herself off, can she?"
During Qin Xiaoyu's narration, Qin Junyao was so shocked she almost sat up. These words weren't something Qin Xiaoyu could just make up.
Not long ago, Grandma Qin had warned her to stay away from Zhao Liangcai. This change of heart was too sudden!
Marriage, she had thought about it. She planned to pay taxes until she was twenty, then marry a dying man, and live her life beautifully alone.
She yearned for love, not marriage.
Qin Junyao believed that even the most passionate love would be worn down by the mundane realities of married life, like her parents in modern times.
In this ancient era, pursuing love without marriage was a path to destruction.
Qin Junyao had no heart to dig for ginseng that night. She rubbed corn kernels in her space, thinking about how to discuss this matter with Grandma Qin. She didn't want to talk to Father Qin or Mother Qin, as Grandma Qin had the final say in this household.
In the following days, Qin Junyao couldn't find an opportunity to talk to Grandma Qin. Grandma Qin went to watch the excitement at the Zhao family's every day. Seeing Madam Qian's pained expression as she distributed meat to the villagers brought her immense joy.
The Qin family also had matchmakers visiting them intermittently. Some were looking for a match for her, while others were seeking to arrange marriages for the three Qin brothers.
Annoyingly, the matches for Qin Sanniu were all for women with disabilities or intellectual impairments.
They were all young.
The implication was for the Qin family to take them in as child brides, which often led to Aunt Qin weeping.
What angered Qin Junyao was that some matchmakers would directly bring men to appraise her.
The men's gazes were like those of livestock buyers in a market, evaluating her from the tips of her hair to her heels, even trying to pry open her mouth to inspect her teeth.
Enraged, Qin Junyao, one evening, after instructing Qin Xiaoyu, entered her space and planted all the uncultivated seeds within. As expected, the space upgraded again.
Qin Junyao's fainting spell was passed off by the Qin family as a cold. They also temporarily stopped receiving matchmakers.
"Mother, please invite Doctor Sheng. Junyao has been lying down for four days and can only drink rice broth. What can we do?" Mother Qin had no interest in setting up the stall and stayed home, watching over her daughter.
Grandma Qin slammed the copper coins on the kang. "How many times have I told you she's fine? Doctor Sheng saw her in the woods last time, and besides, didn't Yao Yao tell Xiaoyu she'd be dizzy for a few days?"
"What's wrong with not eating for four days? Last year, when we had no rice, we barely ate for a whole year and survived, didn't we?"
"Yao Yao isn't even feverish now, she's about to wake up. Stop crying and sniveling, go make some food."
Grandma Qin was almost driven mad by these two daughters-in-law. First, the second daughter-in-law cried, then the elder daughter-in-law cried. Nothing in this world was perfect. If you wanted obedient daughters-in-law, you couldn't expect them to be capable.
The Qin family was worried about Qin Junyao, while Zhao Liangcai was restless in the military camp, pacing his room like a trapped beast.
"Hammer, stop pacing. You've polished the floor bright enough to see your reflection," Suozi said, not daring to say much as he looked at Zhao Liangcai's bloodshot eyes.
Everything was happening at once.
The prince Zhao Liangcai had encountered kept his word, and the grain for salt was delivered as promised.
The problem was that the Northwest Army unexpectedly took over the defense of Northwest City, and salt could no longer be transported out of Northwest City.
The second and third divisions of the salt guard, in conjunction with the first and sixth divisions, began openly seizing timber and salt workers.
Zhao Liangcai's sleepless nights and headaches returned, and on top of that, news spread from the village that Qin Junyao was looking for a husband.