Chapter 7: The Xu Family in Qingshui Town (Part 7)

Chapter 7: The Xu Family in Qingshui Town (Part 7)

Time flew by, and before he knew it, a month had passed.

Xu Zeping stared with his dark eyes at the string of paper cranes hanging above the cradle, feeling a myriad of emotions. The old folks used to say that in the past, children's nutrition was poor, leading to slow development—a statement that seemed to ring true for Xu Zeping.

In this unknown era, after more than a month, he could finally see clearly the string of paper cranes above him.

Speaking of these paper cranes, they were folded by his nominal second sister—no, his biological elder sister! When the little girl, with her childish yet earnest demeanor, said she would fold ninety-nine paper cranes for him to bless his health and longevity, Xu Zeping truly recognized her as his round-faced, big-eyed second sister.

Looking at the ninety-nine paper cranes swaying in the breeze, Xu Zeping couldn't help but acknowledge that the head of the Xu family loved their children. After all, in those backward times, a sheet of xuan paper wasn't cheap, yet Xu Songshan spared no expense for his second sister to fold these paper cranes.

June marked the beginning of summer, and even the slightest breeze brought heat.

The gentle and cultured male voice outside pulled Xu Zeping back to reality, forcing him to confront the tumultuous journey of the past month... a mere month that felt like a lifetime.

These experiences both shocked and comforted him. What shocked him was that in this unknown world, men could bear children... yes, they were called "ge'er."

This revelation began with his third-day ceremony.

Amidst the boisterous firecrackers, Xu Zeping, clad only in a red bellyband and wrapped in a large red quilt, worshipped the deities... the entire process left him dizzy and disoriented. Just when he thought it was over, there came the basin-adding ritual.

There were too many people adding gifts, and the rituals were overwhelming, so Xu Zeping couldn't remember what each elder added.

What he did remember was a gentle and cultured male voice that left a deep impression on him—his uncle adding a jade pendant for Zeping, praying for endless blessings and hoping to have a child like Zeping himself!

Initially, it was the voice that caught his attention. Xu Zeping had heard many unique male voices, but this one was particularly soothing and pleasant. Cultured was usually a term reserved for women, but here it applied to a man without any awkwardness.

If the voice made an impression, the following words—"I hope to have a child like Zeping"—struck him like thunder.

Amidst the crackling firecrackers, Xu Zeping doubted whether he had misheard! His thoughts drifted far from reality, questioning his worldview. Could men really bear children?

No, how could men bear children? Perhaps he had slept too long and was now hallucinating!

If he was hallucinating, wasn't his rebirth already fantastical enough?

No, no, it must be his ears playing tricks on him.

In his repeated doubts, he didn't even notice when the third-day ceremony ended.

He knew for sure that men bearing children was real, not a hallucination or a hearing problem... because that night, his uncle came to talk to his mother.

From their conversation, Xu Zeping learned that this era divided people into three genders: male, female, and ge'er. Males and females were self-explanatory, similar to his previous life, except for ge'er.

Ge'er were physically stronger than females but slightly weaker than males.

They looked like males externally but had an additional set of reproductive organs internally.

Although ge'er were physically stronger than females, their fertility was lower, allowing them only two chances to bear children in their lifetime.

How to distinguish between males and ge'er? By the navel. Ge'er are born with a flower bud at their navel. Each ge'er has a unique bud, and the type of flower it blooms into varies. To know what kind of flower it is, one must wait until their first intimate encounter.

This unique feature became the best evidence to determine a ge'er's purity!

Xu Songrui had always been closest to her second sister-in-law before marriage.

Now facing difficulties, she naturally turned to her for support!

Xu Songrui had been married for three years without bearing a child, causing her mother-in-law to be highly dissatisfied and often making things difficult for her. This time, she threatened to find a concubine for her husband if she didn't conceive this year.

Xu Linshi, lying on the bed, gently wiped away Xu Songrui's tears and indignantly said, "Songrui, take care of yourself. Don't let that wicked woman's words upset you. Back then, Zhong Ye shamelessly begged your eldest brother to marry you, promising not to take a concubine for thirty years without a child!"

If not for Zhong Ye's promise, Xu Songlin wouldn't have been moved. He wrote three letters to his mother, eventually convincing her to marry Xu Songrui to Zhong Ye.

Who was Zhong Ye, and why did he seek Xu Songlin's permission to marry Xu Songrui?

Xu Songlin served as the magistrate of Dongping County, which was a major county with twice the population of Heluo County. The Zhong family was the largest grain merchant in Dongping County, owning thousands of acres of fertile land and being a close ally of Xu Songlin, especially during droughts when the Zhong family became his granary.

For Xu Songlin, it was a beneficial alliance.

For the Zhong family, it was a way to curry favor.

In the Great Jing Dynasty, merchants' sons could not take the imperial exams or enter officialdom. Therefore, they needed a noble family to protect their interests.

Xu Songlin, though having his own interests, was not corrupt, and his flexible and open-minded nature made him a rare honest official. Such a person was exactly who the Zhong family needed to cultivate a relationship with.

An alliance between officials and merchants was strongest through kinship!

Xu Songlin was not ungrateful; he had only one wife for many years. The Zhong family tried various methods but failed to win Xu Songlin over. Thus, they settled for Xu Songrui, who was still unmarried...

And thus began the marriage proposal.

Xu Songrui was not foolish. Under the influence of her two brothers, she had some intelligence. Her current tears were merely a release of frustration.

At home, she was pampered by her mother and protected by her brothers and sisters-in-law. But at her in-laws', she had to compete with her sisters-in-law and endure her mother-in-law's mistreatment. She had had enough.

"Sister-in-law, Songrui understands."

Xu Linshi embraced Xu Songrui, filled with sympathy. When she married into the Xu family, Songrui was only eleven, growing up under her watchful eye: "Tomorrow, I'll have your second brother write a letter to your eldest brother, urging your eldest sister-in-law to stand up for you at the Zhong family! Our precious pearl should not be bullied by the Zhong family!"

Xu Linshi felt deeply for Songrui. She had never approved of her marriage to Dongping County, where her eldest brother, despite being the magistrate, was often busy. And her eldest sister-in-law was not attentive, often neglecting her duties.

But they were all swayed by Zhong Ye's promise, leaving her speechless.

After all, ge'er indeed had lower fertility than females.

People often lamented the hardships of women, but she felt ge'er suffered more. In their in-laws' homes, having children was their only foothold!

What brought Xu Zeping comfort stemmed from his good eldest brother...