Chapter 20: An Insulting Marriage Proposal: The Relationship Between Bing Wengu and Nan Jinping…

Chapter 20: A Proposal That Could Be Considered an Insult... Between Bing Wengu and Nan Jinping...

By evening, Liang Shi thought Bing Wengu had cooled off enough to finally approach him, though she didn’t dare bring up stopping him from getting married.

"Da Lang, if you’re set on getting married, all I’ve got are the few coins you gave me. You know, those are from the game you caught, and I didn’t dare spend them recklessly. Now, I’m giving them all to you," Liang Shi said as she took out the coins. "I know these few coins are like a drop in the ocean for a wedding, but the family’s got nothing more to spare."

Bing Wengu naturally knew how poor the Bing family was, and what Liang Shi said was true.

It was a big deal for Liang Shi to hand over all these coins for his wedding. This was also why Bing Wengu had not yet pushed for splitting the family estate.

The Bing couple's affection for the original Bing Dalang was genuine. If the Bing couple had any bias in this family, it was towards the original Bing Dalang, who owed them a debt.

As for the other brothers in the Bing family, regardless of their petty thoughts, the original Bing Dalang also owed them. After all, these brothers had supported the original Bing Dalang's education for so many years, and he had done none of the household labor. Now, rebelling would be paying back what the original Bing Dalang owed.

Bing Wengu asked himself, if he had to support the original Bing Dalang for so many years, he’d have probably lost his temper long ago.

Even though Bing Wengu felt he owed nothing to the original Bing Dalang, this was still the original Bing Dalang's wish. As long as it didn't wrong him or his wife, Bing Wengu was willing to help the original Bing Dalang take care of and support his family.

But if the Bings dared to stir up trouble, he wouldn’t stand for it and would just split the family. Even though the village had a custom of not dividing the family while the parents were alive, and doing so would make him the target of village gossip, Bing Wengu would still go through with it.

So far, the Bings just had some petty thoughts, nothing too outrageous. They could be steered in the right direction, and if they could be guided well, it would be useful for him.

Regarding the marriage, the Bing family's attitude was actually indifferent; they mostly didn’t want him to keep studying.

They weren’t wrong. If the original Bing Dalang were still here, it would indeed be better to stop studying sooner. The original Bing Dalang knew he’d never pass the exams and, in despair, took his own life by drowning.

In Bing Wengu's view, the original Bing Dalang didn't despair because of Li Erniang calling off the engagement, but mainly because he had no hope for the current county exam and no confidence in future imperial exams. Li Erniang's breaking off the engagement was just a trigger.

Now, with Bing Wengu in Bing Dalang’s body, he was dead certain about acing the imperial exams. The Bing family didn’t know about the change inside, so it was understandable that they didn’t want to continue supporting his studies. Therefore, their unwillingness to let him study wasn’t really causing trouble.

Liang Shi watched Bing Wengu’s face carefully and tentatively asked, "What does the Nan family say about the bride price?"

Bing Wengu thought for a moment and said, "I plan to offer five taels of silver."

In the village, other families usually offered one to two taels of silver for a proposal, and only in rare cases three taels, which was already a lot. Five taels of silver could, with some saving, be enough for three brides in other families.

Liang Shi was shocked and almost fainted.

"Five taels? That’s a fortune. Who are you going to borrow from?"

"Mother, I’m not borrowing. I’ve got a plan to get the money."

Liang Shi felt even more uneasy, her face pale with fear, and she said with a sob, "Da Lang, we can’t go breaking the law."

Bing Wengu was both amused and exasperated. "Mother, where did you get that idea? I’ve finally managed to get a wife, and our happy life is just starting. How could I possibly think of doing something so foolish? Don’t worry, I won’t do anything to ruin our lives. I still need to live well with my wife."

For some reason, hearing Bing Dalang's words made Liang Shi feel more convinced than if Bing Wengu had sworn an oath.

"Mother, I know what I’m doing. I won’t overreach, so you can rest assured," Bing Wengu said as he handed the coins back to Liang Shi. "Take these coins back, Mother."

At night, there was movement in Bing Sanlang's room. The village doctor had seen him during the day and said it was a sign of labor, and although he prescribed medicine, by nightfall, the labor had started.

The entire Bing family, including Bing Wengu, got up. Bing Wengu called the village midwife and the doctor. Fortunately, it wasn’t too far from the due date, and with about ten days left, the birth went off without a hitch, and both mother and child were safe.

Liang Shi was so happy that she gave the midwife a red envelope with more than ten copper coins and also gave her a few extra eggs.

Bing Wengu also breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that both mother and child were safe.

Inside the room, Qian Shi, after giving birth, looked at her thin and small son on the kang, feeling content.

"I knew this baby would be a little boy, I had a feeling," Qian Shi said weakly but happily. "Finally, I've given you a son to continue the family lineage. Otherwise, I would have felt like I couldn't hold my head up in this family, and I wouldn't have had the confidence to speak."

Bing Sanlang chuckled as he played with his son. "You've worked hard, my dear. You've done a great job."

Their two-year-old daughter lay quietly on the kang, watching her parents dote on her baby brother.

Qian Shi suddenly remembered something and said, "I told you before that Big Brother's gaze was terrifying, so much so that Wang Shi fell on her backside. You didn't believe me then, but do you believe me now?"

Thinking of Bing Wengu's ruthlessness earlier that day, Bing Sanlang nodded vigorously. "Big Brother has really changed after his brush with death. It's terrifying. Wife, don't provoke him from now on. If anything happens, tell me secretly."

Qian Shi glanced at him sideways. "And then you'll go tell Big Brother?"

"No, wife. If you want to remarry, just say so. No need to kill me first."

"You coward!" Qian Shi spat.

The matter of the Bing and Nan families wanting to arrange a marriage hadn't been publicly discussed, as both families were afraid of the negative impact if things didn't work out. However, the uproar in both households was impossible to ignore.

The Nan family didn't resort to violence, but Miao Shi's loud sobbing was heard by all the neighbors, who were not deaf.

As for the Bing family, it was almost a matter of life and death. The neighbors heard everything clearly, even more so than the Bing family members who were present at the scene.

By the next day, the entire village was buzzing with talk about the impending marriage between the Bing and Nan families.

The most gossipy women in the village gathered once more.

Wang Shi curled her lip disdainfully. "A poor family like the Bings can only marry an unmarried older woman like Nan Jinping."

"I knew it. Without my Erniang, Bing Dalang wouldn't be able to secure a wife. Even if he managed to arrange a marriage, it would only be with an unwanted unmarried older woman like the Nan family!" Li Shi said. "One is steeped in poverty, the other is unmarriageable. They're quite a match."

Although Li Shi spoke this way, she felt somewhat uneasy inside.

According to Li Shi's thinking, after her Erniang broke off the engagement with Bing Dalang, Bing Dalang should have remained single for the rest of his life, never finding a wife.

Even the kind of unmarried older woman she looked down on, the kind she thought only suitable for cripples, disabled men, or old widowers, shouldn't be able to marry him.

Li Shi curled her lip. "The Bing family is so poor. I don't know what that unmarried older woman from the Nan family is thinking. Marrying into the Bing family is worse than being a concubine for Zhou Nan Shi's daughter. At least she'd have food to eat."

Wang Shi teased, "What's wrong? Are you upset that Bing Dalang didn't end up a lifelong bachelor after your Erniang broke off the engagement?"

Li Shi, caught off guard, avoided eye contact and said guiltily, "No such thing. I just feel sorry for that unmarried older woman from the Nan family. Although she's old, her fertility sign is faint, and she's not good at bearing children, at least she's not missing any limbs. Why would she jump into the Bing family's living hell?"

Wang Shi's beady eyes darted around, and she suddenly said, "Listen, I suspect Bing Dalang and that unmarried older woman from the Nan family have been involved for some time."

Li Shi's mouth fell open in shock. "When did this happen? How do you know?"

Wang Shi spoke mysteriously. "A while back, didn't Bing Dalang fall into the river? No one knows who saved him. The Bing family insists it was one of their own. But that day, all the able-bodied members of the Bing family were up in the mountains picking wild vegetables."

Li Shi seemed to understand. "You think that unmarried older woman from the Nan family saved Bing Dalang? So they've already had intimate contact?"

"Obviously! How else do you think someone gets saved from drowning without physical contact?" Wang Shi rolled her eyes.

Zhao Wang Shi listened with great interest. "So they were already entangled back then. Did they start getting together after that?"

Wang Shi spoke as if she had witnessed everything firsthand. "Of course! Who knows, maybe they've already been intimate?"

"What you're saying is quite plausible. Otherwise, why would Miao Shi cry so much and even plead on her knees to beg Nan Jia Xiao Geer, but Nan Jia Xiao Geer still refused to back down and insisted on marrying him?"

Zhang Li Shi overheard a neighbor from the Nan family discussing the events at the Nan household the previous day. The neighbor hadn't mentioned Miao Shi pleading on her knees to Nan Jinping, but Zhang Li Shi added her own embellishments, speaking as if the neighbor had actually said so.

Zhao Wang Shi chimed in, "That makes sense. You don't know, but yesterday Bing Silang disagreed with Bing Dalang marrying Nan Jia Xiao Geer (a young man), and Bing Dalang almost killed him. Bing Dalang is so eager that Nan Jia Xiao Geer might already be pregnant."

Li Shi waved her hand, "Absolutely impossible to be pregnant. Our village's Dr. Li has already said that Nan Jia Xiao Geer has faint signs of fertility and definitely cannot be pregnant. But it's true that the two have been involved with each other for a long time..."

The village was buzzing with rumors, and some even went directly to the Nan family, saying to the parents, "The Bing family is so poor, they can't even afford to eat. Marrying Jin Geer off to them is like throwing her into a pit of despair. How about this, I'll introduce you to a match, my sister-in-law's brother from my maiden family. He's a good man, honest and hardworking, with a kind heart."

The visitor didn't wait for the Nan parents to speak, just rattled on, "His wife died seven years ago, and he has seven children at home. Since Jin Geer can't have children, marrying him would mean she has a complete family with both sons and daughters. If Jin Geer treats the children well, her sincerity will be reciprocated. When Jin Geer gets old, the children will surely provide for her and not let her starve."

The villager seemed to think Nan Jinping was getting a good deal, saying, "Originally, that man didn't want to marry a Xiao Geer; he wanted to find a widow, even one with children. It was only after I persuaded him that he agreed, giving me face. Alright, I don't need much thanks from your family, just consider it as me doing a good deed. I'll take charge, and it's settled."

The villager acted as if he had the final say, "Jin Geer, you should reject the Bing family's proposal, pack up, and come with me. Given your condition, I'll decide, no dowry is needed. Once you're there, be diligent, work more, eat less, and treat the children sincerely, so you won't be kicked out when you're old."

After this long tirade, the Nan parents were so angry they almost fainted. Finally, Nan Dalang, furious, chased the person out with a broom.

The person, still defiant after leaving, shouted, "Good intentions are mistaken for ill will. My sister-in-law's brother's family is much better off than the Bing family, with both sons and daughters. Jin Geer can't have children, marrying him would mean she has a complete family with both sons and daughters. Where else in the world would you find such a sweet deal? Pah, you don't appreciate kindness. Your old Xiao Geer is only fit to marry into the Bing family's pit filled with bitter water."

Others came to persuade the Nan parents to let Nan Jinping be a dowry for Zhou Nan Shi's daughter, saying that being a secondary wife to a scholar-official is better than marrying Bing Dalang.

However, Zhou Nan Shi's future son-in-law was not yet a scholar-official, just a candidate like Bing Dalang who needed to take the exam this year. Somehow, in these people's mouths, he had inexplicably become a scholar-official.

Some even suggested disabled men missing limbs or old bachelors older than Nan's father for Nan Jinping, as if these men were better than Bing Dalang.

This enraged Nan's father, who cursed, while Miao Shi wept bitterly.