Chapter 43: There Is a Maiden Named Chu

  Sixteen years old? Can she give birth? Liu Yitiao's heart skipped a beat. Who doesn't want to marry a daughter-in-law? But if he were to marry a sixteen-year-old girl, wouldn't that be a bit... In the past, girls of this age seemed to have started calling him "uncle" already...

  Lao Liu didn't notice the expression on Liu Yitiao's face and continued to say: "The young lady lives in Xiao Xin Zhuang, her surname is Zhang, her name is Chuchu, she is the daughter of Zhang Puliang. She also has an older brother, Zhang Chuhuai, yes, it was that scholar who came to our house to treat the cow last time. They all like you very much..."

  "Dad," Liu Yitiao interrupted Liu Laoshi's words, looking gloomy, "I still have many things to deal with now, can we talk about this later?"

  "What are you talking about?!" Old Liu's face turned dark, scolding: "This matter has nothing to do with you! Just stand aside. Your mother and I both like Chu Chu very much, it's already settled."

  "Yes, indeed. " Liu He's family also advised: "A man should get married when he grows up, you are already eighteen years old, if you don't take a wife and have children, what will it look like? It will only increase others' gossip."

  "But, mother..." Liu Yitiao wanted to plead again, but was interrupted by Old Liu's authoritarian tone. Old Liu scolded with a stern face: "There is no 'but', I have made up my mind on this matter. Tomorrow we will go and present the betrothal gifts, and set a date for the wedding. The ancestral line of the Liu family is still waiting for you to continue it!"

  Old Liu finished speaking and swung his sleeves as he left, giving Liu no chance to say a word.

  Liu Yitiao looked at his mother's anxious face, then glanced at Liu Ertiao who was smiling mischievously on the side. He couldn't help but sigh, unsure whether he should be happy or worried. Just then, Liu Xiaohui also walked out of the house with her arms around him.

  Actually, as for marrying a wife, Liu Yitiao is quite willing, both psychologically and physically.

  They say that having a beauty by one's side while reading at night is the ultimate pleasure, and who wouldn't want to have a beautiful woman or even multiple women accompanying them all the time. However, when it comes to marrying such a young girl, he still can't quite accept it morally.

  It was also because of this that when Lao Liu forced him to marry a wife, Liu Yitiao opposed it but did not firmly stop it.

  Liu Yitiao found a clean place to sit down, put Liu Xiaohui on his leg, and asked in a low voice: "Little sister, big brother asks you a question, do you want to answer honestly? Hmm, just arrived at Xiao Xin Zhuang, did you see Chu Chu Jie Jie?"

  "Uh-huh. Sister Chuchu, I've seen her. Sister Chuchu still likes little Hui a lot." Little Hui nodded cutely.

  "Oh? Is Chu Chu's sister pretty or not?" Liu Yitiao felt a bit embarrassed. He clearly said he didn't agree, but was still here inquiring about gossip.

  "She's pretty, even prettier than Mom!" Liu Xiaohui hugged Liu Yitiao's arm and coquettishly said: "Big brother, why don't you bring back Chu Chu as your wife? I want to play with Sister Chu Chu."

  "Hmm..." Even a child as young as this knows that? But to make a little kid like her so much in less than an hour, Zhang Chuchu is really not simple. Liu Yitia gently patted Liu Xiaohui's head and said: "Let's talk about this later, how about big brother taking you to ride Little Yellow now?"

  "Wonderful! Thank you, big brother!" Amidst Liu Xiao Hui's cheerful laughter, Little Yellow became her mount.

  After teasing for a while, Liu Er thought that writing was almost done, so Liu Yi sent Liu Xiao Hui to Liu He's place again.

  Then he left with the contract copied by Liu Er Tiao.

  Wang Kui's original fields were just north of San Yuan County, less than two miles away from Gutan Village where Liu Yitia was located. So it would take Liu Yitia less than two hours to rush to the gathering place of those tenants.

  Ninety-one households, three hundred and eighty-one people, of which one hundred and fifty-eight are able-bodied men who can work the land. The rest are old people, women and children who cannot go down to the fields or cultivate the land, nor can they create much wealth for Liu Yitiao. So this time, Liu Yitiao only brought one hundred and fifty-eight contracts.

  Although sympathetic to the living conditions of these villagers, Liu Yitiao would never sign a batch of idle people who only know how to eat. After all, he is also poor now and cannot afford it.

  And Liu Yitiao's wages for these men were enough for their family expenses for a month, so they didn't have to worry about it.

  When Liu Yitiao arrived, Li Desheng had already gathered all the 91 households on the list together. They were all males between the ages of 15 and 60. Seeing Liu Yitiao arrive, they all stood neatly to one side. Towards their master, they all had a very common fear mentality.

  Liu Yitiao didn't mind, and let Li Desheng move a table and chair into the courtyard. Sitting on the chair, he put out a brush pen, an inkstone, a box of red mud, and that bundle of contracts on the table. Then he opened his mouth and said: "Fellow villagers, we are now officially starting to sign the contract. Those who can read and write will sign their own names, those who cannot will leave their handprints. One copy of the contract for you, one for me. After signing, go home and wait for news. When the spring warms up and the land thaws, I will let Li Laozheng notify you to go open up the wasteland."

  "Uh, the land is about 30 mu, and there are 11 oxen, along with plows, harrows, and other commonly used farm tools. When the time comes, I'll divide the land equally among you to manage, and the oxen will be used in rotation. Uh, let's have Li Lao tell everyone the details later. Alright, let's get started."

  Liu Yitiao glanced at Li Dequan and said, "Let's start with Old Master Li. The rest will follow one by one from near to far."

  "Thank you, Dongjia!" Li Desheng walked up to the table and bowed his head in gratitude towards Liu Yitiao.

  Liu Yitia nodded and handed the pen to him. More than a hundred contracts were signed, taking up almost half an hour. After signing, the whole afternoon was gone. Liu Yitia didn't even have time to go to the blacksmith's shop. He had to put off the matter of fixing the plow temporarily.

  When he returned home, he found that a large pile of cloth had been placed in the main hall of his house. Liu Laoshi was holding a piece of cloth and examining it.

  Liu Yitiao walked over and asked strangely, "Dad, why are there so many fabrics at home? What's going on?"

  Lao Liu put the cloth in his hand on the table, smiling and saying: "One ah, come and see, five pieces of cloth, three pairs of jade bangles, one headdress, two sets of new clothes. Hmm, as tomorrow's engagement gift, should be enough, right? Hehe..."

  "Betrothal gift?" Liu Yitiao was taken aback, he hadn't expected that what Old Liu said in the afternoon would actually come true. "Dad, you, aren't you being a bit too hasty?" Liu Yitiao asked. The engagement had just been agreed upon in the afternoon, and now they were already talking about sending betrothal gifts tomorrow, wasn't this a bit too rushed?

  "What's the hurry?!" Old Liu glared, saying: "I'd be delighted if I could welcome you as a son-in-law tomorrow and hold my grandchild in my arms the day after. Are you complaining it's too fast? Others your age already have two or three kids!"

  Liu Yitiao didn't say a word, and Old Liu slowed down his tone and continued: "I've already set the date for the wedding, on the fifth day of next month. I'll discuss it with your family and set the date for the wedding. At that time, you can come with me to meet my future in-laws and pay them a visit. If there's an opportunity, you might even get to see Miss Chuchu again."

  Liu's eyes lit up in front of him, and Old Liu's last words were quite attractive to him...