Chapter 86: Engagement or Not (1/2)
In the first month of the lunar year, the winter wheat had just begun to turn green.
The slender wheat seedlings still bore remnants of melting snow, and the soil in the fields had not yet fully thawed.
The pond, swollen with snowmelt, brimmed with water.
Broken twigs and withered leaves floated on the surface, but the water remained clear enough to reflect the azure sky and the budding reeds along the shore.
Xie Qi followed silently behind Shen Miao as she inspected the fields with focus.
Over his arm hung the cloak Shen Miao had once worn.
Where she walked, he followed; where she paused to observe, he dazed-paused as well.
He had truly become her little shadow.
Yet now, his mind wandered.
Though his body instinctively trailed after her, his soul seemed to have fled the moment she embraced him.
His senses lingered behind-trapped in the fleeting warmth of her arms.
Shen Miao, clever and composed, always withdrew first.
After their embrace, she had wrinkled her nose playfully, flashed him a faint smile, and turned away to tend to her fields, her pond, her wheat.
But he could not recover so easily.
Like a flickering flame gasping in the ashes, Xie Qi had never imagined he could yearn so desperately for touch.
His waist, where her arms had encircled him, still burned.
His chest, where she had pressed against him, felt as though it had caved in at her slightest touch, leaving him breathless.
That single embrace had shattered the dam holding back the flood-torrents surged through his limbs, leaving him helplessly craving more.
He wanted to hold her hand.
To pull her into his arms again.
Xie Qi misstepped, nearly tumbling into the ditch.
Shen Miao turned just in time.
She had meant to circle back for another look, only to find Xie Qi wobbling precariously as he fought to regain his balance.
She quickly reached out to steady him.
“The soil’s just thawed and soaked with snowmelt-it’s slippery,” she said.
As Xie Qi regained his footing, her grip on his wrist loosened.
Panicked, he caught her hand before she could pull away.
Under her wide-eyed gaze, he lowered his head, lips pressed tight, unwilling to let go.
After a stiff pause, his heart hammering, he fumbled for an excuse:
“…The ridge is narrow and slick. Holding hands makes it harder to fall.”
Shen Miao blinked but didn’t resist.
At heart, she was still a modern woman-holding hands or embracing wasn’t so unthinkable.
But Xie Qi looked as though he had mustered a lifetime’s worth of courage, his face flushed to the point of steaming.
“Let’s make one more round, then fetch Xiangjie and the others. They’re likely waiting by the path to Spring Manor,” she said casually.
“Mm.” Xie Qi’s reply was strained, his throat seemingly paralyzed by nerves.
After just two steps hand in hand, his palm grew damp with sweat.
Though no one was around, Xie Qi shifted the folded cloak to cover their joined hands.
Even in his daze, he remembered to safeguard her reputation.
Shen Miao had been so kind to him, responding to his feelings despite others’ eyes; he owed it to her to cherish everything about her, to never let her suffer gossip because of him.
Shen Miao lowered her gaze, glancing at the cloak covering their hands, and understood Xie Qi’s intentions.
Her heart softened as she curled her fingers, returning his grasp.
Xie Qi’s steps faltered slightly before he continued walking, his movements stiff and awkward.
“Ninth brother, do your parents know about us? Would they approve of you spending your life with a common girl like me?”
Shen Miao tilted her head to look at him, then remembered that Ninth brother had moved to West Lane while his family had returned to Chenzhou-as if that already answered her question.
“Mother knows.” Xie Qi took a deep breath.
“Whether Father knows doesn’t matter, he listens to Mother.”
Shen Miao nodded, relieved that at least his mother was aware.
Truthfully, from the day Ninth brother returned, she’d already considered becoming engaged to him.
She wasn’t some heartless scoundrel- she was a good girl who intended to take responsibility for Ninth brother.
Now that she’d decided to be with him, practical matters needed consideration.
Fortunately, this era lacked the distorted Neo-Confucian moral constraints of later generations.
While noble families might have numerous rules, common folk like them observed no such formalities.
Once engaged, two families became one-helping each other with farm work, celebrating festivals together.
If living nearby, visiting each other was perfectly normal.
No one would demand an engaged girl stay home embroidering dowries, forbidden from going out.
No one would criticize meeting one’s betrothed as improper.
No one preached about women’s three obediences and four virtues, or that wives should remain hidden from public view.
When Elder Sister Shen and Rong Dalang were betrothed, the young man came daily to their shop to court her, earning praise as a model future son-in-law.
So Shen Miao believed straightforwardness was better.
She disliked secrecy-why should loving someone feel like theft?
What she and the Ninth brother shared should be open and honorable.
In her past life, she’d encountered too many so-called “high-quality men” of strange varieties.
Having seen enough, she now trusted both herself and Ninth brother completely.
This wasn’t some lovesick infatuation-she didn’t even possess that capacity.
Her principle had always been clear:
Love should be open and fearless.
Besides, she had nothing to fear.
If Ninth brother dared betray her, she could always divorce him again-she had experience.
Moreover…
Song Dynasty customs and laws favored protecting women’s dowries and premarital assets.
She’d heard Chen Xun explain the legal provisions:
“When husband and wife separate amicably due to discord, the wife’s property shall not be divided.”
A woman’s dowry-jewelry, silver, land, or houses-remained her private property even after marriage, separate from the husband’s assets.
Neither the husband nor his family could arbitrarily seize or use it.
Even for daily needs, the husband’s family required the wife’s consent to use her dowry.
Only when voluntarily offered could it be utilized.
Should the husband’s family divide property or incur debts, they couldn’t use the wife’s dowry without permission.
If purchased land or houses used dowry money, those amounts had to be separately calculated and returned during separation.
When Shen Miao was divorced back then, she was able to smoothly retrieve the remaining dowry precisely for this reason.
Whether from the perspective of public morality or legal standpoint, as long as she was unwilling, the Rong family had no grounds to keep her property.
So… the fact that Rong Dalang had completely exhausted Eldest Sister’s dowry was purely because she had been deceived by that scoundrel.
It was only out of consideration for their past marital bond that Eldest Sister had willingly provided the funds for his studies.
Had Shen Miao chosen to drag things out with the Rong family back then, she could have even sued them to reclaim the money.
However, disputes over dowry were too time-consuming.
Being alone and vulnerable, with her health not fully recovered, and Jinling not being her home ground, she ultimately chose to leave those scoundrels early and start a new life for herself.
Unable to avenge Eldest Sister at the time, Shen Miao resolved to take good care of her younger siblings instead.
Now that the Shen family’s noodle shop had been revived, with fields and shops under her own name, and both Ji Ge and Xiangjie growing up safe and happy, she felt somewhat comforted.
She hoped Eldest Sister’s spirit wouldn’t blame her for the choices she made back then.
But if the Rong family dared to provoke her again in the future, she wouldn’t hesitate to take them to court now.
In any case, regarding marriage and divorce at this time, one didn’t need to worry about marital property being split fifty-fifty with the husband or being forced to undergo cooling-off periods before divorce.
According to Lawyer Deng, with some bribes to the officials, even if a wife initiated divorce against her husband’s wishes, the husband’s objections could be overruled at the yamen with just a few light strokes of the bamboo as formality.
As long as you had money to grease the palms of petty officials, no divorce was impossible.
She had carefully considered all possibilities, both good and bad.
Her decision was made.
Walking forward, Shen Miao looked ahead as if casually discussing tomorrow’s grocery shopping with Xie Qi, and continued matter-of- factly:
“Since Madam already knows… perhaps Ninth Brother could find time to return to Chenzhou soon and ask Madam to send a matchmaker for marriage negotiations.”
“We can get engaged first-after engagement, we wouldn’t need to meet secretly anymore, and Ninth Brother wouldn’t have to worry about damaging my reputation.But I’d like to postpone the formal wedding for two more years after engagement, is that alright? I still want to manage the shop better…”
Before she could finish, Shen Miao felt a tug on her arm.
Turning, she found Xie Qi standing frozen on the field path, looking at her with puppy-dog eyes, his expression caught between laughter and tears as he said, “I can’t walk anymore.”
“Hmm?”
“My legs… are… shaking……”
It was as if the heavens had dropped a pie so big it nearly knocked him out.
While Shen Miao and Xie Qi were discussing life-changing matters by the field path, Xiangjie’s group had already arrived at the Xie family’s spring estate.
Xiangjie wondered, “Has Elder Sister not arrived yet?”
Ji Ge, carrying frozen pears, replied, “Perhaps she’s inspecting the fields more carefully.”
Zhou Da led the way to the horse pasture behind the estate, perfect for riding.
“No matter, let’s spread out mats and have Zhou Da set up curtains. We can sit and eat while waiting for Shen Miao and Ninth Brother,” Yanshu said, adjusting the cloth strap on his shoulder.
His backpack contained two chickens Shen Miao had roasted before leaving-the tantalizing aroma of the clay-baked chicken had been tormenting him throughout the journey, making his mouth water.
Chen Xun was also carrying persimmon cakes, walking awkwardly with his legs apart-his inner thighs burned from the unfamiliar horseback riding.
They arrived shortly after.
Yanshu helped Zhou Da and Zhou Chuyi hang curtains and lay out bamboo mats with cotton bedding, making the seating area warm and comfortable.
He then had the servants left at the manor bring over a charcoal brazier and a stove.
The clay-roasted chicken had gone cold, so they placed it over the stove to warm it up.
It could also serve as a heat source.
Xiangjie stared intently at the chicken skewered on bamboo sticks, thinking to herself that she would save both drumsticks for her elder sister and Ninth Brother.
After finishing with the curtains, Yanshu mysteriously approached Xiangjie and said, “I just tripped over a rabbit hole in the grass. Want to go catch some rabbits with me?”
Xiangjie’s eyes lit up as she asked, “Where?”
“Over there.” Yanshu pointed toward a rocky area on the side of the slope.
“Rabbits love burrowing near rocks. I saw several holes with droppings nearby-there must be rabbits inside.”
“Let’s get Brother and Xiaoxun to join us. By the time Elder Sister arrives, we might even have rabbit meat to eat!”
Xiangjie rubbed her hands eagerly, pulling Chen Xun along while nudging Ji Ge.
“Come on, let’s go!”