Don't let anything happen to you!
Because of this worry, Jiang Liniang went to bed later in the night. Unexpectedly, in the middle of the night, she was suddenly woken up by Huzhou: "Girl, girl?"
Huzhou said in her ear: "Miss Fang is here!"
Jiang Liniang was suddenly startled and sat up: "What?!"
Huzhou said again: "Miss Fang is here!"
Jiang Liniang grabbed her hand.
Huzhou understood and said: "Don't worry, I have asked people to ask Miss Fang to go to the guest room to rest, so that no one else is disturbed."
With that said, he took some clothes for her and said, "I asked the kitchen to send some meals over, but judging from the look on Miss Fang's face, I'm afraid she needs more than just a mouthful of rice."
Jiang Liniang hurriedly put on her clothes and went to the guest room. She knocked on the door and went in. She saw Fang Niang trembling like a frightened deer. Seeing that she was here, her expression was slightly relaxed, but there was still a trace of anger between her eyebrows. Be very vigilant.
She pursed her lips a few times and called out softly: "Sister Liniang..."
There was a bowl of sauced pork noodles on the table, obviously untouched.
Seeing this, Jiang Liniang waved her hand to signal Huzhou to leave. She lowered her voice and asked, "Fang Niang, why did you run out? Your family is going crazy, do you know?"
Fang Niang held her sleeves tightly with both hands and said, "I have a sweetheart, and I don't want to marry the husband arranged by my family..."
Jiang Liniang's expression changed: "Fang Niang, you didn't run away with someone, did you?"
Fang Niang raised her head and met her gaze: "What if it is?"
Jiang Liniang was shocked: "Are you crazy? Do you know what you are doing?!"
Although the customs of this era are open and there are no serious issues such as foot binding and indiscipline, it is definitely not a good reputation for a woman to elope before marriage!
Not to mention that her father is a contemporary celebrity and a master of Confucian classics!
Fang Niang looked at her, and the expression on her face gradually relaxed: "Sister Liniang, do you think I'm crazy too?"
She said: "But what should I do without going crazy? Follow my family's instructions and marry a man I have never met before who is fifteen years older than me as my stepmother? Only in this way can I She is a good daughter of the Yang family, so can she not be crazy?"
Jiang Liniang was shocked again: "Fifteen years older than you?!"
Fang Niang nodded and said indifferently: "Yes, he is a widower who is fifteen years older than me and has four children."
Jiang Liniang simply didn't know what to say - no wonder Fang Niang wanted to run away from her marriage!
She was stunned and said: "A widower with four children...Uncle Yang doesn't look like this kind of person."
Jiang Liniang did not have much interaction with Mr. Yang, but he was a friend of Shi Jun and the father of his sister-in-law Yang. He was not limited by his family background and was willing to marry his daughter to a foreign relative's family. He had a deep relationship with his wife. After the death of his wife, he did not remarry and had no concubines...
How could such a person choose such a husband for his daughter? !
When Fang Niang saw this, she couldn't help but smile slightly, with a bit of mockery in her eyebrows: "My father chose a candidate for me who he thought was reliable."
"That is the son of my father's fellow senior brother. He has a good character and a peaceful family background. He has no concubines. He only started discussing marriage three years after the death of his first wife. He is also very talented. With my father's level of relationship But, my aunt will also be kind to me. So, isn’t it pretty good?”
Jiang Liniang was silent.
Fang Niang smiled again.
She sat on the edge of the bed in a very rude manner, holding her knees with her hands and resting her chin on her knees, with a sad look on her face: "But I don't want to, I don't want to marry him. Even if he is a good person, I don't want to marry him." Him. Sister Liniang, am I wrong?"
Jiang Liniang stared at her, and after a long time, shook her head: "You are not wrong."
How can you say she is at fault?
Is it wrong to marry blindly and blindly, and to bet the rest of your life in a daze? If you don’t want to bet, is it wrong?
Does the future husband chosen by the father definitely suit his daughter’s heart?
If Fang Niang was wrong in running away from marriage, wouldn't Jiang Liniang be wrong more than she was wrong?
You have to find someone to marry into right away, and have a few more sons to be worthy of your parents!
Fang Niang smiled and said: "Even if he is not fifteen years older than me, does not have four children, and is never married, he is a very good person, but I just don't want to marry him. I am wrong." ?"
Jiang Liniang said: "That's right."
Fang Niang finally showed a heartfelt smile.
She said sincerely: "Thank you, Sister Liniang. Thank you for letting me know that it is not wrong to think so."
Fang Niang picked up the chopsticks, picked up the noodles and put it in her mouth. After taking a bite, she suddenly said as if she remembered: "Sister Liniang, please send someone to deliver a message to my home."
After saying that, he lowered his head and continued eating noodles.
Jiang Liniang did not ask someone to deliver the letter as she said. Instead, she dragged the stool closer to her and asked in a low voice: "Did you come out with...? Why are you here alone now?"
Fang Niang swallowed the noodles in her mouth and then answered her: "No, I just ran out alone. I didn't run away with anyone. I lied to you when I said I had a sweetheart. I'm sorry."
Jiang Liniang opened her mouth in shock, but didn't know what to say: "Fang Niang, you..."
But Fang Niang smiled again, very relieved: "Do I have to have a sweetheart to escape from marriage? Can't it be that I don't want to get married, so I ran away from home?"
She poked the noodles in the bowl with her chopsticks, lowered her eyelashes, and tears rolled down her eyes: "I know I can't run very far, Sister Liniang, I'm different from you. I don't have the ability, I can't support myself, I can be a female teacher and teach people to read, but who is willing to hire me? There is no way to lead, and I can’t be prepared to be caught and sold by a kidnapper before I even leave Chang’an..."
Fang Niang said: "I have wanted to come to you since I left home. It is not for anything else, I just want to hear a word from you. If you also say that it is wrong for me to disobey my father's orders and not want to get married, then I will Accept it and go back and get married honestly."
"But I don't think you can. I don't know why, I just feel like this..."
There was light shining in her eyes, whether it was tears or something else: "I know that the world is so big, and there is someone who thinks that I am not rebellious or unfilial and disloyal, I am very happy."
Fang Niang said again: "Thank you, Sister Liniang. I won't cause any trouble to you. I won't tell others these things. Let people deliver letters to my home."
Jiang Liniang stared at her for a long time, frowned, and whispered: "Do you know what will happen when you go home?"
Fang Niang said calmly: "My father knows that I am so unwilling. He will definitely come to apologize and ask for an end of the engagement. As for me, I will probably be locked up at home for a few years. After a few years, If I can abandon the dark side and turn to the light, I will be married far away. If I can't, I will probably die of old age at home."
Jiang Liniang didn't know whether to be happy for her or to feel sorry for her.
Fortunately, the atmosphere of this era is open, and no woman who runs away from home will be imprisoned in a pig cage, or hanged with a rope in a decadent shackles.
What is pitiable is that Fang Niang, at such a young age, stated her future destiny to her in such an indifferent manner.
But what can she do for Fang Niang?
Fang Niang slowly finished the bowl of noodles, and when she saw Jiang Liniang was lost in thought, with a hint of unbearable expression on her face, she smiled and persuaded her: "Sister Liniang, don't hesitate. Send someone to deliver the letter. Otherwise... Besides, what can you do? I have a father, brothers and sisters, and clan relatives beside me. You can’t decide what my future will be like."
Jiang Liniang had no choice but to obey.
Huzhou came in, put away the dishes and chopsticks, and said considerately: "We have prepared water for Miss Fang. Do you want to freshen up?"
Fang Niang shook her head and said politely: "Thank you, sister Huzhou, but no need. I think someone will come to pick me up soon."
Huzhou's eyes settled on her for a few seconds, then looked at Jiang Liniang who was silent on one side, and quietly retreated out.
It was midnight, but neither Jiang Liniang nor Fang Niang felt sleepy.
The Jiang Liniang puppet usually sat on a stool without saying a word, while Fang Niang seemed to be in a leisurely mood, opening the lampshade and using a silver skewer to light the wick of the candle.
Jiang Liniang saw that there were fine fuzz on the girl's cheeks, which were covered with a layer of light under the candlelight.
She is only fourteen years old.
I don't know how much time passed, but there were rapid and heavy footsteps outside the door. Fang Niang put down the silver sign, stood up and saluted Jiang Liniang solemnly: "Sister Liniang, I have to leave. Today I'm very grateful for the answer you gave me, thank you very much."
Jiang Liniang helped her up, and before she could say anything, the door opened from the outside.
Yang is in front, Jiang Ning is behind - this is the first time Jiang Liniang has seen such an angry expression on her sister-in-law Yang's face.
When she saw this, she knew something was wrong, but Yang didn't even give her time to react. She took three steps forward and gave Fang Niang a slap in the face!
She wanted to fight again, but Jiang Ning quickly stopped his wife: "Huiniang, calm down first..."
Yang struggled for a few times, but couldn't break free, and her eyes slowly turned red: "How could I raise such a heartless thing like you! You ran out without saying a word. Have you ever thought about how the people in your family are like? So worried?!"
"My father worked so hard to raise us. How difficult it is. Outsiders don't know, and don't you know either? He is only forty years old, and his hair is mostly gray. He wants to enjoy the happiness of a family, but because of you , I have to humble myself and apologize to others!"
Fang Niang covered her face and lowered her head silently.
Jiang Liniang also comforted her softly: "Sister-in-law, please calm down. Fang Niang is still young. She didn't run anywhere else. She just came here to play with me..."
Yang turned away to wipe her tears, but she couldn't wipe them away.
Jiang Ning persuaded his wife in a gentle voice, and then gave his sister a look, telling her to persuade Fangniang quickly and soften her sister's mind.
Jiang Liniang just wanted to sigh.
How did things become like this?
Who is at fault?
Mr. Yang?
But in fact, he just found a husband for his daughter according to his own standards.
By contemporary standards, no one could fault him for this.
Is Yang at fault?
She was angry at her younger sister for acting recklessly, and she felt sorry for her father, who had been a widower for many years and asked to bow down and apologize because the marriage was canceled. What was her mistake?
Is Fang Niang wrong?
She doesn't want others to decide her fate, is that wrong?
In essence, it's just about whether parents have absolute control over their children.
Jiang Liniang cannot say that Fang Niang is wrong against her will.
Otherwise, she should immediately listen to Fei's advice and get married and have children.
But, but...
well.
Because of this incident, Jiang Liniang was not in the mood to go to work the next day, so she gave herself a holiday and lay in her room all day.
Unexpectedly, before it got dark, my sister-in-law Yang came again. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, and she looked extremely haggard.
She said bitterly: "This evil obstacle, I really owed it to her in the previous life!"
Jiang Liniang's heart skipped a beat, and a feeling of uneasiness suddenly surged into her heart.
After hearing what Yang said again, I knew what Dao Fangniang went through after she returned.
The Yang family didn't rest at that time. Fang Niang first went through a three-chamber interrogation, and then was locked up in her own room and asked to reflect.
