Quick Wear: Cousin, Come to the Bowl Quickly

After everyone left, Du Xingzhi and Miao sat in the main hall and talked, "Xingzhi, come with me to burn incense for your father. His greatest wish when he was alive was for you to pass the imperial examination." Miao said to Du Xingzhi with tears in her eyes.

"It's as I should do. Don't be sad, mother. It's a happy thing that my son has passed the imperial examination. If your father knew about it, he would certainly be happy." Du Xingzhi took out a handkerchief and handed it to Miao. Thinking of the deceased Du Yan, he felt a little sad.

"My dear child, your father's love for you was not in vain." Miao took the handkerchief and wiped her tears. "It has been three years since your father passed away. During these three years, thanks to your grandfather's family for their help. Pick a good day for you and your mother to go to his house to express your gratitude and then arrange your marriage with your daughter."

"She is a good child. She has been very nice to me and you over the years. Now our family has finally come to an end. We must not let her down." When Du Yan was alive, Miao looked down on the headman's family. But after Du Yan passed away, they were left alone and without anyone to rely on. Only then did she realize what it meant to be a friend in need.

Du Xingzhi blushed slightly when his mother mentioned Lin Xi. In the past three years, Lin Xi treated him very warmly because of the tacit approval of the head of the village. Not to mention the food she sent him every now and then, she also made several pairs of shoes and socks for him. Before he left for the provincial examination, she took out her own money and asked him not to be reluctant to suffer on the way. Although he confiscated it in the end, his love for her increased a little more.

Now that he had won the bet with the village head, he naturally wanted to fulfill his promise and marry the girl he had always dreamed of. "Mother, let's go to Grandpa's house tomorrow. I want to bring my daughter with me to burn incense for father."

Miao hesitated for a moment, "Will tomorrow be too busy?" Then she was relieved, "Okay, tomorrow is a good day, and the things for proposing marriage have been prepared long ago. Your father also likes this child, so bring her to show your father."

The next morning, the mother and son dressed up and walked into the village head's house with various gifts. Since both parties were satisfied, the marriage was quickly finalized, but there was a disagreement when it came to setting the date. Miao wanted it to be as soon as possible, but the village head asked Du Xingzhi, "Would you like to try for the imperial examination next spring?"

Du Xingzhi looked serious and said solemnly: "The teacher said that I am now ready and can go down to the arena for a try. Xingzhi intends to go."

The village head looked at Miao and said, "It will be soon. The second half of the year is the time to study hard. I am afraid that it will disturb Xingzhi's studies. If we prepare for the wedding, it will be difficult to free his mind. I think it is better to settle it first and do it after the spring examination next year."

Miao was a little hesitant when she heard this. Although she liked Lin Xi, her son's future was more important. The village head looked at her expression and continued, "Secondly, it is also my selfish desire. Nannan is the only girl in our family. I want to keep her at home for a few more days, so that we can prepare more dowry for her during these days."

Miao was persuaded, and since both families knew each other well, they skipped the tedious procedures of asking for marriage proposals and getting married, and made a small engagement first, waiting for the next spring to get married. Miao also said that she wanted to take Lin Xi with her to burn incense for Du Yan tomorrow, and the Lin family did not object, so they asked Miao to pick her up tomorrow.

During the whole process, Lin Xi did not speak. Her face was flushed with shame. She only looked at Du Xingzhi with her pair of sharp eyes. The moment her eyes met his, she quickly looked away. Du Xingzhi's heart was softened by this, and his heart and eyes could only accommodate her.

On the second day, Lin Xi got up early and washed and dressed. Since she was going to worship, she didn't want to dress too brightly. She put on the plum green short jacket that Mrs. Du had just made for her, with a round-necked straight-sleeved top in valley yellow underneath, and a tattered skirt of the same color. The hem and cuffs of the skirt were embroidered with osmanthus flowers that suited the occasion. She looked fresh and natural but not too dull.

After breakfast, Du Xingzhi was already waiting in the yard. When he saw Lin Xi, his eyes lit up, and he smiled and nodded at her. Lin Xi walked to his side lightly with a basket of incense and candles. The two of them went out together, and after meeting up with Miao at the intersection, the three of them walked towards Du Yan's tomb together.

Du Yan's grave was on the hillside outside the village, a bit far away, and it took the three of them more than half an hour to get there. Because Du Xingzhi and Miao had just come to take care of it not long ago, there were no extra weeds on the grave and in front of the grave, only a few newly fallen dead leaves, which looked quite tidy.

The three lit the incense and candles. Du Xingzhi and Lin Xi kowtowed first. Miao then took Lin Xi to Du Yan's tombstone and said, "Xiuyuan, this is our daughter. She will soon be our daughter-in-law. You liked this child when you were here and said you wanted to marry her to Xingzhi. Now your wish has finally come true." When she said this, her eyes were slightly red. "Xingzhi has a promising future. He made it to the provincial examination. It's worth your teaching him. It's a double happiness. It's a pity that you passed away so early and couldn't see it with your own eyes."

Seeing that she was sad, the two hurried forward to comfort her. Lin Xi spoke softly and made some playful remarks, and finally coaxed Miao to stop crying and smile again. When the yellow paper was almost burned, the three packed up their things and went home. When they reached a small forest, they heard a woman screaming.

Du Xingzhi hurriedly protected Miao and Lin Xi behind him, and shouted towards the source of the sound: "Who is it!"

The lush grass not far away moved, and then there was another urgent cry for help from a woman, "Help..." But the voice stopped abruptly, as if someone covered her mouth. Lin Xi tugged at Du Xingzhi's sleeve, and said anxiously, "Cousin, it sounds like Sister Xiao Miao's voice, let's go up and take a look."

Du Xingzhi hesitated for a moment, then quickly instructed Miao and Lin Xi, "You stand here, I'll go and take a look. If something is wrong, run away." As he spoke, he was about to step forward.

Miao held his hand and said, "I'll go with you!"

Du Xingzhi patted her hand soothingly, "Mother, the grass looks lush, but it can only hide one or two people at most. I'm young and strong, and it's daytime, so I'm not afraid. If you go with me, I'll have to split my attention to look after you. You and Nannan are here. If there's any danger, I'll call out loudly, and then it won't be too late for you to come and help me."

He had a good reason, but Miao couldn't bear to watch her only son take risks, so she refused to let go. Seeing this, Lin Xi also stepped forward and grabbed Du Xingzhi's hand, and said to Miao, "Aunt, I'd better go with my cousin. I'm light on my feet, and if anything goes wrong, I can just pull my cousin and run."

Seeing that the noise in the bushes was getting smaller and smaller, Miao couldn't persuade them anymore and let go of them but still told them, "If anything goes wrong, run quickly. We'll go to the village to call for help."

Lin Xi looked around, took two steps forward, picked up two dead branches, and handed one to Du Xingyi. The two of them tiptoed towards the bushes.