I just want to be a princess, no, you want to be a queen

With a woman marrying twice, Yang Tiezhu's family in Shangyang Village immediately became the focus of the whole village. People stuck their heads out to watch, and the streets and alleys were very lively.

Yang Tiezhu was most afraid of losing face, so he pulled Zheng the Butcher into the yard. But Zheng the Butcher pushed him away and refused to go in.

Tian Qing also said anxiously: "Uncle Tiezhu, you said that as long as I can collect ten taels of silver, you will marry Xier to me."

"Yes, yes, yes." Yang Tiezhu was also helpless. He had just said it casually at the beginning. How could he have thought that they, an orphan and a widow, had really collected ten taels of silver in just a few days.

Seeing that Yang Tiezhu was trying to smooth things over with both sides, Butcher Zheng angrily shouted that Yang Tiezhu was a marriage fraud and that he would go to the government to sue them.

Yang Tiezhu shuddered with fear and hurriedly comforted Butcher Zheng: "Don't worry, son-in-law, I will send your daughter-in-law to you tomorrow."

After a long time of good words and a bunch of bacon, he finally persuaded Zheng the Butcher to leave. Turning around, he saw Tian Qing still holding his daughter.

Yang Tiezhu had a plan in mind, "Go back and prepare to marry the second girl."

"Thank you, Uncle Tiezhu." Tian Qing looked at Yang Xier and smiled foolishly. It was a smile that he had not seen for a long time. In Yang Xier's eyes, it was painful to see it.

He came to marry me, he really came to marry me.

On the country road, Yang Xier walked beside Tian Qing, sending him home. The girl, who had re-dressed herself, looked even more charming. Tian Qing looked at the girl beside him, and seeing that there was no one around, he called her.

He pulled out a newly made silver hairpin from his bosom, his eyes full of anticipation, "Does it look good?"

It was a silver hairpin in the shape of a plum blossom, carved so vividly that it was as pure and bright as snow.

"Where did you get the silver?" She was asking not only about the silver hairpin, but also about the ten taels of silver he gave to his father. That much silver was the savings of an ordinary farmer for more than ten years.

A donkey cart came and was about to hit Yang Xier. Tian Qing hurriedly hugged Yang Xier and turned to the side of the road. Yang Xier hit Tian Qing's chest hard, and he grimaced in pain.

"What's wrong with you?" Yang Xier looked down at his waist, blood oozing from his blue clothes.

"nothing!"

Tian Qing wanted to cover up, but Yang Xier directly ripped off his clothes.

It turned out that although Yang Xier liked him, she had never done such a bold move. Even holding hands would make her shy for the whole day.

This made Tian Qing blush.

"I stayed on the mountain for seven days and was lucky enough to hunt a leopard. The leopard skin sold for twelve taels of silver."

"You don't want your life?"

Yang Xier looked at the wound that he was reluctant to even apply medicine to. Her heart that wanted to isolate herself from the world began to loosen a little bit, and she couldn't help but shed tears.

"Are you stupid?" she scolded.

Tian Qing inserted the hairpin into the head of his beloved girl and said firmly: "Xi'er, as long as I can marry you, I am willing to do anything."

Even the air was filled with a sweet scent. Yang Xier forgot the pain of not being able to go back and walked towards home holding a brand new silver plum blossom hairpin.

As the sky darkened, the family sat in the yard to eat as usual. During the meal, Yang Tiezhu would often glance at his youngest daughter.

After dinner, Yang Nian'er accompanied her second sister in washing dishes in the shed, dancing with joy. Compared with Yang Xi'er's calmness, it was a stark contrast.

"Second sister, you don't have to marry Butcher Zheng anymore. Aren't you happy?"

"I'm happy, but..." Yang Xier sighed while washing the bowl in her hand, "...this result is not something I can change on my own."

"Of course we can't change it ourselves," Yang Nian'er agreed. "When my grandmother was alive, she said that we girls have the fate of rapeseed. If we land on fat land, we will thrive in the wind. If we land on thin land, we will suffer all our lives. So we must marry the right person. Tian Qing likes you so much, you will definitely be happy in the future."

"But people's preferences can change."

Fear flashed in Yang Xier's eyes. If she couldn't give birth to a son, would Brother Qing still like her? After he married her, would he beat her like his father did?

A series of uncertainties weighed heavily on her. No matter who she was, getting married was always filled with anxiety.

She sighed helplessly, "How wonderful it would be if I could control my own destiny."

"How can we girls control our own destiny?" Yang Nian'er became more and more confused as she listened.

Yang Xier wanted to say, "Yes, as long as women can open shops and become officials, that's fine." But how could that be possible in this world? Women can only place their hopes on their fathers, husbands, and sons.

"I'm very satisfied now!" Yang Xier smiled and continued washing the dishes.

From the east room came the mother's small voice, faintly apprehensive: "Master, are you really willing to marry the second girl to Tian Qing?"

"Hmm!" Yang Tiezhu's gravelly voice rang out, "The boy from the Tian family likes the second girl so much, and he's hardworking. He'll definitely be able to help the family in the future. It's more cost-effective to marry the second girl to him than to Butcher Zheng."

"That's great. When the second girl was going to marry Butcher Zheng, I was worried that he would beat his wife and the second girl would suffer."

Mother Yang began to sob softly as she spoke, but she was also worried about something else: "If we don't marry our daughter to him, will he really go to the government to sue us?"

"Who said I wouldn't marry my daughter to him?"

Yang Tiezhu had already made a plan in mind: "I didn't tell him to give it to the second girl at the beginning, and it just so happens that the third girl hasn't been promised to anyone yet."

Yang Nian'er in the shed heard it and the loofah in her hand fell into the basin of water.

Mother Yang was even more surprised, and her voice became louder: "Master, the third girl is only twelve years old."

"Twelve is not a child anymore. I can still eat less rice at home for a few years."

"But he beats his wife," Yang's mother said, sobbing again. "If it were the second girl, it would be fine. She's pretty, gentle, and can coax a man. But the third girl has a stubborn personality. How will she live from now on?"

"Which man doesn't beat his wife? Just be patient and it will pass."

Yang Tiezhu interrupted his wife impatiently: "Our Jiabao will go to school next year, and pens, ink, and paper will all cost money. If you don't accept a little bit of betrothal gift, where will you get the money?"

Speaking of this, Yang Tiezhu was very proud.

"When you were pregnant, everyone in the village laughed at me for giving birth to a bunch of money-losing babies. But now, twenty taels of silver is more than they can save in their lifetime of farming. If our Jiabao succeeds and passes the imperial examination, you can enjoy the good life in the future. Let the second son and his family see that sons are more valuable than quantity."

Yang Nian'er listened to her parents and tore the loofah in her hand into pieces.

Of the three daughters in the family, the third daughter was the most rebellious and was the least favored by her parents. But the next day, Yang Tiezhu showed unusual concern for her and even gave her half of his white flour bun.

After dinner, Yang Tiezhu took Yang Nian'er to Zheng the Butcher's house. In order to leave a good impression on Zheng the Butcher, Yang's mother specially made her hair into a beautiful bun and changed her into bright clothes.