My humble days in ancient times

Xu Dachuan was busy looking for work these past two days, so Xu Qinghe took Xu Qingyan to herd sheep without taking a lunch break. When they got to the hillside, they would close their eyes and take a nap when they felt sleepy.

Xu Ruyi was holding her sister Xu Ruyuan's hand and was about to step out of the door when she was stopped by Tian Yuhe.

Tian Yuhe smiled and said, "Hey Ruyi, don't leave so quickly. I still have something to discuss with you."

Xu Ruyi thought to herself that Tian Yuhe must have had bad intentions, but she couldn't just ignore her, so she patiently replied, "Okay, then tell me quickly. I'm anxious to go to the mountains and play."

Tian Yuhe smiled slightly after hearing this and said slowly, "It's like this. I specially arranged a marriage for you..."

Before he could finish his words, Xu Ruyi quickly waved his hand and interrupted him, "Stop, stop! I'm still young and don't want to think about these things." For some reason, Xu Ruyi always felt that Tian Yuhe had bad intentions this time.

Seeing Xu Ruyi's resolute attitude, Tian Yuhe stopped pushing and replied with a smile, "Okay, okay, since you don't agree, then forget it. But the matchmaker will be here soon, and then you can tell her in person that you are rejecting this marriage."

Xu Ruyi thought about it and saw what tricks Tian Yuhe could come up with.

After a while, Huang Guiyun appeared in front of everyone with a fat woman who was about 40 years old. The fat woman had a round figure, and the flesh on her body trembled slightly when she walked.

When Xu Ruyi saw that it was Huang Guiyun, she quickly turned around and asked Tian Yuhe, "Where is the matchmaker?"

Tian Yuhe showed a malicious smile on her face, and there was a hint of cunning in that smile: "The matchmaker is your Mrs. Huang!"

Huang Guiyun, completely different from her usual demeanor, walked over quickly, beaming. She enthusiastically introduced the plump woman, "Auntie Tian, ​​look! This is Tian, ​​this is Ruyi, and this younger girl is Ruyi's younger sister, Ruyuan." As she spoke, she pointed at the corresponding people, her eyes filled with malicious calculation.

The fat woman looked at the two clean and pretty children and nodded with satisfaction: "They are both good children, good-looking and very delicate!"

Tian warmly greeted Aunt Tian and Huang Guiyun with a smile, then quickly turned and headed for the kitchen. A moment later, she carefully brought out a basin of steaming hot water and gently placed it on the table. Then, with deft movements, Tian picked up bowls, filled them one by one, and handed them to Aunt Tian, ​​Huang Guiyun, and Xu Ruyi.

Taking the bowl of warm water, Xu Ruyi couldn't help but sigh: "Today's treatment is really great! Is it possible that the sun will rise from the west tomorrow?"

After the laughter, Tian started chatting with them. Smiling, Aunt Tian slowly began to describe her family's situation: "My family is small, with Feng'er and I depending on each other for survival. Feng'er studies diligently all day, completely devoted to his studies. We don't have many complicated matters at home, so I'm hoping to find him a lifelong partner as soon as possible, so that I, as a mother, can feel at ease." Then, Aunt Tian sighed softly, her eyes revealing a hint of worry about their future.

Aunt Tian pondered her family's situation and future plans. She knew her son was determined to pursue a career in government, but the road was fraught with obstacles and difficulties. To achieve success in officialdom, one must possess genuine talent and knowledge, but learning was no easy task.

The family's financial situation was deteriorating, reaching a point where they were barely making ends meet, and life was becoming increasingly difficult. Aunt Tian decided that rather than letting her son continue to study with no prospect of significant success, it would be better to arrange a marriage for him sooner rather than later. If her son showed no significant academic progress over the next two years, she would simply stop his studies and allow him to marry quickly and enjoy a stable life.

Thinking of this, Auntie Tian couldn't help but sigh softly, turning to Tian and saying, "As parents, who among us doesn't hope that our children can grow up smoothly and safely? Who doesn't want to see them get married and start a family as soon as possible, and who doesn't want to hold their grandchildren in their arms sooner?"

After hearing this, Tian nodded repeatedly, indicating that she agreed with Aunt Tian's idea.

Huang Guiyun also joked: "That's right, I'm still looking forward to drinking the wedding wine! Aunt Tian, ​​drink some hot water to moisten your throat."

Xu Ruyi just watched their performance quietly. In the end, she would not agree anyway, so no matter how much they said, it would be useless.

Tian smiled and said to the two sisters, "You two sisters should drink some water. You are in your own home, why are you being so polite to me, your stepmother?"

Although Xu Ruyi couldn't refute this, she wasn't really thirsty at the moment. She deliberately picked up the bowl and took a small sip.

Xu Ruyuan gulped down a few sips.

Tian then asked, "Auntie Tian, ​​what do you think of Ruyi?"

Aunt Tian said with satisfaction: "She is quite clever. But this sister is good-tempered."

Tian and Huang Guiyun smiled at each other.

Xu Ruyi knew what they were laughing at. It was simply that Aunt Tian preferred her younger sister's good temper. She could laugh, because she would make sure they returned empty-handed soon anyway.

Xu Ruyi didn't want to play along anymore, so she said to Tian, ​​"Auntie Tian, ​​I don't agree with this marriage. I'm going out with my sister now. Sister Huang doesn't need to arrange a marriage for me anymore, and I'm sorry that Auntie Tian made all this trip in vain."

After saying that, he took Ruyuan's hand and went out. Unexpectedly, Ruyuan suddenly fell down. Xu Ruyi hurriedly pushed Ruyuan, hoping to wake her up quickly. Xu Ruyi felt a little dizzy and realized that there might be something wrong with the water, so she asked Tian: "Did you put drugs in the water?"

Xu Ruyi felt that everything in front of her eyes was becoming more and more blurry, and slowly she fell down.

Auntie Tian was panicking: "What happened to these two girls?"

Huang Guiyun quickly comforted her, "Don't worry, Auntie. Just relax. They just fainted temporarily."

Tian saw Xu Ruyi and her sister lying there quietly, motionless. She looked happy and murmured to herself, "It's done now."

Huang Guiyun smiled slightly and said softly, "Auntie, why don't you take Ruyi back home first? After she wakes up, you can slowly counsel her."

However, Aunt Tian seemed nonchalant. She frowned and said, "This...this child just now firmly disagreed with this marriage. If I forcibly take her away, I'm afraid she will resent me."

At this time, Tian Shi, who was standing by, said, "Marriage is a matter of great importance. Since ancient times, it has always been decided by parents and matchmakers. How can children make decisions on their own? Don't worry, Auntie!"

Aunt Tian was a little nervous: "I won't do this. Besides, I don't like this Miss Ruyi." Aunt Tian felt that Xu Ruyi's strong opinions were not a good thing. She wanted to find someone who would live a stable life, who was gentle and easy to get along with.

Tian and Huang Guiyun hadn't expected this to happen. They actually looked down on that damned girl. What should they do? They had originally wanted to teach Ruyi a lesson, to make her suffer a little, so they had agreed to let her go to the Huang family as a child bride early on, and then marry Huang Yunfeng after she grew up.

Tian asked, "Who do you like then? Could it be Ruyuan?"

Aunt Tian nodded.

Tian showed a sly smile and said deliberately with embarrassment: "To take Ruyi away, it only costs two taels of silver, but if you want to take Ruyuan away, these two taels of silver are far from enough!" As she spoke, she observed the other party's reaction out of the corner of her eye.

Hearing this, Aunt Tian was stunned at first, then nodded hurriedly and said, "Of course, of course..." As she spoke, Aunt Tian calmly took out two taels of silver from the package she was carrying and put it on the table. Then she paused for a moment, reached into the bag and fumbled around, took out two taels of silver again, and put them on the table together.

Tian looked at the four taels of silver, waved her hand, and said nonchalantly, "Okay, take the man away!"