Eldest Sister, Why Haven't You Married Yet

89

"Mother's He-er!" Sitting in front of You He, Mrs. Han wiped off the tears on her face with a handkerchief and then whispered: "Before your father comes back, you should quickly pack up your clothes."

"Pack up my clothes?" You He was a little confused. Her red and swollen eyes looked at Mrs. Han with some doubts.

Seeing her daughter not moving, Mrs. Han opened her daughter's closet by herself, put all the clothes she usually wore in, and then took out the only twenty liang in her pocket and stuffed them into You He's arms: "Mother wrote to You Jin. The people she sent to pick you up have arrived. You will leave Dingyuan with them tomorrow morning."

"Leaving Dingyuan? Then where am I going?" You He never thought that one day she would run away from home: "How did Mother find You Jin? Where are they now?"

After packing all her daughter's things, Mrs. Han took her daughter to sit by the bed. She explained in a hushed voice: "When You Jin’s family left Dingyuan, Mother couldn't bear it and gave them some silver. Last year before the new year, she got someone to give it back. Now their family lives in the south and are much better off than ours. You’ll go to You Jin's house. Since you’re on your own, you have to take care of yourself."

"But if I leave, what will happen to Mother and Maternal Grandmother?" Thinking of how Father had changed in the past six months and wanted to trade her for wealth and prosperity, You He felt that if she leaves by herself, life will not be easy for Mother and Maternal Grandmother.

"Mother will be fine, Mother can't just watch you jump into the fire pit! How many women have been beaten to death by that rich man Zhang!" Mrs. Han wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and steadily looked at You He: "Mother will sleep with you tonight. I will see you off tomorrow morning."

Now, Yue Chang Shou was going out to have fun every day. It was not uncommon for him to stay away from home for a few days. But for the past two days, he always felt a little uneasy in his heart. Mrs. Han, who had been arguing with him before, didn't make any move. It felt like she was planning something. So tonight after drinking with a few friends, he got home drunk and went to Daughter's room to take a look. Seeing Daughter and Mrs. Han sitting in the room, he staggered back to the main room with peace of mind.

Looking at the bundle hidden at the end of the bed, Mrs. Han breathed a sigh of relief: "You He, listen to Mother, Mother can only accept my fate of marrying your father in this lifetime whether he is good or bad. But you are still young, you can't accept your fate! Understand?"

"But what can I do if I go to the south?" You He was already a person who wanted to accept her fate. Now there was suddenly a new hope in front of her, she was a little confused. That was right! What can she do once she leaves?

Mrs. Han shook her daughter's shoulder vigorously and said, "You He, no matter what, it won’t be worse than you jumping into the fire pit, understand?" Although Mrs. Han was also a little worried, she believed. She can only believe that You Jin's character and not treat You He badly.

The mother and daughter talked quietly for a long time. While in the main room, the sound of Yue Chang Shou's snoring rang out. The small courtyard was peaceful, but Mrs. Han didn't feel sleepy at all. She sat on the edge of the bed with her eyes wide open until the next day arrived.

She gently woke her daughter up. Under Mrs. Han’s signal, You He quietly put on her clothes and put on a cloak to protect against the cold in early spring. The mother and daughter stealthily walked out from the back door opposite You He's boudoir. What they didn’t realize was that a figure of a young boy followed behind.

At the corner of the street where Mrs. Han's grocery store was located, a half-new carriage parked quietly by the side of the road. Uncle Song was sitting on the shaft of the carriage with the driver, while the sleepy Qiao-er was lying on the window as she scanned around.