"Mom! Dad! You're back! How's Mochou? Is he okay? Did you tell him I'm sorry for not coming? How did he react? Was he afraid? How's his health? Did he collapse?!" Yichen shouted the moment his parents walked past the gate.
"Mom, dad, please deal with big brother Yichen! He's been driving us crazy all morning with his stupid pacing and grumbling." Yi Xuan complained as he ran towards them.
"Let's return inside to speak." Yichen's father said.
Yichen was as incredibly anxious. He couldn't wait to find out if his mother was willing to let them get married.
"Mom, dad about the marriage...?"
"We will discuss it inside." Yichen's mother stressed.
Yichen was desperate for answers so he nearly ran inside and sat down. His leg was jumping up and down as he impatiently waited for his parents.
Joining them was Yi Xuan, Ke Xin, and Meng Yao. Their husbands, Yichen's older brothers were currently at work so they would have to wait until dinner time to hear about the decision.
Yichen's parents didn't rush. Which only made him more uncomfortable. When they finally sat down they placed the bamboo steamer on the table for everyone. Yichen didn't care about it. He was only interested in what his parents had to say.
Yi Xuan on the other hand reached out and snatched one of the still warm buns. He took one bite, than another, and another until the rather large bun was completely gone.
"Dad, mom what..."
"So good!" Yi Xuan exclaimed so loud he completely cut off Yichen.
"Yi Xuan would you shut up! Mom and dad are about to tell me if I can marry Mochou!" Yichen shouted in anger.
"Sorry, but these things are delicious. They are super fluffy and the bamboo shoot inside are nice and crunchy." Yi Xuan said.
Yichen finally looked down at the bamboo steam basket of buns. Either a strange feeling of familiarity he squinted his eyes curiously.
"Why does that look so familiar?" He asked himself. Before he could figure it out his father revealed the truth.
"These were made by Mochou." He said as he took one of the buns.
"What?! Why did you take his food? Mochou's already so thin and I only just brought him flour yesterday. He can't afford to give food away?" Yichen complained as he grabbed the steamer and cradled it in his arms protectively.
"Yichen, stop acting like a child. Put the basket down!" His mother shouted.
"But..."
"Mochou gave those buns for us to share with everyone. We did not steal them."
"He can't afford to give food away." Yichen pouted.
"Even poor, Mochou understands how to be hospitable and treats his guests well. Unlike you he is a mature and thoughtful individual. You have a lot to learn from him." She continued.
"Does... does that mean I can marry him?!" Yichen loudly asked hopeful of his mother's answer.
"After meeting him I am willing to allow this marriage." Yichen's mother confirmed.
Yichen jumped out of his chair. When he did he almost dropped the buns Mochou had made.
"Hey! Don't waste those. They are delicious." Yi Xuan said as he reached out to grab the steamer.
Yichen realized his mistake and quietly put the basket back on the table.
While all this happened his father quietly ate the bun he had taken with a smile. Yi Xuan reached out to grab another bun but Yichen tried to stop him.
"You already ate one. Don't be greedy." He said.
The two quietly began fighting over the buns. The mood was lively and boisterous until it abruptly came to an end when Ke Xin decided to speak.
"Mother-in-law, you cannot be serious about allowing that monster into the family!" She said.
Yichen immediately glared at her. "Call him a monster again and I'll hit you!" Yichen threatened.
"Yichen!" His father coldly said. He was never someone who condoned violence in his home. Which was difficult considering he had four sons.
Yichen wanted to defend his words but one look from his father shut him up.
"Ke Xin, do you have an issue with Mochou joining the family?" Yichen's mother asked. She was strangely calm. Compared to her usually volatile temperament when dealing with her sons, she would deal with their wives coldly. Like a stern mother-in-law should.
"I do. That mon... GER has a horrible reputation not only here but even within town and the surrounding villages. Everyone knows his family tried to kill him. There is no way they would have a decent dowry for him. Bringing him into the family will only tarnish our reputation. You cannot agree to this marriage." Ke Xin pleaded with a strong and clear resolve.
Yichen clenched his fist tight at his side. If his father hadn't been staring at him he would have beat her right then and there.
"Reputation? You are correct. His is one of the worst within the village. He has suffered his entire life and everyone within the village is aware of his struggles. But I have seen the place he calls home and spoken to him directly. Despite his poor circumstances I saw no sign of him wallowing in his misfortune." She began to explain.
"That doesn't change the fact that him marrying into the family will be a stain on our family's reputation." Ke Xin said.
"We can mend his reputation by allowing people to see past his appearance to the thoughtful, clean, and hardworking individual that he is. Our reputation is more than good enough to do so. However allowing a young woman whose family has a good reputation but in reality is lazy and judgemental... well that would be the real stain on our family's reputation." Yichen's mother said as she gave Ke Xin an accusatory look.
Ke Xin got the hint and shut her mouth tight.
Yichen gave a satisfied smirk. Ke Xin was his second brother's wife. He wasn't as familiar with her as the rest of the family, but he quickly found her too be different from the woman he met at his brother's wedding.
When she first came to the family she acted like a respectable young lady from a good family. But Yichen quickly noticed since returning to the village that she had been more interested in spending time at the village square gossiping with the other village woman than helping his mother and eldest sister-in-law who was pregnant.
"My Mochou is way better than a lazy b*tch like her." He thought as he stared at the brooding Ke Xin.
"Now then, your father and I have called for the matchmaker to come by. When she arrives we will discuss the dowry and begin the process of arranging the marriage." Yichen's mother said.
"Thank you mom." Yichen said with a sincere smile.
"Do not thank me yet. Mochou's family may not be so easy to deal with." His mother said.
"Dad mentioned that as well. I don't get it. If they don't care about Mochou why wouldn't they be glad to marry him off?" Yichen asked.
"Yichen that family is complicated and the father was never a good man. He has driven two wives to their death. Only Mochou's mother, his current wife has managed to survive." Yichen's mother explained.
"Did he kill them? Shouldn't we contact the Yamen?" Yi Xuan asked.
"He did not kill them. Not directly. Mochou's father is Bo Chen. He first married at sixteen like most young men. But after two years his wife did not bless him with a child. In the third year of his marriage he became abusive. He started to berate and blame her for being a useless woman. This continued until one day she could no longer endure the abuse and took her own life." Yi Chen's mother explained.
"Is that allowed? Did you not do anything to help?" Yichen asked his father.
"At the time your grandfather was the village leader. He tried to speak with Bo Chen but the fact was that his wife killed herself. Given the current laws there was nothing the Yamen or my father could do to punish him." Yi Peng explained.
"That was not the end. The same situation occurred when he married his second wife. She, like his first wife, could not bless him with a child even after two years of marriage. In the end she chose the same fate as the first and killed herself to escape his tyranny." Xin Mi continued.
"He's the real monster." Yichen said as he shot a glare at Ke Xin.
"I agree. But the story does not end there. His third wife came and unlike the previous two things were different. Unlike the previous two she became pregnant. When she did Bo Chen treated her like an empress. He spend a small fortune buying her gifts of gold and silver. Not only that he spared no expense in providing her and the baby growing within her with the most nutritious food."
"Wait, I don't get it. How did he even manage to get a third woman to marry him. Wouldn't the fact his first two wives suffered and killed themselves scare any potential women away?" Yi Xuan asked.
"Bo Chen's family was once a very wealthy and respectable family from the Capital. But tragedy struck and his entire family aside from him and his father were killed in a fire. They managed to escape with a reasonable amount of wealth and left the Capital to settle down here in the village where his father's brother resided. The wealth they brought with them proved attractive to the young woman and Bo Chen used that wealth to attract all three of his wives." Yi Peng explained.
"Damn, if you have money anything is possible." Yi Xuan cursed.
"When Mochou was born Bo Chen went into rage. Your grandfather who was still the village leader at the time intervened and prevented him from killing Mochou with the threat of reporting him to the Yamen for murder. However it did nothing to dissuade him from abusing his wife once more. Bo Chen began to abuse his wife and Mochou. His wife also used Mochou as a way to release her frustrations and abused Mochou. The abuse did not stop until Mochou was attacked at the age of fourteen. It was then he received the scars on his face. It was also the day Mochou was forced out of the main house to live in the little hut by the edge of the forest." Yi Peng said.
"That doesn't explain why he wouldn't agree to our marriage?" Yichen questioned. He found the story about Bo Chen and Mochou's family terrible and finding out the reason for Mochou's scars was heartbreaking. But he couldn't see the connection.
"That is a mystery to us as well. Mochou was once a very popular GER who received marriage proposals from most eligible men. However Bo Chen always refused them. The reason is unknown." Yichen's mother said.
"There is also the fact that Bo Chen and our family have never been on good terms. Even if he was willing to marry off Mochou, he might still refuse because it is us who are asking." Yichen's father explained.
"So you're saying there isn't much hope that Mochou's father will agree?" Yichen anxiously asked.
"It is possible. For now we will speak with the matchmaker. Until then there is nothing more we can do." His mother said.
"Mom, that's not good enough. I need to marry Mochou. I can't even bare the thought of marrying anyone else." Yichen said.
The room went silent. No one knew what to say to comfort Yichen. Only Yi Xuan who was sitting next to Yichen picked up one of the buns Mochou made and handed it to his depressed older brother.
Yichen quietly took it. The bun was still warm and reminded him of Mochou's warmth.He slowly brought the bun to his lips and took a bite.
"It's soft and sweet. Just like my Bae."
....
Just after lunch the matchmaker finally arrived. Yichen wanted to join his father and mother in the discussion but he was pushed out of the room.
"Please, let me stay." Yichen begged from in the hall.
"No, go help your sister-in-law Meng Yao with the chickens." His mother instructed before shutting the door.
Yichen hated being left out and unable to do anything. He hated it almost as much as he hated not being allowed to see Mochou.
"I miss him." He whispered as he headed over to the backyard to find Meng Yao.
He and Meng Yao quietly cared for the chickens. Meng Yao fed them while Yichen checked for eggs and cleaned the pen. While they worked Meng Yao asked Yichen about Mochou.
"You seem to have fallen is love with Mochou quickly." She commented.
"It may seem quick but I swear my feelings aren't shallow. They run deep within my heart." Yichen said in a slightly irritated tone. He thought that maybe Meng Yao like his other sister-in-law Ke Xin might be against Mochou marrying into the family.
"I can understand that. Your brother and I have a marriage that was arranged through a matchmaker. However when we were allowed to meet for the first time I knew deep within my heart he would become my husband. I have never once doubted that feeling. Brother-in-law Yichen don't give up." She said.
Yichen was both surprised and grateful for his sister-in-laws words.
"I won't. Thank you." He whispered as he continued to clean the chicken's pen.
...
Nearly two hours passed before the matchmaker finally left the office. The moment she left Yichen hurried over to ask his parents about the situation.
"How did it go?" He asked.
"For now we have sent the matchmaker with an offer for Bo Chen. However we won't know the results until tomorrow."
"Is there nothing I can do? What if I go over to Bo Chen's and personally beg him for Mochou's hand in marriage? I'll even grovel in the mud if I have to." Yichen said.
"Yichen, be patient. We must do this in the proper way. Otherwise it will only cause Mochou more pain and suffering. You do not want him to suffer, do you?" His father remarked.
Yichen quickly shut his mouth. The last thing he wanted was to hurt Mochou.
"Can... can I at least go to return the bamboo steamer to Mochou? It's the only one he has." Yichen asked as he looked at his parents with puppy dog eyes.
The way he batted his eyes was similar to what he would do as a child to curry favour with them. However Yichen was now a seventeen year old man with firm muscles and even a light stubble forming on his face. It was far from cute.
"No. We can send Meng Yao over to deliver the bamboo steamer. As a woman it will not be odd for her to visit an unmarried GER." His mother said almost laughing at how terrible her son looked.
Yichen didn't notice his folly. But he did understand his mother's reasoning. He agreed to send Meng Yao to Mochou's little hut but he still wanted to do something for Mochou. So before handing the bamboo steamer to Meng Yao he hid a few chicken eggs inside.
...