Border Cook

Chapter 92 Fire Pit
I can't say this about my age...

That means the other person is much older than her, possibly even older than Jiang Yihe.

Jiang Zhuguo's scrutinizing gaze fell on the piece of cloth that Tian had just held.

It wasn't the bright red color she saw ordinary people wearing when they got married, but...

Water lily is red.

Jiang Zhuguo's lips were bitten immediately, and his mouth was full of the smell of blood.

Jiang Zhuguo swallowed the blood in his mouth with difficulty and forced back the mist in his eyes. He looked at Tian and then at Jiang Yihe, "If you won't harm me, why did you sell me to an old man as a concubine?"

You guessed it all?

Tian's heart skipped a beat, but she thought it was okay, so she just took Jiang Zhuguo's hand and sat down on the bed, "Silly child, wife or concubine is not important, the most important thing is whether you can live a good life after you marry."

"Mother was also a little uncomfortable at first, thinking that being a concubine was not a good reputation, but your father is right, the reputation is false, it depends on how you live. If you marry into a family and have to eat coarse food and go hungry all the time, then being a wife is boring."

"But if you live a life of luxury, like a master, and enjoy a life like a god, then what does it matter if you become a concubine? The most important thing is whether you can enjoy happiness..."

Seeing that Jiang Zhuguo did not respond at all after she had tried to persuade him for a long time and remained silent, Tian became furious.

It is just as my husband said, girls are no longer under the control of their mothers when they grow up, and they have more and more little thoughts of their own.

Now he doesn't listen to a word she says. If I don't make the marriage happen this time, Jiang Zhuguo might cause trouble in the future.

Maybe she really wants to find a poor boy with no future, and then she will focus only on helping her husband's family and completely ignore her own family.

The more Tian thought about it, the angrier she got. She simply stopped trying to persuade him. "Your marriage has already been arranged. I have also accepted the fifty taels of silver and the fabrics from the Zhang family. If you don't want to go, just take out the fifty taels of silver and the money for the fabrics. From now on, your marriage is up to you!"

"If you can't, just stay at home and wait to get married. As for your work for Madam Xia, I will tell her after you enter the Zhang family. Madam Xia is a kind person, and she will definitely understand our painstaking efforts as parents."

"Don't worry so much. Just get the needle and make your wedding dress with me. Don't delay your entry into the Zhang family in two days!"

Jiang Zhuguo did not answer.

Tears flowed down like a flood breaking through a dam.

That night, Xia Mingyue finished her dinner.

Since Jiang Zhuguo was not around, she simply made a bowl of dumpling soup.

The bottom of the pot is fried with tomatoes, and the tomato soup is thick. Pour in the flocculent flour made by mixing white flour with a little water, and then add two beaten eggs. When serving, add a little sesame oil and a few diced coriander.

Xia Mingyue specially served Wu Jin a bowl, then added salt and vinegar into it and stirred it evenly.

The orange-red of tomatoes, the golden color of egg drops, the tender white of dough balls, the emerald green of coriander...

In the hot summer, a simple bowl of dumpling soup with the right thickness is really soothing!

Wu Jin also felt very comfortable and ate with relish.

After eating the dumpling soup, Wu Jin licked the earthenware pot clean, then began to drive away the chickens and ducks and patrol the yard.

We must protect this home well.

Xia Mingyue tidied up and worked for a while before going into the house to sleep.

But after lying down, I just couldn't fall asleep.

Normally, every time after she lay down, Jiang Zhuguo would still be busy outside for a while.

She would prepare the firewood for tomorrow's burning in advance, and even fetch water for washing her face. After everything was ready, she would go back to sleep. Xia Mingyue was used to Jiang Zhuguo's movements every night. Today, Jiang Zhuguo was not here, and there was no such movement, which really made her feel uncomfortable.

I don't know what happened to Zhuguo's family...

At this time, Jiang Zhuguo, who was being worried about, had been locked in the house by Tian and Jiang Yihe.

The oil lamp burning in the room flickered, and the smell it emitted made Jiang Zhuguo, who was sitting blankly at the table, red.

In two days she would be married, no, she would be sold to the Zhang family as a concubine.

My mother said that being a concubine would mean endless delicious meals, endless silks and satins to wear, and endless monthly allowance to spend. If I could give birth to a son, I would be able to manage the household like a proper mistress.

But if this is really the case, why do people look disdainful when they mention concubines?
Moreover, she heard from others that this concubine was like an object in the master's family and could be sold at will or disposed of at will by the mistress.

Her life will not be easy when she arrives at the Zhang family.

It would not be an exaggeration to describe it as a fire pit.

But compared to the sadness of the miserable days ahead, what made Jiang Zhuguo most sad was that even though her parents knew that it was a hellhole, they still pushed her in without hesitation for the sake of the fifty taels of silver betrothal money.

Jiang Zhuguo's fingers turned white from pinching each other, and he looked towards the window.

My family was poor and there was no paper on the windows. I could see the sky outside through the window edges.

The endless night sky is pitch black, but it makes the stars shine even brighter.

Jiang Zhuguo bit her lips again until they bled, and finally her eyes fell on the fabrics on the bed.

Jiang Zhuguo picked up one of them, smoothed it out a little, and threw it hard over the beam above his head.

But she did not tie the two ends of the cloth into a knot, nor did she choose to put her neck in. Instead, she tied one end to the window frame and held the other end firmly in her hand.

Jiang Zhuguo put the cloth strip in his hand around his shoulders and used the beam above his head as a support point. He put his feet against the wall and dragged himself forward desperately.

After she tried hard several times, the old window frame finally made a "click" sound and split in the middle.

Jiang Zhuguo was overjoyed and repeated the process several times, until the window frame was torn into pieces.

After making sure that Jiang Yihe and Tian Shi were not alarmed, Jiang Zhuguo carefully broke off the sharp spikes at the broken part and bent down to get out of the window frame.

The house was originally short and the window frames were quite small. Even though Jiang Zhuguo had tried his best to break off all the wooden strips that could be broken off, it still took him a long time to get out.

The splinters scratched my arms, tore my clothes, and even cut my calves and ankles.

Bright red blood beads immediately appeared, bringing with them a burning pain.

Jiang Zhuguo didn't care about all this. He just climbed out of the window and headed towards the county town.

In a hurry, stumbling.

Xia Mingyue did not sleep well all night and woke up earlier than usual in the morning.

It was still early, but Xia Mingyue did not lie in bed and got up directly.

Taking a big broom to sweep the yard, Xia Mingyue opened the door, preparing to clean the alley in front of her house later.

As soon as I walked out of the door, I saw a figure running into the alley.

　Tomatoes were introduced to China during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, and were planted on a large scale for consumption in the late Qing Dynasty. This is an imaginary background, and the actual time of introduction is not considered here.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)