Free Web NovelChapter 413: Chapter 160: Marrying In (3)
On the night of the Ghost Festival, many people came to release river lanterns, but even more came to watch them. The flickering lights dotting the darkness were a truly beautiful sight.
If a river lantern sank in the water, it meant a lost soul had been reincarnated. If a lantern floated far away or reached the opposite bank, it signified that the soul had reached the paradise on the other shore.
Every year, thousands upon thousands of people came to the riverbank to release lanterns, and Xu Su Ying was one of them.
Each year, she would personally craft a river lantern, write nothing on it, and set it adrift on the water. No one knew whom she was commemorating.
Zhao Jing would also accompany Mrs. Zhao, and sometimes, when Mrs. Zhao was feeling unwell, he would come alone.
This time, because the weather was particularly stifling and they were worried about rain, Mrs. Zhao and Xiang’er stayed home. Chen Wanqing went out with Zhao Jing instead.
By the river, they ran into Xu Su Ying, Chen Song, and De’an. The group had only been talking for a moment when Li’an appeared, woodenly clutching a river lantern as he sought them out.
Seeing him, everyone was taken aback for a moment.
"Li’an, what are you doing here? Who are you releasing a lantern for? Doesn’t your grandmother dismiss all this?"
The old matriarch didn’t believe in river lanterns or any such nonsense, and the old residence had no tradition of releasing them. In her words, so many people had died on the road while fleeing famine in the early years that if you made a lantern for each of them, the entire river wouldn’t be able to hold them all.
And what would happen if the lanterns were squeezed out of the water? Would it mean the souls hadn’t been reincarnated or reached paradise? Did they just ascend to heaven instead?
The old matriarch was full of twisted logic. She could always find some self-serving argument to refute others. This was how she had managed to rule the old residence like a tyrant for decades...
Setting the old matriarch aside, the sight of Li’an appearing here all alone, holding a single lotus lantern, was simply too bizarre.
The people of the old residence didn’t believe in releasing lanterns, and none of Li’an’s close relatives had passed away. Wasn’t it strange for him to be here?
As everyone looked at him, Li’an lowered his head. After a moment’s hesitation, he spoke. "Uncle, Aunt, I’m not going to the Prefecture. I’m staying in the Zhao Village. But I can’t stay in that house any longer. I... I want to get married."
The group exchanged glances. Getting married was a good thing. What was there to be embarrassed about? Yet Li’an seemed to be struggling to say what came next.
Chen Song gave a slight nod. "Go on."
"I want to get married, but not by bringing a wife into my home. Anyone who marries into that family is doomed. Good people are driven mad. I want to go to someone else’s family. I... I plan to marry into Chunyue’s family."
The group, led by Chen Song, was rendered speechless. They could only stare at him.
Li’an’s head drooped even lower, but his words grew firmer.
"I don’t want to stay in that house, but they provided for my education and advancement. They never mistreated me. I can’t bring myself to just abandon them like that... So, I’ll just do this. If I marry into Chunyue’s family, my conscience will be clear, and I can still look after my own family on the side. It’s the best of both worlds."
A cool breeze rustled the willow branches, carrying the damp, fishy smell from the river’s surface.
But even with the wind, the air remained hot, muggy, and oppressive.
As a dyed-in-the-wool traditionalist, Chen Song didn’t think there was anything particularly good or bad about a man marrying into another family.
After all, Chen Bai had also married into his wife’s family, and he was living a happy and harmonious life now.
But Chen Bai had married up. Regardless of what people said about his reputation, his life was ultimately a comfortable one.
As for Chunyue’s family, she only had a blind mother at home. The entire family’s burden rested on Chunyue’s shoulders.
To be blunt, Li’an marrying into her family would be a form of charity.
Chen Song wasn’t pleased about it, but as an uncle whose branch of the family had already separated, what right did he have to object?
Just then, Xu Su Ying suddenly shoved Chen Song aside. She patted De’an’s shoulder. "It doesn’t matter if you’re marrying into her family. As long as you like Chunyue and believe you can build a good life with her, then you should go to her. Chunyue is a good girl—capable, intelligent, and sensible. And while her widowed mother is blind, she’s very skilled with her hands. The baskets she weaves are praised far and wide. Just remember, you’re a grown man. No matter where you go, you have to learn to stand tall and be a pillar of strength, to shelter your wife and children from the wind and rain..."
Li’an dazedly walked away from the group and headed a short distance off.
Under a nearby willow tree stood a young woman with a long, thick braid.
She was about as tall as Li’an and looked slender, but she radiated an energetic spirit that made her seem full of vitality.
Seemingly having heard an unexpected answer from Li’an’s lips, the young woman’s eyes widened slightly, and she couldn’t help but look in their direction.
When their eyes met, a bashful blush crept onto her face. She seemed embarrassed, as if she felt guilty for snatching away a family’s treasure and had to face his parents...
