Ger, So Proud

Chapter 5 Marriage

“An-ge, come here quickly. This is Wang-ama.”

He An’s words were cut off. He looked at the gate to see He Youcai, Dad Li, and a man who looked younger than Dad Li despite his forties. The man had a plump figure, a clean-shaven face, and a constant smile that made his eyes narrow into slits.

This was Wang Gui, the matchmaker He Youcai mentioned the day before, who had been in the profession for over ten years. He was a ger, and due to his seniority, He An and his peers should call him Ama.

He An, upon seeing Wang Gui, paused for a moment before nodding slightly, “Hello, Wang-ama.”

Dad Li’s smile faded a bit as he turned to Wang Gui, “This child is shy. Please don’t mind him, Brother Wang.”

He quickly walked over to the brothers, looking at He Ze with concern, “Xiao Ze, why are you out here? How are you feeling today? Does your wound still hurt?”

He Ze shook his head, vaguely recalling Wang Gui’s identity but not giving it much thought.

“Nonsense! You’re kidding, Youcai’s wife. I watched Xiao Ze and An grow up!” Wang Gui stepped closer, his eyes flicking between He Ze and He An. He then joked to Dad Li, “Your boys sure take after you. Look how handsome they are!”

Dad Li, whose full name was Li Caiyun, was known for his beauty in Li Village when he was young. He Youcai, on the other hand, was rugged. When they married, many envied He Youcai for marrying such a beauty. Such is fate!

Dad Li’s smile widened as he looked at his children.

Wang Gui, his chatter non-stop, turned to He Ze, “Xiao Ze, how’s the injury? Feeling better? That He Bao’er, so plain, why are you so stubborn? Don’t do foolish things again! I’ll find you a good match soon, I guarantee…”

“…”

“Brother Wang, Xiao Ze’s marriage isn’t urgent. We can wait until his injury heals!” Seeing Wang Gui getting more excited, Dad Li quickly stepped forward to pull him aside and anxiously glanced at He Ze.

He feared that bringing up marriage might upset He Ze, who might not have fully recovered yet. Thankfully, He Ze’s expression remained calm, and Dad Li breathed a sigh of relief.

Wang Gui, reminded by Dad Li, realized it was inappropriate to bring this up now. He awkwardly laughed and shifted his focus to He An, taking his hand and examining him with satisfaction, “An-ge?”

“Wang-ama.”

“Yes! Good boy. I must say, Youcai, having these two kids is truly your blessing,” Wang Gui said with a smile.

“They are my blessing,” He Youcai nodded, taking a puff from his pipe.

An-ge was sensible, and although Xiao Ze was a bit unruly, as his father, He Youcai could scold him, but he couldn’t bear to hear others say a bad word about him.

The group of five entered the house, and Dad Li served a pot of cold boiled water. Wang Gui took a couple of sips before taking out a small jade pendant tied with a red string from his money pouch. He placed it into He An’s right palm, the red string contrasting beautifully against his red birthmark.

He An tried to pull his hand back but was held firmly.

“Wang-ama came here today because someone entrusted me with this. Look, this will look beautiful on An-ge,” Wang Gui said with a broad smile.

“Brother Wang, what is this?”

“Well, since we’ve come to an agreement, I’ll be frank. Dali is in a hurry. This jade pendant, he specially bought it a few days ago, spent a lot of money on it, and asked me to bring it personally. It’s not a betrothal gift, just a token of his affection for An-ge. He promised to treat An-ge well if you agree to the marriage.”

“An-ge, by accepting this, your marriage with Dali is settled. We can pick a day for him to come and formally propose!” Wang Gui’s face was full of joy. He then turned to He Youcai and Dad Li, “Youcai, his wife, is this agreeable to you?”

He Youcai and Dad Li exchanged glances, looking at He An without saying anything. This matter had to be decided by An-ge himself.

He An stared at the small jade pendant in his palm. It felt cool, but he found it uncomfortably hot.

He Ze, finally understanding the situation, realized that He An was about to be engaged. He had almost forgotten that his new little brother was a ger, and in this world, gers typically married at fifteen or sixteen. Despite this, he found the situation absurd.

Moreover, He An didn’t seem particularly happy. He Ze glanced at He Youcai and Dad Li, noticing their smiles were somewhat bitter.

This was supposed to be a joyous occasion, so what was wrong?

“An-ge?” Wang Gui called out, seeing He An in a daze.

“Wang-ama, this…,” He An started to close his palm around the jade, but He Ze placed a hand on his shoulder, “Marriage is a big decision. Think it over.”

In this world, gers were akin to women in ancient China. Although societal constraints on gers might be somewhat looser, they still held a lower status and were in a vulnerable position.

A marriage contract was a lifelong commitment for a ger. He Ze didn’t know what had happened, but he hoped He An wouldn’t make a hasty decision.

He An, interrupted by He Ze, forced a smile and said, “Brother, I’ve thought it over for a long time. I accept this marriage. Wang-ama, I’ll keep the jade pendant. You can tell Li… Li Dali.”

“He An—” He Ze frowned.

“Alright, alright, this is great news! I’ll go back and share the good news!” Wang Gui, excited, immediately stood up. “Youcai, no need to see me off. Just stay home and wait!”

Before the words had finished, Wang Gui had already left the room and quickly disappeared from the view of the He family.

Dad Li stood up and sat beside He An, his expression not looking too good. “An-ge, have you really made up your mind?”

“I have, Dad. Didn’t I make it clear to you last night? I’ve decided to marry,” He An handed the jade pendant to Dad Li with a grin. “Dad, you can pawn this someday. I feel like having some good food.”

“An-ge…”

“Brother needs to change his bandages. I’ll go get a clean cloth,” He An stood up and rushed out. The sunlight outside the courtyard cast his shadow long.

He Ze seemed to see him wiping his face with his elbow. “This marriage… what’s going on?”

“It’s nothing major. Your dad and I will handle it. You focus on recovering,” He Youcai said, taking a puff of smoke, then walked over to pat Dad Li’s shoulder. “Alright, the kids made their own choice. It’s lunchtime now, and both kids are hungry.”

Dad Li didn’t say anything. His eyes were red as he walked out of the room. Only He Youcai and He Ze remained in the room. He Youcai smoked one cigarette after another, while He Ze wanted to ask but ultimately stayed silent.

It was obvious they didn’t want to tell him. Asking… would probably be futile.

He Ze poured himself a glass of water and took a sip.

…

At night, with the bright moon hanging high, the moonlight poured down through the mountains, illuminating the courtyard. He Ze waited until the hour of the pig before he struggled to get out of the room. Since his ability was still there, healing his injuries was the most urgent matter.

His weak body brought him a strong sense of insecurity, even though… he knew clearly this wasn’t the apocalypse anymore. But that tension in his soul had never disappeared.

The courtyard was quiet, occasionally filled with the distant cries of cicadas. Autumn was also a season of death.

He Ze’s steps were slow. Just as he reached the center of the courtyard, he noticed that the oil lamp in He Youcai and Dad Li’s room was still lit. The doubts from earlier emerged again. He paused, then suddenly changed direction.

Could He An’s marriage… have something to do with him?

As he approached the house, the voices of Dad Li and He Youcai could be heard.

“Husband, do you really think this is settled? I still feel uneasy. What if Li Dali…”

“That’s enough. You hardly slept yesterday. If you keep thinking about this today, you won’t sleep again. Will your body hold up tomorrow? An-ge is not a child anymore. When you were his age, didn’t you decide to follow me on your own? The blessings of children and grandchildren have their own fortunes. Our family is in trouble now, and we can only accept people, not choose them!”

“An-ge probably did it all for Xiao Ze, for our family…” Dad Li’s voice gradually lowered, and He Ze stood outside the door, listening quietly. His expression remained unchanged, only his eyes flickered slightly.

“Besides, Li Dali is much older than An-ge. Although he’s separated from his brother and brother-in-law, they’re still siblings. Who knows what might happen in the future? By then, won’t An-ge be unfairly treated for nothing!” He Youcai’s voice was somewhat hoarse, and when he spoke again, there was added desolation. “It’s my incompetence. If my hand were still fine, even if I had to work as a carpenter every day, An-ge wouldn’t have to suffer. Sigh.”

“Husband…”

The room was filled with Dad Li’s restrained sobbing.

He Ze stood in place, the moonlight frosty, carrying a cold chill, yet he didn’t feel cold at all, as if he had just emerged from water at a perfect temperature of sixty or seventy degrees, comfortably warm.

He was indeed blessed by heaven. He had never expected that ten years later, he would still be able to experience this deep familial bond.

Even if… it wasn’t directed at him.

It was unknown how long it passed until the lamp in the room went out, and He Ze turned and left the courtyard.

…

The next day, until the sky turned slightly white, He Ze returned from outside, his body damp with dew. When Dad Li came out of the room, He Ze had already changed his clothes and was sitting in the courtyard.

“Xiao Ze, why are you up so early? Is something wrong with you?”

That day, when He Ze was carried back by Lin Yu, his face covered in blood, it really frightened Dad Li… Oh no, it frightened the whole family, fearing that he might encounter another mishap.

“I’m fine,” He Ze shook his head.

He had just found a secluded grassy area to spend the night. Now he felt the strength returning to his body. Although his ability was still weak at the moment, with this speed, his injury would probably heal in a few days.

As if thinking of something, He Ze suddenly spoke, “Dad, can you give me the jade pendant that An-ge gave you yesterday?”

Dad, this was the first time He Ze used this term of address.

He had been treated with sincerity, so he would treat others with sincerity as well. Even though this sincerity wasn’t directed at him, it was an unchangeable fact.

Since that was the case, from today onwards, he would be He Ze, and he would be He Ze.

Author’s note: Little angels, have a good dream~

(T/N: I searched and couldn’t find an alternate term for -’ama’ for gers as it is usually used for females. If anyone of the readers feel it inappropriate you could suggest something appropriate, it would be appreciated. Thank you)