A Maiden's Strange Voyage

Some fresh air might do better for her in her thinking and maybe talking with someone else might give her ideas. At least the enthusiasm died down, with no one in town thinking that she must be elated at scoring such a match. She didn"t know that many thought her capable of being so normal in the first place, when she was at most she was considered off for her behaviours and choices. Even more irritating was how many a.s.sumed that by choice she should have been happy to end up married to him. Although she didn"t even need to speak, preferring to tune it out as she thought about her own way to escape.

Many knew Yuntong to be an odd boy, but by all means bright and capable of independent thought. And will make his own trip to Kaifeng when he was of age. Their marriage was not unusual, boys often married before they were twenty. For the imperial family to maximize heirs, it was at the age of fifteen. Where many doubt their potentcy, although some managed to have children by that point. Even girls could have been married to them at twelve, and no older than fifteen. Even as here it was far less common, girls often married at fourteen and perhaps older. But few went beyond twenty-five, which had been considered too old for marriage and incapable of giving birth to children.

That was debatable, since she knew that some even went till their forties before they stopped having children. Although the risk was high, but as she knew it was always for the young girls more than the older women. Since the latter had likely been through more births and thus better able to handle it as compared to a young girl whose best experience was probably seeing her mother in such a position.

She had told her mother of her own plans; she said nothing which she took for a quiet approval. And the fact that her own choices were her own, whether they were good or bad she will have to face them herself. Not that it was all too important, as it suggested that she will have her support regardless of what she did. And in such a matter, she didn"t take a stand. Not intending to have her choose between them. After all, she was one who made a demand of a world that said they should have none. Simply accept that it is their lot in life to suffer and nothing more. That childbearing was their duty; since it took a lot of energy and sometimes even the life of the mother along with it.

Although now all she was thinking about were her choices and options of who she should choose. At least she now had the excuse of saying that she was preparing for her upcoming wedding. Many came to the conclusion that she had been deciding to sew, which she simply let them be. Having the time to that was a good excuse for coming with plans, as days flew past her without too many questions asked about what she was doing. Other than those who have seen her giving her their blessings and advice for life after marriage.

She knew that marriage was a time consuming and tedious affair. With many preparations that it was often done by a family, because of the magnitude. The bigger the wedding meant the more lavish, and in wealthy families the numbers could go close to a thousand. Thus she knew that no one will think that she was free, since she was largely a girl raised by peasants and needed to be taught etiquette. Or that she was preparing for married life.

Going on her own was foolish— she did not know anyone outside of this town. And neither anything to really cover her up. Someone has to be willing to travel with her, even as her marriage was viewed with liberation. A woman must have a home to call her own; it meant that of her husbands whom she has to serve. And many thought that it was fine time she had a man in her life, as she did not have a father to obey and teach her womanly virtues.

Which meant that she also had to be discreet in this plan.

"Don"t you have a wedding to plan?" Qingshuang did it to remind her of an awfully inconvenient fact, something she did want to avoid even thinking about. At least to keep her mind off what will happen should she choose to leave. She knew that those was not avoidable. At least at this point.

"I kinda wished I left this place a long long time ago." She was not lying about that, she did have that in mind for a long while. That she should leave when she had the chance to do so.

"It"s a little too late for that."

"Take a seat." Feiyu was a lot more supportive as she could see. She took one, with her taking the chance to ask Xiao Yan for some desserts over. It was in the middle of summer, which meant that many will either be outside or keeping cool in the inside. She had tied her hair into the same braid, a bun had been anything but her last choice. Only when the heat was unbearable will she choose to do so. Because it was time consuming for her to tie it in the first place.

"Are you going to jilt him?" Feiyu looked at her. She kept her voice down, for this was still rather crowded.

"If I don"t, he"s jilting me." Feiyu gave a laugh as well. Qingshuang could barely hold it back, otherwise no one will know what they were laughing about.

"Wow, what an unwilling bride and groom." Even he still found it hilarious as he continued to giggle. Chaoyun could only stare as though she was not caring, on the inside she has realised the irony of her own situation. Even when it seemed the least likely she will have ended up like this. But she did, finding herself in one of the situations where many knew that it was golden. Especially since she was a commoner, with a mother who never married.

"It feels as though both our fathers should wed and not us." Since they were the ones who were far more keen to this arrangement. Since Yuntong shared her sentiment about this match as well. Regardless of how it seemed rather thought of at the last moment, there wad the fact that neither had shared any good feeling to the other. Even when including her parentage, it was just even more difficult.

Since the last person who had the right to offer her like that was her own father. The one who gave her away to another to raise, rather than do it himself. On account of supersition that she was bad luck, or that she will not be raised well. A girl without a mother will not learn how to be a proper woman, as she will not have one who loves her as well as willing to rein her in.

"Technically they are, wedding their families to each other."

"I just don"t see how it has anything to do with me."

"Well in his eyes, you"re the daughter he abandoned and he simply wants to arrange a good life for you as a way to make up."

She rolled her own eyes.

"I"m just being honest." She knew Feiyu meant no harm from that, even as she found this method ridiculous. If she was his child, he should have tried to know her. Not a.s.sume and then throw her into another family for her own good. Even when her own reputation was anything but likely to yield a good wife. Many found her strange, odd and stubborn. Refusing to ever simply follow or think like the other girls. And her skill in sewing had been horrendous.

"How is this even making up?"

"To anyone, it is." Feiyu did not show a shred of emotion in this, coolly telling her the reasoning behind her own father. Almost as though she was the one who has went through this and not her. A similar understanding of her own predicament and what caused it. And the reason why she never understood the man"s actions. She did not choose to look through his eyes, to know why.

"He didn"t even ask me whether I wanted this." It was pointless to give someone a gift without ever thinking of what they had in mind in the first place. She never did that, even when she received gifts it was because they knew she was keen to take it up. Not because she felt that she needed and had to do so. Which was what happened here.

"That"s how fathers show their love. By making you do things he thinks is good for you." Qingshuang took a bottle of wine. Almost as though it affected him in every sense of the word. She didn"t know how true this was, even though she knew that to be a parent didn"t mean making decisions. It also meant being able to guide a child so that they could leave and eventually teach them how to go about their life. Not dictate it to them, not expecting them to follow without putting a second thought.

By a.s.suming something of her, and making something like this as compared to simply asking what she had in mind. The man proved that he had not cared an inch about her. Whether she was alive or dead was of no matter, it was as though she was just another item that had found a buyer who will take great care of it. Not a person who will have an idea what she wanted in life. She clenched her own fist, knowing that if she played the happy betrothed she will be allowed more freedom.

"Well, someone is still bitter." Feiyu side eyed him.

"Not as though you"re any better." He gave a mocking smile to her.

She gave a sigh. "True."

Clear that it had not been to mock or anything like that. It simply was a smile which suggested this was nothing more than simply teasing.

Were the two of them children who had simply chose another path, and defied their own fathers. She did make a guess that both of them had to hail from wealthy families, at least with their education and mannerisms. Qingshuang could read, and brought plenty of money along. Feiyu despite all was showing her talents, which for her age was young to have been independent.

"If you follow me, you have to become my apprentice." That was the truth she knew it was. An offer it is, but it didn"t seem to be out of pity. "With that mouth of yours, you can learn to charm with it. Most depend on their looks, but Feiyu seems to have been far more skilled than she was in reality. Thus she knew that it was a good chance she learned the skills of them. Although never being one who did so, even as her current work was similar. Many chose her because she knew how to please not because she was a faster server.

But because she added on as an atmosphere, who helped to serve and make it smooth. Without it being too long, and even stall if it was not ready. Sometimes she joined in with them, often chatting with the men and the women. If any of them were keen to have such an experience.

"Do I have to give my answer now?"

"No. I don"t expect you to."

"But I plan to anyway. I"ll become your apprentice."

"If anyone asks, I"m not testifying for this." Both of them rolled their own eyes at his words.