Wen Wan agreed to marry, and Mrs. Zhou has been in high spirits these days, treating her even "better." Early in the morning, before Wen Wan was even up, Mrs. Zhou had already made breakfast and brought it to Wen Wan's room, and when going to town, she didn't forget to bring Wen Wan some pearl hairpins.
Wen Wan knew Mrs. Zhou was after the Song family's bride price, but she didn't expose it and accepted everything Mrs. Zhou sent her without fail.
In contrast to Mrs. Zhou's "enthusiasm," Father Wen appeared much calmer, smoking in silence after returning from the fields.
Wen Wan could somewhat sense that her father didn't really want her to marry into the Song family, but she had no way to explain it to Father Wen.
Firstly, she couldn't speak and couldn't explain so much.
Secondly, she and Song Sanlang had only met a few times, and even though this was the countryside, they were particularly mindful of boundaries between men and women. She couldn't possibly tell her father that she had been in contact with Song Sanlang and that it was she who forced him to marry her.
Otherwise, if word got out, she really wouldn't have a face left.
Fortunately, the Song family acted quickly. Within a few days, Song Wei personally came to the Wen house.
It was naturally unsuitable for Wen Wan to go out and meet him. She hid in her room, quietly peeking through a crack in the door to watch the movements in the main hall.
Mrs. Zhou was called out by Father Wen and went to wash clothes by the well, leaving only Father Wen and Song Wei in the main hall.
Wen Wan didn't know what Song Wei said to her father, only that when Song Wei was leaving, Father Wen personally saw him out, and Wen Wan saw through the door crack that her father's expression was much more relaxed than in the previous days, and his attitude towards Song Wei seemed quite positive.
Wen Wan also noticed that before Song Wei left, he turned his head to look in her direction.
Those deep black eyes, even though she had seen them before, with just a glance, Wen Wan felt as if she had returned to the time when he pulled her pigtails at the village school, her heart pounding uncontrollably.
She leaned against the door panel and held her chest. Only after Song Wei left did she open the door.
Wen Wan chased a long way, but Song Sanlang was nowhere to be seen.
Originally, she wanted to ask Song Wei what he had said to her father, but then she thought that Song Wei certainly couldn't understand her sign language, so she gave up and was about to turn back.
Suddenly, a deep and pleasant voice came from behind the paulownia tree, "Looking for me?"
Wen Wan was startled and turned her head.
Song Wei's tall figure was already standing behind her at some unknown time, looking at her.
"..." Being caught off guard by such a scene, Wen Wan was a bit at a loss.
Song Wei lowered his eyes, the little girl's gaze especially stubborn, seemingly blaming him for suddenly scaring her. He chuckled quietly.
Wen Wan snorted softly in her heart, turned her head away, and didn't want to pay attention to him.
As she turned around, her wrist was grasped by the man's broad hand.
Wen Wan was stunned, and before she could react, something was already in her hand.
She looked down and saw it was a thread-bound book.
"I copied it by hand," Song Wei said, "It's a Thousand Character Classic inside. If you follow the order you memorize, start counting from the first character, you'll know how to pronounce each character."
Wen Wan clenched the spine of the book, emotions swirling, and when she looked up at Song Wei, there was a touch of gratitude in her eyes.
In order to be a match for a scholar, she had always wanted to learn how to read, but women reading had always been frowned upon, and books were too expensive for her to afford; she could only eavesdrop on lessons at the village school, but after so long, she hadn't made much progress.
Song Wei's gift was a tremendous help for her.
Above her, his low voice came again, "Remember first, and as for how to write, I'll teach you personally after you marry."
These words made Wen Wan's ears slightly warm.
After receiving the book, she made a gesture of "Thank you."
Song Wei nodded, "As long as you like it."
Wen Wan almost thought she misheard. She tentatively gestured with her hands: Can you understand what I'm saying?
Song Wei only smiled without speaking.
——
On the way home, Wen Wan still found it unbelievable.
There was no mute person around Song Sanlang, and they had only met a few times. How could he easily understand a mute's sign language? It was astonishing.
This time Song Wei came to the Wen house, he bought high-quality tea cakes and a jar of wine for Father Wen, two pieces of floral cloth for Mrs. Zhou, which didn't seem cheap, and also quite a few snacks for Wen Shun.
Mrs. Zhou received the benefits and was smiling with squinted eyes.
Father Wen also had a smile on his face, but Wen Wan could tell it wasn't because of those few tea cakes and that jar of wine.
As for why her father suddenly changed his attitude, she'd probably have to ask Song Wei what he said during the day.
Food and clothes didn't interest Wen Wan; it was Song Wei's handwritten book that she considered the most valuable gift. That night, after closing the door, she was so excited she couldn't sleep, lighting an oil lamp to point at each character in the book and silently reciting carefully.
Perhaps fearing she wouldn't understand, Song Wei had written the characters a bit larger, each stroke neat and proper, very clear.
His handwriting was beautiful, at least the best she'd seen in any book so far.
Because she stayed up late, Wen Wan got up late the next day.
Unexpectedly, Mrs. Zhou didn't give her the cold shoulder for it, coming to knock on her door personally with a bowl of broken rice porridge, two boiled eggs, and a plate of pickled radish cubes.
The Wen family rarely had such a rich breakfast.
Seeing Wen Wan's confusion, Mrs. Zhou smiled and said, "You're almost out the door, girl. You should take better care of yourself. Our Wan Niang is so good-looking. If you become more delicate, Song Family's Third Son might like you even more. Eat quickly, and after you're done, I'll take you to the town to have cloth cut for new clothes."
——
Thinking that she was about to get married, Wen Wan chose a sunny day and told Father Wen she wanted to visit her mother's grave.
Father Wen, upon hearing this, hesitated for a moment and said he'd accompany her.
The father and daughter stood for a long time in front of the grave of Wen Wan's biological mother, Mrs. Lu. Wen Wan bent down to remove weeds, lit incense for her mother, burned some paper money, and offered some cakes she made herself and wild fruits picked along the way, before kneeling down to kowtow three times sincerely.
Father Wen also crouched down to burn paper, muttering a few words.
Wen Wan heard Father Wen telling Mrs. Lu not to worry because their daughter was going to marry into a good family and enjoy a happy life.
Father Wen was usually not very talkative, so for him to speak like this at Mrs. Lu's grave was indeed rare.
Wen Wan had never fully understood the cause of her mother's death. She had only heard people say her mother wasn't from Pingjiang County, and that her father used to be a peddler. One year, he was gone for a long time and returned with a beautiful pregnant woman, her mother Mrs. Lu, and the child in her belly was Wen Wan.
Mrs. Lu passed away when Wen Wan was three. It was said she died outside, and her body wasn't brought back, so the current grave was just an empty tomb with her name on it.
After learning sign language, Wen Wan had asked her father how her mother died. He told her that while they were returning with goods, they encountered a storm, the creek flooded, and her mother was swept away by the river, unable to find her body.
Wen Wan thought her father might not have told the whole truth, but after asking several times, Father Wen always gave the same explanation, so she stopped asking.
After burning the paper, Father Wen dusted off his hands, before petting Wen Wan's head and speaking earnestly, "When you were three, you fell into an ice hole out of mischief. It was freezing cold outside, and no one noticed, but fortunately, Song Sanlang passed by and saved your life in time. That's how you lived till today. Though he is a round older than you, he is genuinely kind-hearted and someone worthy of entrusting your life to. When you marry, he will never mistreat you."
Wen Wan looked up, her face full of surprise. She didn't remember anything from when she was three.
Father Wen explained, "It was after that incident that you came back with a high fever, which damaged your voice."
Upon understanding, Wen Wan found it somewhat amusing, realizing that this fiancé of hers was actually her lifesaver?