Spring scenery in the fields

Chapter 73 Shen Guyan and Shen Zhiyan

When the little girls saw her, they looked up timidly, their eyes full of curiosity.

Ji Wenhe smiled and took the initiative to talk: "Hello, I am Shen Rongshan's wife, Ji Wenhe, you can call me Sister Wen, or you can call me sister-in-law."

They said in unison: "Sister Wen."

"Hey, you guys are here to pick wild vegetables, why are you here so early? Have you eaten yet?"

One of the little girls replied, "I have eaten. Has Sister Wen eaten yet?"

"Yeah, I've eaten it too."

The little girl is thin, with big, bright eyes that reveal her innocence.

"What's your name."

"My name is Shen Guyan, and I'm fourteen years old."

Ji Wenhe was surprised because she didn't look like a fourteen-year-old girl at all, but more like eleven or twelve years old.

"Which aunt are you from?"

"My mother's name is Qian Hongjuan."

She nodded in understanding, then looked at the little girl next to her: "What about you?"

The little girl was very timid. She hid behind Shen Guyan, not daring to look at her and spoke in a very low voice.

"My name is Shen Zhiyan, and my mother's name is Zhang Qiu'e."

Shen Guyan took over the conversation: "She is the same age as me."

Ji Wenhe remembered that Zhang Qiu'e's husband had a bad temper and didn't seem to be very nice to his wife and daughter, so it was no wonder that the girl was so timid.

He looked at them with a smile and said, "Then you guys continue to look. I'm going to the river to wash things. Don't go up there. It's dangerous in the deep mountains."

The two little girls nodded obediently.

She carried the basket to the river, found a stone not far away, and used a basin to scoop water to rinse the stone clean.

Upstream, you cannot wash things in the water.

There was no basin for washing clothes at home, so when Shen Rongshan came back, he was asked to get two large basins to wash clothes.

I don’t know if it’s because the blood has been on it for too long, but it’s a bit difficult to wash off, so she rubbed it for a long time.

Ji Wenhe was afraid that someone might come up from the mountain or down the mountain, so he looked to both sides from time to time.

With a glance, she saw two little girls not far away. Perhaps they were curious about her and kept looking at her secretly.

She smiled faintly, rinsed the basket, and put the washed menstrual belt and soap beans in it.

He stood up and patted his lower back.

She walked over slowly and said softly, "When are you two going to find it?"

Shen Guyan squatted on the ground and looked up: "I'll go home when I find a basket. Is Sister Wen going back?"

"Yeah, but I'm not in a hurry. I'll talk to you guys."

Shen Zhiyan next to her lowered her head and picked the dirt from under her fingernails.

Ji Wenhe also squatted down and looked in the direction of the mountain. Thinking that the daughter of the village head was going to get married at the age of fifteen, he asked curiously.

"You are fourteen years old this year. Has your family arranged a marriage for you?"

Shen Guyan nodded: "My family asked me to see a girl, but she didn't like me. She said I was too thin and too small, and that she was afraid I wouldn't be able to have children."

She was very worried that she would not be able to get married in the future and that no one would want her.

"Sister Wen, will I be unable to get married?"

Ji Wenhe reached out and took the grass off her head, his eyes gentle: "No, you are still young, are your family so anxious?"

At their age and in this era, they have no right to resist their parents' orders and matchmakers' words, and they simply will not resist.

"My younger brother is thirteen years old. In another year, he will be old enough to look for a marriage partner. Grandma and Grandpa said that our family is too small. They will wait for me to get married and get the betrothal money to build a house for our family."

Her grandmother also said that raising a daughter is useless, she will only waste food in the family, and will have to be given away when she grows up.

She felt very sad when she heard what her grandparents said. She thought she could eat less and do more work so that they wouldn't have to work so hard.

Ji Wenhe sensed the sadness emanating from her, but didn't know how to comfort her. This was her fate, and others could not interfere or help her.

Changing the subject: "Guyan, how many brothers do you have?"

"There are two of them, one is thirteen years old, the other is twelve years old. The second brother is called Shen Zhengde, and the third brother is called Shen Wende. Our names were given by our scholar uncle, and they sound better than those given by my grandma and grandpa."

She became interested: "What names did your grandpa and grandma want to give you before that?"

Shen Guyan tilted his head, his eyes shining, looking very likable.

"My grandma wanted me to be called Chouya, and my brothers to be called Tiedan and Ergou. Grandpa said that humble names are easier to raise."

Ji Wenhe suppressed his laughter and said, "Then why didn't you call yourself this name later? Was it because your father or mother disagreed, and then you asked the scholar to give you the name?"

"The name was decided by my grandparents. My parents had no say in it. We were called this when we were little."

"Later, my uncle, the scholar, heard about it and said that if my brother passed the imperial examination in the future, he would be laughed at for the rest of his life if he had such a name."

"Later, grandpa and grandma asked Uncle Xiucai to help them choose a new name. Uncle Xiucai said that since the two younger ones had changed their names, he would change mine too."

The scholar said that his sister’s name was ugly and his brother would still be laughed at in the future, and only then did his grandparents nod in agreement.

"I remember that the private school was closed a long time ago. Did the boys in our village go to private schools when they were young?"

Shen Guyan nodded: "They have been there, they can read a little, girls can't go, their families won't let them."

In fact, she also wanted to learn to read and was very envious of her younger brothers.

Ji Wenhe smiled and touched her head, then looked at Shen Zhiyan who had been silent beside him: "Zhiyan, Guyan, come to my house, I will give each of you a bracelet."

The two little girls' eyes lit up instantly.

Shen Guyan asked uncertainly: "Sister Wen, are you really going to give it to us?"

They had seen the bracelets Shen Suya was wearing. They were very beautiful. She had many of them, and they liked every one of them.

"Of course, I never lie." He stood up, propping himself up on his knees. "Let's go. We have a lot of new ones at home. Pick one for yourselves."

"Thank you, Sister Wen."

Shen Zhiyan also thanked him quietly.

She smiled: "You're welcome."

Ji Wenhe took them home and pointed at the two brothers digging a hole in the yard: "Do you know what they are called?"

The two nodded.

"Brother Yuanshan, Brother Wenshan."

Only then did she remember that they were the same age.

Shen Yuanshan smiled and agreed: "We are a few months older than them."

But looking at his face and height, he doesn't look like someone of the same age at all.

Ji Wenhe put the basket aside, went into the house, took out a bamboo pole with a bracelet hanging on it, and waved to them: "Come, choose whichever one you like."

The little girls were happily choosing.

Shen Guyan chose one with a complex style, multiple colors, and small beads.

Shen Zhiyan chose one with two colors, simple style and no beads.

"Zhiyan, do you like this one? There are many other colors and styles here. It doesn't matter. Be bold and choose the one you like."

Her face was filled with joy: "Well, Sister Wen, I like this one, can I have it?"