Chapter 10 The Wedding
After that day I drifted in a haze for quite a while. Sister Mudan came to see me with a bright smile.
"Ahua is getting married. Are you happy?"
I did not know what I felt. I was happy, yes, but uneasy too.
Zhang Ming's proposal had come out of nowhere. He was the same age as me. For a man that young, marriage was a little early, but it still made sense.
Only—in times like these, was it really right to marry?
Sister Mudan sighed. "That is exactly why we have to treasure the one in front of us."
"The General wants you two to settle things soon."
She lowered her voice. "That steward is dead. He has to give the soldiers an answer. If you are Zhang Ming's wife, then what he did to you deserved death, and no one will say a word."
Our wedding was thrown with great fanfare. The General himself officiated for us.
"Zhang Ming is one of my best men. This marriage did not come easy. We spent two years in the wild feeding mosquitoes and chewing bark—was it not for a day like this?"
"Brothers, our good days are here. Drink your fill today."
At the banquet, Zhang Ming took care of the men. I took care of the women.
On the women's side there was only Sister Mudan and a few wives and girls dragged in from the city. Their faces were tight. They looked uneasy at the table.
"May the bride and groom share a hundred years of happiness."
One woman watched me for a long time before speaking carefully.
I answered with a smile. "Thank you, sisters, for coming to support us. Ahua drinks first."
The cup emptied in one go. Seeing that, the woman let out a breath. "The bride holds her liquor well. Then this sister will drink too."
After a few bowls we warmed up and talked freely.