Back in the house, Madam Yang went to look through the clothes they still had in preparation for the day when they would have to go to the matchmaker to meet with the family of the suitors. She definitely had to make sure that she and the girls looked their best that day. The first impression might determine if her daughters would really get a husband after all. Thus, she could not neglect even the smallest detail. Maybe she could even do something to make them look nicer. A little embroidery might go a long way …
Meanwhile, the two girls went into the kitchen to start preparing dinner. For a while, they quietly worked side-by-side until Jin Jin leaned back and looked out of the door, making sure that their mother wasn’t around. Then, she leaned over to her sister. "Say, would you really not mind if I got your part of the dowry as well?" No matter how she thought, she still didn’t get this point. She knew that her sister was a bit of an airhead but it couldn’t be to this point, could it? Did she really not understand what this would mean for her?
Ling Ling just looked at her and nodded though. "Of course! Anyway, I already know who I want to marry." She smiled sweetly at the thought of An Hei and continued to prepare the food. If only she could meet him again soon …
Jin Jin looked at her in astonishment. "What do you mean? Did somebody ask you already?" Why hadn’t she heard of that?
Ling Ling pursed her lips. "You wouldn’t believe me anyway. Didn’t I already tell you how I found that soldier back then? He said that he would come back and marry me. Anyway, it should be about time. I just hope that mother doesn’t find somebody else who wants to marry me before then. I wouldn’t want to break my promise after he agreed to it."
Ling Ling lowered her head at the thought. Back then, it had been her who asked that man to marry her. Thinking about it now, she was actually a bit embarrassed but she didn’t regret it either. What she had said to him hadn’t been wrong and anyway, he had agreed. If they ended up married to each other, wasn’t it all well?
Her older sister was taken aback though. "Are you being serious? Ling Ling, that was ten years ago! And if what you said back then was true, then he was a fully grown man already. He’s probably really old by now. Are you sure that you want that kind of husband?"
Her gaze became worried when she thought about it. Her little sister was indeed an airhead. Back then, whether it was her or their mother, they had both thought that Ling Ling was just making things up again. Nobody had taken it seriously. But to bring it up again after ten years … She couldn’t help but feel that maybe there was a little more to this story than she had originally believed.
Maybe Ling Ling had really saved some soldier. But even then … Who knew if this was really a good thing? There were so many things to be worried about: Would this man really come back? Who was he even? What was his family status? Did he have a wife already and she would need to become his concubine?
If he was just a small foot soldier, then that would certainly bring her pain. A man like that would likely have trouble already making sure that one wife and however many children they had would be fed and clothed. Adding a concubine to that kind of situation … her sister would suffer needlessly.
The longer Jin Jin thought and the more possibilities she came up with, the more worried she became. Ling Ling couldn’t understand where her sister was coming from though.
"He looked really young when I met him."
"Then he’ll still look ten years older now."
Ling Ling tried to imagine how that would look but couldn’t come up with anything. "Well, anyway, I’m sure that we will get along just fine. Even if he is a bit older, so am I. So what is there to worry about?"
Jin Jin sighed when her sister didn’t understand at all what she was talking about. Getting ten years older when you had been a child the last time you saw the other person wasn’t a problem. Right now, she was barely of marriageable age. That guy could really count himself lucky if he did manage to marry her. On the other hand, while a woman might not have that much of a choice, which one wouldn’t want a husband that was a little closer to her in age?
If this man really turned out to be old and ugly by now … Would her sister really be happy? She doubted it. But with Ling Ling, it would be difficult to talk her out of anything she had decided on.
If she saw this man, maybe it would be different, but with nothing to go off other than the image she had of him from ten years ago … No, there was no chance to have her change her mind. In that case, she could only try to help her sister get through this as well as she could. "Do you at least know something about him? I mean other than that he was a soldier?"
Ling Ling’s expression fell and she shook her head. "No, I don’t. I mean I haven’t seen him for ten years either. Who knows how he’s doing?" She stopped what she was doing, worrying to herself a moment. This was indeed something she should have thought about.
Back then, that man had been injured but he had vanished the next day. Was it because she had indeed helped him and then he had had the strength the leave? Or had he not been doing better at all? Now that her sister brought it up, she couldn’t help but wonder.
Jin Jin reached over and took the bowl from her to make sure they wouldn’t fall behind while pondering as well. "Ten years is a long time. You know what happened to father. Who knows if that soldier is even still alive? Since you haven’t heard from him yet, you shouldn’t keep your hopes up too high. If he is dead, and you have to marry somebody else, you have to be prepared."
Ling Ling looked at her and nodded, her expression sad. "I know. I hope he’ll come soon so that I’ll know for sure. But …" She hesitated and then reached out and grabbed her sister’s sleeve. "Say, you’ll help me until then, right? I mean if somebody stepped out early because they wanted to marry me, you could try to do something, right? Just so that I can wait a bit longer. I don’t want to give up on the chance to see him again."
Jin Jin sighed deeply at that. "What do you want me to do? In our situation, it really isn’t easy. Beggars can’t be choosers. And if mother found out we were trying to do something like that …"
"Please!" Ling Ling tugged at her sleeve, hoping to convince her like this. She didn’t wish for much. She just wanted to wait a little longer. All these years, she had thought that she would marry that man. Even if her older sister and her mother didn’t believe her, even if everyone thought she was just making something up, she had been looking forward to meeting him again. She had always thought of herself as his future wife and never worried about finding a husband as a result of that. In her worst times, this had given her strength. Now, she did not simply want to give up on her dream. If she could wait just a little longer, just a few more days, a few more hours … maybe he would suddenly stand in front of her again. That was all that she hoped for.
Jin Jin finally caved under her younger sister’s intent gaze. She sighed. "Alright. I will try to help you stall. But I can only try! If somebody steps out and says they want to marry you, then there is nothing much I can do. I can at most have mother postpone it for a few months on account of your age." And even then, Jin Jin was not sure if it would be enough to deter their mother. After all, marrying each of them to a good man was the only thing she was currently putting her mind to. If an opportunity came, would she really be willing to wait? Jin Jin doubted it but for her sister’s peace of mind, she did not say those words out loud and just hoped that somehow, things would turn out fine.
The two girls went on to quietly cook dinner and then ate together with their mother. Outside, night had already fallen by the time they finished and did the dishes. Madam Yang went back to ponder the issue of what she should let her girls wear while Jin Jin went to turn in for the night. Ling Ling, on the other hand, went outside and stood under the magnolia tree.
An Hei who had expected to only see her again tomorrow couldn’t help but look at her with surprise. He was tightly coiled around one of the branches and his dark scales were hardly visible between the leaves at this time of the evening. Still, he hardly dared to breathe, all his attention focused on the young woman below. Why had she come?
As if to answer his question, the girl sighed, reclined against the trunk, and looked up at the blossoms that had bloomed again recently. "Ten years have passed. Did you forget me?" She reached out and caught one of the blossoms the wind blew down. "My mother brought us to the matchmaker today." She hesitated before continuing as if he really stood in front of her and she didn’t dare to admit to the man that was supposed to be her future husband what she had done. "The dowry isn’t enough for Jin Jin and me." Once again, she stopped for a moment before she looked up, her gaze uncertain. "I thought … you’re surely a man who has experienced many things. Most likely, you wouldn’t mind if I had no possessions? You promised to take me as your wife. Certainly, you wouldn’t renege on your promise only because I am poor now." She smiled and took out the hairpin An Hei had left for her.
An Hei looked at her, his gaze softening unwittingly. Had he been in his human form he even would’ve smiled at this sight. It seemed that strange little girl from back then had indeed become a fine woman. She had waited ten years for him only because of his promise without knowing who he really was. What more could he expect?
Ling Ling hugged the hairpin to her body but a sad expression filled her eyes. "Jin Jin agreed but mother insisted on giving the dowry to the one who gets a suitor first. What should I do now? Jin Jin promised to help me but there is only so much she can do. I really hope that somebody will come forward soon who wants to marry Jin Jin.
"Please, don’t misunderstand, I want to see you again. If you could appear before me today I’d be more than happy. But what would happen to my sister then? Without a dowry left for her, she might not be able to marry at all. So …" She lowered her head, tightening her grip around the hairpin. "So I thought that maybe if someone came to marry her but I was left without dowry, it wouldn’t be a problem at all. She could find a good husband like she wants to and I could marry you, no matter whether we’re poor or not. Wouldn’t it be good this way?
"It’s only that I am still a little worried. What if somebody asks to marry me instead of her?" She fell silent and An Hei didn’t know what to think either.
The girl was right: If somebody came and asked for her hand in marriage before he could do so her mother certainly wouldn’t hesitate and accept at once. Then it would be too late. Well, it was not like he intended to wait long but if someone had been to the matchmaker right after them … Ah, he would rather not think about it.
Ling Ling sighed once again. "I told her about you. Back then. But she only laughed. And now I am afraid that she still wouldn’t believe it. She’d probably think I only want to help Jin Jin by making up a grand tale. Who would that help?"
An Hei nodded slowly. He didn’t know anything about her family but her mother seemed resolute. As long as no man stood in front of her door and said that he wanted to marry her daughter or the matchmaker brought such a message she wouldn’t believe it. It seems I’ll have to arrange everything as soon as possible. The longer I wait, the more dangerous this will be.
Ling Ling grew silent under the tree. Mister An, wherever you are, please return soon and honor your pledge. I can’t believe that I’m fated to be the wife of anyone but you in this life.
An Hei didn’t know what she was thinking but he had already made up his mind. As soon as Ling Ling left that spot under the magnolia tree, he transformed back into his human form and summoned his four trusted advisers from the demon realm. Now, no time could be wasted.
