That Certain Soldier

Chapter 1

Embroidery.

Ever since you were a young girl, your mother taught you how to embroidery sachets and clothing. In your small village, you were considered the best embroideress.

Making red good luck sachets for the little children of the village to collect money with and making a wedding dress for the richest family of all, the people who lived in the Song Manor. They were the richest in the village and you made a wedding dress for Song Xiwan and wedding clothing for the eldest son, Song Jun.

Today, you were embroidering something since your mother was using the weaving loom to make more cloth for you. Your little brother had ran over towards you with a chicken, held by the feet. "Elder sister! Look! I'm old enough to hold a chicken!" Being only a 7 years old little boy, you had sighed at the sight of him. "Jiao'er, you mustn't play with the chickens like that. Otherwise you might let them loose and we'll have no meat to eat."

Chenjiao (or Jiao'er) was always a troublesome little boy. He played rough and he often came back home with bruises on his arm and face. Your mother always worried since he was a boy and he could potentially die if he kept on playing rough.
You put down your embroidery and cupped his face and slowly wiped away the dirt. "Jiao'er, you can't be so reckless anymore. Father has a broken leg and mother can't deal with you now."
Your fingers kept with the wiping but Chenjiao pushed your hand away. "Promise me you'll be a good boy Chenjiao." You said, pointing at him with your index finger.

Chenjiao rubbed his noise with his free hand and nodded. "Elder sister, I will let the chicken go."
He looked at the floor as you smiled. "Good Jiao'er."

He left as you kept on sewing until your mother came in with a backpack, bamboo basket, full of freshly weaved cloth. "(y/n), you'll need to be spining thread. I'll make dinner."
Your mother's hands had calluses, so you went to go spin the thread. Putting down your embroidery and picking up the basket for thread, grabbing 2 wheat buns from lunch, you walked along to the spining wheel which the whole village use for making thread. There were only 2 of them so you hoped one of them wasn't occupied, otherwise it would have been almost a whole day to get a lot of thread made.

You went out the door and called Chenjiao. "Jiao'er, come inside, dinner is being made!"

"Uh! Elder sister I'll go inside!" Chenjiao ran inside the house as you saw your father in the fields. "Father! Mother is making dinner! Also let me do all of the farmwork!"

Your father came out of the fields as he patted your head. "(y/n), I can't be having you do laboring work this week. Your mother will scold if your calluses get any bigger. Anyways, I'll get going home."

You father limped away with his wooden crutch as you turned your head. This week was the week that you'll get going to the matchmaker to find a match. Your mother usually asked you to help out in the fields because your father wouldn't harvest enough for winter with his broken leg and Chenjiao was only 7. Chenjiao could only help you with cutting and gathering the crops because he wasn't strong enough to carry them.

You had heard from your friend, Xia Herun that the matchmaker was a fickle women. When she matched up her older sister, she said she kept on insulting her body for being skinny and not good for bearing sons.
Anyways, you made it to the spining wheels to notice nobody using them except for Herun. You sat at the empty wheel next to Herun as you spun the yarn you brought. "Herun, are you doing well?"

Herun nodded as you kept on spinning. "I'm going to the matchmaker this week, so I must embroider a beautiful outfit."

Herun lioked over at you. "I hope the matchmaker is nicer to you. By the way, I heard Song Muxin was also getting matched up. The Song family might request a dress from you, so both of your hands will be full."