Chapter 144: The Mass Wedding After the Rain

The thunderstorm continued, and Kawei could not have dreamed of it now. Not only did he gain his wife, but he also lived in the boudoir where his wife had lived for more than ten years.

Doesn't Lilia feel abrupt?

She must follow her parents' decision and must marry this young man named Kawi.

The stay in the council hall seemed as long as a year, and when I left the boudoir, I still held my sister's little hand, everything was just like when I was a child. Now, she has to admit that she is married. Although it is a tradition of discord, the parents and the chief of Ross have been witnesses and fully recognized the legality of the marriage.

wedding? That is necessary.

The wedding was just a transition, and now the two are already a husband and wife relationship recognized by everyone.

Lilia tried to accept this fact and prayed that she would really be happy when she married him. Now, the housework she has studied for many years has finally come in handy.

Kawi watched the short-statured woman, her slender hands folding the leather jacket she had unloaded and sorting out other items such as belts.

Not to mention Lilia's heart is full of caution, why isn't Kawi?

He looked at Lilia's back with her long braided hair down, and couldn't help thinking about his future.

This girl is indeed very beautiful. Can she be a good mother? Can you bear and raise many little blacksmiths?

"Don't do it anymore, rest early."

Lilia couldn't understand Kawi's words, and the girl's hand trembled and she turned around quickly.

Although there is no experience of sleeping in a wooden bed, Kawei does not exclude new sleeping experiences. Besides, this room is obviously more beautifully and tidy than his hometown, and the patterned linen sheets under his body obviously exudes a special aroma.

He slapped the bunk up, and Lilia knew it was for her to pass.

The girl sat cautiously next to her husband, gently pressing against his burlap robe.

Her dexterous nose sensed the peculiar smell emanating from her husband's body. It was not the unpleasant odor of sweat, but a strange smell - sulfur.

What a strange man, are all Russ so strange?

Lilia didn't know the secret of Sulphur Soap yet. The new husband was an elusive person, and perhaps it was wisest to keep quiet for safety.

In fact, only in terms of height, Lilia is taller than girls of the same age in Novgorod. This is because her life for more than ten years has been "pampered" compared to others. If she eats better, she will naturally appear healthier. A healthy woman also means beautiful.

Kawi's big calloused hand lightly placed on her shoulder, and he said some gentle words.

Although Lilia couldn't understand, she could understand each other's friendship. Now, as a woman, she is even more prepared for that.

"Lilia, you are so beautiful. It is my happiness to have you as my wife."

Hearing that, the girl turned her head slightly, and she looked very nice with her face sideways.

"It looks like you still don't understand me. Well, you'll learn our language gradually."

Kavey let go of his hand and lay down on his back with a deerskin blanket he brought over him.

"I've been rowing all day. I washed my hair with sopa and I finally feel comfortable. I'm very tired. I'll rest first. Lilia, you should rest too." Kawi said to himself, regardless of whether the new wife was or not. understand.

Seeing him lying down, Lilia breathed a sigh of relief, and suddenly felt a little regretful in her heart, and murmured in her heart, "Don't tell me my appearance doesn't satisfy him? Isn't it right?"

Lilia, who was also tired, lay down and wrapped herself in a soft linen blanket stitched with five layers of linen. And her hand caressed her latest extremely precious necklace from her husband.

At this moment, outside the wooden door, a clansman of White Tree Manor was ordered to eavesdrop on the voices inside the house on the rainy night. It was Rigus himself who gave the order. He had already put the big leader of the Rus people and several important men to bed, and then waited for the people to report a result with mixed feelings.

The chamber was still brightly lit, and Rigus was sitting on pins and needles waiting for news.

In the rainy night, the clan hurried over and immediately reported: "Head of the manor, they have fallen asleep."

Rigus was stabbed with a knife, his tired body suddenly straightened, his eyes widened like a bull's eye: "My daughter is already?! She has become a woman?!"

"No, the Rus didn't do it. It was very quiet in the room, and they were resting."

"Eh? That Kawei is really calm?!" After hearing this news, Rigus instantly developed a new level of affection for Kawei.

Ligus himself really didn't understand the marriage customs of the Rus, even the girls who married the Rus last year, they all became women only after the wedding organized by the Rus themselves.

The sky continued to thunder, and the more the weather was like this, Kawei had to maintain complete restraint out of his own beliefs.

Thor, the patron saint of craftsmen, is also the god of thunder. Kawei didn't dare to blaspheme his beliefs. He was exhausted physically and mentally, and now he just wanted to have a good rest.

All the Rus slept, and when he learned that his daughter was still pure, Rigus stopped.

The rain washed the muddy grassy beach, and the entire Novgorod fell into a deep sleep.

It rained all night, and the rain stopped after dawn.

The rain in early summer is always like this, and it comes and goes quickly, unlike the rain in late autumn, which often lasts for many days.

But the rain stopped. After the heavy rain, the whole world became muddy. In this case, the tributes still have to be collected as planned. Even if the mud is thrown, everyone is really worried.

The sky was gloomy, and after learning from Rigus that the Pine Needle Manor also received tributes after the Russ left, Otto was determined to punish them.

After all, the rain affected Sorgon's schedule. Looking at the current situation, Otto felt that it was absolutely impossible for him to collect all the tributes from the manor in just one day.

Plans can't keep up with the changes, and there is no way to stay for a few more days.

Just think about happy things!

Early in the morning, Rigus met his eldest daughter Lilia, and learned from her the fact that Kawi hadn't done anything to him after a night.

"Maybe Kawi is a temperate Rus. Well, you'll have a rest. The priest will come back in a while, and we'll have the wedding at home." Regus said, stroking his daughter's face.

Lilia nodded, and then went to dress up at her mother's arrangement. She knew that her sister Svetlana was also waiting for her.

Rigus also sent someone to inform Kawi that since he has become a son-in-law, he should change into the traditional clothes of local young men and participate in a Novgorod-style wedding according to Novgorod etiquette.

According to Novgorod tradition, the wedding should be held in the man's house, and then a celebratory banquet is held in the man's house.

After all, the hometown of the Rus is too far away, and they are not residents of Novgorod.

Rigus has already negotiated with Otto that his daughter must have a wedding in her hometown first. He really felt that he was taking advantage by doing this. The wedding was held at the woman's house, and he could proudly tell other manor heads that he had recruited a son-in-law.

When the younger daughter grows up, her wedding with the only son of the Ross leader must also be done at her own home. That's a bigger bargain again!

Rigus has always had a noble status in the manor, and his daughters have a noble status.

Noble people have this particular attention, why is it so troublesome for ordinary residents?

The head of the manor, Rigus, has already put down the news. Early in the morning, a group of residents of the manor brought their daughters who were of age to be married to the square of the manor to gather.

Several fancy-dressed priests came to the square early. These goddesses were wearing sackcloth coats that were obviously deliberately drooping, with a circle of rattan crowns on their heads, and tambourines with drooping cloth in their hands, surrounding the square. The well in the middle jumps the big god.

Completely different from the Rus, the priests of Whitetree Manor do not have that much power. The value of the existence of the manor priests, in addition to the rituals of the festival priests to pray for good weather, is to act as a witch doctor and recite some incantations that are said to be blessings to the patients.

The main thing is that they dance the big gods and chant incantations, and basically they can only provide psychological comfort to the patients. The inhabitants of the manor did not trust the priests very much, and they were more willing to trust the will of the manor chief Rigus.

Priests cannot drive away the Rus people in Sorgon by chanting a spell. Only the head of the manor can use some means to make the manor pay some acceptable price to curb the madness of the Rus people.

A group of girls from the manor wore plain clothes and crowns on their heads. They wore felt leather boots and stepped on the muddy square.

Oncoming is a large group of Rus people. They stepped into the scene of the mass wedding under the leadership of the big leader of Rus.

Ligus had planned to hand over thirty girls, but after the news came out, fifty girls were sent to the scene by their parents!

Why? !

Just on the rainy night that just passed, those young Roths who returned with their pregnant wives not only proved themselves to take care of their wives, but also gave a considerable gift to subsidize the lives of their wives' family.

Those families whose daughters to be married are based on inquiring about news, when they learn this reality, the hesitation they once had disappeared!

Marry a woman to a Rus! The son-in-law will bring his daughter back to visit relatives, and visiting relatives is equivalent to obtaining a financial gift! Russ people come every year, and they can get gifts every year!

If you marry your daughter to another manor, those people are not as generous as the Rus.

Things went completely beyond Otto's expectations.

He really could not have imagined that Rigus would cooperate like this. It was simply for marriage, vowing to marry all the girls in White Tree Manor to young men from Ross as wives.

They are willing to cooperate like this, why not the Russ?

The wedding scene started with a blind date meeting.

Fifty Ross boys brought their own dowry gifts, or some rough amber stones, or some silver coins, and found a girl they were satisfied with.

As for the other fifty Ross boys, they chose to stay on the sidelines.

With a few pieces of amber and a dozen silver coins, taking these treasures to Smolensk in the south during the slack season, you can exchange a large amount of flax thread from the locals, or pay a little silver coins for a considerable amount of ration.

Compared with the tribute paid by the family, where is the betrothal gift paid by the son-in-law more expensive? !

Because of marrying a daughter, even families in distress can quickly improve their poverty.

This marriage is obviously a win-win situation.

Seeing this clearly from each other, the collective wedding ended smoothly in peace.

Due to the severe disturbance of the rain, as well as some other incidents, Otto ordered the entire crew to stay.

The wedding was over, and the fifty young Ross men who had completed the wedding were taken home by their parents-in-law. Language barrier? That's not a big deal. They want their daughter and son-in-law to be in the same room immediately and make the relationship work thoroughly.

However, the Russ kept restraint.

It's not that they have a high degree of self-discipline, it's all because of their beliefs. Only when the Rus's own priests preside over a Rus-style wedding can the relationship between husband and wife be solid.

The priests of Ross will examine the bodies of these newlyweds, and if they are found to be unclean, the wedding must be abandoned. Of course, young men and women can still live, that is, they will be despised by others, and their children will also be despised. For this reason, the Rus people actually showed some restraint and self-discipline in front of more residents of Whitetree Manor.

Such a move is a strong mental shock.

Are they really savages? Will barbarians maintain mental restraint?

Even if it is a language barrier, a young Ross man with a wife can still realize that he is highly respected by his wife's family.

They were all teenage boys, too, with a fighting spirit that also longed to be admired. They could understand the compliment from the faces of their parents-in-law, and they were happy to take it further.

Many newly married Rus people actually help their parents-in-law to chop wood. This kind of act of kindness seems to be altruistic, but it is also a strong self-interest.

The newlyweds have to accept the fact that their husbands are Rus, and they need to be careful about what kind of people their husbands are, unlike parents who laugh with money.

Husband actually used a precious iron axe to help his family chop wood! This is unimaginable.

Since the husband is willing to do things for his family, then for himself...

The girls were moved.

Fifty young men married girls from White Tree Manor. Otto reckoned that no other manor in Novgorod cooperated like White Tree.

How is Pine Needle Manor?

Do not! This year, that estate needs to be sanctioned.

It was still dark in the afternoon, but fortunately, the shadow of the sun appeared in the western sky, and there may be no more rain in the next few days.

After eating the brown bread and mead provided by the White Tree Manor, Otto, who felt very comfortable, also personally inspected the barn full of tributes.

Although it was raining, he touched the burlap sack full of oat and rye kernels, and it was still very dry inside. The furs of the tribute are also very dry, and the number is not different.

A group of free-range chickens with all their flying feathers cut off were stuffed into cages, and the cattle and sheep that should have continued grazing were also brought back to the manor.

Rigus was very cooperative in handing over all the tributes!

Standing outside the barn full of tribute, Otto, in a good mood, held the hilt of his sword and said, "Ah, Rigus, it would be great if all the manors cooperated like yours!"

Rigus immediately raised his spirits, nodded and leaned beside Otto, deliberately saying: "We are willing to be the servants of the Rus people forever, my master. Even some people, they still have great hostility to you."

"Hostility?" Otto blew his beard contemptuously, "You mean that pine needle manor?"

"Yes, they are. I heard that they are the chiefs of the manor and the whole of Novgorod. Oh, this is stupid. The smart manor knows that you are our masters."

"You are a great speaker."

"No, what I said was from the bottom of my heart." Rigus continued to nod and bow, "I have also found all the children you want. Your Rurik needs servants, and I found nine maids and a man for him. servant."

"Oh?" Otto asked hastily, "Why is there only one boy?"

"Yes. Because all the boys, when they grow up, will be the laborers of the fields, and they will produce more wheat for the Rus."

"So what's up with this boy?"

Rigus hurriedly replied: "The child's mother was killed by a bear while collecting mushrooms in the forest. We organized people to go into the forest to find it, and we killed the bear, but two people died because of it. The child's father died of serious injuries. orphans."

"It's fate." Hearing this story, Otto instantly thought of his nephew Arik, "but it's also fate that he became my son's servant. One man and nine women, how old are they?"

"All children are under the age of eight and meet your requirements."

Otto nodded. "Yes, the servant had better not be older than the master. I want to meet these children now."

In fact, Otto had no interest at all in a group of children. When he saw children, their clothes were tattered, and he was even less interested.

He noticed that the little boy whose parents were killed by bears had a dull face. The bear was his father-killing enemy. How could such a dull and cowardly look take revenge?

The children gathered at the door of Rigus' house, and Otto's scrutiny of the group of children was closely watched by the children's parents.

Their young daughter is going to be a servant for the young son of the chief of the Rus people. They don't know whether the daughter is a good thing. The Rus people will pay ten silver coins for each child, which is a special concern of the girl's parents.

Otto pointed at the boy and said to Rigus, "Let the boy come here."

"Yes." Rigus hurriedly grabbed the child himself.

The boy faced the tall and stout leader of Ross, and he was stunned and frightened.

"A thin boy, what's his name?" Otto asked.

"It's Kamne," explained Rigus.

The name means stone, Otto put his hand on the boy's chin, looked left and right, and then let go: "At least my son has no requirements for servants. Rigus, I don't like this child, He's so cowardly."

"This... maybe I should pick another good one."

"No need." Otto waved his hand. "A coward is best suited to be a servant. It's just a pity that this boy cannot be trained to be a warrior. My Rurik has no such requirements."

After that, Otto untied his purse and handed it to the leader of Rigus; "Give the silver coins to the parents of the girls. As for this Kamne, his parents are dead, and you continued to take care of him as the head of the manor. Ten A silver coin is your reward."

"Oh, you are so kind, great leader." Rigus nodded quickly.

"Benevolence? Maybe." Otto still remembered another thing, "A hunter and his loyal dog may share the same barbecue. Your White Tree Manor is our loyal servant. It seems that the Pine Needle Manor now has Some new ideas, I do need to teach them a lesson."

Rigus immediately asked alertly: "Is it an attack?"

"Are you eager for us to attack?" Otto turned his head suddenly, staring at Rigus.

After all, as an old guy who has lived for more than 50 years, Otto can feel that this Rigus is very much looking forward to the Ross army to crusade the Pine Needle Manor.

"This...I don't know."

"You don't need to know. I haven't gone to Pineneedle Manor, and other estates to collect tribute. The rain and wedding have delayed too much. Now, I will gather my people. Tomorrow I will take them to Pine Needle Manor, The ten thousand pounds of wheat less harvested from your White Tree will be provided by Pine Needle Manor. And you, Rigus!"

"Yes, Master." Rigus complimented.

"Now you have the women making us a lot of toast, which will be our food for the return trip. Listen, the bread you gave me yesterday seemed to smell sour, and my people complained. You're not allowed to play tricks once."

"Yes, I'll do it right away. Your people can eat the latest bread."

Otto nodded. "Enable all your ovens, do as much as you can. I plan to leave in three days, and during this time you have to make a thousand pounds of oatmeal into a large toast. Otherwise it's disloyal."

"Yes." Rigus agreed hurriedly.