Chapter 25: The Consequences of Recklessness

The morning air was crisp as the courtyard gate echoed with a series of knocks. Standing at the entrance were Li Feng, Shui Niu, and Xiao Rui, with Shui Niu carrying a large bundle of dry branches.

“Good morning, Sister Cao Xi!” Xiao Rui greeted sweetly, her little head tilting upward as her curious gaze lingered on Cao Xi.

Noticing the girl’s subtle movements, Cao Xi smiled knowingly and invited them all into the courtyard.

Under Li Feng’s instructions, Shui Niu carried the firewood to the shed and carefully placed it inside.

Xiao Rui stood in the courtyard, her wide eyes scanning her surroundings. The tidy space was a stark contrast to the dilapidated earth temple she called home. For two people, Cao Xi and Qin Zhao, to live in such a large house was nothing short of enviable.

“I had some people at the temple make these sticks yesterday—100 for 20 coins,” Li Feng explained, sharing the cost of the materials with Cao Xi.

“I trust your judgment, Brother Li. You wouldn’t take on a losing deal,” Cao Xi replied with a confident smile.

Li Feng returned her smile, his sunny demeanor lighting up the atmosphere.

After delivering the firewood, Shui Niu and Xiao Rui stayed to help prepare ingredients for the day.

While Xiao Rui was busy washing vegetables, Qin Zhao emerged from his room. His eyes, swollen from the previous night’s tears, were reduced to narrow slits.

“Good morning, Brother Zhao!” Xiao Rui exclaimed, abandoning her task to greet him. Noticing the severe swelling around his eyes, she quickly shook off the water from her hands and ran over. “Brother Zhao, what happened to your eyes?”

When Qin Zhao had woken up earlier, he’d felt a slight discomfort in his eyes but hadn’t realized the extent of the swelling. Now, reminded of the pitiful crying fit he’d had last night, his expression turned awkward.

After a moment of hesitation, he muttered, “I drank too much water last night,” while casting a quick glance at Cao Xi.

Cao Xi, observing his sheepish demeanor, chuckled lightly. She seemed to recall the events of the previous evening, which left Qin Zhao clearly embarrassed.

“Go to the well and wash your face with some cold water,” she suggested with a teasing smile.

“Cold water? It’ll be freezing! I’ll boil some water for you, Brother Zhao,” Xiao Rui offered, hurrying toward the kitchen.

“No need,” Qin Zhao quickly interjected. “Cold water will help with the swelling.”

Squatting by the well, Qin Zhao splashed the icy water on his face. The sudden chill startled him but helped clear his head.

“Let’s have breakfast together,” Cao Xi said, watching him with a hint of amusement. “Stay here and eat with us today.”

Shui Niu waved his hands in refusal. “We’ve already eaten! We wouldn’t trouble you further.”

It turned out that they had eaten at the temple before coming to avoid imposing on Cao Xi.

Li Feng urged, “You two go eat. We’ll handle the ingredients.”

With that, Cao Xi and Qin Zhao retreated to the kitchen for a quick breakfast.

As Cao Xi bit into the boiled egg Qin Zhao had peeled for her, she glanced at his still-swollen eyes. “You should apply a cold compress to reduce the swelling.”

A pair of panda eyes on such a handsome face was glaringly out of place.

“No need. I’ll head to the academy after breakfast,” Qin Zhao said. He wanted to go early to lessen the burden on Cao Xi.

“So early?” Cao Xi asked.

“Mm, for morning study,” Qin Zhao replied.

Cao Xi was slightly surprised. “Oh, they have morning classes even in ancient times?”

On the way to the academy, Qin Zhao couldn’t help but ask, “What you said last night—does it still count?”

He had wanted to ask all morning, but with so many people at home, he hadn’t found the opportunity.

Cao Xi immediately assured him, “Of course, it’s true. You’re my precious treasure.”

The events of the previous night were still fresh in her mind. Every word Qin Zhao said during his emotional moment was etched into her heart. It had been the first time she’d seen him cry, and his tears had tugged painfully at her heartstrings. She never wanted to see him like that again.

Hearing her reply, Qin Zhao’s spirits soared, and he practically floated the rest of the way to the academy, waving goodbye to Cao Xi with a radiant smile before skipping off.

As he walked, Qin Zhao greeted everyone he passed, regardless of whether he knew them or not, leaving many bewildered by his cheerfulness.

When he arrived at the classroom, it was still empty. Qin Zhao pulled out his book and started reviewing the day’s lesson. He had barely finished half a passage when someone approached.

“Well, well, look who it is! What happened to your eyes? Did you cry too much last night?”

Qi Qige had spotted Qin Zhao’s swollen eyes and couldn’t resist mocking him, circling around and laughing loudly.

Feeling awkward under his scrutiny, Qin Zhao cleared his throat and muttered, “I drank too much water last night.”

This excuse might fool Xiao Rui, but Qi Qige wasn’t buying it.

“Yeah, right,” Qi Qige scoffed. “Those eyes scream ‘I cried all night.’”

He wasn’t wrong—Qi Qige was indeed irritating. Qin Zhao chose to ignore him, lowering his head to focus on his book. Seeing that his teasing wasn’t getting a response, Qi Qige eventually returned to his seat, picking up his book as well.

Since Qin Zhao’s arrival, Qi Qige had felt a growing pressure. Qin Zhao was improving too quickly. Just yesterday, he had overtaken Qi Qige in arithmetic. While Qin Zhao still had weak areas, he seemed on the verge of surpassing Qi Qige across the board—a prospect Qi Qige couldn’t accept.

As more students trickled into the classroom, the teacher entered, holding a ruler.

“Everyone, sit properly. Let’s start by reviewing yesterday’s assignments,” the teacher announced before beginning roll call.

Qin Zhao grew nervous. He hadn’t had time to review the previous evening, having spent it dealing with Li Feng and then crying himself to sleep. He had completely forgotten the homework assigned by the teacher.

As if fate had aligned against him, the teacher called out, “Qin Zhao, recite the last two chapters of The Analects.”

The book was nearing completion, so the teacher wanted a thorough review.

Stumbling through his memory, Qin Zhao managed to recite about 80 to 90 percent correctly, albeit haltingly.

“You didn’t review last night, did you?” the teacher asked, his tone firm.

“No,” Qin Zhao admitted hesitantly.

“Hold out your hand.”

The teacher had high expectations for Qin Zhao. The boy was bright, and had he studied the night before, he wouldn’t have stumbled through the recitation.

Qin Zhao extended his hand, and the teacher delivered two sharp strikes with the ruler. The pain reddened his palm instantly, and Qin Zhao stared at it for a long time, his brows furrowing in frustration.

Meanwhile, Qi Qige was leaning on his desk, laughing so hard his stomach hurt. He was thrilled to see the “country bumpkin” in trouble and convinced that Qin Zhao had cried last night because he didn’t have time to study.

As the lesson continued, Qin Zhao’s hand trembled slightly as he wrote, making his already messy handwriting even harder to read. He frowned but steadied his arm, forcing himself to keep going.

“Qi Qige, why are you staring at Qin Zhao? Stand up and listen to the lecture,” the teacher suddenly snapped.

Qi Qige froze, his smug grin wiped away. How had he ended up being punished instead?

Two separate stories unfolded. After sending Qin Zhao to the academy, Cao Xi and Li Feng resumed selling skewers at their stall. Their first customer of the day was Shui Niu, who bought five skewers. He didn’t eat a single one himself and gave them all to Xiao Rui, watching her eat with eyes full of adoration, smiling foolishly as he stood there.

Cao Xi glanced back and forth between the two of them, suddenly feeling like they had become accomplices to something big. But before she could think too deeply about it, more customers arrived.

Thanks to their previous day’s experience, today’s business ran even smoother. Most of the customers came in pairs, and children especially loved the fish balls and tofu skewers, which sold out quickly. Cao Xi made a mental note to prepare more of those items for tomorrow.

By noon, the stall’s ingredients were completely sold out. Several late-arriving customers left disappointed, but Cao Xi reassured them, promising to reserve some for them tomorrow so they wouldn’t have to wait in line.

Back home, Cao Xi brought up the idea of making charcoal, and Li Feng was eager to give it a try. After all, selling charcoal could bring in far more profit than skewers.

Cao Xi rummaged through Qin Zhao’s room for some ink and paper and sketched out a simple plan while explaining the process to Li Feng. The method was something she had seen in short videos in her past life. Though she wasn’t entirely confident it would work, she thought it was worth a shot.

Li Feng quickly grasped the concept of the earthen kiln’s structure, and with enthusiasm, the two rallied Da Zhuang and Da Yong to help. Together, they headed to the abandoned temple outside the village and started digging and building the kiln in an open space.

With everyone pitching in, the kiln was constructed swiftly. They gathered firewood and lit the kiln to dry it out. By the time they finished, it was already evening.

“That’s enough for today. Let the kiln sit overnight, and it should be ready to use by tomorrow afternoon,” Cao Xi said, urging everyone to rest and continue the next day.

Because the kiln construction had taken longer than expected, Cao Xi asked Li Feng to buy food from the market while she went to pick up Qin Zhao.

At the academy, everyone had already left, but Qin Zhao was still waiting by the gate. He was growing anxious, worried something had happened to Cao Xi. Yet he didn’t dare head home alone, afraid they’d miss each other. So, he stood there, waiting nervously.

“Why are you still here?” Qi Qige walked out of the academy and noticed him. Qi Qige himself wasn’t in a hurry to go home—there wasn’t anyone at home who truly cared about him, after all.

Qin Zhao glanced at Qi Qige, puzzled as to why he hadn’t left either. But he quickly shifted his attention back, choosing not to ask any unnecessary questions.

“I’m waiting for someone to pick me up,” Qin Zhao replied.

“Then I’ll wait with you,” Qi Qige said casually. He plopped down on the steps, indifferent to the world around him.

For Qi Qige, who had grown up as an unwanted stepson, his stepmother didn’t even bother to pretend to care. If he didn’t return home at night, no one would notice.

Qin Zhao ignored him, continuing to watch the road anxiously. The sky darkened, and Qin Zhao grew more worried about Cao Xi. At last, he spotted her running toward him in the distance, and his heart finally settled.

Breathing heavily, Cao Xi apologized, “Sorry for the wait. Let’s head home now.”

“Did something happen? It’s so late,” Qin Zhao asked, waiting for her to catch her breath.

Cao Xi explained, “I went to the abandoned temple today to build an earthen kiln for charcoal making—remember we talked about it yesterday?” She reached out to take Qin Zhao’s hand, but he brushed her off gently.

His ears reddened as he muttered, “There’s someone else here.”

Only then did Cao Xi notice Qi Qige sitting on the steps, staring at them with wide eyes filled with curiosity and envy.

“Oh, you must be Qin Zhao’s friend! I’m his older sister,” Cao Xi greeted Qi Qige warmly.

Raising an eyebrow, Qin Zhao corrected her, “She’s my fiancée.”

He had just established their relationship and wasn’t about to let anyone think otherwise.

Qi Qige, who had been watching enviously, was suddenly dumbfounded. “You’re only this young, and you already have a child bride?!”

Cao Xi looked at Qin Zhao in surprise, her face full of questions. Before she could argue, the phrase “child bride” hit her like a bolt of lightning. She gave Qi Qige a look that could only be described as pitying, as if questioning how someone could be this clueless.

What kind of thought process was that? Truly worthy of being her fiancé. Just as Cao Xi was about to argue, she met Qin Zhao’s glare and swallowed her words, deciding to stay quiet.

“She’s not a child bride—she’s my fiancée,” Qin Zhao corrected, firmly taking Cao Xi’s hand and starting toward home, leaving Qi Qige standing there in bewilderment.

“How did I suddenly become your fiancée?” Cao Xi pinched Qin Zhao’s small hand, half-joking as they walked.

“Last night, you said you’d marry me when I grew up.”

Qin Zhao looked up at her with deep, unwavering eyes, devoid of any playfulness. His expression was serious and solemn.

Only then did Cao Xi recall last night’s conversation. So that’s what this was about.

“You’re still a kid. You can’t go around saying things like that to others,” Cao Xi said, continuing to treat Qin Zhao like a child.

“Are you trying to go back on your word?” Qin Zhao stopped in his tracks, gripping her hand tightly. His gaze seemed to say, If you dare deny it, this isn’t over.

Cao Xi looked down at him. “Do you even know what a fiancée is?”

Qin Zhao replied sharply, “Do you think I’m dumb?”

“I’m serious, Cao Xi. I’ll treat you well—please marry me.” His sincere eyes startled Cao Xi. She hadn’t expected such words from a child.

In her previous life, she’d never dated, let alone married. This was the first time someone had confessed to her, and it came from a little kid. She didn’t know whether to laugh or feel awkward.

Qin Zhao kept his gaze fixed on her, unrelenting. Cao Xi exhaled deeply. “Let’s wait until you grow up.”

She believed that time would bring some things while taking others away.

With that, Cao Xi walked ahead. Qin Zhao didn’t get the answer he wanted, but he also didn’t know how to make her believe him. All he could do was silently swear to himself: You are my fiancée. No one can take you away—not even you.