Chapter 6

“Child betrothal?” Lin Chuchu almost exclaimed in surprise. How did she not know about this? She had never heard of it. According to this woman, her stepfather and his previous wife’s daughter, Lin Xiang, had been betrothed to someone as children?

She was already irritated and frowned, ready to mock the countryside woman for coming to the city looking for a childhood betrothal, as if she were too naive.

Lin Chuchu hadn’t even arranged her own marriage yet. She had high standards and wasn’t willing to marry any man without a good family background, which was why she had delayed it. Even though she used to bully and boss Lin Xiang around, she didn’t want her to embarrass the Lin family by marrying poorly. What would people think if it came out that her own family’s daughter had married into the countryside?

However, recently, she had felt that Lin Xiang had grown more assertive, especially when Lin Xiang had just ignored her. That look of disdain had made Lin Chuchu uneasy.

The words she had intended to use to belittle the old woman now turned into something else. She smiled and said, “I’m from the Lin family! Aunt, your son must be the one betrothed to Lin Xiang, right? She’s my sister, and the betrothal definitely counts! Where do you live? Lin Xiang will surely marry your son!”

She couldn’t wait to see Lin Xiang suffer in the countryside, working in the fields every day. Then, she would see if Lin Xiang could still act so proud.

But since her mother was determined to marry Lin Xiang off to Sun Yaozu, Lin Chuchu didn’t dare bring the old woman home. Her mother would surely send her away immediately.

The old woman, not expecting to meet a member of the Lin family while asking for directions, quickly responded, “I’ve brought a letter of introduction. I can only stay in the city for two days. I’m currently staying at my distant relative’s house on No. 31, Qingshui Alley.”

“Alright, I’ll bring Lin Xiang to see you tomorrow!”

…

Lin Chuchu was scheming in her mind. At least before, Lin Xiang had been obedient and didn’t dare defy her. Recently, however, Lin Xiang had become more confident and even more beautiful. Lin Chuchu felt uneasy. She was determined to cause trouble for Lin Xiang. After all, most childhood betrothals involved unattractive and useless men. She couldn’t wait to see how Lin Xiang would handle it!

That evening, after dinner, Lin Xiang lay on the uncomfortable wooden bed, listening to Lin Chuchu tossing and turning on the other side of the room. Soon, the bed curtain was pulled back, and Lin Chuchu’s head poked out. “Hey, Lin Xiang, you don’t want to marry Sun Yaozu, do you?”

Lin Xiang didn’t want to engage, so she closed her eyes to rest, trying to remain calm in the sweltering heat without air conditioning or fans.

“Lin Xiang, are you listening to me?” Lin Chuchu asked, lowering her voice so their parents wouldn’t overhear.

“I didn’t hear you, I’m asleep,” Lin Xiang muttered carelessly, turning over in bed.

Lin Chuchu was furious. She didn’t understand why Lin Xiang was acting like this. With a cold laugh, she threw a bombshell: “Lin Xiang, don’t dream about marrying Sun Yaozu. You should just marry your childhood betrothal instead, and go live in the countryside…”

Hearing the words “childhood betrothal,” Lin Xiang turned over and looked at Lin Chuchu suspiciously. She had only recently heard about the betrothal from Aunt Liu, her mother’s friend. How did Lin Chuchu know about it, and why was she acting like she was enjoying the drama?

Lin Xiang paused for a moment and feigned indifference. “What childhood betrothal? Don’t make things up.”

“You don’t know, do you?” Lin Chuchu was even more pleased. How could Lin Xiang marry the factory director’s son? If she were to marry anyone, it would have to be a man from the countryside. Lin Chuchu eagerly recounted her conversation with the old woman, “Your grandfather arranged your betrothal to someone from the countryside. What a pity. When you marry him, you’ll be working in the fields every day.”

The moonlight flowed softly, adding a gentle radiance to Lin Xiang’s white face, making it glow like jade. Lin Chuchu’s frustration grew, but she didn’t care. After a few months of hard labor in the fields, Lin Xiang would soon look haggard!

“Even if there’s a childhood betrothal, that was from many years ago. The person’s probably untraceable by now,” Lin Xiang said firmly, knowing Lin Chuchu had discovered something, and used it to provoke her further.

“Who says the person can’t be found?” Lin Chuchu smirked. “Your childhood betrothal’s last name is He. His mother came to see us today, and he’s in the city. Tomorrow, you’ll come with me. Our Lin family has to keep our word and not go back on it!”

The childhood betrothal had come looking for them?

Lin Xiang was truly surprised. After all, the original owner didn’t know or had never met this person. Now, thinking back, Lin Xiang guessed that in the book’s plot, Lin Chuchu must have met the mother of the childhood betrothal, but dismissed her, and that was the end of it.

But this time, Lin Chuchu seemed even more determined to make Lin Xiang marry a countryside man. Could it be that she was angrier than usual? Lin Chuchu was even actively arranging a meeting with the mother of the childhood betrothal?

It wasn’t easy for someone to travel from the countryside, and with this opportunity at hand, Lin Xiang decided she would go and meet them.

After all, she had been on several blind dates and hadn’t liked any of the men. What if her childhood betrothal wasn’t so bad after all?

The next day, after lunch at the steel mill, Lin Xiang was approached by Lin Chuchu, who wanted her to go see the mother of her childhood betrothal. Lin Xiang wasn’t interested.

She could guess Lin Chuchu’s intentions: she wanted her to marry someone from the countryside, but since Qiu Aiying was actively trying to pair her up with Sun Yaozu, Lin Chuchu didn’t dare mention the childhood betrothal to her mother.

“Just give me the address. I’ll go when I have time.”

Lin Chuchu hadn’t expected Lin Xiang to be cautious, but of course, Lin Chuchu was only interested in watching the drama unfold, even trying to convince Lin Xiang to marry: “I’ll take you there!”

“Forget it. I’m not interested in that childhood betrothal anyway. Less trouble is better,” Lin Xiang replied indifferently, casting a quick glance at her.

Lin Chuchu was livid but couldn’t do anything about it. Frustrated, she gave Lin Xiang the address: “They’re staying at No. 31, Qingshui Alley. This is a betrothal arranged by your grandfather and your mother, so out of filial piety, you should at least go see them!”

Ah, now she was resorting to moral coercion.

Lin Xiang saw Lin Chuchu off and, although she wasn’t particularly eager to go, decided to visit. The address sounded familiar—wasn’t it the same place where the matchmaker, Aunt Zhang, lived?

…

Aunt Zhang was a warm-hearted woman. Early that morning, she heard that a distant relative had come to visit, and she quickly struck up a conversation, especially after learning that the woman was in the city to find a childhood betrothal for her son. Naturally, Aunt Zhang’s curiosity was piqued.

“Do you think you’ll be able to find someone from a childhood betrothal made over ten years ago?” she asked, while gluing a cardboard box.

Aunt He, sitting on a small stool nearby, also helped glue the box while replying, “I just wanted to ask. After all, it’s a betrothal. If the person’s unwilling, that’s fine, but our family values integrity. If the marriage isn’t wanted, we’ll cancel it. That way, I can get back to arranging a match for my son.”

Aunt Zhang thought the woman was quite straightforward, her hands not stopping as she spoke. “What does your son do?”

“He’s a soldier, stationed on some island far away.”

Aunt He hadn’t been there, but she mentioned that her son was stationed on some island.

She had come because she was worried about her son being of marriageable age and still not married. After all, the childhood betrothal was more than ten years old. For most people, this would have been forgotten, but Aunt He was someone who valued promises, so she still wanted to check with the Lin family to see if the betrothal was still valid.

As she spoke, she pulled out the childhood betrothal contract and a photo of her son that he had sent home three years ago. “I only brought these two things to the steel mill to ask about the Lin family.”

Aunt Zhang leaned over curiously. The yellowed, old contract had the name He Hongyuan written on it. That must be the soldier—the male side of the betrothal. But the other name… it looked familiar.

—Lin Xiang!

She was helping Lin Xiang find a match for the steel mill, but it turned out that this woman’s son was Lin Xiang’s childhood betrothal?

What a coincidence!

Looking at the photo of He Hongyuan, Aunt Zhang widened her eyes in shock.

…

Lin Xiang, during her lunch break, hurried to Qingshui Alley. After entering the courtyard, she immediately spotted Aunt Zhang, who was busy gluing a cardboard box under the eaves.

“Ah, Xiang Xiang!” Aunt Zhang said excitedly when she saw Lin Xiang, rushing over in small steps. “Did you know you have a childhood betrothal? His mother lives right next door! I just saw the photo, and oh my, he’s so handsome! He’s definitely the best-looking young man in Xifeng City, no one can compare!”

Lin Xiang: “…?”

She had once had a glimmer of hope about the childhood betrothal, but now, that hope was completely gone.

The way Aunt Zhang described him as handsome was more terrifying than anything else!

Was it still possible to leave now?