Chapter 65: Getting Close 3/3

Then… Fang Jinniang walked past him without even glancing at him, her expression unchanged from start to finish.

Jin Xiaoshu was dumbfounded. After Fang Jinniang had walked a distance, he turned his head to look at her.

His fairy was still so beautiful, but… she didn’t plan to acknowledge him.

Did Fang Jinniang not like him? What should he do then? The sixteen-year-old boy felt like he had just experienced heartbreak, and he was overwhelmed with sadness.

In the evening, when they returned home, Li Qingzhi noticed that Jin Xiaoshu seemed a bit gloomy.

“Xiaoshu, is something bothering you?” Li Qingzhi asked.

“I’m fine, brother-in-law.” Jin Xiaoshu smiled at Li Qingzhi, but it was obvious that the smile was forced.

Li Qingzhi: “…” Still saying it’s nothing?

Although Jin Xiaoshu didn’t notice Li Qingzhi’s concern, Jin Xiaoye realized that something was wrong. “Xiaoshu, what’s really going on?”

But Jin Xiaoshu still refused to say, insisting that he was fine.

Jin Xiaoye couldn’t help but speculate, “Did you have a falling out with the girl you like?”

Jin Xiaoshu looked at Jin Xiaoye in shock. “Sis, how did you know I liked a girl?”

“I could tell.” Jin Xiaoye said, then glanced at Li Qingzhi. It wasn’t her who figured it out; Li Qingzhi had told her.

Jin Xiaoshu felt a bit aggrieved. “Sis, she doesn’t like me.”

“Why?” Jin Xiaoye asked.

“She comes from a well-off family, and I’m not worthy of her in the first place…” Jin Xiaoshu suspected that Fang Jinniang didn’t want to talk to him because she saw him bouncing around in the street.

She probably didn’t like kids.

Why couldn’t he control himself and bounce around in the street like that?

When Li Qingzhi and Jin Xiaoye asked again, Jin Xiaoshu looked dejected but refused to say anything.

Seeing his expression, Jin Xiaoye didn’t press further. Falling in love at sixteen and not being able to make it work… it was such a common occurrence.

Li Qingzhi, however, felt a bit sympathetic towards Jin Xiaoshu. Their relationship with Jin Xiaoye had taken a big step forward, but Jin Xiaoshu had just experienced heartbreak… the poor kid.

As for the three children on the boat with them… they hadn’t listened to the adults’ conversation at all, whispering and murmuring to themselves, seemingly oblivious to everything.

Li Qingzhi glanced at Jin Xiaoye, then felt like holding her hand again.

Since there were no outsiders around… Li Qingzhi held Jin Xiaoye’s hand, feeling unsatisfied after holding it and even gave her a kiss.

Jin Xiaoshu was feeling heartbroken, and when he turned his head, he saw his brother-in-law kissing his sister, which made him even more upset.

He felt like he shouldn’t stay here and should leave the boat immediately.

After Li Qingzhi held Jin Xiaoye’s hand, he didn’t let go again.

After arriving in Daqi, Li Qingzhi discovered that the customs and attitudes varied greatly from place to place in this era.

Compared to the county where the original owner lived, Chongcheng County had a relatively open-minded culture. It was common to see women baring their arms during the summer.

However, within Chongcheng County, there were distinctions between different social groups. People in the county town paid more attention to etiquette, and some young ladies from affluent families hardly ever left their homes.

It was a different story in the countryside. The vulgar language and behavior of some villagers in Miaoqian Village astounded Li Qingzhi.

Moreover, it wasn’t just men who spoke in such a manner; even older women had quite a coarse way of speaking.

In Miaoqian Village, there were even married men and women who still had extramarital affairs. For instance, there was one man in the neighboring house, Yao Zhenfu, who had a mistress. Li Qingzhi even witnessed a scene where a man was beaten by his wife’s lover, climbed onto the roof, and cried. Yet, life went on as usual afterward, and the man’s wife wasn’t punished.

However, at the same time, practices such as the “dunking stool” did exist among some prominent families. They had various strict requirements for women.

But these things had nothing to do with ordinary villagers in Miaoqian Village. These people had never received an education and didn’t hold onto feudalistic values.

In such a village, it was perfectly normal for a married couple to hold hands. Li Qingzhi and Jin Xiaoye walked hand in hand towards the Li family’s house. Along the way, people who saw them even praised their good relationship.

When they arrived at the Li family’s house…

Many people were sitting in the main hall, listening to Li Laogen speak. Upon seeing them return, someone immediately asked, “Jin Xiaoye, did you really earn ten taels of silver in a month?”

“Jin Xiaoye, what were you doing in the county town? How did you earn so much?”

“Xiaoye, can I do this business too? Can you teach me?”

…

These people didn’t even notice that Li Qingzhi and Jin Xiaoye were holding hands. They were all eager to know how Jin Xiaoye had made her money.

Without a doubt, Li Laogen had spread the news about Jin Xiaoye’s earnings.

Li Qingzhi and Jin Xiaoye had been prepared to tell Li Laogen about this, but they hadn’t expected the news to spread so quickly.

However, since Jin Xiaoye’s business was something that the villagers would eventually find out about, it didn’t matter much.

Jin Xiaoye replied, “I haven’t done anything special. Some bosses wanted someone to do needlework for them, so I helped find some embroiderers and made a little money. For example, Shopkeeper Wu, wanted to buy some gloves to sell in the capital, so I found someone to make them for him. If you want to do this business, you can, but you need the shopkeeper’s trust.”

Jin Xiaoye downplayed her business as if she were just helping out with odd jobs.

The villagers believed her when they heard this, and they all asked, “Xiaoye, can we help with the needlework?”

“I can embroider flowers, so I can do it for the Li family.”

“Xiaoye, how did you meet these shopkeepers?”

…

Jin Xiaoye said, “The work that these shopkeepers want is very intricate and difficult.”

“If you want to do it, I can bring some back for you to try.”

“I got to know these shopkeepers by going to different shops in the county town.”

…

Jin Xiaoye had never asked the villagers to help with the needlework before because there weren’t many skilled needleworkers in the village.

The people in Miaoqian Village lived modestly, and the women didn’t have much fabric or thread to practice their needlework skills, so naturally, their skills were not very good.

If she had initially asked the women of the Miaoqian Village to help her with things, the end result might have all been inferior goods.

Take, for example, the person who claimed to be skilled at embroidery… Jin Xiaoye remembered that the other party’s needlework couldn’t even compare to hers.

But they were still fellow villagers. She could bring back some simple tasks next time and let them do them.

“Xiaoye, you’re really amazing.”

“You’ve been clever since you were little. I’ve known for a long time that you’re someone who can accomplish big things!”

“Xiaoye, I’m your aunt. If you have any work on your side, don’t forget to give me some.”

…

Jin Xiaoye was surrounded by people, and Li Qingzhi, who insisted on not letting go of her hand, was also surrounded.

But today, not many people pay attention to him. Occasionally, when someone’s gaze fell on him, it was only envy.

In addition, many people were surrounding Jin Xiaoshu: “Xiaoshu, you’re not young anymore, it’s time to get married. There’s a niece on my mother’s side…”

“How ugly is your niece! Xiaoshu, my Ali is so beautiful, and she grew up with you…”

“Xiaoshu, what kind of wife do you want? Your aunt will introduce you to one.”

…

Jin Xiaoshu, who had just experienced a breakup: “…”