Chapter 20

Yu Lingxiao saw Huo Shu and Ji Yangzong entering the house and wanted to follow, but hesitated when she saw Huosu’s cold expression.

She turned to go to the side where Huang Manjing was cleaning teacups, intending to plead, but was stopped by a member of the prominent Yu family who had come to the gathering to show off.

“Lingxiao!”

The Yu family member grabbed her and lowered her voice, saying, “Li Zheng has already announced that everyone should go their separate ways in terms of marriage. Why are you still bothering? You’ll only make yourself a laughingstock.”

“Go back. Now that they’re both Jinshi scholars, with the current tax situation, you won’t find anyone suitable.”

Sun Yuanniang also hurried over, and the two of them persuaded her while pulling her away.

Yu Lingxiao remained silent as she arrived at the gate of the main courtyard with the two others, but suddenly broke away and ran straight towards the house. “Uncle!”

Hearing the approaching voice, Ji Yangzong frowned and cursed under his breath, “Damn it.”

He quickly intercepted Yu Lingxiao, who was about to run into the courtyard. “What are you doing? What else do you want to do?”

Breathless, Yu Lingxiao said, “Uncle, is there a misunderstanding about the marriage? Why did you really announce it? I want to see Taoyu and explain things to her.”

“Misunderstanding?”

Ji Yangzong sneered, “It wasn’t your mother who asked for the announcement. Now it’s all up to you. What are you pretending for? Yu Lingxiao, don’t think you’re anything special just because you’re a Jinshi now. I gave you face before. It’s already benevolent of my Ji family to not pester your Yu family anymore. Yet you still come here relentlessly to bother Taoyu. Yu Lingxiao, don’t think my Ji family is easy to bully!”

Sun Yuanniang, who had followed up, turned pale after hearing these words.

“Li Zheng, you backed out of the marriage, but now you’re criticizing our family. Provide evidence for everything. You accuse us of climbing high branches, but where’s the evidence? You just label us without any proof, ruining Lingxiao’s reputation. Can a mere Li Zheng berate a Jinshi like this?” Sun Yuanniang couldn’t help but retort.

“Do you really not know what’s going on?” Ji Yangzong was also furious. “You’ve already broken off the engagement, so why pretend there’s a misunderstanding and continue to pester? Who cares about your Ji family? If it weren’t for the gathering, I wouldn’t come here. Do you really think your sickly daughter is a celestial being?”

This remark ignited Ji Yangzong’s anger, but before he could respond, Huosu suddenly walked up from the side and said coldly, “Get lost.”

Sun Yuanniang looked up at Huosu and felt a chill run down her spine when she saw his cold and stern face, but she still retorted stubbornly, “This is a matter between our two families. It’s none of your business as an outsider.”

Before she could finish speaking, Sun Yuanniang screamed in alarm.

Her feet left the ground as Huosu grabbed her clothes and lifted her up.

“Mother!”

Yu Lingxiao watched as her mother was lifted up like a chicken and carried away. She hurriedly chased after them.

Behind the door, Huosu threw her out.

Sun Yuanniang sat on the ground, stunned.

Yu Lingxiao crouched down to help her up. “Mother, are you okay?”

The eldest and second eldest brothers of the Ji family arrived shortly after, but seeing Huo Shu’s actions, they held their breath and didn’t dare to approach.

“Lingxiao, let’s go!”

Seeing her mother like this, Yu Lingxiao reluctantly led her away.

“Damn it!”

Seeing the Yu family leave, Ji Yangzong felt relieved with Huo Shu’s help, and he spat on the ground, feeling disgusted by the Yu family like never before.

Back when Sun Yuanniang had a bad reputation in the village, no one liked her family. He hadn’t disliked them, and had even agreed to a marriage alliance. But today, he realized what kind of upright child such a person could raise. They were all just seeking personal gain and climbing the social ladder.

After calming down at the door for a moment, Ji Yangzong smiled again and walked with Huosu through the courtyard into the main hall.

“You might have been laughed at. There’s a lot of gossip among the villagers, but don’t take it to heart,” Ji Yangzong said to Huo Shu. “Are you used to village life?”

Huosu nodded, then noticed smoke coming from a room on the left, along with a strong herbal smell.

Seeing his gaze, Ji Yangzong waved his hand. “That’s Taoyu brewing medicine in the room. She’s always fond of doing this, learned it from her ancestors. She spends her days tinkering in the room and hardly ever comes out.”

“She’s sick?” Huosu asked.

“No, she just likes to mess around with these things. She’s been like this since she was young, learning from her ancestors. She spends her days locked in the room,” Ji Yangzong explained.

When the conversation was interrupted by a servant, Ji Yangzong seemed annoyed, assuming it was someone from the Yu family. “What is it? Tell them to leave. If they don’t, I’ll chase them away with a broom. They’re really pushing it!”

“It’s not from the Yu family, it’s a villager from nearby,” the servant replied.

“What now? Tell them to read the tax notice posted on the wall outside the courtyard. It’s all clearly written there. If they can’t understand it, then don’t bother me again,” Ji Yangzong grumbled. “They’re always asking questions even though the notice is right there.”

The servant continued, “They’ve brought grain to pay the taxes, saying they want to settle their tax dues.”

Ji Yangzong was surprised. “So soon?”

He immediately got up from his seat. “They usually can’t pay on time, and we have to go to each house to collect. It’s rare for them to be so proactive. I need to go record it quickly to avoid getting scolded at the government meeting again.”

Turning to Huosu, he said, “Stay in the house and have some tea. I’ll come back after collecting the taxes.”

Huosu didn’t say anything, just nodded in response.

After walking a few steps outside, Ji Yangzong felt he hadn’t treated Huosu properly by leaving her there, so he shouted into the house, “Xiaotaizi, bring out some fruits for Huolang.”

A voice from inside responded, and Ji Yangzong smiled at Huosu before hurrying away.

Inside the room, Ji Taoyu was bent over a small stove, controlling the fire carefully with a bamboo fan as she brewed ointment for frostbite.

Winter was approaching quickly after late autumn. Making frostbite oint

ment in advance to sell at her ancestor’s clinic or to merchants at a low price was a good way to earn some extra money. With winter approaching, the New Year wasn’t far away, and there would be many expenses. Buying cloth for clothes was just one of them, and there were also lantern festivals in the city that required money.

After calling off the marriage, she had been lying around for a few days, feeling unwell and coughing. Today, she felt a bit better after getting up and moving around a bit.

Now that her marriage was canceled, there was no hope of tax exemption for the family, but taxes kept increasing every year. Although the family had enough to eat and wear, they were not wealthy. In such times, they had to be frugal and save as much money as possible.

She had turned sixteen this year and would have to pay a late marriage tax of one hundred wen per year. It wasn’t much, but she still wanted to pay it herself.

Hearing Ji Yangzong’s voice, Ji Taoyu put out the stove, waiting for the ointment to cool before bottling it. She tidied herself up a bit before going to the kitchen to fetch the chrysanthemum pastries she had made for lunch today.

Her mother had been making delicious pastries and sweets to cheer her up lately. Since it was chrysanthemum season, she had made chrysanthemum pastries.

Unfortunately, her father had gone to the city today, worrying about tax matters discussed at the meeting, so the family hadn’t eaten any of the pastries.

As Ji Taoyu carried the plate out to the courtyard, she was surprised to see Huosu there.

She hadn’t heard clearly who had come earlier, only that her father had asked her to bring out some fruits. She didn’t expect it to be Huosu.

Seeing the pastries on the table, Huosu glanced at Ji Taoyu.

Having not seen her for a few days, Ji Taoyu’s once smooth face had become thinner, and her chin had sharpened. There were faint dark circles under her eyes, but they weren’t as bad as Huosu had expected. He had thought Ji Taoyu would be crying in bed for a few days, with her eyes swollen like walnuts.

It was understandable for Ji Taoyu’s complexion to be poor. Huosu had expected worse. The way Ji Taoyu had acted when they parted ways in the cloth shop was quite dramatic.

“Why did you come, Huo Big Brother?” Ji Taoyu asked softly.

Huosu withdrew his gaze. “You haven’t returned my cloak.”

“Oh,” Ji Taoyu remembered. “I’ll get it for you right away.”

Huo Shu watched as Ji Taoyu hurried back into the house and returned shortly with the cloak. He took it from Ji Taoyu, and as it had been kept in the room for a while, there was a faint herbal scent emanating from it.

“I haven’t been feeling well these past few days, so I haven’t been able to go out. I didn’t have a chance to return your things. Don’t be angry, Huo Big Brother,” Ji Taoyu said apologetically.

Seeing her father also pour the spring tea they had at home for Huo Shu, Ji Taoyu realized she hadn’t eaten much for lunch and was feeling a bit hungry now. She sat down nearby, grabbed a piece of pastry to satisfy her hunger, and enjoyed it with the spring tea.

She knew there was a meeting at home today, and people from all the households in the village would come. But judging by Huo Shu’s character, he wouldn’t bother with such matters. So, did he come just to return the cloak?

Ji Taoyu looked at Huo Shu and said teasingly, “Huo Big Brother, you’re really sentimental, treasuring this cloak so much.”

Huo Shu glanced at the old cloak that had been worn for a long time. It was hardly worth two coins, and it was even more worthless now that it was worn out. Although he didn’t need it anymore, he still came specifically to ask for it.

He raised an eyebrow. “As a poor person like me, I can only make do with this cloak. I’m no match for a scholar who has achieved success.”

Ji Taoyu paused, then asked, “What does that have to do with scholars?”

“Some people only care about scholars and forget who the owner of this old cloak is. Do you think there’s a connection?” Huo Shu retorted.

Ji Taoyu blushed. Indeed, she hadn’t properly thanked Huo Shu yet.

That day, she had been crying so much that her face was soaked. Yet Huo Shu had specifically called for a carriage to take her back home, and even rode alongside her on his horse.

She bit her lip and pushed the chrysanthemum pastry towards Huo Shu. “These are made from freshly picked chrysanthemums, just made today.”

Huo Shu glanced at Ji Taoyu. Seeing her sincere apology, he felt a bit awkward. He didn’t intend for things to turn out this way and didn’t want Ji Taoyu to feel uncomfortable. So, he didn’t continue teasing her and said, “I came to find your father and ask him to introduce me to some work.”

Ji Taoyu raised an eyebrow. “Are you looking for work now?”

“Yeah,” Huo Shu replied.

Ji Taoyu pursed her lips. It seemed that Huo Shu was really out of money.

Seeing Ji Taoyu enjoying the pastry, Huo Shu also took one. “Didn’t you say you couldn’t find a good family to marry into without a proper livelihood?”

“Hmm?” Ji Taoyu’s face brightened at Huo Shu’s words. She smiled, realizing that Huo Shu must have paid close attention to the standards by which families in the village chose their sons-in-law. “Huo Big Brother, if you take my advice seriously, you’ll definitely marry into a good family.”

She blinked and whispered, “When the time comes, I’ll ask my mother to speak for you. Others will have to give her face.”

Seeing Ji Taoyu’s enthusiastic appearance, as if she could take someone through the back door, Huo Shu couldn’t help but find it amusing.

She didn’t argue back, but instead just responded with a simple “Hmm.”

“What does Brother Huo plan to do?”

Huo Shu replied, “What do you think would be appropriate for me to do?”

Ji Taoyu thought for a moment, “Brother Huo, with your skills, there are many things you could do. You could be a hunter, a butcher, or even find work in the city.”

“But I’m not entirely sure. It might be better to ask my father for advice.”

Huo Shu wanted to say that her father wasn’t the most reliable person either, given the kind of family he had arranged for her, but he held back and simply responded with another “Hmm.”

The two of them ate their chrysanthemum cakes in silence, surprisingly not feeling constrained at all.

After drinking some tea, Huo Shu asked, “I’m going to the city tomorrow, would you like to come?”

“To see Sister Zheng San?”

“Hmm.”

Ji Taoyu shook her head, “I think I’ll pass.”

Huo Shu frowned slightly at Ji Taoyu’s refusal.

He paused for a moment and then pleaded, “Please, go. Take your mind off things.”

Ji Taoyu felt a strange emotion hearing Huo Shu’s words.

Even someone she had only recently met like Huo Shu could show concern for her, while the person she had known since childhood had agreed to break off their engagement without a second thought, as if she had disappeared from her life.

These so-called childhood sweethearts, in the end, couldn’t compare to fame and fortune, like beautiful flowers and romantic tales.

How could she not feel disheartened?

From a young age, she had been taught to adhere to etiquette and was told she would marry into a scholarly family, to marry Yu Lingxiao.

Over time, she had come to see marrying Yu Lingxiao as a duty, even though she had never stopped to ask herself if she truly liked him. It seemed like marrying him was just the natural course of events.

But one day, when all these deeply ingrained beliefs were suddenly overturned, she found it difficult to cope.

Not only had the beautiful picture painted by her parents shattered, but she also couldn’t handle the sudden change in Yu Lingxiao’s character.

Perhaps Yu Lingxiao had always been like this, but his true nature hadn’t surfaced until now that he had the confidence to reveal it.

With such a drastic change, the shattered dreams of her parents’ expectations overwhelmed her, leaving her breathless.

Ji Taoyu looked at Huo Shu, who was also looking at her. She put down her cake, unable to meet Huo Shu’s gaze directly, and said, “I… I’m not sad anymore, there’s no need to take my mind off things.”

“If you’re not sad, then go.”

Huo Shu hesitated for a moment, then added, “I should bring something for my son who’s growing up. I’m not sure what to buy.”

Ji Taoyu pouted, realizing that was the reason.

But she still subconsciously thought that going shopping with Huo Shu might not be appropriate, but then she remembered that she was no longer engaged to Yu Lingxiao and was now free.

Although etiquette was important in their area, it wasn’t so strict as to forbid interaction between opposite sexes.

Being single was fine as long as they didn’t do anything inappropriate behind closed doors.

Thinking that Huo Shu was showing concern for her, Ji Taoyu said, “Alright then.”

Seeing Ji Taoyu’s agreement, Huo Shu’s brow finally relaxed.

“You’ve been waiting long.”

Ji Yangzong had been busy outside and had just come in. This year, several households in the village had sent their grain and taxes early.

He couldn’t help but feel relieved.

With dozens of households in the village, collecting taxes from each one every year was quite troublesome. Having them willingly pay up was a blessing.

It was not in vain that he had been busy taking care of various matters and running around.

“You’re entertaining Brother Huo, and you’re enjoying yourself.”

Ji Yangzong walked in and saw his daughter sitting at the table, eating pastries and drinking tea, looking relaxed and comfortable, not afraid of Huo Shu’s stern expression.

Ji Taoyu smiled at her father and quickly got up from her chair, gesturing for her father to sit down while she stood beside him obediently.

Ji Yangzong sat down and asked, “What’s the matter, Brother Huo?”

“Huo Shu’s intention for the future was explained.

“Finding something to do is a good thing,” said Ji Yangzong approvingly, fearing that young people wouldn’t be willing to work and would be idle.

If everyone had a livelihood, there wouldn’t be many idle people in the village, which would also stabilize things. With too many idle people, they would gather together to cause trouble, and he would have to intervene.

Someone like Huo Shu, with his strong and imposing figure, was enough to intimidate those timid men and women in the village. If trouble arose again, no one in the village could control him.

Since he was willing to find a legitimate livelihood, it was perfect. Even if he didn’t come, after a while, when he got busy, he would have to go and persuade Yuan Huiru. Now he could save himself the trouble.

“Our village butcher, Master Qiao, said recently that he wanted to take on two apprentices, but he hasn’t found suitable ones yet. If you’re not too busy or tired, I can take you to see if you’re fit for the job.”

Huo Shu glanced at Tao Yu, who was standing next to Ji Yangzong. Seeing him nod slightly, he said, “Sure.”

Ji Yangzong was satisfied to see that Huo Shu didn’t hesitate, so he took a sip of tea.

A man who wasn’t fussy was the best.

“Don’t underestimate the butcher’s trade. As long as you’re capable, it’s the most profitable. Look at those who work as butchers; their families never have a hard time.”

Huo Shu replied, “I’ll think about it.”

“No problem. I’ll do what I can to help fellow villagers, but whether it works out depends on you.”

“These days, Master Qiao has gone to slaughter livestock upon request and isn’t in the village. When he returns, I’ll take you to meet him.”

“Okay.”

With that, Huo Shu glanced at Tao Yu and then bid farewell and left.

“This kid, it’s like he never learned to chat with people. He finishes the conversation in a few words and leaves.”

Ji Yangzong walked a few steps to see him off and couldn’t help but mutter a few words.

Tao Yu pursed her lips. He didn’t think Huo Shu was particularly taciturn; he seemed alright.

It was a bit strange.

“Oh, by the way, I noticed that Huo Shu was holding a piece of black cloth just now. It looked familiar.”

Thank you for the clarification. Here’s the corrected passage:

Ji Yangzong suddenly remembered something and called out to Ji Taoyu, “Wasn’t that cloak in your room before?”

Without waiting for Ji Taoyu’s response, Ji Yangzong suddenly realized, “He brought you back home with it a few days ago!”