Chapter 13: You’re Truly a Good Girl

The man didn’t answer, but instead asked, “Why did you make shoes for me?”

He Miao lowered her head and looked at his shoes, then smiled and said, “I saw that these shoes are a bit too wide, not quite right, so I asked Sister Ju Fang to teach me how to make shoes. I worked on them all day yesterday, and they’re almost done now. I made them based on the size of your tall boots when you came, so they should fit well.”

It turned out that He Miao had spent the whole day learning how to make shoes from Ju Fang, and she had made them for him. 

At that moment, A Xun felt a sense of joy, and the frustration and gloom that had been building in his heart over the past two days was suddenly swept away.

But he hadn’t spoken to Zhou Dawu yesterday, and he wasn’t sure about their relationship. He decided to ask clearly today.

Taking a deep breath, the man directly asked, “Miao’er, the other day, a woman from the village came with a matchmaker and said she wanted to discuss a marriage proposal for you. What do you think about that?”

“What? How could I agree? I didn’t agree at all! You can ask Qin Gu’s wife or Sister Ju Fang—they both heard it!” He Miao quickly explained, not even realizing at first that her tone carried a hint of urgency.

Suddenly realizing that she might have overreacted, He Miao’s face turned red, and she softened her tone, saying gently, “The other day, I met Matchmaker Li, and she mentioned it. I turned it down right away…”

A Xun, who had been tightly clenching his fists beside her, relaxed his hand slightly, relieved that the girl wasn’t planning to marry anyone else. She was so wonderful; she deserved to be with the best person in the world.

The man couldn’t help but express his feelings: “Miao’er, you’re truly a good girl. Whoever can marry you will be the luckiest person, truly blessed for several lifetimes.”

Hearing this, He Miao was a little surprised. Although she had heard similar things from the villagers, to hear it coming from A Xun made her heart flutter. 

She felt a sense of unexpected joy and, raising her eyes, looked at him with soft, tender eyes. Her heart skipped a beat, and her face flushed. She didn’t know how to respond.

“You… you’re dizzy. You should go rest in your room…” she said quickly, flustered, and hurriedly closed the door.

Standing outside the door, A Xun smiled indulgently, thinking about how shy and flustered He Miao had looked just now.

That night, A Xun wore the shoes that He Miao had made. Although her stitching wasn’t perfect, she had worked diligently, and because she had based them on his original shoes, they fit him comfortably.

He also enjoyed the red date soup she made, which was sweet and delicious. After asking, he learned that she had bought the dates at the market the previous day, and they had been given to her by Zhou Dawu from Zaozhushu Village.

***

The mountain where Shixi Village is located is called Ketuo Mountain. Recently, some rare herbs on the mountain were nearing the end of their harvesting period, and if they didn’t pick them soon, they would be out of season.

He Miao took He Xiangxiang with her to collect herbs, going out early and returning late, so she took care of A Xun by herself. 

Actually, it wasn’t too much trouble—A Xun was recovering quickly, and within a few days, he was able to take care of himself.

In these days, He Miao mostly made meals, chatted with him to help him pass the time, and told him about things happening in the village.

After a few more days, A Xun had recovered about seventy to eighty percent. Although he still couldn’t move too much, he was able to help with picking vegetables and washing dishes.

The news of He Miao saving a man quickly spread through the village. Some gossiping village women heard that the man seemed to be of extraordinary appearance, and they would often pass by her house, intentionally or unintentionally, just to take a glimpse.

Those who were closer to He Miao would drop by to chat, while others stood nearby, hoping to see the man for themselves.

Everyone who had seen him agreed that he was indeed as handsome as the rumors suggested.

However, the man was distant and cold toward everyone except He Miao, and he didn’t seem particularly interested in engaging with others.

One day, the village chief Bai Wang’s daughter, Bai Shu, returned to the village.

Bai Shu had left the village a long time ago, unwilling to marry a rough man and live in the mountains. She had gone out early to seek a way to survive.

Initially, Bai Shu worked as a seamstress for the richest family in Donghu County, the Qi family. Later, because of her charm and sweet tongue, she quickly caught the attention of the young master of the Qi family and became his lover.

The young master of the Qi family, who was around twenty years old and not unattractive, promised Bai Shu that once he took over the family business, he would marry her as a concubine.

Although being a concubine wasn’t exactly prestigious, as long as she could leave the village and escape this mountain, there would be endless possibilities. Staying here would only limit her future, so she decided to take a chance.

Bai Shu, a village girl, becoming a concubine to the young master of the richest family in the county seemed like a good match, and she hoped to have a son or daughter to gain more status.

She returned to the village to show off her success, bringing many small gifts to distribute. The villagers all thought she was living well.

During dinner time at the Bai family’s house, Bai Shu heard the latest gossip about He Miao and the man she had saved. It was said that the man might have a remarkable background, and Bai Shu became very interested.

When she learned that the man was living in He Miao’s house, she was somewhat disappointed. “Father! As the village chief, you should have taken responsibility for helping a guest from outside the village. How can you let a man stay alone with He Miao? Won’t that cause gossip?”

Village chief Bai Wang understood what his daughter was implying and scolded her, “Eat your food and mind your own business! As long as that widow Wu and you two women keep things under control, rumors won’t spread!”

Bai Shu’s mother glared at her husband and countered, “That’s not what I meant. I’ve been chatting with Sister Li and Qin Gu’s wife these past few days, and people are talking about it. If that man continues living in He Miao’s house, people will think badly of her.”

Bai Wang paused, realizing that his wife had a point. 

Seeing that her father was weakening, Bai Shu said, “Father, mother, how about we invite the man to stay with us tomorrow?”

Bai Shu’s mother shook her head, “That won’t work. We don’t have the extra money to support him. A man of his size must eat a lot—he’ll be like feeding a pig.”

“Mother, you’re short-sighted! If he moves in with us, and things go well, we can help him find a good family. We could even get connections with a wealthy family—it would be beneficial!”

Bai Shu’s mother was still unconvinced, “He doesn’t remember anything, and finding him a home won’t be easy.”

“How can it not be done? We can find out more in the town or even the county. If he’s wealthy, his family must be looking for him.”

Bai Shu’s mother still thought it would be a complicated matter. “Just because he’s rich doesn’t mean it’s easy to find him a family. I’ve seen a government official in Pingzhou, and he looked wealthy too.”

Bai Wang slammed his chopsticks on the table and scolded, “What?! You’ve seen a government official?”

“Yes, father, I went to Pingzhou with Sister Li and Sister Cao a couple of days ago. We passed by the government official’s place. They were out recruiting customers, and I saw him. But the official only serves the men, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

Bai Wang reluctantly believed her, but still gave her a stern look. “We won’t worry about finding him a home. We’ll see what the man decides once he’s fully healed. If he stays with He Miao, fine. Don’t bring him to our house. There are no empty houses here. Tomorrow, you go and ask He Shun’s wife and a few other kind-hearted women to talk to He Miao. Just don’t invite that widow Wu.”

“Got it, father.”

“Mother, I’ll go too!”