Chapter 20: Storm and Rain

The man felt a lump in his throat. Yes, he had never considered this aspect.

For some reason, although he remembered the past, it just seemed like he had never considered the possibility of marriage, as if he had never thought about it in that direction.

Although He Miao’s concerns were unreasonable, A Xun still grasped the deeper meaning in her words. “Miao’er, so you agreed with me because of my status, because of whether or not I have a wife, not because you like me, right?”

He Miao was caught off guard, and she didn’t know how to respond. She couldn’t answer at all.

She simply avoided the situation, saying, “I don’t know, I don’t! You should go. I don’t want to talk to you anymore!” She turned and ran back to the courtyard, closing the gate behind her and even locking it.

The man stood dazed in front of the gate for a long time.

After another failed proposal, and thinking about the concerns He Miao had raised, he realized that he might already have a wife. His mood sank, and he silently left.

Back in her room, He Miao threw herself on the bed as soon as she returned. She buried her face in the pillow and cried for a long time. After venting her emotions, she slowly began to think more clearly.

Her mother had died when she was seven, and her father had passed away when she was fourteen. Two months ago, her engagement was broken off.

She had endured all of that, so what other obstacles could she not overcome?

Before meeting A Xun, she had prepared herself to live her entire life without marriage.

As her sobs weakened, He Miao calmed herself down and started preparing the things she needed to take to Pingzhou City.

She rummaged through her drawer and found a few handkerchiefs, pouches, and other small items she had embroidered herself, which she planned to sell in Pingzhou. When she used to go to the town to sell, the prices were low, but this time, she expected to get a better price in Pingzhou.

Since she was young, He Miao had learned embroidery from her mother. While her skill wasn’t extraordinary, her embroidery was detailed and neat, and her products were practical and popular with both shops and customers.

Fortunately, she hadn’t sold them when she went to the town last time, so she had managed to gather about ten pieces.

She also took out A Xun’s clothes. When he moved out, he had left them behind, and now she had to pack them into a bundle to take to Pingzhou.

The clothes, both inner and outer garments, had all been mended by He Miao. Though the stitching was crooked, she had done the best she could. The fabric was too slippery, and no matter how she tried, it just didn’t look right. Even if she patched it well, someone like A Xun, who came from a wealthy family, would never wear clothes with visible repairs.

He Miao gently stroked the luxurious satin fabric, and her tears welled up again.

She quickly rubbed her eyes and patted her face, telling herself she had to control her emotions and stop overthinking.

After packing a few more of her own clothes and personal items into the bundle, she was ready to leave in a few days.

Late at night, not long after He Miao had fallen asleep, she was woken by the loud rumbling of thunder.

The thunder and lightning were accompanied by a fierce wind and torrential rain. The wind forcefully pushed open the half-closed window, slamming it against the wall with a loud “clang.”

He Miao groggily got up and groped in the dark to close the window.

The sound of heavy raindrops filled the room as they were blown in through the window, hitting her face.

She quickly locked the window, hurriedly wiped her face with a handkerchief, and lay back down, trying to sleep again, but the rain kept dripping on her face.

Oh no, the roof was leaking!

Shixi Village wasn’t a particularly dry area, and it often rained in drizzles. But due to the terrain, there were rarely heavy storms like this.

He Miao’s tiled house was old, but it had no problem handling light rain. However, with the thunderstorm and strong winds today, it couldn’t hold up.

She got up, lit an oil lamp, and carefully examined the roof. Fortunately, there was only a small leak, and as long as she could get through the night, it should be fine.

He Miao moved the bed to another position, placed a basin underneath the leak, and lay back down to continue sleeping.

Suddenly, she thought about A Xun’s house. His house was old and in worse condition than hers.

It was very likely that while there was heavy rain outside, there was a small leak inside his house as well.

Thinking about it, his injuries had just healed, and he shouldn’t be exposed to wind and rain. If he spent the whole night in such conditions, anyone would fall ill, especially someone recovering from an injury.

She had to go check on him.

Without thinking too much, she quickly got up, put on a raincoat and a straw hat, and rushed out. Just as she reached the door, a thunderclap startled her.

Standing at the door for a moment to calm herself, she steeled her nerves and ran toward A Xun’s courtyard.

She quickly reached A Xun’s courtyard, which was not even locked. She went straight to his room and knocked on the door, shouting, “A Xun, open the door, quickly open the door!”

The door opened, and the man’s gaze seemed surprised.

“Miao’er? Why are you here?”

In the brief flash of lightning, He Miao saw the water droplets on his hair and face, and his clothes were soaked with rain. She realized that her guess was correct; his house was leaking.

“I was worried about you. I thought your house might be leaking, so I came to check!”

Looking inside, it was just as she had feared. There was a light rain inside, and the bedding was already soaked. There was nowhere to hide from the rain.

He Miao quickly took off her raincoat and stepped on tiptoe to throw it over A Xun’s shoulders. “Put this on. Come on, stay with me tonight.”

She had just taken off her straw hat and placed it on A Xun’s head when he reached out and stopped her.

The man took the raincoat and draped it back over He Miao.

“You wear it.”

“No, you’ve just recovered from your injury. You can’t get sick from the rain. You should wear it…”

Before He Miao could finish, A Xun grabbed her wrist and ran out.

Facing the wind and rain, they quickly made their way back to her home.

He Miao led A Xun to the room where he had stayed before, asking him to wait inside while she went to grab a blanket and fresh clothes.

She hurriedly brought back a thin blanket and dry clothes. She took off the straw hat and the raincoat and began to make the bed.

“I washed this blanket last time but didn’t make the bed. Now I’ll lay it out for you. As for the clothes you took when you moved, I don’t have them here. The only one left is the one you tore last time. I haven’t had time to mend it yet, but you can make do. Just stay here for these few days.”

Once she had quickly set up the bed, she turned around and saw A Xun standing behind her, his face flushed red. It seemed like he was burning with embarrassment.

“A Xun, what’s wrong?”

Seeing his face turn bright red, He Miao was worried that he might be getting sick again. She reached out her small hand to check his forehead for a fever.

A Xun, in a panic, suddenly dodged at the moment her hand was about to touch his forehead. His gaze was erratic, not knowing where to focus. Even his breathing was unsteady.

The man, who usually appeared calm and composed, was now acting completely out of character. He Miao had never seen him like this before.

At that moment, a gust of wind blew through the room, and He Miao felt the coldness of the damp clothes clinging to her body.

She suddenly realized, and her gaze swept over him… No, he had to take off his wet clothes!