Chapter 35: Token of Affection

Before Wu Cheng could open his mouth to ask who that person was, he heard a sharp female voice from the distance shout, “Wu Cheng, what are you doing? Hurry over here!”

“I’m coming!” Wu Cheng’s expression changed to one of embarrassment. He reluctantly glanced at the seedlings one last time, then meaningfully swept his gaze over Ah Xun before nodding goodbye to the others and turning to run toward the woman.

“Who are those two girls?” The woman’s tone was filled with joy.

“They’re just fellow townspeople,” Wu Cheng explained meekly.

“Don’t forget what your father said—if you want to help us, you need to focus on your studies! Do you have time to chat with people?” 

“I understand, I’ll head back to study right now.” As the two of them walked further away, their conversation became inaudible.

“That girl must be the governor’s daughter,” He Shun thought of the woman they just saw. Though her appearance wasn’t striking, her demeanor and words were sharp. He sighed, “One knows only their own warmth and coldness through experience.”

“Pfft,” He Xiang Xiang dismissed, then muttered, “That governor’s daughter just had good luck; in reality, she is better than us in every way!”

Now getting a general understanding of Wu Cheng’s current situation, and realizing it wasn’t as glorious and carefree as it seemed from Wu Widow’s words, He Miao felt a wave of sympathy. However, she didn’t truly pity him—after all, it was just a matter of wanting something for herself.

After this little incident, they returned to the inn outside of the city.

He Xiang Xiang borrowed the stove from Uncle Ding and heated up the dishes, then set them on the dining table in the hall. The four of them sat down together to enjoy the meal, and truly, this was indeed a high-end restaurant; each dish was visually appealing and delicious, making them drool just by looking at it.

In front of the delicious food, He Miao temporarily forgot her worries about not being able to find Ah Xun’s family. “Xiang Xiang, how much silver did you spend on all these delicious dishes? Did you spend all the silver we had?”

“Hehe, someone treated us!” He Xiang Xiang then recounted their earlier experience at the restaurant.

The reheated dishes were nearly as delicious as when they were first served, and the group finished every last bit.

The task in Pingzhou was coming to an end. Although the most crucial matter did not yield results, the group decided not to tarry any longer and planned to return to Shixi Village by ox cart.

After another day of travel, the journey was smooth, and they stopped at Xie Shui Town to follow their original plan of buying some tiles to repair the roof.

On their way back to the village from Xie Shui Town after purchasing the tiles, Ah Xun took note of the route.

By the time they returned to Shixi Village, it was already close to dusk.

After He Miao returned home, she organized the items she had bought along the way, carefully examining each one. She liked them very much; each little item brought back memories of Pingzhou.

Especially the piece of cloth she liked the most, which she gently stroked, revealing a smile on her lips. 

She thought about going to Ju Fang’s place tomorrow and having her help come up with some ideas for what kind of clothes to make. 

And that deep blue cotton fabric she had picked out for Ah Xun—when she bought it, she hadn’t expected to return without finding his family.

Now it seemed fortunate that she had bought that fabric back, since she could make some clothes for him.

At that moment, someone knocked on the courtyard door. He Miao put down the fabric and went to open the door, only to find it was Ah Xun.

“Ah Xun, why are you here? What’s the matter?”

After a long day of travel, she had just returned not long ago, and Ah Xun was already looking for her again. He Miao was a bit surprised.

“Are you hungry?” He Miao led Ah Xun into the courtyard.

“Miao’er.” The man clasped his hands behind his back, stopping He Miao, and took out a delicate brocade box from behind him, handing it to her. “This is for you.”

He Miao looked on with confusion as she accepted the brocade box. Upon opening it, she was astonished to find a beautiful jade hairpin—just like the one she had seen in Song Yu Ge, the one worth two silvers!

“No, I can’t accept this…” He Miao quickly closed the box and handed it back, shaking her head vehemently in refusal.

On one hand, she felt it was too precious; on the other, she believed she shouldn’t accept such a generous gift from Ah Xun.

“Miao’er, I saw that you liked it, so I bought it for you. Just take it.” Ah Xun, however, wouldn’t take no for an answer and forcefully stuffed the box back into He Miao’s hands.

He Miao clutched the brocade box, tears welling in her eyes as she bit her lip and asked, “What does this mean…?”

“A token of affection,” the man replied candidly, without any concealment. “You know my feelings, don’t you?”

“This is your concern; you know…”

Under Ah Xun’s repeated insistence, He Miao’s tears finally spilled over. “If you get married and I’ve accepted this, what does that make me, Ah Xun? It’s too much for you to put me in such a difficult position…”

Ah Xun desperately wanted to tell He Miao that he wasn’t married, that he had clearly lost his memory, and that this claim was baseless. Even if he said it, who would believe him? It would only seem like a lie he’s telling to win her over.

Moreover, this was about He Miao’s lifelong happiness; he couldn’t act solely based on his own feelings.

Ah Xun respected He Miao too much. He thought if she faced even a slight difficulty, he could only bury this affection deep within himself once again.

“Miao’er, I’ll find a way to locate your family, so you can marry happily and peacefully.” Ah Xun could only take back the brocade box she offered and left quietly.

In the following days, He Miao and Xiang Xiang went to Ju Fang’s house to make clothes. Ju Fang welcomed them warmly, designing styles for the two sisters and patiently guiding them through the sewing process.

In return, the leftover fabric from her purchase was given to Ju Fang, piecing it together to make a couple of small garments for her daughter and son.

For the past few days, Ah Xun hadn’t seen much of He Miao. She had been at Ju Fang’s house for an entire day, only being able to gather for breakfast and dinner. 

And even when they saw each other mealtime, He Miao seemed to be avoiding Ah Xun, as if she intentionally wanted to keep her distance. 

Ah Xun wanted to win He Miao’s affection back. He tried to restore the interactions they once shared, actively helping out with chores at her house—fetching water, chopping wood, watering the fields, and sweeping.

While his body was busy, his mind wasn’t idle; he began pondering how to earn money. Because if he earned enough, he could take He Miao to other provinces or even the capital, to search for his family.

As long as he found them and confirmed he wasn’t married, he could pursue He Miao without reservations and rightfully propose to her.

However, Ju Shun mentioned it would take at least half a month to travel to the capital; he would certainly need a cart, so he had to earn enough money to make this trip feasible.