Chapter 39: A Xun’s Determination

“A Xun, please, could you leave for now…” He Miao’s eyes were full of pleading, looking at A Xun with a soft, sincere gaze.

To make it easier for her to change clothes, she coaxed him, “I’m really fine. Just go out for a while, and I’ll tell you everything once I’m done!”

“Alright…” Seeing her pitiful appearance, A Xun had no choice but to compromise.

“Then, please go home. Don’t tell Uncle.” He Miao emphasized.

He Xun agreed, though he didn’t go home. Instead, he walked to the gate outside the yard and waited, staying alert to any sounds from inside, planning to go back in once she was done.

After a moment, there was some movement inside the yard, and then He Miao came out. She had changed into her old clothes, holding a wooden basin, which contained the new green dress she had made.

When she saw A Xun still waiting by the door, He Miao paused. “Why are you still here? Didn’t I tell you to go back…?”

Seeing that she seemed a bit weary, A Xun asked with concern, “Miao’er, does it still hurt? What happened? Why did you bleed? You promised you’d tell me!”

He Miao bit her lip and hesitated, trying to gather her words. “It’s… it’s just something women sometimes go through… You can go back now. I need to wash this dress. If I don’t wash it soon, it will leave stains…”

A Xun, who had no memory of such things, didn’t understand. Though he was worried, seeing that He Miao insisted she was fine and was focused on washing her dress, he assumed it was just a “woman’s issue” and felt slightly relieved.

“Rest, I’ll wash it for you,” A Xun offered, trying to take the basin from her.

“No need…” He Miao was taken aback. She couldn’t let a man wash her bloodstained clothes; it would be too embarrassing if anyone found out. She pulled the basin back.

A Xun, with stronger hands, gently tugged again. He Miao, caught off guard, let go, and the basin and dress both fell to the ground.

“He Miao!” He Shun, who had been nearby, saw what had happened and gasped, clutching his chest. He raised a trembling hand, pointing at the bloodstained dress, and asked, “What… what is this?!”

“Uncle… it’s not what you think…” He Miao’s eyes filled with tears, wanting to explain but too embarrassed to say anything.

He Shun, with a troubled expression, shook his head and turned to leave. 

In truth, He Shun had guessed what was going on. Even though it was just a natural cycle, it was improper for a man to see such things, especially when A Xun had said he would wash the dress for her.

He felt that A Xun and He Miao’s relationship, though innocent, was becoming too intimate too quickly. He sensed that things were getting out of hand.

If it weren’t for his concern about A Xun’s connection to the Song family’s remnants, He Shun might have relaxed. He had seen how A Xun had adapted to life in the village, found a way to make a living, and was reliable, caring for He Miao. But his suspicions about A Xun still lingered.

After He Shun left, He Miao cried, feeling both embarrassed and angry. She was upset at A Xun for causing her uncle to misunderstand.

A Xun, too, felt guilty. He hadn’t expected that his small act of care would lead to this outcome.

He could only blame his amnesia, which made it hard for their relationship to move forward. He only wanted to protect and care for He Miao, to be good to her, but because he felt he didn’t have the right, he kept crossing boundaries.

A Xun knew He Miao had feelings for him, and he had secretly thought that if he were a little more forceful, a little more domineering, He Miao wouldn’t be able to escape his grasp. But he didn’t want to force her like that. 

So, A Xun always acted cautiously and gently towards He Miao, but it still often led to misunderstandings. He didn’t know what to do anymore.

As for the bloodstained dress, He Miao absolutely refused to let him touch it. A Xun could only fetch water from the well to let her wash it herself, so she wouldn’t have to walk to the creek.

**In the following days**, because of her discomfort, He Miao didn’t like leaving the house. She looked pale and was in a bad mood.

A Xun thought it was because she was still upset about the dress incident and felt guilty.

Now, the only way to break the deadlock and make progress in their relationship was to earn more money, save it up, and go to the nearby prefecture or even the capital to investigate his true identity.

To earn money, A Xun spent his days hunting in the forest. Since the animals in Xiaotuo Mountain were rare, it was hard for him to catch anything valuable. But one day, he caught a red fox and immediately took it to the town to sell.

The red fox pelt was valuable, and a small skin fetched him fifteen taels of silver.

The fur trader, seeing A Xun’s excitement upon receiving the silver, knew he was in urgent need of money. Noticing A Xun’s strong build and skill, the fur trader, who had a few high-paying clients, was eager to offer him a proposition.

“Little brother, where did you hunt this fox skin?” the fur trader asked, starting a conversation.

“In Xiaotuo Mountain,” A Xun replied, carefully tucking the fifteen taels of silver into his pouch.

“Xiaotuo Mountain’s red fox skin sells for fifteen taels, but do you know how much tiger and bear pelts go for?” the trader leaned in closer and lowered his voice, speaking in a mysterious tone.

A Xun shook his head, intrigued. “Please tell me.”

“Good-quality tiger pelts can sell for as much as three hundred taels! Bear pelts, though not as expensive, are worth about a hundred taels, but if you add the bear’s paws, it’s worth another hundred, making it a total of two hundred taels!”

“Two hundred taels?” A Xun’s eyes lit up.

“Exactly. But bear pelts are heavy, and shooting them with an arrow won’t kill them. It’s hard to hunt them. If you shoot too many arrows, the pelt will get damaged. The best way is to use a sword to slit their throat and kill them in one blow.”

A Xun’s gaze deepened, his expression turning resolute. He nodded and said, “Thank you for the information,” before leaving.