Chapter 18 – Arranged Marriage Agreement 6

Gu Leyou noticed that Lu Yan misunderstood and quickly explained,
“I know you’re a man of your word, so I’m not worried. It’s just that our family has a lot of expenses right now. I need to think more about ways to earn money to help support our little household.”

“Oh, I see.”

The two of them walked to the town on foot.

The town’s market was bustling with activity. The sounds of street vendors calling out were endless.

Gu Leyou stopped by a jewelry stall, picked up a hairpin to admire, then reluctantly put it back down.

Lu Yan saw everything and asked curiously,
“You really seemed to like that hairpin. Why didn’t you buy it?”

Gu Leyou explained as she put the hairpin down,
“No, I better not. We have too many expenses at home. I should save the money. I can always buy it another time.”

Lu Yan nodded.
She’s such a good girl—already learning to be frugal before even marrying him.

They passed through the market and arrived at a medicine shop.

After accompanying her in, Lu Yan said,
“You stay here. I’ll go sell this wild rabbit and come back for you.”

Gu Leyou and Lu Yan parted ways for the time being.

“Alright, Brother Lu, go ahead.”

She turned to the shopkeeper,
“Shopkeeper, please take a look at these herbs—do you want to buy them?”

With that, Gu Leyou took out all the herbs from her basket, including the rare medicinal plant she had gotten from the spiritual spring space last time.

The shopkeeper’s eyes lit up with joy at the sight of such high-quality herbs and medicinal plants.

“Young lady, how much are you asking for this rare herb?” he asked.

Gu Leyou held up two fingers.
“I’ll sell it for two taels of silver. Not a coin more, not a coin less.”

“Alright, I’ll take it.”

The shopkeeper handed her two taels of silver.

Gu Leyou accepted the money, then gestured to the rest of the herbs.
“Shopkeeper, please take these as well. I’ll give you a good deal. I dried them myself, and they’re all usable.”

“Since you’re being so sincere, I’ll take them too. How about 50 wen?”

“That works for me.”

The shopkeeper handed over 50 wen coins for the rest of the herbs.

“Young lady, keep this money safe.”

“Thank you, shopkeeper.”

—Meanwhile, on Lu Yan’s side—

He brought the wild rabbit to the butcher.

The butcher greeted him warmly,
“Brother, you’re here again! You brought a rabbit today. How much do you want for it?”

“This rabbit’s quite plump. I’ll let you decide the price. I know running this stall isn’t easy—you’ve got elders and kids to take care of, and this stall supports your whole family.”

“Alright then, how about two taels of silver? Hunting in the mountains isn’t easy either.”

The butcher took out two taels of silver from a small box and handed them over.

Lu Yan took the money and said,
“Thanks. I’ll bring you more next time I go hunting.”

The butcher nodded with a smile.

Lu Yan, now with the money in hand, returned to the jewelry stall.

The vendor, an older lady, greeted him with a smile,
“Young man, come look at these pieces. Buy one for your wife—she’ll be overjoyed.”

Lu Yan pointed,
“Auntie, I’ll take this one. How much is it?”

“Ten wen. It’s the best-looking one I have here. Your wife will love it!”

Lu Yan instinctively nodded,
“Mm, she’ll definitely like it.”

—Meanwhile, at a corner of the market—

Gu Leyou ran into him again and shared her harvest from selling the herbs.

“Brother Lu, I earned two taels and 50 wen today. I’m planning to buy some radish seeds. It’s the perfect season to plant them.”

“Great. I know where to get them. I’ll take you. I also need to buy some for our plot, so when you marry over, you can tend it.”

With that, he pulled her along to the seed vendor.

The seed stall was run by an elderly man and had a big sign reading “Seed Shop.”

Gu Leyou and Lu Yan asked,
“Sir, do you have radish seeds?”

The vendor beamed, happy to finally have customers.
“Yes, I’ve got several kinds. Big radishes, small ones, and other vegetable seeds too. Have a look and see what you need.”

Faced with so many options, Gu Leyou didn’t know how to choose. She really didn’t know much about planting.

So she turned to Lu Yan.
“Brother Lu, how much do you think I should buy?”

“I think you shouldn’t just plant radishes. Try a little of everything. Ask the old man which ones are best for this season and buy a small amount of each. I’ll do the same.”

Hearing their conversation, the vendor chimed in,
“These are all good for this season. You can buy a bit of each to try. If anything doesn’t grow well, you can return the seeds.”

Reassured by his promise, they each bought a small bag of every kind of seed. Now the little plot in their courtyard could finally be put to use.

After buying the seeds, they decided to head back.

The seeds cost Gu Leyou exactly 50 wen, using up the money from her herb sales. Once the vegetables grew, she could sell them for more income.

They caught a ride with a fellow villager in a donkey cart.

Once they reached the village entrance, Lu Yan was about to head home when Gu Leyou called out,

“Brother Lu, wait a moment. I want to come with you to visit Xiaoyao and also talk about what’s ahead.”

“Alright, let’s go together.”

And so the two walked side by side down the village path again.

As they chatted, passing villagers didn’t even blink—everyone in the village already knew about their arrangement.

“Brother Lu, the elders set our wedding date. It’s going to be in half a month. Originally, it was supposed to be in three days, but my mother said that was too rushed—she wouldn’t have time to prepare everything I need. After some persuading, Grandma finally agreed to delay it.”

“Three days really is too rushed. Half a month sounds about right. Honestly, if you don’t want to marry, we can still find a way to cancel it. After all, there’s no real affection between us.”

Gu Leyou felt a pang of disappointment at his words,
“You really don’t want to get married? If you don’t want to, I won’t force you.”

Lu Yan realized she misunderstood and quickly explained,
“No, I’m not backing out. I’m just worried that life with me will be too hard for you.”