When Hao Cheng returned, almost everyone in the village knew about Jiang Mengzhen’s presence.

As she walked, she encountered villagers who smiled at her and exchanged a few words before asking, “Hao Cheng, I heard your cousin came to find you. Is it true?”

Hao Cheng furrowed her brows, “Auntie Wang, who told you that?”

“Who else could have told me? I saw it myself near your house.” The other person smirked at Hao Cheng, a knowing expression on their face.

In a small village like this, gossip spread like wildfire, and soon the whole village knew.

Hao Cheng regretted not taking action earlier to drive Jiang Mengzhen away from the village. She should have made him leave as soon as possible.

But secrets couldn’t be kept forever. Hao Cheng nodded, “Yes, I do have such a cousin. But he will leave in a few days, he won’t stay long.”

“Why make him leave? Your cousin looks good, and he’s about your age. He seems like a decent person, are you avoiding him because he’s older?” Auntie Wang teased, her tone playful.

Hao Cheng’s face darkened, “Auntie Wang, please don’t joke about this in front of me. My parents haven’t been gone for half a year yet. According to the tradition, we should observe filial piety for a year. Some scholars even observe it for three years. Besides, even if they temporarily have no intention of starting a family, they still have to fulfill their filial duties as a scholar. Even if there is someone they like during this period, they can’t get engaged, otherwise they’ll be criticized.”

When she looked serious, Auntie Wang’s playful expression disappeared. She reluctantly said, “I have something to do at home, so I’ll go first.”

Hao Cheng didn’t want to continue the conversation and changed the subject, giving Auntie Wang a way out before quickly leaving.

Not everyone was as unclear as Auntie Wang. Most people remembered that she hadn’t completed her mourning period, so they only exchanged a few pleasantries and greetings without joking around.

When she returned, Jiang Mengzhen had already finished washing the clothes. Imitating Hao Cheng, he hung the clothes on the clothesline tied to the crooked tree in the courtyard. He also went to the Dong family to learn from their husband how to start a fire and do some simple chores.

Since Xinghua Village is remote and has no postal office, when he went to find Hao Cheng yesterday, he bought and released more than ten carrier pigeons. Presumably, someone will come looking for him within half a month. Before those people arrive, he plans to recover from his injuries under the identity of Meng Zhen.

After all, he had no one to rely on. Like a dragon stranded in shallow waters, he had to depend on a weak scholar with nothing to her name. Until he could contact someone he trusted, Jiang Mengzhen dared not make any rash moves.

At this time of year, the weather is often crisp and refreshing. Hao Cheng, concerned about the people at home and unwilling to spend money on expensive food in town, returned to a bright and sunny day.

She was tall, and the courtyard wall was quite low. As Hao Cheng walked back, she could see freshly washed clothes fluttering above her courtyard from a distance.

The clothes were hung from largest to smallest at equal distances on a thick clothesline. A cool breeze occasionally swept across the plain, making the thin sheets and clothes billow like sails, adding a touch of cozy, homely warmth to the small courtyard.

If it weren’t for the mysterious background of the man who called himself Meng Zhen, the feeling of having someone waiting for her at home would actually be quite nice.

With this thought, Hao Cheng quickened her pace. She opened the courtyard door and immediately saw Jiang Mengzhen lying in the sunlight, basking.

The young man was wearing her father’s cheap old clothes. The thin fabric was obviously not warm enough. He lay on the bench, curled up like a lazy cat, appearing both languid and elegant.

Because the clothes had been washed, Jiang Mengzhen had rolled up the long, and wide sleeves, revealing a slender, fair wrist. He had a body that didn’t scar easily; the scratches from falling down the mountain had scabbed over, and the scars were already very faint. Unlike her own skin, where even small wounds took ten days to half a month to heal, leaving noticeable marks.

The clothes he wore were washed until they were almost white, with several patches on them. Yet, when he wore them, he somehow made them look dignified. The faded fabric on him didn’t seem like it was worn out from overuse; rather, it looked intentionally distressed.

She didn’t know what his family did, but it had to be an unusually wealthy family to raise someone with such a demeanor.

Jiang Mengzhen was very alert. Even though he seemed to be sunbathing with his eyes half-closed and looking as if he was sleeping soundly, he woke up immediately when Hao Cheng quietly walked into the courtyard.

When he first woke up, his gaze was sharp. Hao Cheng felt a bit of a chill under that look, but in just a moment, his eyes softened, becoming like a gentle spring, warm and tender, without a hint of seduction, not stirring any fanciful thoughts.

He rubbed his sleepy eyes and said, “Benefactor, you’re back. I was feeling a bit drowsy and fell asleep in the courtyard.”

This action was very childlike. It was hard to imagine it coming from a twenty-eight-year-old man. However, in Hao Cheng’s eyes, Meng Zhen looked very young, about the same age as her. His actions didn’t seem pretentious or affected at all, only making him appear very cute

When this thought emerged, Hao Cheng was startled. Perhaps influenced by the scholar’s gentle demeanor, she found herself thinking that using the word “cute” to describe a man wasn’t inappropriate.

Jiang Mengzhen had finished all the porridge Hao Cheng left for him. There wasn’t much else to eat in the house, and after exercising all morning, he was already hungry. To avoid the rumbling of his stomach, he proactively asked, “What are we cooking today?”

“Stir-fried pork liver, lean meat soup, and a few vegetable dishes.” Considering Jiang Mengzhen’s injuries, she chose foods that would help nourish and heal him.

Hao Cheng began washing the vegetables, and Jiang Mengzhen squeezed into the small kitchen with her. “I learned how to light the fire at the Dong family’s today. I’ve also rinsed the rice and washed the vegetables.”

Sure enough, in the kitchen’s wooden basin were freshly washed vegetables still dotted with water droplets. Although the quantity was a bit much, they were indeed very clean. Moreover, the vegetables were all placed with their roots down and leaves up, arranged meticulously in order of size.

The Dong family’s husband was careless and haphazard with cooking. These neatly arranged vegetables, resembling works of art, could only have been prepared by the person in front of her, who seemed to have a touch of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Hao Cheng believed him and didn’t say much. While cooking, she had this pampered young master help her by tending the fire and operating the bellows.

Usually, she handled everything alone, and this stove was not like modern gas stoves, making it hard to control the heat. With Jiang Mengzhen’s help in maintaining the fire, today’s simple dishes turned out even more delicious than usual.

After dinner, Hao Cheng went to wash the dishes, while Jiang Mengzhen, who had unknowingly eaten a lot, held his full stomach and walked around the house to aid digestion.

The sound of water rushing over the plates filled the air as Hao Cheng, with her head lowered, said, “I just spoke to someone; you’ll be leaving in a few days. If you want to stay in this house, that’s fine too. One hundred taels of silver will buy you this courtyard and all the furniture inside. Originally, it was eighty taels, but twenty taels are for your medicine and the food these past few days.”

This price would be exorbitant for poor people, but for a young master from a wealthy family, it was nothing. Moreover, Hao Cheng had saved Jiang Mengzhen and taken great care of him without asking for any labor fees.

Jiang Mengzhen took out four gold leaves. “This is for the medicine and the food these past few days. I don’t want this house in the countryside since you won’t be staying here long.”

Without identity documents, it would be troublesome to transfer ownership, and many things would be inconvenient. Naturally, he intended to stay with the scholar.

Although the house was shabby, Hao Cheng managed things meticulously and cooked delicious meals. He couldn’t stay in such a broken-down house by himself.

Hao Cheng shook the water off the dishes and cutlery, looking somewhat surprised. “Who said I wouldn’t stay here for long?”

“Aren’t benefactor planning to settle down and buy property in town? The benefactor pays half for the house, and I’ll cover the rest. I’ll stay until my family comes to find me, which won’t take long. Once I leave, the house will entirely belong to the benefactor.”

“Don’t call me benefactor. Just call me Hao Cheng.” Hearing “benefactor” once or twice was fine, but hearing it all the time made her uncomfortable.

Jiang Mengzhen didn’t actually like calling others “benefactor” either. The little white rabbit “Meng Zhen” was grateful, but he didn’t feel much gratitude towards Hao Cheng. He promptly corrected himself, “Well then, Hao Cheng, I won’t take up too much of your time. I have experience in buying houses, so if you need help, I can assist.”

He paused, then continued sincerely, “If we move to town, we can pretend to be siblings. I beg you to temporarily take me in for a while; I won’t cause you any trouble.”

Hao Cheng was more receptive to kindness than to force. Although Jiang Mengzhen had the habits of a young master, he didn’t have the airs of one, making him pleasant to be around. Moreover, a man on his own faced many difficulties. Hao Cheng felt a bit of sympathy for him.

However, sympathy aside, whether to continue keeping him was still a big question. “You can stay here for a few days, but don’t say anything unnecessary to the villagers. As for taking you in, let me think about it.”

Jiang Mengzhen nodded in agreement, not pressuring Hao Cheng to make a decision or hastily accusing her of being heartless. Instead, he subtly influenced her thinking through details, making her feel that casting him out like this innocent little white rabbit would be terribly cruel.

The scholar was soft-hearted and polite. He can slowly gain ground step by step, unconcerned about his ability to stay in the end.

With someone helping with household chores and no fields to tend to, Hao Cheng went to the town even more. After searching several estates and weighing her options, she finally settled on a mansion in the northern part of the city.

Once the deal was negotiated, she was ready to pay for it, but the next day when she brought the silver notes, there was a snag at the money lender’s office—despite a clear agreement, the seller had suddenly changed their mind, claiming they had already sold the house at a higher price. They demanded an additional two hundred taels if she still wished to buy it.

Two hundred taels, her money didn’t come easily. Hao Cheng was furious, and naturally, the deal fell through. The broker office advised her and introduced two more prospects, but all of them failed. According to the broker office’s rules, they introduce three prospects; if negotiations succeed, none of them end well. Hao Cheng couldn’t retrieve the deposit she paid them.

Once or twice would be fine, but if this happened several times and she still couldn’t detect the problem, Hao Cheng would truly be a fool. Seeing how much trouble Hao Cheng went through to buy a satisfactory house, a house seller kindly advised her privately, “You’ve offended someone. If you want to settle down here, you can’t afford to offend the broker office.”

After thinking for a long time, Hao Cheng hadn’t done anything in this town. The broker office did business by commission; there was no need to provoke them for no reason. After careful consideration, the only person she could offend here was her miserly uncle.

With a mindset of avoiding trouble and reducing complications, she didn’t argue with him. Unexpectedly, he came to provoke her instead. Did he really think she was easy to bully?

Unfortunately, she couldn’t find any evidence. What Kou did wasn’t something outrageous enough to enrage the heavens and the people; it just caused her trouble and tarnished her reputation among those sellers, purely to disgust her.

She wasn’t very familiar with the law either. Though angry, for a while she couldn’t find a way to deal with Kou and the broker office, so she could only endure the frustration and hold back her anger.

Because she was upset, Hao Cheng hardly ate dinner that day. It was only when Meng Zhen couldn’t hold back and asked, “What’s wrong again? Is it about buying a house? Did something go wrong?”