Chapter 14

Huo Shu didn’t expect to get any answers from him, and even if he did, they wouldn’t be pleasing to hear.

He raised an eyebrow as he looked at the sulking young man.

“Just joking,” he said.

Taoyu fell silent for a moment, then without speaking to Huo Shu, he turned and went back inside to retrieve the crabapple hairpin and handed it to Huo Shu.

Huo Shu looked at the hairpin, his brow furrowing. “You’re angry over this?”

Taoyu retorted, “You climbed over someone else’s wall. If someone saw, how could I explain? Shouldn’t I be angry?”

“Your parents are preoccupied with the Yu family’s affairs. No one will see.”

“So that gives you the right to trespass? It’s not like you’re a thief.”

Huo Shu frowned, attempting to explain, “I was just in a hurry.”

Taoyu looked up at Huo Shu. “What’s the rush? You have somewhere to be?”

Huo Shu didn’t reply.

Seeing him silent with lowered eyelashes, Taoyu felt as though he had scolded him, even though his face was the same as usual, it made him appear somewhat aggrieved for no reason.

But it was probably just his imagination, yet Taoyu didn’t intend to continue arguing about the trespassing incident. Instead, he heard, “I won’t climb over again.”

Taoyu opened his mouth in surprise, then avoided eye contact. The aggressive attitude he had just put up disappeared, and he softened his tone.

“Someone did ask about this hairpin at the banquet today. Wu’s son said my hairpin didn’t look like a recent style but rather like something women used to like in the past. His sister also had a similar crabapple hairpin, which she had saved up for a long time to buy.”

Huo Shu raised an eyebrow, clearly having already inquired about it, yet still dared to scare him deliberately.

He looked at Taoyu deeply before asking, “Was it his sister?”

“I wasn’t sure before.”

Taoyu said, “Wu’s sister has a bad reputation in the village. She hasn’t been here for a long time.”

Wu’s family was relatively well-off in Mingxun Village. Although they weren’t wealthy, they had enough to eat and drink, with some surplus every year.

They had four children: two sons and two daughters. In the past, many families had come to propose marriage to Wu’s eldest daughter after she reached marriageable age, but for some reason, she hadn’t settled down with anyone.

There had been several quarrels at home, but no one knew what exactly caused her to be so distressed.

Later, Wu’s third daughter left the village, claiming to have become disillusioned with the secular world and become a nun in the mountains.

However, not everyone in the village believed this. Some said she had gone to be a mistress for a rich man, and there were even rumors of her eloping with someone.

In short, there were always rumors circulating, but Wu’s family didn’t respond, and no one had concrete evidence. Over the years, the gossip gradually died down.

“At that time, I was still young and didn’t understand the whole story. But according to what you said, it’s very likely that it was Wu’s third daughter.”

Huo Shu put away the hairpin. “Whether it is or not, I’ll find out when I ask.”

Taoyu asked, “Do you know where she is? How will you ask? There are so many rumors in the village, and no one has seen her in the temple on the mountain.”

“Then I’ll ask her family.”

Taoyu pursed his lips. “As a man, if you go to someone’s house and ask about a girl’s whereabouts, it won’t be long before the village spreads rumors that Wu’s third daughter has a lover.”

“You saved my life, so my family won’t mind, but others might complain to my father. Then he’ll be in a tough spot.”

Huo Shu was speechless. “So what do you suggest I do?”

“I knew you would do this, so I asked Wu’s son in advance.”

Taoyu glanced at Huo Shu and said, “I told him the origin of the hairpin and promised not to disturb his sister’s life. I just wanted to pass the token to the rightful recipient. He is simple-minded and easy to persuade, and he only told me where his sister is now.”

“Whether she is the one Longsui is looking for or not, Huo Big Brother, please don’t reveal Wu’s third daughter’s address, okay?”

Huo Shu promised, “Don’t worry, I have no interest in gossiping about others’ private affairs. I’ll only focus on my own matters.”

Taoyu thought about it and said, “Wu’s third daughter is now working as a weaver in the Ten-Mile Cloth Shop in the city.”

“Good.”

Huo Shu said, “I’ll go to the city tomorrow.”

With that, he flicked away the rainwater that had splashed onto his damp clothes. “I’m leaving.”

Taoyu looked at the hand that had been caught earlier, now with four red marks across the knuckles, visible evidence of the recent mishap.

“Wait.”

He quickly ran to the cabinet, rummaged around, and then pulled out a small bottle. “External injury ointment.”

Huo Shu’s eyes lit up, reaching out to take it, but then Taoyu suddenly withdrew his hand. “Wait, I already gave you ointment last time. You shouldn’t need this one.”

“It’s used up.”

Huo Shu furrowed his brow, spitting out three words, and leaned forward to snatch the bottle back from Taoyu’s hand.

As the rough fingertips brushed against Taoyu’s delicate skin, his ears turned red, and he quickly let go of the bottle in his palm, saying anxiously, “How could it have been used up so quickly in just ten days or so?”

Huo Shu tucked the bottle into the collar of his chest. “Don’t be so stingy.”

With that, he curled his fingers into his palm, intentionally avoiding Taoyu’s gaze. “I’m leaving.”

As he hurried to the corner of the wall, he suddenly stopped and looked back at Taoyu by the window. “Are you sure you don’t want me to teach You Lingxiao a lesson?”

Taoyu paused, realizing that Huo Shu was protecting him. He was touched and said softly, “This is a family matter for us to handle. My parents will make a decision.”

“What about your decision?”

Taoyu’s gaze faltered at the question.

His mind was in turmoil, and he didn’t know what to do. After all, they had grown up together, and without a definite answer from You Lingxiao, he couldn’t come to a conclusion.

Seeing Taoyu’s hesitation, Huo Shu didn’t say anything more. He continued walking, stepping on the peach blossom tree beside him, and leapt over the wall.

Taoyu came back to his senses, watching Huo Shu disappear from sight as if he were a hero from a novel, leaping and disappearing over the vertical courtyard wall. He couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

It would be best not to anger Huo Shu in the future.

The next day, the rain that had been falling for the past two days finally stopped.

Huo Shu got up, tidied up, and prepared to go to the city, but was stopped by Yuan Huiru, who insisted he have breakfast first.

After the meal, it was already bright outside.

Huo Shu mounted his horse in the courtyard. “Is there anything the family needs me to bring back?”

Yuan Huiru said, “I went to the city just two days ago, and we don’t need anything. Just finish your business and come back soon.”

Huo Shu acknowledged with a grunt and rode off.

Today was market day, and there were more vendors at the city market than usual, with many people going in to buy things.

As Huo Shu reached the village entrance, he saw two or three carts parked on the road, soliciting passengers to the city. Several villagers had gathered around.

Only on market days would people from families with livestock come out to offer rides to and from the city, earning some extra money.

Each trip could accommodate four or five people, and they would leave once the cart was full.

Huo Shu passed by leisurely, attracting envious glances from the crowd.

The horse hadn’t had a good run in a while, and on the wide road, its hooves began to itch. Huo Shu was tempted to let it run wild, but then he heard a familiar voice coming from the village road: “Master, wait!”

Huo Shu turned his head at the sound and saw Ji Taoyu running over, panting, wrapped in a cloak.

“Taoyuer, are you going to the city today too?”

“Yeah. I almost missed the cart.”

“Since you’re here, we can go together.”

Taoyu agreed and climbed up the back of the cart. One of the women on the cart was afraid he couldn’t get up and lent him a hand. “Are you going to buy medicine for the villagers today or just going to the market?”

“With autumn coming, there will be plenty of ripe medicinal herbs. Master A’zu’s clinic always gets a lot of medicine at this time of year. It’s the busiest season, and since there’s nothing much going on at home, my father asked me to help Master A’zu sort out the herbs.”

“Taoyuer is really capable after all. He understands medicine and can help with a lot of work at home.”

Taoyu smiled politely and sat down, wrapping himself tightly in his cloak.

Then he patted his chest to calm his breath, and when he looked up, he saw the sturdy black horse belonging to Huo Shu, his eyes widening slightly.

The people on the horse and those on the cart exchanged a glance but didn’t speak.

Huo Shu flicked the reins, and the horse trotted a few steps before slowing down, walking at a distance where the people on the cart could see.

“That’s the adopted son recognized by Yuan Huiru, right? I saw him at the You family banquet yesterday, and he looked quite decent.”

“I heard he’s not married yet. Zhang Fulong thinks highly of him and wants him to marry into your family. He must be a capable man.”

As soon as the words fell, several married couples chuckled softly.

Taoyu, who had been feeling a bit listless, hadn’t slept much the night before, and his spirits weren’t great today. He had planned to catch up on some sleep during the day, but his father had woken him up early, asking him to go to the city to help Master A’zu gather herbs.

He knew his father’s intentions, probably afraid that he would feel down staying at home and end up ruining his health. So he was sent out to distract himself, which was better than constantly dwelling on this matter.

Grateful for his parents’ concern, he reluctantly agreed to go along with their wishes.

Now hearing the discussion about Huo Shu, his drooping spirits seemed to find a rare opportunity to perk up again. His ears involuntarily perked up.

Sitting in the middle, he didn’t quite understand what was so funny about being capable?

“He does look outstanding, but it seems like he doesn’t have much savings. He’s an outsider after all, from the north. Everyone knows what kind of family the Zhao family is.”

“Yeah, we haven’t heard what kind of work he does. Living depends on whether a man has the ability. Otherwise, life will be tough.”

Taoyu hid his face in his cloak, his eyes darting around as he silently noted down the conversations of these married couples.

These were all families with sons and daughters, and understanding their criteria for choosing a son-in-law would give him a general idea of how to marry into a family.

He had no use for this information, but it was just out of goodwill to listen.

Huo Shu was not one to joke around or engage with people much. Apart from him, there was probably no other girl or boy in the village he had spoken to.

That was fine, considering he was an outsider. Unlike the locals who were born and raised here, even if he wasn’t good at winning the hearts of girls and boys, as long as he had a good character, there would be matchmakers willing to help arrange marriages.

He listened a bit more, thinking that he could tell Huo Shu later. This way, if Huo Shu wanted to propose in the future, he would know how to impress his future mother-in-law.

With the autumn wind blowing, Taoyu listened to the chatter around him and stole a few glances at the tall figure on the horse not far away. His mood couldn’t help but brighten up a lot.