Chapter 35 1/2

With a creak, the wooden door issued a warning.

Huang Manjing entered the room with some breakfast, catching sight of the girl sitting at the table with her back to the door.

Her brow furrowed. “Are you awake? Why didn’t you respond when I called you?”

Taoyu quickly pulled down her trouser legs and straightened her clothes before turning around. “I was busy sorting out the ointments and didn’t hear.”

Huang Manjing placed the breakfast on the table. “Your ears seem to get blocked whenever you start organizing those bottles and jars.”

“Come have some porridge and freshly steamed mantou.”

Taoyu replied and, pretending nothing was wrong, endured the pain in her knee as she walked to the table and sat down.

She stirred the white porridge with a spoon to cool it down and cleared her throat. “Mother, you can go about your business. I’ll eat and then go out myself.”

“It’s not a problem.”

Huang Manjing looked at her daughter, who was munching on mantou, and sighed softly. “None of you children of your generation are worry-free. Your third aunt’s eldest cousin, who turned twenty this year, went to propose marriage to the Zheng family the other day, but they refused. Feeling humiliated, he insisted on leaving the village to seek his fortune elsewhere.”

“In the midst of this cold winter, people from outside are rushing back to their hometowns for the New Year, hoping for a family reunion. But he’s different, still thinking of leaving.”

“Is it Cousin who wants to leave?!”

Taoyu widened her eyes, looking incredulously at her mother.

“Who else would want to leave if it’s not him? What a thing to say.”

Taoyu pursed her lips, feeling foolish for her unexpected reaction. She awkwardly rubbed her leg.

This whole situation made her feel like a joke.

Seeing her daughter’s strange expression, Huang Manjing asked, “What’s wrong?”

Taoyu quickly shook her head. “Nothing, nothing at all. Cousin has always had a strong sense of pride, and with his restless and ambitious nature, it’s no surprise he’s causing a commotion like this.”

Huang Manjing sighed helplessly. “Your father hastily finished breakfast and went to your third aunt’s house to persuade him.”

Taoyu said, “Cousin doesn’t even want to settle down and work on the land. How can he do other things well? Even Dad, despite the long-standing grievances between our family and your third aunt’s family, still goes to persuade him.”

“Do you think I’m willing for your father to go?”

“When Yuan Fei was young, he used to come here to play with you. That rascal said you looked cute, and if you weren’t careful, he’d try to kiss you. Your father gave him a big slap, and he went back crying to your third aunt.”

“Your third aunt was always petty. She got angry for many days and didn’t allow Yuan Fei to come over anymore. But later, she shamelessly came to your father and suggested arranging a marriage between you two, saying that the children played well together.”

Huang Manjing continued angrily, “She clearly knew that your father didn’t like such arrangements, but she still got rejected. Then she went to your uncle to complain, saying that your father looked down on them. After your engagement with the You family, she got even more furious, always saying sarcastic things whenever she saw us.”

Taoyu secretly glanced behind her, feeling a bit embarrassed. She quickly pulled her mother’s sleeve and asked, “Why are you bringing up these old stories, mother?”

Huang Manjing said, “Their family has no shame, but you seem to be embarrassed.”

“Your third aunt came over crying before, saying that even if your father doesn’t recognise her as a sister, as the village leader, he should help persuade him. Ah, it’s really troublesome. Most likely, she wants your father to use his connections to find a job for them.”

“You can just ask Dad to say a few words casually. It’s not easy to find a job during the slow agricultural season. Besides, Yuan Fei’s cousin doesn’t have any special skills, and even if he gets a job through connections, they might not want him.”

“I’ve already told your father.”

Taoyu cleared her throat. “Then I’ll eat. Mum, you can go out first.”

Huang Manjing was very annoyed but didn’t find it strange that Taoyu kept insisting she leave today.

“Make sure to eat more. It’s raining outside, so don’t wander around today.”

“Okay.”

Taoyu closed the door and listened to the footsteps fade away before quickly running to her bed.

She pulled aside the curtain and looked at Huo Shu, who was sitting on the bed with a pensive expression. Feeling a bit guilty, she pulled the corner of the blanket and said, “You haven’t gotten down yet.”

“You’re quite familiar with hiding.”

Huo Shu said coldly, “You’ve hidden a lot before.”

Taoyu’s ears burned with embarrassment. She grabbed a pillow and threw it at Huo Shu, who was as unmoving as a mountain on his bed.

“You’re always talking nonsense!”

Huo Shu caught the pillow and stared at Taoyu. “You’ve been attracting trouble since you were young.”

Feeling interrogated by Huo Shu’s icy gaze, Taoyu felt uneasy, as if she had truly wronged him. But upon further thought, she hadn’t done anything wrong, so why should she feel guilty?

“I do attract trouble.”

Taoyu blushed and defended herself: “If I didn’t attract trouble, I wouldn’t have attracted you, this big troublemaker.”

At this point, Taoyu muttered to herself with gritted teeth, “It’s all because of lust, no different from them.”

Huo Shu’s brows furrowed at the words, and suddenly he grabbed Taoyu’s wrist, but with a gentle pull, the little brother at the bedside pounced on him.

“I’m intrigued, not lusting.”

“You!”

Taoyu pressed against Huo Shu, her heart pounding like a drum and her face blushing intensely.

Not to mention that she had never been this close to a man before, let alone in her own bed.

But instead of feeling reassured by his explanation, she became even more angry. Wanting to prove herself, she pushed the man away, only to find herself powerless against him.

She was annoyed. “So you think I’m easy to control, that you can manipulate me as you please?”

Seeing that Taoyu was truly upset, Huo Shu let go of her hand.

“In terms of strength, any girl would be the same as me.”

“You’re good, very clever.”

Huo Shu said, “Don’t be angry. I’m not good with words, but I didn’t mean it in a lustful way.”

“Seeing the person so close by, Taoyu’s face turned extremely red, and her heart was in a chaotic mess.

Huo Shu had thin lips, high cheekbones, and a high nose bridge, which gave him an extra level of aggressiveness. Born in the northern region, his skin had a slight sandy texture, making him seem even sharper and harder to approach.

Those fierce three white eyes that scared him the first time they met yet also rarely showed a gentle side, especially when coaxing him.

Taoyu felt that Huo Shu wouldn’t say many soft words, but even without those sweet words, he could still calm her down.

Perhaps because of the lack of pretence, it was easier for people to see his sincerity.

She pushed herself up from Huo Shu’s body and said, “II understand.”

With that said, she went to the side to continue eating, her face still flushed, hiding her nervousness.

Huo Shu also got off the bed and looked around Taoyu’s room.

“What are you looking for?”

“Just checking what else is needed for the future place to live.”

Taoyu put down the bun in her hand and said, “You’re going to live here?”

“After getting married, if we don’t live together, where am I going to live?”

“What I mean is, after getting married, shouldn’t you live?”

Taoyu felt a bit embarrassed to speak and lowered her voice. “Live by your side.”

“The Zhao family’s conditions are much worse. You wouldn’t get used to living there all of a sudden. It’s draughty and cold, and you’re already prone to catching colds.”

Huo Shu raised an eyebrow and said, “Living here also saves me the trouble of spending money on renovations. You know I don’t have much money.”

He said it as if he were overly pampered.

Taoyu muttered, “I’m not that delicate. As long as there’s a place to sleep, it’s fine.”

With that, she went to the wardrobe and rummaged around for a while before coming back with a box in her hands.

She pushed the box towards Huo Shu. “Um, I haven’t saved much money either, but you can use this first in case of emergency.”

Taoyu explained awkwardly, “My father cares a lot about face, but now he doesn’t care much about formalities anymore. As long as everything is taken care of properly.”

Huo Shu looked at the box on the table, then glanced at the somewhat cramped Taoyu, feeling helpless and a different kind of emotion surging in his heart.

“Are you an idiot, giving money to someone to marry you?”

He pushed the box back unchanged: “Are you kidding? You actually believe that?”

“According to the village leader, he wants to get the marriage done as soon as possible. But if we renovate the Zhao family’s house, it will have to wait until after the New Year. Anyway, I already promised the village leader that you can stay at home.”

Taoyu knew that her parents only had her as a child, and it was natural for them not to want to let go. But if she got married and he still stayed at home, “Wouldn’t you then become a son-in-law?”

Huo Shu said, “I don’t mind these things.”

The clan concept in the northern region wasn’t as strong as in the south; life and death were the most important matters, and the rest were just trivialities.

Taoyu bit her lip, feeling that Huo Shu was indeed too accommodating to her. “Then, let’s see what my parents think.”

She seemed to have figured something out: “When did you talk to my father about this?”

“A while ago. He didn’t agree at first. But he agreed this morning.”

Taoyu blinked. He had obviously made up his mind long ago.

Thankfully, he hadn’t let her know, but once he got through to her parents, everything else would be easier to handle.

“Do you really not want this money?”

Taoyu asked again, not quite sure.

“If I didn’t have the money to propose, I wouldn’t have come here with such a thick face.”

Huo Shu couldn’t help but ruffle Taoyu’s head. “Don’t worry.”

Taoyu nodded.

Once Huo Shu left, Taoyu was immersed in the anticipation and joy of getting married.

After rolling around on the bed for a bit, she hurriedly took out the almanac and checked which good days in the month were suitable for asking for auspiciousness. Although the family had tacitly agreed to the marriage, it would still be troublesome to prepare the betrothal gifts and dowry.

Her father wanted to get things done before the New Year. In the cold winter months, celebrating would bring some warmth. Since they had made up their minds, he also wanted it to happen quickly.

After checking the next few days, she felt relieved, closed the almanack, and crawled out of the room, waiting for her father to come back and talk about it.

Approaching noon, Ji Yangzong, wearing a bamboo hat and a straw raincoat, walked into the cold, rainy courtyard with a long face.

When he reached the courtyard, he took off his hat and coat and shook off the raindrops.

Taoyu, who was warming herself by the stove, hurriedly ran out when she heard the noise. “Dad, you’re back!”

Seeing his son, who had been sulking for most of yesterday, now cheerful again, Ji Yangzong’s expression softened slightly. “Hmm.”

Seeing that her father’s expression wasn’t too good, Taoyu didn’t rush to talk about the marriage. Instead, she asked, “How’s cousin Yuan Fei? Did you manage to persuade him?”

Talking about this, Ji Yangzong got angry. “It would be better if he just died outside, so the whole family wouldn’t have to worry about him and his nonsense.”

“I shouldn’t have listened to your third aunt crying.”

Huang Manjing asked, “What’s wrong? Did she ask you to find him a job?”

“Finding him a job would be fine, but I can still say a few good words about Yuan Fei’s progress.”

Ji Yangzong cursed, “Your third aunt suggested arranging a marriage for Yuan Fei. She’s wild in her thoughts just because she’s not married yet. She even has her eyes on little Taoyu. She says since neither of them are betrothed yet and they’re of marriageable age, they might as well get together. What nonsense about fate and going round and round in circles.”