Chapter 11: Cunning and Proud Horse

Sigh…

The carriage stopped beside the banyan tree. Chen Xin got off the carriage, opened the door, and held Fang Ziyu’s hand, saying, “Xiao Yu’er, you can come down now, but be careful.”

Seeing the carriage stop here, the villagers were puzzled. They looked at each other. A slender and somewhat refined young woman in the crowd quietly asked the middle-aged woman beside her, “Mom, who do you think they are? Distant relatives from someone’s family in the village?”

The middle-aged woman, also puzzled, pondered for a while before uncertainly saying, “I don’t think so. I haven’t heard of any wealthy relatives in the village. But I do remember something. Didn’t I tell you about a stranger who came knocking on our door this morning, wanting to exchange chickens for rice? It seems like her?!”

Speaking of which, Mama Lin, the middle-aged woman, also broke out in a cold sweat. She had been sleeping soundly in her room, but who would have thought that she would hear a knocking sound in her daze, instantly waking her up.

It wasn’t even dawn yet, and it was pitch black everywhere, accompanied by the knocking sound. In her mind, she suddenly remembered the ghost stories often told by the elderly in the village, and she was so afraid that her stomach ached. She hid in the quilt, too scared to make a sound.

Later, when she heard someone speaking, she bravely called her soundly sleeping husband to light a lamp and go see together, only to realize that it was actually a living person.

Here, Chen Xin got off the carriage holding Fang Ziyu, and led him slowly to the front of the crowd, imitating the ancient Z country’s custom of clasping hands and said somewhat awkwardly, “Respected elders, I’m Chen Xin, who arrived at Linjia Village the day before yesterday. I intend to settle down here with my fiance. Please take care of us.”

Fang Ziyu also smiled gracefully and nodded without speaking, showing a dignified and elegant demeanor, shining brightly, like a young nobleman.

The aunties and uncles began to chatter, smiling warmly and saying things like, “No need to be polite, come and go as you please.” A vigorous elderly person in his sixties even called out, “Young people, don’t be polite, just settle down here.”

Although the cohabitation of unmarried men and women in a matriarchal society was criticized, Chen Xin and Fang Ziyu were not disliked. Their behavior was very pleasing, leaving a good impression on everyone. They felt that even if they hadn’t married yet and were living together, it wasn’t a big deal.

Chen Xin sighed inwardly, “Thank you, respected elders.”

Regardless of how sincere they were, at least Chen Xin was deeply moved at the moment, something she had never experienced in front of her so-called relatives, but felt warmth here among these soon-to-be familiar strangers, apart from Xiao Yu’er.

“Hehe, these two kids are good.”

“No need to thank us, you’re too polite.”

—

Although the temperament of the two seemed like young masters and mistresses from noble families, because of Chen Xin’s initiative, the distance between them and the villagers suddenly narrowed. No one thought too much about why they decided to settle in Linjia Village. One of the village’s older sisters asked, “Ah Xin, where are you living now?”

There were no newly built or uninhabited houses in the village. They had only heard the village head say that a house at the end of the village had been rented out, but that was a few days ago, and they heard that the tenant was a messy person.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xin looked towards the courtyard that seemed disconnected from the rest of the village and said, “We’re living at the end of the village.”

After exchanging pleasantries, Chen Xin’s face showed a hint of apology as she addressed the crowd, “Please forgive us, we need to hurry back home. Someone is waiting for us.”

“It’s okay, you go ahead and get busy.” The same energetic elderly man waved his hand, and everyone nodded along. It was clear that the old man held a lot of prestige in the village.

Earlier, everyone had seen two carriages loaded with goods heading towards the end of the village, so it seemed that they belonged to these two kids.

Chen Xin kindly smiled at the old man and bid farewell to the crowd before leading Fang Ziyu back to the carriage.

*Crack!*

The whip cracked as they rushed towards the small courtyard. They were a bit delayed, and it wasn’t good to keep people waiting for too long.

It didn’t take long for Chen Xin to return to the entrance of the courtyard. She nodded slightly to the leaders of the two groups and said, “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. Could you please help me move the things inside?”

However, the workers, who had been waiting for quite some time, had no complaints in their hearts. After all, they were getting paid, and this was a big customer. Who dared to complain? If the customer was dissatisfied and complained to the manager, they might be fired.

The unlucky one would be themselves. If they lost their jobs, life would become even more difficult. Seeing the person in front of them, they became even more cautious. She exuded nobility, clearly a distinguished person. Although they didn’t understand why such an aristocratic person appeared in this small mountain village.

Chen Xin parked the carriage behind the courtyard, lifted Fang Ziyu out of the carriage, untied the reins from the horse’s body, and didn’t tether it, intending to let it roam freely. She patted the horse’s face and said, “Be good.”

The white horse immediately snorted, shook its head, and lowered it to sniff the grass on the ground, seeming rather disdainful. Chen Xin was surprised. She didn’t expect this seemingly gentle horse to be so proud and spirited.

Could it be that its previous harmless behavior was just an act? Perhaps everyone had been fooled by this proud and cunning horse. It truly was a “treasure” horse.

With a playful smile, Chen Xin shot it a glance and said to Fang Ziyu, “Let’s go.”

Back in the courtyard, the goods had already been moved onto the open space. Seeing this, Chen Xin settled the payment and exchanged a few polite words before personally escorting them to the door. Her excellent demeanor and manners dispelled any discomfort the workers might have felt, and everyone smiled and said there was no need to accompany them.

Although they hadn’t dared to show any resentment earlier, who didn’t have any in their hearts? They were just trying to hide it. Chen Xin smiled faintly without saying a word, watched them walk away, and then turned to help Fang Ziyu tidy up.

After about a quarter of an hour of tidying up, Fang Ziyu was exhausted and sweating profusely. Chen Xin asked him to rest, while she went straight to the kitchen and busied herself with washing the utensils they had just bought, cooking, boiling soup, and preparing bathwater. Rural hearths usually had several fire pits, which could be lit simultaneously to save time.

—

As the time approached dusk, Chen Xin finished cooking the last dish and extinguished the fire. Carrying the dishes into the house, she was surprised to find Fang Ziyu asleep on the table, looking tired.

Quickly putting down the dishes, she sat down next to Fang Ziyu, touched his face, which was as smooth and clean as a peeled egg, and felt sorry for him. Although he looked so tired, she couldn’t bear to wake him up. However, a man was made of iron, and he couldn’t go hungry. Moreover, it was easy to get stomach problems, and from what she understood today, the medical care here was at least a thousand years behind modern times. Fever could kill people, and it happened frequently.