Madam Cheng Wang took Old Lady Xia's hand and said, "Big Sister, I am one hundred percent satisfied with the child Jinyu, but..."
Old Lady Xia's heart sank, though her expression remained completely unchanged.
"My dear, do you have any other requests? Please, speak your mind."
"No, no!" Madam Cheng Wang shook her head with a smile. "Like I told you before, my Han'er is a bit delicate in health and needs to take medicine from time to time. But don't you worry, our family will pay for her medicine."
Old Lady Xia kept a pleasant smile, but her mind was turning.
Could it be that this girl has some serious illness?
Right at that moment, a little girl's faint voice drifted over from the next room. It wasn't very loud, and one had to strain to hear it.
*Oh, so this is what my future Third Aunt looks like! And she even gave me candy!*
*My future Third Aunt has such a gentle smile. She doesn't look like she has any serious illness at all. Let me see... her complexion is quite good, just a little Qi deficiency, nothing to worry about.*
Xia Zhiliao shook her head. She felt too embarrassed to take the candy, and besides, deep down she wasn't the kind of little girl who was crazy about sweets.
"It's nothing, just take it. You're Zhiliao, aren't you?"
Xia Zhiliao nodded. She had sneaked over here to take a peek, and even though she got caught, the other person wasn't angry and treated her so politely. It was just like in the novels.
Meanwhile, back in the other room, the Xia family heard Xia Zhiliao's inner voice and felt very pleased with this young woman they hadn't even officially met yet.
Old Lady Xia was a woman who knew how to talk. "Dear Sister, what are you saying? Everyone eats grains from the five fields, who can avoid getting sick? Naturally, a young lady is raised to be soft and delicate. Carrying two sacks of grain at once is a man's job!"
With that, she patted her son's shoulder. "Our family is taking in a wife, not a laborer. If her health isn't the best, it doesn't matter, we can slowly nurse her back to health."
Old Father Cheng was so moved he was practically on the verge of tears. How had he ever deserved such a wonderful in-law family? Even Aunt Chunhua looked at Old Lady Xia with newfound respect. Mind you, back when they were young, the two of them had once gotten into a physical fight over a patch of wild greens, scratching each other's faces up.
Madam Cheng Wang grinned from ear to ear. "Big Sister, with your words, we can rest assured handing our daughter over to your family."
Old Lady Xia smiled along with her. "Now, as for any requests on this end... though our family isn't wealthy, but..."
"No need..." Old Father Cheng waved his hand dismissively. "Our family wants nothing. We only have this one daughter, and from now on, everything our family has belongs to our daughter. All we were looking for was someone steady who would treat our daughter well. Big Sister, it hasn't been easy for you to raise all those children on your own."
Old Lady Xia never expected the Cheng family to be people like this. She was so happy she wanted to jump for joy—no bride price meant she had saved a tidy sum to put toward medical care for her little granddaughter.
Even if this future daughter-in-law had some minor health issues, she couldn't possibly complain now.
Hearing the commotion from next room, Xia Zhiliao knew the matter was settled. But Third Uncle and the Third Aunt hadn't even laid eyes on each other yet!
She had to think of a way!
Chapter 034: It's Over, He's Going to Silence Me!
Xia Zhiliao intentionally hurried forward a couple of steps and tripped over the threshold. Luckily it was the dead of winter and she was wearing thick cotton-padded clothes, so hitting the ground didn't hurt at all.
"Child, are you alright?" Cheng Han couldn't worry about anything else. She rushed out immediately, helped the little girl up, and checked her over for injuries.
Hearing what happened, the rest of the Xia family couldn't stay seated either. They hurried out as well, the mother and her three sons all showing concern for the little girl.
Madam Cheng Wang glanced at her husband, then exchanged a look with her sister, as if to say: *Look at that, this family treats even a little girl like a precious treasure. Once our daughter marries in, she won't have to worry about anyone giving her a hard time, no matter what she gives birth to.*
Seeing that everyone had come out, Xia Zhiliao shook her head with a smile to show she was completely fine and that it was just her own clumsiness.
*Third Uncle, hurry up and see how pretty Third Aunt is! I sacrificed myself just so you could get a look at her!*
Old Lady Xia had seen it all; if her little granddaughter liked this woman, there was definitely no mistake. She liked her too.
Without missing a beat, she nudged her third son with her elbow and signaled him to take a look.
Cheng Han naturally caught sight of Xia Jinyu. Her fair face turned beet red, she curtsied to the group, and then scurried back into her own room.
Aunt Chunhua knew the match was made. "Oh my, look at Han'er blushing like that! She'll be married off in a few days anyway, what's there to be shy about!"
Sitting on the *kang*, Cheng Han twisted her handkerchief in her hands, the blush on her cheeks lingering for a long time.
Xia Jinyu had no complaints whatsoever. At his age, as long as he could get himself a wife, that was enough. Besides, the Cheng girl wasn't ugly at all; she looked quite dainty and charming. He could feel his heart beating faster, though he had no idea why.
The Cheng family kept them for a meal, which showed they were thoroughly satisfied with the match. Old Lady Xia didn't drag her feet either, saying that once they picked an auspicious date, they would welcome Cheng Han into the family.
Originally, Old Lady Xia had figured that getting a wife for her third son would cost a few taels of silver. She hadn't expected the Cheng family to ask for nothing at all; her family would only have to pay for the banquet dishes, and even some of that would be recouped in gifts.
Plus, they saved on hiring a cook. Handling this matter left her feeling completely at ease in her heart.
In the past, getting anything done felt like going through eighty-one trials and tribulations, but this time everything went so smoothly it practically felt like the heavens themselves were feeding success right into her mouth.
However, once she got home, she found out that this wasn't the only good piece of news!
"What did you say? How much did you sell them for?" Thinking she had heard wrong, Old Lady Xia stared hard at her fourth son, telling the excited crowd to quiet down.
Xia Jinheng crossed his arms smugly. "Mom, five hundred *wen*! There was barely any corn at all, not even fifty *wen* worth, but your son here turned around and sold it for ten times the price! What's more, those people even told me to bring them a fresh batch every day. I don't have to worry about finding buyers at all anymore!"
"Fourth Uncle, is that real? You aren't lying to us, are you?" Xia Jinjuan had always considered this younger brother of his to be idle and unproductive, and he doubted whether he truly possessed such grand business acumen.
"Second Brother, I knew you looked down on me."
"I didn't... I just meant..."
"Alright, we're brothers, I know you were just worried I'd stray onto the wrong path!" Xia Jinheng said with a cheeky grin. "Only this time, your brother here is genuinely going to get rich."
"Fourth Brother, enough, stop keeping us in suspense," Xia Jinxiu said impatiently.
"Well, at first I planned to go sell that popcorn out on the street. It's not like it wouldn't work—plenty of children gathered around, and people always want to taste novelty items. But then I figured that wouldn't do, what a waste of time."
The more Xia Jinheng talked, the more pleased with himself he became. "I suspect—no, I am certain—that I was born to be in business."
"So I took the goods straight to the opera houses and teahouses. I figured people hanging around there have nothing better to do anyway; eating popcorn is no different from eating peanuts or melon seeds. And you know what? It actually worked."
"The Full Spring Restaurant told me to deliver fifty catties of this stuff every day!" Xia Jinheng lifted his chin. "Easy money, five hundred *wen* a day."
Old Lady Xia couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear either. "Look at you strutting around. I suppose you really did catch a lucky break. Just work hard and don't go stirring up wild trouble."
Xia Jinheng nodded. "Mom, this isn't luck. This is my true talent."
Xia Zhiliao nodded along.
*That's right, Fourth Uncle really is cut out for business. He actually managed to think of this.*
Xia Jinheng winked at Xia Zhiliao. "Zhiliao, go take a look in your room!"
Xia Zhiliao skipped over in pleasant surprise and ran back to her room, only to find a pile of delicious treats and fun toys stacked up on her *kang*.
Even though she wasn't a child on the inside, who wouldn't love the feeling of being doted on like this?
"Fourth Brother, is there only stuff for Zhiliao? Nothing for me?" Xia Jinxiu asked, intentionally putting on a jealous act.
"There is, there is. I couldn't possibly leave you out. I bought you some rouge. Once I manage to negotiate deals with a few more shops, I'll be making even more money, and before long I'll open a proper shop just for you."
Xia Jinxiu felt a twinge of guilt. Just moments ago, her mother had told her to oversee the wedding banquet preparations, but the only dish she knew how to make was pickled cabbage fish. Would she even be able to pull it off?
...
As dusk approached, the three Xia boys still hadn't returned from the mountain. Old Lady Xia was ready to start chewing them out, so Xia Zhiliao volunteered to take on the heavy responsibility of calling her brothers back for dinner to save them from a tongue-lashing.
However, no sooner had she stepped out the front gate and walked a short distance than she suddenly felt a disturbance behind her. Before she could even turn around, a hand clamped over her mouth and dragged her backward.
With her short little arms and legs, she struggled with all her might, but it was completely useless.
*It's over, it's over! Am I getting kidnapped?*
*I'm not even worth anything—I'm mute, I won't fetch a high price on the market!*
The moment those large hands lifted away from her face, her first instinct was to scream, but try as she might, not a single sound came out.
"Looks like you really are a mute?"
Terror gripped Xia Zhiliao's heart, yet she found the voice strangely familiar.
A moment later, a young man stepped out from behind a hayrick, a playful smirk playing across his stern face.
*It's over, it's over! He tracked me down to my own home to silence me! Sob, oh my poor little life, I'm dying such an unjust death! If you want to kill someone, kill just me, please don't hurt my family.*
Xie Heng's lips curled upward. How old was this kid? Her own life was under threat, and yet she was still thinking about her family.
Knowing that trying to run away was useless—after all, the man behind her was an absolute martial arts master, and a single move from him could snap her neck on the spot—Xia Zhiliao decided to give up struggling and submit to her fate.
With that thought, she completely let go and gave up.
*What are you looking at? What are you grinning for, as if your smile is so great? Hmph, even if it looks good, I won't give you the satisfaction of saying it! Go ahead and kill me today, but just wait until you meet a miserable end yourself! Hmph, I'll just consider it heaven getting revenge on my behalf!*
Xie Heng frowned slightly. She was saying she would die? What on earth did she know?
*What are you staring at? Ah, I actually know who kills you, but too bad I'm not going to tell you! Hmph, by the time you turn into a ghost, I'll have been dead for years, and I'll already be well-connected down below. I'll get a whole gang of ghost friends to bully you to death and make you kneel in the corner of a wall singing 'Conquest' every single day!*
"What?" Xie Heng couldn't help letting out a surprised grunt.
Chapter 035: He Absolutely Cannot Die!
Xia Zhiliao was completely dumbfounded. Was this guy mentally unstable or something?
The novels didn't mention anything about him being a yandere!
Xie Heng cleared his throat, acting as if nothing unusual had happened. "Have you ever been to the Capital?"
Xia Zhiliao shook her head. When would she ever have been to the Capital? She barely wandered beyond this tiny village.
Xie Heng produced that jade bracelet once more. "Then why did you want this jade bracelet?"
Xia Zhiliao was genuinely stumped by the question.
*Big Brother, how am I supposed to explain this to you? This thing was mine to begin with! I'm the one who should be asking how it ended up in your hands!*
Xie Heng smiled wryly. It was utterly bizarre; she clearly had never been to the Capital, so how could this bracelet possibly belong to her?
Yet judging by her expression, she didn't look like she was lying!
*Big Brother, do you dare let me touch that bracelet?*
Xie Heng wanted to see what other tricks she had up her sleeve. He truly hadn't factored a little girl with zero martial arts training into his calculations.
The instant Xia Zhiliao touched the bracelet, she swiftly pulled out a batch of medicinal powder she had concocted herself. By the time her hand emerged, she was clutching a fistful, which she flung straight at Xie Heng.
She'd show him her true power and see if he ever dared to pick her up like a helpless little chick again!
Her imagination was grand, but reality was harsh: Xie Heng dodged it with effortless ease.
Xia Zhiliao stared in absolute shock. Did he really have to be like this?
Ling He started to step forward, but Xie Heng raised a hand to stop him. "You little rascal, you certainly are full of mischief."
Xia Zhiliao rolled her eyes at him dramatically. Even if she had to die, she wanted to die with some dignity—though naturally, if she could avoid dying altogether, that would be even better.
Xie Heng asked cryptically, "What else do you know about me?"
*I know way too much.*
Suddenly, Xie Heng reached out toward her face. Startled, Xia Zhiliao hurriedly slapped away his paw.
*Shameless jerk! I'm just a kid, and you're trying to take advantage of me! Pervert! Wolf!*
Yet right at the moment of contact, a series of flashes crossed Xia Zhiliao's vision once again, naturally involving Xie Heng.
*What's going on? Why am I seeing his affairs again? Why is he arguing with someone? Who is that old man? He looks awfully grand and imposing. Oh, and why is someone slipping something into a teacup?*
Xie Heng had originally felt irritated by her mental insults; he had noticed a stray piece of straw stuck in her hair, and his neatness-obsessed nature found it deeply grating.
He hadn't expected the little girl to mistake him for a pervert. But wait—did she just say someone was trying to poison him?
Was that supposed to happen tomorrow?
Xie Heng stared hard at Xia Zhiliao, while she nervously swallowed a continuous stream of saliva.
*Even though this lady possesses beauty that sinks fish and startles wild geese, and eclipses the moon and puts flowers to shame, I'm still just a little girl! What are you trying to pull?*
Amused by her boundless conceit and her head full of wild delusions, Xie Heng chuckled. "So, you still want this bracelet?"
Xia Zhiliao nodded and pressed her palms together in a pleading bow toward Xie Heng.
Suddenly, a strange sound rang out—not quite like a bird's call.
Xie Heng frowned. "I can't give it to you right now."
*Then why are you talking nonsense and messing with me? Is teasing me fun? You can't bully people like this! A young lady's honor—no, her life—is not to be trampled on! I still want to live a nice, long life.*
Xie Heng decided she was quite the chatterbox. "Come find me, and I'll give you the bracelet then."
Xia Zhiliao took a deep breath. She certainly didn't dare show any displeasure.
After all, just moments ago he had wanted her dead. Letting her off now and even promising to hand over the bracelet later was already more than enough to satisfy her.
Fearing he might go back on his word, Xia Zhiliao mustered her courage and extended her little pinky finger.
Xie Heng frowned, displaying utter disdain and disgust at such a childish gesture.
Xia Zhiliao didn't care about that. She grabbed his hand and forcefully locked pinkies with him.
Because of this second physical contact, a flood of additional visions flashed through her mind.
*Oh no, why did he still drink it? Is he an idiot? He absolutely cannot die! If he dies, who am I going to get my bracelet back from?*
Xia Zhiliao was terribly distressed. She was certain the original owner of this body had no prior connection to this guy, meaning these visions showed events that hadn't happened yet.
Yet if anything happened to this fellow, her spatial bracelet was going down the drain with him.
Trying to snatch it back by force was entirely out of the question, and her space didn't hold any modern weaponry anyway—those were contraband items, otherwise dealing with the two of them would have been a breeze.
She let out a sigh. *Sometimes you have to swallow your pride to achieve a greater goal.* For the sake of successfully reclaiming her bracelet and ensuring someone was actually around to return it to her, she gritted her teeth, extracted an antidote from her space, and shoved it into the young man's hand.
Xie Heng was completely stunned by her actions. Xia Zhiliao made all sorts of exaggerated gestures, though whether he understood any of it was anyone's guess.
*Hey, what are you staring at? So slow! This stuff can cure all kinds of poisons. You better keep yourself alive until I come back for my bracelet!*
Xie Heng smiled, and Ling He scratched the back of his head in bewilderment, though he kept quiet for the moment.
Xie Heng found that spending time with this girl only made her more and more entertaining.
Still, who was going to poison him tomorrow?
And what was the purpose behind it?
He tucked the pill away properly, then casually reached out and plucked the piece of straw from Xia Zhiliao's hair. He gave it a little wave in front of her face, wordlessly showing the overthinking girl that his earlier intention had been just that simple.
Xia Zhiliao realized what he had been doing and her face flushed bright red.
"Remember, if you want the jade bracelet, come find me!" With those words, Xie Heng looked at Ling He, and the master-servant duo leaped gracefully away.
Only then did Xia Zhiliao let out a massive breath. That had nearly scared the living daylights out of her.
"Master, what was that thing the little girl gave you?"
"An antidote!" Xie Heng replied.
"An antidote? An antidote for what? Was she making antidote signs with her hands just now? You're so smart, how on earth did you understand that?"
Xie Heng's lips curved upward. He hadn't understood her chaotic sign language at all; he couldn't make heads or tails of it. He had simply heard her thoughts.
"Master, why would she give you an antidote? You should just throw it away. What kind of antidote could a little girl possibly have? Besides, her suddenly being nice to you... this... this doesn't make sense."
Xie Heng touched the pill resting inside his tunic. "Why shouldn't she be nice to me?"
"She... what reason does she have to be nice to you?"
Naturally, the reason was the jade bracelet he held.
However, Xie Heng had no intention of explaining. "Let's move. We need to hurry back today."
"That girl is really strange," Ling He muttered under his breath.
Xie Heng kept pondering what the little girl had said about someone poisoning him. Now that he knew about it, he certainly wouldn't drink the stuff.
True to her words, when the next day arrived, he encountered the exact scenario the little girl had described.
That was when he realized he had no choice but to take that medicine.
Without hesitation, he swallowed the pill the little girl had given him. Thanks to it, he preserved his life and emerged completely unharmed.
Calculated that way, the little girl had saved his life yet again.
He looked at the man standing before him—unmistakably the mastermind behind the poison—who clearly looked rather startled to see him standing there safe and sound.
"I made the right choice. This cup of tea has no poison, which must mean it is Heaven's will. So, can you return to my mother what you owe her? Or would you prefer to drink the remaining cup yourself?"
Two cups of tea: one poisoned, one clean.
No one knew that his luck wasn't actually all that great, and the cup he had instinctively chosen was indeed the poisoned one.
Chapter 036: Little Aunt Goes from Kitchen Novice to Master Chef
However, Xie Heng refused the man's demand to return immediately to the Capital; he still had to wait for someone.
What on earth was the secret hidden between her and him?
How were their fates connected?
Besides, the Capital certainly wasn't safe right now.
Forcing the issue so aggressively today meant life back home would be difficult for him no matter what.
...
The older boys had run off to play on the mountain. In the heavy snow, Xia Zhiliao wanted to go too, but she met with unanimous opposition from the entire Xia family.
Xia Zhiliao wanted to protest that she wasn't that fragile, but upon looking at the snow piled up nearly to her waist, she decided her argument lacked any real persuasion.
Despite the heavy snowfall, the Xia family remained as busy as ever.
Old Lady Xia couldn't be more pleased with herself these days. In the past, the family was poor, her sons couldn't find wives, and going out brought her no face to speak of.
Now, she was practically itching to brave the wind and snow just to go out and show off.
Xia Jinheng had also gone hunting on the mountain, figuring that in weather like this, pheasants and hares would have to come out to forage, making them easier to catch. With his wedding coming up, he didn't want to rely entirely on the family's meager savings.
Rain or shine, Xia Jinheng delivered his popcorn to town without fail; with money to be made, he got up earlier than the roosters.
Xia Jinjuan stayed busy with his studies, but having his wife sit beside him doing embroidery work created a cozy, romantic atmosphere of a companion adding fragrance to his books.
From time to time, the husband and wife would raise their eyes and lock gazes. Madam Xia Chen would blush, and Xia Jinjuan would blush too, as if they had returned to the early days of their marriage—no, even better, infused with a tender new warmth they hadn't known back then.
Having eaten enough of their romantic displays, Xia Zhiliao saw her fifth uncle quietly sweeping the snow in the courtyard and wandered outside to join him.