2 – I’m afraid you can’t handle it
When the sound of “thump, thump, thump” came from outside the courtyard, Taohua was sweeping the yard. Her mother, Mrs. Zhou, was preparing the family’s breakfast, her younger sister Chen Xiaoguo was feeding the chickens, and her second younger sister Chen Xiaoye was helping take care of their little brother.
Meanwhile, her stepfather Chen Dashan was already lounging with one leg crossed over the other, drinking liquor with a plate of peanuts.
As he drank, he cursed at Taohua:
“You useless thing! You’re so good at sneaking around with men, why haven’t you gone after Li Gui? I thought you could become the young mistress of the Li family. I’ve been feeding you well all this time, keeping you plump and fair, but when I tried to send you as a concubine, they didn’t even want you.
Pah! You worthless burden! What’s the use of raising you?! If you still don’t tell me who that man is, I’ll sell you off to the brothel tomorrow!”
Taohua had already died once before. Now, hearing her stepfather’s insults again, she was no longer afraid.
She stopped sweeping and turned to glare fiercely at Chen Dashan!
Just as she was about to grab the broom and confront him, the knocking outside grew louder.
At the same time, the Village Chief’s wife’s voice rang out: “Dashan, Mrs. Zhou, are you two home?”
Hearing someone call his name and noticing Taohua standing motionless in the yard with the broom in hand, Chen Dashan finally looked directly at her.
He was about to scold her, asking if she was deaf and why she wasn’t answering the door, when he noticed the strange look in her eyes.
Those eyes, filled with resentment and hatred, were like those of a little wolf cub!!
Just then, a cold breeze swept through the yard, and Chen Dashan couldn’t help but shiver.
The knocking continued. Seeing that Chen Dashan was the only one in the house not doing any work, Taohua swept farther and farther away with her broom.
She simply refused to answer the door—if anyone was going to open it, let Chen Dashan do it himself.
Thinking he would deal with the wretched girl later, Chen Dashan got up and went to open the courtyard gate.
As soon as the gate opened, he saw the Village Chief’s wife standing outside with a tall, sturdy man, followed by many neighbors who had clearly come to watch the commotion.
Before Chen Dashan could speak, the Village Chief’s wife announced the good news: “Where’s your Mrs. Zhou? Why isn’t she here? Your family has a happy occasion! Someone has come to propose marriage to Taohua!”
Hearing the words “propose marriage,” Taohua, who was still sweeping, immediately turned around.
She looked toward the gate and froze in place.
In the morning sunlight, the man stood tall and straight, his shoulders seemingly draped in a soft golden glow.
But that man… wasn’t he the one who had saved her from the river yesterday?
How had he found her home?!
Remembering she hadn’t even combed her hair that morning, Taohua immediately dropped the broom and ran back to her room.
Inside the room, Taohua’s second younger sister, Chen Xiaoye, had already opened the window to watch the commotion outside.
Seeing Taohua enter, she pointed at the man in the yard and asked with a smile, “Big sister, is that the man who’s come to propose to you?”
Taohua followed her sister’s pointing finger and met the tall man’s gaze.
At that moment, she didn’t know what came over her—her entire face flushed hot.
She quickly closed the window, but her heart pounded fiercely in her chest.
Not long after, her mother, Mrs. Zhou, came in.
Mrs. Zhou first sent Chen Xiaoye out to play with her son Chen Bao, then took Taohua’s hand and asked quietly:
“Taohua, my dear, let me ask you—did you get a clear look at that man just now?”
Taohua nodded. “Yes, Mother, I saw him clearly.”
“Was he the one who saved you in the river yesterday?” Rumors in the village claimed her daughter had been intimate with a strange man by the river, but Mrs. Zhou didn’t believe such slander. She trusted her daughter.
Taohua nodded again. “Yes, it was him.”
“Good,” Mrs. Zhou said, though still uneasy. “Are you sure? You couldn’t have mistaken him?”
“No,” Taohua shook her head firmly. “I definitely didn’t mistake him.”
“Alright then,” Mrs. Zhou continued. “He came today to propose to you. He knows that saving you compromised your reputation, so he’s decided to take responsibility. I think he’s a man of integrity, and he looks decent too. The only thing is, his family has no land or fields. If you marry him, life might be quite hard. Are you willing?”
“Mother,” Taohua’s eyes reddened instantly. “What does it matter if life is hard? Could it be worse than now? Chen Dashan said just this morning he wanted to sell me to a brothel! If this man is willing to marry me, he’s saving me from a living hell. Of course I’m willing. But Mother, I can’t bear to leave you. I don’t want to be apart from you.”
“Silly child,” Mrs. Zhou wiped Taohua’s tears. “You probably don’t even know who he is or where he lives, do you?”
Taohua shook her head. “I don’t know. Tell me, Mother.”
“Mm!” At this, a smile couldn’t help but appear on Mrs. Zhou’s face. “Not just you—I’d never seen him before either, though I’d heard of him. Today was the first time I met him. His name is Qin Feng. He moved to the village half a year ago and lives in his grandfather’s old house at the foot of the mountain.
But his grandfather passed away long ago, and aside from that old house, he didn’t leave any land. Qin Feng makes a living by hunting, often not knowing where his next meal will come from. He lives a tight, frugal life alone.
Still, his home is close to ours—we’re in the same village. Even if you marry him, it’ll be easy to visit home, and if anything happens, you’ll have support nearby. Before, he was alone with no one to care for. Once you marry him, if you work hard, the two of you can clear some land at the foot of the mountain and grow crops. Life will surely get better. What do you think, Taohua?”
As she spoke, tears streamed down Mrs. Zhou’s face. “It’s my fault for not protecting you. All these years, you’ve suffered with me in the Chen family.”
“Mother,” Taohua choked up. “Don’t say that. I know you’ve suffered too. And I believe that as long as I work hard, we can have a good life in the future. I won’t just live well myself—I’ll make sure you and my younger siblings live well too!”
Mrs. Zhou shook her head. “Good child, as long as you take care of yourself, I’ll be at ease.”
Just then, Mrs. Zhou heard someone calling her from outside. She patted Taohua’s head gently and said, “Comb your hair properly. You might need to go out and meet people later.”
“I understand, Mother. You go attend to your business.”
But not long after Mrs. Zhou left, the door to Taohua’s room creaked open again.
This time, it was Taohua’s close friend, Sun Xiao Lan, who entered.
Sun Xiao Lan was the Village Chief’s granddaughter. She had six older sisters and no brothers at all. Seeing that her parents were getting older and couldn’t have more children, they simply decided to have her marry a man who would live in their home.
She had been married for less than three months, and she and her new husband were as inseparable as honey and oil. Taohua hadn’t had a proper conversation with her in a long time.
As soon as she arrived, she intimately linked arms with Taohua and said with a smile, “Congratulations, you’re finally going to marry yourself off this year. Oh, this is such a happy occasion, why are you crying?”
Taohua raised her hand to wipe the corner of her eye. “Do you think… he and I can live a good life together in the future?”
“Of course you can. That’s exactly why I’m here—to reassure you. Do you know his name is Qin Feng? He only moved to our White Cloud Village half a year ago.”
Taohua nodded. “My mother just told me, but she doesn’t know much about his background either.”
“Of course not. Even my grandfather doesn’t know. Some people in the village haven’t even seen his face. But I saw him half a year ago, right when he first returned to the village. He came to find my grandfather to act as a guarantor, something about going to the village head to sort out his household registration. Don’t be fooled by his rundown house—he’s very capable, especially at hunting. And he’s literate. Isn’t that something?
When he first arrived in the village, a lot of people gossiped about him. I remember it was summer then, and people wore lighter clothes. Someone saw a scar on his chest and started rumors that he had been a bandit outside. But have you ever seen a bandit who’s literate and so good-looking? I certainly don’t believe it.
So if anyone spreads rumors in front of you later, don’t believe them either. They’re just narrow-minded. Who says you have to be a bandit to know how to wield swords and knives? Aren’t there armed escorts who risk their lives too?
And do you know how many things he brought when he came to propose? Let me tell you, the whole village is envious of your family right now. He brought half a wild boar, said he hunted it in the mountains just yesterday, so it’s fresh. That’s at least fifty or sixty pounds of meat. There was also a pair of wild geese, a pair of rabbits, and I took a quick look—there seemed to be red dates, peanuts, and sugar too, all packed into two full baskets.”
“Really?” Mrs. Zhou hadn’t mentioned any of this when she came in earlier. Taohua couldn’t believe he had brought so many things. “But my mother said that with him, we might not know where our next meal is coming from.”
“Hmm…” Sun Xiao Lan frowned and thought for a moment. “That’s possible, but isn’t it because he doesn’t have a woman to manage the household? Once you marry him, won’t that be solved? If your family runs out of rice, just trade meat with me. Come here, I have something else to tell you!”
Sun Xiao Lan looked mysterious as she pulled Taohua to sit on the bed.
Taohua was puzzled. “What do you want to tell me?”
Sun Xiao Lan giggled and leaned close to Taohua’s ear. “I’m going to tell you about the wedding night.”
Taohua’s face flushed, and her ears grew hot. “This… my mother will probably tell me about it.”
“Your mother will definitely be too embarrassed to go into detail, but we’re good sisters—I can tell you everything.” Sun Xiao Lan lowered her voice even further. “They say tall men are… impressive down there. You’re so petite, I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle it, so I’m teaching you a few tricks in advance.”
At first, Taohua didn’t understand what Sun Xiao Lan meant by “technique,” but as she listened further, her face flushed so deeply it seemed about to drip blood!2 – I’m afraid you can’t handle it
When the sound of “thump, thump, thump” came from outside the courtyard, Taohua was sweeping the yard. Her mother, Mrs. Zhou, was preparing the family’s breakfast, her younger sister Chen Xiaoguo was feeding the chickens, and her second younger sister Chen Xiaoye was helping take care of their little brother.
Meanwhile, her stepfather Chen Dashan was already lounging with one leg crossed over the other, drinking liquor with a plate of peanuts.
As he drank, he cursed at Taohua:
“You useless thing! You’re so good at sneaking around with men, why haven’t you gone after Li Gui? I thought you could become the young mistress of the Li family. I’ve been feeding you well all this time, keeping you plump and fair, but when I tried to send you as a concubine, they didn’t even want you.
Pah! You worthless burden! What’s the use of raising you?! If you still don’t tell me who that man is, I’ll sell you off to the brothel tomorrow!”
Taohua had already died once before. Now, hearing her stepfather’s insults again, she was no longer afraid.
She stopped sweeping and turned to glare fiercely at Chen Dashan!
Just as she was about to grab the broom and confront him, the knocking outside grew louder.
At the same time, the Village Chief’s wife’s voice rang out: “Dashan, Mrs. Zhou, are you two home?”
Hearing someone call his name and noticing Taohua standing motionless in the yard with the broom in hand, Chen Dashan finally looked directly at her.
He was about to scold her, asking if she was deaf and why she wasn’t answering the door, when he noticed the strange look in her eyes.
Those eyes, filled with resentment and hatred, were like those of a little wolf cub!!
Just then, a cold breeze swept through the yard, and Chen Dashan couldn’t help but shiver.
The knocking continued. Seeing that Chen Dashan was the only one in the house not doing any work, Taohua swept farther and farther away with her broom.
She simply refused to answer the door—if anyone was going to open it, let Chen Dashan do it himself.
Thinking he would deal with the wretched girl later, Chen Dashan got up and went to open the courtyard gate.
As soon as the gate opened, he saw the Village Chief’s wife standing outside with a tall, sturdy man, followed by many neighbors who had clearly come to watch the commotion.
Before Chen Dashan could speak, the Village Chief’s wife announced the good news: “Where’s your Mrs. Zhou? Why isn’t she here? Your family has a happy occasion! Someone has come to propose marriage to Taohua!”
Hearing the words “propose marriage,” Taohua, who was still sweeping, immediately turned around.
She looked toward the gate and froze in place.
In the morning sunlight, the man stood tall and straight, his shoulders seemingly draped in a soft golden glow.
But that man… wasn’t he the one who had saved her from the river yesterday?
How had he found her home?!
Remembering she hadn’t even combed her hair that morning, Taohua immediately dropped the broom and ran back to her room.
Inside the room, Taohua’s second younger sister, Chen Xiaoye, had already opened the window to watch the commotion outside.
Seeing Taohua enter, she pointed at the man in the yard and asked with a smile, “Big sister, is that the man who’s come to propose to you?”
Taohua followed her sister’s pointing finger and met the tall man’s gaze.
At that moment, she didn’t know what came over her—her entire face flushed hot.
She quickly closed the window, but her heart pounded fiercely in her chest.
Not long after, her mother, Mrs. Zhou, came in.
Mrs. Zhou first sent Chen Xiaoye out to play with her son Chen Bao, then took Taohua’s hand and asked quietly:
“Taohua, my dear, let me ask you—did you get a clear look at that man just now?”
Taohua nodded. “Yes, Mother, I saw him clearly.”
“Was he the one who saved you in the river yesterday?” Rumors in the village claimed her daughter had been intimate with a strange man by the river, but Mrs. Zhou didn’t believe such slander. She trusted her daughter.
Taohua nodded again. “Yes, it was him.”
“Good,” Mrs. Zhou said, though still uneasy. “Are you sure? You couldn’t have mistaken him?”
“No,” Taohua shook her head firmly. “I definitely didn’t mistake him.”
“Alright then,” Mrs. Zhou continued. “He came today to propose to you. He knows that saving you compromised your reputation, so he’s decided to take responsibility. I think he’s a man of integrity, and he looks decent too. The only thing is, his family has no land or fields. If you marry him, life might be quite hard. Are you willing?”
“Mother,” Taohua’s eyes reddened instantly. “What does it matter if life is hard? Could it be worse than now? Chen Dashan said just this morning he wanted to sell me to a brothel! If this man is willing to marry me, he’s saving me from a living hell. Of course I’m willing. But Mother, I can’t bear to leave you. I don’t want to be apart from you.”
“Silly child,” Mrs. Zhou wiped Taohua’s tears. “You probably don’t even know who he is or where he lives, do you?”
Taohua shook her head. “I don’t know. Tell me, Mother.”
“Mm!” At this, a smile couldn’t help but appear on Mrs. Zhou’s face. “Not just you—I’d never seen him before either, though I’d heard of him. Today was the first time I met him. His name is Qin Feng. He moved to the village half a year ago and lives in his grandfather’s old house at the foot of the mountain.
But his grandfather passed away long ago, and aside from that old house, he didn’t leave any land. Qin Feng makes a living by hunting, often not knowing where his next meal will come from. He lives a tight, frugal life alone.
Still, his home is close to ours—we’re in the same village. Even if you marry him, it’ll be easy to visit home, and if anything happens, you’ll have support nearby. Before, he was alone with no one to care for. Once you marry him, if you work hard, the two of you can clear some land at the foot of the mountain and grow crops. Life will surely get better. What do you think, Taohua?”
As she spoke, tears streamed down Mrs. Zhou’s face. “It’s my fault for not protecting you. All these years, you’ve suffered with me in the Chen family.”
“Mother,” Taohua choked up. “Don’t say that. I know you’ve suffered too. And I believe that as long as I work hard, we can have a good life in the future. I won’t just live well myself—I’ll make sure you and my younger siblings live well too!”
Mrs. Zhou shook her head. “Good child, as long as you take care of yourself, I’ll be at ease.”
Just then, Mrs. Zhou heard someone calling her from outside. She patted Taohua’s head gently and said, “Comb your hair properly. You might need to go out and meet people later.”
“I understand, Mother. You go attend to your business.”
But not long after Mrs. Zhou left, the door to Taohua’s room creaked open again.
This time, it was Taohua’s close friend, Sun Xiao Lan, who entered.
Sun Xiao Lan was the Village Chief’s granddaughter. She had six older sisters and no brothers at all. Seeing that her parents were getting older and couldn’t have more children, they simply decided to have her marry a man who would live in their home.
She had been married for less than three months, and she and her new husband were as inseparable as honey and oil. Taohua hadn’t had a proper conversation with her in a long time.
As soon as she arrived, she intimately linked arms with Taohua and said with a smile, “Congratulations, you’re finally going to marry yourself off this year. Oh, this is such a happy occasion, why are you crying?”
Taohua raised her hand to wipe the corner of her eye. “Do you think… he and I can live a good life together in the future?”
“Of course you can. That’s exactly why I’m here—to reassure you. Do you know his name is Qin Feng? He only moved to our White Cloud Village half a year ago.”
Taohua nodded. “My mother just told me, but she doesn’t know much about his background either.”
“Of course not. Even my grandfather doesn’t know. Some people in the village haven’t even seen his face. But I saw him half a year ago, right when he first returned to the village. He came to find my grandfather to act as a guarantor, something about going to the village head to sort out his household registration. Don’t be fooled by his rundown house—he’s very capable, especially at hunting. And he’s literate. Isn’t that something?
When he first arrived in the village, a lot of people gossiped about him. I remember it was summer then, and people wore lighter clothes. Someone saw a scar on his chest and started rumors that he had been a bandit outside. But have you ever seen a bandit who’s literate and so good-looking? I certainly don’t believe it.
So if anyone spreads rumors in front of you later, don’t believe them either. They’re just narrow-minded. Who says you have to be a bandit to know how to wield swords and knives? Aren’t there armed escorts who risk their lives too?
And do you know how many things he brought when he came to propose? Let me tell you, the whole village is envious of your family right now. He brought half a wild boar, said he hunted it in the mountains just yesterday, so it’s fresh. That’s at least fifty or sixty pounds of meat. There was also a pair of wild geese, a pair of rabbits, and I took a quick look—there seemed to be red dates, peanuts, and sugar too, all packed into two full baskets.”
“Really?” Mrs. Zhou hadn’t mentioned any of this when she came in earlier. Taohua couldn’t believe he had brought so many things. “But my mother said that with him, we might not know where our next meal is coming from.”
“Hmm…” Sun Xiao Lan frowned and thought for a moment. “That’s possible, but isn’t it because he doesn’t have a woman to manage the household? Once you marry him, won’t that be solved? If your family runs out of rice, just trade meat with me. Come here, I have something else to tell you!”
Sun Xiao Lan looked mysterious as she pulled Taohua to sit on the bed.
Taohua was puzzled. “What do you want to tell me?”
Sun Xiao Lan giggled and leaned close to Taohua’s ear. “I’m going to tell you about the wedding night.”
Taohua’s face flushed, and her ears grew hot. “This… my mother will probably tell me about it.”
“Your mother will definitely be too embarrassed to go into detail, but we’re good sisters—I can tell you everything.” Sun Xiao Lan lowered her voice even further. “They say tall men are… impressive down there. You’re so petite, I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle it, so I’m teaching you a few tricks in advance.”
At first, Taohua didn’t understand what Sun Xiao Lan meant by “technique,” but as she listened further, her face flushed so deeply it seemed about to drip blood!