4 – Following him means good things
But Taohua had only just left her home when Sun Xiao Lan caught up to her.
Mysteriously, she pulled Taohua aside, away from Qin Feng, and asked, “By the way, you left in such a hurry, you probably haven’t prepared wedding clothes yet, right? Today is a double celebration for you—first, you’re getting married, and second, you’ve finally escaped the Chen family’s pit of fire. You should make it festive no matter what.
If you don’t mind, you can use my wedding clothes. We’re about the same size, and my husband and your man are similar in build too. You two will definitely fit into ours!”
“Thank you, Xiao Lan, but I don’t need them. My mother brought me the wedding clothes she wore when she got married and told me to change into them when I go to the Qin family. I just didn’t have time to do it at home earlier.”
“What about your man? Has he prepared anything?”
Taohua glanced back at Qin Feng and whispered to Sun Xiao Lan, “Probably not. He saved me yesterday, came to propose today, and I’m going home with him right away. How could he have prepared so much in advance?”
“Then go ask him,” Sun Xiao Lan suggested. “Ask if he’s willing to wear my husband’s clothes. Getting married is a big deal.”
“Alright,” Taohua bit her lip. “Wait here for a moment. I’ll go ask him and be right back.”
“Go ahead, go ahead.”
Taohua hummed in agreement and jogged over to Qin Feng.
Qin Feng was so tall that standing before him, she seemed especially petite.
Despite her boldness at the Chen family earlier, even begging Qin Feng to marry her in front of so many people, now that she was alone with him, she felt timid.
And constantly bringing up the topic of marriage made her shy!
Her face flushed, and she didn’t dare look at Qin Feng, keeping her head down as she whispered, “You probably haven’t prepared wedding clothes, right? The one who just spoke to me is Xiao Lan, the Village Chief’s daughter. She’s my good friend, and she and her husband just got married not long ago. She said she could lend us their wedding clothes. Do… do you want to wear them?”
Finally, she managed to get the words out, her voice trembling slightly by the end, her heart pounding wildly.
Even though she was marrying in a hurry, she still looked forward to the wedding ceremony. After all, it only happened once in a lifetime, and she naturally hoped her husband would wear wedding clothes with her to bow to heaven and earth. Even if he had no elders and she had severed ties with the Chen family, just bowing to each other as husband and wife would be nice.
Of course, she was also aware.
Qin Feng had only married her out of necessity, and on top of that, he had spent an extra fifteen taels of silver. Perhaps he didn’t even consider this a joyous occasion at all, so Taohua was prepared for him to react coldly.
But even though she had mentally prepared herself, when she heard Qin Feng’s reply, she still felt a pang of sadness.
With her head lowered, Qin Feng couldn’t see her expression clearly. He simply replied, “I think it’s better not to. I haven’t prepared anything yet. Please thank your friend for her kindness on my behalf. We’ll invite them over for a visit another day.”
“Oh…” Taohua hung her head, hiding the disappointment in her eyes, then turned and ran back to Sun Xiao Lan.
However, she didn’t show it in front of Sun Xiao Lan. Instead, she smiled and said, “No need. He’s a bit taller and is afraid of stretching your clothes. He asked me to thank you for your kindness and said we’ll invite you over for a visit another day.”
“Is that so? Then I’ll be waiting for that wedding feast you’ll make up for!” Seeing the light unconsciously sparkle in Taohua’s eyes when she mentioned Qin Feng, Sun Xiao Lan smiled and headed home.
Taohua also turned and followed Qin Feng forward, always keeping a step’s distance between them.
If Taohua didn’t speak first, Qin Feng remained silent.
They walked and walked, finally arriving at Qin Feng’s house.
Qin Feng’s home was backed by a large bamboo grove, without even a courtyard.
The kitchen was connected to a storage room, piled with firewood and hunting tools.
Taohua knew this was newly built by Qin Feng, because when she used to go up the mountain, she had passed by here before—back then, there was only a dilapidated thatched hut.
Now, even that old thatched hut had been renovated by Qin Feng, looking like it wouldn’t leak rain or let in wind anymore.
But the house was very small, containing only a bed, a square table with four stools, a wardrobe, and a chest, with no extra space for other furniture.
Just as Taohua was feeling awkward, Qin Feng’s deep voice sounded above her head: “Put your things in that wardrobe over there. I’ll go outside to tidy up.”
Taohua gave an “Mm” and walked toward the wardrobe by the bed.
After a moment’s thought, she turned back and asked Qin Feng: “Brother Qin, can I help you tidy up your things too?”
Qin Feng glanced back at her: “From now on, this is your home. You can arrange things however you like.”
With that, he turned and left. Taohua watched his tall, broad back, and a blush involuntarily rose to her face.
From now on, this was her home!
This man was her man!!
Taohua had always been diligent. After tidying up her own and Qin Feng’s clothes, she carried the quilt outside, planning to air it out while the sun was strong.
When she arrived, she had already carefully observed: in front of the house was a large rock, which, once swept clean, would be perfect for airing the quilt.
When she carried the quilt out, Qin Feng was skinning a rabbit. Seeing her, he asked: “Need help?”
Taohua shook her head: “No, it’s not heavy.”
As she spoke, Taohua spread the quilt over the large rock. While bending over to arrange it, she raised her voice and said: “Brother Qin, why don’t we make a clothesline too? We can just cut two forked bamboo poles and lay another bamboo pole across the middle. That’s how everyone in the village does it. We can lean it against the wall—it’ll be convenient for drying clothes and airing quilts.”
Qin Feng had been focused on skinning the rabbit, but hearing Taohua’s words, he looked up in her direction.
With just one glance, Qin Feng averted his eyes.
“You—” Qin Feng frowned deeply, unsure how to say it. After a moment’s hesitation, he spoke: “You’re bleeding. Go take care of it.”
Taohua was bent over, her body arched. Hearing Qin Feng’s words, she hurriedly looked back.
In her fluster, her menstrual flow became even more intense. She didn’t even bother with the quilt anymore; blushing, she ran back into the house.
After frantically rummaging through her things like a chaotic battle and finding a set of clean clothes, Taohua collapsed onto the bed, unable to get up. So embarrassing, utterly mortifying!
Not long after, Qin Feng came over. Through the window, he said to Taohua: “There’s no water left at home. I’m going outside to fetch a couple of buckets. I’ll be back soon.”
“Mm!” Taohua buried her face in the bedding and responded in a muffled voice.
After hearing Qin Feng walk away, she closed the door properly and changed her clothes.
After dealing with the menstrual cloth, she prepared to wash the clothes.
While looking for a basin, she discovered that Qin Feng had already piped water down from the mountain using bamboo.
There was no need to go out to fetch water for household use, yet he had just said he was going out to fetch water… He must have done it to give her some privacy.
Thinking of this, Taohua felt a warmth in her heart.
By the time Taohua finished washing the clothes and hanging them up, Qin Feng had returned from outside carrying water.
Just then, it was time for lunch, so Taohua prepared to cook.
But she was unfamiliar with this new home—she didn’t know where the firewood, rice, oil, and salt were kept. Moreover, with her period, the flow was heavy… she could barely move her legs.
Qin Feng noticed her difficulty and told her to sit by the fire and not worry about anything else. He himself washed the rice and cut the meat.
Seeing him chop the rabbit, Taohua couldn’t help but salivate.
Back at the Chen family, they only ate meat during the New Year. The few chickens they raised were for laying eggs, and when the chickens finally laid eggs, Chen Dashan would trade them for wine.
Apart from Chen Dashan and her younger brother Chen Bao, she, her mother, and her two younger sisters never got to taste any meat.
Yet, on her first day married to Qin Feng, she was going to eat meat!
Taohua was excited and full of anticipation, but she didn’t want to show it too obviously in front of Qin Feng, so she secretly swallowed her saliva.
Although Qin Feng wasn’t staring at Taohua, he heard the young girl swallowing.
His hand chopping the meat paused for a moment, and he suddenly asked Taohua, “Can you eat spicy food?”
“Huh?” Taohua was momentarily confused but quickly understood, answering softly, “I can’t really handle spicy food.”
Qin Feng gave a noncommittal “hmm” and said nothing more. When stewing the meat, he didn’t add any chili peppers, even though he himself loved spicy food…4 – Following him means good things
But Taohua had only just left her home when Sun Xiao Lan caught up to her.
Mysteriously, she pulled Taohua aside, away from Qin Feng, and asked, “By the way, you left in such a hurry, you probably haven’t prepared wedding clothes yet, right? Today is a double celebration for you—first, you’re getting married, and second, you’ve finally escaped the Chen family’s pit of fire. You should make it festive no matter what.
If you don’t mind, you can use my wedding clothes. We’re about the same size, and my husband and your man are similar in build too. You two will definitely fit into ours!”
“Thank you, Xiao Lan, but I don’t need them. My mother brought me the wedding clothes she wore when she got married and told me to change into them when I go to the Qin family. I just didn’t have time to do it at home earlier.”
“What about your man? Has he prepared anything?”
Taohua glanced back at Qin Feng and whispered to Sun Xiao Lan, “Probably not. He saved me yesterday, came to propose today, and I’m going home with him right away. How could he have prepared so much in advance?”
“Then go ask him,” Sun Xiao Lan suggested. “Ask if he’s willing to wear my husband’s clothes. Getting married is a big deal.”
“Alright,” Taohua bit her lip. “Wait here for a moment. I’ll go ask him and be right back.”
“Go ahead, go ahead.”
Taohua hummed in agreement and jogged over to Qin Feng.
Qin Feng was so tall that standing before him, she seemed especially petite.
Despite her boldness at the Chen family earlier, even begging Qin Feng to marry her in front of so many people, now that she was alone with him, she felt timid.
And constantly bringing up the topic of marriage made her shy!
Her face flushed, and she didn’t dare look at Qin Feng, keeping her head down as she whispered, “You probably haven’t prepared wedding clothes, right? The one who just spoke to me is Xiao Lan, the Village Chief’s daughter. She’s my good friend, and she and her husband just got married not long ago. She said she could lend us their wedding clothes. Do… do you want to wear them?”
Finally, she managed to get the words out, her voice trembling slightly by the end, her heart pounding wildly.
Even though she was marrying in a hurry, she still looked forward to the wedding ceremony. After all, it only happened once in a lifetime, and she naturally hoped her husband would wear wedding clothes with her to bow to heaven and earth. Even if he had no elders and she had severed ties with the Chen family, just bowing to each other as husband and wife would be nice.
Of course, she was also aware.
Qin Feng had only married her out of necessity, and on top of that, he had spent an extra fifteen taels of silver. Perhaps he didn’t even consider this a joyous occasion at all, so Taohua was prepared for him to react coldly.
But even though she had mentally prepared herself, when she heard Qin Feng’s reply, she still felt a pang of sadness.
With her head lowered, Qin Feng couldn’t see her expression clearly. He simply replied, “I think it’s better not to. I haven’t prepared anything yet. Please thank your friend for her kindness on my behalf. We’ll invite them over for a visit another day.”
“Oh…” Taohua hung her head, hiding the disappointment in her eyes, then turned and ran back to Sun Xiao Lan.
However, she didn’t show it in front of Sun Xiao Lan. Instead, she smiled and said, “No need. He’s a bit taller and is afraid of stretching your clothes. He asked me to thank you for your kindness and said we’ll invite you over for a visit another day.”
“Is that so? Then I’ll be waiting for that wedding feast you’ll make up for!” Seeing the light unconsciously sparkle in Taohua’s eyes when she mentioned Qin Feng, Sun Xiao Lan smiled and headed home.
Taohua also turned and followed Qin Feng forward, always keeping a step’s distance between them.
If Taohua didn’t speak first, Qin Feng remained silent.
They walked and walked, finally arriving at Qin Feng’s house.
Qin Feng’s home was backed by a large bamboo grove, without even a courtyard.
The kitchen was connected to a storage room, piled with firewood and hunting tools.
Taohua knew this was newly built by Qin Feng, because when she used to go up the mountain, she had passed by here before—back then, there was only a dilapidated thatched hut.
Now, even that old thatched hut had been renovated by Qin Feng, looking like it wouldn’t leak rain or let in wind anymore.
But the house was very small, containing only a bed, a square table with four stools, a wardrobe, and a chest, with no extra space for other furniture.
Just as Taohua was feeling awkward, Qin Feng’s deep voice sounded above her head: “Put your things in that wardrobe over there. I’ll go outside to tidy up.”
Taohua gave an “Mm” and walked toward the wardrobe by the bed.
After a moment’s thought, she turned back and asked Qin Feng: “Brother Qin, can I help you tidy up your things too?”
Qin Feng glanced back at her: “From now on, this is your home. You can arrange things however you like.”
With that, he turned and left. Taohua watched his tall, broad back, and a blush involuntarily rose to her face.
From now on, this was her home!
This man was her man!!
Taohua had always been diligent. After tidying up her own and Qin Feng’s clothes, she carried the quilt outside, planning to air it out while the sun was strong.
When she arrived, she had already carefully observed: in front of the house was a large rock, which, once swept clean, would be perfect for airing the quilt.
When she carried the quilt out, Qin Feng was skinning a rabbit. Seeing her, he asked: “Need help?”
Taohua shook her head: “No, it’s not heavy.”
As she spoke, Taohua spread the quilt over the large rock. While bending over to arrange it, she raised her voice and said: “Brother Qin, why don’t we make a clothesline too? We can just cut two forked bamboo poles and lay another bamboo pole across the middle. That’s how everyone in the village does it. We can lean it against the wall—it’ll be convenient for drying clothes and airing quilts.”
Qin Feng had been focused on skinning the rabbit, but hearing Taohua’s words, he looked up in her direction.
With just one glance, Qin Feng averted his eyes.
“You—” Qin Feng frowned deeply, unsure how to say it. After a moment’s hesitation, he spoke: “You’re bleeding. Go take care of it.”
Taohua was bent over, her body arched. Hearing Qin Feng’s words, she hurriedly looked back.
In her fluster, her menstrual flow became even more intense. She didn’t even bother with the quilt anymore; blushing, she ran back into the house.
After frantically rummaging through her things like a chaotic battle and finding a set of clean clothes, Taohua collapsed onto the bed, unable to get up. So embarrassing, utterly mortifying!
Not long after, Qin Feng came over. Through the window, he said to Taohua: “There’s no water left at home. I’m going outside to fetch a couple of buckets. I’ll be back soon.”
“Mm!” Taohua buried her face in the bedding and responded in a muffled voice.
After hearing Qin Feng walk away, she closed the door properly and changed her clothes.
After dealing with the menstrual cloth, she prepared to wash the clothes.
While looking for a basin, she discovered that Qin Feng had already piped water down from the mountain using bamboo.
There was no need to go out to fetch water for household use, yet he had just said he was going out to fetch water… He must have done it to give her some privacy.
Thinking of this, Taohua felt a warmth in her heart.
By the time Taohua finished washing the clothes and hanging them up, Qin Feng had returned from outside carrying water.
Just then, it was time for lunch, so Taohua prepared to cook.
But she was unfamiliar with this new home—she didn’t know where the firewood, rice, oil, and salt were kept. Moreover, with her period, the flow was heavy… she could barely move her legs.
Qin Feng noticed her difficulty and told her to sit by the fire and not worry about anything else. He himself washed the rice and cut the meat.
Seeing him chop the rabbit, Taohua couldn’t help but salivate.
Back at the Chen family, they only ate meat during the New Year. The few chickens they raised were for laying eggs, and when the chickens finally laid eggs, Chen Dashan would trade them for wine.
Apart from Chen Dashan and her younger brother Chen Bao, she, her mother, and her two younger sisters never got to taste any meat.
Yet, on her first day married to Qin Feng, she was going to eat meat!
Taohua was excited and full of anticipation, but she didn’t want to show it too obviously in front of Qin Feng, so she secretly swallowed her saliva.
Although Qin Feng wasn’t staring at Taohua, he heard the young girl swallowing.
His hand chopping the meat paused for a moment, and he suddenly asked Taohua, “Can you eat spicy food?”
“Huh?” Taohua was momentarily confused but quickly understood, answering softly, “I can’t really handle spicy food.”
Qin Feng gave a noncommittal “hmm” and said nothing more. When stewing the meat, he didn’t add any chili peppers, even though he himself loved spicy food…