Early the next morning, Tang Yiren carried a wooden basin filled with dirty clothes to the riverside to do laundry.
The sky was still early, and it wasn’t the busy farming season, so every household was still lying in bed. Her figure, holding the basin, became a sight in the village.
Tang Yiren squatted by the river, soaked the clothes, then rubbed them with soapberries, wielding the laundry stick to beat them vigorously.
Splash splash! Thump thump! Splash splash! Thump thump!
She worked briskly, full of energy.
A few small birds flew over the river, chirping as if greeting her.
Tang Yiren looked up at the direction the birds flew away, her gaze distant.
Since following Wen Shuyu to the capital for the imperial exams, she had only returned here once when visiting family, and never again after that. When she suffered grievances in the capital, she had thought of the rural village that raised her, but the memories were like veiled in a layer of gauze, impossible to recall clearly.
Now that she had returned again, looking at the scenery before her, the barren land she once despised the most had become a paradise in her heart.
“Yiren, little sister…” A gentle voice broke the morning silence.
Hearing this voice, Tang Yiren instinctively shivered, stiffening, afraid to turn around.
She maintained her original posture, and as the footsteps behind her grew closer, she took a deep breath, slowly stood up, and then turned around.
The eighteen-year-old Wen Shuyu walked over in cloth shoes. At this time, he was still very young, his cloth clothes washed to a faded white, with a hint of youthful innocence between his brows.
His appearance was excellent; otherwise, he wouldn’t have deceived her past self into unwavering devotion. In her past life, she was foolish, unable to see through his false affections. Now, back ten years, looking at this man again, she realized he had been a hypocritical, selfish, and shameless scoundrel from the very beginning.
“Why are you here? Oh, I forgot, your home is right across. As long as you step out, you can see the riverside.” Tang Yiren said calmly, “What do you want?”
“Yiren, little sister, I wanted to explain to you. The day before yesterday, when your sister fell into the water, I thought she was your sister and couldn’t just watch her drown, so I saved her. I never imagined she would cling to me because of it, insisting on marrying me. My heart belongs only to you, but I can’t shirk responsibility.”
“What do you mean by telling me this today?” Tang Yiren looked at Wen Shuyu. “Do you want to have both, enjoy the blessings of two wives, and marry both of us sisters?”
Wen Shuyu said uncomfortably, “Your grandparents probably wouldn’t agree, right?”
“Any normal person probably wouldn’t agree, right? Or do you think I’m so cheap that I’d rush to be your concubine, which is why you’re saying this to me?”
Wen Shuyu stared at Tang Yiren in astonishment.
Before him, Tang Yiren’s small face was cold, her features—much prettier than Tang Linglong’s—filled with anger, her almond-shaped eyes full of sarcasm and disdain.
Wen Shuyu had never seen Tang Yiren like this before. Over the years, Tang Yiren had been gentle, understanding, considerate, always putting him first, and speaking softly.
“The day before yesterday, when Tang Linglong fell into the water, the second branch of the Tang family proposed changing the marriage arrangement, and you agreed immediately. It shows that your so-called ‘you are the only one in my heart’ is as laughable as a joke.” Tang Yiren didn’t want to waste time engaging in empty pleasantries with him. “Originally, if you hadn’t come looking for me, I wouldn’t have wanted to tear off your hypocritical mask. But since you’re here, let’s just lay everything out in the open.”
“No, Yiren, I really had no choice.” Wen Shuyu still wanted to keep sweet-talking her.
“I’ll call Tang Linglong over right now. Tell her you don’t want to marry her, that your heart belongs only to me. Do you dare?” Tang Yiren delivered a heavy blow.
Wen Shuyu’s expression shifted, his lips parting slightly.
“If you don’t dare, then don’t bother me anymore.” Tang Yiren frowned. “Go back and prepare properly for your marriage with Tang Linglong! In the future, if we meet in the village, don’t speak to me. I don’t want people gossiping.”
Seeing Tang Yiren so determined to cut ties, Wen Shuyu felt displeased.
Their engagement had been arranged since childhood. For the past seven years, Tang Yiren and her family had been constantly helping the Wen family, to the point where his family had grown accustomed to the Tang family’s main branch revolving around them. Over the past two days, with the Tang family not coming around, they had even felt somewhat uncomfortable. Most importantly, compared to Tang Linglong, Tang Yiren was indeed gentler, more obedient, and prettier.
If only Tang Yiren’s family circumstances were better. But everyone knew that the Tang family’s main branch was descended from the first wife and held no status within the Tang family. Marrying Tang Yiren would bring him no help from the Tang family. Tang Linglong was different—her father worked as a shopkeeper in the city, her brother was his classmate, and her family’s conditions were far more advantageous for him.
Wen Shuyu stood there foolishly, lost in thought, his face filled with conflict and calculation.
In the past, Tang Yiren couldn’t see through the hypocrisy on his face. But now, with memories of ten years spent with him, she understood every shift in his expression and saw right through him.
Seeing that he still wouldn’t leave, and with villagers gradually waking up and about to start their day, she knew it would be hard to explain if they were seen together.
Spotting a figure walking ahead, her eyes lit up, and she hurriedly ran after him. “Brother Song, wait…”
Song Lichuan stopped upon hearing her voice, turned around, and saw Tang Yiren running toward him.
Tang Yiren lifted her small face, clutching the hem of Song Lichuan’s clothes, and said, “Your clothes are dirty. Let me help you wash them. I’m doing laundry anyway.”
Song Lichuan looked down. While loading the tiger onto the oxcart earlier, he had gotten a bit of bloodstain on his clothes—they were indeed soiled.
But…
He glanced toward the riverbank and, upon seeing Wen Shuyu standing there, understood the situation somewhat.
Tang Yiren’s cheeks flushed, and she stole a guilty glance at him.
She hadn’t missed Song Lichuan’s gaze and knew he had already spotted Wen Shuyu.
“I was doing laundry when he suddenly came over. I was afraid someone might see us, and then even if I jumped into this river, I wouldn’t be able to clear my name…”
Song Lichuan took off his outer garment and handed it to her.
Tang Yiren took it and glanced back. Wen Shuyu had left as soon as he saw Song Lichuan, running faster than a rabbit—so cowardly it was contemptible.
She felt even more convinced that her past self had been blind, to have been so devoted to someone like him and suffered so much for his sake.
Although Wen Shuyu had already left, Tang Yiren still accepted Song Lichuan’s clothes. First, because Wen Shuyu’s home was nearby—if she returned Song Lichuan’s clothes, Wen Shuyu would surely come back to pester her again. Second, she owed Song Lichuan such a great favor that washing a piece of clothing for him was a trivial matter; she couldn’t let him lose face.
Tang Yiren carried Song Lichuan’s dirty clothes back to the riverside. Hearing footsteps behind her, she glanced back and saw Song Lichuan’s figure.
“Do you have something else?” Tang Yiren asked.
“It’s a bit hot. I’m going to wash my face by the river,” Song Lichuan replied calmly.
“Oh…” Without suspecting anything, Tang Yiren turned and walked back to the riverside.