When he heard his daughter say she was hungry, Han Daliang’s fatherly instincts softened.
“I’ll go make you something to eat,” he said as he walked toward the door. Turning to Han Xiaoxiao, he added, “Xiaoxiao, stay with your sister. Don’t run around.”
Han Xiuxiu had never thought much of this father of hers. She had no patience for his regrets now. Not long after her birth mother died, he had remaried. Even though he knew perfectly well that their stepmother mistreated and neglected his two daughters, he had chosen to ignore it. Otherwise, the original Han Xiuxiu would never have been driven to jump into the river.
Now he was worried?
Where had all this concern been before?
Han Xiaoxiao crawled back to the bedside and quietly looked at her sister.
Han Xiuxiu reached out and gently rubbed her little sister’s head. Her soft, fine hair felt just like a puppy’s fur. If there was anything the original Han Xiuxiu couldn’t bear to leave behind, it was her younger sister.
Han Xiaoxiao looked at her sister and, seeing that she seemed truly alive now, broke into a smile that revealed two deep dimples.
Han Xiuxiu gently touched her sister’s face. The tears had already dried, leaving her skin tight and stiff. She couldn’t imagine how long the little girl had cried.
Han Xiaoxiao had been terrified today.
When she saw her elder sister carried home motionless, everyone had been whispering about whether she would survive. Though still very young, she already understood what death meant.
She had desperately wanted to see her sister, but the crowd had squeezed her into a corner. Later, when their father and stepmother started arguing and even fighting, she had been too frightened to make a sound. Only after everyone had left did she dare come over.
Now that Han Xiuxiu was stroking her head again like before, only then did she finally smile.
“Don’t cry anymore, Xiaoxiao. Your sister isn’t going to die. I’ll be fine.”
Hearing those comforting words, Han Xiaoxiao sniffled and buried her face in the quilt, pressing herself tightly against her sister.
Han Xiuxiu looked around the dim, shabby room.
No matter what, being alive was already better than being dead.
No matter how bad life became, it couldn’t be worse than dying.
She knew exactly how death felt.
With nothing else to do, Han Xiuxiu began sorting through the original owner’s memories, trying to understand why she had jumped into the river.
She had already overheard Han Daliang arguing with her stepmother, Madam Li, and had guessed most of the reason.
But the memories still shocked her.
The original Han Xiuxiu actually knew how to swim.
To prepare for her plan, she had secretly practiced for a long time in the pond behind the mountain. Though all she knew was a clumsy dog paddle, it was enough to keep herself afloat for a while instead of immediately sinking.
She had deliberately timed her jump.
She had long been in love with the hunter who lived behind the mountain.
Unfortunately, fate hadn’t favored her.
She never woke up again.
Han Xiuxiu sighed.
The original owner truly had lived a miserable life.
That night, the Han household was strangely peaceful.
Han Daliang struggled in the kitchen before finally making a bowl of egg drop soup. Unfortunately, he had added too much salt, and it tasted bitterly salty. Embarrassed, he scratched the back of his head.
Han Xiuxiu ate a bowl of rice with the soup.
After eating, strength slowly returned to her weak body. She stood and looked out the window.
Scattered oil lamps flickered throughout Shouyun Village.
Country folk were frugal. Once night fell, most simply shut their doors and went to bed. Very few households wasted lamp oil.
Listening to the insects chirping and the wind rustling outside, the night seemed unusually quiet.
Early the next morning, members of the Zhang family arrived to reclaim the engagement gifts they had previously delivered.
The marriage was officially canceled.
Not only that, they thoroughly berated Madam Li.
They had merely wanted a willing bride.
Yes, their son wasn’t very bright, but the Zhang family was wealthy. A woman who married into their household would never worry about food or clothing. Wasn’t that better than scraping out a living dependent on the weather?
Now, because Han Xiuxiu had tried to kill herself, everyone believed the Zhang family had driven a young woman to suicide.
Their reputation had been ruined.
Who would dare marry a daughter into their family now?
Madam Li hid inside and refused to come out.
Han Daliang stood outside, his face alternating between red and pale as he endured every insult.
This was the greatest humiliation of his life.
But just as Madam Li had said yesterday, he himself had agreed to marry his daughter into the Zhang family.
He had failed as a father.
If others looked down on him, he deserved it.
After the Zhang family left, Han Daliang knocked on Madam Li’s door.
“Come out. We need to talk.”
After a long silence, she opened the door.
The moment she stepped outside, Han Daliang noticed how swollen her eyes were from crying.
The harsh words he had prepared suddenly caught in his throat.
His heart wasn’t at ease either.
After his wife died, he had been left with two daughters.
Madam Li had willingly married him and even borne him a son.
No matter how wrong she’d been, he couldn’t place all the blame on her alone.
She had made mistakes.
But he, as their father, had failed his responsibilities too.
Life still had to go on.
After thinking for a long time, Han Daliang reached a conclusion.
Han Xiuxiu still had to get married.
The Zhang family was no longer an option.
If reputation no longer mattered, she could marry an old widower, an aging bachelor, or someone living far away.
But he still felt guilty toward his daughter.
After much consideration, he finally made up his mind.
He would marry Han Xiuxiu to the hunter who had saved her.
He knew the young man’s background.
The hunter was around twenty years old and still unmarried.
His family was extremely poor.
He owned no farmland and survived entirely by hunting.
Parents who truly cherished their daughters would never choose such a husband.
Still…
The young man was handsome, tall, and strong.
Even if Han Xiuxiu suffered after marriage…
Perhaps that was simply her fate.
“Stop crying,” Han Daliang told Madam Li.
“We’ll keep living our lives. Don’t mind what outsiders say.”
“As for Xiuxiu… I’ve decided to marry her to that hunter.”
“We won’t ask for any bride price.”
“As long as he’s willing to marry her.”
Madam Li was deeply reluctant to lose such a wealthy match as the Zhang family.
But things had already reached this point.
“You are her father,” she replied.
“You decide.”
After discussing it a little longer, the matter was settled.
Han Daliang called Han Xiuxiu over.
“Xiuxiu, the engagement with the Zhang family has been canceled.”
“But your reputation has also been ruined.”
“You won’t be able to marry into a good family anymore.”
“I’ll go ask that hunter whether he’s willing to marry you.”
“If he agrees…”
“You’ll marry him.”
Han Xiuxiu opened her mouth to protest.
She wanted to say she didn’t want to marry anyone.
But the words stopped on her lips.
This was ancient China.
As an unmarried daughter, she had virtually no power to resist.
She could only nod.
Besides…
Marrying that hunter had been one of the original Han Xiuxiu’s greatest wishes.
Since she had taken over this body…
The least she could do was fulfill that wish.
Meanwhile, Lu Yunfei was carefully scraping fat from a deer hide.
The pelt wasn’t particularly large and wouldn’t fetch much money, but after proper tanning it would make an excellent pair of boots.
Removing the grease was delicate work.
One careless cut would ruin the entire hide.
From a distance, Lu Yunfei spotted Han Daliang walking up the mountain path.
It was nearly dusk.
Han Daliang certainly wasn’t collecting firewood or going hunting.
Only one household stood halfway up the mountain—
Lu Yunfei’s.
So he was obviously here to see him.
Lu Yunfei rarely interacted with the villagers except to occasionally trade game for grain.
The only recent connection between them had been yesterday afternoon…
When he rescued a young woman.
Returning from town, he had passed the river outside the village.
He saw a slender figure.
Then—
Splash.
The young woman had thrown herself straight into the river.
Without thinking, he jumped in after her.
The spring water was icy cold.
By the time he pulled her ashore, her face had turned pale blue and she had already lost consciousness.
If she wasn’t rescued immediately, she would certainly die.
She wasn’t breathing.
Without hesitation, Lu Yunfei forced the water from her lungs and repeatedly pressed on her chest to restore her breathing.
At the time, saving her life had been his only concern.
He hadn’t spared a thought for whether touching an unmarried woman would damage her reputation.
Looking back now…
He remembered the unexpected softness beneath his hands.
Her soaked clothes had clung tightly to her body.
Her fair neck, exposed by the wet fabric, had been almost dazzlingly white.
Just then, his black dog barked furiously at Han Daliang, snapping him back to reality.
Along the walk here, Han Daliang had rehearsed his words countless times.
He was an honest man who had never liked forcing others into anything.
Lu Yunfei opened the gate.
After Han Daliang introduced himself, they entered the courtyard.
Since darkness was falling, they carried stools outside to talk.
Han Daliang took a long drag from his pipe before speaking.
He felt somewhat ashamed.
Lu Yunfei had saved his daughter.
Wasn’t asking him to marry her repaying kindness with obligation?
Then another thought crossed his mind.
The young hunter wasn’t married.
Wouldn’t he be getting a wife for free?
Perhaps he ought to thank him instead.
That thought gave Han Daliang a little courage.
“Brother Lu, thank you for saving my daughter yesterday. Everything happened so suddenly that I never properly thanked you. Once she’s fully recovered, I’ll bring her here to kowtow before you.”
Lu Yunfei smiled.
“You’re too polite, Uncle. It was only the right thing to do. Has your daughter awakened?”
“Yes.”
Han Daliang sighed.
“She’s fine now. I simply failed to raise her well. She wanted to throw her life away over a trivial matter. Her mother and I were worried sick. If not for you, we’d have had to bury our own child.”
The sun disappeared behind the mountains.
Darkness slowly settled.
Han Daliang continued talking.
“She’s my only daughter. She’s had a hard life. Her mother died before she was even ten. Before I knew it, she’d grown up… old enough to marry…”
He rambled on for quite some time.
Lu Yunfei listened patiently, nodding occasionally.
Inside, however, he was growing impatient.
Why couldn’t the old man simply say what he wanted?
Finally, after all the buildup, Han Daliang reached the point.
“You saved my Xiuxiu in front of so many people.”
“I’m grateful beyond words.”
“But she’s an unmarried girl.”
“You held her in your arms…”
He sighed deeply.
“If she’d died, that would have been the end of it.”
“But she lived.”
“Now… how can she ever preserve her reputation?”
“I’m afraid no one will marry her anymore.”
Lu Yunfei looked up.
“Uncle, it isn’t that serious. I only touched her to save her life. There was no other choice.”
“Maybe so,” Han Daliang replied.
“But country people value a woman’s reputation above all else.”
Lu Yunfei’s gaze settled on the visibly embarrassed old man.
Han Daliang swallowed hard.
“Could Uncle ask you for one favor?”
He hesitated before finally saying it.
“Will you marry my Xiuxiu?”