Qiao Yue hugged himself tightly, still looking at him with fear. Who wouldn’t be afraid of ghosts? He was definitely scared. “Who told you to act all weird and hesitant?”
Tian Zhuzi removed the leaves from his head and rolled his eyes. “I was just embarrassed.”
“If I had been with you that day, you wouldn’t have been schemed against and forced to marry Fang Ge’er,” Tian Zhuzi explained. He had tried to find Qiao Yue these past few days, but every time he got there, he couldn’t bring himself to speak and ended up leaving.
After much hesitation, if Qiao Yue didn’t come, Tian Zhuzi would go find him in a few days.
“This has nothing to do with you. Fang Ge’er is innocent. It’s my fault for dragging him into this,” Qiao Yue said seriously, explaining what happened that night and asking why Tian Zhuzi thought that way.
Tian Zhuzi replied, “It seems like everyone is saying that.” People who cursed Zhao Fulang and Lin Ge’er didn’t spare Fang Ge’er either, saying they must have been in cahoots for a long time. Otherwise, how could they have saved him so coincidentally?
The Fang family explained that they just happened to see someone acting suspiciously and went in, but Fang’s father and mother had little influence, and others didn’t take it seriously.
Qiao Yue said, “No matter what the Fang family says, it’s wrong. They just want to say it like that.”
Even if Fang Chuyue really did what he said and went in out of goodwill after seeing someone acting suspiciously, people wouldn’t think he was innocent.
Because sneaking in was wrong, and because he was a Ge’er.
“Then I misunderstood him. I’ll apologize to him later,” Tian Zhuzi said, scratching his head awkwardly.
“Do as you like,” Qiao Yue said, waving his hand. “Let me talk to him first. Don’t go yet.”
If someone unfamiliar suddenly came to apologize after talking behind his back, Qiao Yue would just think they were crazy.
Tian Zhuzi nodded, agreeing to do whatever Qiao Yue said. “Shanzi, wait for me a moment.”
He ran back inside and came out again. “Here, take this.”
Qiao Yue looked at the wooden board in front of him, with ten movable blocks of different sizes inside a rectangular frame. “Huarong Dao… Did you make this?”
Tian Zhuzi replied, “Yes, look at the top.”
Huarong Dao wasn’t hard to make. Even someone like Tian Zhuzi, who was only half-skilled in carpentry, could replicate it.
Qiao Yue examined the strange stick figures carved on the Huarong Dao, pointing at the largest one. “Is this supposed to be Cao Mengde?”
“No, can’t you tell? This is you, and the one next to it is me, hehe…”
Qiao Yue was speechless. “…???”
Who could tell that? And there was no need to apologize so earnestly.
However, Qiao Yue touched the smooth surface, knowing that Tian Zhuzi had put in a lot of effort to polish it for the apology.
“Something’s not right. This doesn’t seem like you,” Qiao Yue had felt something was off for a while. Tian Zhuzi was straightforward, sometimes to the point of being blunt. He wasn’t the type to buy gifts and apologize.
Tian Zhuzi looked a bit embarrassed, his dark face turning red. “It was Sister Juan who told me to.”
“Oh…” Qiao Yue teased, “Sister Juan.” Making Tian Zhuzi even more embarrassed.
Qiao Yue waved the Huarong Dao in his hand. “I’m off. Remember to come to my wedding on the sixth of next month.”
Tian Zhuzi, forgetting his embarrassment, asked, “What about Wang Ming? Shanzi, what do you plan to do?” Wang Ming was really dragged into this by his uncle. Not only did things go wrong on his wedding day, but his relationship with Shanzi also…
Tian Zhuzi felt it was a pity.
They had grown up together since they were kids, and now things had turned out like this.
“Just leave it,” Qiao Yue said, turning his back on him. The relationship with the Wang family had soured, and it wasn’t his fault. He couldn’t ignore the situation and pretend to be brothers with Wang Ming.
Besides, it had been half a month since the incident, and Wang Ming hadn’t come to apologize.
This brotherhood was over.
“What does it matter to you how Shanzi treats Wang Ming? Mind your own business!”
“Mom, you’re eavesdropping on us again!!” Tian Zhuzi shouted in protest at Tian Liushu, who suddenly spoke up.
Tian Liushu pinched his ear. “So what if I am?”
“Ouch, ouch… Let go, let go!” Tian Zhuzi yelped as he was lifted, “Fine, you can listen, okay?”
“Hmph, listen carefully. Don’t bring up the Wang family with Shanzi again unless he asks, got it?”
“…Got it.”
Tian Zhuzi replied dejectedly, his ears turning as red as the sunset over the green mountains.
“Ahchoo…”
Qiao Yue sneezed twice, rubbing his nose.
Fang Chuyue asked, “Did you catch a cold? Want some hot water?” He was about to head to the kitchen to prepare some.
Qiao Yue reached out, grabbing Fang Chuyue’s sleeve. But as Fang Chuyue shook his hand, their fingers touched, and Qiao Yue instinctively held on. A spark ignited from his palm to his heart, hot and searing, with a thrilling warmth.
Half of his shoulder went numb.
Qiao Yue said, “I… don’t have a cold.”
Suddenly feeling shy, he glanced lightly at Fang Chuyue.
“Oh. As long as it’s not a cold, that’s good.”
Fang Chuyue remained calm, as if holding his hand was just an ordinary thing. Qiao Yue felt a bit down, his fingers unconsciously tracing circles on the back of Fang Chuyue’s hand.
Fang Chuyue, unaffected, continued, “Let go, I’m not going in.”
If only his last word hadn’t trembled.
Qiao Yue suddenly felt like he had regained the upper hand. “You let go first.”
Fang Chuyue was puzzled. “…???” You should let go first.
After a bit of back-and-forth, the soon-to-be-married couple finally released each other’s hands, and Qiao Yue’s mind started working again. He explained Tian Zhuzi’s misunderstanding.
“So, you want me to forgive him?” Fang Chuyue asked, his expression indifferent. “Why not just keep it from me?”
After all, he wouldn’t have known, and keeping it from him would have been the simplest solution.
Qiao Yue felt he was genuinely cold this time. “No, it’s just that he’s my brother, and you’re my, uh… If we meet in the future, he won’t be able to keep quiet. You’re smart, and if he blurts it out, it would be even more infuriating. It’s better to just be upfront. At worst, we’ll just have less contact.”
Qiao Yue didn’t mean to ask Fang Chuyue to forgive him.
He was just putting himself in Fang Chuyue’s shoes. If he were kept in the dark, he would be very unhappy.
Hearing this, Fang Chuyue acted magnanimous. “Since he knows he was wrong, let’s just leave it. Besides, he’s your brother. No need for an apology.” In reality, having the intention to apologize showed that Tian Zhuzi was a decent person.
“…” Qiao Yue was at a loss for words.
You better be.
But seeing him genuinely happy, Qiao Yue couldn’t bring himself to say anything to dampen the mood. He returned to the main topic. “Who’s been spreading rumors? Tell me, and I’ll deal with them.”
In the village, Fang Chuyue had faced many storms. Since he was a child, almost everything he did became a topic of conversation. This time was no different. Especially now that his life was better, more people spoke ill of him.
As for finding someone to settle the score with, he really didn’t know who to start with.
Fang Chuyue didn’t say, and Qiao Yue didn’t press him. They talked about what they needed to do next.
Fang Chuyue said, “There are a lot of three-leaf sorrels growing in the field. I’m planning to pull them out in a couple of days. Want to join?” They could clear both families’ fields.
Huh? Pulling out three-leaf sorrels?
This time of year, the sorrels were indeed growing vigorously, but Qiao Yue was a thousand times unwilling to go to the fields, let alone get up early. “Well, maybe…”
Fang Chuyue reached out, pinching his fingertip, looking at him earnestly. “Want to go?”
Darn it!
He’s blatantly using tricks in front of me!
Qiao Yue wasn’t falling for it.
Qiao Yue’s lips moved slightly. “…Yes.”
A neighbor, having finished cooking, stepped out to call their child for dinner. Seeing the two together again, they couldn’t help but sigh.
Young people, meeting twice a day, so sticky and sweet, much more energetic than us!
Not wanting to be a nuisance, the neighbor stepped back a few paces before calling their child.
“See you the day after tomorrow. You should head inside,” Qiao Yue said, noticing the neighbor calling out.
Fang Chuyue turned halfway, saying, “Remember to bring your shoe size then.”
“Okay.”
Qiao Yue watched Fang Chuyue go inside before turning to leave.
That night, Qiao Yue went to bed early. Xia He and Qiao Xiaoyuan usually slept early.
Only the main house of the Qiao family still had a lamp burning, with the couple speaking in low voices.
Qiao Laohan asked, “Did you tell the second family what I asked you to?”
Zhou Shi replied, “I told them before dinner, don’t worry.”
“You better have really told them. Don’t forget again,” Qiao Laohan reminded, “If it messes up Xingsheng’s marriage, it’ll be on you.”
Zhou Shi sat up abruptly, slapping her thigh. “Why would it be on me? I already told you I said it, and even if I forgot, it wouldn’t be a big deal.”
When they were ready to propose, the second family would know. It would just be a bit later.
Qiao Laohan, being rough, wasn’t afraid of being hit and didn’t dodge. He said, “It’s not the same. If you don’t give them a heads-up, they’ll think you’re keeping it from them and not treating them as family.”
Xia He probably wasn’t like that, but Qiao Laohan had a point.
Zhou Shi nodded. “I really did say it, don’t worry. It won’t mess up the eldest’s marriage. But, will that girl be hard to get along with?”
Initially, Zhou Shi was just happy that Xu Juren was marrying his daughter to their Xingsheng, but now that things were almost settled, she felt a bit anxious. Girls from the county must be hard to get along with! Wouldn’t she, as the mother-in-law, be overshadowed?
Qiao Laohan didn’t respond, so Zhou Shi slapped him again. “Speak up, husband.”
Qiao Laohan’s arm turned red from the slap, and he shook it off.
“If she’s hard to get along with, can’t you just coax her and get a hold of her? You’re so dumb. Your son hasn’t even passed the imperial exam yet. Behave yourself and treat her well.”
Seeing her husband angry, Zhou Shi’s arrogance deflated, and she sheepishly replied, “Oh.”
When Qiao Laohan wasn’t angry, Zhou Shi’s arrogance could reach the sky, but when he was, she shrank like a quail.
Zhou Shi quietly lay down, pulled the blanket over herself, and went to sleep obediently.