Originally intending to have her take him along, he unexpectedly reminded Mu Simiao to bring Qi Yuze to the market.
Not only Liu Haoxuan, but even Qi Yuze himself was astonished. His family was impoverished, and his marriage to her was merely for the one tael of silver bride price his mother coveted.
Before his marriage, let alone visiting the market, even taking a few extra steps beyond his village would result in his mother seizing and beating him, only stopping when she heard his pleas for mercy.
“Mu Niang, this humble one has never ventured out before. I’m afraid…”
“Don’t be afraid.” Mu Simiao cut off his impending words. “I’ll be right beside you. Besides, it’s just collecting money. You can stand there without needing to speak.”
Comforted by Mu Simiao, Qi Yuze’s confidence grew significantly.
That night passed without incident. Apart from the separation by the table, the bed curtains obscured the sleeping area thoroughly. Fortunately, Liu Haoxuan didn’t cause any trouble.
The night passed uneventfully. The next morning, when Mu Simiao awoke, both men had already left the bed. Outside, the crowing of roosters could be heard.
Mu Simiao dressed, tied up her hair, and walked into the courtyard. Liu Haoxuan was scattering a handful of chicken feed into the coop, while white smoke billowed from the kitchen—undoubtedly, Qi Yuze was boiling noodles.
The previous day’s Sour Jujube Drink had cooled. Mu Simiao poured it into a wooden bucket, refilled it with fresh water, and waited for Qi Yuze to boil the noodles. After repeatedly rinsing them in cold water and draining them, a full bucket of Liangmian was prepared.
“I’ll make the sauce. You go pack the things we need to bring for Yue’er.” Mu Simiao placed the Liangmian bucket on the cart, instructed Qi Yuze, and began preparing the sauce. Liu Haoxuan, having finished feeding the chickens, noticed Qi Yuze entering the house and lingered beside Mu Simiao, watching her mix the sauce.
The sauce recipe was a secret. While preparing it, Mu Simiao turned sideways several times to block his view. By the time the sauce was bottled, Qi Yuze had finished packing and emerged into the courtyard carrying a bundle.
Mu Simiao took the bundle from him and hung it on the cart handle, then laid the baby carriage flat on the cart. Turning to Qi Yuze, who was holding Yue’er, she noticed the sash around his waist securely fastened the child, leaving his hands free for other tasks.
“Let me help you pull the cart, sister.” Liu Haoxuan reached out, but Mu Simiao stopped him. “You’re injured. Just walk slowly and steadily.”
Qi Yuze carried Yue’er on his back, head lowered as he stepped in Mu Simiao’s footprints, occasionally glancing up to observe the surroundings.
The market was bustling with crowds. Fearing Qi Yuze might get separated, Mu Simiao freed one hand and extended it toward him. When he looked at her in confusion, she raised an eyebrow and said, “Hold my hand tightly. Be careful not to get lost in the crowd.”
Qi Yuze’s gaze swept around hesitantly, but before he could decide, Mu Simiao had already reached out, grabbed his wrist, and interlaced their fingers. The three of them smoothly made their way to the stall.
Surprisingly, the counterfeit shop across from them hadn’t opened today. Mu Simiao wondered briefly but didn’t dwell on it. She set the baby carriage on the ground and had Qi Yuze place Yue’er inside to sit.
Liu Haoxuan stood beside Yue’er. Though dissatisfied with Mu Simiao’s arrangements, he was powerless to object, especially since he was currently under her care and support.
“You stand right here later. Charge two coppers for each portion of Liangmian, and one copper for Sour Jujube Drink. Don’t make any mistakes.” The two stood close together, their stray strands of hair intertwining. Mu Simiao looked at Qi Yuze’s earnest, attentive expression and couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle. “Don’t be nervous. You’re so good-looking—even if you just stand here motionless, you’ll attract customers.”
Qi Yuze felt somewhat embarrassed by her praise. He lowered his head, staring intently at the money pouch, unsure of what to do. Ultimately, the bell from the private school saved him.
A flood of people surged out, and Qi Yuze was momentarily stunned. It wasn’t until a long queue formed in front of the stall that Mu Simiao patted his shoulder, snapping him out of his daze. He then began accepting the copper coins handed over by the customers.
“Sister, is this your Fu Lang?” This female student was a regular, and Mu Simiao had some impression of her. Hearing the question, she turned her head to glance at Qi Yuze and replied candidly, “Yes, but he’s a bit shy. Better not tease him.”
“You two have such a good relationship. When I grow up, I also want to marry such a delicate and beautiful Fu Lang.” The female student took the Liangmian and Sour Jujube Drink, bowed to the two of them, and walked out of the crowd with a smile on her lips.
Suddenly being praised, Qi Yuze remained silent, but his ears flushed a deep red, betraying his feelings. Mu Simiao had no time to tease him at that moment, as she was busy serving noodles.
When the crowd in front of them finally dispersed, Mu Simiao put down her ladle and moved closer to Qi Yuze. Noticing his flushed ears from the earlier compliment, she deliberately sighed, “It seems I shouldn’t have brought you here today. Everyone keeps praising you. Although they say they envy me, I can’t help but feel they want to snatch you away—my delicate and beautiful Fu Lang.”
As expected, Qi Yuze tightened his grip on the copper coins, hastily tossed them into the money pouch, and hurriedly walked toward Yue’er at the back.
Mu Simiao chuckled softly to herself and began cleaning up the leftover food on the cart, wiping the surface with a towel. As she lifted her gaze, she met Granny Liu’s eyes and immediately put on a fake smile. “Granny Liu, what brings you here?”
Hearing the commotion, Liu Haoxuan turned around from the back. Seeing Granny Liu, he walked to the stall and spoke in a low voice, “Mother.”
Granny Liu glared at him but shifted her gaze to Mu Simiao with a changed expression. “Simiao, Haoxuan needs to return home for a while. A matchmaker came to propose a marriage today, and he needs to go back to prepare.”
A marriage proposal? Although Liu Haoxuan had never mentioned it, this was a major life event, and Mu Simiao couldn’t possibly delay him. She instinctively glanced at Liu Haoxuan, but he kept his head lowered. Mu Simiao couldn’t discern the expression on his face, let alone gauge his inner feelings.
“Understood, Mother.”
After saying this and waiting for Granny Liu to turn away, he finally lifted his head, tears glistening in the corners of his eyes, though he forced a smile. “Mu Jiejie, I’ll go back with Mother. I’ll return tomorrow after the marriage proposal is settled.”
Though he said this, Mu Simiao knew it wasn’t something he could decide. With parents’ orders and the matchmaker’s words, he had no choice but to accept.
Unsure of how to comfort him, Mu Simiao could only take ten coppers from the money pouch and stuff them into his hands. “If you need any help, don’t hesitate to come to me.”
Liu Haoxuan clenched the copper coins tightly, his eyes reddening. “Thank you, Mu Jiejie.”
Watching the retreating figures of Granny Liu and Liu Haoxuan heading home, Mu Simiao suddenly wondered about the circumstances before her original self and Qi Yuze got married. “Did a matchmaker come to propose marriage for us before we got married?”
“Well, when the matchmaker brought chickens and ducks to our home and mentioned there would be one tael of silver as betrothal gifts, my mother agreed to the marriage.” Mu Simiao sensed from his words that he likely hadn’t met the original host before the marriage was arranged.
“So we’d never seen each other before marrying?”
Qi Yuze seemed puzzled by her question: “Parties shouldn’t meet before marriage, or it would violate taboos.”
What taboos—it’s just an excuse to prevent broken engagements due to dissatisfaction, Mu Simiao thought. After a long silence, she hoisted the cart straps over her shoulders and gestured for Qi Yuze to place the baby carriage on the cart.
Though Liu Haoxuan had returned home, he’d told Mu Simiao he would come back. They couldn’t let him sleep on the ground indefinitely, so while passing through the market, she not only bought ingredients for making Sour Jujube Drink but also picked up several wooden planks and six wooden stakes.
It wasn’t specifically meant as a bed for Liu Haoxuan—Mu Simiao preferred sleeping alone rather than sharing. But for now, he would need to use it temporarily.
She sawed four stakes to equal height, positioning them at the four corners of a rectangle as markers. The two longest stakes were set along the lengthwise sides, with two additional stakes placed in the middle.
After securing the planks to the stakes with long nails, she laid shorter planks across the two long ones. Mu Simiao took a hammer and fastened all the surface planks securely before lying down to test the bed’s weight capacity.
She cautiously turned over, and hearing no cracking sounds, grew bolder. Removing her shoes, she stood on the bed and gave a gentle bounce, finally satisfied with its sturdiness. The bed leaned against the wall, essentially exposed to the elements. To prevent rain from soaking it, she used leftover scraps to make four poles, tying them to the corner stakes. She calculated the needed waterproof cloth to purchase the next day.
As Mu Simiao expected, Liu Haoxuan arrived at the stall at noon the following day. His expression remained unchanged, showing no particular joy about the marriage proposal—instead, there was a subtle emotion in his eyes.
Mu Simiao didn’t understand it, nor did she care to probe.
But even without her asking, Liu Haoxuan had no intention of hiding it: “Mu Jiejie, aren’t you curious who I’m proposing to?”
“Now that you mention it, how did it go? What are the family’s circumstances like?” Mu Simiao followed his lead. Liu Haoxuan sighed softly, “She’s willing to offer ten taels in betrothal gifts.”
Ten taels—exactly ten times what Qi Yuze had offered. It seemed the family was well-off. Mu Simiao nodded, not forgetting to advise him: “Good financial situation, but since the betrothal gifts are meant for you, it’s best to keep some for yourself as security for the future.”
As if anticipating her response, Liu Haoxuan remained calm but began to choke up: “Mu Jiejie, I don’t want to marry her.”
“This…” Mu Simiao felt awkward. She was merely an outsider—she couldn’t interfere in his marriage matters. “Even if I found someone for you, they might not offer such generous gifts. What does Granny Liu think?”
Liu Haoxuan lowered his head and murmured, “Mother is overjoyed,” before moving to sit beside the baby carriage, occasionally pressing his palm against his back and waist.
Upon returning home, he clearly hadn’t tended to his bruises. Mu Simiao glanced at Liu Haoxuan before turning to Qi Yuze: “There’s a medicinal herb shop that also serves as a clinic not far ahead. Take Haoxuan there to get some treatment applied. I’ll watch over the stall and Yue’er.”
Although Qi Yuze had previously held hostility toward Liu Haoxuan, considering the latter was about to get married and being the elder himself, he decided to let bygones be bygones.
As Qi Yuze supported Liu Haoxuan away, Mu Simiao withdrew her gaze only to unexpectedly meet eyes with the counterfeit stall owner. The woman narrowed her eyes to glare at her, then lowered her gaze again.
By the time the two returned, Mu Simiao had already packed up their belongings and was holding Yue’er while waiting. Though Liu Haoxuan remained silent, Qi Yuze approached her side and said: “Mu Niang, Haoxuan’s wedding is scheduled seven days from now. He’d like to stay with us for a few days recently – would that be acceptable?”
Mu Simiao had long known Qi Yuze had a soft heart – undoubtedly Liu Haoxuan had pleaded with him.
Since it was just for a few days’ stay, Mu Simiao nodded her agreement to him.