With his sharp senses, Rong Mo did not miss the way several military officers were looking at his cousin. For some reason, a prickle of displeasure rose in his heart. Looking at his dazzling cousin, he suddenly felt a sudden impulse to hide her away.
Perhaps he should stop pretending to be a cripple. He ought to secure an engagement with her as soon as possible.
Rather than waiting to uncover the truth of the past in the shadows, it was better to take the initiative. Once he stood up, those behind the scenes would surely be unable to sit still.
In the eyes of typical civil official families, his cousin was indeed not a “good match”—she wasn’t their ideal image of a submissive daughter-in-law. But for the generals and martial families, a cousin with monstrous strength was a fantastic choice.
Not to mention, she possessed an exceptionally stunning appearance.
A strong sense of urgency suddenly gripped Rong Mo’s heart.
Back at the Marquis of Changle’s estate, the servants were stunned by the Eldest Miss’s haul. Only the chefs in the kitchen were grinning from ear to ear, their minds already racing with various ways to cook the meat.
Rong Susu looked at the mountain of meat with a mix of joy and distress; having too much meat was its own kind of worry. She glanced at her husband and son, who were circling the three tigers and poking them occasionally, and her lips twitched. Still, knowing her daughter had hunted this entire “meat mountain” herself made her heart swell with pride.
Having done this before, Cheng Ruyi naturally directed the servants to handle the smaller game, but she handled the large prey herself—especially the skinning. After hearing from her father that bear and tiger skins were incredibly valuable, she didn’t want to leave the task to anyone else.
She dragged two large brown bears to an open space and, wielding a sharp knife, began to skin them with practiced ease. Cheng Yu, seeing this, reluctantly left the tigers and squatted beside her, his eyes wide as he watched her work.
“Sis, can I have a tiger skin?” he asked tentatively.
“Sure,” she replied while working. “There are three tigers, so we’ll have three skins. You, Dad, and Mom can each have one. I’ll give Cousin a bear skin.”
Cheng Yu beamed. “Awesome! Thanks, Sister!”
The Marquis and Rong Susu were delighted to hear they’d each receive a tiger skin. This was a tiger their daughter had hunted and skinned herself!
“Our daughter has grown up; she knows how to look after her parents!” The Marquis squinted happily, already imagining the look on other officials’ faces when he bragged about his precious tiger skin. This chapter is updated first at novelping.com.
Just as Rong Mo arrived, clad in white jade-colored robes, he heard his cousin mention giving him a bear skin. His gaze softened slightly.
“Aunt, Uncle,” his cool voice rang out.
The surrounding servants turned around, their shock impossible to hide. The young master… the young master was standing!
Rong Susu and the Marquis turned and were equally stunned. They stared in amazement at the cold, handsome man walking toward them. He was tall, with sharp features and cool eyes, exuding an aura that warned others not to get too close.
“Rong Mo, your… your legs are healed?” Rong Susu recovered quickly, her voice laced with hope.
Rong Mo’s gaze lingered on Cheng Ruyi for a moment before looking at his aunt with warmth. He nodded slightly. “They are healed. I’ve troubled Aunt and Uncle all these years.”
“That’s wonderful, simply wonderful!” Rong Susu wiped the corners of her eyes, weeping tears of joy.
The Marquis was also thrilled. He had always known the boy was brilliant, but standing up, he was even more impressive. He secretly hoped to “keep the fertile water within the family,” wondering if the boy had any feelings for his daughter.
Seeing his cousin walking, Cheng Yu abandoned the skinning lesson and crowded around Rong Mo, chirping away with questions. Over the past few days, their relationship had blossomed; the once-terrified Cheng Yu was now a little chatterbox who loved sticking to Rong Mo’s side.
“Cousin!” Cheng Ruyi chirped, flashing a brilliant smile at him when she saw her brother pestering him. She didn’t know why he’d stopped pretending to be paralyzed, but she was happy he could finally stand before everyone. At the very least, it made her parents happy.
For a while, Rong Mo stood naturally by Cheng Ruyi’s side, watching her skillful, bloodless skinning technique with undisguised admiration. One stood quietly watching, the other worked skillfully while chatting; the atmosphere between them was like a beautiful painting.
The servants seemed to sense something and lowered their heads to work in silence. Only young Cheng Yu was oblivious, though his intuition kept him from interrupting them, leading him to take his own small game to the chefs instead.
Rong Susu and the Marquis exchanged a look, seeing the same thought in each other’s eyes. Rong Susu was the happiest; so many people had looked down on her nephew before—now that he was healed, she wouldn’t give them a chance to climb the social ladder through him!
Cheng Ruyi worked fast. In just two hours, the ground was piled with pelts: bear, tiger, wolf, mink, and wild boar. Not knowing how to tan them, she handed them over to her father.
That evening, as the moon rose, Rong Mo visited the main courtyard. No one knew what he discussed with the Marquis and his wife, but his step was noticeably lighter when he left.
The next morning after breakfast, Rong Susu asked Cheng Ruyi to stay behind. The mother and daughter sat in the side hall, and once the maids served tea and snacks, they were dismissed.
“Daughter, what do you think of your cousin, Rong Mo?” Rong Susu took a sip of tea, testing the waters carefully.
“Cousin is a great person!” Cheng Ruyi replied directly, without a second thought.
Rong Susu breathed a sigh of relief. No rejection was a good start. She smiled. “Then… do you like him?”
Cheng Ruyi was a bit confused by her mother’s intent but still nodded. “I do!”
Rong Susu was overjoyed. It seemed the feeling was mutual. She had watched Rong Mo grow up; he was reliable, and if her daughter married him, she could likely still live at home.
“Daughter, would you be willing to be engaged to your cousin?” Rong Susu asked, being open-minded enough to seek her daughter’s consent.
Cheng Ruyi suddenly realized what was happening—her mother wanted to play matchmaker. She thought about it. The Rong family only had Rong Mo left; if she married him, she would be the mistress of the house with no mother-in-law to breathe down her neck. Plus, she hated the drama of fighting for favor in a big household. If she had to marry, a cousin wasn’t a bad choice.
She nodded. “Mom, I have no objection.”
“Then it’s settled! I’ll pick an auspicious day to finalize the engagement.”
Cheng Ruyi was fine with it. However, before Rong Mo could even send an official matchmaker to present the betrothal gifts, Rong Susu received a flood of visiting cards from the wives of high-ranking generals.
Sansukini: Once I start translating the chapters of this novel, I just couldn’t stop reading the next, and the next, and the next….
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