Aunt Liu slapped her thigh and suddenly came up with an idea.
“I’ll have her wash the powder off her face. She’s darker than you. That way, people won’t notice her anymore.”
Liu Lirong thought it sounded feasible.
When introducing Li Yingtang, they would simply say she was the wife of a college graduate.
Once the matchmaker saw that even a college graduate’s wife wasn’t as pretty as Liu Lirong, he’d surely take a liking to her.
After agreeing on the plan, Aunt Liu headed to the village clinic to find Li Yingtang.
Li Yingtang assumed she had come to complain. After quickly running through a few responses in her mind, she smiled calmly.
“Hello, Aunt Liu. Didn’t I do a nice job with your niece’s makeup?”
“Yes, very nice. She’ll definitely catch someone’s eye this time. By the way, Xiao Qin’s wife, there’s one more favor I’d like to ask.”
Li Yingtang had a bad feeling.
“What is it?”
Aunt Liu hesitated before saying, “Well… I’d like you to wash the powder off your face and hands, then accompany my Lirong on her blind date and give her some advice.”
Li Yingtang stared at her in disbelief.
“Wash the powder off my face and hands? What do you mean?”
Aunt Liu chuckled.
“Lirong told me everything. She said you’re only fair because you wear powder. Don’t worry—I won’t tell anyone you’re actually dark.”
Li Yingtang’s temper flared.
“I kindly helped her with her makeup, and not only did she not thank me, she goes around saying I’m only fair because of powder? Since when is it her place to judge my complexion? What kind of person is she?
What does her blind date have to do with me? Why should I go with her?
And why should I deliberately make myself look ugly just to make her stand out? Who does she think she is?
If the match doesn’t work out, won’t she just blame me for ruining it? I won’t take that responsibility.”
The smile froze on Aunt Liu’s face.
Realizing she had offended her, she hurriedly apologized.
“Xiao Qin’s wife, don’t be angry. That’s not what I meant.”
“Get out!”
Li Yingtang snapped.
Aunt Liu left awkwardly.
She couldn’t understand why Li Yingtang had turned hostile so suddenly.
In the clinic next door, Qin Xian heard the commotion and came outside.
“Aunt Liu, did you and Tangtang argue?”
Seeing him, Aunt Liu finally found someone to explain herself to.
“I didn’t mean any harm. My niece is going on a blind date, so I wanted your wife to go with her and give her some advice.
But I was worried your wife is too eye-catching. What if the young man notices her instead?
So I asked her to wash the powder off her face and hands. If she looked darker, wouldn’t he notice my niece instead?”
Qin Xian narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Your niece is going on a blind date. Why should Tangtang be used to make her look better?”
“Well… you’re a college graduate, but that young man isn’t educated…”
She didn’t continue.
Qin Xian understood perfectly.
The implication was that if even a college graduate’s wife wasn’t especially beautiful, then a man without an education should be satisfied with someone like Liu Lirong.
He looked at Aunt Liu calmly.
“Aunt Liu, let me clarify a few things.
First, Tangtang’s fair skin is natural. She doesn’t need powder. Those cosmetics have their own purpose, and today your niece benefited from them.
Second, even if Tangtang had darker skin, her features would still be there. Your niece wouldn’t become noticeably prettier by comparison.
Third, your niece has failed at several blind dates already. Have you ever considered that perhaps the problem lies with her?
She knew perfectly well she couldn’t fit into Tangtang’s shoes, yet insisted on squeezing into them. If I hadn’t spoken up, those shoes would probably have been ruined.
We live only forty or fifty meters apart. We’re neighbors. When I first arrived, you helped me quite a bit, and I’ve always been grateful.
But that gratitude doesn’t give you the right to make unreasonable demands of Tangtang.
I won’t say more about today’s matter.
I only hope you’ll think carefully before acting in the future.”
His voice remained gentle throughout, but his attitude was firm.
Every word left Aunt Liu speechless.
Cold sweat broke out across her back as she hurried home.
As soon as she entered, Liu Lirong came over.
“Aunt, did that woman agree?”
Aunt Liu pointed at her, her hand trembling with anger.
“You… you really are going to be the death of me!
You couldn’t fit into someone else’s shoes, yet you insisted on wearing them. What were you trying to do?
If you’d ruined them, was I supposed to pay for it?
You nearly fooled me too.
I’ve seen that young wife wash her face and hands before. She’s never been dark!”
Liu Lirong argued stubbornly,
“She deliberately gave me shoes that were too small. Since they didn’t fit, I didn’t wear them in the end.
Besides, she has so much makeup. Who knows if she wasn’t using some kind that doesn’t wash off?”
Outside the clinic bedroom, Qin Xian knocked gently.
“Tangtang, what would you like for dinner?”
“I’m full from anger.”
“I’ve already dealt with them. They shouldn’t dare cause trouble again.”
He paused.
“How about crucian carp stewed with radish and flatbread?”
Li Yingtang looked surprised.
“You can stew fish with radish? Is it good?”
“I grew up eating it. It suits my taste.”
“Then I’ll try it too.”
She finally relented and opened the door.
Looking through the glass window into the clinic, she noticed a patient still receiving an IV drip.
“You still have a patient. It wouldn’t be appropriate for you to leave. I’ll prepare the ingredients first. Where do I pull the radishes?”
Qin Xian smiled faintly.
“In the open field behind the clinic. They’re under the snow. Just pull whichever you like.”
Li Yingtang put on leather gloves, grabbed a basket and a shovel, and headed outside.
The very first day she had arrived, she’d noticed the patch of radishes hidden beneath the snow.
She had assumed they belonged to someone else.
Turns out Qin Xian had grown them.
The villagers were so poor they were surviving on wild vegetables.
Yet no one had ever stolen his radishes.
He really was deeply respected.
She shoveled away the thick snow, revealing bright green radish leaves.
They looked especially fresh.
As she crouched to pull one up, a flattering voice sounded behind her.
“Xiao Qin’s wife, making dinner?”
She turned around.
It was Aunt Liu and Liu Lirong.
Although what they had done had gone too far, one shouldn’t slap a smiling face.
Since they had greeted her politely, she responded with basic courtesy.
“Mhm.”
“We’re on our way to see the matchmaker. If it works out, we’ll bring you wedding candy.”
“I’ll look forward to it.”
She filled her basket with radishes and returned home.
After washing them, she sliced two for dinner.
The rest she left to dry before cutting them into finger-length strips, placing them into a ceramic jar with salt, chopped chili peppers, and vinegar before sealing the lid to pickle them.
Then she chopped scallions and prepared the spices.
As she peeled garlic, Qin Xian walked in.
“I made pickled radishes.”
His gaze swept across the table before stopping on the ceramic jar.
He pressed a hand to his forehead.
“That’s the jar I use to decoct herbal medicine.”
Li Yingtang blinked.
“So what? We have medicine pots at home too. After boiling medicine, we use the same pot to stew chicken soup. We drink it just fine.”
The only difference was that theirs was electric.
Qin Xian found that surprisingly interesting.
“Really?”
“I never lie. If I’m lying, I’m a puppy.”
Qin Xian: “…”
Never lies?
How could she tell lies so confidently, with such a calm and sincere expression?
He really ought to learn from her.
When it was time to light the fire, Qin Xian changed out of his new clothes and back into his old winter coat before sitting beside the stove to feed the firewood.
Li Yingtang sat close beside him.
Carefully, she reached out and touched his hand.
When he didn’t resist, she began playing with his fingers.
His knuckles were long and distinct.
His nails were neatly trimmed.
Even the pale crescents at the base of each nail perfectly matched her sense of beauty.
If those hands were wrapped around her waist…
What would that feel like?
The thought immediately became words.
“A Xian, let’s sleep together tonight. It’s so cold sleeping alone. If I catch a cold, you’ll have to take care of me anyway.”
Qin Xian coughed violently.
She was an unmarried young woman.
Wasn’t she worried about taking advantage of herself?
“After dinner, I’ll boil more hot water and fill a few hot-water bottles. Put them under the quilt.”
Li Yingtang pouted coquettishly.
“How can hot-water bottles keep someone warm from every direction?”
Qin Xian answered seriously,
“You can put several of them all over the bed.”
Li Yingtang: “…”
Who wants a bed full of hot-water bottles?!