Jiang He nodded in complete agreement.
“You go first.”
In truth, they had both already guessed what the other was thinking.
Lowering his head, Xie Zhao found himself recalling the scene of Jiang He handing Lu Changgeng a bowl of water earlier.
For some reason, it left him feeling strangely uncomfortable.
But after giving it some serious thought, he decided he was simply being petty.
If those two really ended up together, then of course Jiang He would treat Lu Changgeng better than she treated me.
I’m only her brother… and not even a real one.
So what exactly am I feeling upset about?
With that in mind, he said,
“I think finding a live-in husband for you is urgent.”
“And it should be someone like Lu Changgeng.”
Jiang He nodded again in wholehearted agreement.
The two of them were practically hopeless.
They were merely surviving from one day to the next, barely avoiding starvation.
From what Lu Changgeng had described…
Not only could he grow vegetables, cook meals, and roast meat…
He could also steam buns, make hand-pulled noodles…
He was nothing like the useless scholars she’d imagined.
Xie Zhao continued,
“With him around, we’d save quite a bit of money.”
“He can do everything.”
“Unlike us.”
“We even have to buy steamed buns instead of making them ourselves.”
Jiang He couldn’t have agreed more.
“But…”
“Would he even be willing?”
Xie Zhao frowned.
“He said we’ll talk again after he passes the xiucai examination.”
“Then we’d have to wait until next year.”
“Yeah.”
“We’ll have to endure another whole year.”
“That’s rough.”
Oh?
So even you know it’s rough.
A mischievous thought crossed Jiang He’s mind.
Smiling, she teased,
“Then why don’t you marry a wife yourself?”
You keep trying to arrange my marriage.
It’s only fair that I arrange yours.
That’s called returning the favor.
Sure enough, Xie Zhao’s expression immediately changed.
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“How is that nonsense?”
“You may have lost your memory, so you don’t know your exact age…”
“But judging by your face…”
“You’re obviously an old bachelor.”
“If you don’t get married now, when will you?”
“I’m an old bachelor?”
Xie Zhao nearly choked.
Instinctively, he reached up to touch his own face.
Do I really look that old?
I always thought I was only around twenty.
Holding back her laughter, Jiang He answered seriously,
“Old.”
“At least twenty-seven or twenty-eight.”
By ancient standards, anyone who reached twenty-seven or twenty-eight without marrying was indeed considered an old bachelor.
Xie Zhao’s face darkened.
Jiang He pressed on.
“How about tomorrow we ask Auntie Zhang to introduce someone?”
“She’s been especially enthusiastic about matchmaking lately.”
“She knows plenty of marriageable young women.”
Xie Zhao’s face grew even darker.
“Jiang He…”
She clapped her hands.
“Perfect!”
“It’s settled then.”
Unable to tolerate her teasing any longer, Xie Zhao grabbed Jiang He just as she was about to stand and gently pushed her back into her seat.
He stared at her with an utterly helpless expression, opening and closing his mouth several times without speaking.
Seeing him so thoroughly defeated was strangely satisfying.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
“You know perfectly well that my background is unknown.”
“How could I possibly marry someone?”
Jiang He blinked.
“Why not?”
“Why not?”
“There’s an eighty percent chance I’m some mountain bandit.”
“With an identity like that…”
“How could I marry an innocent woman?”
“What if I recover my memory someday…”
“…and regain my old identity?”
“Wouldn’t I just be ruining her life?”
“A perfectly respectable woman…”
“…would suddenly become a bandit’s wife.”
Jiang He had never expected him to think that way.
Was that also why he had been so furious after the original Jiang He tricked him into marriage?
“Then…”
“You don’t know when your memory will return.”
“If you never remember anything…”
“Are you planning to live like this forever?”
“Mm.”
Jiang He fell silent.
“I don’t want to force unknown risks onto an innocent stranger.”
“That would be extremely irresponsible.”
“If I never recover my memories…”
“Then I’ll remain this way forever.”
He let out a long sigh before looking at her seriously.
“So…”
“Don’t joke about this again.”
“I’ve already made up my mind.”
“Even though I’ve accepted it…”
“Hearing you talk about something I know I can’t have…”
“It still hurts.”
Jiang He quietly studied him.
So…
Despite smiling every day…
He was carrying his own burdens too.
How could anyone truly be unconcerned after losing all their memories?
He simply buried those painful emotions deep inside himself.
After drying in the sun, the weeds they had pulled from both courtyards filled nearly half the kitchen.
Neither of them had expected there to be so many.
“That’s quite a pile.”
“How long will it last?”
Xie Zhao looked it over.
“If we only burned this…”
“It probably wouldn’t even last through a few meals.”
“Huh?”
“This kind of grass is fine for kindling.”
“It burns up after just a few handfuls.”
“It’s nowhere near as good as real firewood.”
“…I see.”
Three days later, Xie Zhao returned to work as usual.
Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly felt a cool breeze against his back.
“Jiang He.”
“Come take a look.”
“What’s wrong with my back?”
Hearing him, Jiang He came out of the house.
A long tear ran straight across the back of his clothes.
“Oh dear.”
“Your shirt’s ripped.”
“Take it off and change into another one.”
“I’ll sew this up.”
“I only have two sets of clothes.”
“The other one’s still hanging outside to dry.”
He looked up at the sky.
“There’s no time.”
“Just sew it while I’m wearing it.”
Jiang He stared.
“Like this?”
“Yeah.”
“Hurry.”
“If I’m late, the foreman will scold me.”
She couldn’t help laughing.
No matter who you were…
Once you worked under a foreman, you obediently did your job.
Wanting him to avoid getting yelled at, she hurried inside to fetch a needle and thread.
Watching her walk back holding such a long needle, Xie Zhao suddenly grew nervous.
He couldn’t stop instinctively shifting away.
Jiang He’s sewing skills weren’t exactly impressive to begin with.
With him constantly dodging, her stitches became even more crooked.
Finally, she lightly poked him between the shoulders.
“Stop moving.”
She said she pushed him…
But in reality it was only the gentle touch of her fingertip.
The warmth and softness of that touch spread instantly across the sensitive skin of his back.
For the first time in his life…
Xie Zhao realized just how soft a girl’s hands were.
That tiny push felt like a feather brushing over him.
It made him unbearably itchy.
He clenched his teeth and forced himself not to move.
Otherwise…
He was genuinely worried she’d stab him with the needle.
After finishing the final stitch, Jiang He tied a knot before lowering her head to bite off the loose thread.
Her fluffy head lightly rested against his back.
Xie Zhao’s entire body stiffened.
“W-What are you doing?”
His voice trembled.
“Why are you rubbing your head against me?”
Jiang He: “…”
What on earth is he imagining now?
“There.”
She finally bit through the thread.
Looking up, she rolled her eyes.
“I was biting the thread.”
“Why would I intentionally headbutt you?”
Xie Zhao pursed his lips awkwardly.
“I’m leaving.”
Then he hurried out the door as though fleeing.
Nearby, Auntie Zhang wandered over while fanning herself.
Stopping outside the Jiang residence, she complained casually,
“What is the weather thinking?”
“Is it trying to roast us alive?”
Jiang He smiled.
“Auntie.”
“I heard your wine has been selling exceptionally well this year.”
Auntie Zhang’s smile froze for a moment before returning.
“It’s alright.”
“It’s been alright.”
The weather was scorching.
Naturally, cold wine was selling extremely well.
After chatting for a while, Auntie Zhang folded her fan and lowered her voice.
“Oh, right.”
“Cloth prices are probably going up this year.”
Jiang He was surprised.
“Why?”
“I heard all the silkworms in the countryside have been dying from the heat.”
Jiang He froze.
The silkworms died from the heat?
Of course…
With weather this hot, large numbers of silkworms could easily die from heat—or from diseases brought on by the extreme temperatures.