At his mother’s words, Xiao Jinye turned around and unexpectedly met a pair of cool, clear eyes.
For a brief moment, the air seemed to freeze.
The girl’s bright, dark eyes were fixed on him.
Xiao Jinye’s heart skipped a beat.
An oddly quiet atmosphere settled over the courtyard.
“Qingyan, this is Jinye,” Zeng Yumei hurriedly introduced. “This is your first time meeting each other, isn’t it?”
Qiao Qingyan shook her head.
“No. We’ve already met.”
Xiao Jinye’s Adam’s apple bobbed with difficulty as his dark eyes remained locked on her.
“We ran into each other by the river just now,” Qiao Qingyan said.
“But he didn’t even greet me. He ignored me and walked away.”
Although her tone was calm, her slightly pouting lips made her dissatisfaction obvious.
Zeng Yumei’s heart sank. Thinking her son had deliberately snubbed the girl, she quickly smacked him lightly on the back.
“Have you gone face-blind or something? You couldn’t even recognize your own wife?”
Qiao Qingyan gave a soft huff, rolled her eyes at Xiao Jinye, ignored him completely, and walked over to the clothesline to hang up the laundry with her back facing him.
“Mom… you… How could she…?”
Xiao Jinye stumbled over his words. His mind had completely short-circuited.
His heart was in utter turmoil.
His wife?
She was his wife?
Hadn’t Fang Zhijie told him that the woman his mother had arranged for him to marry was Chen Xiaomeng?
Then why was it her?
His head buzzed. The scene before him felt so surreal that it seemed like a dream.
His hand hanging at his side suddenly pinched his thigh hard.
“Hiss…”
It hurt.
So this wasn’t a dream.
Zeng Yumei pulled him into the kitchen, shut the door halfway, and began lecturing him in a low voice.
“Qingyan is such a beautiful girl, and she’s even a teacher. The fact that she married into our family is already a blessing for us. What could you possibly dislike about her?”
“Listen to me. Girls are sensitive. Stop putting on that icy face in front of Qingyan…”
Xiao Jinye looked through the window at the slender figure hanging clothes in the yard.
His voice came out hoarse.
“Mom… Fang Zhijie said the woman you proposed to was Chen Xiaomeng. Why is it her?”
“Don’t even mention Chen Xiaomeng. Thank goodness you didn’t marry her,” Zeng Yumei snorted.
“She stole her younger sister’s fiancé and married that young man herself.”
She smacked her son on the arm again.
“If they hadn’t already accepted the bride price and couldn’t back out of the engagement, they wouldn’t have had this girl marry in her sister’s place. Otherwise, how could you have gotten so lucky as to marry Qingyan?”
So that was what had happened.
Xiao Jinye remained stunned, unable to find a single word.
After hanging the laundry, Qiao Qingyan returned to the house.
Wanting to give the newlyweds some time alone, Zeng Yumei took Duoduo with her, carrying a basket to gather wild vegetables.
Before leaving, she nudged her son’s arm and jerked her chin toward the room.
“Go cheer up your wife.”
A faint blush quietly spread across Xiao Jinye’s ears.
Cheer her up?
How?
He had no idea how to comfort anyone.
At the river earlier, he’d assumed she didn’t know who he was. Thinking she was a complete stranger, he hadn’t dared strike up a conversation.
Who could have imagined she’d turn out to be his wife?
The sudden happiness had hit him so hard it left him dizzy.
He paced restlessly around the courtyard.
One moment he was feeding the chickens.
The next, he was pouring water into the rabbit cage.
On the clothesline hung colorful clothes belonging to a young woman.
Pink.
White.
Yellow.
The fabrics fluttered gently in the summer breeze, carrying a soft, delicate fragrance.
Among them…
Was one piece that used remarkably little fabric.
It had soft rounded curves embroidered with tiny flowers.
The instant he realized what it was, his ears burned an even deeper red, as though they might catch fire.
He strode over to the washbasin and splashed several handfuls of cold water onto his face.
Inside the main room, Qiao Qingyan sat at the table preparing lesson plans for the coming semester.
Her head remained lowered as she read a book, her fountain pen moving swiftly across the paper.
At the same time, she secretly watched the man in the courtyard from the corner of her eye.
What on earth is he doing out there?
He had fed the chickens three times already.
The rabbits’ water bowl had overflowed.
And he’d stroked the poor rabbit so much it looked like he was about to rub all its fur off.
Just as she was watching, the man suddenly turned around.
She immediately withdrew her gaze and lowered her head to continue writing.
Xiao Jinye took several deep breaths.
He went into the kitchen, poured a bowl of water, added a spoonful of wild honey from a jar, stirred it until it dissolved, and carried it into the main room.
Hearing him enter, Qiao Qingyan didn’t look up.
But the fingers gripping her fountain pen unconsciously tightened.
A tall shadow fell across her desk.
He carefully placed the bowl of honey water before her.
Afraid of wetting her books, he thoughtfully moved the bowl a little farther away.
His gaze drifted from her fair, delicate profile to her slender fingers.
Then it followed the graceful lines of her hand down to the paper.
Her handwriting was elegant, flowing, and surprisingly strong.
My wife is beautiful…
Even her handwriting is beautiful.
“Would… would you like some water?” he asked hoarsely, his voice trembling ever so slightly.
He ignored me by the river with that cold face… and now he’s suddenly trying to be nice?
Hmph. Mother must’ve scolded him.
“Thank you,” Qiao Qingyan replied calmly.
At last, she lifted her head to look at him.
Her bright, clear eyes met Xiao Jinye’s directly.
He stared at her rosy lips for two seconds before hurriedly looking away.
Silence filled the room.
Nervously swallowing, he said,
“Your handwriting… it’s beautiful.”
“Thank you,” she answered softly.
“Have a seat.”
Receiving his wife’s instruction, Xiao Jinye obediently sat down in the chair beside her.
Qiao Qingyan frowned slightly.
“You’re blocking the light. Could you sit across from me instead?”
Her voice was sweet and soft, like flower petals gently falling onto someone’s heart.
“Oh… okay.”
Only then did he realize it and immediately moved to the chair opposite her.
He placed both hands neatly on his knees.
Despite being a tall, rugged man strong enough to carry a four-hundred-pound wild boar, he now sat as straight and obediently as one of the well-behaved elementary school students in Qiao Qingyan’s class.
Seeing him so stiff and serious, she almost laughed.
She tried her best to hold it in.
After a while, Qiao Qingyan set down her pen, straightened her posture, and got down to business.
“I know this marriage was arranged by your mother without your knowledge.”
“So don’t worry.”
“I don’t like you.”
“I was forced to marry you. My stepmother made me do it.”
Xiao Jinye remained silent.
His large hands tightened around his knees as a shadow crossed his face.
He quietly studied her tiny face.
His gaze slowly traced her delicate brows…
Her graceful nose…
Then finally settled on her soft pink lips.
Even the air seemed sweeter whenever she spoke.
Looking at his perpetually expressionless face, Qiao Qingyan paused before continuing.
“My stepmother has always treated me badly. My stepsister wanted to ruin me, and my father never cared.”
“I didn’t want to stay in that house anymore, so I married into your family in Chen Xiaomeng’s place.”
“My aunt ran into trouble, and I can’t get in touch with her family right now. Otherwise, I would’ve left long ago.”
His brows furrowed as his dark lashes hid the emotions in his eyes.
“Xiao Jinye.”
“Let’s be husband and wife in name only.”
“You give me a place where I’m safe.”
“I’ll take care of the house, look after your mother and your little sister, so you can go hunting without worrying about things at home.”
“When I finally get in touch with my aunt’s family, we’ll get divorced.”
“You can go your way, and I’ll go mine.”
“I promise I won’t become a burden or interfere with your life.”
“Can you agree to that?”