Duan Hu was just speaking off the cuff, saying whatever came to mind.
After all, that was the only thing he could think of.
Unexpectedly, Ji Chunhua seemed like a disconnected string in her brain that had finally been reconnected by his words.
Her face flushed bright red all at once. She hemmed and hawed for a while, her voice growing softer and softer, as if she had no bones, before finally lowering her head and mumbling, “I’m not… not because of that… don’t talk nonsense…”
As she lowered her head, her tender earlobes were exposed.
Duan Hu was much taller than her, standing like a mountain.
Unintentionally, he caught sight of her earlobes, which were much fairer than the skin on her neck and other parts of her body.
Extremely white.
White as milk… like peeled eggs, fair and tinged with pink.
Plump… probably tasty.
Wait.
Duan Hu shuddered, his scalp tingling.
What had he just been thinking? How did “tasty” even come to mind?
“Let’s go. Wait for me to finish up, and I’ll come find you.”
Duan Hu turned around quickly.
Ji Chunhua snapped out of her daze. “Hey, wait a moment.”
She pulled out at least half of the stack of bills, hurried over, and stuffed them into Duan Hu’s hand.
It just so happened that Duan Hu was already feeling strange inside, and now, as she ran over, he couldn’t help but stare at her again.
When he wasn’t paying attention, it was fine, but once he did… certain parts of her really—
Swung vigorously as she ran.
Duan Hu suddenly remembered what Sun Qiaoyun always said: when looking for a wife, find a plump one—they’re good for bearing children.
So that’s what “good for nursing babies” means, huh?
“This is enough.” Ji Chunhua’s cheeks were still flushed as she tucked away the hair blocking her view.
Her clear, gentle eyes, like limpid water, were instantly exposed.
Duan Hu’s fingertips twitched, and he let out an “ah.”
Got it, he said.
Then he turned and walked away without looking back, heading to push the flatbed cart.
Sun Qiaoyun was still waving to Ji Chunhua from the cart. “Girl, tell your parents when you get home.”
“Don’t worry about anything else. We’ll come over in the next couple of days.”
Ji Chunhua nodded, replying softly and obediently, “I know, Auntie. Take care on your way!”
Duan Hu kept a straight face, expressionlessly pushing the flatbed cart with a clatter.
Sun Qiaoyun glanced at him. “What’s on your mind? You look like someone owes you money.”
Duan Hu said nothing, adding that she had even returned the money.
He handed the money to Sun Qiaoyun. “She said it was too much, that her family was greedy.”
Sun Qiaoyun was taken aback, taking it only after a long pause.
Then she looked back a few times, but Ji Chunhua was already out of sight.
She turned her head and sighed with emotion. “What a good girl. She really is a good girl.”
“A girl who makes your heart ache.”
“…Whether she’s good or not, I don’t know, but she’s pretty silly.”
Sun Qiaoyun chuckled a couple of times. “Don’t think your mother can’t tell something’s off with you. What did you talk about with her?”
Images from earlier instantly flashed through Duan Hu’s mind. For some reason, his throat felt hot and tight.
He replied hoarsely, “Just talked nonsense.”
Sun Qiaoyun didn’t call him out, just smiled.
Earlier in the courtyard, she hadn’t been mistaken—her rough son had glanced at that girl several times since they entered.
It seemed he wasn’t lacking a man’s thoughts; he was just like his mother.
Sharp-eyed and particular.
It wasn’t easy to catch his attention.
Sun Qiaoyun saw things clearly: if she had picked anyone else today, this rough man would never have agreed.
Don’t be fooled by Duan Hu’s filial piety—he has his own ironclad principles.
Duan Hu has been different from other kids since he was little, and it’s not just a recent thing.
When he reached the age where he should have started caring about looks, he showed no interest in girls at all.
All he cared about was playing and running wild.
But he played alone, never befriending other boys, and didn’t take a liking to anyone either.
Duan Hu’s great-grandfather was a well-known wealthy man in the village, so Duan Hu was born as the little tyrant of the surrounding hundreds of miles. If a dog barked, he’d beat the dog; if a goose honked, he’d chase the goose. Once, an old wolf came down from the mountain at night to steal chickens, and Duan Hu, only seven years old at the time, scared it off by brandishing a kitchen knife.
Even as a small child, he carried an aura of menace. Forget whether he liked others—no kid dared to play with him.
Later, as he grew older, he suddenly started clamoring every day about joining the army, wanting to be a soldier, with no other thoughts on his mind.
Who could have expected that one day his family would fall into ruin? Duan Hu’s father, along with his grandparents, were gone, leaving only Sun Qiaoyun, who had bound feet and could barely walk, and Duan Hu, who was just over ten years old.
From then on, Duan Hu never mentioned wanting to be a soldier again.
As for his increasingly vengeful, wild, and rough nature, Sun Qiaoyun didn’t need to think hard to understand why.
After only the two of them were left in the family, the child grew a thick, terrifying layer of thorns all over his body, and that menacing aura grew heavier with each passing year.
He wanted everyone to fear him, to avoid him at all costs.
That way, no one would dare bully them, especially not her—a woman from the old society who couldn’t even walk properly.
…
Reality had veered drastically off course from the plan. By the time Ji Qin finally snapped out of her daze, she had no interest in continuing the matchmaking.
Her target had already run off—what was the point of staying?
And she never could have imagined that her competitor would be this slovenly, fat woman!
It was absurd, downright laughable.
Amidst reluctant calls and shouts, Ji Qin ran out of the courtyard and chased after Ji Chunhua along the dirt road.
“Sis!” she panted, her eyes red, grabbing her sister with uncharacteristic force. “Have you lost your mind? Are you possessed?”
“Do you have a death wish?”
“…” Ji Chunhua silently tucked the engagement money into her pocket. Even though she had taken out half, the thick stack of cash still made Ji Qin’s eyes burn with envy.
Ji Chunhua replied calmly, “I’m getting married, not going to die. Why would I have a death wish?”
Ji Qin trembled. “He’s violent! A scoundrel!”
“He’ll beat you sooner or later!”
Ji Chunhua pressed her lips together. “Mom, Dad, and Ji Yang have all beaten me. I’m used to it anyway.”
“Better one person beating me than three.”