Faced with his good friend’s question, Qin Xiao’s wheat-colored face flushed red. Joy practically radiated from the corners of his eyes and brows.
“I was thinking of making one more trip into the mountains and saving a bit more money before holding the wedding.”
“You know how things have been these past years. I haven’t managed to save much. And now everyone in the village knows about her background.”
He paused.
“I should hold a proper wedding and make it grand enough to silence people’s gossip.”
Qinghe couldn’t spend her entire life hidden away in the back hills.
Eventually, she would have to face people.
The status of a criminal slave invited scorn. No matter how good a person she was, others would still point fingers and talk behind her back.
If he held a large wedding banquet and publicly announced their marriage, the villagers would have less reason to gossip.
As Qin Xiao spoke, Zhou Ye carried a sack of snakes from the entrance.
They had been caught earlier that day and were meant to be sold to a medical hall.
Hearing Qin Xiao’s plans, Zhou Ye nodded in approval.
“That’s exactly what you should do.”
“But once you’re married, you’ll have to start thinking about yourself. You can’t keep supporting your younger brother forever.”
He glanced around the house.
“Look at this place. The wind comes through from every direction. It won’t even keep out the night mist. Once winter arrives, a person could freeze to death in here.”
“Your parents are living comfortably in a brick house with tiled roofing now.”
“You ought to think about yourself for once and build a decent home too.”
“In the future, when you have children, you can’t keep making your family live like this.”
Recently, Zhou Ye had taken his younger sister on a trip and had been gone for half a month.
He didn’t know that Qin Xiao’s attitude toward his family had already changed.
He still assumed Qin Xiao was the same as before, wholeheartedly devoted to his parents and younger brother.
A wild boar hunt might earn Qin Xiao only one tael of silver, yet Madam Qin would take eight-tenths of it.
He had been home from the military for three months and still owned only a few thin uniforms from his army days.
He didn’t even have a proper pair of deerskin boots for hunting in the mountains.
Despite having family, he lived a lonely and difficult life.
A bitter smile tugged at Qin Xiao’s lips.
Then he sighed.
“I’ve finally let it go.”
“From now on, I’ll live for myself.”
He had begun thinking about this long ago.
Back on the battlefield, he had watched comrades fall one after another, never rising again.
Sometimes he wondered:
If he died, would his parents truly grieve?
Whenever he imagined that they might only regret losing a source of income, the pain felt like a knife carving into his heart.
That was why he had started keeping something in reserve.
During the last six months of his service, he still sent home his regular military pay.
But he secretly kept most of the reward money for himself.
When he finally returned home, the first thing he heard wasn’t concern about whether he had been injured, whether the battlefield had been dangerous, or whether he had suffered.
Instead, his parents demanded to know why he had sent less money home over the past six months.
Thinking about it now, he almost wanted to thank them for their coldness.
Because of it, the dozens of taels hidden against his chest had remained untouched.
That money had allowed him to buy this dilapidated house.
On the day the property transfer was completed, his mother had even caused a scene, accusing him of being unfilial for not handing over his money to her.
And yet, there wasn’t even a place for him in the family’s new home.
They expected him to make do with a small bamboo bed in Qin Yue’s study.
They called it “cool and comfortable.”
But Qin Yue spent most of his time at the academy.
The room sat empty, and still they wouldn’t let Qin Xiao sleep there properly.
Zhou Ye slapped his sturdy arm.
“That’s the right way to think.”
“For filial piety to exist, a mother must first be loving.”
“For brotherly respect to exist, both brothers must contribute.”
“You’ve done more than enough as an elder brother.”
“If your younger brother shows no respect, that’s not your fault.”
The two chatted for a while longer.
Meanwhile, Qinghe emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron.
Standing beneath the eaves, she looked only at Qin Xiao and deliberately avoided meeting Zhou Ye’s eyes.
“Young Master Qin, dinner is ready.”
“I’ll bring water for you to wash your hands. Come eat.”
Zhou Ye cupped his hands respectfully.
“Thank you for your hard work, Sister-in-law Qin.”
The smile on Qinghe’s face nearly cracked.
Brother and sister alike.
Sister-in-law. Sister-in-law.
She was sick of hearing it.
Unhappy though she was, she merely nodded politely and returned to the kitchen to fetch water.
Dinner consisted of five dishes and one soup.
Braised rabbit.
Cured pork stir-fried with dried bamboo shoots.
Steamed egg custard.
Mushroom soup.
Fried peanuts.
And a plate of cold bitter greens.
The table was a feast of color, fragrance, and flavor.
Stretching his neck to inspect the dishes, Qin Xiao rubbed his hands together eagerly.
His grin nearly reached his ears.
“I never knew the ingredients in my house could produce something that looks like a banquet.”
“Qinghe, you’re amazing.”
His words overflowed with satisfaction and pride.
Qinghe rolled her eyes internally.
If he was this satisfied, why wasn’t he marrying her already?
What had he bought her for?
The man was poor enough to wear patched clothing, yet he had gone out and purchased a servant?
If no one kept calling her “Sister-in-law,” perhaps she could have ignored it.
But Zhou Sui had spent the entire afternoon addressing her that way.
With each repetition, Qinghe’s heart sank further.
Tonight, she had already decided.
She would ask him directly.
Was he going to marry her or not?
If not, he might as well resell her.
No matter what she was thinking, however, her face remained gentle and smiling.
“Eat before you drink.”
“Alcohol on an empty stomach is bad for you.”
Qin Xiao responded with a cheerful, “Alright!”
He accepted the bowl of rice she handed him.
Beside him, Zhou Ye paused halfway through removing the wine jug’s stopper.
After a moment, he pushed it back in and set the jug down beside his feet.
Only after the meal did the two men begin drinking.
Their conversation revolved around military service, hunting, and mountain life.
Qinghe had never eaten much.
With so many thoughts weighing on her mind, she spoke even less than usual.
Most of the time, she simply responded whenever Zhou Sui spoke to her.
Just as she was preparing to clear away her dishes and leave, Zhou Ye suddenly turned to his sister.
“In a couple of days, once your Brother Qin finishes planting the vegetables, he’ll be coming into the mountains with me again.”
“This time, you’re staying behind.”
“Keep Sister-in-law company.”
Zhou Sui immediately protested.
“No! I want to go!”
Her brother had only recently returned.
He had been teaching her how to set traps for pheasants and find rabbit burrows.
She had barely started learning.
How could he leave her behind already?
“Be good.”
Zhou Ye shook his head.
“This trip is different.”
“We’re hunting large game and going deep into the mountains.”
“It’s dangerous.”
“Your Brother Qin needs money for his wedding.”
“He doesn’t have time to babysit you.”
“If you’re there, we’ll have to divide our attention to keep you safe.”
“What if something happens?”
The moment Qinghe heard those words, she stopped halfway through standing.
She sat back down on the stool.
Her eyes immediately turned toward Qin Xiao.
He…
He intended to marry her?
She hadn’t misheard, had she?
Qin Xiao took a sip of wine and frowned.
The liquor was strong.
It burned all the way down his throat.
He didn’t particularly enjoy it.
Completely unaware of the storm raging inside Qinghe’s heart, he answered casually.
After all, when he bought her, it had always been with the intention of building a family together and having children.
The only reason he hadn’t rushed into marriage was because he hadn’t known her character yet.
If he married first and later discovered she was unsuitable, divorcing her would not be simple.
The law permitted divorce under seven conditions.
But it also prohibited divorce under three circumstances.
Qinghe had no family to return to.
If he divorced her, she would have nowhere to go.
That was one of the protected situations.
He had no desire to spend the rest of his life trapped in an unhappy marriage.
Naturally, he needed to choose a lifelong partner carefully.
Meeting Qinghe’s gaze, he replied matter-of-factly,
“Of course.”
“The day I bought you just happened to be the day I sold a deer.”
“That’s why I had enough money.”
“But weddings and banquets cost a lot.”
He glanced around the room.
“This house is too run-down.”
“I’m hoping to build a new one before the New Year.”
“That’s why I need to make another trip into the mountains.”
“As for you being home alone, I wouldn’t feel at ease.”
“Let Sui’er stay with you.”
“She’s fierce enough that ordinary people won’t dare trouble her.”
As Qinghe listened to him calmly discussing their future before turning back to clink bowls of wine with Zhou Ye, her nose suddenly stung.
She had been sold away at six years old.
For twelve years, from the age of six to eighteen, she had lived as someone of the lowest status.
And now…
At last, the bitterness was ending.
At last, she was going to have a home.
The air around her seemed lighter.
Freer.
Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes.
Without thinking, she stood up, grabbed the wine jug in front of Qin Xiao, and poured herself half a bowl.
Holding the bowl carefully, she walked solemnly over to him.
“Young Master Qin…”
“I…”
Her voice trembled.
“I’ll drink this.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you for being willing to marry me.”
“Thank you for giving me a home.”
Then she raised the bowl and drained it in one gulp.
The fiery liquor sliced down her throat like a blade.
A blazing inferno erupted in her chest.
She immediately doubled over coughing.
Qin Xiao was bewildered.
Wasn’t marrying her the natural thing to do?
Why was she so moved?
Seeing her coughing until tears streamed from the corners of her eyes and her entire face turned crimson, he hurried over and patted her back.
“Sui’er!”
“Bring some cool boiled water. Help her settle her stomach.”
Qinghe had tasted alcohol before.
Usually it was leftover fruit wine from her masters’ banquets.
Even that mild drink could leave her unsteady after three cups.
Now she had swallowed half a bowl of strong liquor.
The alcohol rushed to her head almost instantly.
No amount of water would help.
Right in front of the Zhou siblings, she suddenly wrapped her arms around Qin Xiao’s lean waist.
Her face was flushed scarlet.
Her eyes had gone adorably unfocused.
“Qin Xiao…”
“I’m so happy…”
“I don’t need a grand wedding.”
“I only want a marriage certificate.”
“I want to be your proper wife.”
“I want to… want to…”
Before she could finish speaking, her head tilted sideways.
The strength left her body.
And she collapsed into Qin Xiao’s arms, completely drunk.