After seeing the village chief off, Liu Zhiheng was just about to close her doors and stay indoors when she spotted Chuncao walking from a distance toward her house.
It was clear at a glance that this was Xie Tinglan’s doing again.
He really was guarding against her tightly, not giving her the slightest chance to stray…
From afar, Liu Zhiheng waved at Fang Chuncao.
“Little Chuncao! What brings you here? Would you like to come in and sit for a while?”
Chuncao’s steps noticeably paused. Liu Zhiheng’s sarcastic tone made her wonder if she was deliberately mocking her. But remembering what she had promised Xie Tinglan, she steeled herself and walked up to Liu Zhiheng.
Liu Zhiheng looked at Chuncao with a smile. Chuncao appeared visibly uncomfortable, struggling for a long time before forcing out a smile that looked worse than crying.
This poor girl really was suffering. How much must she dislike her to force such a strained smile?
Chuncao said awkwardly, “Brother Xie asked me to come keep you company more often. I have some free time today and thought I’d come over. I wonder if I could trouble Miss Liu for a cup of water.”
As expected…
Liu Zhiheng didn’t make things difficult for Chuncao. After all, Chuncao was Xie Tinglan’s childhood sweetheart. If she gave Chuncao a hard time, and Chuncao later whispered complaints to Xie Tinglan, it would only make him resent her even more.
“Of course you’re welcome! Come on in. I’m feeling quite bored myself.”
Liu Zhiheng took Chuncao’s hand and led her into the courtyard.
As soon as Chuncao entered the courtyard, she happened to see Duan Wujiu standing at the entrance of the main house. Remembering the way he had looked at her last time, she instinctively broke out in goosebumps.
Liu Zhiheng found Chuncao’s reaction rather puzzling. Why did she seem a little afraid of Duan Wujiu?
“This is my cousin, Duan Xuelang.”
Duan Wujiu raised an eyebrow. Why was there another visitor? He was already feeling quite displeased.
Chuncao stammered, “Cousin… Cousin Duan…”
“Cousin, this is Chuncao.”
Duan Wujiu couldn’t be bothered to talk to others. He found it annoying how people kept coming one after another. He nodded slightly at Chuncao as a greeting and went inside alone.
Only after Duan Wujiu had entered the house did Chuncao let out a sigh of relief and whisper, “Your cousin is so cold and intimidating.”
Huh? Liu Zhiheng was confused. Where was Duan Wujiu cold? To her, he was like a little puppy—gentle, warm, clingy, and fond of acting spoiled.
“My cousin is actually very nice. You’ll understand in time.” Liu Zhiheng didn’t elaborate and instead led Chuncao into her room. “Come on, let’s go to my room for a while.”
…
While flirting with men had its own pleasures, it couldn’t compare to the joy of gossiping with girlfriends.
Although Chuncao wasn’t Liu Zhiheng’s friend and didn’t like her, Liu Zhiheng didn’t mind.
After all, Liu Zhiheng held no prejudice against Chuncao.
Besides, Liu Zhiheng had always liked cute young girls, and Chuncao’s appearance happened to align perfectly with her aesthetic preferences. So, she was quite enthusiastic toward Chuncao.
Once inside the room, she poured tea for Chuncao and offered her sunflower seeds, peanuts, and candied fruits. Her enthusiasm left Chuncao somewhat flustered.
Chuncao was only fourteen years old—still a child by modern standards. It didn’t take long for her to relax, and she happily indulged in the treats.Seeing Chuncao didn’t know what to say to her, Liu Zhiheng took the initiative to start a conversation, pulling Chuncao along and chattering away.
“Chuncao, how many people are in your family again?”
“Chuncao, what do you usually do at home?”
“Chuncao, what kind of food do you like to eat?”
…
After chatting about family matters for a while, Liu Zhiheng then asked about village gossip.
“Do you think Widow Wang and Pockmarked Li really have something going on?”
“Last month, why did Aunt Jin curse at the Sun family’s daughter-in-law? She said such awful things!”
“You know what? One day I saw the third son of the Zhou family from the east end of the village holding hands with the little girl from the Zhao family at the west end!”
When it came to village gossip, they finally entered Chuncao’s comfort zone. She ran around all day, and there was nothing in the village she didn’t know.
Having eaten Liu Zhiheng’s delicious food, Chuncao naturally told her everything.
Now, Liu Zhiheng finally understood what had really happened:
Widow Wang and Pockmarked Li didn’t have anything going on—Pockmarked Li was involved with Widow Wang’s mother-in-law! Widow Wang was purely taking the blame for her mother-in-law.
Aunt Jin cursed at the Sun family’s daughter-in-law because the dog raised by the Sun family’s daughter-in-law had killed her chicken.
The third son of the Zhou family from the east end of the village was a scumbag. Not only did he hold hands with the little girl from the Zhao family, but he also kissed the second daughter of the Wu family.
Liu Zhiheng listened with great interest, holding Chuncao’s hand and saying excitedly, “Little Chuncao, you must come to my house often to play! Talking with you is so much fun!”
Chuncao also felt a bit embarrassed. She clearly didn’t like Liu Zhiheng, but today, for some reason, she had talked so much with her, and she even felt quite happy about it.
“I’ve been asking you all this time. Don’t you have anything to ask me?” Liu Zhiheng asked Chuncao.
Chuncao thought for a moment and realized there was something she had always been curious about.
“Why are you called Liu Zhiheng? How did your family give you this name? It’s different from the other girls in the village—it sounds more like a boy’s name.”
Liu Zhiheng smiled and said, “My father said it’s because on the day I was born, the moon was round and bright, and its light filled the entire courtyard with silver. So, my mother gave me this name, hoping I would be as constant as the moon and as rising as the sun…”
Later, when Liu Zhiheng’s younger brother was born, he was named Liu Zhisheng accordingly. This younger brother of hers was really a cheap brother—even his name was leftover from his sister.
Chuncao didn’t understand these things and frowned as she asked, “If it’s ‘as constant as the moon,’ then why not call you Ruyue? Wouldn’t Liu Ruyue sound better? It clearly sounds like a girl’s name.”
“You don’t understand this. It’s best not to use the character ‘yue’ (moon) when choosing a name.”
“Why?”
“Because people with ‘yue’ in their names tend to live a lonely life. Moreover, in astronomy, the moon is considered an inauspicious star, and its original imagery is associated with death and disaster. What decent family would use ‘yue’ in a name?”
“Is that so… I didn’t expect you to know so much…”
Chuncao couldn’t help but feel a bit inferior. No wonder Brother Xie had been treating Liu Zhiheng differently lately. The two of them must have a lot to talk about.
“Why aren’t you talking again? What are you thinking about?” Liu Zhiheng poked Chuncao and asked.
Chuncao mumbled, “I think my name isn’t good. Chuncao—my fate is just like that of a little grass, isn’t it?”
Worthless, unnoticed, and everywhere—just like little girls like her.”Nonsense, Chuncao is such a lovely name! How resilient the little grass is! I think your name is better than mine.”
Chuncao widened her eyes slightly, looking at Liu Zhiheng in disbelief as she asked, “Really? Is Chuncao really good?”
“Yes, there’s a saying that goes, ‘Heaven pities the humble grass,’ meaning even the heavens cherish someone like you, a little grass. We little grasses are both strong and favored by heaven. Your parents gave you such a wonderful name.”
Chuncao’s eyes instantly reddened.
She knew her parents hadn’t chosen this name because it was good, nor had they ever loved her. They were only waiting for her to grow up so they could sell her for a good price.
“Why are your little eyes suddenly red?”
Chuncao choked up a bit, her voice low as she said, “Thank you…”
“For what?”
Chuncao wanted to speak, but at that moment, two light coughs came from outside the room. Liu Zhiheng looked up and saw Duan Wujiu standing at the door, gazing at her with a resentful expression.