Upon hearing that, Song Zhaoxi thought, Damn it!
If he didn’t like her, then he didn’t like her. Was there really any need to repeat it?
“You’d better keep your word!”
After saying that, Song Zhaoxi buried herself under the blanket and turned her back to Ji Changfeng.
Ji Changfeng was taken aback by her sudden anger.
He didn’t interact much with girls, but he was intelligent and quickly realized that Song Zhaoxi had misunderstood him.
It wasn’t that he looked down on her; he had simply never had thoughts of that sort toward anyone.
Seeing that she seemed to be asleep, Ji Changfeng extinguished the oil lamp. Yet after lying down, he found himself unable to sleep.
The cool moonlight streamed through the window, falling upon his handsome, almost immortal-looking face. Even his ever-shrewd and indifferent eyes seemed to be tinged with a hint of gentleness.
Even Ji Changfeng himself couldn’t understand why, despite being born into a farming family, he had such a strong desire to rise above his station. He had never been willing to accept a life of mediocrity.
More than anyone else, he knew that with his background, there were only two ways to climb upward: joining the army or succeeding in the imperial examinations.
Since this was an era of peace, he had devoted himself entirely to his studies.
At an age when young men usually began to notice girls, Ji Changfeng had never once developed romantic feelings for anyone.
From childhood, he had always weighed the pros and cons of every person and every matter outside of his family. He was so clear-headed that he was almost cold and heartless.
Perhaps one day he would marry and have children, but those things were not within his current considerations.
Ji Changfeng didn’t know when he had fallen asleep. When he woke, the sky was still dark, and Song Zhaoxi beside him was still sleeping.
After quietly getting dressed, he went into the courtyard, washed up, and chopped the firewood needed for breakfast.
The door of the second branch creaked open.
Ji Pingping emerged with two dark circles under her eyes. Seeing Ji Changfeng, she froze.
“Big Brother, why are you awake so early?”
Ji Changfeng looked at her.
“Do you have something on your mind?”
Ji Pingping could no longer hold it in.
“Big Brother, when are you divorcing Song Zhaoxi?”
She had promised Ji Xue she’d give her an answer within these few days, yet there had been no movement at all from her elder brother.
“We’ll talk about it later.”
Later?
Ji Pingping was dumbfounded.
What did “later” mean?
Could it be that little hussy was especially good in that regard, and Big Brother wanted to enjoy himself for a few more days?
She made a rather vulgar guess.
But she absolutely couldn’t tell Ji Xue that.
If Ji Xue found out that Big Brother might have been “tainted” by Song Zhaoxi, wouldn’t she come after her with a knife?
Thinking worriedly, Ji Pingping decided she would have to come up with another plan.
After breakfast, instead of joining the Ji family in the autumn harvest, Ji Changfeng stayed behind with Song Zhaoxi. After preparing the fishing net, buckets, and other supplies, they went to the Zhou family—the only family in the village that owned a fishing boat.
It belonged to Zhou Feng’s father, Zhou Laifu.
The Zhou family had no farmland and made their living by fishing, so their lives were rather poor.
When Zhou Laifu learned that Ji Changfeng wanted to borrow a boat, he agreed immediately and didn’t even ask for payment.
In the eyes of the villagers, a scholar who could read and write was an extraordinary person. And since Ji Changfeng was also exceptionally handsome, everyone believed he had a promising future and was eager to become acquainted with him.
Despite his repeated refusals, Ji Changfeng still paid the rental fee.
The so-called fishing boat was nothing more than an ordinary wooden boat moored by the lakeshore.
Following behind Ji Changfeng and passing through a patch of reeds, Song Zhaoxi finally saw the small boat floating on the water.
The boat was narrow and rocked so much that it looked as though it could capsize at any moment.
Ji Changfeng extended his forearm toward her.
Without acting coy, Song Zhaoxi held onto it and carefully climbed aboard.
Ji Changfeng moved to the bow and paddled with the oar, and the little boat slowly headed toward the center of the lake.
“Are you afraid of water?”
Song Zhaoxi gripped the side of the boat tightly.
“I’m not a good swimmer. I’ve been afraid of water since I was little.”
“If you’re afraid of water, why did you still want to catch crayfish?”
“Isn’t there still you?”
The moment the words left her mouth, both of them froze.
Why did that sound so strange?
After a moment of silence, Ji Changfeng gave a soft laugh.
“Miss Song, have you really started treating me as your husband?”
Song Zhaoxi fell silent.
As if she would dare…
Soon the boat reached the center of the lake, where the water was deepest.
Ji Changfeng picked up the fishing net and, with a powerful throw, cast it into the air.
The net spread into a perfect circle before landing on the water, creating a splash.
Song Zhaoxi sat off to the side, staring at him.
She felt that she would never learn this.
Just paddling such a small boat to the middle of the lake was enough to scare her half to death, let alone standing on the swaying boat and casting a net.
Still, she had to admit that beautiful people looked better doing anything—even something as unglamorous as fishing.
Ji Changfeng said,
“Hold on tight. Don’t get so absorbed in watching that you fall in. I may know how to swim, but I don’t want to save you.”
Song Zhaoxi: “…”
It would be even better if he simply didn’t have a mouth.
Considering that they were still on the boat, she didn’t bother arguing with him.
Before long, they hauled up a net full of crayfish.
Embarrassed to keep sitting idle, Song Zhaoxi quickly began tossing the crayfish into the wooden bucket.
Just as the fish vendor had said, at this time of year the lake was teeming with crayfish. By noon, the large bucket they had brought was already filled to the brim.
Ji Changfeng didn’t even let Song Zhaoxi carry it.
The bucket weighed dozens of pounds, yet he lifted it effortlessly with one hand.
Song Zhaoxi was surprised that a scholar could be so strong.
Then she remembered that the Ji Changfeng in the novel was skilled in both literature and martial arts. Although he had started martial training relatively late, he was certainly not one of those weak scholars who couldn’t even truss a chicken.
After returning home, Song Zhaoxi filled an empty water vat and poured the crayfish into it.
Only then did Ji Changfeng ask,
“We caught so many that the family can’t possibly eat them all. You’re not planning to sell them, are you?”
“Mm. I’m planning to make spicy crayfish and take them to the county to sell. Once they’re cooked, they can’t be left overnight, so I’ll keep them alive in water for now and wake up early tomorrow to cook them and take them to town.
“If they really can make money, I’ll teach Aunt Ji how to prepare them. Then your father can catch some in the future and earn a little extra silver.”
Ji Changfeng looked at her.
“What are your conditions?”
It wasn’t that he was overly suspicious; her words simply sounded a little too deliberate.
Still, if his mother could truly learn a way to make money, life at home would become much easier.
Song Zhaoxi smiled.
“Taking so many crayfish to the county by myself would be too tiring.”
“You want me to accompany you? Fine.”
“If the two of us walk there, it’ll not only be exhausting, but it’ll also take too long. The crayfish won’t taste as good if they’re left for too long. If we could borrow an ox cart…”
“You want me to borrow the ox cart from the village head’s family?”
“Mm. If I go, Ji Xue definitely won’t lend it to me. But if you go, I’m sure she’ll gladly lend you the cart.”
At the mention of Ji Xue, Ji Changfeng’s expression changed slightly.
“No. If you’re tired, then tomorrow I’ll carry all the crayfish myself.”
Guessing what he was thinking, Song Zhaoxi said,
“Ji Xue’s feelings toward you may not be pure, but it’s only because you’re handsome and a scholar, so she’s developed feelings for you.
“In the future, there may be thousands of women like her. Are you going to avoid every single one of them? You’re only borrowing a cart.”
Ji Changfeng’s eyes flickered.
He naturally understood Ji Xue’s feelings. It wasn’t that he was afraid of her; he simply found such matters troublesome and preferred to avoid them whenever possible.
After thinking for a while, he suddenly asked,
“Then what about you? Why haven’t you developed feelings for me?”