Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Song Jitong actually listened and didn’t eat. Instead, he left for the Academy in a huff.

“I’ve never seen him so obedient before. I told him not to eat, and he actually didn’t. So why doesn’t he listen when I tell him to marry you, Miao’er?”

Aunt Song was also furious with Song Jitong. She grabbed my hand and spent a good long while grumbling to me.

I comforted Aunt Song, finally getting the old woman to smile and laugh again.

“It’s that boy’s loss if he doesn’t want to marry you!”

Thinking back to Song Jitong’s adamant refusal earlier, Aunt Song couldn’t help but grit her teeth in anger again. She patted my hand and tried to comfort me in turn. “Miao’er, don’t you worry. I only recognize you as my daughter-in-law!”

I looked at Aunt Song, the words catching in my throat. I wondered if Song Jitong had failed to explain the matter of the jade pendant when he returned.

But since Song Jitong hadn’t said anything, it wasn’t my place to take the initiative and speak up.

So, after chatting with Aunt Song for a bit, I packed my things and prepared to head to the county town to continue looking for a shop space.

Six years ago, Song Jitong’s father fell gravely ill and passed away shortly after. The Song Family suddenly lost its pillar of support.

Song Jitong needed to focus on his studies, so Aunt Song naturally wouldn’t let him come home to help. Consequently, all the household chores fell on Aunt Song and me.

Life was quite difficult at first, but later I found ways to make and sell food, and things gradually began to improve.

Over the years, I had saved up some money, so I was thinking of finding a shop in the county town to settle down.

Aunt Song knew what I was planning. Before I left, she gave me a small, somewhat heavy cloth pouch.

She said, “Kongchu gave me some silver when he came back this time. Take it. Shops in the county town are expensive, but I know you’ve always been one with a good head on your shoulders. Just do what you think is best.”

I was stunned for a moment, then thanked her without refusing.

After all, most of the money earned from this shop would eventually go toward supporting Song Jitong’s studies in Jingdu.

I walked toward the village entrance.

I had already made arrangements with Elder Wang from the village this morning, asking him to give me a ride when he headed to the county town in the afternoon.

“Miao’er!”

I hadn’t gone far when I ran into Liu Cheng, the son of Butcher Liu next door.

“Brother Liu,” I greeted him. “Are you heading out?”

“Yeah.”

Liu Cheng rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Going to the county town to run some errands.”

“Oh, we’re heading the same way then,” I replied with a smile.

We walked together, chatting and laughing along the way.

However, Liu Cheng was someone who sweated easily in the heat, so I simply lent him my handkerchief to wipe himself off.

Just as we reached the village entrance, I heard a familiar voice, faintly tinged with anger:

“Jiang Miao’er!”

I turned around in surprise, only to find Song Jitong-who should have been at the Academy-hurrying toward me from another direction.

He had likely been jogging and was flushed from the sun, his fair, handsome face tinged with red.

He walked quickly to my side, quietly inserting himself between Liu Cheng and me, breathing slightly hard.

“Aren’t you supposed to be at the Academy?”

Noticing the fine beads of sweat on Song Jitong’s forehead and his somewhat disheveled clothes, I looked behind him in confusion. “Why are you coming from that direction?”

That wasn’t the way to the Song Family house.

“I lost something on the road, so I went to look for it.”

As Song Jitong spoke, his expression suddenly changed when his gaze swept over the handkerchief clutched in Liu Cheng’s hand.

I didn’t notice Song Jitong’s strange behavior, however.

Lost something?

Thinking about the direction Song Jitong had come from, I suddenly had a realization-

If you followed that path, didn’t it lead to Song Rou’er’s house at the east end of the village?

Song Jitong had preferred playing with Song Rou’er since they were children.

But hadn’t he just given his jade pendant to that Miss Su?

I glanced at Song Jitong’s handsome face. Thinking that even if we couldn’t be husband and wife, he was still like a younger brother to me, I gave him a veiled hint: “Kongchu.”

“Hmm?”

“The other day, I told your mother the story of Chen Shimei. She was so angry she went and castrated several pigs on the spot.”

I didn’t know if Song Jitong actually took it to heart; he just nodded casually. His attitude only made me feel more worried.
In the original novel, Song Jitong met his true love after becoming the top scholar. But since I arrived, many things have changed, and I no longer know-

“Miao… Miao’er!”

Song Jitong suddenly spoke my name. Before I could respond, his earlobes had already turned a burning red.

Seeing Song Jitong’s guilty expression, I felt a sense of impending doom.

Song Jitong was a stubborn person. Ever since he learned what a child bride was, he would either call me “Elder Sister” or use my full name, “Jiang Miao’er,” when we were out.

Calling me so affectionately like this meant he must have done something bad!

Sure enough, Song Jitong’s eyes darted away when he looked at me, and that flush on his earlobes spread up his cheeks.

He gave a heavy cough, leaned down slightly to get closer, and stared at me without blinking.

Me: “???”

Me: “If you’ve done something wrong, acting cute won’t help!”

Since we grew up together, Song Jitong could understand the occasional odd vocabulary that popped out of my mouth.

He frowned displeasurably, leaned even closer to my face, and spoke awkwardly: “I saw you, so I ran all the way over.”

Thinking back to how Song Jitong was panting after that short run, I wondered if he had truly gone astray at the Academy.

He was a scholar, but not a frail one. During the few days the Academy released them to go home, he would scramble to do farm work and barely break a sweat all day.

At this thought, my expression became even more serious.

“Kongchu, you-”

“I want a handkerchief to wipe my sweat!”

Perhaps Song Jitong also understood my somewhat abnormal train of thought, so he spoke first with a dark face and a gruff voice.

After saying this, he turned his head away awkwardly, emphasizing with obvious defensiveness:

“My body feels sticky. It’s uncomfortable!”

My old handkerchief had been given to Liu Cheng, so I naturally couldn’t ask for it back to give to Song Jitong.

I looked at Liu Cheng’s somewhat embarrassed face and sighed silently.

Song Jitong was truly a bit petty; this temperament hadn’t changed even as he grew up.

I glanced at the tall, handsome youth before me, thinking that over the years, Song Jitong had probably only slightly restrained his tendency to be a crybaby.

“Hurry up.”

Seeing that I hadn’t moved, Song Jitong couldn’t help but urge me.

“I… I’ll head over to Elder Wang’s side first.”

Likely feeling the awkwardness, Liu Cheng said his goodbyes and headed toward the ox cart at the village entrance.

Song Jitong’s expression softened slightly, but the next second, when he saw the brand-new handkerchief I gave him, his face darkened again.

“You gave him a used, old handkerchief, but you give me this-this-”

Song Jitong stammered on the word “this” for a long time without continuing.

“Take it or leave it!” I rolled my eyes and made a move to take the handkerchief back from Song Jitong’s hand, but I didn’t expect the boy to grip it tightly.

His tone was a bit aggrieved: “I didn’t say I didn’t want it. Jiang Miao’er, why are you being so mean?

“Is it really because you’ve already found your next husband’s family?”

Song Jitong looked up at Liu Cheng standing by the ox cart, his tone quite teeth-gritting.

However, he spoke so softly that I didn’t hear him clearly: “What did you say?”

“Nothing,” Song Jitong quickly regained his composure and followed me toward the ox cart. “Mother said you’re going to the county seat to look for a shop soon? I’ll go with you.”

“Didn’t you say earlier that the Academy had matters to attend to and you had to go back early?”

I looked at Song Jitong suspiciously. “Where did you find the free time to accompany me to look at shops?”

“I suddenly remembered that the matter isn’t urgent. The teacher said I should come back and rest well for a day or two,” Song Jitong said with a straight face.

He paused, then spoke somewhat awkwardly again: “Although Brother Liu is good, he is not the right man for you.”

I knitted my brows slightly, feeling a bit confused.

Before I could ask anything, Song Jitong added another sentence with utmost seriousness: “You are my Elder Sister; it is only right that I vet him properly for you.”

Elder Sister? Vet him?

I glanced at Song Jitong’s earlobes, which were red enough to bleed, and gave a small tut, pretending not to notice his strange behavior.