Chapter 6.1

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After Captain Wang left, Fan Changyu sat silently amidst the wreckage of her home, holding her little sister close, with the Zhao couple by her side. They all sat in silence for a long time.

Finally, Aunt Zhao spoke hesitantly, “Bringing in a husband to marry into the family…that’s not an easy thing. In all my years, I’ve only ever heard of wealthy landowners’ daughters doing it. For folks like us, with barely a penny to our names, who would willingly marry in?”

Fan Changyu stayed quiet, not responding.

Captain Wang’s suggested solution was for her to quickly bring in a husband who would marry into the family. That way, her father’s lineage would technically continue through a son, securing her family’s property.

But with the Song family’s withdrawal and the rumors of her being a “cursed star” circulating, it was hard enough to find someone willing to marry her—let alone someone willing to marry into her family.

The lawyers she had consulted earlier probably knew of her family’s situation, which was why they hadn’t considered this option feasible for her.

After all, society viewed marrying into a wife’s family as a disgrace. For a man to marry in, he would have to abandon his family name and would struggle to hold his head high anywhere. Even idlers and petty thugs would usually balk at the idea.

Carpenter Zhao rested his calloused hand on his knee, his weathered face looking even older than usual. With a sigh, he said, “Marriage is a lifelong commitment. You can’t just grab anyone and tie the knot—otherwise, it’s Changyu who’ll suffer for it in the long run.”

Hearing this, Aunt Zhao felt even more sorrow for Fan Changyu. When other young women married, didn’t their parents carefully vet their suitors, ensuring their character and family background were solid, before sending their daughters off with pride? But Changyu, without parents and now desperately needing a husband to marry into her family, could hardly afford to scrutinize anyone’s character. At this point, she would be lucky if the man wasn’t a complete scoundrel.

Aunt Zhao was just about to wipe her eyes when a thought occurred to her. She paused, then turned to Fan Changyu. “That young man you saved… does he have a family?”

The moment she spoke, she quickly contradicted herself: “No, it shouldn’t be. You mentioned he fled here from the north, with no family left.”

Fan Changyu picked up on Aunt Zhao’s underlying meaning but was stunned for a moment.

Seeing her lack of response, Aunt Zhao decided to make her suggestion more direct: “He’s injured and has nowhere to go. Why don’t I… help you ask him what he thinks?”

Perhaps because she’d already entertained the idea of pairing them up, Aunt Zhao looked at Fan Changyu again and found her more and more suited to that young man. Changyu was capable; even if the young man were indeed to become a cripple, she could still hold up the household on her own.

Furthermore, after seeking help from the Song family today only to be turned away at the door, Aunt Zhao felt a growing resentment toward Song Yan’s ingratitude. The thought that the young man was even more handsome than Song Yan made her all the more satisfied.

Fan Changyu’s mind was a jumble of thoughts at this moment. She responded, “Auntie, please don’t go asking him just yet. Let me think it over properly myself, and once I’ve decided, I’ll ask him myself.”

Aunt Zhao knew that Changyu was someone with her own mind. Hearing this, she refrained from saying more. After helping Changyu tidy up the house with her husband, Aunt Zhao took her leave and went home.

Changning had the habit of taking an afternoon nap, and after crying earlier, she’d fallen asleep from exhaustion. Changyu gently carried her to the bed.

She then lay down on her own bed, still clothed, staring blankly at the canopy overhead, letting her mind drift.

Images of Song Yan and that man who called himself Yan Zheng alternated in her mind.

In truth, despite being childhood friends with Song Yan and engaged from a young age, she had surprisingly few memories of the two of them together.

Song Yan was always busy. Even before he’d been admitted to the county school, he’d been buried in his studies. Although their families lived on the same street, she rarely went to see him so as not to disturb him. And when she did, it was usually because her parents had asked her to bring something to the Song household—sometimes meat, sometimes pastries.

Back then, Song’s mother was always warm and kind to her, saying that Song Yan was working hard in his studies so that, when he achieved his future goals, she could live a life of comfort.

Later, when Song Yan was admitted to the county school, which provided food and lodging, he spent even less time at home, and it became even harder for Fan Changyu to see him. Once, when she went to the county market with her father, Song’s mother had made a new outfit for him and asked them to bring it to him.

That was Changyu’s first time visiting the county school. She was struck by how grand the academy buildings looked. After the gatekeeper passed on the message, Song Yan came out to meet her. She handed him the new clothes his mother had made, and he accepted them with a polite but distant “thank you.”

One of his classmates passing by had smiled and asked Song Yan who she was. He replied that she was his “younger sister.”

On the way home that day, Changyu had felt a heaviness in her heart. She could sense that Song Yan didn’t truly want her there. The fact that his fiancée was the daughter of a butcher likely embarrassed him in front of his classmates.

In truth, she’d considered that if Song Yan didn’t like her, she could break off the engagement. But her parents seemed very fond of Song Yan, admiring his ambition and drive.

At that time, Song’s mother liked her as well, often saying in public that once Song Yan passed his exams, they’d have the honor of welcoming Changyu into the family, and everyone would compliment her on her good fortune.

So, privately, Changyu had once brought up the idea of breaking off the engagement with Song Yan. He was studying at the time and, upon hearing her words, lifted his calm, steady gaze and asked, “Marriage is a serious matter, decreed by our parents and arranged by matchmakers—do you take it so lightly?”

Changyu took that as his refusal to dissolve their engagement. Knowing his stance, she never mentioned it again.

Then, after her parents passed away, Song’s mother came to break off the engagement with the excuse that their birth charts were incompatible.

Perhaps the sorrow of her parents’ death had drained her of all grief, or perhaps she’d never had deep feelings for him in the first place, but when she thought of Song Yan now, she felt nothing at all.

As for the man she had rescued, who called himself Yan Zheng, she knew even less about him.

He knew very little about her as well. To suddenly ask him, while he was heavily injured and with nowhere else to go, if he would marry into her family might seem like taking advantage of his situation or demanding repayment for her kindness.

Her engagement to Song Yan had been set up because of her parents’ kindness to the Song family back then. Changyu didn’t want to go through the same disheartening experience again. Yet at the moment, she truly had no other options.

After thinking it over, she felt it might be best to discuss it with this man named Yan Zheng and see if he’d be willing to temporarily marry into her family in name only. All she needed was to keep her family’s property secure; once he recovered, he could leave or stay as he pleased.

If he chose to leave, Changyu wouldn’t hold him back. She had saved his life, and he, in turn, would be helping her through this difficult time—such an arrangement would make them even.

But if he chose to stay… Changyu thought about his face, clear and pristine like fresh snow under the moonlight. She figured she wouldn’t exactly be at a loss either.

In the Zhao family’s attic, Xie Zheng, who had just removed a message from the foot of a falcon, suddenly sneezed.

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