Chapter 9.2

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

She went to the chest and pulled out an old shirt that had belonged to her father, handing it to him before picking up the basin to empty it outside.

The red lanterns swayed gently in the cold wind under the eaves, and outside the wall, the two bear-like shadows of Fan Da and his wife quickly ducked out of sight as soon as they saw her step out, assuming they were well-hidden.

Fan Changyu decided to play along, pretending not to notice. She raised her voice and muttered, “Which wild cat is it this time, sneaking into my yard to steal meat?”

She walked over with the basin, scooped two large ladles of cold water from the water tank into it, and then, with a strong swing, splashed the entire basin’s contents over the wall. “If I catch this creature again, I’ll teach it a lesson it won’t forget!”

On the other side of the wall, Fan Da and his wife were drenched, shivering from the freezing water but too afraid to make a sound for fear of being discovered.

Once the footsteps in the courtyard had faded, Fan Da spat out the water he had accidentally swallowed, shivering and muttering, “What kind of water did that wretched girl splash? What’s that smell?”

Liu Shi wiped her drenched face with her sleeve, sniffing the lingering scent. “Smells like blood…and sweat.”

The two froze, then spat even more vigorously. “To hell with it—that was their bathwater!”

Their soaked coats clung to their bodies, and the cold wind cut through, chilling them to the bone and making their teeth chatter. With no chance to overhear anything that night, Fan Da and his wife returned home only to come down with severe colds, bedridden for several days—but that’s another story.

Worried about further trouble, Fan Changyu, after some thought, decided to set up a mat on the floor of the bridal chamber and sleep there. Xie Zheng didn’t comment on her choice.

Fan Changyu fell asleep quickly, her breathing slow and steady as Xie Zheng remained resting with his eyes closed.

In line with custom, the bridal candles were supposed to burn through the entire wedding night. To maintain appearances, Fan Changyu had left them lit, casting a warm glow that illuminated the room softly until dawn.

As the bridal candle, burning steadily, suddenly crackled, Xie Zheng turned his head slightly to look down at the floor mat. The soft glow of the candlelight spread across the floor, illuminating the woman curled up in layers of thick blankets. Her dark hair spilled across the pillow, and her skin, bathed in the warm, yellow light, appeared as smooth and radiant as polished jade.

Xie Zheng withdrew his gaze, closing his eyes lightly. Awake, she carried a coarse, streetwise air that overshadowed even her fine features. Yet, asleep, she was…surprisingly pleasant to look at.

Realizing he was contemplating her appearance, he abruptly opened his eyes, frowning deeply. What did it matter whether she was beautiful or plain? Once his wounds healed, he would leave, and any future connection with this woman was uncertain at best.

Suppressing his thoughts, he turned onto his side, facing the inner part of the bed, and closed his eyes once more.

Fan Changyu woke as usual, her internal clock pulling her from sleep. Sitting up, she found herself on the floor mat, her sister Changning nowhere in sight, and a few steps away on the bed lay a man. She blinked in confusion, taking a moment to fully remember the unusual circumstances of her current situation.

Then, she remembered that she’d been married the day before and let out a sigh of relief.

The sky outside was just beginning to lighten, and the bridal candle inside had burned down to a small stub, with hardened droplets of wax pooling beneath it on the holder.

Fan Changyu got up quietly. Since she’d slept fully dressed, she avoided the hassle and awkwardness of getting dressed. She folded up the blankets on the floor and slipped outside.

The wind and snow had continued through the night, and by morning, a thick layer of snow blanketed the courtyard. The walls and bare branches outside were covered in white. Rubbing her hands together against the chill, she first went under the eaves to grab some firewood. She set a fire in the hearth and hung a pot to warm water for washing. Then, taking a broom, she swept the courtyard, gathering the snow into neat piles.

Just then, she heard her sister Changning crying from next door and quickly went to bring her back. Normally, Changning was very obedient, but since their parents had passed, she would cry if she woke up without Fan Changyu nearby.

After soothing her sister, Fan Changyu sat her down on a stool and picked up a comb to gently brush her hair.

Perhaps due to her frail health since childhood, Changning’s hair was unlike Fan Changyu’s thick, black hair. Instead, it was fine, soft, and had a slightly yellowish tint, with plenty of stray wisps that made it challenging to style. Fan Changyu, not yet practiced in hairdressing, often left Changning with mismatched pigtails that looked uniquely “off” each day.

After finishing her sister’s hair, she sent her to wash her face. Changning touched her left pigtail, then her right, sensing something was amiss. When she looked into the washbasin, she realized today’s pigtails were even more crooked than usual.

She fiddled with one and said, “Big Sister, my hair is lopsided.”

Fan Changyu cleared her throat. “I need to head to the county office after breakfast, so I don’t have time to fix it. How about we make do for today?”

Changning was easy to placate and didn’t press the issue further.

When Fan Changyu brought fresh water into the room, she noticed that Xie Zheng was already awake and had been for a while, sitting by the headboard, fully dressed. Judging by the timing, he had likely overheard her conversation with her sister, and she couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed.

She placed the washbasin on the round stool beside the bed and handed him a clean cotton cloth, mentioning the promises she’d made when agreeing to the pretend marriage. “I’ll go to the county office later to transfer the property title, take care of your household registration, and also bring back a doctor for you.”

Hearing this, Xie Zheng replied, “No need for a doctor. My injuries will heal with some rest.”

His wounds had already been treated with rare medicine, so all that was left was to allow time for the flesh to mend.

Fan Changyu scratched her head. “Well, is there anything you need? I can pick it up for you.”

He shook his head again, which left Fan Changyu feeling a bit embarrassed. This wasn’t quite what she had promised; it almost seemed as though she was the one benefiting from the arrangement, rather than him.

She thought that after taking care of the official matters at the county office, she could pick up some tonics for him on the way back to help him recover.

After a quick breakfast, Fan Changyu headed out. With more than just her younger sister at home now, she decided not to leave Changning at Aunt Zhao’s place as usual. Instead, before leaving, she instructed Changning to go next door to Aunt Zhao if anything happened.

However, as soon as she left, a small-time thug lurking nearby rushed off to the gambling den to report her departure.

Meanwhile, loud banging erupted at the door. Xie Zheng, who had casually picked up a book from the corner and barely turned a couple of pages, raised an eyebrow. A hint of irritation surfaced in his otherwise indifferent expression—this disturbance was not improving his already dull mood.

Recruitment of Editors: https://gravitytales.com/recruitment-of-editors/