"It's a sham marriage," Fan Changyu said hurriedly.
She explained her plan to him in detail. "After we go through the wedding ceremony, we'll announce that you've married into my family. This will protect the property my parents left me. My family still has some modest savings. Once the property and land deeds are transferred, our finances will be more flexible. I'll hire the best doctor in town and use the best medicine to treat your injuries. After you've recovered, you can decide whether to stay or leave."
Xie Zheng raised his eyes. The upward tilt at the corners of his eyes deepened the cold indifference about him. "Aren't you afraid that after I leave, your uncle will come demanding the property again?"
Fan Changyu said, "Once the property is transferred, I won't be afraid of him, no matter how much of a fuss he makes. Besides, when you leave, I'll just say you've gone on a long trip for business. No one will know the truth."
Xie Zheng said with an unreadable expression, "You've really thought this through."
Fan Changyu couldn't tell if he was praising or mocking her and asked awkwardly, "So... what do you think?"
"Let me think about it." His eyelids were half-lowered, his expression unreadable, as if he were genuinely considering it.
Fan Changyu couldn't help but feel a little nervous. She reviewed what she had just said. Although she had told him he was free to stay or go after he recovered, she hadn't mentioned what she would give him if he left, or what she could promise him if he stayed.
She quickly reconsidered and added, "If you want to leave after you've recovered, I'll give you enough money for your travels. If you have nowhere else to go..."
She glanced at his pale face and the wounds covering his body. Because the undergarments from yesterday were soaked in blood again, Zhao Mu Jiang couldn't find anything for him to change into and had put him back in his own tattered coarse linen clothes.
His hands, aside from various scrapes, were covered in a layer of thick calluses and cracked sores. It looked like he hadn't had an easy life before.
Seeing how sick and poor he was now, Fan Changyu made a bold promise, "Don't worry, from now on, I'll slaughter pigs to support you!"
Xie Zheng was speechless.
The expression on his face at that moment was truly a sight to behold.
If anyone who knew him had been present, they would probably already be contemplating their own manner of death just from hearing those words.
To have the audacity to say she would support him—in the entire world, this woman before him was likely the only one.
However, if she knew his real name, she probably wouldn't have said such a thing to him. She might have even left him to die in the snow without a second thought.
At this thought, a hint of mockery appeared in Xie Zheng's eyes.
He asked, "Why?"
Fan Changyu didn't understand what he meant. "What?"
He was surprisingly patient now, seemingly quite curious to know the reason behind her offer to support him. "We're complete strangers. If these injuries of mine don't heal, I'll most likely become a cripple. What do you stand to gain by supporting me?"
Fan Changyu answered with great sincerity, "You're good-looking."
Xie Zheng froze on the spot, not expecting such a superficial reason. After a long moment, he frowned and asked, "Just because of that?"
Fan Changyu blinked, as if to say, "What else?"
Xie Zheng naturally knew he was not unattractive, but this was the first time someone had praised his looks so bluntly. He said, "There are countless handsome men in this world."
Fan Changyu said, "But you happen to be the one I carried back from the snow."
She had only meant to respond to his statement about there being many handsome men in the world, but unexpectedly, after she spoke, the way he looked at her grew even stranger.
Fan Changyu belatedly realized her words could easily be misinterpreted and hurried to explain, "What I mean is, perhaps this is all fated..."
She, a person who judged by looks, had happened to rescue someone with a top-tier appearance. That was why she felt that if he had nowhere to go in the future and they got along well, it wouldn't be a bad idea to make do together.
If he wasn't interested, she certainly wouldn't force it. After all, you can't force love.
Unfortunately, he didn't give her a chance to finish her explanation, interrupting her with a frown. "After my injuries heal, I, Yan, will leave on my own and will not trouble you further, miss."
His eyes and brows were filled with coldness, as if he had already decided she had improper designs on him.
Fan Changyu found it hard to explain herself. "...Alright."
The man seemed to want nothing more to do with her, nor did he wish to owe her anything. He spoke again, his tone just as cold, "Miss, please state a wish. For the grace of saving my life, I will surely repay you one day."
Fan Changyu waved her hand, disheartened. "You agreeing to the sham marriage to help me protect my family property is already a huge help."
She wouldn't speak so carelessly again; it was terrible to be misunderstood.
Unexpectedly, she heard him say, "The sham marriage will only count as repayment for taking me in."
Fan Changyu looked up in astonishment, staring at his exceptionally handsome face. "You mean," she said uncertainly, "you've agreed to the sham marriage?"
Xie Zheng gave a slight nod.
Fan Changyu almost wept with joy. "We can sign a contract as proof and set a time limit for the marriage. When the time is up, I'll immediately write you divorce papers and will absolutely not force you to stay. If you want to leave early, I'll also provide travel money and the divorce papers, and I won't stop you."
This way, he wouldn't have to worry about her having improper intentions and refusing to let him go.
Xie Zheng said, "...That's not necessary."
He lowered his gaze and asked again, "What is your wish, miss?"
Fan Changyu thought for a moment and said, "I want to get the pigsty my father left me up and running as soon as possible. In the future, it would be best if I could raise a hundred pigs."
"..."
That wish was truly simple and unadorned, and once again, it was about pigs.
Xie Zheng was silent for two breaths. "You can ask for something bigger, miss."
Fan Changyu thought to herself, a hundred pigs are worth at least a hundred taels. Buying a two-courtyard house in town only costs a little over a hundred taels. Is that wish still too small?
She forced herself to name another number. "Two hundred pigs, then?"
Xie Zheng was speechless.
Forget it. He would just give her more silver when he left.
Seeing his silence, Fan Changyu thought she had asked for too much and said awkwardly, "As the old saying goes, saving a life is better than building... better than building a pagoda. I'm not actually looking for you to repay me..."
Hearing her stumble through the saying "saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda," Xie Zheng's eyelid twitched slightly. He cut her off, "I, Yan, will remember your kindness, miss."
Since he had said so, Fan Changyu felt it was inappropriate to continue the topic. She asked, "Well... since you've agreed to the sham marriage, is there anything else you want to ask me?"
The man sitting by the window just shook his head slightly, seemingly unconcerned with this so-called marriage.
Fan Changyu thought about it and figured it made sense. It was all fake anyway; they weren't really getting married. There was no need to inquire about each other's entire family history.
She said, "The wedding might be a bit rushed, probably in the next day or two."
Xie Zheng only said, "You can arrange it."
His raven-like lashes were half-lowered, hiding the depths of his eyes. "However, the mountain bandits took my household registration documents. I'll probably have to go to the government office to get new ones."
Fan Changyu said, "That's not difficult. Since you're marrying into my family, we can just add your name to my household register."
Now that they had reached an agreement, Fan Changyu didn't stay any longer. She got up to go back and prepare for the wedding.
Before leaving, she saw that he had barely touched his bowl of pig lung soup and reminded him, "The soup should be cool by now. You should drink it."
Xie Zheng said, "...Mm."
Did she not know that the pig lung soup she made tasted very strange?
Only Xie Zheng remained in the room. He opened the window and looked toward Sky Deer Mountain, where the sky was clearing after the snow. His gaze deepened.
The man who had taken over his military command was a mad dog. If he couldn't find his body, he would likely start thoroughly investigating the refugees who had fled to nearby prefectures.
He could fabricate a false identity, but he couldn't forge household registration documents. If the Jizhou government office also began to investigate unregistered refugees, he would be exposed very quickly.
According to the laws of this dynasty, if a man married into a woman's family, his household registration could be changed to that of his new family.
This was the real reason he had agreed to the sham marriage.
As for that woman...
His gaze subconsciously fell on the bowl of pig lung soup placed to the side.
He had already granted her one wish, and she also had something to gain from the sham marriage. He no longer owed her anything.
Remembering the matter-of-fact way she had said, "You're good-looking," his own handsome brows furrowed unconsciously.
Hah, superficial.
He put his fingers to his lips and let out a clear whistle. In a moment, a pure white Gyrfalcon swooped down from the sky and landed steadily on the windowsill.
Xie Zheng held out the bowl. "Eat it."
The Gyrfalcon eyed the cooked pig lung slices in the bowl with its black-bean-like eyes and stubbornly turned its head away.
Xie Zheng shot it a look, and only then did the Gyrfalcon aggrievedly pick up a slice of pig liver and swallow it.
As luck would have it, just as Fan Changyu had settled the sham marriage, Head Constable Wang sent someone to secretly inform her that Fan Da had indeed found someone to write a complaint and submit it to the County Government Office. The case would likely be heard in a few days.
When the old Zhao Mu Jiang couple learned of this, they were so anxious that their mouths broke out in blisters. Fan Changyu, however, remained calm. "We'll keep the wedding simple. We'll just invite the neighbors for a meal so everyone knows I've taken a live-in husband."
To keep the old couple from worrying too much, and also for fear that others might see through the ruse, she hadn't yet told them that the marriage was a sham.
Aunt Zhao fretted, "But there's no time to make wedding clothes..."
Fan Changyu didn't think it was a big deal. "Can't we just make do with a red outfit?"
The money from selling pork and the compensation from the gambling den incident combined was only three taels. This little bit of money had to be spent where it was most needed.
However, while she herself had new clothes to wear, the man who was to marry into her family did not. His original clothes had been slashed to tatters. During his recovery, he had been wearing a loose undergarment with one of Zhao Mu Jiang's old jackets over it. No matter what, he had to have a new set of clothes made for the wedding day.
Fan Changyu gritted her teeth and spent half a guan of money to buy a bolt of ochre-red fabric from the clothier's, asking a seamstress who lived in the alley to make him a new set of clothes.
Fan Changyu had her reasons for buying this dark red fabric. It could be worn as a wedding garment on the wedding day, and it could also be worn as regular clothing on normal days.
When the seamstress heard that Fan Changyu was getting married, she smiled and offered a string of auspicious words. Knowing Fan Changyu's family situation was not easy, she refused to accept any payment for her labor, saying that making the wedding clothes was her wedding gift.
But the measurements still needed to be taken.
Fan Changyu had wanted to ask Uncle Zhao for help, but he had gone out to purchase various items for the wedding. She had no choice but to go up to the attic herself. "You don't have a decent set of clothes for the wedding day. I'm going to take your measurements to have a set made for you."
Xie Zheng nodded agreeably.
To get more accurate measurements, he didn't wear Zhao Mu Jiang's old jacket, revealing his back to Fan Changyu in just his undergarment.
Fan Changyu spread her thumb and forefinger, measuring from his left shoulder to his right. Through the thin layer of the undergarment, the muscles her fingertips touched were warm and firm.
Although she had touched him before when he was seriously injured and coughing up blood, helping him pat his back to soothe his breathing, her mind had been clear of distractions then, as a life was on the line. Now, perhaps because neither of them was speaking and the room was so quiet that even their breathing was clearly audible, she inexplicably felt a bit embarrassed.
On one hand, she was afraid he would again misunderstand that she had improper designs on him, so she tried to minimize physical contact. On the other hand, she tried hard to ignore the warmth from her fingertips and concentrate on remembering the measurements.
"One chi and five cun." After taking the measurement, she quickly handed the old jacket back to Xie Zheng for him to put on, her actions almost suggesting she couldn't get away fast enough.
She muttered to herself inwardly. This man looked so lean, but his shoulders and back were surprisingly broad. His clothing size was almost the same as her father's.
Before leaving, she told him about the general proceedings for the wedding tomorrow. "The wedding is set for tomorrow afternoon. It's inconvenient for you to go downstairs, so Uncle Zhao will carry you down."
The character for wedding, 'hun,' sounds like the character for dusk, 'hun,' so dusk was the auspicious time.
For some unknown reason, he refused flatly. "No need. I'll go down myself with a crutch."
Fan Changyu said worriedly, "Will it tear your wounds open?"
"It won't be a problem."
Seeing his insistence, Fan Changyu let him have his way and went home to continue preparing for the wedding.
A banquet for the guests was essential. She took out one tael of silver to buy a pig. Aunt Zhao, who would be the head cook, helped her go around the neighborhood and invite some aunts who were good at cooking to come and help tomorrow.
She also had to prepare some wedding candies and pastries.
Although she said everything would be simple, when all the miscellaneous expenses were added up, the three taels of silver she had were spent down to the last coin.
Fan Changyu was busy until hai shi and hadn't had a moment's rest. Aunt Zhao, who had no children of her own, helped her prepare for the wedding as if she were worrying over her own daughter, bustling about with her.
After Changning had fallen asleep, Aunt Zhao mysteriously stuffed a small booklet into her hand.
Fan Changyu flipped through a page and quickly closed it, half embarrassed and half mortified. "He's injured like that, this won't be necessary, will it..."
Aunt Zhao shot her a glare. "There will come a time when it's useful."
Fan Changyu had no choice but to accept the booklet with a stiff face.
The seamstress was very skilled and finished a set of wedding clothes that very night, delivering them over.
Fan Changyu had originally only intended to have a set made for Xie Zheng, but the seamstress had managed to save enough scraps of fabric to make a matching set for her as well.
The seamstress said with a smile, "How can the bride and groom wear different clothes for their wedding? I saw that there was enough fabric left to make a set for you too, so I rushed to finish it. Don't you complain if the craftsmanship isn't good."
Fan Changyu had had clothes made at the seamstress's place before, so her measurements were on file.
Fan Changyu's heart was filled with a mix of emotions. "Thank you, Aunt Fang."
The seamstress urged, "Hurry and go change so your aunt and I can have a look. If it doesn't fit, we can still alter it now."
There wasn't enough fabric, so the seamstress had cut the wedding clothes in a very simple style, not much different from ordinary clothes, but the style was elegant and graceful.
Fan Changyu went into the room to change and came out. Both Aunt Zhao and the seamstress said she looked beautiful. The seamstress teased, "Tomorrow, once that veil is on, you'll be a bride as beautiful as a flower!"
Fan Changyu asked, "Since he's marrying into my family, shouldn't the veil be for the groom?"
The seamstress and Aunt Zhao burst out laughing. "You silly girl..."
Fan Changyu was purely curious. After all, if she really made that fellow wear a veil to marry into her family, she was afraid he would flip out on the spot.
Speaking of the groom, the seamstress became curious. "I heard the husband you're taking in was rescued by you after being attacked by bandits at Tiger's Fork. Is he handsome?"
Before Fan Changyu could speak, Aunt Zhao answered for her, "Won't you see for yourself at the wedding tomorrow?"
The seamstress smiled and said yes, teased her a bit more, and then went home.
When Aunt Zhao was alone with Fan Changyu, thinking that this girl was getting married tomorrow, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness for her. "Girls from those wealthy families are carried down from their embroidery towers on their wedding day, seated in a bridal sedan chair, and sent to their husband's home with music and celebration all the way..."
Fan Changyu didn't feel sad. Instead, she remembered how Yan Zheng had coldly refused on the spot when she told him Uncle Zhao would carry him downstairs tomorrow.
Could that have been the reason for his refusal?
That night, the lights stayed on late not only in the Fan Family home, but also in the Song family home, just a few houses away.
Mother Song got up in the night and saw the light was still on in her son's room. She knocked on the door and said, "Yan'er, it's so late. You should be resting."
A man's calm voice came from inside the room. "I'll sleep after I finish reviewing this scroll."
Mother Song felt both heartache for her son and a sense of gratification. She said, "Don't stay up too late," and went back to her room.
Inside, the candlelight shone brightly. Song Yan held a scroll but hadn't turned a page for a long time. The inkstone and brush had long been knocked to the floor, leaving the room in a mess.
The hand holding the scroll was clenched so tightly that the knuckles had turned white.
She... was getting married?
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