Chasing Jade (Zhu Yu)

Fan Changyu quickly explained, "It's a sham marriage."

She laid out her plan in detail: "After we perform the wedding ceremony, we'll tell everyone it's a marriage where you're moving into my family home. This way, I can protect the property my parents left behind. My family still has some modest assets. Once the house and land are transferred to my name, I'll have enough funds to manage things. I'll hire the best doctor in town for you and use the finest medicine to treat your injuries. After you recover, you can choose to stay or leave as you wish."

Xie Zheng lifted his gaze, the upward tilt of his eyes accentuating his aloof demeanor. "Aren't you afraid that once I leave, your uncle will come demanding the property again?"

Fan Changyu replied, "Once the transfer is complete, no matter how much he fusses, I won't be intimidated. Besides, when you leave, I can just say you've gone on a long trip. No one will know the truth."

Xie Zheng remarked ambiguously, "You've really thought this through."

Unsure whether his tone was praise or criticism, Fan Changyu awkwardly asked, "So... what do you think?"

"Let me consider it." His eyelids lowered slightly, his expression unreadable, as if genuinely pondering.

Fan Changyu grew a bit nervous. Recalling her earlier words, she realized she'd mentioned he could leave after recovering but hadn't specified what she'd offer if he stayed or left.

Quickly reconsidering, she added, "If you choose to leave after recovering, I'll provide ample travel funds. If you have nowhere to go..."

She glanced at his pale complexion and numerous injuries. Since his undergarments had been soaked in blood yesterday and Zhao Mu Jiang couldn't find spare clothes for him, he'd been dressed in his own tattered coarse hemp robe.

His hands, aside from various abrasions, were covered in thick calluses and cracks—clear signs of a hard life.

Now truly sick and destitute, Fan Changyu boldly declared, "Don't worry, I'll raise pigs to support you!"

Xie Zheng: "..."

His expression at that moment was truly spectacular.

Had anyone who knew him been present, they'd have already contemplated their own demise upon hearing such words.

In all the world, only this woman before him would dare boast about supporting him.

Yet if she knew his true identity, she likely wouldn't have spoken these words—might not even have rescued him from the snow.

This thought brought a hint of mockery to his eyes.

He asked, "Why?"

Fan Changyu didn't understand. "What?"

Uncharacteristically patient, he seemed genuinely curious about her reasoning: "We're strangers. If my injuries don't heal, there's an eighty to ninety percent chance I'll be crippled. What do you gain from supporting me?"

With utter sincerity, Fan Changyu replied, "You're good-looking."

Xie Zheng froze, never expecting such a shallow reason. After a long pause, he frowned and asked, "That's all?"

Fan Changyu blinked, as if saying "What else?"

While Xie Zheng knew his appearance wasn't lacking, this was the first time someone had praised his looks so bluntly. He said, "There are countless attractive people in this world."

Fan Changyu responded, "But you're the one I happened to carry back from the snow."She had only meant to explain his remark about there being many good-looking people in the world, but after she finished speaking, the way he looked at her grew even stranger.

Fan Changyu belatedly realized that her words could easily be misunderstood and quickly added, “What I meant was, perhaps everything is a matter of fate…”

As someone who cared about appearances, she had coincidentally picked up someone exceptionally handsome. That was why she thought that if he had nowhere else to go in the future and their temperaments matched, they could make do together.

But if he wasn’t interested, she certainly wouldn’t force it—after all, forced affection never ends well.

Yet before she could finish explaining, he frowned and interrupted coldly, “Once my injuries heal, I will leave on my own and not trouble you further.”

His expression was icy, as if he had already concluded that she harbored improper thoughts about him.

Fan Changyu found it hard to defend herself. “…Very well.”

He seemed unwilling to have any further connection with her or owe her anything, speaking again with detached indifference, “Name a wish. I will repay the debt of saving my life in the future.”

Disheartened, she waved her hand. “If you’re willing to enter a sham marriage to help me protect my family’s assets, that would already be a great favor.”

She wouldn’t speak carelessly again—being misunderstood was so awkward.

But then she heard him say, “A sham marriage would only count as repayment for taking me in.”

Changyu looked up in surprise at his strikingly handsome face and asked uncertainly, “You mean… you agree to the sham marriage?”

Xie Zheng gave a slight nod.

She nearly wept with joy. “We can sign a contract to set a time limit. Once it’s over, I’ll write the divorce papers immediately and won’t force you to stay. If you want to leave earlier, I’ll provide travel expenses and the divorce papers without any objections.”

That way, he wouldn’t have to worry about her holding him back out of ulterior motives.

Xie Zheng: “…That won’t be necessary.”

He lowered his gaze and asked again, “What is your wish?”

After some thought, Changyu said, “I want to get my father’s pig farm up and running soon. Ideally, I’d like to raise a hundred pigs in the future.”

“……”

The wish was indeed simple and unadorned—and, once again, about pigs.

Xie Zheng was silent for a moment. “You can aim higher.”

Changyu thought to herself that a hundred pigs would be worth at least a hundred taels of silver. Even a modest two-courtyard house in town cost little more than that—was her wish really too small?

She forced herself to suggest a higher number. “Then… two hundred?”

Xie Zheng: “……”

Never mind. He could just give her more silver when he left.

Misinterpreting his silence as hesitation over her greed, she awkwardly added, “As the saying goes, saving a life is worth… worth building a pagoda. I don’t actually expect repayment…”

When Xie Zheng heard her mangled version of “Saving a life is worth building a seven-story pagoda,” his eyelid twitched slightly, and he cut her off. “I will remember your kindness.”

Since he had said as much, Changyu didn’t press further. “Well… since you’ve agreed to the sham marriage, is there anything else you’d like to ask me?”

The man sitting by the window merely shook his head slightly, as if the so-called marriage meant nothing to him.

Changyu supposed that made sense—it was all pretend anyway. They weren’t actually getting married, so there was no need to dig into his family history.

She said, “The wedding might be a bit rushed—probably within the next couple of days.”Xie Zheng simply said, "You arrange it."

His raven-black lashes half-lowered, concealing the depths of his gaze. "But my household registration documents were also taken by the bandits. I suppose I’ll have to go to the authorities to get them replaced."

Fan Changyu replied, "That’s not difficult. Since you’re marrying into my family, we can just add your name to my household registry later."

With both parties in agreement, Fan Changyu saw no need to linger and stood up to prepare for the wedding.

Before leaving, she noticed he hadn’t touched his bowl of pork lung soup and reminded him, "The soup must be cold by now. You should drink it."

Xie Zheng: "...Mm."

Did she not realize how strange her pork lung soup tasted?

Alone in the room, Xie Zheng opened the window and gazed at Sky Deer Mountain under the clear skies after the snow, his eyes darkening.

The mad dog who had taken over his military authority wouldn’t stop until he found his corpse. It wouldn’t be long before they started thoroughly investigating refugees fleeing to nearby prefectures.

He could fabricate a false identity, but he couldn’t forge household registration documents. If the Jizhou authorities began screening refugees without proper registration, he would be exposed quickly.

According to the laws of this dynasty, if a man married into a woman’s family, he could transfer his household registration to her locality.

That was the real reason he had agreed to the sham marriage.

As for the woman...

His gaze inadvertently fell on the bowl of pork lung soup beside him.

He had already granted her one wish, and she too had her own motives for this arrangement. He owed her nothing more.

Recalling her matter-of-fact remark—"Because you’re good-looking"—his handsome brows unconsciously furrowed.

Hmph. Superficial.

He raised his fingers to his lips and let out a clear, sharp whistle. Moments later, a pure white gyrfalcon swooped down from the sky and landed steadily on the windowsill.

Xie Zheng pushed the bowl toward it. "Eat."

The gyrfalcon eyed the boiled pork lung slices in the bowl with its beady black eyes before stubbornly turning its head away.

Only when Xie Zheng shot it a stern look did the bird reluctantly pick up a piece of pork liver and swallow it.

As luck would have it, just as Fan Changyu finalized the sham marriage, Head Constable Wang secretly sent someone to inform her that Fan Da had indeed hired someone to draft a petition and submit it to the County Government Office. The case would likely be heard soon.

The elderly couple, Zhao Mu Jiang and his wife, were so anxious their lips broke out in blisters. Fan Changyu, however, remained composed. "We’ll keep the wedding simple—just invite the neighbors for a meal so everyone knows I’ve taken in a husband."

To spare the old couple further worry and to avoid arousing suspicion, she hadn’t yet told them the marriage was a sham.

Aunt Zhao fretted, "But there’s no time to make wedding robes..."

Fan Changyu shrugged. "Can’t we just wear something red?"

The money she had from selling pork and the compensation from the gambling den incident only amounted to three taels of silver. She had to spend every penny wisely.

Still, she at least had new clothes for herself, but the man set to marry into her family had none. His original garments had been slashed to tatters, and during his recovery, he had been wearing a loose inner robe and one of Zhao Mu Jiang’s old coats. For the wedding, he would need a proper new outfit.

Gritting her teeth, Fan Changyu spent half a string of coins to buy a bolt of russet-red fabric from the cloth shop, commissioning a seamstress in the alley to make him a new set of clothes.

She had chosen the dark red fabric with consideration—it could serve as wedding attire for the ceremony and still be worn as everyday clothing afterward.The seamstress, upon hearing that Fan Changyu was getting married, smiled and offered a string of well-wishes. Knowing the hardships in Fan Changyu's household, she adamantly refused payment, insisting that making the wedding attire was her gift to the couple.

However, measurements still needed to be taken.

Fan Changyu had hoped to ask Zhao Da Shu for help, but he was out purchasing various items needed for the wedding. Left with no choice, she climbed up to the loft herself. "You don’t have decent clothes for the wedding day. Let me take your measurements so I can have a set made for you."

Xie Zheng nodded agreeably.

To ensure accurate measurements, he didn’t wear Zhao Mu Jiang’s old padded jacket, leaving only a thin inner garment as he turned his back to Fan Changyu.

Fan Changyu spread her thumb and forefinger, measuring from his left shoulder to his right. Through the thin fabric, her fingertips touched warm, firm muscles.

Although she had helped pat his back when he was severely injured and coughing blood, that had been a life-or-death situation, and her mind had been clear of distractions. Now, with neither of them speaking, the room was so quiet that even their breaths were audible, making her inexplicably self-conscious.

Afraid he might misunderstand her intentions again, she minimized physical contact while trying to ignore the warmth under her fingers, focusing solely on recording the measurements.

"One chi and five cun," she announced once done, hastily handing Xie Zheng the old jacket to put on himself, as if eager to avoid further interaction.

She couldn’t help but muse to herself—despite his lean appearance, his shoulders and back were broad and sturdy, almost matching her father’s measurements.

Before leaving, she briefed him on the wedding schedule for the next day: "The ceremony is set for tomorrow afternoon. Since it’s difficult for you to go downstairs, Uncle Zhao will carry you down.The word for "wedding" shares its pronunciation with "dusk," making twilight an auspicious time.

For some reason, Xie Zheng refused outright: "No need. I’ll go down on crutches myself."

Fan Changyu worried, "Won’t that reopen your wounds?"

"It’s fine."

Seeing his determination, she relented and returned home to continue wedding preparations.

Hosting guests was unavoidable. She spent one tael of silver to buy a pig, while Aunt Zhao, the head cook, went around the neighborhood to invite skilled women to help with the cooking the next day.

They also needed to prepare wedding candies and pastries.

Though they aimed for simplicity, the miscellaneous expenses added up, and her three taels of silver were completely spent.

Fan Changyu was busy until late at night without a moment’s rest. Aunt Zhao, who had no children of her own, threw herself into the preparations as if it were her own daughter’s wedding, helping tirelessly.

After Changning fell asleep, Aunt Zhao mysteriously slipped her a small booklet.

Fan Changyu flipped through it and immediately shut it, half-embarrassed, half-flustered: "He’s injured so badly, this won’t be necessary..."

Aunt Zhao glared at her. "There’ll be a time when it’s useful."

Reluctantly, Fan Changyu tucked the booklet away.

The seamstress was skilled and managed to finish a set of wedding clothes that very night.

Fan Changyu had only intended to have a set made for Xie Zheng, but the seamstress ingeniously saved fabric scraps and made a matching set for her as well.

With a smile, the seamstress said, "How can the bride and groom wear mismatched clothes? I saw there was enough leftover fabric to make you a set, so I hurried to finish it. Don’t complain if the craftsmanship isn’t perfect."Fan Changyu had previously had clothes made at the seamstress's place, so her measurements were on record there.

A mix of emotions churned in Fan Changyu's heart: "Thank you, Aunt Fang."

The seamstress urged her: "Go try it on quickly so your aunt and I can see. If it doesn't fit, we can still make adjustments now."

Due to insufficient fabric, the seamstress had cut the wedding dress in an extremely simple style, looking no different from ordinary clothes, though the design was elegant and tasteful.

After Fan Changyu went inside to change and came out, both Aunt Zhao and the seamstress said it looked beautiful. The seamstress teased: "With the bridal veil on tomorrow, you'll be a gorgeous bride!"

Fan Changyu asked: "Since it's a matrilocal marriage, shouldn't the groom wear the veil instead?"

The seamstress and Aunt Zhao burst into laughter: "You silly girl..."

Fan Changyu was purely curious. After all, if she really made that fellow wear the bridal veil for their matrilocal marriage, she was afraid he might flip out on the spot.

Mentioning the groom, the seamstress grew curious: "I heard the husband you're taking in was attacked by bandits at Tiger Fork Pass and you rescued him. Is he handsome?"

Before Fan Changyu could answer, Aunt Zhao replied for her: "Won't you see for yourself at the wedding tomorrow?"

The seamstress laughed and agreed, teased a few more words, then went home.

When Aunt Zhao spoke with Fan Changyu alone, thinking about how the girl would start her own family tomorrow, she couldn't help but feel sad for her: "Those daughters from wealthy families are carried down from their embroidery towers on their wedding day, then taken in flower sedan chairs with music all the way to their husband's home..."

Rather than feeling melancholy, Fan Changyu instead remembered how she'd told Yan Zheng that Uncle Zhao would carry him downstairs tomorrow, and how he'd coldly refused on the spot.

Could this be why he refused?-

That night, besides the Fan family, the Song family a few houses away also kept their lights burning late.

Mother Song got up during the night and saw her son's room still lit. She knocked on the door: "Yan'er, it's so late already. You should rest."

A man's calm voice came from inside: "I'll sleep after finishing this volume."

Half concerned for her son and half pleased, Mother Song said "Don't stay up too late" before returning to her room.

Inside, under the bright candlelight, Song Yan held a book but hadn't turned a page for a long while. The inkstone and writing brush had long been knocked to the floor, leaving the room in disarray.

The hand holding the book was clenched so tightly the knuckles had turned white.

She... is getting married?