Matters of the heart are not one-sided; they are mutual. Just because Xun Wan Niang liked Song Ming Ze did not mean Song Ming Ze had to accept it. Therefore, Qi Zhen Zhen found it difficult to make any promises regarding this matter. Furthermore, although the old saying warns against judging by appearance, it often proves true that those with outstanding looks and pleasing aesthetics possess an inherent advantage in whatever they do.
Qi Zhen Zhen carefully examined Xun Wan Niang. Her features were passable, especially her eyes, which were bright and full of spirit.
However, due to her dark complexion and plumpness, her features were crowded together, making her appearance rather unsatisfactory.
They say fair skin conceals many flaws, but plumpness ruins all.
If Xun Wan Niang could shed this excess weight, her own conditions would likely take a significant leap forward. As for her dark complexion, a touch of makeup could resolve that.
"I don't know if it will work, but since you care so much for Song Ming Ze, you have to give it a try," Qi Zhen Zhen said. "First and foremost, you need to get rid of this excess weight. Besides controlling your appetite and eating less, you must also incorporate exercise. Otherwise, if you only lose weight by starving yourself, your skin will become loose and saggy."
"If I eat less and become thinner, will Song Ming Ze like me?" Xun Wan Niang asked, her gaze fixed on Qi Zhen Zhen.
Qi Zhen Zhen waved her hand. "Who can say for sure? But if you become thinner, he might find you more pleasing to look at. And if he finds you pleasing, wouldn't that create an opportunity?"
Xun Wan Niang nodded. "Alright, I'll listen to you."
"Then, do your family know you're here?" Qi Zhen Zhen asked again. "Song Ming Ze's uncle has gone to the county town. Will your mother send someone to fetch you back?"
Xun Wan Niang shook her head. "I ran away secretly, but my mother is probably too busy to bother with me. The Xun family's assets are to be compensated to the Song family, and the numerous women in my father's backyard do not agree with this. My mother is busy dealing with them. Besides, even if they come to get me, I won't go back. If I go back, I'll have no chance."
"Where will you stay then?"
"When the weather warms up, could you help me set up a shelter? I have money."
Qi Zhen Zhen waved her hand. "That won't do. Right now, Grandma Song and Aunt Song are avoiding you like the plague. If I help you set up a shelter at their doorstep, what would that look like? How about this: you go around the village and ask if anyone is willing to help you set up a shelter."
Xun Wan Niang shook her head. "Then I won't need a shelter. I'll just hide by the gatehouse. This way, I'll look more pitiful, and it will be easier to move people. However, it does get quite cold at night. I wonder if I can find someone to buy a padded quilt from."
Her perseverance was truly admirable.
While lodging could be managed, food was another matter. Qi Zhen Zhen presented Xun Wan Niang with a menu. Xun Wan Niang's brows furrowed so deeply they could have trapped a fly. The items sounded numerous, but to her, they seemed bland and watery, not like proper meals at all.
"Are you saying I'll only eat these from now on?" Xun Wan Niang asked, still not giving up.
Qi Zhen Zhen nodded. "Considering your previous large appetite, we can't reduce it all at once; it has to be gradual. The menu is still quite substantial. Once you adapt, we'll gradually reduce it further."
Xun Wan Niang's eyes widened. "What? You mean, this is still a lot, and I'll be eating even less in the future?"
"Yes, look at this menu; it's enough for two adult men to eat daily," Qi Zhen Zhen said, feeling a headache coming on. How could a young lady like Xun Wan Niang eat so much?
Eating was one of Xun Wan Niang's greatest pleasures, and to have it forcibly taken away was a serious matter for her.
"Will I starve to death?"
"Of course not, you'll just feel unaccustomed to it at first."
Xun Wan Niang tried to bargain, but Qi Zhen Zhen shut her down with a single sentence.
"This is the most direct way for you to win back Song Ming Ze's heart."
Xun Wan Niang resignedly nodded. "I understand."
In the days that followed, Xun Wan Niang strictly followed the menu provided by Qi Zhen Zhen. During this period, Song Zhi Shu and Song Zhi Li both returned. The Xun family also sent people, but they did not succeed in taking Xun Wan Niang away. She never entered the Song family's home again, so she could not be accused of trespassing. Even if the yamen runners were called, they would have no grounds to expel her.
"Zhen Zhen, why can Xun Wan Niang be like this? Stubbornly foolish. She's still a young lady, sleeping outside wrapped in a padded quilt late at night," Song Ming Yue said, looking perplexed. "She's already lost a lot of weight and looks quite pitiful."
Qi Zhen Zhen found it difficult to explain her agreement with Xun Wan Niang to Song Ming Yue, so she simply echoed Song Ming Yue's words. "Indeed. Haven't you heard how the villagers have changed their tune, saying Xun Wan Niang is quite pitiful?"
"Even my Grandma is starting to soften, but my Aunt still hates her as much as ever. Whenever she has time, she goes to the doorstep and curses loudly. Xun Wan Niang doesn't get angry; she just carries on cheerfully. Oh, and my cousin initially hid at home and wouldn't go out, but he can't avoid it forever. He and my other cousin have to go to the academy in town. Every time, Xun Wan Niang accompanies them all the way to the main road and waits for them at their drop-off point in the evening. At first, my cousin would say harsh words to drive her away, but eventually, he just let her be. Perhaps he's gotten used to it?"
Habit becomes second nature. The method might be a bit clumsy, but it's not without its effects. As long as Song Ming Ze remains unmarried, Xun Wan Niang still has a chance.
"Enough about them, let's talk about you. What are your thoughts?" Qi Zhen Zhen asked Song Ming Yue.
Three days ago, a sweat towel fell from Ge Yu Sheng's person. Embroidered on it was a poem—
"May I be the star, and you the moon,
Our radiant light mingling night after night."
If it were in the past, Song Ming Yue wouldn't have thought anything was amiss even if she saw it. But now, having learned to recognize many characters with Qi Zhen Zhen, she recognized the words. Although she didn't understand their meaning, she silently memorized them. She later asked Qi Zhen Zhen, and upon learning the meaning of these two lines, Song Ming Yue became unsettled.
This was because Ge Yu Sheng had said the sweat towel was embroidered by his mother at his request.
For a man to have a poem embroidered on his own sweat towel? How was that possible?
Those two lines clearly described the thoughts of a maiden in love...
Song Ming Yue sighed. "What can I do? I couldn't hold back and asked my cousin. He insisted that he found it amusing and asked my aunt to embroider it. He also called me jealous, saying that if we got married, I would definitely be accused of committing the seven grounds for divorce."
"What did your mother say?"
"I haven't told my mother yet. It's better for me to have evidence before I say anything. Otherwise, my mother will just say I'm being unreasonable. What can a few lines of poetry represent?" Song Ming Yue said. "The day after tomorrow, their academy will have a break. As usual, my cousin will go home."
Qi Zhen Zhen immediately understood Song Ming Yue's intention: she planned to follow him.
"Do you need help?"
Song Ming Yue waved her hand. "Two people would be too obvious. I'll manage on my own."
"Then be careful when you do," Qi Zhen Zhen cautioned.
"Don't worry. When I was little, my cousins didn't include me in their games, so I always followed them secretly. They rarely noticed," Song Ming Yue said dismissively.