"Fine, so that's what you've been waiting for me here..."
Xiao Jinfeng gritted his teeth and glared fiercely at Gu Mingyan, "Hmph, I heard your scheme all the way from the village entrance. To tell you the truth, I'd rather be a bachelor my whole life than have you play matchmaker and arrange blind dates for me!"
"Young Master Xiao, speak with caution!" Gu Mingyan smiled faintly and walked to the desk, pouring Xiao Jinfeng a cup of tea. "We agreed before the bet, as long as Young Master Xiao lost, you would agree to one of my conditions. Besides, introducing you to potential partners is for your lifelong happiness. What complaints do you have?"
"That's right!" Old Man Yun chimed in, nodding in agreement. "Looking at Young Master Xiao, he's not young anymore. It's time to get married and have children. If he keeps wandering around like this, he might truly end up a bachelor..."
Xiao Jinfeng: "???"
You people are really sticking your noses where they don't belong. What does my getting married or not have to do with you?
Seeing Xiao Jinfeng's nose about to smoke with anger, Gu Mingyan directly announced, "A young lady will be coming for a blind date this afternoon. Young Master Xiao had best dress neatly, lest the ladies find you displeasing..."
"No, no!" Xiao Jinheng roared in protest.
In ancient times, when it came to marriage, the most important things were parental consent and a matchmaker's word. Now, Gu Mingyan was brazenly bringing a young lady over without any of the proper procedures, which meant these people were deliberately making a fool out of him...
"That's not up to you!" Gu Mingyan's brow furrowed, his attitude extremely resolute. "Today, Young Master Xiao will see them whether he wants to or not. Er Longzi, hurry and find some decent clothes for your young master!"
Er Longzi: "..."
Marquis Gu's schemes are truly profound. Without realizing it, he had led His Highness Prince Ming into his trap.
Xiao Jinheng couldn't help but chuckle and left with Xiao Ying and Xiao Jun.
Old Man Yun still needed to go to Gougou Lake to buy crucian carp for braised crucian carp that evening, so he didn't stay long and left directly.
"Your Highness, what should we do now?" Er Longzi asked with a worried expression, looking at the dejected Xiao Jinfeng, lowering his voice, "Marquis Gu clearly wants to distract you, which is why he came up with this terrible idea..."
Hearing this, Xiao Jinfeng snorted coldly, pushed Er Longzi aside, and walked out of the guest room.
He wandered around the yard and saw Jin Huaihua feeding the pigs. He cleared his throat and went to greet her, "Miss Huaihua, feeding the pigs!"
Uncle Yun had said that there were too many frozen goods at home, and they couldn't finish all the wild game after the New Year, so they were keeping the few fat pigs in the pen for now and wouldn't slaughter them for Spring Festival...
Jin Huaihua turned her head and smiled sweetly, "Young Master Xiao!"
A smile, like the warm sun in spring, greeted him, blowing away the gloom in Xiao Jinfeng's heart...
He always felt particularly healed whenever he saw Miss Huaihua.
A girl like this was truly a treasure hard to find in this world...
"Miss Huaihua, I want to tell you something!" Xiao Jinfeng said with a blush.
Jin Huaihua: "???"
Young Master Xiao seemed a little different today.
"Wh-what is it?"
After stammering for a long time, Xiao Jinfeng mustered up his courage and said, "This afternoon, several young ladies might come to Old Man Yun's place to meet me. So, so Miss Huaihua, please don't overthink it. I won't have any involvement with them; it's just a formality..."
Alas, it was all because his self-control was too weak; he even lost to that scoundrel Gu Mingyan in a game of tickling.
Jin Huaihua blinked after hearing this, "Are... are you going on a blind date?"
Xiao Jinfeng: "..."
I don't want to either, but I have no choice!
Besides, he also wanted to see where Gu Mingyan would find any unmarried young ladies in this desolate Dashui Village.
"I lost a bet with someone, so I have to do as they say. Miss Huaihua, can you understand my predicament?" Xiao Jinfeng slowly took Jin Huaihua's hand.
The warm touch spread throughout his body from his palm. Jin Huaihua shivered and quickly withdrew her hand, blushing, "Why are you telling me this, Young Master Xiao, if you're going on a blind date?"
We're not related, so why act so ambiguously?
"Because I like you!" Xiao Jinfeng said decisively, speaking his true feelings. "From the moment I arrived at Old Man Yun's place, your warm smile and simple personality caught my attention. At first, I thought it was just a superficial facade or a fleeting interest, but the reality is that Miss Huaihua's charm is far greater than I imagined..."
Jin Huaihua listened, her cheeks burning, her heart pounding rapidly, almost to the point of nervousness.
In her life, this was the first time a boy had confessed his feelings to her, and it felt very strange.
"Young Master Xiao, please don't say any more!" Jin Huaihua turned her face away, overwhelmed with shame.
"No, I must say it!" Xiao Jinfeng's expression was serious, showing no concealment of his affection for her. "Miss Huaihua, I like you. If this is love, I hope to cherish it forever. Even if I'm in danger or at my wit's end in the future, I won't let go of your hand. So... so Miss Huaihua, are you willing to share hardships and difficulties with me?"
Actually, he wanted to ask if she was willing to share prosperity and wealth with him, but after pondering it in his heart, he felt it wasn't very realistic...
If he didn't oppose the Crown Prince, no one could predict what would happen in the future.
Where he would go in the future was not determined by money, but by his birth.
Jin Huaihua's heart beat faster and faster, and she stared blankly at Xiao Jinfeng, a tear trickling down her eye...
Was she dreaming? To meet such a devoted person in a sea of people, how many good deeds must she have done in her past life?
Moreover, she was just a country bumpkin. Even if she could speak, no one would look at her directly.
Young Master Xiao, with his high status and power, was willing to put aside his pride and dignity and treat her as an equal. Jin Huaihua couldn't refuse this...
"I... I am willing!" Jin Huaihua nodded.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jinfeng immediately pulled his beloved girl into his arms, holding her tightly, for fear she would fly away the next second.
This scene was exactly what Zhao Guihua saw when she entered the house.
She had just finished milking the cows in the cowshed and vaguely heard some murmuring from the pigsty. She thought she had misheard, but now, seeing them, good heavens, this man and woman were embracing...
"Wow, this is incredible, incredible!"
Zhao Guihua's mouth widened in astonishment, and she turned and ran towards the inner room.