Xiao Shan had underestimated the speed at which gossip spread among the long-tongued women in the small mountain village. In fact, he had forgotten all about it the moment he turned his back, only to catch a whiff of something amiss from the villagers' hesitant words when he went hunting.
By this time, the news had already traveled from one end of the village to the other.
Chen Dong also learned of the matter from his mother. A dark pleasure surged through his heart, but then he thought of his own wife's pregnancy and couldn't help but feel suspicious.
Su Peilan, fearful, dared not claim the child in her womb was not Xiao Shan's, insisting it was all a rumor.
Xiao Shan returned home, receiving sympathetic glances, and was so angered he could barely finish his meal.
Xue Niang turned her head and secretly chuckled. It was good that there was a misunderstanding; let's see if those women would still have designs on him, the good-looking but useless fellow!
"We'll live our own lives; what does it matter what others say?" she said, her face full of feigned concern and comfort.
While her words were comforting, his gaze found her expression displeasing. What was the difference between a man unable to perform his duties and a eunuch? The crucial point was that he had a mouth but couldn't speak, and even if he did, people wouldn't believe him.
"Xue Niang, did they make fun of you?"
Xiao Shan knitted his brows. He could endure some hardship, but if anyone gossiped about Xue Niang, he would deal with them.
Xue Niang lowered her head guiltily. Actually, how should she put it? She hadn't only not clarified the matter, but she had also pushed it further.
That day, Aunt Feng had asked her again if Xiao Shan was undergoing any treatment.
She had replied, "He's seen three doctors, but there's been no improvement."
At the time, she hadn't thought much of it; she was just angry at Xiao Shan for teasing her, so she had spoken carelessly. She never imagined it would spread like this.
Afterward, when she went out, she discovered there were benefits to this. The young wives in the village no longer envied her; instead, they came to comfort her.
"Did someone say something?" Xiao Shan, seeing her silence, assumed she had been bullied. He stood up with a "Hmph" and headed for the door.
There were only a few gossipy old women in the village. He wouldn't seek out the women for an explanation; he would beat up their men!
Seeing him walk out with a dark expression, Xue Niang quickly grabbed him. "No! Nobody said anything. It's not a big deal! Why are you bothered by this? You know the truth, and that's all that matters. This kind of thing only gets worse the more you try to explain it. Once we have children, the rumors will naturally be dispelled, won't they?"
That was true.
He wasn't one to dwell on things, but this matter was truly stifling.
Next time someone offered him goji berries, he would defiantly throw them in her face.
"A Shan, take me to the city. I want to buy some fabric; I want to make clothes for you."
Xue Niang quickly diverted his attention. Indeed, upon hearing about making clothes for him, Xiao Shan's expression changed like the weather in July, from gloomy to sunny, his lips curling upwards.
"For me? Will it be too much trouble?"
"Sister Xiulan said it's very simple. She said that store-bought clothes aren't as well-fitting as homemade ones. I want to make them for you, okay?"
How could it not be okay? It would be wonderful! His wife truly doted on him.
In his excitement, Xiao Shan hugged her and kissed her. "Wife, I truly cherish you."
The two of them took an ox cart to the city and went to their usual fabric shop. They bought not only fabric for men's clothing but also what the proprietress called the most fashionable women's wear fabric, which delighted the proprietress to no end.
Xiao Shan, pleased by the proprietress's effusive praise of Xue Niang, bought a lot without considering whether Xue Niang knew how to sew. He also picked out several winter cotton-padded clothes.
By the time Xue Niang pulled him out of the clothing store, he still had a lingering look of satisfaction on his face.
"A few nice words have completely muddled your head. Are you silly? What if I don't make them well, and all that fabric goes to waste?"
"As long as they are made by you, they will surely be good." Xiao Shan happily hugged a pile of fabric, already imagining the feeling of wearing them.
The fabric touched by his wife's small hands carried warmth, how could it compare to ready-made clothes handled by strangers? The thought alone was comforting!
"Silly boy." Xue Niang's eyes curved into crescents, her gaze seeming to exude scattered sunlight, drawing frequent glances from passersby.
At a wonton stall by the roadside, a traveling merchant stared at Xue Niang with a doubtful gaze for a long time, until she disappeared from sight.
"A Shan, isn't that Liu Donghuai?"
Xue Niang pointed ahead, where a crowd had gathered in front of a grocery store, seemingly arguing about something. Liu Donghuai stood in the center, his handsome face slightly stiff, his expression not very good.
She had heard earlier that he had come to the city after getting married; so this was his family's grocery store.
"Yes, it seems he's encountered some trouble."
Xiao Shan didn't have much of a good impression of him, but that was for personal reasons. Liu Donghuai, as a person, had some redeeming qualities.
The people arguing were all wearing the same white scholar robes, clearly students from an academy.
As they got closer, they could hear their conversation.
"Zhou Mu truly never expected that Brother Donghuai would become so mercenary. The friendship of the past has vanished like smoke. Indeed, there are no honest merchants, and no merchants are not treacherous!" the man said, shaking his head with feigned sorrow.
"Exactly. No wonder the Master is unwilling to see you. After studying for so many years, your scholarly integrity is lost in a single day. Liu Donghuai, don't tell me you studied at Wenhua Academy; you're disgracing your teachers."
"Money, money, money is all you talk about! I, Wu Dafa, am short of this little bit of money from you? What do you take me for! This is too insulting!" His indignant demeanor suggested he had suffered a great insult.
Liu Donghuai tightly pursed his thin lips, his face tense and somewhat pale.
"Gentlemen, it's truly that my small business cannot afford to extend credit. I beg for your understanding."
"Brother Donghuai, you still want to study at the academy, don't you? Don't deny it; I just saw you secretly reading. How about this: we'll go and plead with the Master to see if he can let you study again. However, as you know, your father committed a crime, so a chance at the imperial examinations is likely impossible."
Liu Donghuai's eyes darkened. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
"Please leave! Don't come here again in the future."
Without experiencing certain things, one truly cannot see through the warmth and coldness of human relationships in this world. Friends who once called each other brothers now showed such faces.
He realized it again.
"If a dog steals a bone and the person from whom it was stolen takes no action, do you think it will come back to steal again next time?"
A deep, powerful voice suddenly rang out, startling everyone. Hearing the truly unpleasant words, the faces of several students changed.
"Xiao... Hunter, Miss Xiao?" Liu Donghuai was somewhat surprised.
"Hunter? As expected of a crude person. Liu Donghuai, is this someone you know? You've truly lowered yourself by associating with such people. I'm truly ashamed for you." The one called Zhou Mu said with disdain, and fearing Xiao Shan's height, he took a step back.
"Pah!" Xue Niang was angry. "I don't know which academy you came from to teach such scoundrels. You take things from others without paying, and then you bark like dogs here. You truly disgrace scholars!"
"You—"
The faces of several students turned green with anger, and they looked at Xue Niang. Upon seeing her, their eyes widened in stunned admiration.
Whose daughter was this, to be so beautiful? Far more beautiful than the Master's daughter!
The descriptions learned in books, such as cheeks like ripe plums, a nose like smooth jade, a slender waist, and unparalleled grace, finally had a comparison.