During this business trip, they encountered a group of burly men bullying a young girl. The group joined forces to drive the men away. For some reason, the young girl became convinced that Li Youcai had saved her and insisted on going home with him.
While others envied Li Youcai's good fortune, they advised the girl to give up, as Li Youcai was already married. The girl was heartbroken for a long time, and everyone thought she had abandoned the idea. However, when they set off again, she was still following them from afar.
Thinking about how difficult it would be for a young girl to travel alone and the dangers she might face from bad people, they decided to look after her, intentionally or unintentionally.
They had expected her to give up after following them for a while, given the hardship of their business trips. To their surprise, the girl showed remarkable perseverance and actually followed them all the way back to the county town.
As Li Youcai hurried home from the county town, she trailed behind him. Li Youcai sighed and walked up to her, politely saying, "Girl, please don't follow me. I am already married and about to have a child. You are still young; why don't you find someone to marry? Many of the young men who travel with me are still unmarried. Would you like me to introduce you?"
"But you saved me; you are my life-saving benefactor. I should pledge myself to you." the woman said pitifully, looking at him.
Seeing the woman's gaze, Li Youcai felt his heart race. Such a beautiful and young girl, so determined to follow him, made him feel he was losing control.
"What will happen if you come with me? I am just a common farmer, and life is hard. I cannot support you." Li Youcai said with some difficulty.
"As long as I am with you, I don't fear hardship," the woman said firmly.
If he hadn't been married, Li Youcai felt he would have succumbed to this woman. In his life, this was the first time someone had been so resolute about being with him. Even when he was with Liu Yu, he was the one who pursued her, and Wu Caiwei was chosen by his mother.
When a woman says pitifully that she must be with you, even if you find it troublesome, you don't dislike her. In fact, you might even feel a little happy.
"You are putting me in a difficult position. How about I send you home?" To be honest, Li Youcai felt a pang of reluctance when he offered to send her home. However, he knew he had been through a divorce once and couldn't afford any more trouble, or the Li family would lose its reputation.
"I have no family. Before you saved me, I was looking for relatives, but they had moved away. With the vast world, there is nowhere for me to stay." As she spoke, the woman began to cry.
"Don't cry. I will help you figure something out." Seeing the woman weeping profusely, Li Youcai couldn't help but step forward to wipe her tears.
The woman suddenly grabbed his hand, and Li Youcai paused his hand that was wiping her tears. The woman seized the opportunity and threw herself into his arms.
"Brother Youcai, I just like you. Please don't reject me."
Feeling the unique softness of the woman in his arms and smelling her delicate fragrance, Li Youcai had to exert great effort to restrain himself. He pushed her away, unable to look her in the eyes, and said with his head down, "I will help you resolve this. Let's go."
Perhaps the hug made the woman bolder.
"Brother Youcai, I can't walk anymore. Please walk slower." Seeing Li Youcai walking so fast, the woman quickly caught up and grabbed his hand, pouting charmingly.
Li Youcai savored the delicate touch in his hand and enjoyed the woman's devotion to him.
As they neared the village, he finally released her hand. After agreeing on their story, he directly took her to the village head's house.
"This is the village head, the most just person in our village. Tell him whatever you need to say." Li Youcai introduced the village head to the woman in a tone as if they were strangers.
"Village Head, I met this woman at the village entrance when I returned from outside. She said she wanted to settle in our village, so I brought her to you directly." Li Youcai quickly emphasized how he had met her, fearing misunderstandings.
"Village Head, my family is from out of town. Here is my household registration. I originally came here to find relatives, but they had already moved away, and no one knows their whereabouts. Our village has a good reputation, and I wish to settle here. I wonder if you would permit it." The woman looked at the village head with a pained expression. Moreover, having followed Li Youcai and the others for several days, enduring harsh weather and traveling, she appeared genuinely desolate and helpless, like someone who had failed to find their relatives.
The village head was moved by compassion. He thought that life was difficult for a woman alone, and there were many young men of marriageable age in the village who had trouble finding wives. It would be good to have a young woman like her, giving them more opportunities.
Coincidentally, there was a dilapidated courtyard in the village, left behind by an old couple who had no children many years ago. Although it was in disrepair, it could be lived in after some renovation.
When the village head mentioned it, the woman nodded profusely and paid a small fee, and the small courtyard became hers.
Coincidentally, the house was not far from Li Youcai's home. Li Youcai, under the pretense that he had brought the woman into the village and they should help each other, brought her a lot of daily necessities.
Liu Yu learned of this and felt that Li Youcai was paying too much attention to the woman, which was not a good sign.
She quickly said that the family was facing financial difficulties and everything needed to be used sparingly. Li Youcai then said that no matter how difficult things were at home, they were not lacking in these items, and he was still earning money from his business trips.
Liu Yu was so angry that she stamped her feet and went to cry to Li's mother. In front of her, Li's mother did not blame her son but instead called her stingy, saying it was just helping someone and that her son was warm-hearted.
Later, Li's mother also felt that her son wasn't that kind of person. She quickly called Li Youcai and warned him not to fool around outside, as he was already married for the second time and needed to be mindful of his words and actions.
"Mother, what are you thinking? I genuinely want to help. How could such a young and beautiful girl be interested in a divorced man like me?" Li Youcai, as before, adamantly denied it.
Li's mother thought to herself that she knew her son best. Although he could earn a little money, it was insignificant compared to families with some wealth. The young woman was beautiful and young, with many choices; why would she be interested in her son?
She never dreamed that the young woman had come specifically for him.
The young woman knew how to behave and was very generous. She quickly blended in with the neighbors, and many families started considering proposing marriage. She politely refused them all, stating that she wanted to find her relatives before considering marriage, which disappointed everyone.
Li Youcai was overjoyed to hear this news. He knew that the girl must be waiting for him. Indeed, whenever he appeared, she seemed to have a telepathic connection, dressing up beautifully and orchestrating various chance encounters.
With the repeated encounters, the woman began to cast alluring glances at him, each one making Li Youcai's heart flutter.
Li Youcai felt that his current life was very exciting. He had Liu Yu at home, and a "wildflower" waiting for him outside. It was a pity that he couldn't have her.
Liu Yu had initially planned to win Li Youcai over when he returned, ideally by getting pregnant to secure her position. However, he spent all his days out of the house, which made Liu Yu feel very uneasy.
The next time Li Youcai went out, Liu Yu cautiously followed him. She was determined to find out what he was doing out every day. What did she see?