My Fulang is a Delicate Flower Chapter 32 Part 4

"Have you gotten used to village life lately?"  

After a long silence, Ji Yangzong was the one to finally break it. If he hadn’t spoken, the man beside him would’ve led the horse without uttering a word, making it seem like they weren’t even traveling together.  

Huo Shu answered plainly, "No trouble adjusting."  

"Of course. A man who’s been to war can adapt anywhere."  

Ji Yangzong paused before asking, "So what have you been busy with lately?"  

Huo Shu replied, "Working with Master Qiao, slaughtering livestock in and out of the city."  

"Nothing else?"  

Huo Shu was puzzled. "What else?"  

"You’ve learned the trade well, Master Qiao himself praises you. But I don’t see you putting even half that effort into anything else."  

"Hm?"  

Seeing Huo Shu’s confusion, Ji Yangzong took a deep breath, nearly exasperated. "I’m talking about you and Xiao Taozi! How are things?"  

Huo Shu fell silent. How were things? It didn’t seem much different from before.  

Ji Yangzong, seeing Huo Shu’s lack of response, grew impatient. "What, changed your mind? I knew it, young people are fickle. Good thing I didn’t..."  

"No."  

Huo Shu cut him off. "I stand by my words. What I said before still holds."  

Ji Yangzong’s eyes flickered, and his expression softened slightly.  

He coughed. "If that’s still your intention, then you need to take action. Just talking won’t get you anywhere."  

"A real man knows when to bend and when to stand firm. Young ladies and gers are thin-skinned and prone to small tantrums. If you don’t make the effort to chase them, show them attention, or express your feelings, how will they know what you mean?"  

"If they pretend to be angry today and you don’t coax them, it’ll turn into real anger. Wait too long, and they’ll genuinely ignore you."  

Huo Shu listened to Ji Yangzong’s lecture and summed it up: "I haven’t treated him well?"  

"I didn’t say you treated him poorly! You saved him, restored his reputation, no one has treated him better! But that’s not enough. You need simpler gestures too."  

"Look at other young people, giving pastries today, a hairpin tomorrow, saying ‘I’ll wait by the pond’ the next day. That’s how they make their intentions clear."  

Ji Yangzong increasingly felt Huo Shu was as dense as a block of wood, not even knowing the basics of courtship. No wonder he was still unmarried at his age, though his soldier's life shared some blame, but his personality was definitely the bigger issue.  

Patiently, he instructed, "I’m not saying what you’ve done isn’t good, on the contrary, it’s excellent. But if you only do grand things, even if they show more sincerity and effort than most, how will the other person know what you’re after?"  

"That person might just think, ‘Ah, this older brother is reliable and kind. He’s helped me so much, how can I repay him? My parents have connections, maybe I can arrange a good match for him.’ If you act so upright, how will he realize you have feelings for him?"  

Huo Shu frowned. Ji Yangzong’s words made sense. Ji Taoyu had indeed said similar things before. Did that mean he had actually asked his parents to arrange a marriage for him?  

His mind was in disarray, and he blurted out his biggest concern: "He calls me ‘older brother’?"  

"..."  

Ji Yangzong took a deep breath. "Good heavens, you fool! I was giving an example, Xiao Taozi didn’t say that. He doesn’t think you’re old."  

Huo Shu pressed his lips together and didn’t respond.  

Ji Yangzong coughed awkwardly, realizing his misstep, and changed the subject. "Anyway, if you’re still serious, don’t just stay silent. You need to put in effort, figure out what he likes. Young ger is easy to please."  

"Xiao Taozi likes fiddling with herbs, give him a handful of licorice root, and he’ll be thrilled. He’s also a bit of a glutton, loves sweet pastries, fruits, fish, snacks. He's not picky at all."  

Huo Shu’s brow remained furrowed. "Noted. Anything else?"  

"Noted? Just noting it down isn’t enough." Ji Yangzong shoved a still-warm paper bag of chestnuts into Huo Shu’s hands. "Take these and share them with Xiao Taozi."  

Huo Shu accepted them. "I’ll go buy some myself."  

Ji Yangzong shot him a look. "By the time you do, it’ll be too late. Might as well let me pick another match for Xiao Taozi."  

Since they were already on the topic, he laid it out plainly: "I know Butcher Qiao has his eye on you, he plans to make you his son-in-law, and wants to hand his business over to you."  

"The Ji family can’t compete with the Qiao family’s trade, we don’t have shops to offer. But Xiao Taozi is my only ger. Everything we have will be yours in the future. Manage our fields and forests well, and you’ll never go hungry. We won’t mistreat you."  

"A lot’s happened these past months, but seeing your character and reliability through it all, I wouldn’t waste my breath otherwise. If Xiao Taozi can be with you, he won’t suffer much. I don’t ask for much, just protect him."  

Huo Shu’s frown deepened. He hadn’t known about the Qiao family’s plans, but that didn’t matter.  

"I won’t let him suffer."  

Ji Yangzong coughed and quickened his pace, hands behind his back. "Then get moving."  

"The New Year’s almost here. Once spring comes, there’ll be no time for anything else."  

Huo Shu watched the middle-aged man stride ahead, muttering to himself, and tightened his grip on the paper bag.