My Fulang is a Delicate Flower Chapter 35 Part 2

Seeing that the ger was genuinely upset, Huo Shu released him:  

"In terms of physical strength, any woman or ger would be the same against me."  

"You’re good. You’re smart."  

Huo Shu said: "Don’t be angry. I’m bad with words, they never come out right. But it wasn’t impulse over looks."  

Ji Taoyu stared at the man so close to him, his face burning, his heart in chaos.  

Huo Shu had thin lips, high brow and nose bridges, giving him an inherently aggressive appearance. Born in the northern frontier, his skin carried a rough, weathered texture, making him seem even sharper and harder to approach.  

Those fierce three-white eyes that had terrified Ji Taoyu at first sight could, on rare occasions, soften with warmth—like now, when he was coaxing him.  

[三白眼 (sānbái yǎn): lit. Three-white eyes; fig. eyes with visible sclera on three sides, often implying a sharp or ruthless look]

Ji Taoyu knew Huo Shu wasn’t one for sweet talk. Yet, even without flowery words, he had a way of calming him down.  

Perhaps because the lack of embellishment made the sincerity beneath all the easier to see.  

He struggled to get up off of Huo Shu: "I-I know."  

Having said that, he blushed and went to the side to continue eating, hiding his flustered state.  

Huo Shu followed him off the bed and looked around Ji Taoyu's room.  

"What are you looking for?"  

"Checking what’s missing in the place I’ll be living in from now on."  

Ji Taoyu put down the bun in his hand upon hearing this: "Y-you’re going to live here?"  

"After we’re married, if we don’t live together, where else would I stay?"  

"What I mean is, after marriage, shouldn’t we live…"  

Ji Taoyu hesitated, lowering his voice: "...at your place?"  

"The Zhao family’s conditions are much worse. You’d definitely not be able to get used to it if you suddenly move right away. The place is drafty and cold, and you’re already prone to chills, you’d easily catch a cold."  

Huo Shu raised an eyebrow: "Living here also saves me the trouble of spending money on repairs. You know I don’t have much silver."  

The way he said it made it sound like Ji Taoyu was some delicate, spoiled thing.  

Ji Taoyu muttered: "I’m not that fragile. As long as there is a room to sleep, it’s, it's fine."  

Then, he went to the wardrobe and rummaged around for a while before bringing over a box.  

He pushed the box toward Huo Shu: "I-I haven’t saved much, but take this for now. It should help in a pinch."  

Ji Taoyu stammered an explanation: "My father cares a lot about appearances. We don’t need any grand ceremonies now, just proper formalities."  

Huo Shu looked at the box on the table, then at the slightly nervous Ji Taoyu, feeling both exasperated and an inexplicable warmth in his heart.  

"Are you stupid? Giving someone money to marry you."  

He pushed the box back untouched: "I was joking. Did you really believe me?"  

"According to the village head, he wants the wedding to happen soon, but if we have to repair the Zhao family’s house, it’ll have to wait until after the new year. Besides, I already promised the village head earlier, if you want to stay at home, that’s fine too."  

Ji Taoyu knew his parents only had him as their child, so it was natural they’d be reluctant to let him go. But if he still lived at home after marriage: "Won’t that make you a live-in son-in-law?"  

Huo Shu said: "I don’t care about that."  

Northern clans didn’t hold traditions as strictly as the south. Life and death were the only real matters, everything else was trivial.  

Ji Taoyu bit his lip, feeling Huo Shu was being far too accommodating: "Then... then we’ll see what my parents say."  

Then, as if realizing something: "When did you talk to my father about this?"  

"A while ago. The village head didn’t agree at first, but now he has."  

Ji Taoyu blinked, Huo Shu really had planned this all along.  

No wonder he’d kept it from him. But if he’d already convinced his parents, everything else would naturally fall into place.  

"Are you really sure you don’t want this money?"  

Ji Taoyu asked again uncertainly.  

"If I didn’t even have the silver to propose, I wouldn’t have the nerve to come."  

Huo Shu couldn’t resist ruffling Ji Taoyu’s hair: "Don’t worry."  

Ji Taoyu nodded.  

Once Huo Shu left, Ji Taoyu was completely consumed by the anticipation and joy of his impending marriage.  

After rolling around on the bed a couple of times, he hurriedly pulled out the almanac. He hadn’t had the courage earlier to ask Huo Shu when he’d come to formally propose.  

He flipped through it himself, checking which auspicious days this month were suitable for betrothal gifts and selecting an auspicious date. His family had tacitly approved the marriage, and though it saved them the trouble of negotiations, there was still plenty to prepare in terms of betrothal gifts and dowry.  

His father wanted to settle things before the new year. The harsh winter needed festive occasions to liven it up, and since their minds were made up, he also wanted it done quickly.  

After flipping through, he saw there were many auspicious days in the next three to five days. Relieved, he closed the almanac and slipped out of his room, waiting for his father to return so he could discuss it.  

Approaching noon, Ji Yangzong, wearing a bamboo hat and rain cape, walked into the rain-drenched courtyard with a long face.  

When he reached the main hall, he removed his hat and cape, shaking off the rainwater.  

Ji Taoyu, who had been warming himself by the kitchen fire, hurried out at the noise: "Father, you’re back!"  

Ji Yangzong saw his ger, who had been sulking at him most of yesterday, now cheerful again, and his expression softened slightly: "Mn."  

Noticing his father’s mood wasn’t great, Ji Taoyu didn’t immediately bring up the marriage. Instead, he asked: "How’s Cousin Yuan Fei? Did you manage to talk him down?"