Aunt He had a good plan, but she was also getting more foolish with age.
Everyone knew why Zhao Ger had ended up with Fang Zichen in the first place.
Fang Zichen had taken pity on him and redeemed him from the Ma family.
Fang Zichen had taken pity on him and redeemed him from the Ma family. That was the reason the two were together.
When villagers married, they valued living a life together. Zhao Ger was hardworking, good-looking, had a good temperament, knew how to do business. Even raising a chicken for two months would have fostered affection, let alone living with a person. Living together for a long time, with youthful vigor, Fang Zichen naturally developed feelings for him. Zhao Ger had been lucky, seizing the opportunity first. It was a one-time chance, not repeatable. He Huihui had no tragic circumstances to elicit pity and always carried herself with an air of superiority. For her to think she could marry Fang Zichen was nothing but a pipe dream.
People had already felt Fang Zichen was promising, different from the other villagers. Now he had also passed the tongsheng exam, so his threshold naturally rose higher. How the He family, being so mismatched in status, dared harbor such wild fantasies was beyond reason. They must have thought their daughter was a heavenly fairy. Aunt He's little scheme was clacking away noisily—truly unbelievable.
People around whispered. With her little plan stripped bare and exposed to the sunlight, Aunt He stood motionless, only feeling her face burn as if she had been slapped twice for real.
This series of events left the Village Chief dazed. He had too many questions, but at this moment, he didn't know whether to ask about He Huihui first, or about the matter between Fang Zichen and Aunt He. While he stammered, He Huihui also came running.
Seeing the peanuts scattered on the ground and Aunt He trembling all over, He Huihui knew the plan was exposed. She looked at Fang Zichen with tearful eyes.
"Young Master Fang, my mother only wants what's best for me. She, she may have done some foolish things. Could you give me some face and not hold it against her?"
"What face do you have?" Fang Zichen retorted coldly. "Why should I give you face? Face isn't given by others, it's earned by oneself."
He Huihui: "......"
"My mother didn't mean it."
Fang Zichen froze for a moment.
After many years, he was once again disgusted by these five words.
He Huihui hung her head, her neck fair and slender, her body swaying slightly, as if about to collapse from Fang Zichen's merciless words.
Evaluating without any emotion, He Huihui was somewhat attractive.
That bit of attractiveness might be insignificant to Fang Zichen, instantly forgotten and not worth mentioning. But to the men of Xiaohe Village, she was like a white moonlight, a cinnabar mole.
The saying "fair skin covers a hundred flaws" holds some truth.
[Fair skin covers a hundred flaws: the belief that having fair or pale skin can make a person appear more attractive and overshadow other physical imperfections]
A man seeing her shed tears was about to step forward when He Huihui spoke again.
Since Fang Zichen had laid things bare, there was no need to hide anymore.
That time during the rain, she had approached him to speak. Fang Zichen had been cold and dismissive toward her. Yet, in the very next moment, he turned and showed Zhao Ger a completely different, warm enthusiasm.
Why?
She asked Fang Zichen what was so good about Zhao Ger? What point did she lack compared to Zhao Ger?
Her words were truly bold, their meaning all too clear.
Everyone fell silent, staring at He Huihui dumbfounded, utterly shocked.
They had heard earlier that townsfolk were more liberated and bolder than villagers. Girls and gers on the street, if they took a fancy to a man, would directly hand him a handkerchief or a sachet.
Villagers would never dare to act so boldly. If an unmarried girl, on her way to wash clothes, spoke a few extra words with a man while others were around, it might be tolerated. But if she were found alone with him, she would immediately be labeled improper and loose.
He Huihui had only been married into town life for a few years. In most other ways, she hadn't changed much—but her boldness had undoubtedly grown.
He Huihui had spoken impulsively and felt nervous afterward, twisting her handkerchief tightly, but she didn't regret it.
Fang Zichen suddenly remembered what Zhao Ger had said half a month ago.
That night, they had been somewhat unrestrained. Zhao Ger had been left breathless and sweaty, and the bedding had been stained. The next day, when he took it to wash and returned, he seemed somewhat downcast.
He was not skilled at concealing his feelings. Or perhaps it was because Fang Zichen had been intimate with him, held him in his heart, placed him in the most important position—so even the slightest hint of something amiss could be detected by Fang Zichen.
When Fang Zichen asked him, he said with a mix of anger and inferiority, "I ran into He Huihui earlier. She said, she said you are pitiful."
It was because Zhao Ger was with Fang Zichen that Fang Zichen was seen as pitiable.
He Huihui must look down on Zhao Ger immensely to have said such a thing.
Fang Zichen had no idea where her confidence stemmed from. "What is good about Zhao Ger is none of your concern. Whether you are good or not is none of my concern, either. If you wish to compare yourself to Zhao Ger, I believe you are only bringing humiliation upon yourself. In terms of refinement, appearance, upbringing, height—in which aspect can you compare to him?"
He Huihui pressed her lips together. Having already risked everything, she had no way back.
Without obtaining a clear answer, she could not resign herself, nor could she accept the outcome.
"Is there really not a single point where I surpass him?"
"There is!" Fang Zichen suppressed his tone, saying, "In terms of being mean-spirited, harsh, and having a malicious heart, you surpass him."
He Huihui: "......"
Fang Zichen did not glance at her face, which had quickly lost its color. His gaze was icy, his voice hard as he issued a warning: "You and your daughter—if you want to gossip and spread rumors, I won’t stop you and I can’t control you. But if you dare to spout that nonsense in front of my fulang or my son again, the consequences won’t be so light. Consider today your first and only warning."
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