The bitter cold made him increasingly reluctant to go out. In the mornings, he would linger in bed for as long as possible, often leaving no time for breakfast. He would merely rush through brushing his teeth and washing his face before sprinting at full speed, huffing and puffing all the way to town. Once his work was done, he would return straight home and stay holed up at home, not going out much.
He had been remarkably well-behaved ever since the county exam.
But even though he had long retired from the martial world, legends about him were still everywhere in that world.
When the Ma family members had caused a scene at his home, forcing him to marry Zhao Ger, he had single-handedly beaten the three Ma brothers until they howled, completely unable to fight back, while he himself emerged unscathed. From then on, he became famous from that single brawl, establishing his foundation in Xiaohe Village.
The stories became more and more exaggerated as they spread. In the end, it was said that he had beaten Liu Laizi until he made pig noises, and kicked Ma Dazhuang flying two li away.
[1 li = approximately 500 meters]
When this talk reached Fang Zichen, he was utterly dumbfounded. The boast had been stretched beyond all reason, and damn it, there were actually people who believed it.
One day, when Fang Zichen got off work, Guaizai was again squatting at the village entrance waiting for him in the cold wind, looking like a ball. The front of his little coat was bulging. A single glance was enough to know he had hidden something inside, most likely food.
Fang Zichen waved: "Son~"
The warm sun of early winter was just dipping below the horizon, its lingering light a soft orange-yellow. He stood facing the sunlight, his posture tall and straight, brimming with vitality. His features were sharp and distinct, his eyebrows and eyes vibrant as if from a painting, and his fair skin appeared almost translucent under the glow.
"Father~ Father is back!"
Guaizai rushed over and was caught by him in one scoop.
"It's cold outside. Don't come out next time. What if you freeze yourself silly?" He lowered his head to speak to Guaizai, his tone gentle, his eyes seeping a slightly helpless smile. He Huihui, who was not far away, watched this scene, stunned.
She was wearing a very brightly colored outfit. Few girls in the village wore clothes like this; most of the time they wore dark-colored, stain-resistant clothes. Her gaze was intense, like a torch. Fang Zichen noticed it, turned his head slightly, and swept a faint glance over her.
Just that one cold and distant glance. For a moment, He Huihui felt as if her heart had stopped beating. She grew so nervous that her palms grew damp with sweat. Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, she offered Fang Zichen a faint, shallow smile. Fang Zichen's gaze did not linger on her; it was merely a glance of passing curiosity. He looked away, scooped Guaizai up, and tossed him into the air like a ball. Guaizai let out a loud "wah wah," not from fear, but from sheer excitement.
He loved playing this game with Fang Zichen the most. At first, he was a little afraid, worried that Fang Zichen wouldn't catch him. Later, he found that Fang Zichen caught him steadily every time, and besides, Fang Zichen told him he was wearing thick clothes now, so it would be fine even if he really wasn't caught. So he grew to love this game.
Fang Zichen walked home, playing by tossing Guaizai up and down as he went. He Huihui stared at his retreating figure, her entire person rooted to the spot in a daze.
Although she seldom went out, she was familiar with all the men in the village. Fang Zichen's face was completely unfamiliar to her. She hardly needed to think to realize that this man must be the Fang Zichen her mother had constantly been talking about, the one she had been curious about for nearly two months.
During this period after her return, Aunt He never missed an opportunity to talk about Fang Zichen in front of her. She said he was not only handsome but also literate, held a job at Zuixiao Restaurant, and was truly outstanding. Since He Huihui had returned after separating from her husband, why not consider him?
He Huihui was clearly from the village, but after marrying into the town and being a 'wealthy wife' for a few years, she now looked down on villagers, feeling they had no vision, their eyes weren't three inches long, their sight wasn't two feet wide, they hadn't seen the world, and were like country bumpkins.
[眼大寸光 (yǎn cùn guāng): lit. eyes not three inches long, sight not two feet wide; fig. short-sighted and lacking foresight]
Before He Huihui had married and left the village, Aunt He had also frequently praised Ma Wen, saying he was handsome and had a promising future. After He Huihui married into the town and saw all sorts of people, she felt Ma Wen was just so-so, doing hard labor for others, earning only a few hundred copper coins a month.
A few hundred copper coins was a significant amount for the villagers, but in He Huihui's eyes, that paltry sum wasn't even worth a second glance. What could possibly be accomplished with so little money? It wasn't even enough to order a single dish at the Zuixiao Restaurant. An ordinary set of her clothes alone cost eight or nine hundred copper coins.
Having lived in town for a few years, she felt her horizons had broadened.
The scholars at Anhe Academy in town were considered truly top-notch. Every one of them was literate and understood propriety, possessing an air of refined nobility, dressed in fine robes and elegant clothes, speaking properly and elegantly, reasonable and measured. They looked completely different from the dusty, unkempt men in the village who didn't pay any attention to appearance.
She thought her mother had no experience of the world, so she wasn't interested in the Fang Zichen her mother praised thousands of times, thinking he was probably at best like Ma Wen.
While she sneered at her mother's words, she couldn't control her curiosity about Fang Zichen. When she heard that Fang Zichen doted on his fulang extremely, she secretly began to have some thoughts.
He Huihui initially wanted to get close to Zhao Ger to inquire and find out more. However, Zhao Ger seemed very wary. Every time she just started to strike up a conversation with him, Zhao Ger would say he was busy at home and had to go back.
She hadn't managed to meet him before. Now, seeing the real person, He Huihui was stunned.
That was truly a beautiful, captivating, strikingly handsome face that could almost make one's blood boil.
Aunt He came out from the fields carrying a bundle of pigweed. Seeing her, she asked: "It's cold outside, why have you come out?"
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