Chapter 86: Getting Engaged, Dear?

Chapter 86: Engagement, My Love

In the first month of the year, the winter wheat was just starting to green.

The delicate wheat seedlings still held traces of melted snow, and the soil in the fields had not yet fully thawed. The water in the pond had risen sharply due to the melting snow, brimming full. Floating on the surface were broken branches and fallen leaves, yet the water remained clear, mirroring the blue sky and the newly sprouted reeds along the shore.

Xie Qi trailed silently behind Shen Miao, who was focused on inspecting the fields.

He carried the cloak over his arm that Shen Miao had worn. As Shen Miao walked forward, he followed; when she paused to check something, he would also stop, dazed.

He had truly become Shen Miao's shadow.

Yet, he was a bit disoriented. Though his body instinctively followed Shen Miao, his soul seemed to have escaped the moment she embraced him.

His mind lingered in that fleeting moment.

Lingering in Shen Miao's brief embrace.

Shen Miao, smart and composed, always managed to calmly pull away first. After the embrace, she would wrinkle her nose in a playful manner, offer him a faint smile, and then turn to check her fields, pond, and wheat seedlings.

But he couldn't return to normal.

He felt like a flickering flame, struggling to stay alive in the ashes.

Xie Qi had never imagined he would crave touch so intensely. The waist that Shen Miao's arms had encircled still felt warm. The chest she had pressed against felt like it had caved in at her slightest touch, leaving him almost breathless.

It was as if that single embrace had burst open a dam, and the flood had overwhelmed him. He couldn't resist craving more contact with Shen Miao.

He longed to hold her hand.

He yearned to embrace her again.

He wanted... Xie Qi stumbled and almost fell into the ditch.

Shen Miao happened to turn around at that moment. She had intended to head to the other side for another look, but instead, she saw Xie Qi losing his balance, swaying unsteadily as he tried to regain his footing.

She quickly reached out to pull him up.

"The soil has just thawed, and it's soaked with snowmelt. It might be a bit slippery."

After Xie Qi steadied himself with her grip, Shen Miao's hand began to loosen.

Panicking, he grasped her hand in return.

Under Shen Miao's wide-eyed gaze, he lowered his head, pursed his lips, and refused to let go.

After a moment of awkward silence, his heart pounding like a drum, he clumsily offered an excuse: "...The ridge is narrow and slippery. Holding hands makes it less likely to fall."

Shen Miao blinked but didn't pull away.

Deep down, she was still a modern person, and holding hands or embracing wasn't something she found particularly difficult to accept. But seeing Xie Qi like this, as if he had mustered all his courage, his face nearly turning red with embarrassment, was endearing.

"Let's make one more round over there, then head back to pick up Xiang Jieer and the others. They should be waiting on the road to Spring Manor," Shen Miao said naturally.

"Alright," Xie Qi managed to mumble, his throat seemingly paralyzed by nervousness.

After just two steps hand in hand, his palm began to sweat slightly.

Though no one was around, Xie Qi shifted the folded cloak to his other arm, covering their intertwined hands. Even in his dazed state, he still remembered to protect Shen Miao's reputation.

Shen Miao had been so good to him, ignoring what others might think to reciprocate his feelings, so he had to cherish everything about her and not let her suffer criticism because of him.

Shen Miao lowered her gaze, glanced at the cloak covering their hands, and understood Xie Qi's intentions. Her heart softened, and she curled her fingers, squeezing his hand in return.

Xie Qi hesitated for a moment, and as he walked forward, his movements stiff and awkward.

"Ninth Geer," Shen Miao glanced at him sideways, "do your parents know about us? Would they accept you spending your life with a common girl like me?" But then she remembered that Ninth Geer had moved to West Lane, while his family had returned to Chenzhou, as if that said everything...

"Mother knows," Xie Qi said, taking a deep breath. "Father doesn’t matter—he listens to her."

Shen Miao nodded, relieved to know.

In fact, from the day Ninth Geer returned, she had already thought about getting engaged to him. She wasn’t the type to break promises; she was the kind of girl who’d stand by Ninth Geer.

Since she had decided to be with Ninth Geer, she also had to consider practical matters.

Fortunately, there were none of the rigid Neo-Confucian rules that came later here. While noble families might have various rules, ordinary people in the streets didn’t worry about such things.

Once engaged, the two families would become one, helping each other with chores and celebrating holidays together. If they lived close by, visiting each other wouldn’t be a big deal.

No one expected an engaged girl to stay home sewing her dowry, never stepping outside. No one thought it wrong or improper to see her fiancé. And no one lectured women about the “three obediences and four virtues,” forbidding them from appearing in public.

When Da Jieer and Rong Dalang started their engagement, Rong Dalang practically showed up at the Shen family shop daily to woo her, and he was even seen as a model son-in-law.

So Shen Miao felt it was better to be clear and open about things. She didn’t like sneaking around. Why should loving someone feel like being a thief? What she and Ninth Geer shared should be out in the open, something to take pride in.

In her past life, she’d met too many odd, self-proclaimed “high-quality” men. Having met so many, she now trusted herself and trusted Ninth Geer. This wasn’t some fleeting crush; she wasn’t built that way.

Her principles had always been this way.

Love ought to be straightforward and honest.

And she had nothing to fear.

If Ninth Geer dared to betray her, she could just divorce him again.

She’d done it before—she knew the drill.

Moreover... Song Dynasty laws and customs favored protecting women’s dowries and pre-marriage assets. She had heard Chen Chuan read the legal provisions regarding women’s property in detail: “If a couple divorces amicably due to incompatibility, the wife’s family’s property is not subject to division.”

A woman’s dowry, including jewelry, gold, silver, and the land and houses brought with her, were all her private property. Even after marriage, these assets and any income they generated remained separate from the husband’s family property, and no one in his family could just take or use them.

In daily life, if the husband’s family wanted to use the wife’s dowry, they had to obtain her consent first. Only if the wife voluntarily offered her dowry could the husband’s family use it.

Even if the husband’s family wanted to divide the family property or pay off debts, they couldn’t use the wife’s dowry without her consent. If property was bought with her dowry money, during a division of property or divorce, that portion of the money had to be separately accounted for and returned to the wife.

When Shen Miao was divorced, she was able to smoothly retrieve the remaining part of her dowry for this reason. Whether from the perspective of public opinion, morality, or the law, as long as she didn’t agree, the Rong family had no grounds to keep her property.

So... back then, Rong Dalang was able to use up Da Jieer’s dowry entirely because Da Jieer had been deceived by that scoundrel. It was only because Da Jieer cherished their marital bond that she offered it to fund his studies.

If Shen Miao had fought the Rong family back then, she could have even sued them to get the money back. However, arguing over the dowry would have taken too much time, and she was on her own, still recovering, and Jinling wasn’t her home turf. In the end, she chose to leave those scoundrels early and start a new life on her own.

Back then, unable to avenge Da Jieer, Shen Miao resolved to take care of her younger siblings. Now that the Shen family’s noodle shop had been revived, she owned land and shops in her own name, and Ji Geer and Xiang Jieer had grown up safe and happy, she felt somewhat comforted.

She hoped Da Jieer’s spirit wouldn’t blame her for the choices she made back then.

But if the Rong family dared to provoke her again in the future, she wasn’t afraid to take them to court now.

In any case, getting married and divorced now didn’t mean worrying about having to split marital property with the husband or having to wait out a cooling-off period before divorcing. According to Deng Lawyer, if you bribed the yamen a bit, even if the wife initiated the divorce and the husband disagreed, the wife could go to the yamen to sue the husband, and the punishment would be minimal—just a slap or two to wrap things up.

As long as there is money, bribing those petty officials ensures that no divorce cannot be achieved.

She had thought through both the pros and cons.

She had made her decision.

Shen Miao walked forward, looking ahead, as if nonchalantly discussing with Ninth Brother what vegetables to buy tomorrow. She added, "Since the lady of the house already knows, then... Ninth Brother might as well take some time soon to return to Chenzhou and ask the lady to send a matchmaker to arrange a marriage proposal. We can get engaged first; after the engagement, we won't have to meet in secret anymore, and Ninth Brother doesn't have to worry about harming my reputation. However, I would like to wait two more years before formally getting married—can that work? I still want to improve how I manage the shop..."

Before Shen Miao finished speaking, she felt her arm being tugged. Turning her head, she noticed that Ninth Brother had stopped on the ridge, gazing at her with puppy-dog eyes, his expression a mix of tears and laughter as he said, "I can't walk anymore."

"Huh?"

"My legs... they're trembling..."

A windfall suddenly came, nearly overwhelming him.

***

While Shen Miao and Ninth Brother were discussing life's big matters by the ridge, Xiang Jieer and the others had already entered the Xie family's spring estate. Xiang Jieer was still puzzled: "Has Sister not arrived yet?"

Ji Geer, holding a frozen pear, replied, "Perhaps she's inspecting the fields more thoroughly."

Zhou Da led the way in front; behind the spring estate was a pasture ideal for riding horses.

"No worries, we'll lay out some mats later," Yan Shu said, tightening the cloth strap on his shoulder. His backpack carried two chickens Shen Miao had roasted before leaving, their aroma tantalizing him all the way, making his mouth water in anticipation.

Chen Chuan was also carrying persimmons but walked awkwardly with a wide stance—having never ridden a horse before, his thighs were aching from the strain.

They arrived not long after.

Yan Shu helped Zhou Da and Zhou Chu hang the curtains, lay out the mats and cotton bedding, making it warm and comfortable to sit. He also had the servants left at the estate bring a charcoal heater and a stove.

The roasted chicken had cooled down, so they heated it on the stove. It could also be used for warmth.

Meanwhile, Xiang Jieer intently gazed at the roasted chicken skewered on bamboo sticks, thinking that later, she planned to break off both chicken legs and save them separately for Sister and Ninth Brother.

After hanging the curtains, Yan Shu sneakily approached Xiang Jieer and said, "I just tripped over a rabbit hole in the grass. Xiang Jieer, do you want to go catch rabbits together?"

Xiang Jieer's eyes lit up. "Where?"

"Over there," Yan Shu pointed to a place with a rock on the side of the slope. "Rabbits like to burrow near rocks. I saw several, and there are rabbit droppings at the entrance. There must be rabbits inside."

"Brother and Xiao Chuan should come too," Xiang Jieer said, rubbing her hands together. She pulled Chen Chuan with one hand and pushed Ji Geer with the other. "Let's go, let's go."

Catching rabbits is simple: use damp leaves, branches, and dry grass to block the rabbit hole entrance, light it, fan the smoke into the rabbit hole, and the rabbits will soon run out. Then catch the rabbit as it runs out.

They got to work. The children scattered, and soon, Xiang Jieer brought some snow-soaked dead branches and leaves while Chen Chuan found some thick cattails.

Ji Geer twisted these into a pile and blocked the hole. Yan Shu took out a fire striker from his pocket, "click click" a few times, quickly igniting the leaves and cattails. The flames leaped, and thick smoke billowed up, rushing into the hole.

Yan Shu even rolled up his shirt and fanned vigorously at the hole, muttering, "Come out quickly!" The smoke poured into the hole continuously.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, there was still no movement inside the hole. Xiang Jieer couldn't help but feel disheartened, muttering, "Maybe we smoked the wrong hole, maybe there's no rabbit inside at all?"

But Yan Shu shook his head, confidently saying, "Don't worry, a cunning rabbit has three burrows. The rabbit hole is very deep. Let the smoke pour in a bit longer—it must still be hiding inside."

Just as he said that, there was suddenly a commotion inside the hole. The children instantly perked up, their eyes fixed on the hole. Two or three large gray rabbits suddenly darted out of the hole.

"Over here!"

Yan Shu yelled and lunged forward. Xiang Jieer was right behind, stretching out her hand to catch it as she ran. But the rabbits were agile, leaping and dodging through the grass, running extremely fast.

Chen Chuan saw his chance and lunged at one, but the rabbit was too fast. He missed and ended up with a mouthful of grass.

The rabbits had already scattered, running down the hillside, nearly out of sight. Just in time, Xiang Jieer, panicking, grabbed a stone and hurled it with a flick of her wrist. The stone sailed past the rabbit's tail. The gray rabbit, startled, veered off to the side.

Ji Geer, who had been watching the rabbits' path, took a few steps ahead and lunged, successfully pinning the rabbit with both hands.

"We got it! We got it!" Xiang Jieer and Yan Shu exclaimed excitedly. The kids were all sweaty, huddled together, cheering and laughing, their voices echoing across the field for a while.

When Shen Miao and Xie Qi finally made it to the spring estate, they found the four kids huddled around a big gray rabbit, looking conflicted as they talked.

The rabbit's long yellow teeth stuck out, making it look fierce. It stomped its feet angrily and kept gnawing at the bamboo cage Zhou Da had brought.

"Where'd you get the rabbit?" Shen Miao asked, her cloak still draped over her arm.

"We caught it," Xiang Jieer said excitedly, recounting their daring rabbit chase.

"That's impressive!" Shen Miao said.

Xiang Jieer nodded proudly at first, but then her face fell. She glanced at Yan Shu and Chen Chuan, then sighed like an adult, "We wanted to cook the rabbit, but now we don't feel like eating it."

Yan Shu nodded, resting his chin in his hand and sighing, "Zhou Da thinks it's a mom rabbit. Its fur's patchy 'cause it probably pulled some out to make a nest, so there might be babies in the hole."

Chen Chuan felt bad for the rabbit, "Let's let it go. It's got babies."

Ji Geer agreed, "We don't need to eat it. Let's not."

Shen Miao backed them up, "Let it go. If you want rabbit, I'll buy some farm-raised ones later. I'll make braised rabbit, spicy rabbit bits, or even spicy rabbit heads. They're all tasty."

The kids looked at each other, and Xiang Jieer used a twig to unlatch the bamboo cage. The rabbit bolted out and vanished in a flash.

Yan Shu reluctantly looked away from the rabbit and only then noticed Ninth Geer behind Shen Miao, staring blankly, lost in thought.

"Ninth Geer? Hey, Ninth Geer!"

Xie Qi snapped out of it, "Huh?"

Yan Shu looked even more puzzled.

Shen Miao rubbed her nose, feeling a bit embarrassed. If she had known Ninth Geer would react so strongly, she would have waited to bring it up later.

After discussing the engagement, she and Ninth Geer sat on a relatively dry rock by the field for a long time before he seemed to wake from a dream. Later, as they rode to the spring estate, he held her so tightly. When they stopped, his head even rested weakly on her shoulder, nuzzling against her, his voice growing hoarser:

"Ah Miao."

"Ah Miao."

He murmured her name repeatedly, over and over.

Shen Miao didn't know why, and he didn't elaborate.

Only when he helped her dismount did she notice him looking up at her, his gaze intense, reflecting only her.

At that moment, Shen Miao realized that Xie Qi's heart was like a surging river, like fireworks exploding, but his nature was such that he was accustomed to calmness and peace. Even the most intense emotions didn't manifest as loud shouts or frantic actions.

He seemed calm on the outside, but inside he was so thrilled his legs gave out and he stumbled.

Shen Miao suddenly thought he was kind of cute.

She held back her laughter and didn't mention it again, letting him catch his breath. But in this state, he wasn't in any shape to teach Xiang Jieer how to ride. Later, Zhou Da stepped in, helping Xiang Jieer learn how to mount and hold the reins, while Shen Miao, Ji Geer, Chen Chuan, and Yan Shu happily dug into the shiny, mouthwatering kiln-roasted chicken and the icy-sweet frozen pears.

"It's so delicious," Yan Shu mumbled with his mouth full, tearing off another piece of chicken. Shen Miao wasn't just great at roasting ducks—her chicken was amazing too! The chicken was perfectly roasted, wrapped in dried lotus leaves that gave it a fresh, earthy scent. The skin was crispy, and the meat inside was soaked in rich sauce. He gobbled it up so eagerly his mouth was shiny with grease, but he still saved a big chicken wing for Xiang Jieer.

Seeing the dried lotus leaves under the chicken, Shen Miao got an idea: lotus leaf sticky rice chicken. There were still several dried lotus leaves stored from the summer, and she could make sticky rice chicken at home. The glutinous rice would be filled with chicken, barbecued pork, spare ribs, salted egg yolk, and shiitake mushrooms, all infused with the fragrance of lotus leaves. The chicken flavor would permeate the glutinous rice, making it both fresh and fragrant.

Tomorrow, they'd have sticky rice chicken. She nodded to herself and sipped some pear juice.

She glanced at Ninth Geer.

He sat quietly, clutching a fox fur cloak, his long legs folded, his face calm.

Shen Miao shook her head: poor Ninth Geer, his soul still hadn't come back after she'd stunned him.

***

Time flew by. After making sweet rice balls for the Lantern Festival and enjoying the colorful lantern displays, the New Year festivities were officially done.

Everything had been fine lately, except Xie Qi seemed to be missing a few marbles. He kept walking into walls, dropping his chopsticks mid-meal, and even tumbled down the stairs a few times. Yan Shu was so worried he tore through the house, digging up a bunch of flashy talismans and charms, which he draped all over Xie Qi.

He even walked around Xie Qi twice, muttering, "Weird, is bad luck back? But this feels... different."

Shen Miao always slipped away unnoticed.

A few days later, the Bian River started to melt, marking the official start of spring in the fourth year of Baoyuan.

Early that morning, Liang Qian showed up with a young eunuch to buy roasted duck. Shen Miao carefully packed the duck into a food box and handed it over with a smile. "Eunuch Liang, take care. And, if you don't mind, I have a favor to ask."

Liang Qian remembered this matter and took the duck, saying, "Madam Shen, no need to worry. His Majesty has taken care of everything. When the grain transport barge is about to depart, someone will come to your shop to discuss the details."

That was a relief. Shen Miao saw Liang Qian off warmly, watching until his carriage rolled away.

With that settled, she rushed to Aunt Li's place to talk about the trip to Jinling to buy ducklings.

Buying ducklings needed someone reliable who knew how to pick good ducks. Even with the Emperor's okay, they couldn't just depend on the grain transport officials—they were busy and didn't know much about ducks. Plus, the trip was long and would take a lot of time. Without someone reliable to look after the ducks, they could easily waste a ton of money and end up with sick or dead ducks—a total disaster.

Earlier, Shen Miao had brought up the idea of Aunt Li taking some cash to Jinling to pick out the best ducks. If Aunt Li was concerned about Gouer, she could leave him with the Shens, and Shen Miao would handle his meals and getting him to school.

To entrust her with such an important task, Shen Miao naturally prepared a generous reward.

At that time, Aunt Li still had some reservations. After all, she had spent most of her life in the small world of Willow East Lane and had never left Bianjing. Now, suddenly being asked to travel such a long distance, she couldn't help but feel apprehensive.

This time, hearing Shen Miao say that they could take the grain transport barge all the way, with officials to look after them, and that they would return immediately after buying the ducklings in Jinling, the round trip would take about a month.

Aunt Li gritted her teeth and finally agreed: "Alright, then... I'll go with Uncle Li. Gouer will really be entrusted to you."

She still didn't dare to travel alone.

Their family's porcelain repair business hadn't been doing well lately, and Li Tiaozi could only earn a few hundred coins a day from his work outside. Moreover, Shen Da Jieer had said that for this trip, they wouldn't need to spend their own money. All expenses for food and lodging would be recorded and reimbursed upon their return.

In addition, they would receive several strings of coins as extra compensation.

Aunt Li had already realized that Gouer didn't have much talent for studying. The teacher at the private school had hinted at it several times. Gouer was diligent, but he just didn't have the knack for academics.

As a parent, she could only try to save more money for her son while she was still able to work.

Hearing Aunt Li's agreement, Shen Miao couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Otherwise, she had planned to send Tang Er with Aunt Li to learn some quick skills in selecting and feeding ducks, and then have him make the trip. But how could a beginner compare to an experienced hand? There were bound to be various situations along the way, and Tang Er might not be able to handle them.

It was naturally best that Aunt Li agreed to take on this task.

Just as Aunt Li and her husband were about to set off on the grain transport barge, news of the imperial examination results also came out.