Chapter 55: Propose Marriage

Chapter 55: A Proposal

Bai Xu arrived home as the moon hung high in the sky.

He could have been back by afternoon, but on his way, he encountered someone from the neighboring village who requested his medical assistance.

By now, most villagers had retired for the night, with only the occasional dog bark breaking the silence.

Bai Xu walked all the way to his gate, his basket still on his back. Before he could even knock, he heard Da Huang’s barks from inside the courtyard.

Immediately after, Xin He’s wary voice called out, “Who’s there?”

“A He, it’s me,” Bai Xu replied.

Soon, the courtyard gate swung open from within.

The moonlight was bright that night. The moment the door opened and Xin He saw Bai Xu standing outside, her face lit up with joy. “Bai Xu, you’re finally back. You must be exhausted!”

“It’s alright,” Bai Xu said with a gentle smile.

Xin He invited him in and helped him place his basket under the eaves.

She then poured him a cup of water and handed it to him. “Have some water and rest first. I’ll bring you dinner.”

With that, Xin He turned and headed to the kitchen.

Sitting under the eaves, Bai Xu watched her bustling around for him and was suddenly reminded of what the auntie from the neighboring village had said the day before: “Once you take a wife, you’ll never come home to a cold and empty house again. Isn’t that wonderful?”

Since his mother passed away, every time he returned from treating patients, the small courtyard had always felt desolate.

But ever since Xin He arrived, not only had she tidied the house until it looked brand new, but she had also brought warmth and life to the courtyard.

The thought that Xin He was waiting for him at home had made him hurry back all the way.

And when she opened the gate earlier, the clear happiness in her eyes as she looked at him made Bai Xu realize that just as he cared for her, she also cared for him.

In that moment, his heart suddenly pounded several times in quick succession.

“I made flatbread and cooked some wild vegetable soup. I’d planned to wait and eat with you, but someone from the village who’d been to the market said you’d been invited to treat a patient in the neighboring village, so I ate first,” Xin He explained as she brought over the flatbread and vegetable soup.

Bai Xu quickly reached out to take them. “Let me, let me.”

The flatbread and soup were placed on the wooden table. Xin He handed him chopsticks. “You must be hungry. Eat quickly.”

Bai Xu was indeed hungry, but he didn’t start eating right away. Instead, he first went to the water vat to wash his face, then returned and pulled a paper package from his bamboo basket, handing it to Xin He.

“I bought this for you.”

Xin He took it, unwrapped it, and was momentarily stunned when she saw the malt candy inside.

When she was a child, Xin Youzhi and his wife would occasionally buy a pack of malt candy to appease the children after returning from the market.

But that candy was never for her.

Xin He had never imagined that after growing up, someone would buy her an entire pack.

She picked up a piece and put it in her mouth. The sweetness instantly filled her mouth.

“Is it good?” Bai Xu asked.

Xin He nodded. “It’s delicious. Thank you.”

This was the first time anyone had ever bought candy for her.

“I’m glad you like it,” Bai Xu said with a gentle smile before he began eating.

Bai Xu was used to eating quickly, but Xin He ate daintily, so he forced himself to eat more gracefully as well.

By the time Xin He finished one piece of candy, Bai Xu had also finished his meal.

As soon as he set down his bowl and chopsticks, Xin He said, “I’ll wash the dishes. You rest for a bit and unpack the things you bought.”

With that, Xin He took the bowls and chopsticks and headed toward the water vat.

Bai Xu didn’t object. Instead, he began taking things out of the basket.

He brought the salt, vinegar, and other seasonings to the kitchen. The other household items and medicinal herbs he’d bought were placed on the table in the inner room, to be properly organized the next day. After tidying up the miscellaneous items, only the peach-red fabric remained in the basket.

When he’d bought it, Bai Xu hadn’t hesitated at all. But now, as he prepared to give it to Xin He, he suddenly felt hesitant.

He wasn’t sure if she would like the color of the fabric.

Just as Bai Xu was wrestling with his indecision, Xin He’s footsteps gradually approached.

“You’ve been working all day. I heated water in the kitchen—go wash up and rest early,” she said, turning to head to the kitchen, but Bai Xu stopped her.

After hesitating for a long moment, Bai Xu finally held out the bolt of fabric to Xin He.

Xin He was taken aback and asked uncertainly, “Do you want my opinion on it?”

Someone had come to propose a match for Bai Xu the day before, so she assumed this was something he’d bought for the potential bride.

“No, it’s for you.”

Xin He froze. For her?

Bai Xu stumbled over his words as he explained, “When I was at the market today, I saw this fabric and thought it would suit you well, so I bought it for you to make a dress. Do you… like it?”

Xin He looked at Bai Xu, then at the fabric in her hands.

The texture was somewhat coarse, much worse than the fabrics she’d worn during her three years with the Wei family, but a warm sense of gratitude welled up in her heart.

In all her life, this was the first time she’d experienced what it felt like to be remembered by someone.

“I really like it. Thank you, Bai Xu,” Xin He said, cradling the fabric as if it were a treasure, her eyes filled with gratitude.

Only then did Bai Xu let out a sigh of relief.

After leaving the fabric shop, he’d been worried: What if Xin He found the color tacky?

Fortunately, she liked it.

“I’m glad you like it,” Bai Xu said, smiling at her with relief.

But after her initial happiness, a trace of worry clouded Xin He’s expression.

Bai Xu, observant, noticed it immediately and asked, “A He, did someone come and bully you while I was away?”

Although most villagers were kind-hearted, Bai Xu knew there were also a few ruffians and troublemakers among them.

"No." Xin He came back to her senses and, seeing Bai Xu's concerned gaze, knew he had misunderstood. "No one has bullied me."

Xin He tightened her hold on the bundle of fabric in her arms and finally spoke candidly to Bai Xu: "It's just that I'm fully recovered now, and I shouldn’t keep burdening you any longer. I think it's about time I left. As for the money I owe you for medicine and treatment, I'll repay it with the foraged herbs and medicines I gather before I go."

"You're not imposing on me," Bai Xu blurted out.

He hadn't expected Xin He to suddenly bring up leaving—it was too sudden.

Bai Xu asked, somewhat flustered, "A He, have I done something wrong recently? Or said something that upset you? If so, I apologize."

"Why would you think that?" A He asked, surprised.

"If I haven't done anything wrong, why would you suddenly decide to leave?"

A He smiled and explained, "It's not exactly sudden. After all, I'm fully recovered now, and it's not right for me to keep imposing."

"I don't mind," Bai Xu said quickly. Then, as if afraid A He might misunderstand, he added, fiddling with his sleeve, "Besides, A He, you haven't been staying here for free. Since you arrived, not only have Da Huang, Xiao Bai, and I all gained weight, but you've also kept my home tidy and orderly."

Bai Xu looked at A He eagerly, hoping to convince her to stay.

A He could naturally sense his sincerity, but—

"Bai Xu, no woman would want to marry a man who has another woman living in his home," A He reminded him.

Before, when she was injured, it was somewhat acceptable for her to stay. But now that she was fully recovered, if she continued to overstay, it would not only invite gossip but also affect Bai Xu's marriage prospects.

Hearing this, Bai Xu realized that A He had taken to heart the recent matchmaking proposals people had been bringing him.

Bai Xu said urgently, "But I haven't agreed to meet any of them."

"But you will have to marry eventually," A He said, standing under the moonlight, her expression clear.

She had already been forced into being a concubine once before; now that she could make her own decisions, she would never share a husband with another woman.

Bai Xu's expression fell. He could hear the determination in A He's words.

"But A He, didn't you say your parents have passed away, and your uncle and aunt treated you poorly, even selling you to a wealthy merchant over fifty to be his concubine? Where will you go if you leave here?"

"I don't know," A He answered truthfully. Yet, there was no confusion in her eyes about the uncertain future ahead; instead, her tone was light. "I'll take it one step at a time. The world is vast—surely there's a place for me somewhere."

But all Bai Xu heard was that one phrase: "I don't know."

A He didn't know where she would go. In that case... Bai Xu suddenly blurted out, "Then would you be willing to marry me?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, not only was A He stunned, but even Bai Xu himself was taken aback.

But since he had already said it, Bai Xu decided to press on.

"We've spent so much time together. You should know what kind of person I am, A He. If you're willing to marry me, we can continue living as we have, but you'll be in charge of the household finances."

After he said this, he quickly added, afraid A He might think he was pressuring her out of gratitude, "A He, don't misunderstand. I'm not trying to use gratitude to pressure you. It's just that I'm at the age where I should marry, and you happen to have nowhere to go. We've gotten along well during this time. Rather than marrying a stranger, I'd prefer to marry you, A He. And if you marry me, you'll have a home. You won't have to wander anymore."

After stumbling through his words, Bai Xu looked at A He nervously.

A He's expression was a mix of shock and uncertainty.

After a pause, she lowered her head, flustered and shy. "This is all so sudden. Give me some time to think it over."

"Alright," Bai Xu agreed, knowing this couldn't be rushed.

Afterward, they each returned to their rooms to rest.

Bai Xu's proposal was both expected and unexpected to A He.

She had always been beautiful since childhood and never lacked admirers. In the past, she had often mingled with suitors in her search for a good husband. Someone as inexperienced and awkward as Bai Xu was easy for her to read.

But what truly moved her was Bai Xu's words: "If you marry me, you'll have a home. You won't have to wander anymore."

Everything A He had worked tirelessly for in the past was to have a home—a place where she wouldn't have to live in fear, always watching others' moods, or worry about being sold again.

If she agreed to marry Bai Xu now, she would have all of that.

Bai Xu was gentle and soft-hearted; A He was confident she could handle him and keep him devoted to her for life.

This kind of stable life was what A He had always dreamed of.

But now that such an opportunity was right in front of her, A He suddenly felt hesitant and reluctant.

Was she willing to marry Bai Xu for this stability?

Yet, in the next moment, she accepted reality.

In her current situation, having a stable home was hard to come by—she ought to cherish it.

So A He made her decision quickly.

Though she had no romantic feelings for Bai Xu, he was a good man, and spending her life with someone like him would be fine.

The next day, after breakfast, A He called out to Bai Xu.

But instead of telling him her decision right away, she first asked, "Bai Xu, do you want to know about my past?"

Although news of her death had likely reached the capital by now, and Wei Mingjin probably wouldn't send anyone to look for her, she had still been a concubine to Master Wei and had those three years with Wei Mingjin. Bai Xu was a doctor; some things could be hidden from others, but not from him.

Rather than letting Bai Xu harbor reservations after marriage, it was better to be clear from the start.

If Bai Xu couldn't accept her past, she would continue her wandering.

Bai Xu did want to know.

But he could tell that A He didn't want to talk about the past.

Moreover, when he had checked her pulse before, he already knew that A He had once miscarried.

So after a brief moment of thought, Bai Xu said, "Everyone has a past, but what's past is past. I'm not greedy; I only want A He's future. Is that alright?"

Bai Xu's ears turned red as he gazed tenderly at A He.

A He's heart softened, filled with deep emotion.

The person before her was truly a very, very good man.

A He took a step forward, wrapped her arms around Bai Xu's waist, and leaned into his embrace in a gesture of complete trust. Softly, she said, "In that case, let's get married."

Since he didn't mind her past, she was willing to promise him a future.