Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Chen Xiaorong was sighing as he looked at the roast chicken in his hands.

They often invited Pei Mu over for meals, truly treating him like family without keeping score, but Pei Mu was a man of deep loyalty. With no one to manage his household and a generous hand, he would often bring over choice cuts of meat or tasty treats from town, never bothering with polite pretenses—just shoving things over and leaving. This left them sometimes unsure whether to even invite him for meals anymore, a real dilemma.

When he suddenly heard Pei Mu bring up what he had been discussing with Tao Geer earlier, Chen Xiaorong was a bit surprised. Pei Mu rarely cared about village gossip; this was the first time he had ever voluntarily asked about something.

But speaking of this matter, Chen Xiaorong was also full of indignation. He had just been chatting animatedly with Tao Geer when they were interrupted, and now his emotions surged back up.

Since Pei Mu was not an outsider, and Chen Xiaorong knew he would never go around spreading things, he spoke without any restraint.

"It's all those gossiping villagers. Today, Zhang Tieniu's mother, Zhang Guihua, hired a matchmaker to go to the Zhong family to propose marriage. The Zhong family refused, so Zhang Guihua started spreading rumors everywhere, saying that the Zhong family had already agreed to the match with her family but then backed out, claiming the betrothal gifts were too little. After it spread, everyone in the village is saying that Madam Zhong is dishonest and that the Zhong family's young master is too greedy."

"But the Zhong family never agreed to any marriage with anyone. That Zhang Guihua clearly saw the Zhong family buying a lot of goods yesterday and, afraid someone else would get ahead of her, rushed to hire a matchmaker. When she was rejected, she started making up lies to ruin their reputation. Some in the village had their doubts, but Zhang Guihua told her story so convincingly that she fooled many people, and the rumors spread like wildfire, incredibly nasty."

Chen Xiaorong and his husband, being close to Pei Mu and having no close relatives in the village, were often the targets of such gossip themselves.

He was thoroughly sick of those busybodies. Although he didn't know the victim this time—the Zhong family's young master—listening to Tao Geer's account made him sympathize.

Tao Geer wanted to help, but rumors without evidence are the hardest to refute. The Zhong family had no powerful relatives to stand up for them, so the situation was one-sided. He had begged his parents for help but found no good solution, so he came to his friend to vent.

Chen Xiaorong remembered how Zhang Guihua had spread rumors that he had been unable to conceive for a year after marriage because Pei Mu had brought him bad luck, and he got angry all over again. After a while, he remembered to ask Pei Mu if he had something in mind regarding the Zhong family, but Pei Mu just nodded to him, said "I understand," and turned to walk toward his house at the foot of the mountain.

Chen Xiaorong was too caught up in his thoughts to press further. He called out, "Come over for dinner later!"

Pei Mu waved his hand to acknowledge, and his figure quickly disappeared into the distance.

...

Zhong Yizhu had been cooped up at home for several days, partly to avoid trouble from Lai Laoer and partly because of the village gossip.

That day, Pei Mu had asked him who had hurt him, but there was no follow-up. Zhong Yizhu felt that Pei Mu wouldn't ask such a question without reason, but it was hard to imagine why Pei Mu would help him solve his problems. So every day, he still lived in fear, dreading that his nightmare would repeat itself or come in an even more terrifying form.

Zhong Yizhu didn't care much about Zhang Guihua slandering him, but he was furious that she had falsely accused his mother of being untrustworthy and greedy. Sun Yunniang had told him not to go out, so he obediently stayed at home, doing embroidery and silently helping with chopping wood and cooking.

Sun Yunniang was both angry and anxious, spending days worrying and trying to find a way out. It wasn't until she snapped out of it that she noticed how wrong her son seemed.

One fine sunny day, Sun Yunniang had exhausted everything she could think of. Since her anxiety seemed pointless, she pulled out the fabric she had bought in town earlier and decided to make the clothes.

She called Zhong Yizhu over to take his measurements, and as soon as she compared them, she realized something was off.

Zhong Yizhu had been staying indoors recently, always wearing a plain-colored long gown that hung loosely on him, hiding any changes in his figure. But in just a few short days, he had become so thin that she could clearly feel his ribs.

The boy had always been slender, but now he looked almost gaunt.

Sun Yunniang grabbed his arm, trying to speak, but her voice choked up first. Zhong Yizhu only looked at her in confusion and asked, "Mother, what's wrong?"

Sun Yunniang closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face, and spoke as if each word were drawn in blood.

"You're going to be the death of me..."

Zhong Yizhu's expression froze, and the light in his eyes gradually dimmed.

He tried to act as if nothing was wrong, twitching his lips, but in the end, he couldn't say a word.

Over the past few days, he had been crushed by self-blame and self-loathing, growing more despondent by the day. His will was being eaten away, he tried to save himself, but was suffocated by overwhelming emotions.

He had already become a burden to his mother, preventing her from enjoying her old age peacefully, and now he was being slandered by the villagers. He could do nothing about it. He was too scared to even approach the bed in the room, choosing to sleep huddled in a corner for days. He was useless, and his very existence was a weight on his mother.

Sun Yunniang pulled Zhong Yizhu into a tight hug. Her eyes blurred with tears as she looked up at the clear sky, silently asking in desperation if there was truly no way out for them, mother and son.

Later that day, Sun Yunniang took some of the household's grain and went out, saying she was going to trade for a piece of meat.

The courtyard gate opened and closed. Zhong Yizhu sat quietly on the threshold of the main house for a while. A bird landed on the vegetables drying in the yard, and he got up to shoo it away when he suddenly heard a knock at the door.

Hesitantly, he looked toward the back yard, wondering if he had misheard. A few breaths later, the knock came again. Zhong Yizhu, like a startled bird, rushed into the main house and grabbed a firewood knife.

He had already put his hand on the door of the main house, ready to close and lock it, but then he paused.

Out of nowhere, a surge of courage gave him a crazy idea—if he could just kill that bastard, his nightmare would end. He would pay with his own life, and then his mother would no longer have him as a burden.

Clutching the knife, he walked step by step toward the back door. He was so nervous that his teeth chattered, but he gritted them hard, steadying his hand. The moment he opened the door, he swung the knife with all his might.

But the person outside the door wasn't the one who had tormented him day and night, robbing him of peace.

Pei Mu had not expected that, after doing a good deed, he would be "welcomed" like this. He nimbly leaped back to a safe distance. His eyes were fierce as he looked up, but when he saw Zhong Yizhu's appearance, his expression froze.

The person before him was almost unrecognizable compared to the last time they had met. He had once been vibrant and beautiful, but now looked as if something had hollowed him out, leaving only a withered shell.

It had only been half a month...

Pei Mu couldn't help frowning. "What's wrong with you?"

Seeing it was him, Zhong Yizhu's expression went blank. He was like a taut string, his whole body stiff and sore, struggling even to lower the knife.

Meeting Pei Mu's gaze, he instinctively looked away and shook his head. "Nothing."

He slowly lowered the knife, wanting to make some excuse but feeling it was unnecessary, so he just asked, "Is there something you need?"

Pei Mu paused, then pulled out a paper packet from his pocket and handed it to Zhong Yizhu.

Seeing Zhong Yizhu hesitate to take it, he explained with rare patience: "It's the tooth of that thug who bullied you. He won't dare come looking for you again."

Zhong Yizhu quickly hid his hands behind his back, his whole body rigid with refusal.

After a moment, it sank in. "You're the one who beat him up?" That must be why the bastard hadn't shown up all this time.

Pei Mu nodded. Seeing that Zhong Yizhu really didn't want it, he casually tossed the packet into a corner of the wall. "Even if he heals, he won't come back. Rest assured."

Zhong Yizhu's eyes followed the packet, then turned back, dazed. He thanked him mechanically, feeling as if he were in a dream. Unable to help himself, he asked, "Why are you helping me?"

Pei Mu didn't answer.

He looked at Zhong Yizhu's state, was silent for a moment, then tucked the booklet he had just retrieved from the town matchmaker back into his pocket. He simply said, "Wait for me at your house tomorrow at nine in the morning."

...

When Pei Mu arrived at Wang Pingan's house, the man was in the yard mending farm tools.

The early rice harvest was approaching, and since his household had only two people without a rotation, broken tools would be a big problem.

Seeing Pei Mu enter, Wang Pingan didn't make a fuss, telling him to just grab a stool.

He knew Pei Mu wasn't one to visit without a reason, so he continued his work and asked, "What's up?"

Then he heard Pei Mu say in that indifferent, uncaring tone: "I'm going to the Zhong family tomorrow to propose marriage. Would you and your wife be free to come with me?"

"Clatter—" Wang Pingan's hammer missed its mark and slammed into the side. He thought he was hallucinating, looking up at Pei Mu in disbelief. "What did you say?"

Pei Mu repeated himself, then added, "If you're busy, I can..."

"Busy? What busy! If you're going to propose a betrothal, we can push everything else aside. But how did you... when did you take a liking to Zhong Jia Xiao Ge'er? Wait, have you even asked for his hand in marriage before just going to present the betrothal gifts?!"

Wang Pingan was at a loss for words, overwhelmed by this sudden news. Pei Mu had reached marriageable age when he returned to the village last year, but he seemed completely uninterested in the matter. Every time Wang Pingan and Chen Xiaorong mentioned finding a match for him, he said it wasn't necessary. He hadn't even glanced at any of the eligible girls or young men in the surrounding villages.

Now that he had suddenly come to his senses, Wang Pingan was both shocked and delighted. But hearing him talk about going straight to present betrothal gifts made him worry.

The custom in the village was to first have a matchmaker propose the marriage, and once the other party agreed, they could discuss the betrothal gifts. Now it seemed his brother wanted to skip the proposal step entirely and settle things directly. Even if that Zhong Jia Xiao Ge'er had been the subject of gossip in the village lately, with his family background and standards, why would he tolerate such recklessness?

Seeing Pei Mu's silence, Wang Pingan finally couldn't hold back: "Are you planning to just snatch him away?"

Pei Mu: "..."

Wang Pingan advised earnestly: "If you've taken a fancy to him, let me have your sister-in-law help you sound him out. If he's willing, then you can ask a matchmaker to propose, and then discuss the betrothal gifts..."

"Too much trouble." Pei Mu frowned. "Let's just settle it like this. I've already bought the betrothal gifts. Tomorrow the town matchmaker will come on time. Then you and your wife can accompany me to his house."

Wang Pingan: "..."

In the area around Chuiliu Town, the custom was that only the matchmaker was needed for the proposal, but the betrothal gifts required the groom and his elders to accompany him.

Wang Pingan was touched by Pei Mu's trust in their couple, but also anxious. Of course, there were families who had already decided to marry and would combine the proposal and betrothal gift presentation. But Pei Mu and the Zhong family had no connection whatsoever, and Pei Mu's reputation in the village was so terrible—how could this be compared?

Of course, he thought his own brother was wonderful, but others were blinded by rumors, with blind eyes and blind hearts.

Pei Mu was so serious and solemn about this. Wang Pingan worried both that Zhong Jia Xiao Ge'er would reject the marriage and make Pei Mu sad, and that Pei Mu would be ridiculed by the villagers. Even when he went to bed at night, he kept muttering to Chen Xiaorong, hoping that Heaven would bless that Zhong Jia Xiao Ge'er into losing his mind and agreeing to this marriage, so everything would go smoothly tomorrow.

But the person he was worrying about didn't share his anxious feelings.

The moonlight was very bright tonight, and Pei Mu was tanning hides in the courtyard by its light.

During summer, the vegetation was lush and game was plentiful. He had originally planned to rest for a day and then go up the mountain. Now that something had come up, he decided to first tan the hides he had accumulated, store them away, and sell them when prices were better in winter.

There was a pot boiling on the stove. He added some firewood, then, remembering something, took the booklet he had gotten from the matchmaker that morning and threw it into the fire.

The matchmaker had spent over ten days painstakingly compiling a register of eligible men in the town suitable for marriage, and now it was reduced to ashes.

Pei Mu leaned against the kitchen doorframe, arms crossed, looking up at the full moon.

For some reason, Zhong Yizhu's appearance today reminded him of the mother he had never met. A life can wither easily—after all, not everyone was as resilient as him.

The matchmaker in town might be more reliable, but what if she encountered another Pei Song?

Since Zhong Yizhu had chosen him, he would help him one last time.

That childhood package of osmanthus cakes—its weight didn't matter—but in the end, he couldn't just stand by and watch someone be pushed to his death.

The moon was high in the sky. Pei Mu cleaned everything up and lay down on the bed. After a moment, he got up again and placed the new clothes Wang Pingan had told him ten times to wear by the bedside. Then he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Author's note:

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Thank you for the mines from Huaguoshan Dawang and everyone's nutrient solutions~ Thanks for your love! Let me explain: Before the book is published, I update according to the weekly word count requirement. So there won't be updates tomorrow and next Wednesday. Other than that, I will update on schedule. Hope you won't let me just pile up unread~