Chapter 319: Chapter 319: Familiarity Breeds Fondness
For the past few days, it seemed Widow Xie and her cousins from the eldest branch had reached an unspoken agreement. They never brought up Song Jing or anything related to him.
Ji Huan, for her part, did her best to act as if nothing was wrong.
She was an adult and had all the sense that came with it. She wasn’t about to weep and wail over a failed romance as if her life were over.
It wouldn’t come to that.
But that didn’t mean she was happy to have her past dredged up just to be ridiculed.
It felt like someone had just stomped on a well-hidden wound. Ji Huan turned, wanting nothing more than to walk away.
But if she left, what would she do then?
She took a deep breath, turned back around, and bit out each word. "He got married. The bride wasn’t me. Is that answer satisfactory?"
Her words might as well have been: ’So what if the purse was for Song Jing? It’s none of your damn business!’
The vagrant’s tense expression eased slightly. Seemingly oblivious to the shift in her mood and the sharp edge to her words, he continued.
"So you’re just throwing yourself away and finding a fake husband?"
Ji Huan was about to lose her temper.
"Who said I’m throwing myself away? I’d love to find a real husband, but in such a short amount of time, where am I supposed to find someone to fall in love with and marry?"
The vagrant narrowed his eyes. "You came to me, but I have no desire to be a substitute."
’What in the world was he talking about?!’
The vagrant and Song Jing had absolutely nothing to do with each other. What could he possibly be a substitute for? Besides, she wasn’t so heartbroken that she needed a replacement!
"Substitute, my ass! I’m just asking you for a favor. If you’re willing, great. If not, then forget it. At worst, I’ll just go buy a man. It’s not that big a deal!"
Giving up on the idea of getting the vagrant’s help, Ji Huan didn’t want to stay a moment longer. She spun around and headed for the door.
Just as one foot crossed the threshold, she heard a low command. "Stop!"
That single word was laced with deep displeasure and an indefinable authority. Ji Huan could have easily ignored it, but for some inexplicable reason, she froze.
When she turned back, she saw the vagrant had stood up, his expression even darker than hers.
"You’re going to buy a man."
Ji Huan laughed in exasperation.
’This guy. He won’t help, but he’s certainly got a lot of nerve telling me what to do.’
"That’s right. If you won’t do it, I’ll just buy someone. And I’ll pick one who’s better looking than you, stronger than you, and more..."
Her words trailed off.
The vagrant strode toward her.
His back blocked most of the light, and Ji Huan couldn’t see his face. All she knew was that being stared at by him like this made her want to tremble.
"Look, even if the deal is off, we can still be civil. You... you..."
Halfway through her sentence, she tried to bolt, but the vagrant grabbed her wrist and yanked her back.
Ji Huan panicked, struggling to pull free, but the vagrant only tightened his grip.
"What are you doing?"
As she glared at him, her other hand reached for the small cloth bag slung across her back. Inside was a small knife she carried for self-defense.
The vagrant shot an imperceptible glance at her bag before his eyes, sharp as daggers, returned to her face, making her skin feel tight.
"There’s no need to buy a man."
Ji Huan scoffed. "Just because you say so? Why should I..."
"I’ll be your husband."
Ji Huan was struck dumb.
She stared blankly at the vagrant for a long moment before his words registered.
"Really? You agree?"
The vagrant grunted in affirmation and released his grip on her hand.
"I don’t approve of this approach, but you’ll just find someone else anyway. Better me than some other person."
’Talk about a sudden turn of events! A light at the end of the tunnel!’
"Right, right, that’s what I was thinking too! Since we know each other, it’s better you than a stranger!"
Ji Huan was both delighted and puzzled.
Just a moment ago, the vagrant had been as stubborn as a rock. Why the sudden, complete turnaround?
’Oh, well.’ This man was difficult to begin with. Ji Huan couldn’t be bothered to guess his reasoning. As long as she achieved her goal, that was all that mattered.
She stood on her tiptoes to pat the vagrant’s shoulder, her expression solemn. "Since you’re being such a good sport, I definitely won’t treat you unfairly. Just you wait to enter my home and live the good life."
The vagrant’s gaze remained locked on her. This time, he said nothing.
With the partner secured, the rest would be much easier to handle.
「The next morning」
Ji Huan told Widow Xie and her cousins that she was getting married.
All three of them stared back at her, dumbfounded. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ
Widow Xie was the first to snap out of it.
Without a word, she dragged Ji Huan into the east room of the front courtyard, bolted the door, and then began to earnestly reason with her.
"Wuan, I know you’re hurting because of Song Jing’s marriage... but no matter how much you’re hurting, you can’t ruin yourself like this!"
Ji Huan had expected she would think that.
"Aunt Xie, I’m really not the kind of person who would ruin myself over a man."
"If you’re not ruining yourself, then why marry that vagrant?"
It wasn’t as if Widow Xie had never seen him. The man was a walking menace!
’It’s an emergency,’ Ji Huan thought. ’I don’t have the luxury of being picky.’
But she had no intention of telling Widow Xie the truth.
To be precise, she didn’t plan on telling anyone at all.
The idea of a fake marriage was simply too outrageous. With the mindset of people from this era, it would be hard enough to understand, let alone accept.
Even a grown man like the vagrant had looked at her as if she’d lost her mind when he first heard the idea.
Though she still didn’t know why he had changed his mind...
If she told Widow Xie, her aunt would be even more convinced that she was sick in the head.
So, it was better to say nothing. This could just be a secret between her and the vagrant.
"What other reason could there be? Obviously, it’s because I’ve taken a fancy to him."
Widow Xie was dumbfounded. "But weren’t you... And what about Song Jing..."
’What happened with Song Jing?’ Ji Huan had admitted with her own mouth that she and Song Jing had mutual feelings.
Ji Huan sighed.
"Aunt Xie, Song Jing has started a new life. I can’t live in the past forever, can I? Didn’t you want me to forget him as quickly as possible?"
’But this is too fast...’
Ji Huan saw right through Widow Xie’s thoughts and said deliberately, "Or would you rather I waste away in tears, with every day feeling like a year?"
Widow Xie waved her hands frantically. If that was the alternative, then it was indeed better to forget him sooner rather than later.
"Can’t you just find someone else?" she asked tentatively.
Ji Huan shot back, "Like who? Who would be willing to marry me? Even though people don’t mention the ’jinx’ talk anymore, when it comes down to it, they’ll still have second thoughts. And on top of that, he has to marry into my family. I don’t have to spell it out for you—you know what kind of men are willing to do that."
"Not many good men are willing to marry into a family, it’s true, but at least you could find an able-bodied one. That vagrant, he’s..."
"His limbs have healed. He’s no different from an able-bodied man now."
’How is that no different? He can’t do heavy labor. Won’t he just be a burden on Wuan in the future?’
"Why don’t we wait a little longer? I can ask around for you. What if a good prospect turns up..."
"A ’good prospect’ would mean a family with living parents. Given my situation, I don’t want a repeat of someone threatening to hang themselves."
Ji Huan had to admit, the incident with Mrs. Meng had left her with a deep-seated fear.
Mrs. Meng’s actions had been a harsh wake-up call.
This was an ancient era. There was no fertile ground here for romantic freedom. Parents held absolute veto power, and going against the current would likely lead to utter ruin.
If she wanted to do something everyone around her would approve of, her only choice was a blind marriage.
It wasn’t that happiness was impossible in a blind marriage, but unhappiness was far more common—at least, in Ji Huan’s view.
Two people with no emotional foundation, forced to live their lives together... whether they even had anything in common was a secondary concern. The very idea of slaving away for her husband’s family and being treated as an inferior was something she could never accept.
Not that anyone suitable would want her, anyway.
So that was that. No one had to feel they were settling for less.
Widow Xie was at a loss for words.
It was true. Ji Huan had managed to escape the last rumor unscathed, but not every man was as honorable as Song Jing.
If it happened again, Ji Huan would truly be ruined.
"So, you... you’ve really taken a liking to that vagrant?"
Ji Huan nodded with a straight face. "You could say feelings developed over time."
Widow Xie truly couldn’t understand. How could anyone look at a face like that and develop any sort of feelings?
She was still worried that Ji Huan was forcing herself into this because of what happened with Song Jing and the Ji Family.
Ji Huan smiled. "Don’t you worry. I’m not forcing myself at all. The vagrant... he’s a good man."