A huge thank you to KoshkaHP on Ko-Fi for the kofis. Enjoy the bonus chapters!

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Zheng Beiqiu left his home and headed straight for his Third Aunt’s house nearby. He had only one purpose in mind—to ask her to help arrange a marriage.

As he entered the courtyard, several dogs darted out and barked at him. Aunt Liu came out upon hearing the commotion. “Daqiu, you’re here! Come on in.” 

“Aunt Liu’s dogs sure do guard the house well.”

“Oh, these are the two puppies your Third Uncle brought back from town last year. They had another litter at the start of the year—six or seven puppies that eat like horses and make a racket before dawn. They’re driving me crazy. I’ve been thinking about taking them to town to sell them someday.”

“Don’t sell them—they’re great guard dogs. It’d be such a waste to sell them.” Zheng Beiqiu crouched down and petted the puppy’s head. He’d kept a few dogs back at the military camp; they had keen hearing and were the first to pick up on any sounds within dozens of li. On several occasions during battles, it was thanks to the dogs’ warnings that they’d avoided enemy ambushes.

“If you like them, take one home with you.”

Zheng Beiqiu stood up and said, “There’s no rush about the dogs. I’m here today on important business—I need Third Aunt’s help.” 

“What is it?”

“Well, I’d like to ask Third Aunt to act as a matchmaker.”

Aunt Liu wasn’t actually Zheng Beiqiu’s biological third aunt; she simply lived in the same village. Back in the days when Father Zheng was still alive, he’d been on good terms with her husband, so according to the family hierarchy, they addressed the couple as “Third Uncle” and “Third Aunt.”

“Well…” Aunt Liu looked a bit hesitant. Although she usually enjoyed playing matchmaker, Zheng Beiqiu’s circumstances made this a particularly difficult match to arrange. He was older, had served in the army and killed barbarians, and exuded such a menacing aura that it was downright frightening to look at—no ordinary girl would dare marry him.

“I won’t let your efforts go to waste. If this works out, I’ll reward you handsomely.”

“Don’t say that. Is Aunt Liu the kind of person who’d accept a bribe? But which young lady or young ger have you got your eye on?” 

“Aunt Liu should recognize him—it’s the young man from the Liu family whose husband passed away just a few days ago.”

“You mean Luo Xiu?” 

“That’s exactly who I mean.”

“No way, no way.” Aunt Liu flatly refused.

Zheng Beiqiu was taken aback. “What’s wrong?”

“His husband has only been dead for a few days. Even though his in-laws kicked her out and he doesn’t have to observe the strict mourning period, we still have to wait at least a hundred days before we can go to his house to discuss a match. Otherwise, if people find out, I’ll be too embarrassed to show my face.”

There was an unwritten rule in the village that one had to wait at least one hundred days after the death of a relative before holding a wedding; otherwise, it was considered inauspicious.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Beiqiu realized he’d been too forward. “I see. Then I’ll ask for your help a little later.” With that, he took a piece of leather out of his luggage and set it down.

“What’s this for?” Auntie San hurriedly handed the pelt back to him.

“Keep it. We hunted this wild fox pelt while patrolling the border. It’s a bit too small to make a coat, but since Third Uncle has bad legs, you can line his pants with it to keep him warm.”

“You’re such a kid,” Third Aunt said, feeling a bit embarrassed to have received the pelt for free. “I’ll keep this in mind for you. When I have a chance, I’ll ask around.”

“Well, you go ahead and get back to your work. I’m off.”

Once he reached the courtyard, several dogs were still barking and following him around, so Third Aunt kicked one in frustration.

Zheng Beiqiu reached into his robe again and pulled out a string of coins to give her. “If you think that’s too much, I’ll take two of the puppies to raise.” 

“Pick whichever ones you like—they’re free. If you mention money again, Auntie will get really upset!”

Zheng Beiqiu chuckled as he tucked the copper coins back into his pocket. He picked out two little yellow puppies, tucked them under his arm, and walked out. Next, he headed to the village head’s house to discuss the matter of buying a plot of land.

The sun was shining brightly today, and the last bit of snow in the yard had melted. Luo Xiu had almost finished cleaning up the yard; aside from a few trees that had grown too thick to cut down, he’d pulled out all the weeds.

He also set up a bamboo pole to hang laundry, took the baby clothes his aunt-in-law had given him to the river to wash, and hung them out to dry—they’d be ready for the baby to wear as soon as it was born.

By the time he finished, the sun was high in the sky. Luo Xiu cooked a pot of bean rice, and while he was stoking the fire, he saw the old widower from across the street loitering by his door again.

Yang Dashun was thirty-eight this year. His wife had passed away ten years ago, and his only child had married and moved away, leaving him all alone in the house.

Life as a bachelor was no picnic. With no one around to share his joys and sorrows, he had no one to wash his clothes or cook his meals. Most of all, the loneliness at night was unbearable—he’d practically do anything, even poke through a crack in the wall if he could.

Ever since Luo Xiu moved in, he’d had his eye on him—that ger was truly handsome! A round face, big eyes, and especially that pregnancy mole, red as if it were about to bleed. Even with his big belly, he was still better-looking than most of the gers in the village.

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have dared to even dream of such a thing—after all, there was such a huge age gap between them. But now that Liu Changfu had died and he’d been kicked out by his in-laws, he’d started to get ideas.

As soon as Luo Xiu saw him, he felt completely uncomfortable and quickly turned his head away, pretending not to notice. But Yang Dashun wouldn’t give up; he actually took the initiative to come right into his home.

“Young man from the Luo family, cooking dinner?”

“Brother Dashun, you’re here…” Luo Xiu steeled himself and stood up.

“What’s for lunch?” Yang Dashun walked into the courtyard with his hands behind his back, glancing around at the dilapidated house. “Some bean porridge.”

“Just bean rice? I’ve got some pickled mustard greens at home. Go grab a few pieces later—at least it’ll add some flavor.”

“No thanks, bean rice is fine for me.” Luo Xiu had a gentle disposition; though he despised this man in his heart, he felt too embarrassed to ask him to leave. If he’d been a feisty woman, he wouldn’t have been kicked out by his in-laws in the first place.

This Yang Dashun was truly repulsive; his gaze was like a slimy insect crawling back and forth over Luo Xiu’s body, making him feel thoroughly uncomfortable.

Luo Xiu turned away and ignored him, but Yang Dashun didn’t leave; he just stood there staring, his gaze fixed on his fair neck, his breathing growing a bit heavier.

After a while, his aunt from next door came over carrying a few heads of dried cabbage. Only then did Yang Dashun turn and leave, still not quite ready to go, and Luo Xiu let out a sigh of relief.

Aunt Liu said, “This cabbage was stored in the cellar last year. My husband and I can’t finish it all, so I’m bringing you a few heads. They’re a bit dry, though—just tear off the outer leaves before you eat them.”

“Oh, thank you, Auntie!” Luo Xiu took the cabbages and brought them inside. Vegetables were hard to come by these days, and if they ate sparingly, these few heads would last them six or seven days.

Aunt Liu followed her into the house. “This old house looks pretty decent. Liu Quan hasn’t come by to tidy it up in years; I thought it was uninhabitable.”

Luo Xiu smiled wryly. “The four walls of the bedroom are all in good shape. It’s just that a section of the roof had caved in, but my uncle came by a few days ago and helped me patch it up.”

Aunt Liu reminisced, “This house was built by my cousin back in the day when he was still alive. It took a lot of effort back then—the beams were all made of the finest cypress wood, and it was built to last for generations.

Unfortunately, there was a major flood in the village that year—the waters surged all the way over here, washing away half of the perfectly good house and scattering our belongings everywhere. That’s when life really started to get tough for his family.”

After exchanging a few words about everyday life, Aunt Liu asked, “I saw Yang Dashun here a moment ago—what brings him here?”

Luo Xiu’s smile faded. “He’s probably just dropping by. I don’t know him well, and he’s a widower—I really don’t want to let him in.”

Aunt Liu spat out, “That shameless old man—he’s probably got his eye on you. The night before last, I heard some noise coming from your room, so I sent my husband out for a walk. When he came back, he told me that Yang Dashun was over at your place.”

Luo Xiu stammered, “Next time he comes… I’ll make it clear to him. I’m still carrying Changfu’s child—there’s no way I can remarry.”

“Silly boy, are you planning to wait for Changfu for the rest of your life?”

A lifetime was too long—Luo Xiu hadn’t considered that far ahead. “At the very least, I’ll have to wait until the child is a little older before we talk about it.”

Aunt Liu understood his concerns; a child without a father was like a stray cat or dog—no matter which family took him in, he’d have to kowtow to others.

“Since you don’t plan to remarry, just tell him off the next time he comes. With a man like that, the more gently you try to reason with him, the more he’ll take advantage of you. Keep a few wooden sticks on hand at home, just in case.”

“Ah, I’ll spare myself the trouble.”

After seeing her off, Luo Xiu went behind the house and found two wooden sticks as thick as her wrist. He weighed them in his hands—they were quite heavy. If that man dared to come by at night again, he’d beat him out with those big sticks.

The rice in the pot was done. Luo Xiu served himself a bowl and ate his fill. The sun’s warmth made her drowsy, so he sat down by the doorway and began carding reed catkins.

Behind the house was a river, and plenty of reed catkins grew along its banks. After drying out over the winter, they were perfect for stuffing into quilts. Cotton was too expensive for ordinary families to afford, but these reed catkins, once cleaned, worked just as well.

He worked away until evening. Luo Xiu brought his sun-dried clothes inside, reheated the leftover bean rice from lunch, picked two cabbage leaves, and blanched them in the pot—a simple, makeshift meal.

He’d have to make another trip to town tomorrow. Last time he’d been in such a hurry that he’d forgotten to buy salt—without salt, he’d feel weak. While he was there, he’d see if anyone was selling chicken chicks or ducklings. He still had over three hundred wen left; if he could hold out for a while and plant beans and vegetables around the house, he’d have a steady source of food going forward.

Luo Xiu rubbed his stomach as he made his plans. Once the chickens and ducks were grown and started laying eggs, he could take them to trade for some money. Life might be tight, but he’d manage to get by. It was getting late, so Luo Xiu tidied up his things and bolted the door. Since his aunt had reminded him earlier that day, he brought the wooden bar inside as well.

With the kang heated and a thick quilt to cover her, Luo Xiu enjoyed a rare night of sound sleep. In the middle of the night, he was suddenly awakened by a series of creaking sounds. At first, he thought it was just the wind, but after listening for a while, something didn’t feel right—it sounded like someone was breathing heavily.

Luo Xiu opened his eyes groggily and, by the faint moonlight, suddenly saw the door moving—it seemed as if someone was prying it open with something! His head buzzed, and his scalp tingled with fear. He shouted, “Who’s out there?!”

The person outside didn’t respond, but the prying motions grew much faster.

Luo Xiu’s scalp tingled, and goosebumps instantly broke out all over his body. In a panic, he scrambled to his feet, grabbed a wooden stick lying nearby, and tapped on the door. “If you don’t leave right now, I’m going to call for help!”

The sound of prying stopped. After a moment, Luo Xiu thought the person had left, so he tried to peek through the crack in the door.

But as soon as he peered through, he caught a whiff of a foul, musky stench. Immediately afterward, he heard several low growls from the man at the door. Before Luo Xiu could even react, the man hurriedly pulled up his pants and ran off…

Luo Xiu wasn’t an inexperienced ger. Having been married to Liu Changfu for two years, he naturally knew exactly what the man had just been doing, and he was immediately overcome with nausea, retching dryly.

In an instant, a wave of hurt and anger washed over her. He grabbed a stick and slammed it hard against the door twice, then began to sob.

“Changfu, Changfu, how could you bear to leave me all alone like this? What are my baby and I supposed to do now…”

——Author’s Notes———

Xiu’s personality is too honest; I’ll just have to push him a little