“Are you trying to scare the living daylights out of your dad and me? You just slipped out early this morning without a word.”

When Yan Qi returned home, Xun-shi quickly came out to greet him, chattering nonstop as she expressed her relief.

“If you leave a little later, the wild greens aren’t going to run away on their own.”

Yan Qi set down his backpack and wiped the sweat from his brow.

“I woke up early and couldn’t fall back asleep, so I just wanted to take a stroll at the foot of the mountain. Didn’t the villagers say it’s safe there—even kids that age can go?”

Of course, he’d actually wandered a bit farther than that, but he didn’t dare say so.

His father’s back pain had never fully healed, and his mother’s health had deteriorated during their flight from the war. Though she wasn’t bedridden like Grandma Xiao next door, she wasn’t in much better shape either.

It was true that he was just a ger, but he was now the backbone of the family.

Every pillar of the village heads out at daybreak to work and earn money—if others could do it, so could he.

“Ming-ger has to stay with his grandmother; otherwise, I’d have asked him to come along.”

To avoid listening to his mother’s nagging, he quickly changed the subject.

“Mom, look! I got lucky today—I ran into Huo Erge from the Huo family in the mountains. He took me to pick a bunch of wild greens. If we blanch them and dry them, they’ll last us a long time.”

Xun-shi pulled her outstretched hand back and hesitated. “Is that the same Huo Erge from last time? What was his name again…”

Yan Qi reminded her, “Huo Ling.”

“Right, Huo Ling.”

Xun-shi tugged anxiously at her son’s arm and asked, “Tell your mother all about it. What exactly happened? He’s a strapping young man who hasn’t married yet, and you’re a ger of good character—it’s not proper for you to get too close to him alone.”

Yan Qi pursed his lips and said that Huo Ling wasn’t that kind of person.

“I wandered too far into the mountains and ran into him chasing a rabbit with his dog. He said…”

He paused to think, omitting the part about stumbling upon the overgrown graveyard, and changed his story: “He said there weren’t any edible wild vegetables where I’d found them, so he took me to another spot on his way. I helped him pick a lot of prickly asparagus and monkey-leg greens, and he gave me some as a reward.”

“Why do you keep running into him every time?” Xun-shi was suspicious. “I’ve heard from the villagers that Huo Er is already of marriageable age but hasn’t married yet—he’s a notorious bachelor known throughout the surrounding villages.”

It wasn’t that she was deliberately thinking the worst of him; it was just that, having fled with a ger in tow, she’d seen far too many all sorts of people along the way—and even more with ill intent. During that time, countless people had been driven to desperation, selling their own children just to get food.

“He’s not exactly that old, is he…”

Yan Qi spoke up for Huo Ling, “He’s not that old.”

“A man past twenty who hasn’t married yet—that’s certainly considered old.”

Xun-shi pondered for a moment, glanced at him, and probed, “It seems you’re already siding with outsiders. Tell your mother—have you taken a liking to someone?”

Yan Qi’s cheeks instantly flushed crimson, burning hot, and he took a step back.

“Mom, what are you talking about!”

Somewhat annoyed, he shook off his mother’s arm and walked away carrying the wild greens. Xun-shi took a couple of steps after him and said helplessly, “All right, all right, I won’t say another word!”

But Yan Qi still didn’t come back; instead, he went straight to the corner of the courtyard to sort through the vegetables on his own.

The cold war between mother and son continued like this for half a day. Father Yan tried to mediate but to no avail. After Xiao Mingming arrived, he felt awkward asking too many questions and could only help Yan Qi with the chores.

After lunchtime, a messenger from the village chief’s household arrived to inform the Yan and Xiao families of the gathering scheduled for the first day of the coming month.

“We men from beyond the Great Wall are down-to-earth and caring. The gers from both your families are of marriageable age now; it’s a good thing to settle this early. Having in-laws to lean on in the future will help you gradually build a better life.”

Both families understood the logic. Not to mention Xiao Mingming—even Yan Qi, who was already nineteen this year, would likely have been married off long ago if it weren’t for the poor harvests back home for several years in a row. With every household tightening their belts to make ends meet, no one had the time or resources to discuss marriage.

The messenger was Zhou Chengzu’s youngest daughter-in-law, who had even gone out of her way to visit Xiao Mingming’s grandmother. She mentioned that there was a good doctor in Ma’er Village who charged reasonable consultation fees, prescribed affordable medicine, and was very easy to talk to.

If all else fails, just have him come take a look. You can work something out—it’s fine to run up a tab for a while.

Xun-shi thanked her profusely all the way and saw her to the door, where she couldn’t help but ask.

“If we were to arrange a marriage, our two families would certainly prefer a young man from Xiashan Village. That way, our son wouldn’t have to marry far away, and we could visit each other more often in the future.”

The Zhou family’s daughter-in-law smiled. “That would be wonderful. Don’t let the size of our Xiashan Village fool you—there are still a few eligible bachelors from good families here. They all attend the market on the first day of the month, so you’re welcome to take a look then and see who catches your eye.”

True to her status as the village chief’s daughter-in-law, her words were flawless.

Xun-shi really wanted to ask about the situation with the Huo family’s second son, but she was afraid that asking too many questions would make her family seem too eager. She was also worried that there might be some hidden reason why the Huo family’s second son hadn’t married yet.

She made a silent resolution to swallow her pride and find ways to mingle more in the village before the first day of the month, to see if she could probe the backgrounds of the village’s bachelors on behalf of her two youngsters.

Now that they’d finally made it out of that hellhole, she couldn’t possibly push her children back into the fire.

They had no relatives or connections here; if they were truly mistreated, it would be difficult to seek justice, as the locals tended to side with family rather than with what was right.

Consequently, Yan Qi and Xiao Mingming were even more anxious upon hearing this news—especially Xiao Mingming.

He tugged at his patched-up clothes and said anxiously, “Brother Qi, do we really have to go? Looking like this, what man would ever take a liking to me?”

Yan Qi was a bit more composed than he was, but when he thought that Huo Ling might also be going, his hand—busy weaving straw sandals—mistakenly threaded the straw cord through the wrong hole, forcing him to unravel it and start over.

“We definitely have to go, unless you say you’re sick. But you can’t hide forever. We’re outsiders here; marrying a local is the safest bet. Otherwise, why would these villages be willing to let us settle here?”

He was a few years older, and after all they’d been through—enduring hunger and hardship—he’d gained a broader perspective.

“Xiashan Village is tiny and tucked away in a mountain ravine. Coming from town, it’s the most remote place. Think about it—aren’t there small villages like this back in our hometown too? Any young women or men in the village with a bit of ambition want to marry out, while outsiders aren’t willing to marry in. Villages like this are the most likely to end up with a surplus of bachelors.”

Between the Yan and Xiao families, there were five people in total: only one able-bodied man—Father Yan—who was also injured and ill, plus an elderly woman. Two households like these wouldn’t contribute much to the village’s grain taxes.

The only reason Xiashan Village agreed so readily was because Yan Qi and Xiao Mingming were both young men who hadn’t yet married.

Xiao Mingming listened, completely taken aback. He opened his mouth slightly and said, “Xiaoqi, did you figure this out a long time ago?”

Yan Qi laughed. “I’m not that sharp—I was just guessing. But the current situation is actually better than I’d imagined. Think about it: we’re even allowed to meet and get to know each other at the matchmaking gathering, rather than being arbitrarily betrothed to someone and forced to marry whether we want to or not. Isn’t that already pretty good?”

Xiao Mingming crouched on the ground, curled up into a ball, but he wasn’t happy about it.

“But I don’t want to leave. I still have Grandma to take care of.”

Yan Qi patted her on the head. “Whoever marries you will naturally have to take care of Grandma, too. They won’t just abandon her. Everything will work out as we go along—don’t worry so much.”

Yan Qi couldn’t tell if Xiao Mingming had really taken his advice to heart.

In any case, the days passed one by one, and before they knew it, it was the first day of the next month.

“Erlang, are you all set?”

Huo Feng called out from inside the house, “It’s not like you’re getting married—your sister-in-law and Yingzi have both changed into their outfits and are ready to go.”

Ye Suping tapped him on the arm and reminded him, “There’s still plenty of time. Why are you rushing him? It’s rare that he’s actually willing to go and is even taking the time to spruce himself up.”

Huo Feng glanced up at the sun. “We don’t have an oxcart—we’ll have to walk the whole way. It’s a long way from Shuangjing Village. What if we get there too late and all the suitable young men and women have already been taken?”

“It’s not like breeding livestock—it doesn’t happen that fast.”

Just then, Huo Ling came out of the house.

When his older brother and sister-in-law looked at him, their eyes lit up.

Huo Feng, his earlier impatience now gone, nodded and said, “That’s something. It’s rare to see you dressed so neatly. Is that outfit new—made last year? I haven’t seen you wear it very often, and you’ve even shaved your beard clean.”

Huo Ling ran a hand over his chin, looking a bit uncomfortable. “Aren’t we in a hurry to leave? Let’s head out.”

This time, Ye Suping and Huo Feng planned to take Huo Ying along as well, just to see the commotion—there wasn’t much else to do for entertainment in the countryside anyway.

With no one at home, Huo Ling left Dager to watch the house. Ye Suping asked in surprise, “Second Son, aren’t you taking Dager with you?”

After all, in the past, whenever Huo Ling went on a blind date, he’d always bring Dager along—to see if the other person was afraid of dogs. If they were, there was no point in continuing; he’d never leave Dager behind.

“I’m not taking him.”

After giving this brief reply, Huo Ling exchanged a few words with Dager.

He was the last to leave and locked the courtyard gate—though it didn’t really matter; with Dager on guard, no one would dare come in.

Ye Suping looked pensive and exchanged a meaningful glance with Huo Feng, but Huo Feng was as clueless as ever; seeing his wife winking at him, he just looked completely baffled.

Feeling exasperated, Ye Suping said, “You’re not much better than our second brother. How did I ever end up with you?”

“I’m way more reliable than him.”

Huo Feng didn’t understand why he was suddenly being scolded, but that didn’t stop him from raising his eyebrows in self-praise.

Ye Suping was amused and handed Huo Ying over to him, gesturing for him to hold the child’s hand.

Unlike his older brother and sister-in-law, who were strolling slowly at the back of the group while looking after Huo Ying, Huo Ling was not only leading the way but also keeping a close eye on the people around him.

At this hour, most people leaving the village were on their way to the gathering. As they passed those sitting by the walls or under the trees chatting idly, they usually exchanged a few pleasantries or playful banter.

Huo Ling spotted Lin Changshui from the Lin family, Miao Laosan from the Miao family, and the eldest and second sons of the Zhao family. These men were all unmarried bachelors in the village; the rest were simply elderly widowers.

He had a lot on his mind, so he couldn’t help but walk somewhat absentmindedly. On top of that, he wasn’t particularly close with the men from the village who were traveling with him, so he mostly just strode forward in silence.

As he passed the path leading to the old house on the west side of the village, he glanced in that direction but saw that the village road was deserted.

Just then, Ye Suping’s voice suddenly came from behind him.

“Don’t look over there. Gers aren’t like you rough-and-tumble guys. To make sure nothing went wrong, the village chief had them sent over early in an oxcart.”

“No wonder.”

Huo Ling blurted out those two words, only realizing something was amiss after he’d spoken them.

Glancing at his sister-in-law, who was looking at him with a half-smile, he felt a touch of embarrassment.

Ye Suping, however, merely patted his arm meaningfully.

There were some things an elder sister-in-law couldn’t say outright, but Huo Ling understood them all.

After that, he couldn’t help but quicken his pace.

The drying yard in Shuangjing Village is rarely as bustling as it is today, except during the fall harvest.

The vast yard was filled with people, though they were scattered about; it was clear that everyone from the same village stood together.

In addition to the men, young women, and young gers—along with their respective family members—the village chiefs from each village were all present.

As far as the eye could see, there were clusters of people everywhere, making it hard to take it all in.

When Huo Ling and his group arrived, the only man still trailing behind was Miao Laosan, who walked the slowest. Since his older brother, sister-in-law, and niece hadn’t arrived yet, Huo Ling decided to wait at the edge of the drying yard, completely unaware that someone in the distance had already spotted him and was looking this way.

“Brother Xiaoqi, are those people from Xiashan Village? I think I saw Brother Huo Er.”

Huo Ling was tall and handsome; even in a crowd, he stood out at a glance.

Yan Qi bit his lip lightly. “It’s him. I saw him.”

No matter how slow on the uptake Xiao Mingming was, by now he could tell that Yan Qi had special feelings for Huo Ling—he just didn’t know how the other felt.

Yan Qi had thought about it even more than he had. They all had some vague recollection of the girls and boys who’d fled with them all the way to Baojia Town back then, but at that time, everyone had been gaunt and pale—it was impossible to tell who was who.

Now that they’d all been cared for for some time—even if they weren’t eating particularly well, at least they weren’t going hungry and no longer had to live in constant fear—those with a naturally robust build stood out just as much as Huo Ling did among the men.

He had previously tried to console Xiao Mingming, but when the situation was reversed and applied to Huo Ling, he, too, couldn’t help but feel inferior.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, he couldn’t help but lower his head and look at the only brand-new pair of straw sandals he owned.

Before long, Xiao Mingming tugged at his arm, and the ger said nervously, “Some men are coming this way.”

Yan Qi hurriedly looked up and saw two completely unfamiliar faces approaching.