Chapter 56: Hello

Liu Qiu agreed too quickly, and Fang Lian was stunned for a moment.

After coming back to her senses, Fang Lian slapped her thigh hard, her eyes turning red as she spoke in a breathy voice, “Qiu girl, you’ve truly suffered.”

At that moment, Liu Feng said, “Mother, Sister Qiu is still ill. It may not be appropriate to find her a husband right now.”

“If we end up choosing someone with a bad temperament, that would affect her for a lifetime.”

Liu Feng’s delicate brows knitted slightly, and the worry in her eyes was unmistakable.

Liu Qiu felt the hand gripping her shoulder tighten subtly.

Looking at Liu Feng’s expression, she seemed nothing more than a younger sister concerned about her elder sister’s marriage prospects.

But Liu Qiu knew very well that Liu Feng’s thoughts were far from simple.

Liu Qiu adjusted the collar of her inner garment and said softly, “I want to find someone.”

“I’m very happy that Mother is thinking of me.”

Her moist eyes blinked, her voice slightly hoarse.

“You don’t need to worry about me, little sister.”

Liu Qiu’s earnest attitude made Fang Lian feel certain that she had made the right decision.

Because Qiu girl had always been frail and bedridden for years, she and Tie Niu had neglected the fact that Qiu girl was already a thirteen-year-old young lady.

It was only natural that she would wish to find her ideal match.

With a smile on her lips, Fang Lian brought the Daoist priest before Liu Qiu.

“Come, this is Daoist Zhang. Let him read your face. He will surely find you a good family.”

Liu Feng’s gaze drifted lightly onto the Daoist.

In an instant, the fine hairs on the Daoist’s back stood on end.

‘Could this girl possibly know I’m a fake Daoist?’

Zhang Yun felt uneasy as he speculated, instinctively avoiding Liu Feng’s gaze.

Fang Lian did not notice the silent exchange between Liu Feng and the Daoist.

Seeing how closely Liu Feng was clinging to Liu Qiu, she felt it might obstruct the face-reading, so she said, “Second girl, stop sticking to your sister. Go outside and see whether Third girl has returned.”

Just as she finished speaking, the door was suddenly pushed open from outside.

Liu Huang stood there with flushed cheeks and reddened eyes, beads of sweat on her forehead.

“I’ve bought the medicine.”

Some of the herbs had been difficult to find and had delayed her; otherwise, she would have returned earlier.

Noticing the elderly woman dressed in Daoist robes in the room, Liu Huang frowned.

“Mother, what is this Daoist doing here?”

Liu Huang was already an adult, and there was nothing to hide about the matter.

Fang Lian explained, “Daoist Zhang has come to tell your sister’s fortune and see who is suitable to marry her.”

“Marry?”

A surge of hostility flashed across Liu Huang’s face.

“Mother! With Sister Qiu’s health, is she even fit to marry?!”

Cold sweat nearly slid down the Daoist’s forehead.

He knew of the Liu family sisters.

He had originally thought that since the Liu parents were merely plain-looking farmers, their daughters, no matter how capable, could not be too formidable.

Yet seeing them now, whether smiling or unsmiling, both were extremely imposing.

Their gazes alone made one’s chest turn cold.

Liu Huang continued, “Instead of finding a doctor to treat Sister Qiu’s illness, you’re engaging in this kind of crooked superstition.”

“And this old Daoist looks like a fraud. Don’t bring a swindler home and make a fool of yourselves.”

Liu Huang had always spoken bluntly.

Zhang Yun’s face alternated between green and pale.

He snorted coldly, flicked his sleeve, and barked sternly, “Did your Liu family summon me here merely to mock me?!”

Fang Lian exclaimed, “Daoist Zhang, please don’t take offense. My third girl has that kind of temperament. Pay her no mind. Please, calculate for my eldest daughter.”

As she spoke, she shot Liu Huang a meaningful look.

But Liu Huang’s attention had already shifted from the Daoist.

She noticed Liu Qiu nestled in Liu Feng’s embrace, and on that slender pale neck was a faint circle of bite marks.

Her gaze flickered and slid toward Liu Feng, whose expression remained calm.

There was no need to question it.

Liu Huang was certain those bite marks had been left by Liu Feng.

She herself had only ever touched Liu Qiu’s delicate skin with her hands.

Yet Liu Feng had gone so far as to bite her directly.

After spending several years in the capital, had she picked up such strange habits?

How could she behave like a beast, biting people at will?

Suddenly, Liu Huang saw Liu Qiu push Liu Feng away.

She stood up and walked slowly toward the Daoist, her expression sincere.

“Daoist Zhang, you must calculate carefully for me. I want to find someone who can marry me.”

An intense discomfort struck Liu Huang’s chest.

This sickly girl, who had eaten and lived under their roof all her life, now wanted to pat her sleeves and marry someone else, leaving this home.

‘Has Liu Qiu gone mad?’

A trace of rising anger appeared on Liu Huang’s face.

“Mother! Father! Aren’t you the ones who can’t bear to part with Sister Qiu the most? Now that she wants to leave this family, you won’t stop her?”

Fang Lian sighed.

“Third girl, don’t throw a tantrum. Your sister has indeed reached marriageable age.”

Liu Tie Niu nodded.

He had always been taciturn.

Originally, he had not approved of Fang Lian’s idea of arranging a marriage to bring good fortune, but he had not expected that Qiu girl herself desired it.

He and Fang Lian had overlooked that point.

She, too, wanted a companion.

Still holding the medicine bundle, Liu Huang looked toward Liu Feng.

Her lashes lowered, concealing her thoughts.

Liu Huang gave a light snort and strode into the room, plopping onto a stool.

“I’d like to see what kind of ideal husband appears.”

Cold sweat poured down the Daoist’s back.

His legs felt slightly weak.

For some reason, he kept sensing a sinister gaze sweeping over him.

Hidden within his sleeves, his hands clenched in guilt.

Though he had been swindling people for years and could maintain a composed face, inwardly he was uneasy.

Zhang Yun adopted an air of indifference, his cloudy eyes settling on the frail and emaciated yet beautiful woman before him.

Even without medical knowledge, he could tell her health was truly poor.

He immediately sat cross-legged on the ground and brought out the tools of his trade: copper coins, a turtle shell, and an old yellowed Eight Trigrams diagram.

He went through the motions, muttering some mystical-sounding words.

At last, his gaze sharpened, and he began shaking his head with a sigh.

Seeing this, Fang Lian grew nervous.

“Daoist Zhang, is something wrong?”

Zhang Yun smoothed the hair by his temples and frowned.

“The person whose birth chart matches your eldest daughter’s is located in the southeast direction, born at noon, with an extremely yang fate.”

“However… the divination shows yin. The other party is also a woman.”

Fang Lian and Liu Tie Niu both frowned.

“A woman?”

In this world, same-s*x unions were subjects of ridicule.

Setting that aside, the fact that the other party was also female made this marriage exceedingly uncertain.

No one would willingly choose to be with someone of the same s*x.

Worry filled Fang Lian and Liu Tie Niu’s faces.

Liu Huang, however, laughed.

“I said this old Daoist might be a fraud. What kind of fortune-telling produces a result like this?”

“A woman marrying a woman? If word got out, wouldn’t people laugh their teeth out?”

Even leaving that aside, what young, able-bodied girl would willingly marry a sickly woman and invite hardship upon herself?

Fang Lian and Liu Tie Niu exchanged glances.

“Well…”

Third girl’s words did make sense.

Zhang Yun began packing up his belongings.

“I have said all that can be said. I merely calculated the person whose birth chart matches your eldest daughter’s.”

“As for whether you seek her out or believe my words, I do not concern myself.”

The more composed he appeared, the more the Liu couple believed him.

Fang Lian hurriedly stopped him.

“We believe you. Could Daoist Zhang be more specific?”

“We will go search today.”

Daoist Zhang glanced at Liu Huang’s mocking expression, then at Liu Feng sitting by the bed, and finally at Liu Qiu, who watched him with clear eyes.

He clasped his hands behind his back and straightened.

“Southeast direction, within fifteen li.”

That was enough.

He had already said what Aunt Wang had instructed him to say.

Whether Aunt Wang’s relative could latch onto the Liu family was none of his concern.

Liu Huang’s pent-up irritation dissipated somewhat.

In this world, what woman would willingly invite ridicule?

This Daoist’s nonsense must simply be a joke.

Unlike Liu Huang’s inner state, Liu Feng lifted her eyelids slightly and smiled gently at the Daoist.

“Daoist Zhang, does that woman have any family?”

Zhang Yun dared not look at her too long.

Turning his head away, he deliberately adopted a steady tone.

“No.”

Liu Feng’s smile deepened.

“Is that so?”

The soft yet meaningful tone made Zhang Yun’s scalp prickle.

“Believe it or not, I have said what needed to be said. I shall take my leave.”

He only wanted to leave quickly.

The money was in hand and the matter concluded.

He had no intention of lingering.

Southeast direction, within fifteen li, a woman, marriage, no parents.

Beneath the window, a small fox’s eyes rolled round and round.

She knew what marriage among humans meant.

It meant binding another person to oneself.

If she married a human, that human would belong to her.

She could raise the human and drink a little pure blood essence every day.

As the Daoist walked out, Su Li narrowed her eyes and quietly followed behind him.

She would find that woman before anyone else.

After noon, the sun grew even fiercer, scorching the body.

Liu Qiu felt fatigued and fell asleep after eating.

In the side room, Liu Huang and Liu Feng sat facing each other.

A mocking smile hung on Liu Huang’s lips.

“What woman would willingly marry another woman? Even if there were one, who would choose a sickly girl who gasps for breath after just a few steps?”

Liu Feng lightly tapped her finger against the wooden table and uttered a single word.

“Someone will.”

Liu Huang’s smile faded.

She lifted her teacup and looked down at the cold water inside.

She was not as clever as Liu Feng.

But when Liu Feng said that, she recalled the question Liu Feng had asked the Daoist.

No parents.

In this world, being without parents meant hardship.

If marrying a woman could secure food and shelter, one might indeed agree.

Liu Feng laughed softly.

“Huang’er, it is not because the woman has no parents.”

“This is a scheme from the start.”

“The Daoist is fake, so naturally the claim of no parents is also false.”

“The target is not Sister Qiu, but us.”

She had ranked high in the imperial examination, and her younger sister had taken the head of a foreign chieftain, earning military merit.

They were rising rapidly.

Anyone with discerning eyes could see their boundless prospects.

There was no need to elaborate further.

Liu Huang understood.

If marrying a sickly woman who might die at any time could establish ties with them, some foolish people would indeed attempt it.

Liu Huang set down her teacup and stood up, her gaze darkening.

“I’ll go handle it.”

How could Liu Qiu’s carefully nurtured body, raised with her and her sister’s silver, be touched by someone else?

If Liu Qiu married someone else, everything Liu Huang had seen would also be seen by another.

Liu Feng watched her and shook her head with a faint smile.

“I’ve already sent someone to dismiss that woman. Sister Qiu will not marry a woman.”

Yet even after hearing this, the restlessness in Liu Huang’s heart would not disperse.

Her gaze fell on Liu Feng’s finger tapping the wooden table.

She could not tell whether this agitation belonged to herself or to Liu Feng.

As the sun slanted westward, three figures approached the house tucked in the secluded corner.

At that moment, Liu Qiu was sitting in the courtyard, gazing at the lush forest outside.

Even in modern scenic areas, one could hardly see such beautiful scenery.

Only the mosquitoes were rather plentiful.

The little fox had no idea where she had run off to play, gone for so long without returning.

Perhaps she had left.

If she had, that was fine.

Liu Qiu would not live much longer anyway.

Lost in thought, she suddenly heard Fang Lian’s voice outside the courtyard.

“Miss, we’ve arrived. From now on, this will also be your home.”

Liu Qiu blinked and stood up, looking toward the entrance.

The courtyard was enclosed by a bamboo fence, not very tall.

Standing upright, she could see outside.

Behind Fang Lian and Liu Tie Niu stood a woman in a light blue dress with her head lowered.

Liu Qiu’s eyes widened slowly.

They had truly brought someone back!

She jogged toward the entrance, but after only a few steps, she was already slightly out of breath.

As soon as Liu Huang stepped outside, she saw Liu Qiu holding the railing and peering outward.

Raising a brow, Liu Huang strode over.

“If you’re not sitting properly, what are you doing here? Do you think your body is in excellent condition?”

As she spoke, her gaze followed Liu Qiu’s outward.

The relaxed smile on her face vanished instantly.

Fang Lian led the unfamiliar woman by the hand to stand before Liu Qiu and Liu Huang.

Smiling, she said, “Qiu girl, this Miss Su Li will be your future wife.”

Liu Qiu clutched her sleeve, somewhat nervous.

“Y-you… hello, Miss Su Li.”

Fang Lian had been far too efficient, bringing her back directly.

Su Li slowly lifted her head.

Small nose, small mouth, both alluring and delicate.

Her expression was timid, her voice soft.

“A-are you my wife? You’re so beautiful.”

Liu Qiu was momentarily stunned.

She had not expected this girl to be so stunning, and so shy as well.

Her gentle tone made Liu Qiu nervous in turn.

A faint blush crept onto Liu Qiu’s cheeks.

“We—we haven’t married yet. You don’t have to call me wife.”

So ancient people were not as reserved as she had imagined.

Fang Lian let out a cheerful sound.

“Tomorrow. We’ll hold the marriage tomorrow.”

This Su Li girl was good—exquisitely beautiful, though slightly coquettish in charm, yet with a gentle temperament.

Standing beside her Qiu girl, they looked perfectly harmonious.