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Li Zixiu had painstakingly drawn the villagers to this spot, fully expecting to arrive and witness an indecent scene between Bai Su and Li Cuiliu.

Who could have known that instead, he would see Li Ergou truly turned into a “drowning dog,” who had just exhausted all his strength dragging Li Cuiliu out of the river. Saving a drowning person was physically demanding; once they reached the bank, Li Ergou collapsed to the side, too exhausted to even stand.

Having suffered a fright and swallowed quite a bit of river water, Li Cuiliu had actually fainted, saving Chen Tian the trouble of having to use his divine consciousness to knock her out.

However, although Li Cuiliu had been rescued, her appearance was truly a sight one couldn’t look straight at. She lay on the ground with her clothes in disarray. Because she had originally planned to frame Bai Su, she had deliberately loosened her sash. Now, washed over by the river, her skirt had flipped open, and even the dudou (undergarment) underneath was visible.

Li Zixiu was also bewildered, not understanding how the situation before him had come to this. Li Ergou, whom he had brought along to serve as a witness, was now lying on the ground next to Li Cuiliu.

But once he gathered his wits, he decided he couldn’t just let the matter drop. He hurriedly looked at Bai Su standing nearby and said, “Scholar Bai, what happened to Cousin Cuiliu? Why is she lying on the ground with her clothes in such a state? I heard her say earlier that she had an appointment to meet you here at the back mountain. Could it be…”

“Could it be what?”

Too lazy to listen to his fabricated nonsense, Chen Tian interrupted directly, “Look at Suzhi right now. He’s carrying firewood on his back, and we are together. If someone really arranged a secret rendezvous, would they purposely come to gather firewood, and even bring a companion along?”

Hearing Li Zixiu’s words, the villagers behind him had initially cast suspicious glances in Bai Su’s direction. But upon hearing Chen Tian’s retort, they found it much more logical.

Who goes to a secret lovers’ rendezvous with a back full of firewood and their brother tagging along?

Especially since they also recognized the woman lying on the ground. They knew exactly what kind of person Scholar Bai was; he was the only honorable scholar for miles around.

Rather than believing the person she was secretly meeting was Scholar Bai, they would much rather believe it was Li Ergou!

Sweeping a glance over them, Chen Tian could roughly guess what these villagers were thinking. He continued, “When we arrived, we saw this big brother jump into the river to save someone. Neither Suzhi nor I are good swimmers, so we couldn’t help. It’s all thanks to this big brother that this woman was saved.

However, seeing them holding each other like this… I don’t know what she will do when she wakes up. Her husband’s family will likely not tolerate this!”

Chen Tian put on a somewhat sympathetic expression. The villagers simply assumed he was new to the village and unfamiliar with the situation. They genuinely believed he was just being kind-hearted and could understand his reasoning.

Although the strict separation of men and women in Dongye was not as harsh as in some places, seeing Li Cuiliu in such a state of undress, being held by Li Ergou in front of everyone… Even though Li Ergou was trying to save her, her reputation was completely ruined.

Of course, Li Cuiliu didn’t exactly have much of a reputation to begin with, but at least these matters had never been dragged out into the open before.

Hearing Chen Tian’s words, Li Ergou was initially a bit dumbfounded, but once he processed it, he instantly realized the other’s intention.

He opened his mouth, wanting to object, but after being swept by Chen Tian’s cold gaze, he instantly clamped his mouth shut, subconsciously looking down at the unconscious Li Cuiliu beside him.

Truth be told, Li Cuiliu’s morals were questionable, but she did have a pretty face, and at the end of the day, she was a woman.

Considering that Li Ergou was in his thirties this year, still hadn’t managed to find a wife, and his home was utterly destitute… If he took responsibility for today’s events and insisted on owning up to it, then Li Cuiliu would definitely have to follow him. He probably wouldn’t even need much of a betrothal gift to marry her.

Seeing Li Zixiu across from him desperately winking at him, Li Ergou knew the other man wanted him to splash dirty water onto Bai Su.

But no matter how much silver Li Zixiu offered, how much could it really be? It would never be a better deal than scoring a wife.

At this thought, Li Ergou’s eyes darted around. He hurriedly said to Chen Tian, “This, this brother might not know, but Li Cuiliu doesn’t have a husband’s family.”

After saying that, as if deliberately wanting everyone to hear, he continued loudly, “Rest assured, since I saved her, I’ll see the good deed through to the end. I am naturally willing to take responsibility!”

As chance would have it, Li Cuiliu’s family members were among the arriving crowd. They were well aware of what kind of person Li Cuiliu normally was. They merely assumed their daughter had shamelessly gotten tangled up with this hooligan again and didn’t suspect any other underlying plots. As for an untouchable flower on a high peak like Scholar Bai, they wouldn’t even dare to dream of it.

They had long since been utterly disappointed in Li Cuiliu, and right now, they couldn’t wait to get her out of the house lest she ruin their sons’ reputations and make it impossible for them to find wives.

So the moment Li Ergou said those words, the family members quickly huddled together and actually betrothed Li Cuiliu to him right then and there.

Given that there was a valid reason for this incident and the villagers were there as witnesses, there was nothing unreasonable about the arrangement.

They didn’t even ask for much of a betrothal gift, and merely agreed that they wouldn’t provide any dowry either. Clearly wanting nothing more to do with this disgraceful daughter, they dumped her on Li Ergou and hurriedly left.

Just as Li Cuiliu’s parents departed, the woman lying on the ground slowly woke up. The moment she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Li Ergou watching over her.

Seeing her wake up, Li Ergou hurriedly flashed a wide grin and called out, “Wifey!”

All Li Cuiliu saw was an ugly man sitting in front of her, grinning with a mouth missing front teeth, dripping wet, looking utterly miserable and menacing. She thought she had seen a water ghost coming to claim her life from the river.

She let out a terrified shriek of “Ah!” and fainted from shock once more.

Seeing that Li Cuiliu was fine, the villagers gradually dispersed.

Li Zixiu shot a vicious glare at Bai Su and Li Ergou. He had spent so much silver, yet not only had he completely failed to set up Bai Su, but he had also lost Li Cuiliu in the process.

However, he also knew that staying would do him no good. He could only leave, his heart brimming with resentment and anger.

Having resolved the matter, Chen Tian and Bai Su walked back together. He naturally took the firewood from Bai Su’s back.

Knowing his strength, Bai Su didn’t refuse, and expressed his gratitude, “Zichen, it’s a good thing you appeared in time.”

Although he could have handled Li Cuiliu without Chen Tian, it definitely wouldn’t have been as satisfying as it was just now.

Hearing his sweetheart’s gratitude, a brilliant smile blossomed on Chen Tian’s face.

Only then did Bai Su ask, “Zichen, why did you suddenly appear there?”

Chen Tian explained, “I had mostly finished the chores at home, so I thought I’d come look for you. Who knew that halfway there, I’d see someone sneaking around behind you? And I never expected to witness such a good show.

Suzhi is truly dashing and elegant, capable of making people go to such lengths for you!”

Chen Tian’s words carried a hint of teasing. The sidelong glance he cast didn’t diminish his beauty in the slightest; instead, it added a captivating charm that made the young man’s breath catch. After a long moment, Bai Su murmured softly, “Zichen, please do not laugh at me.”

But Chen Tian shook his head. “I’m not entirely joking. Suzhi is truly outstanding, so it’s only natural that others harbor feelings for you. I just wonder… what kind of person does Suzhi actually like?”

Hearing these words, Bai Su felt a tightness in his chest. His heart and eyes were completely filled with the beauty in front of him, yet the other seemed oblivious to his true thoughts.

His eyes flickering, Bai Su smiled and said, “I haven’t really thought about it. I only know that if the day comes when I truly take a liking to someone, they must possess a bearing like Zichen’s for my heart to be moved!”

As he spoke, Bai Su looked at Chen Tian with eyes full of tenderness, as if adorned with fine, scattered starlight, utterly soul-captivating.

Chen Tian’s heart began pounding wildly along with those words. In just one sentence, the atmosphere between the two instantly became ambiguous.

However, neither of them said anything more, both only wishing this journey back could be a little longer.

Unfortunately, Li Family Village wasn’t very big to begin with, and the spot for gathering firewood wasn’t far. Very quickly, they arrived back at the courtyard gate.

Chen Tian obediently went to prepare dinner. Watching his retreating back, the corners of Bai Su’s mouth hooked into a smile.

He had just said such suggestive words, yet the beauty hadn’t rebutted them, and the atmosphere between them was so wonderful. It truly was an unexpected delight.

Li Family Village was small, which meant all kinds of gossip spread very quickly. By the next day, almost everyone knew about what happened between Li Cuiliu and Li Ergou.

When Li Cuiliu woke up, she cried and threw tantrums; she naturally had no desire to marry Li Ergou.

She had schemed so hard purely because she wanted to become a scholar’s wife. Even her secret affair with Li Zixiu was because she fancied his family’s wealth, knowing she could always get some benefits out of him.

But this Li Ergou—lacking both talent and looks, a hooligan with a destitute home—could give her nothing. Of course, she was ten thousand times unwilling.

Yet no matter how much she cried and fussed, she had long since offended everyone in her family, and now they completely ignored her. After being beaten by Li Ergou twice, she had no choice but to obediently accept her fate.

On the other hand, the next day, when Bai Su and Chen Tian finished their farm work as usual and returned home, they heard a burst of cheerful laughter coming from inside the house from the courtyard.

Because of her eyesight, Mother Bai didn’t normally interact much with the neighbors. However, Auntie Chunying from next door frequently visited, and the two had a good relationship.

Chen Tian recognized the voice as Auntie Chunying’s, having seen the neighbor a few times himself.

Taking off his straw hat, he walked in openly alongside Bai Su, only to find an attractive young woman sitting in the room.

The woman looked to be around sixteen, wearing a pink silk skirt. Just from the fabric and style of her clothes, it was obvious she wasn’t from their village.

She was much fairer and more delicate than the farming girls they usually saw; one look could tell she had been pampered growing up.

“Old sister, I’ve been saying that your Bai Su should have found a considerate wife long ago. You always said there was no rush, but see? That just makes it easy for all sorts of messy people to covet him!

I heard the grapevine gossip that Li Cuiliu had her eyes on your boy. Thank goodness Li Ergou rushed out and meddled. Otherwise, who knows how that shameless woman would have entangled him—and it’s all because Bai Su doesn’t have a woman by his side.

In my opinion, he should settle down early. Otherwise, he’ll be going to the provincial exam soon, and after that, the metropolitan exam. When the child gets busy, how can he manage without someone to take care of him!

Oh right, this is my niece. She just happened to visit me today, so I brought her over.

My niece’s family runs a fabric shop in town. She’s been clever and deft with her hands since childhood, and they even hired a female tutor for her, so she can read and write. She can come visit you often to keep you company and relieve your boredom, old sister!”

Mother Bai naturally understood Auntie Chunying’s underlying meaning. If it were anyone else, she wouldn’t have taken it to heart. But Auntie Chunying had taken great care of their family over the years. Coupled with the fact that Bai Su was no longer young, and this girl’s conditions were genuinely excellent, Mother Bai was truly a bit moved.

In the past, Mother Bai had frequently listened to Auntie Chunying gossip about village affairs and had heard of Li Cuiliu. Knowing that such a woman was coveting her son, she was quite alarmed. It made her feel even more that it would be best to have a daughter-in-law managing the household and helping take care of things. After all, her eyes were failing, making it difficult for her to be of any real help to Bai Su.

Hearing these words, however, Chen Tian’s heart leapt into his throat.

He accompanied Bai Su into the room. After exchanging greetings, he could tell at a glance that Mother Bai was genuinely considering it this time.

Auntie Chunying didn’t have any daughters of her own, only sons. She had visited a few times before, casually mentioning a few girls in the village with decent looks and character to Mother Bai.

But this was the first time she was being so formal, having actually brought the person directly to their house.

The girl’s looks and family background indeed seemed quite good. But Bai Su belonged to him! How could Chen Tian possibly hand him over?

Especially seeing the way the woman had stared at Bai Su with a shy, lovestruck expression the moment he walked through the door—it made him furious.

Watching Auntie Chunying eagerly preparing to introduce them, he took a large stride forward, placing himself directly between them, and said to the woman opposite him, “Thank you for your kind intentions, Auntie. But Bai Su and I are deeply in love, so we won’t trouble Auntie to worry about this.”

“You child, what kind of nonsense are you saying?”

Auntie Chunying was caught off guard by Chen Tian’s sudden words. Of course, the main issue was that she didn’t quite understand what he meant.

Once she recovered, she just smiled and said, “Auntie knows you brothers have a good relationship. Don’t worry, when Bai Su gets married, Auntie will find a sweet girl for you too!”

Hearing this, Chen Tian frowned, finally realizing the problem. In this world, same-sex relationships were not prevalent, and men forming formal partnerships were rare; the concept of a “male wife” was probably unheard of in the countryside.

But thinking of the endless stream of rotten peach blossoms surrounding Bai Su these past days, Chen Tian gritted his teeth and declared, “Thank you, Auntie, but what I mean is, Suzhi and I will be together. I… I am actually a woman!”

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Author’s Note:

Chen Tian: What is ‘face’? People who care about ‘face’ don’t get wives!