After Marrying The Paranoid God of War (Rebirth) - Chapter 4.2
Two days later.
The experts came and went without a trace, working swiftly. In just a few days, they completely renovated the small room where Huo Pingxiao temporarily resided.
They added four curtains, a flat-topped large tent bed, a lacquered black footrest, and two dismantled reclining rope beds, among many luxurious furnishings that Ruan An had never seen before.
Ruan An was pondering how the attendants managed to transport these pieces of furniture halfway up the mountain.
Then, she saw Sun Ye, with his short legs, excitedly running in her direction. “Ah Xu, I asked Lord Hou, and after they leave, all these furnishings can be left for us!”
Ruan An scolded him in a low voice, “Don’t always randomly demand things from others. Quickly take the medicine I prepared last night to Xinghua Village, don’t delay the villagers’ treatment.”
Sun Ye, thinking about the soon-to-be-acquired new rope bed, didn’t even feel discouraged by Ruan An’s criticism. He briskly said, “Alright, I’ll go right away!”
After Sun Ye left, Ruan An looked at the two food boxes on the low table.
The attendants had bought some exquisite food for Huo Pingxiao overnight and prepared the same for her and the children. In the food boxes, there were tender and delicious salt and pepper roasted duck, boneless white-scaled fish fillets, rare and expensive crimson cherries, baked pears, roasted taro, translucent flower-shaped rice cakes with bean paste filling, and cloud and mist cakes…
Some of the food Ruan An had never heard of, but this morning Yang Wei said to Huo Pingxiao, “Lord Hou, we could only find these foods, please bear with us.”
Yang Wei’s words were serious, without a hint of flattery or exaggeration.
Ruan An thought again. Considering Huo Pingxiao’s background, he must be top-notch in every aspect of life.
While enjoying the delicious food with the children, she speculated about Huo Pingxiao’s thoughts.
Choosing to stay here couldn’t be merely for the sake of healing. Although Ruan An was curious, she knew that she was just the healer who saved him, and it was not her place to inquire about his thoughts.
At the appointed hour, the sun was shining brightly. Ruan An prepared to go to the river to wash clothes with some familiar village women. However, she saw Sun Ye returning from Xinghua Village on the village head’s ox cart, his face glowing with a smile.
An uneasy thought gradually rose in Ruan An’s heart. She quickly carried a wooden basin and walked to the side of the ox cart, giving Sun Ye a scrutinizing look.
Sun Ye immediately restrained his smile and gestured to Ruan An with his mouth, indicating that he hadn’t disclosed Huo Pingxiao’s identity.
Ruan An finally breathed a sigh of relief. The village head’s ox cart was laden with several wooden cages containing live chickens and ducks, and there were even a few chubby piglets. Further back in wooden barrels, several fresh fish were kept in water.
The roosters flapped their wings, and the ducks made a low quacking sound. Ruan An was at a loss for words in the face of the situation.
The village head approached her, leading a bleating lamb, and said kindly, “Miss Ruan, your fiancé who was preparing for the imperial examination in Chang’an has come to look for you. Why didn’t you tell me anything?”
“?”
Ruan An was bewildered and didn’t know where to start explaining.
Aunt Wang and Aunt Li in the village always acted as matchmakers, wanting to introduce eligible suitors to her for early marriage.
Ruan An didn’t want to marry so soon, but she couldn’t keep refusing their kindness. So, she made up a story, saying that her master, Doctor Sun, arranged a marriage for her when he was alive. The groom’s father was a fallen official and a gentry from Jiazhou.
The fiance’s father had passed away early, and his widowed mother wanted him to succeed, so she spent all her financial resources and took her “fiancé” to Chang’an to set up a residence, allowing him to focus more on preparing for the imperial examination.
The villagers believed the story.
When Sun Ye came to the village to deliver medicine, he might not have revealed the true identity of Huo Pingxiao to the village head, but he probably hinted at some of his background.
Although Huo Pingxiao served as a military governor in Jiannan, the Huo family was in Chang’an, and he was not considered a Jiannan native but rather a Chang’an resident.
Could it be that the village head mistook Huo Pingxiao for her fictitious fiancé?
Just as Ruan An was about to explain to the village head, he spoke first with a worried look, “Within Mei Mountain, not only our Xinghua Village exists. You also know that after Shi Yong joined the army, there hasn’t been a warrior like him in the village to protect the safety of the villagers.”
“Village head…”
“Miss Ruan, these things are gifts prepared by the villagers for your wedding with your husband. From now on, I hope your husband will take over Shi Yong’s position.”
“Village head! He is not, he is not my…”
“Quickly, help Miss Ruan drive those chickens, ducks, pigs, and lambs into the pen!”
Seeing that the village head didn’t give her a chance to explain, Ruan An felt increasingly puzzled.
What on earth was going on?
The fight outside the thatched house was perhaps seen by the villagers and reported to the village chief.
Even if the village chief thinks Huo Pingxiao’s martial arts skills are superb and wants him to take over the role of Shi Yong, becoming the so-called village bully, his attitude shouldn’t be so determined. Why did he directly bring those “protection fees” over?
Ruan An turned around and saw Huo Pingxiao discussing important matters with Yang Wei inside the thatched house. She didn’t want to bring up the matter with him right now.
She sighed helplessly and prepared to go to the stream to wash her clothes. By the stream, more than ten women had gathered. When the village women saw Ruan An, they immediately greeted her warmly.
– “Miss Ruan is here. I just finished washing the clothes, and the water here is clear. It’s perfect for you.”
– “Miss Ruan, I bought some good soap nuts in town a while ago. I saved some for you to try later.”
– “Hey, Miss Ruan, your remedy is really effective. My sleep is much better than a few days ago.”
The air by the stream was clear, the sunlight was bright, and after chatting with several familiar women, Ruan An found a spot to wash her clothes.
Xiao Tao, the village chief’s daughter, was Ruan An’s best friend in the village. Xiao Tao walked towards her with a serious expression, as if she had something to tell her.
Ruan An waved to Xiao Tao, signaling her to come over and talk. Xiao Tao’s face finally showed relief. Just as she was about to walk to Ruan An’s side, she felt that the women around her had stopped talking.
The spring breeze blew, and the grass by the stream rustled slightly. Ruan An raised her head and felt the gaze of the women around her seemingly focused on her side.
Just as the girl was about to follow their gaze, her forehead suddenly itched. It seemed like something swept past her brow, and stopped at the tip of her nose. Ruan An instinctively closed her eyes, catching a faint scent of grass.
“I’ve been looking for you for a long time.”
The texture of the man’s voice was cold and rigid, highly recognizable but not excessively deep.
The afternoon sun was glaring, and when she opened her eyes again, Xiao Tao’s figure was no longer by her side. The girl’s pair of bright apricot eyes faced the light, gradually revealing a touch of delicate and weak feeling.
She had to extend her small hand to shield herself from the light.
As her vision gradually cleared, she discovered that Huo Pingxiao was sitting beside her.
The man’s dark and thick skin did not lack a sense of coldness. His side profile had sharp contours, with slightly lowered eyelashes. His temperament couldn’t conceal the arrogance and sharpness. Huo Pingxiao’s clearly defined long fingers were slowly pinching a small piece of green grass, rolling it between his fingertips.
Ruan An was momentarily stunned.
How did he come over here again?
Translated by: All Things Fluff