After Marrying The Paranoid God of War (Rebirth) - Chapter 5.1
Chapter 5: Little Delicate Flower
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– “I thought Miss Ruan’s words were false. It turns out that she really has an unmarried fiancé from Chang’an.”
– “Could her husband have halfway changed his path and joined the martial arts examination?”
– “Miss Ruan is petite. Can that delicate figure withstand that military officer?”
– “Nonsense, his arm is still injured!”
– “What’s wrong with one arm? With Miss Ruan’s small waist, this military officer can control her with just one hand. As long as there is cooperation, it will be a beautiful thing~”
After returning from the stream to the thatched house, Ruan An’s mind was filled with the whispers of the women in Xinghua Village, making her blush and feel embarrassed.
However, she didn’t remember much about what Huo Pingxiao had done to her. She only remembered that after waking up that day, the man passed out unconscious.
As the night darkened, Ruan An, back in her room, transcribed a few medical records and fell into contemplation.
This morning, she sent Ah Shun to inquire in town and learned that the inspectorate censor from the capital would soon visit Jiazhou. Therefore, the county magistrate was on edge, afraid of being scrutinized for any administrative issues that could cost him his official position.
His eldest son Tang Yi, and Steward Liu were also staying at home to recover, with no significant activity.
The candlelight flickered, a cool breeze rose, and medical records scattered on the lacquer wood table. Afraid of catching a cold, Ruan An got up and walked towards the window to close it.
“Creak—”
As she closed the window and turned around, she saw that Huo Pingxiao had somehow sat on the old broken bed opposite the table.
The man sat upright, dressed in coarse linen clothes, yet in this humble room, he still exuded a noble and proud aura. He picked up the light yellow parchment from the bluestone floor with his long hand. His sharp, black eyebrows slightly furrowed as he carefully examined the writing on the paper.
Feeling a pang of self-doubt, Ruan An suddenly felt a difficult-to-express sense of inferiority.
Her handwriting was not very attractive, somewhat messy.
After all, only those from scholarly families who had a deep medical background would send their medical students to academies to study Confucian classics and have knowledgeable teachers teach them how to write neatly.
Divine Doctor Sun’s handwriting looked more like chicken scratch, not even as good as hers…
“Let’s talk.”
Huo Pingxiao finished speaking and handed the prescription back to her.
Ruan An hastily took it over. Her delicate and fair hand, like a tender flower petal, accidentally brushed over a small inch of skin on Huo Pingxiao’s right hand. The man’s body temperature was much hotter than hers, and his distinctly articulated fingers noticeably stiffened for a moment.
Ruan An did not notice Huo Pingxiao’s abnormality, only recalling that by the stream earlier, Huo Pingxiao had mentioned wanting to discuss matters with her alone after nightfall.
“What does the Marquis want to discuss?”
As soon as the words fell, the young girl saw two Northern Office attendants carrying a huge mahogany box into her room.
Hearing the movement behind him, Huo Pingxiao turned his head in response. The man’s expression was somewhat indifferent, lazily instructing, “Open it.”
The attendants respectfully complied, opening the massive mahogany box as instructed. Upon seeing the contents inside, Ruan An’s clear almond eyes widened considerably.
One of the attendants explained to Ruan An, “This one thousand taels of silver is the medical fee the Marquis is giving to Miss Ruan.”
One thousand taels of silver!
Looking at the silver packed tightly inside the mahogany box, the girl’s lightly pink lips couldn’t help but slightly part. For a moment, Ruan An even doubted if she was dreaming.
Faced with so much silver, who wouldn’t be moved?
Moreover, Ruan An did indeed lack silver. She not only had to support herself but also take care of her Sun Ye and the other two apprentice healers. Currently, she only had a few pieces of broken silver left, and if she couldn’t sell the prepared medicine for a good price during the Dragon Boat Festival, it would be difficult to sustain her livelihood.
When Ruan An treated the poor for illnesses, she rarely accepted medical fees. Although she had received rewards from several high officials and wealthy merchants during her travels as a wandering healer, most of that gold and silver was lost during the chaos in Lingnan. Upon her return, she used the remaining silver to repair her bamboo hut.
But with this one thousand taels of silver, she could open a medical clinic in Chang’an City.
After learning of Huo Pingxiao’s identity as a Marquis, she only intended to ask him for ten taels of medical fees. Why did he give her so much silver?
Watching the girl’s astonished expression, Huo Pingxiao’s long eyelashes drooped, casting a shadow over his sharp eyes, making it difficult to discern his emotions.
Ruan An observed his subtle expression and always felt that he had other intentions.
The jurisdiction of Jiannan Road was not in Jiazhou; Huo Pingxiao could not appear here casually. He was about to step down from the position of Military Governor of Jiannan and return to the capital to report his service.
However, the banditry in Jiazhou had not been eradicated, and the officials and soldiers had been unable to locate the mountain stronghold where the bandit leader Qi Yixiong was entrenched.
Although this man’s temperament seemed arrogant and wanton, his cunning and mysterious scheming ran deep. Ruan An couldn’t figure out his thoughts at all.
Just as she was about to inquire, a timid voice came from outside the bamboo hut —
“Don’t stop me, I’m the village chief’s daughter, I’ve come to find Miss Ruan.”
***
The arrival of Xiao Tao finally allowed Ruan An to understand the ins and outs of the recent strange occurrences.
Some time ago, Ruan An, after descending from the mountain, caught the eye of the dandy Tang Yi. If she hadn’t coincidentally saved Huo Pingxiao, she would have been almost violated by him in the mountains.
Unexpectedly, her friend Xiao Tao also encountered a similar situation.
In the region near Mei Mountain, dozens of miles away from Xinghua Village, there is another village called Zaoshu Village, where there is a village bully named Ma Biao.
True to his name, Ma Biao is robust and massive like a bear.
One day, Xiao Tao and her elder brother went up the mountain to collect firewood and, unfortunately, caught Ma Biao’s attention. The rough brute came to Xinghua Village, intending to propose to the village chief and marry Xiao Tao.
The village chief had already arranged a marriage for Xiao Tao and, being a father, he naturally did not want his daughter to marry the coarse and domineering Ma Biao. The northern Office guards, after finding Huo Pingxiao, had also investigated all the recent events in Mei Mountain.
It is likely that these guards had already formed an alliance with the village chief, and the rumors about Huo Pingxiao being her fiancé from Chang’an were intentionally spread.
The more Ruan An thought about it, the more she felt that this information was deliberately leaked!
After learning about Ruan An’s recent experiences, Xiao Tao couldn’t help sighing, “It seems that our luck is really bad. Both of us seem to have encountered a lot of troubles. I remember a while ago, the Jiazhou governor, Chen…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Xiao Tao suddenly felt Huo Pingxiao glance in their direction when he heard the words “Jiazhou governor.”
Although the man’s gaze was indifferent, it felt sharp and oppressive, making her shiver. Xiao Tao hastily swallowed the second half of her sentence.
Comforting her friend’s emotions, Ruan An spoke in a gentle tone, “You can rest assured and go back. I will ask… him to help you deal with Ma Biao.”
After Xiao Tao left, Huo Pingxiao rose from the pallet and walked up to Ruan An.
The man’s facial features were cold and firm, gradually fading into the increasingly dim candlelight. His tall shadow almost enveloped the frail and small girl. In a deep voice, he asked, “Miss Ruan, have you made up your mind?”
“I can help you with the household registration of the two medicine apprentices and the trouble with your friend. I will also grant you a thousand taels for medical fees.”
Ruan An raised her innocent face and met his dark and profound eyes. Finally, she roughly guessed the man’s intentions—
Huo Pingxiao wanted to pretend to be her husband, taking advantage of the situation to establish a new identity in Xinghua Village.
TL: This chapter will be divided into three.