Chapter 75: Candor

Wang wanted to argue further, but those around her quickly intervened.

“Mingxiu, your child’s been shivering for a while now. Take her home and change her clothes!”

“That’s right, she’s a grown girl already and her clothes are soaked through. If a man sees her like this, she’ll be the one at a disadvantage!”

“There’s only one man here, and if he dares to look, he’d better be prepared to answer for it,” Wang replied, scanning the crowd for Tang Yichen, only to find that he’d put a considerable distance between himself and them, as if afraid to get involved.

A few of the other women stifled their laughter.

Wang’s intentions were all too obvious—she didn’t even bother to hide what she was after. In truth, many people in the village shared the same surname, and quite a few were distantly related enough that marriage was possible. Yet, if there was any other choice, most avoided marrying within the same village. Living so close, any little conflict could easily spark a feud, turning in-laws into enemies at the drop of a hat.

If Wang truly harbored such intentions, she should have befriended Li Peach Blossom sooner; perhaps then there would have been a chance to arrange such a match. But she’d always looked down on Li Peach Blossom, opposing her at every turn. She never imagined that the entire Tang family, from top to bottom, would end up won over by her.

“Mother, I’m cold…”

Fearing that Wang would make another scene and that Qin Huiyin would, in retaliation, reveal her secrets, Tang Mingxiu tried to usher her away.

Wang, knowing she’d gain nothing by staying, gratefully took the opportunity Tang Mingxiu offered and hurried her away.

Li Peach Blossom gave a derisive snort and said to Qin Huiyin, “My precious girl, let’s go home and have a hot bath. Yixiao and Green Mallow should have already boiled the water.”

Qin Huiyin followed Li Peach Blossom home. Tang Yichen kept his distance on purpose, only trailing them once they’d walked ahead.

Li Peach Blossom scolded Qin Huiyin for her soft-heartedness, saying, “What’s the point in saving Wang’s daughter? You could’ve just called a few men from the fields to help.”

“But Mother, she’s a young woman. If men had pulled her from the water, it wouldn’t be good for her reputation if word got out.”

More importantly, they were the closest ones there. If Tang Mingxiu had really drowned, both she and Tang Yichen would have been accused of murder. No matter how she looked at it, it wasn’t worth the risk.

She hadn’t wanted to save Tang Mingxiu at all. Such a woman was not only foolish but vicious. If it hadn’t potentially implicated her and Tang Yichen, she would have dragged him far away from the scene.

When they arrived home, Green Mallow and Yixiao came up to greet them.

“How are you feeling?” Green Mallow asked with concern. “Are you uncomfortable anywhere?”

“I went into the water to save someone. Don’t worry, I wouldn’t let anything happen to myself.”

“The bathwater is ready. Go wash up and warm yourself,” Green Mallow said. “The river’s already getting cold—be careful you don’t catch a chill.”

“Thank you, Green Mallow.”

“I helped too—why aren’t you thanking me?” Yixiao pouted.

Qin Huiyin pinched his cheek with a smile. “Thank you, little brother. You really are adorable.”

“I’m a man.”

“A little rascal.”

“You…”

“All right now,” Li Peach Blossom interjected, tapping Qin Huiyin on the forehead. “You must be fine if you still have the energy to tease your brother.”

But as soon as she finished, Qin Huiyin sneezed loudly.

Li Peach Blossom hurried her toward the bathroom. “Green Mallow, did you prepare a change of clothes for her?”

“Don’t worry, Mother, they’re in the basket by the door,” Green Mallow replied.

Li Peach Blossom nodded, then looked toward Tang Yichen. Yixiao took the two fish Tang Yichen had brought home and carried them to the kitchen.

“Did you see what happened with the girl next door? How did she fall in the river?” Li Peach Blossom asked.

Yixiao shook his head. “I didn’t see.”

“But you were by the river, weren’t you?”

“I was on the other side.”

Li Peach Blossom’s expression softened. “As long as it had nothing to do with you.”

“Why would you think it did?” Tang Yichen replied calmly. “I rarely interact with anyone in the village.”

“You’re fourteen now—fifteen in two months. Here in the countryside, fifteen is already the age for betrothals. You’re a prime candidate for marriage among the village girls. You don’t socialize much, so anyone hoping to get close to you will need to use some tricks. Don’t underestimate what girls are capable of—old-fashioned as their methods may be, they work. It’s fortunate you didn’t go into the water to save anyone today. If you had, there would likely be endless trouble to follow. Your sister probably considered all this on your behalf.”

“My sister did say it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to rescue someone from the water.”

“She always puts you first. Do you treat her with equal sincerity?”

Tang Yichen looked at Li Peach Blossom earnestly. “I know what you’re worried about. My sister treats me sincerely, and I do the same for her.”

Li Peach Blossom was satisfied with his answer. She couldn’t tell if he was being honest or not, but she needed constant reassurance—only then did she feel her daughter’s efforts were worthwhile.

“Do you think Tang Mingxiu fell into the water by accident, or did she jump in on purpose?” Li Peach Blossom still felt something was off. People occasionally fell into the river by accident—such incidents weren’t rare. But she recalled the flicker in Tang Mingxiu’s eyes and couldn’t help but be suspicious.

“I don’t know either.”

Unable to get to the bottom of it, Li Peach Blossom dropped the subject. There was plenty to do at home, so she called Yixiao and Green Mallow over to help. They’d agreed not to let Qin Huiyin lift a finger today, so they had to do as much as they could—only calling her when her help was truly needed.

When Qin Huiyin finished bathing and came out, she found everyone busy with their own tasks. Even Tang Yichen was in the courtyard, cleaning the fish.

“We should have someone dig a well in the courtyard,” Qin Huiyin suggested. “It’s really inconvenient otherwise.”

“Good idea,” Tang Yichen replied. “I’ll go speak to the village head in a bit and ask him to send a few men over.”

Qin Huiyin noticed her basket had been placed under the eaves and squatted down to sort through it. “I don’t remember bringing this back—did you carry it for me?”

“I did,” Tang Yichen replied. “Come check if there’s anything else that needs doing with these fish.”

Qin Huiyin walked over and pointed out the gills, the tail, and the mess in the belly that needed to be cleaned.

“I saw very clearly just now—Tang Mingxiu tried to push you into the river, but my sudden appearance interrupted her plan. Then, flustered, she slipped and fell in herself. Did something happen between you two?”

Tang Yichen spoke softly, clearly not wanting the others to hear, and had deliberately called her over to ask. Qin Huiyin had promised Tang Mingxiu not to speak of it “outside,” but hadn’t promised not to speak of it “inside.” After nearly being murdered, she certainly wasn’t going to cover for her, so she told Tang Yichen the whole story of what happened in the mountains.

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