The next day.

As usual, Ji Huai took Lin Heyu for their morning reading session that lasted half an hour, after which Lin Heyu prepared breakfast. After the two finished eating, they strolled leisurely toward the schoolhouse in the front courtyard.

Before they even entered, a bright cry of “Teacher!” accompanied by a pink figure came fluttering toward them.

A Hua came to a stop in front of Ji Huai, her eyes sparkling as if holding infinite galaxies within those clear, large orbs. She looked up at Ji Huai, who stood much taller than her, with a gaze full of complete trust, dependence, and admiration, the corners of her lips curved upward.

“Teacher, thank you.”

Ji Huai was somewhat puzzled. He glanced at Lin Heyu, then back at A Hua, and asked her, “What are you thanking me for?”

A Hua smiled shyly and said, “Thank you for standing up for me. I’ve been annoyed by those old folks for a long time.”

She clenched her fists, wrinkled her nose, and complained like a truly sheltered young girl who knew little of the world: “They always love to gossip, their mouths are foul and long-winded, their spit alone could drown someone. Every time I come back from selling flowers, they look at me with shifty eyes. I can’t stand them the most.”

While saying this, A Hua’s eyes remained shining, her entire being vibrant like a beautiful flower thriving and ready to bloom. Then her tone shifted, becoming lighthearted as she said to Ji Huai, “So, Teacher Ji, you’re a great hero. A super great hero.”

Though her tone was exaggerated, Ji Huai felt sweetness warm his heart upon hearing it.

With a proud tone, he puffed out his chest and said, “Of course, your teacher is the hero who shelters you from wind and rain.”

Lin Heyu also looked at Ji Huai with full agreement, his eyes filled with joy and affection.

Being stared at so fervently by the two youngsters, even Ji Huai with his thick skin found it hard to endure. He exclaimed “Aiya!” and ushered both students, one big and one small, into the schoolhouse.

In the early morning light, the clear sound of reading echoed far from the small yet cozy schoolhouse.

Watching these thriving seedlings grow vigorously filled Ji Huai with immense pride, honor, and a sense of accomplishment.

In the following days, Ji Huai remained in high spirits. He even gave the students some relaxation time, telling them stories from Journey to the West, Water Margin, and even popular modern web novels. This excited the group of young teenagers immensely, and they chased after Ji Huai every day asking, “What happens next? What happens next?”

Ji Huai used these exciting stories to attract them, much like dangling a carrot in front of a donkey, motivating them to study hard.

However, aside from this, Ji Huai noticed that A Hua had recently become less active in class.

She always arrived late and left early.

When Ji Huai asked her about it, she only said her grandmother was seriously ill.

Unable to do more, Ji Huai specially permitted A Hua to have flexible class hours to make it easier for her to care for her grandmother.

It wasn’t until a week later, when A Hua had been absent for three consecutive days, that Ji Huai began to suspect something might be wrong.

The weather was gradually turning cooler as summer slowly passed. Once again, Ji Huai watched the students’ backs as they hopped and skipped with their small backpacks, racing each other out of the schoolhouse, when a sudden unease struck him.

Among them was missing a steady, pink-clad little girl.

And A Hua hadn’t come for three days already.

Was her grandmother seriously ill?

Ji Huai grew restless and decided he would pay a ‘home visit’ today.

Lin Heyu had also packed his backpack. Looking at Ji Huai’s thoughtful expression, he suddenly spoke up: “I know where A Hua’s grandmother lives now.”

“?” Ji Huai looked puzzled. “You know?”

Lin Heyu nodded and explained, “I’m renting the courtyard from A Hua’s family. Her grandmother moved to her relatives’ home in town. I went with A Hua to have a meal there once.”

“That’s perfect. Take me there. Let’s visit A Hua’s grandmother and see if there’s anything we can help with.”

Ji Huai urged Lin Heyu to lead the way. Without delay, Lin Heyu dropped his bookbag and hurriedly brought Ji Huai toward town.

It was already afternoon, and while the weather wasn’t as hot, Ji Huai still ended up drenched in sweat from the walk. His soft hair clung to his fair, smooth forehead, and his indigo robe lost its usual elegance.

Lin Heyu felt a pang of sympathy. Fortunately, he had casually grabbed a large palm-leaf fan before leaving home and fanned Ji Huai as they walked.

But Ji Huai didn’t appreciate the gesture, even complaining that Lin Heyu lacked masculinity and walked too slowly.

Feeling unappreciated, Lin Heyu swallowed his frustration unable to scold or hit Ji Huai and instead marched ahead in a huff, quickening his pace.

After about half an hour, they finally reached the town as dusk began to fall. Lin Heyu suggested grabbing something to eat.

He was craving the braised pork knuckle from Spring Delight Pavilion.

Ji Huai shot him a glare and called him a “glutton.”

Lin Heyu wasn’t angered by the look and even grinned foolishly, stepping closer to fan Ji Huai again.

Gentle breezes carrying the coolness of the late summer evening brushed across Ji Huai’s face. He squinted, enjoying the comfort.

Seeing this, Lin Heyu fanned even more enthusiastically, his wide grin stretching nearly to the back of his head.

After winding through several turns, Lin Heyu finally found the relative’s house where A Hua was staying just as darkness began to settle. Strangely, the house was adorned with bright red lanterns, radiating a festive atmosphere as if celebrating some joyous occasion.

Having never attended a celebration since transmigrating to this world, Ji Huai was instantly curious. Peeking over Lin Heyu’s shoulder, his face brimmed with curiosity and eagerness, clearly wanting to join in.

He tugged at Lin Heyu’s sleeve, unable to hide his delight. “Does this family have a happy event? Can we join? Maybe we can even snag some pork knuckle.”

Mention of pork knuckle made Ji Huai, who hadn’t tasted meat in a long time, nearly drool.

Lin Heyu felt somewhat speechless, but more than that, he was frustrated by his own helplessness. If they were in Prosperous Capital, he’d never let Ji Huai miss out on a single pork knuckle he’d insist on lavish meals every day, taking Ji Huai to every renowned restaurant and tavern in the capital.

But now…

Lin Heyu patted his empty pockets not a single copper coin to be found.

Ji Huai, however, didn’t overthink like Lin Heyu. Drawn by the excitement, he pulled Lin Heyu along and approached the house, hoping to catch a glimpse of the bride.

“All guests are welcome, all are welcome!”

A scruffy, sallow-faced middle-aged man in an ill-fitting round-collar robe greeted guests with an enthusiastic, beaming smile.

He seemed to be the host.

Quick-witted and sociable, Ji Huai dragged Lin Heyu over to strike up a conversation. “Uncle, are you holding a celebration?”

The man rubbed his hands together, chuckling. His murky eyes darted around, and he flashed a set of yellowed teeth, replying loudly, “Yes, yes, my little girl’s getting married.”

“Congratulations, congratulations.” Ji Huai cupped his hands in salute and continued, “By the way, Uncle, do you know if A Hua lives here…”

Before he could finish speaking, the sound of gongs and drums suddenly came from one end of the street. A jubilant wedding procession had already arrived before them.

Mounted on a tall horse was a groom with shifty eyes and a sleazy appearance. Though beaming with joy, his smile was lecherous. Before the horse even came to a full stop, the man jumped down without any decorum and arrogantly demanded, “Old man, where’s your daughter? Hurry up and bring her out!”

“Yes, yes, she’ll be out right away,” the man who had just been speaking with Ji Huai immediately turned and bowed obsequiously to the groom.

Ji Huai frowned at the scene and asked Lin Heyu beside him, who looked equally puzzled: “Is the groom’s status always this high in your local weddings? Shouting at his father-in-law like that?”

Lin Heyu shook his head. To his knowledge, such precedent didn’t exist in Qing Country. People generally revered filial piety, and Emperor Qingming advocated that filial devotion was the foundation of all virtues. Everyone followed this example – nothing like this upside-down situation they were witnessing.

But this was someone else’s family matter, so Ji Huai couldn’t interfere, and Lin Heyu was even less likely to step forward.

The man wiped his sweat and hurried back into the residence. Moments later, a small red sedan was carried out.

Ji Huai grew even more surprised. This wasn’t what he had seen in television dramas. Shouldn’t the bride bid farewell to her parents first, then be escorted out by the groom? Since when were brides so carelessly carried out in a red sedan?

The wedding appeared increasingly bizarre. Ji Huai remained silent, his gaze dark and unreadable as he stared at the tightly covered red sedan.

Surprisingly, the first to express dissatisfaction was the groom himself. He spat, casually wiping his mouth with his exquisitely tailored wedding robes while cursing foully: “What’s going on, old man? Aren’t you going to let me inspect the goods first?”

The man gave a sleazy smile, unoffended. He stepped forward and gently lifted a corner of the sedan curtain. The groom then chuckled twice and waved his hand, signaling the bearers to lift the sedan.

Standing too far back, Ji Huai and Lin Heyu couldn’t see what was behind the lifted curtain. Ji Huai frowned, feeling deeply uncomfortable with the scene.

This was probably what A Hua had described as “selling daughters.” Normal weddings would never be this disorderly, vulgar, and humiliating.

Lin Heyu was also fuming. He gritted his teeth and whispered to Ji Huai: “What kind of people are these? They’re no different from street ruffians.”

When his elder sister had married, it was a grand procession stretching miles, with his brother-in-law showing nothing but respect and courtesy. He had never witnessed this kind of marriage that resembled human trafficking.

Soon, the wedding sedan moved slowly with the procession toward the street corner. Ji Huai looked at the completely darkened sky and sighed: “A wedding held at night should mean he’s taking a proper wife. I hope this woman can find happiness in her marriage.”

Lin Heyu said nothing – he couldn’t bring himself to offer such blessings.

That groom clearly didn’t look like a decent man. How could he possibly treat his wife faithfully after marriage?

Highly unlikely.

Ji Huai withdrew his gaze and continued inquiring about A Hua, as this was his original purpose for coming to town.

Lin Heyu was quite certain this was the relative’s house A Hua had brought him to before. Ji Huai also felt uncertain – could this uncle be A Hua’s relative? If this was her relative’s daughter getting married, it would be normal for A Hua to skip schoolhouse to help at home.

But since they were already here, perhaps out of respect for A Hua, he and Lin Heyu might even get invited to join the feast. Ji Huai thought optimistically.

“Uncle, I haven’t asked yet – does A Hua live here? Is she busy inside? I’m her teacher.”

Ji Huai politely approached the man and asked loudly over the firecrackers.

The man was somewhat deaf and walked with a slight limp. He stood greedily at the doorway counting the betrothal gifts, only giving a perfunctory reply after Ji Huai had asked several times.

“Isn’t she sitting right there in the sedan chair? Earning me this much money is her good fortune.”