Chapter 18
When Ye Xi arrived at Lin Jiangshan’s house, Lin Jiangshan was squatting in front of the stove, tending the fire. The pot on the stove, covered with a lid, was cooking something, but the smell wasn’t the usual fragrant rice smell from Ye Xi’s cooking.
“What are you cooking?” Ye Xi asked, standing at the door with a smile.
Lin Jiangshan added two thin sticks of firewood to the stove, stood up, and said, “I wanted to steam some rice.”
Ye Xi walked to the pot and lifted the lid. White steam billowed out, hitting his face. The rice wasn’t cooked yet. He poked the rice with a pair of bamboo chopsticks.
“Not enough water. The rice will be undercooked, and the bottom of the pot will burn.”
Lin Jiangshan took a gourd ladle and scooped a ladleful of water from the jar, intending to add it to the pot.
“Wait,” Ye Xi stopped him and rolled his eyes. “If you add this much water, it’ll become porridge. Just half of that.”
Lin Jiangshan nodded and poured half a ladle of water into the pot. He didn’t understand why he could learn everything else, but something as simple as cooking rice always ended up a mess.
Ye Xi didn’t trust him to steam the rice, so he asked him to wait. He rolled up his sleeves, tied a coarse cloth apron around his waist, and started working at the stove.
Smoke curled upwards, drifting out of the house through the chimney. As the rice steamed, Lin Jiangshan smelled the fragrance of rice.
Ye Xi took a bowl of thick rice water from the pot. He had placed the cornbreads he brought on the lid of the pot earlier, and they were now warm.
“Eat something first.” A bowl of rice water and a cornbread.
Lin Jiangshan didn’t stand on ceremony and sat at the table, eating the cornbread with the rice water.
Ye Xi washed the vegetables by the stove, and seeing the man eat heartily, he felt a warmth in his heart. Two people in a house, three meals a day, wasn’t this the everyday life of a farming family?
He suddenly remembered Yao-ge’er’s words, was there really no one willing to marry him?
Ye Xi stared at the green vegetables in the basket, frowning in thought.
Lin Jiangshan, seeing that he had become quiet, looked up and called out, “Xi-ge’er?”
Ye Xi came back to his senses, and a thought suddenly struck him. He pursed his lips, slowly raised his eyes, and looked calmly at Lin Jiangshan.
“Will you marry me?”
He already knew about his face, so there was nothing to hide anymore.
White steam from the pot filled the kitchen. Firewood crackled softly in the stove.
Lin Jiangshan took a bite of the cornbread and replied without hesitation, “Yes.”
His straightforwardness surprised Ye Xi.
Lin Jiangshan looked up at him, swallowed the cornbread, and asked, “You don’t want to marry me?”
Ye Xi quickly shook his head. “I just didn’t expect you wouldn’t mind my face…”
Lin Jiangshan finished the rice water in his bowl, wiped his mouth with his hand, and said, “I’m marrying you, not your face. As long as you live a good life with me, that’s all that matters.”
He then smiled. “You’re virtuous, capable, and kind. Life with you won’t be bad. I’m the lucky one.”
His words made Ye Xi blush. He was the one who proposed, but now he was the one feeling shy.
“Then I’ll go back and tell my parents.”
Lin Jiangshan nodded. “I’ll find a matchmaker to propose marriage as soon as possible. I don’t understand the local customs and betrothal gifts, so I’ll ask the matchmaker to prepare them according to the usual practice. I’m afraid I can’t afford anything more extravagant.”
Ye Xi didn’t expect him to be so thoughtful and blushed as he reminded him, “My family doesn’t have so many rules, don’t prepare too much.”
“Alright.”
On his way back, Ye Xi still felt somewhat in a daze. He had just gotten himself married, and it was him, a young man, who proposed to a man. Such behavior was unheard of in the surrounding villages.
In the evening, when Father Ye and the others returned from work, Ye Xi held his bowl, watching a moth circling the oil lamp, thinking about how to tell his family.
Ye Shan’s cheeks were puffed out as he ate.
Ye Xi took a deep breath, put down his bowl and chopsticks, and said slowly, “Father, Mother, Brother, I’m getting married.”
Ye Shan’s chopsticks clattered to the ground, and Father Ye and Liu Xiufeng turned to look at him.
The courtyard suddenly became very quiet.
After a while, Liu Xiufeng asked cautiously, “Xi-ge’er, did you encounter something unclean outside today and become delirious? Have you forgotten that your engagement with the Cao family has already been broken off?”
Ye Shan picked up his chopsticks. “Mother, is Xi-ge’er acting like this because he heard the villagers gossiping about the Lin family and the Cao family, and he’s been affected?”
Father Ye nodded. “We should find a doctor to prescribe some medicine tomorrow.”
“We should find a Taoist priest.”
“I say, let Xi-ge’er stay home these days, so he doesn’t go out and run into the Lin family, it’ll only upset him.”
The three of them talked over each other, and Ye Xi opened his mouth several times, not knowing what to say.
Finally, he said loudly, “It’s Lin Jiangshan.”
Father Ye, Liu Xiufeng, and Ye Shan immediately fell silent and turned to look at him.
Ye Xi pursed his lips. “We both think we’re suitable for each other, life together wouldn’t be bad, so we decided to get married.”
After he finished speaking, Ye Shan was the first to express his joy, slapping the table. “That’s great! Brother Lin will be our brother-in-law from now on, family!”
Liu Xiufeng was also happy. “We were just joking about this a few days ago, and you were still sulking. How come you suddenly decided on this today?”
Ye Xi lowered his eyes shyly. “I was worried that he would dislike my burned face, but since he doesn’t mind, I’m willing to marry him.”
Father Ye nodded and said in a deep voice, “This is good news, Xi-ge’er. Although Lin Jiangshan is an outsider, he’s hardworking, capable, and kind-hearted. He’s a good man to marry. Father won’t object.”
Liu Xiufeng smiled. “Mother is quite satisfied with this son-in-law. As long as he treats you well, our two families aren’t far apart, and we can help each other out in the future.”
His family’s open-mindedness and acceptance warmed Ye Xi’s heart. “Thank you, Father and Mother.”
Lin Jiangshan acted quickly and efficiently. Two days later, he found a matchmaker, bought two jars of good wine and two packages of pastries from the shop in town, and also bought two bolts of cotton cloth from the fabric store. He didn’t raise chickens, so he used wild pheasants instead. He bought two fat and majestic geese from the market.
As he walked through Shanxiu Village with the betrothal gifts and the matchmaker, many villagers whispered and gossiped, mostly out of envy.
It was known that the betrothal gifts for marrying a young man in the village weren’t substantial, usually just a pair of chickens or ducks and a bolt of cloth. It was rare for an outsider to prepare such generous gifts.
When they reached the center of the village, Second Aunt Liu, who loved to gossip, approached Lin Jiangshan. “Lad, which family are you taking these generous gifts to?”
Lin Jiangshan replied, “To the Ye family in the village.”
Second Aunt Liu asked, “The Ye family with Ye Shan?”
Lin Jiangshan agreed.
Second Aunt Liu leaned closer and whispered, winking, “Are you going to propose to their Xi-ge’er?”
Lin Jiangshan smiled. “Yes.”
“Oh dear, you just arrived in Shanxiu Village, you probably don’t know that Xi-ge’er burned his face, and it hasn’t healed yet. It’ll leave a scar. The Cao family from the next village, who were engaged to him before, quickly broke off the engagement. Why are you still pursuing him?”
Lin Jiangshan frowned slightly at her words and said directly, “I know.”
Second Aunt Liu was surprised. This man actually liked someone with a scar?
“You know, and you still want to propose?”
Lin Jiangshan looked around at the villagers and said in a deep voice, “Although Xi-ge’er’s face is injured, he’s gentle, virtuous, and a good housekeeper. These qualities won’t change. A virtuous wife is a blessing, I don’t mind his scar. I’m afraid I’ll be too late if I wait any longer, so I quickly brought the matchmaker here.”
His words made it sound like he was rushing to marry a celestial being, giving the Ye family plenty of face.
The villagers were amused. This man was truly eager.
Second Aunt Liu smiled awkwardly. “Alright, then hurry up and go. Auntie is waiting for the wedding feast.”
Lin Jiangshan then continued towards the Ye family’s house with the matchmaker and the betrothal gifts.
As he left, the villagers talked about how lucky Xi-ge’er from the Ye family was. Before his face was burned, the Cao family from the next village wanted him, and now, even with the scar, there was still a man bringing generous gifts to propose marriage.
Knowing that Lin Jiangshan was coming today, the Ye family got up early and tidied up the house, even sweeping the fallen leaves in the courtyard.
Ye Xi had been busy all morning, feeding the poultry, cleaning the main room, and tending the vegetable garden, but he still didn’t see anyone coming.
He felt anxious and kept himself busy, unable to sit still. He had been engaged before, but he wasn’t as restless as this time.
Liu Xiufeng glanced at her son from the corner of her eye and smiled secretly. He was waiting for his future husband to arrive, just like a young boy experiencing his first love, so amusing.
She even wore the new clothes she made last year and stood at the door, clearing her throat and calling out to Ye Xi, “Lin lad will be here soon, you go and rest in your room. Father and Mother have something to discuss with him later.”
Ye Xi finally washed his hands and stopped working. He still felt a bit uneasy before entering his room.
Ye Shan stood at the door and teased him, “Are you afraid we’ll make things difficult for your future husband? Or are you afraid Father and Mother won’t let you marry him? Brother will definitely give him a hard time later, so he can’t easily marry my younger brother.”
Although it was a joke, Ye Xi was still unhappy and glared at his brother before going back to his room.
Ye Shan laughed. “Hey, you haven’t even married yet, and you’re already siding with him.”
Just as he finished speaking, he heard the matchmaker’s voice from outside.
“Is Master Ye home?”
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