"Alright, you two brothers chat for a bit, we girls will have a private chat."

With that, Ruan Ruan pulled Li Huan along and headed towards her room. After entering, Ruan Ruan closed the door, and the two sat on the bed.

"Tell me, sister, what's going on between you and Haoshi?"

"You know my family situation. When I was little, because of you, my older brothers and sisters and younger brothers in the Huo family were all very good to me. I truly considered them family. I was able to go to and from school with you every day, and you even helped me gather pig feed so I could earn work points. I am truly grateful."

As time goes by and she grows up, some older women will start gossiping in front of her grandmother, saying things like, "I only have one girl, why bother with so much education? It's enough for her to know a few words. She'll get married eventually anyway, so why waste the money?"

At first, my grandma would talk back, but as more and more people said the same thing, she gradually stopped wanting to go out. If it weren't for Grandma Huo and Grandma Li (the village secretary Li Dabing's mother) coming over to talk to her and occasionally taking her out for a walk, she would have stayed at home forever.

About a couple of years ago, people started coming to my house to arrange marriages for me. You know, I was only 16 back then. They came all this time, and I didn't say I didn't want to be married. I just told the matchmakers, 'Marriage is fine, but I need to take care of my grandmother, so whoever marries me will also need to help me take care of her.'

You have no idea how awful their words were. Things like, "You're marrying the young, not the old," and "Is this marrying a wife or marrying a family?" Even worse, some people said my grandmother was a burden to me and cursed her to die if she was ever kind to me...

Recalling the malicious words those people had said to her grandmother, Li Huan burst into tears. Perhaps it was because she now had an outlet for her emotions that she couldn't hold back any longer.

"What they said was really outrageous. It's fine if they don't agree to my request, it's not like I necessarily want him to marry me, how could they say such things!"

“We’re not sad. Actually, if you look at it from another perspective, it’s for the best. It’s better to say what’s on your mind from the beginning than to agree to something and then go back on your word after marriage. You’d really have a lot of unspeakable suffering then.”

Ruan Ruan hugged Li Huan, gently patting her back with both hands, and softly comforted her.

The Huo brothers outside the door felt bad after hearing Li Huan's words, especially Huo Haoshi. He had seen Li Huan's condition during that time, having to take care of Grandma Li's emotions while pretending to be nonchalant in front of Ruan Ruan and her siblings. He was truly heartbroken for this girl.

"Let's not talk about these unhappy things. So how did you end up with Haoshi?"

After seeing Li Huan vent his emotions, Ruan Ruan changed the subject and wanted to talk about happy things.

"A while ago, I was gathering pig feed and went a little too far into the mountains. Then I was harassed by Wang Laizi from the next village. He swore at me, and I shouted loudly. But it was too remote, and there was no one around. When he tried to force himself on me, I hit him on the head with a stone. When he wasn't paying attention, I ran away, but I slipped and fell down the hillside, injuring my foot. My clothes were also torn in several places by tree branches. I was scared and sad at the time. I didn't see Brother Haoshi until it was almost dark."

"Ruan Ruan, you have no idea, when Brother Haoshi appeared back then, he was surrounded by light, just like in the storybooks, a prince on a white horse appearing on a colorful cloud."

That's it.

Seeing the way Li Huan talked about Huo Hao, Ruan Ruan shook her head, thinking she was hopeless—love-struck, love-struck.

"Isn't that enough?"

Li Huan didn't understand why Ruan Ruan was shaking her head.

"Did he do anything else for you after that?"

"During my recovery, Haoshi would come over to help me fetch water and chop firewood. He also bought me clothes and snacks. He even tended to our family's small plot of land. I really love him; Haoshi is so good to me."

Li Huan held Ruan Ruan's arm, looking at her sincerely, afraid that Ruan Ruan would think Huo Haoshi was bad.

Ruan Ruan knew Huo Haoshi well; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to support the Huo family and take care of her parents alone after Huo Haocheng's death.

"As long as he treats you well, do you feel happy now?"

What Ruan Ruan cares about most is whether the two of them will be happy together. She doesn't want them to argue about daily necessities and damage their relationship.

"Yes, I feel very happy now. Haoshi said he would stay with me, take care of Grandma, take care of me, and take care of our future children."

When the topic of children came up, Li Huan lowered her head shyly, her hands nervously clasped together.

"As long as you're happy."

It seems they have thought things through very clearly and have made preliminary plans for their married life. Ruan Ruan didn't say anything more, after all, this is their life, and they should walk it themselves.

"Then find an opportunity to tell Grandma Li that maybe my grandma will come to talk to your grandma about your relationship sometime."

"Okay, I'll tell Grandma when she gets back. Actually, Grandma knows about Haoshi and me, and she thinks Haoshi is a good guy, which is why she's been going out lately."

Perhaps seeing how much Huo Hao valued Li Huan reassured Grandma Li, which put her mind at ease, and that's why she was willing to go out.

"That's good. It's time for your affair to be out in the open. Otherwise, if others see it one day, they'll start gossiping again."

Ruan Ruan wasn't worried about the Li family; she was worried about the Huo family's attitude. If they got married, Huo Haoshi would essentially be marrying into the Huo family. She didn't know if the Huo family would agree.

"Alright, let's go out first. I'm afraid if we keep talking, Haoshi will get worried."

"Oh, by the way, I brought you a gift from the capital. Come to my house tomorrow, and I'll give it to you."

It was getting late. After the two of them came out, Huo Haoshi and Huo Haocheng had already turned over the soil and watered it, so they could plant vegetables directly.