Complaints aside, she was still touched by Yuanji's thoughtfulness for her, and couldn't help feeling ashamed of her previous doubts.
Meeting his pair of dark eyes that were staring deeply at her, Xue Huan's heart skipped a beat and she actually felt like she couldn't look him in the eye. At that moment, a scene suddenly flashed through her mind, as if someone had also been staring at her like this.
Many times, we have a sense of déjà vu about certain scenes, but we can't find the trace.
Xue Huan now has a very strong sense of déjà vu.
"Thank you so much this time. Don't worry, I'll write you an IOU for the 2,200 taels of silver when I get back and will return it to you as soon as possible."
Yuan Ji's eyebrows raised slightly. "Why should we be so formal with each other? No need for an IOU. With your title as the Lady of Kangning County, I'm worried that you'll refuse to pay me. Just wait until you have enough money before paying me back."
Xue Huan: Could it be that her strategy over the past few months has paid off? Yuan Ji actually said there's no need for formality between them?
"Okay."
While calling the system in his mind: "How much is Yuanji's favorability towards me now?"
Yuan Ji, who was sitting opposite her: "..."
The system came online in one second: "62."
"62! That means he's already developed feelings for me. If he works harder, he'll probably like me!"
Yuan Ji: “Hehe.”
If he continues to take things so slowly, there's no telling when Xue Huan will finally fall in love with him. It seems he needs to use some powerful information.
Yuanji started to ponder in his mind.
Xue Huan was also thinking about how to marry him so that she could get the mission reward of one thousand taels of silver.
Although the two people have completely different ideas, their goals are actually the same.
And the opportunity soon came.
Following the Shen family, several families in Lucheng invited matchmakers to the Xue family to propose marriage for Xue Huan.
Among these families, there are wealthy businessmen of the same level as the Shen family, officials and gentry, as well as scholars.
People of high status looked down upon Xue Huan. They thought that although she was granted the title of county lady, she could only be called a beautiful girl in the past. Now she was not even a beautiful girl. She was out in public all day doing business like a man. She was not what a proper girl should be.
Moreover, she was too heartless. She broke off all ties with her biological father and even sent him to jail. A girl with such a stubborn character was not suitable for a good family, and they could not accept such a daughter-in-law.
Families of lower status were intimidated by the county lady's reputation and feared they could not reach her height.
Therefore, the families who came to propose marriage were all from the middle class. They felt that they were worthy of Xue Huan and would not marry above their station.
For a time, many people came to the Xue family every day, and Xue Huan was tired of receiving them.
So, she went to Yuan Ji and said, "Master Yuan, I would like to ask you for a favor."
The two of them agreed to meet in a private room of a teahouse. As soon as they met, Xue Huan said this.
Yuan Ji: "You say."
Xue Huan recounted the recent frequent marriage proposals she had received. "I don't want to get married and have children for now, but even if I tell others about it, it won't stop those people. I can only make them give up on their own initiative. There are only two ways to achieve this. One is for me to have some major flaw, such as infertility. That way, no one will come to propose marriage anymore."
"But this method hurts the enemy a thousand times and hurts myself eight hundred times. What if I want to get married in the future and people really think I can't have children? There's another possibility, that is, I'm already engaged."
Xue Huan took a sip of tea and looked up at Yuan Ji.
Yuan Jiyi came over and said, "You want me to help you with this? You mean..."
Xue Huan: "I want you to pretend to be engaged to me. A marriage contract can be cancelled. As long as I have a marriage contract, other people will naturally stop pursuing me."
She asked Yuanji to help her. On the one hand, she was really tired of the marriage proposals and didn't want the matchmaker to come to her house anymore, but more importantly, she wanted to complete the task of marrying Yuanji.
Now, it depends on whether he agrees or not.
"I know this is really difficult for you. If you don't agree, I won't blame you at all. You don't have to help me against your will."
Yuan Ji: "If I don't agree, will you find someone else?"
Xue Huan didn't say anything.
Of course she wouldn't look for anyone else, her target was Yuan Ji.
But she wanted to use silence to give him the illusion of consent.
How could Yuan Ji not see through her little tricks? However, his purpose happened to be the same as hers. If they were engaged, his meaning in her mind would definitely be different, right?
So he pretended to disagree: "Ms. Xue, marriage is no joke. You are just like this... That's it. I promise you."
Xue Huan: "Really?"
Yuan Ji stared at her and asked, "When have I ever lied to you?"
Xue Huan looked into his eyes, and that inexplicably familiar sense of déjà vu came back.
Now that it had been decided, the two of them began to discuss the engagement arrangements in a serious manner.
When they separated, Yuan Ji said, "Leave the rest to me. I'll ask a matchmaker to come to your house, and you just need to nod your agreement."
Xue Huan: "Okay, thank you."
"You don't have to thank me." Yuan Ji said.
Xue Huan felt that he was teasing her. She should have blushed and her heart should have been beating fast, but in fact, she was calm.
It was strange that she didn't have much feeling for such a talented and considerate handsome guy.
She covered her chest with her hands, as if this place had already been occupied by someone and there was no room for another person.
She shook her head, shaking this strange guess out of her mind.
When they learned that Xue Huan was engaged, the families who were rejected by her were very surprised. The standards of this Lady of Kangning County were very high. She had not liked any of the many families who proposed to her. Why did she agree this time?
After some inquiries, she found out that the man she was engaged to was just a scholar. He had no parents, no permanent property, and only a small courtyard. These conditions were extremely unusual.
That scholar was only a scholar, and he was still a long way from passing the imperial examination and becoming an official. Perhaps he would never have the chance to pass the exam in his lifetime!
So what exactly did Xue Huan see in him?
After further inquiry, all these families remained silent.
That scholar has no other advantages except that he is quite talented and handsome, not just ordinary handsome.
It is an eternal truth that young girls love handsome men.
When a young girl is in love or before getting married, who doesn’t fantasize about marrying a handsome man who is both talented and beautiful?
But how many people in this world are truly good-looking?
Most people are ordinary people, so don't look down on anyone else.
How can we live our lives just by looking good?
However, thinking about Xue Huan's status as a county lady and the fields, shops and property under her name, those people fell silent again. The county lady herself had money, so there was no need to look for a family that was too well-off.
It’s better to find a good-looking one, at least it’s pleasing to the eye.
Thinking of this, countless women in Lucheng envied Xue Huan.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
