Chapter 3 First Meeting with the Groom
As soon as Aunt Zhou finished speaking, two young boys came out of the back room.
One was about fourteen or fifteen years old, named Zhou Feng, who was the second oldest. The other was about twelve or thirteen years old, named Zhou Zhao, who was the youngest.
The second child is blind, and the youngest child is deaf.
The second brother made a gesture to the youngest brother, who then helped the second brother to Du Wanchun.
"Hello, sister-in-law." The two greeted each other together.
The two men looked alike, with sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes, fair skin, and tall stature; they were among the most handsome men in the entire Cheng'an County.
Du Wanchun quickly replied with a smile, "Hello, Second Brother and Third Brother."
Aunt Zhou walked between them and asked Zhou Feng, "Where is your older brother?"
He also made a gesture towards Zhou Zhao.
Before Zhou Feng could answer, Zhou Zhao interrupted, "Big brother is inside."
Du Wanchun was slightly surprised to hear him answer so fluently, and asked him, "Third brother can speak?"
Zhou Zhao couldn't hear, but Zhou Feng laughed and said, "In response to your question, sister-in-law, my third brother wasn't deaf before, so he could speak."
Du Wanchun was startled. She heard Aunt Zhou walk up to her and say, "Zhao'er and Feng'er used to be good, but an accident happened and that's why they turned out like this."
"What accident?" Du Wanchun asked curiously.
Aunt Zhou lowered her eyes and her gaze became deep. After a long silence, she pulled Du Wanchun aside and changed the subject, saying, "Wanchun, I'm sorry to have wronged you. This marriage was too hasty. In the future, we will definitely make it up to you tenfold!"
Du Wanchun smiled. She didn't care about such trivial matters. As long as she could leave the Du family, anything was fine.
“It’s alright, Auntie, I don’t mind,” she said with a smile.
Looking at Du Wanchun's generous and proper demeanor, Aunt Zhou was somewhat surprised. This child wasn't stupid. She thought it must be a rumor that Liu had deliberately spread to bully this little girl.
This time, Aunt Zhou was overjoyed, as if she had found a treasure. She took Du Wanchun's hand and walked into the house. "Wanchun, our Ruiyuan is good in every way, except that his legs are bad and he can't walk. But the doctor said that his legs can still be cured."
As she spoke, she pulled a curtain towards the room and called out, "Ruiyuan, the bride has arrived."
Du Wanchun followed her gaze and looked inside. She saw a small window open in the dimly lit room, and a young man sitting by the window.
The man looked down at the book in his hands, letting a wisp of light, like smoke, fall upon him.
His features were handsome, and his face seemed shrouded in mist, making him almost unreal in his beauty.
Hearing a sound at the door, he slightly raised his head to look at Du Wanchun. His deep black eyes held a coldness, but after scrutinizing her for a while, they gradually softened.
He put down the book in his hand. "Mother, you can go down now. I have something to say to my bride."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhou frowned, knowing that Zhou Ruiyuan was not satisfied with the marriage.
It wasn't that he disliked this silly girl, but rather that he was worried about holding back this good girl.
She said with a stern face, "Okay, Mom will go cook for you first, you two can have a good chat."
"Mm," Zhou Ruiyuan responded softly.
Aunt Zhou lifted the curtain and turned to leave.
Right now, only Du Wanchun and Zhou Ruiyuan are left in the house. According to the wedding customs of ordinary farming families, the two of them should be bowing to each other in the front room now.
Du Wanchun felt a little embarrassed, her face slightly flushed, and she was at a loss for what to do.
Zhou Ruiyuan called softly to her, "Come closer."
Du Wanchun froze for a moment, and although she took a few steps closer, she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.
The man sitting immobile in the chair was dressed in a gray-white long robe. He had fair skin and an extraordinary air about him. Even in his disheveled and shabby state, he could not hide his noble bearing.
Du Wanchun's heart pounded wildly as she suddenly recalled the scene from several years ago when she first met Zhou Ruiyuan.
At that time, she was still mentally impaired. After being starved by Liu for a whole day, her stomach was very upset, so she went barefoot along the field embankment to find Du Dajiang by herself.
He walked for a long time without seeing Du Dajiang, and was finally stopped by a horse-drawn carriage at the entrance of the village.
A noblewoman was asking for directions; they all had injuries on their faces, as if they were fleeing a disaster.
She was mentally challenged and couldn't answer a single question even if asked ten times. Eventually, she was so hungry that she rolled on the ground in agony.
At that moment, a young man lifted the curtain, revealing a handsome but haggard face, and tossed her a steamed bun.
There was blood on the bun, but she didn't understand at the time. She just ate it in big mouthfuls, and while eating, she kept looking up at him and smiling foolishly.
When Du Wanchun recalled this period, she suddenly remembered something: the boy's legs seemed to be covered in blood at the time, and he must have been injured at that time.
She couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
How did my perfectly healthy husband end up with a crippled leg?
At this moment, Zhou Ruiyuan suddenly spoke up: "Miss, don't worry about this marriage. My mother only asked Matchmaker Liu to act as matchmaker because she meant well. If you are not willing, we will take you in as our sister and find you a good marriage in the future."
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