"You..." Zheng Xiaocui, overwhelmed with surprise and embarrassment, took a while before she managed to say, "You knew it all along."
"Isn’t that obvious? Otherwise, why would I go through all the trouble of creating opportunities for you two?" Ji Xinhe replied with a playful chuckle. "My brother, you see, even though he has an amiable temperament, he’s a bit of a blockhead. Left to his own devices, he might never find a wife. So isn’t it up to me to give him a little push?"
Embarrassed, Zheng Xiaocui blushed all the way up to her neck and lowered her head, not knowing what to say.
"There’s nothing shameful about admitting such things. Being in love with a man is beautiful and honorable. What’s there to be embarrassed about? As for my brother, I’m afraid he still doesn’t know whether he likes you or not. Why don’t we give it a try?" Ji Xinhe suggested, grinning.
Stunned, Zheng Xiaocui asked, "What’s the method?"
Ji Xinhe leaned in and said, "For the next few days, you shouldn’t come to my house, and don’t pay any attention to my brother. Leave the rest to me."
Worried, Zheng Xiaocui replied, "But I bring him nourishing soups every day. He isn’t in the best health..."
Ji Xinhe chuckled. She remembered that time when she fooled Zheng Xiaocui into thinking that Ji Dong was unwell. So, she faithfully brought nourishing soups every day. How thoughtful.
"It’s okay. I’ll take care of that for him. Don’t worry," Ji Xinhe winked at Zheng Xiaocui.
Only then did Zheng Xiaocui nod in reassurance, "Alright then."
"It’s getting late. You should hurry home. My brother will be back soon. I don’t want him to bump into you," Ji Xinhe suggested with a grin.
"Alright!" Zheng Xiaocui quickly agreed and scurried off.
As Ji Dong was returning home from work, Ji Xinhe had just finished dishing out the hot rice and food from the kitchen. "Big brother, you’re back? Let’s have dinner," she called out cheerfully.
But Ji Dong seemed a bit depressed. "Hmm, alright," he murmured.
"What’s the matter, big brother?" Ji Xinhe asked, confused.
"Nothing, nothing at all," Ji Dong replied, reaching for chopsticks to eat his meal.
Ji Xinhe turned to Mu Houchu, who leaned in and whispered into her ear, "He ran into Zheng Xiaocui on the way back."
Ji Xinhe’s eyes sparkled with excitement. "And then?" she asked.
"She ignored him and ran off."
Ji Xinhe couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Hurriedly, she grabbed her bowl and began gobbling up her food to hide her emotions.
She had specifically instructed Xiao Cui to ignore Ji Dong, and she didn’t expect it to be so effective on just the first day.
Ji Dong had a rather gloomy dinner. Ji Xinhe didn’t ask any further. Once they were done eating, she started cleaning up the dishes. When Ji Dong noticed Ji Xinhe about to enter the kitchen with the dishes, he couldn’t help but ask a question.
"Did Xiao Cui have an emergency at home today?"
Inwardly, Ji Xinhe couldn’t help giggling, thinking, "So, you did ask, huh?"
However, she blinked innocently and replied, "No emergency. We were doing needlework together this afternoon, and she seemed quite happy."
Ji Dong paused before adding, "It seems she rarely goes home this early."
In the past, Zheng Xiaocui would almost always come to their house every day, whether to earn money or to chat with Xin He. She’d usually leave only when it started to get dark. Ji Dong would then accompany her back home. It had slowly become a routine. But today, not only did she leave quite early, but when they ran into each other, she didn’t even say a word, and just bolted.
Ji Xinhe tilted her head and replied, "I really don’t know why."
Having no further questions, Ji Dong merely replied, "Oh," in a rather dejected tone. Even he didn’t know why he was feeling so downhearted.
Ji Xinhe giggled to herself, picked up the dishes, and cheerfully headed into the kitchen.
Given that Ji Xinhe never left home due to her engagement, Ji Dong was in charge of their shop in town. The next day, he closed shop early and hurried back home, seemingly eager to see Zheng Xiaocui. But to his disappointment, there was no sign of her when he returned.
"Big brother, are you looking for something?" Ji Xinhe asked, seeing Ji Dong eyeing her room curiously.
A bit embarrassed, Ji Dong scratched his head. "No, not really, just noticed there was no one keeping you company. Don’t you feel lonely here all by yourself?"
Ji Xinhe laughed and said, "Hong Qin has been with me all day. It’s just that Xiao Cui is not around for some reason. I didn’t see her at all today. I wonder what she’s up to."
"Oh..." It was clear that Ji Dong’s eyes flitted with a hint of disappointment.
"Hey, since she didn’t come, doesn’t that mean she didn’t bring any tonic soup for big brother today? Xiao Cui is such a kind-hearted person. Every day, she brews tonic soup for big brother. Thanks to that, I get to have a sip now and then. Today, I guess I won’t get any. Xiao Cui’s soup is really tasty," Ji Xinhe sighed dramatically, pretending to be disappointed.
Hearing this, Ji Dong looked even more crestfallen, and his face turned even more desolate.
Suppressing her laughter, Ji Xinhe gave Mu Houchu a meaningful look.
And so, Mu Houchu commented faintly, "I heard that the Zheng family is arranging a marriage for Zheng Xiaocui. She is probably home, avoiding suspicion."
"What? They’re arranging a marriage for her?" Ji Xinhe exclaimed, feigning surprise.
Amused, Mu Houchu thought to himself, "She’s quite the actress, fooling even her own brother."
Though this is what he thought, he maintained his calm composure and continued, "Yeah, that seems to be the case."
"Well, Xiao Cui is almost seventeen. It’s indeed time to start considering marriage for her. If not, she might remain an old maid and never marry. Isn’t that a sad thought?" Ji Xinhe said, stealing glances at Ji Dong’s face.
As expected, Ji Dong’s face darkened further.
"Big brother? What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? You’re looking rather pale," Ji Xinhe asked innocently.
With a strained smile, Ji Dong replied, "No, I’m fine. I’m going to get some rest now."
"Alright, sure," Ji Xinhe said, waving her hand in farewell as he left.
Before Ji Dong had even left the room, Ji Xinhe turned to Mu Houchu and said loudly, "Is Xiao Cui really considering marriage? A good girl like Xiao Cui, there must be so many people wanting to marry her. I wonder which lucky man will be blessed enough to have her as his wife!" 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢
Maintaining a poker face, Mu Houchu played along, "Hmm, many."
"Goodness! Does that mean Xiao Cui’s marriage will be settled soon? With so many people eagerly vying for her, the Zheng family can just pick one, and Xiao Cui’s engagement will be settled. She didn’t come today, could it be that she’s been taken to meet potential grooms? No wonder she left early yesterday and was too shy to talk much. So that’s why! If it goes like this, her wedding might soon be following mine?"
Her words stabbed Ji Dong right in the heart, and he couldn’t help but feel depressed.
It wasn’t until Ji Dong’s footsteps completely faded away that Mu Houchu said, "He has left," while pinching Ji Xinhe’s face.
Bursting into laughter, Ji Xinhe nestled into his arms. "My poor big brother, he’s dying of jealousy, yet he insists on putting up a brave face," she said.
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