"Wang Er Ya?" The smile on Ji Xinhe’s face faltered slightly, suddenly regretting her agreement to go.
However, Hong Qin didn’t notice the subtle change in Ji Xinhe’s emotions, and laughed, "That’s right, it’s Wang Er Ya’s home."
Speaking to this point, Hong Qin paused before saying, "You’re not still resenting her for her mistaken identification of the man she had a secretive meeting with, are you? She actually regretted it afterward, after all, she nearly got you into trouble. But she was afraid you would blame her, so she didn’t dare to come and look for you."
Previously, Lady Ding and her daughters teamed up with Wang Er Ya to spread rumors about her intimate relationship with the pork seller. In the end, under Ji Xinhe’s pressure, they had to turn against each other and put the blame on Ji Xiulan to save themselves.
It seems that Wang Er Ya’s vindication act has been quite successful. Even Hong Qin is vouching for her, indicating that the villagers have mistaken her innocence.
Ji Xinhe gave a chilly laugh, "How could I? Since Wang Er Ya said it was a misunderstanding, why would I care about such things? Don’t worry."
Only then did Hong Qin pull her along to continue walking, "That’s great that you don’t mind. I heard that if we want to earn money by making lucky knots in the future, we can only go to Wang Er Ya’s house. They have bought a lot of red threads, enough for us to be busy for the entire winter."
Ji Xinhe nodded and kept up, but her thoughts were all over the place. Thinking of Wang Er Ya’s clandestine affair with Gao Zhiru, it was truly disgusting!
As they were talking, they had already arrived. Wang Er Ya’s house was bustling. Making lucky knots was a quite boring job. However, when several young girls sat together doing this, they would chat and liven up the atmosphere.
So when Ji Xinhe and Hong Qin arrived, there were already five or six girls sitting on the kangtou in the house.
"Xin He, you’re here?" Wang Er Ya looked delighted when she saw Ji Xinhe, she immediately got up from the kangtou, and affectionately took Ji Xinhe’s hand, "I’ve been waiting for you for a long time. I was really afraid you wouldn’t come!"
Looking at Wang Er Ya’s fake and affectatious smile, Ji Xinhe didn’t feel interested in reciprocating sisterly affection. Indifferently, she withdrew her hand, and replied, "Why wouldn’t I come if there’s work to do?"
Wang Er Ya chuckled embarassedly, "Indeed."
Ji Xinhe didn’t want to sit with Wang Er Ya, so she sat on the other end of the kangtou. Naturally, Hong Qin joined her.
"These red threads are all for you." A girl sitting next to Ji Xinhe passed a pile of thread to her.
Ji Xinhe glanced at her instinctively, recalling that she’s the Zheng family’s young daughter, Zheng Xiaocui. Xiaocui was a year older than her, looked obedient, and was careful in her duties. Because both of them didn’t speak much, their relationship wasn’t exactly close. Still, it wasn’t bad either.
Ji Xinhe smiled, "Thank you."
Her face slightly blushing, Zheng Xiaocui looked down, "No need."
Ji Xinhe was amused, was this girl getting shy just by hearing a thank you?
"Hey, Xiao Cui, is your marriage arranged yet? Last time I heard your dad mentioning it, he’s planning to find a suitor for you, do you know which family it is?" Suddenly, somebody started riddling her.
Zheng Xiaocui quickly replied, "Where? There’s no such thing."
"Not yet? You’re already sixteen years old. If you keep delaying it, beware you’ll end up being an old maid, then what?"
"Hmm." Zheng Xiaocui stopped talking, her mood obviously took a downturn.
Hong Qin leaned towards Ji Xinhe and whispered into her ear, "Strange indeed, Xiaocui doesn’t look bad, her family is quite well-off. Her dowry would certainly be generous. Among the girls in our village, how has she not been able to get married until today?"
Busy with the knots in her hand, Ji Xinhe wasn’t that interested in these matters. She casually replied, "Who knows?"
Suddenly, Wang Er Ya opened her mouth, speaking with a slightly triumphant tone, "On the subject of finding a man, one must put in great effort. It’s not like you can marry off at a whim. Otherwise, marrying a countryside guy will result in lifelong poverty!"
"Oh! Wang Er Ya, you’re being a bit snobbish, aren’t you? We’re all village girls. If we don’t marry farmers, who else will we marry?"
Wang Er Ya raised her head in arrogance, "Anyway, I’m not marrying!"
Ji Xinhe sneered in her heart, it seemed like Wang Er Ya was eagerly waiting for Gao Zhiru.
Zheng Xiaocui, however, quickly waved her hand, "No, no, I think farmers are quite good, I don’t mind such things."
She seemed to be afraid that people would misunderstand something, she even turned her head to look at Ji Xinhe once.
Suddenly, Hong Qin laughed, "Er Ya, you wouldn’t have set your sights on the wealthiest man in our village, would you? The one who just moved in?"
"Hey, speaking of which, I still haven’t seen the real person yet. I wonder who the lord is. He never shows his face." The girls’ conversation quickly shifted topics.
Ji Xinhe lowered her head to focus on knotting, completely uninterested in participating in this conversation.
"Who knows? Maybe because he’s so hideous and doesn’t feel comfortable showing it."
Ugly? Ji Xinhe thought about the man’s astonishingly beautiful face, and wondered how he would react if he heard these comments?
"Ah, the scholar Gao is here?"
The voice of Wang Er Ya’s mother sounded from outside.
Wang Er Ya, excited, jumped straight off the kangtou.
However, Ji Xinhe frowned, just how unlucky was she today to bump into all these annoyance?
Gao Zhiru had already entered, greeting everyone cheerfully, "You’re all making lucky knots?"
In rural areas, there wasn’t much segregation between men and women. However, as there were young girls in this room, wasn’t it inappropriate for him to walk in just like that?
But, apparently, no one blamed him. After all, he was the only scholar in Yangluo Bay, and everyone tacitly thought that everything he did was right.
"What brings you here, Scholar Gao? Do you need something from me?" Wang Er Ya approached him joyously.
Gao Zhiru had always secretly contacted her, warning her not to disclose their relationship. This time though, he came personally, was he going to openly declare their relationship to everyone?
Gao Zhiru smiled warmly, but his gaze was on Ji Xinhe, "I’m here for Xin He."
The room went eerily quiet, with each person wearing a different expression.
Wang Er Ya’s face turned extremely sour.
Ji Xinhe’s gaze turned icy, replying very indifferently, "What’s the matter?"
Gao Zhiru’s smile faltered, this girl wasn’t as surprised or eager as he had imagined.
Perhaps she’s naturally simple-minded. She had always been this dull. But dullness was good. Simple girls like her were easier to deceive.
"I’ve got something to discuss with you... how about we step out and talk?"
"I’m busy."
Gao Zhiru’s face turned awkward. Not receiving a warm response, Wang Er Ya bitterly said, "If Scholar Gao has something for her, just tell me. I’ll pass the message."
"No, there’s no problem." Gao Zhiru was on the verge of grinding his teeth. He was accustomed to being highly regarded in the village. He was aware that many girls secretly admired him. After all, he was the only educated man in Yangluo Bay and naturally stood out. That’s why he dared to come and meet Ji Xinhe so directly. But to his surprise, she gave him no face!
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