Seeing that her maid hadn't come looking for her, the girl had no choice but to let him take her to the open space outside, where she could have a better view if her maid couldn't find her.
"Okay, then be careful. I'll take you there now." Fu Changjin used a stick to pull her along, giving her some support. Since there was no physical contact between them, the girl felt very reassured.
As Xichun and Fu Changfeng were talking outside, they saw the older man leading a girl with a limp as they walked towards them, using a cane.
"Brother, what's going on? Who is this?" Fu Changfeng didn't expect that his brother had only been at the Matchmaker Temple for a short time and had already met a young lady. Was the Matchmaker Temple really that effective?
"Yes, and who is this young lady?" Xi Chun looked at the two of them with a surprised expression as well.
"This young lady twisted her ankle at the corner of the backyard. I thought it was inappropriate to support her because of the difference between men and women, so I used this stick. Sister-in-law, could you help me support this young lady? She's waiting here for her family to come and pick her up." Fu Changjin didn't know the young lady's surname yet, so he could only ask Xichun for help.
"Alright, young lady, be careful. Changfeng, go and borrow a stool so this young lady has a place to sit."
Fu Changfeng acted quickly and soon borrowed two stools from the young Taoist priest.
"My lady, you sit down too." The other seat was naturally for Xichun.
"Girl, does your foot still hurt? It's a pity I don't know how to feel bones. If you trust me, we can go down the mountain and I'll take you to the village below to find an aunt who knows how to feel bones to take a look at your foot," Xi Chun asked with concern when she saw the pain on her face.
"Really? That's wonderful! Thank you, Madam. Are you from the village at the foot of this mountain? I don't look like it." She didn't finish her sentence, but Xichun guessed that she meant to say they didn't look like they were from the countryside.
"My family is from a village at the foot of the mountain. I grew up there, so I know quite a few people from the village." To avoid the girl thinking they had ill intentions, Xichun explained.
"Miss, Miss, I've finally found you! Are you alright? What happened?" A maid ran over and saw her mistress talking to a stranger, and her foot seemed to be injured, so she asked anxiously.
“I just stepped into the courtyard and accidentally twisted my ankle. Fortunately, this young master helped me. This is the sister-in-law of this young master Fu. She said that there is someone in the village at the foot of the mountain who can help me treat my ankle injury.”
"So that's how it is. Thank you, gentlemen, and thank you, madam. Miss, let me carry you down the mountain to see a doctor. If the master finds out you're injured, he'll definitely scold me." The little maid didn't have the same wariness as her young mistress and was about to follow after hearing this.
"How about I ask around to see if there are any porters to carry Miss down the mountain? The path down is a bit steep," Fu Changjin suggested after looking at the little girl's height.
"Yes, Cui'er, stop carrying me! Be careful you don't get hurt. Go and see if there are any porters here."
"Yes, yes, I just saw it, I'll go find it right now." The maid named Cui'er ran off in a flurry, and soon returned with two people. They carried a bamboo sedan chair, and with the help of the maid and Xichun, they went up on it.
In the village, Master Fu and Madam Fu were waiting at the Ma family's house. They heard that the Ma family had returned to the village, but then headed towards another house, saying that someone was injured. Madam Fu and Madam Wang both thought that Xichun was injured, so they quickly ran to check on her.
When Madam Fu saw that the injured person was a strange girl, she was relieved but also a little curious. After inquiring with Xichun, she learned that the girl was destined to be with Changjin.
"Young lady, are you also from Weinan County? Where do you live? We'll take you home later." Madam Fu's eyes lit up when she saw the girl, and she wondered if this was her son's destiny.
“Madam Fu, my daughter wasn’t originally from Weinan County. It’s just that my father came here last year, so she came with him.” She didn’t say her name, which was inconvenient to explain, and Madam Fu tactfully didn’t ask any further questions.
After returning to the county town, Madam Fu gave Fu Changjin a look, telling him to make sure the girl got home safely. Only then did she and Xichun start guessing the girl's identity. They both thought she was the daughter of a merchant who had come to Weinan County to do business last year.
"Mother, I'm back. That girl is actually the county magistrate's daughter. She only came here at the end of last year." Fu Changjin only learned the girl's true identity after he escorted them to the county government office. He was instantly shocked. He had fallen in love with the girl at first sight today, but he didn't know if she felt the same way about him.
"Ah, so she's the county magistrate's daughter. That's really something. If it were an ordinary family, we could naturally investigate before asking a matchmaker to arrange a marriage. But we can't be too casual about the county magistrate's daughter. Besides, we wouldn't dare to go there so easily. It would be bad if we offended the county magistrate."
Madam Fu was somewhat conflicted, but Master Fu remained calm: "You should go and inquire first. If they are not engaged, you can certainly give it a try. We can't let the magistrate dislike our family just because we propose marriage. I don't think the magistrate is such a petty person."
“Yes, as long as you like it, you should give it a try. If you really refuse, then you can find another place.” Fu Changfeng said while drinking tea.
"Alright, then leave this matter to me. I'll go and find out more." Madam Fu acted quickly, sending a visiting card to the county magistrate's wife the next day and taking Xichun with her to inquire about the situation.
When the county magistrate's wife heard Madam Fu mention the county magistrate's daughter, she immediately guessed what she was thinking.
"I really didn't know about this. I heard that the county magistrate's wife didn't come, and only this girl came at the end of last year. As for whether she is married, I really have to ask her." Madam Fu and the county magistrate's wife had a good relationship, so she agreed to help ask.
The two were unsure if things would work out. Just as they got home, they heard that the county magistrate had come to their house to express his gratitude in person.
"This humble subject (student) greets Your Excellency." The Fu family father and son were already receiving the county magistrate, and Madam Fu and Xichun also tidied themselves up and came out.
"No need for formalities. I'm here today to express my gratitude. Yesterday, your young mistress helped my daughter. These are my thanks, please accept them." The magistrate didn't mention the two brothers, but felt that it would be bad for a young woman's reputation to be saved by a man from another family.
"You're too kind, Magistrate. It was just a small favor. I'm from that village too, and I know an aunt who can feel bones. When I saw that Miss's injuries were quite serious, I suggested taking her to see a doctor. I don't know if it's the right diagnosis. Is Miss feeling any better?"
Xi Chun naturally went along with what he said and even inquired about the young lady's condition.
"It's nothing, I'm much better now. The doctor said it was just in time to check my bones, otherwise I'm afraid I would have had to rest at home for a while. The gift of thanks has been delivered. I have some things to attend to, so I won't stay any longer."
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