Chapter 345: Who’s the Drama Queen?

Chapter 345: Chapter 345: Who’s the Drama Queen?

Ji Huan was in the east wing organizing things when Guan Shan silently carried in the wooden bed frame, holding it vertically under his arm.

"Didn’t we say we’d carry it together? Why are you..."

Ji Huan hurried over to help, afraid he might aggravate his injury.

Once she confirmed he was fine, she was once again amazed by Guan Shan’s physique.

Since this room didn’t have a heated brick bed, Ji Huan brought over the two thickest quilts. Combined with a man’s naturally higher body heat, it should be fine for the winter.

The clothing chest and five-drawer dresser from her uncle were still in this room, so she left them for Guan Shan to use.

During this time, Guan Shan went back to the earthen hut to retrieve his belongings.

There wasn’t much to get, really—just two thin sets of clothes to change into, plus some paper, a brush, and some books.

But before he left, he asked Ji Huan for a spare lock, and when he came back, he had locked the door to the hut.

Ji Huan wanted to remind him that they didn’t actually own the hut.

’But then again,’ she thought, ’that small plot of land can’t cost more than a few pieces of silver. We might as well buy it. After all, it was Dabao’s former home, the place where he grew up. It would be nice to keep it as a memento.’

Guan Shan’s room was quickly tidied up, but she didn’t dare let him go in during the day. What if someone came over? Widow Xie would be coming to cook soon, after all.

After lunch, Widow Xie brought over the half-finished set of clothes to work on them there.

Taking advantage of the good sun, she spread a cloth sheet in the middle of the courtyard, and Ji Huan was forced to watch from the side.

"You’re a wife now. Even if you didn’t learn before, you should start learning now. When Guan Shan’s clothes get torn, or if he wants something new, you can’t just be completely clueless."

Widow Xie wet the end of the thread with a bit of saliva, twisted it with her fingers, and squinted at the eye of the needle, but just couldn’t thread it.

Seeing this, Ji Huan took the needle and thread from her, threaded it, and handed it back.

"Young people have such good eyes... I used to be hopeless at this too, I just couldn’t learn. But after I got married and ran a household, I figured it all out, one thing at a time. Besides, I’m not asking you to do embroidery. My embroidery is terrible, looks like nothing on earth. This is just cutting and sewing, which is much easier to learn than embroidery."

Ji Huan grumbled, "If his clothes tear, I can mend them. If he wants new ones, he can buy them at a tailor’s shop. And in a pinch, there’s always you, Aunt Xie."

’If his clothes tear, he can naturally mend them himself,’ she thought.

"Can something sewn by others carry the same sentiment as something you’ve sewn? And when you two have children in the future, you can’t possibly..."

The moment Ji Huan heard her bring up children, she quickly cut her off. "I’ll learn, I’ll learn."

With a look of utter despair, Ji Huan helped Widow Xie, while the culprit, Guan Shan, whose mood had inexplicably improved, had moved a chair under the eaves. He sat there, sunning himself and teasing Ding, which made Ji Huan’s teeth itch with frustration.

Widow Xie secretly whispered to Ji Huan, "You know, I’ve thought about it carefully, and I think Guan Shan is actually a pretty good match. He has no family, no ties, which means you won’t have to serve a mother- and father-in-law.

"You have no idea how many tears a new bride has to swallow to survive under her mother-in-law’s thumb. If you get a reasonable one, you’re lucky. But if you end up with someone like Aunt Kang or your cousin’s mother-in-law, you’ll be lucky to escape with your life, let alone just losing a layer of skin.

"Take this morning, for example. In some places, the rules are incredibly strict. A new bride is required to go to the kitchen first thing, personally mix the dough, roll out a sheet for noodles, and then cut it all with a single, unbroken slice.

"They say it’s for the auspicious meaning of ’long and everlasting,’ but it’s really a test of the new bride’s knife skills and cooking abilities. And no matter how well she does, they’ll always find fault. It’s how a mother-in-law establishes her authority over the new bride."

Ji Huan was speechless.

’All that fuss for a bowl of noodles? Aren’t they afraid of getting indigestion from eating it?’

’Sigh, when you put it that way, Guan Shan really is a pretty good deal.’

’Wait, no. Widow Xie has led me astray.’

’Whether Guan Shan is a good deal or not, what does that have to do with me?’

By evening, the clothes were finally finished.

"I lined it with a thin layer of cotton, so he can wear this for now. I’ll rush to get another set done in a couple of days, and that should last him until the end of the month. By then, the padded winter clothes will be ready, and I’ll still need to make him two pairs of cotton-padded shoes."

Guan Shan went into the east room to try them on. They fit perfectly. He came out and, together with Ji Huan, thanked Widow Xie. She just waved her hand, tidied up, and went to make dinner.

「That night, they officially slept in separate rooms.」

After dinner, Guan Shan washed up and went to the east wing without a word.

Lying in bed, Ji Huan thought about how her biggest worry had been resolved. She finally had a sound night’s sleep.

The next two days passed in much the same way.

No wonder newlyweds like to go on a honeymoon. You don’t have to do anything, think about anything, or even cook. It was truly comfortable.

It was just that time passed a little slowly, and it was a bit boring.

Besides watching Widow Xie make clothes for Guan Shan, Ji Huan spent her time at home playing with Dabao and the rabbits.

She didn’t go into the village or mention going up the mountain to play, because she knew without having to think what things were like outside.

Every time Widow Xie came over, she acted as if everything was normal, as if all was calm and peaceful outside, but Ji Huan wasn’t a fool.

She had long since gotten used to Guan Shan’s scarred face, but in the eyes of others, how could it be anything less than horrifying?

Especially given how hastily she and Guan Shan had gotten together.

Even though the village chief, Mr. Meng, had taken the initiative to claim he was the matchmaker, helping to deflect a wave of gossip, he couldn’t stop the rampant speculation.

Ji Huan took the opportunity when Hu Dacheng came over to play after his lessons to probe for information, and she got the general gist in just a few sentences.

The rumors were currently divided into roughly four camps.

Party A: The "Ji Huan isn’t right in the head" theory—she rejected Song Jing only to marry a vagrant. She’s not just blind; there must be something wrong with her brain.

Party B: The "Ji Huan was provoked" theory—she didn’t actually reject Song Jing before. She was playing hard to get, trying to string him along to raise her own value. But Song Jing didn’t fall for it and married the Academic Administrator’s daughter in the blink of an eye. She wanted to take it back but couldn’t, so in her agitated state, she just gave up and let everything go to ruin.

Party C: The "Village Chief Meng’s private revenge" theory—to get justice for Mrs. Meng and her nephew, the village chief used his power to coerce Ji Huan into marrying such a terrifying man. He was clearly out to ruin her.

Party D: The "Ji Family forced their granddaughter" theory—if they wanted to find a husband for their granddaughter, they should have just done it. What was this nonsense about dragging out some imperial edict about not marrying by seventeen? They even threatened to go to the government office? How bizarre. Do they take everyone for a fool? They’re just after Ji Huan’s fortune! The old Ji family is truly becoming more and more shameless.

In summary: Tsk, tsk, the poor thing.

As for the speculation about Guan Shan, that was even more absurd. Master pirate, reformed bandit—they came up with the most sensational stories they could imagine.

Ji Huan beckoned, and the four dogs—A, B, C, and D—all came trotting over. They thought they were getting a treat, but instead, Ji Huan rapped each of them on the head in turn.

"Tell me, why are all of you so dramatic?"

A, B, C, and D all looked equally bewildered, with no idea what was going on.

Ding wasn’t having it. He flopped onto the ground, rolled over, and then started nipping at the hem of Ji Huan’s skirt to show his displeasure.

Ji Huan thought for a moment. ’Party D seems to be the righteous one.’ So she ruffled Ding’s furry head.

"Alright, get up. I absolve you of your crimes."

Guan Shan, who had been watching her for a while, was silent. ’...Who’s the real drama queen here? That’s a question worth pondering.’

Ding clearly lacked the capacity for such thought. He was happy as long as his head was being petted, and in his happiness, he shot off to the backyard to harass the two rabbits again.

Speaking of the rabbits, Ji Huan found them very strange.

With time on his hands these past two days, Guan Shan had used wooden planks to build a hutch for the rabbits, lining it with a thick layer of hay. To keep A, B, C, and D from bothering them, he even built a small wooden fence around it. They were being served good food and drink.

But not only were the two ungrateful, they fought every day as if they were trying to kill each other. This wasn’t a married couple; they were clearly sworn enemies!

She thought about it from every angle but still felt something was off. So, she called Guan Shan to the backyard with her, picked up the two rabbits, and checked their... private parts.

The result confirmed her suspicions.

Ji Huan stared speechlessly at Guan Shan, conveying her thoughts with just her eyes.

She had always assumed the two rabbits were a pair, but it turned out they were both male. ’Thank goodness this is a fake marriage,’ she thought, ’or I’d be dying of anger right now.’

For the first time, Guan Shan had a guilty look on his face. He didn’t dare look at Ji Huan, frowning at the rabbits instead.

"It was... dark at the time..."

Seeing his expression of disgust and confusion, Ji Huan couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

"You know why? Because they’re two bros, hopping close! HAHAHAHAHAHA..."

After Guan Shan asked what "bros" meant and she explained, he didn’t give Ji Huan a pleasant look for the rest of the evening.

Ji Huan, on the other hand, would burst into a fit of laughter every time she went to see the rabbits.

In the blink of an eye, it was the third day. After breakfast, Widow Xie came to discuss the matter of the bridal homecoming visit with Ji Huan.

"When a new bride marries, it’s tradition for her to return to her family home on the third day. In some places, it’s called *guining*, which means returning to report to your parents that you’re safe and sound."

"On the day of the homecoming, the married daughter, accompanied by her husband, is supposed to bring gifts and return to her maternal home to pay respects to the ancestors... In your case, just taking Guan Shan to visit your parents’ graves will suffice."