FID – Chapter 785

Chapter 785 — Unsellable Goods 

The wedding of Hong and Lan was set for the tenth day of July.

The elders of the Liu family helped finalize the betrothal gifts, and with that, the marriage was officially settled.

After the engagement rites, Wei Lan moved all of his belongings from his own room straight into Wei Hong’s room. It was only short of stuffing himself in there as well.

On the surface, he still lived in his own room. But as for what a skilled fighter might get up to on dark, windy nights, no one else knew.

The elders of the Liu family simply turned a blind eye, pretending not to notice.

After being shadow guards for so many years and finally having a chance to settle down, both were already in their thirties.

At that age, who would bother fussing over such details anymore?

On her end, Liu Muqiu was busy embroidering auspicious floral patterns onto the wedding dress, getting a rare chance to show her skills.

Ever since the last time she accidentally set her room on fire and got a stern scolding from Liu Zhiqiu, she hadn’t dared to secretly do embroidery again.

Now she stretched the wedding dress fabric onto an embroidery frame and carefully outlined golden clouds stitch by stitch. The brilliant red fabric reflected a soft flush on her fair, jade-like face.

As she embroidered the patterns for the wedding gown for the first time, an image involuntarily floated through her mind — of herself one day wearing a red wedding dress, marrying the man she loved.

Zhiqiu was always full of energy and vitality, spirited and confident. If he wore a groom’s wedding robe, he would surely look even more upright and handsome.

At the wedding altar — first bow to heaven and earth, second bow to the elders, third bow between husband and wife.

As she thought about it, Liu Muqiu couldn’t help but smile, her face secretly flushing red.

When she looked again at the wedding dress in front of her, her eyes were full of longing and admiration.

She didn’t know when she would finally get her wish.

She was already nineteen this year. She hoped she could marry Zhiqiu soon and then… have children with him.

“Ahhh!” Covering her face, Liu Muqiu twisted and squirmed in her seat, utterly shy and flustered.

“Hey, Little White Lotus, what are you smiling about like that?” A man’s voice suddenly came from the window, startling Liu Muqiu so much she nearly fell off her stool.

“B-Brother Zhiqiu, why do you always appear out of nowhere!” A guilty conscience makes people talk louder, bluster masking nervousness.

Leaning on the windowsill, Liu Zhiqiu raised an eyebrow with amusement. “Little White Lotus, are you daydreaming about love again?”

“…I—I am daydreaming about love! So what!”

“Come here,” Liu Zhiqiu crooked his finger, and she obediently walked over to him, which pleased him greatly.

When she got close, he hooked an arm around her neck and kissed her directly. “If you’re daydreaming about love, you have to say so. I’ll satisfy you.”

“……”

After the kiss, Liu Zhiqiu gently wiped the moisture from the corner of the young woman’s lips. Then he revealed the hand he had been hiding behind his back and handed her a small bunch of yellow flowers.

“Brother Zhiqiu, you stole cauliflower from the field again!”

“How is that stealing? It’s from our own field. I brought it to your room for decoration first. Tonight I’ll send it to the kitchen to cook. No waste,” the man said as he waved his hand, about to turn and leave.

Liu Muqiu’s gaze flickered slightly. “Brother Zhiqiu.”

“Hmm?” The man turned back, and in an instant, a small face zoomed close to him and planted a quick peck on his lips with a mwah.

“I’m still daydreaming about love!” After kissing him, the young woman threw out a line that was more of a tease than an explanation and then quickly slammed the window shut with a loud bang.

Staring at the tightly shut window and listening to the shy giggles inside, Liu Zhiqiu’s mouth twitched.

“Still daydreaming, huh? If you’re so bold, open the window again!”

If you’re going to flirt, at least have the guts to follow through. Throwing a line and running away—aren’t you ashamed?

He didn’t believe it—if she wanted more, there’s no way he couldn’t keep up!

Inside, her response was more of delighted giggling.

“Tch!”Curling the corners of his lips with eyes full of laughter, He flipped over the wall and left the inner courtyard.

Once he was gone, the tightly shut window quietly cracked open again. The young woman peeked out by the window, her eyes sparkling like stars.

Up ahead, the loud voice of Grandma Liu rang out through the courtyard, “Liu Zhiqiu, you little rascal! Get out here! Spring’s barely begun and you’ve already plucked all the fresh cauliflower that just sprouted! You’re itching for a beating, aren’t you?”

Liu Zhiqiu’z steps toward the front courtyard froze. He quietly poked his head out from behind a corner, “Grandma, don’t shout like that—careful not to get too worked up. I’ll return that bunch of cauliflower to you tonight—”

Whoosh! A broom came flying straight at him.

By the time it landed, the mischievous brat had already vanished from the second courtyard gate.

Fuming, Grandma Liu planted her fists on her hips and glared.“Damn brat! Just because you’ve learned some martial arts, you think you can make an art form out of running away? If you’ve got the guts, don’t come to dinner tonight!”

Just wait until she catches him!

At dinner, that rascal really didn’t make it to the table. The moment he crept near the kitchen door, the old lady chased him all over the courtyard wielding a pair of red-hot iron tongs.

Inside the kitchen, while the old lady was off chasing him, Liu Muqiu quickly snuck over to the cupboard, pulled out the biggest bowl she could find, scooped in rice, piled on dishes, and grabbed some eggs all in one go. She wrapped it up under her sleeve and slipped out quietly.

She’d stash it first, and once Grandma came back to the kitchen, she’d let Brother Zhiqiu eat outside later.

The other elders of the Liu family, still in the kitchen, all twitched at the sight. 

Their Muqiu had spent so much time with that brat Zhiqiu her brain had gone soft too. Did she think they didn’t have eyes? Or was she just banking on the fact they wouldn’t rat her out?

Everyone exchanged glances and looked up at the sky.

Well… let’s just pretend we didn’t see anything.

Out in the courtyard, watching Zhiqiu being chased by the old lady wielding the fire tongs — wailing like a ghost and howling like a wolf — and knowing that, to give Grandma a sense of accomplishment, he had to occasionally and subtly slow down just enough for the tongs to brush the corner of his clothes… yeah, it wasn’t easy.

After two laps of chasing and beating, the old lady’s frustration was completely gone. When she returned to the kitchen to eat, her appetite was fantastic.

Once he was sure Grandma wasn’t peeking outside anymore, Liu Zhiqiu vaulted up the wall and hopped down to the corner outside the kitchen. He parted a clump of firewood and pulled out the big bowl that was still steaming hot, then dug in with utter satisfaction.

Tsk, their Little White Lotus sure handled logistics flawlessly.

The two of them were practically a match made in heaven.

Listening to the soft, gentle voice of the young woman chatting with the elders inside the kitchen, and recalling how she had looked at the red wedding dress earlier with eyes full of yearning, Liu Zhiqiu’s lips curved slightly.

She was nineteen this year.

Not so young anymore.

After dinner, when Liu Muqiu went off to wash up and bathe, Liu Zhiqiu quietly slipped into the main hall.

As soon as he appeared, his ear was immediately grabbed. Though it didn’t look like much force was used, Liu Zhiqiu somehow managed to put on an exaggerated expression of searing pain, baring his teeth and grimacing.

“Ow, ow, ow! Grandma, take it easy! Just twist it a little and let go. I’ve got something serious to say!”

“You little rascal!” The granny couldn’t help but laugh, half amused and half exasperated. She let go of his ear. “What serious thing could you possibly have to say?”

“Him? Even when he talks about serious matters, he’s never proper,” Du Juan scoffed openly. “It’s all thanks to Muqiu. Otherwise, knowing what he’s really like, who would dare take him?”

“Mother’s right. With a son like this, if there’s even one person who’s willing to take him, you should hurry up and marry him off before you lose the chance.”

Everyone — except Liu Zhiqiu — froze mid-movement and then turned to stare at him in unison.

Their gazes were piercing. Liu Zhiqiu instinctively took a step back, thinking about running.

“Grandpa, Grandma, Father, Mother, Uncle, Aunt… what’s with those looks?”

Liu Erlin wiped a hand down his face and grinned. “It’s the look of national celebration, boy. You said it yourself — marry you off. If you dare go back on your word, I’ll break your legs!”

“…Seriously?” 

Was his whole family treating him like an unsellable, leftover product?