A Stolen Romance - Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Very Recruiting

The woman was around forty, dressed in a fairly new lotus-root-colored jacket. She wore a crimson sash around her waist and had a pink rose pinned in her hair. Paired with her round, smiling face, she looked quite cheerful and festive.

As soon as she entered, she started praising Xie Zhaoran and Shi Yuning as if she knew them. “I heard that Auntie Tian had taken in two girls as lovely as flowers and as fair as jade, and I just couldn’t sit still. I had to come and see these delicate blossoms for myself, the ones even the village chief’s wife couldn’t stop praising.”

“I’m glad I came, otherwise I, Cui Gu, would never have known there were girls in this world as beautiful as you.” She said, reaching out to grab Shi Yuning’s hand. Shi Yuning quickly took a step back, dodging her hand.

The woman, who called herself Cui Gu, wasn’t annoyed. She turned to take Xie Zhaoran’s hand instead. Xie Zhaoran, with her injured leg, couldn’t move away. She gave Cui Gu a cold, piercing glance, and Cui Gu’s hand, which was about to touch her, froze in midair.

It was the first time Cui Gu had seen such a terrifying look on a young girl’s face. The compelling presence coming from a girl with a broken leg shocked her. Being a perceptive person, she realized the two of them didn’t want to be close to anyone, so she took a small step back. “What were you two talking about just now? You were laughing so happily. I could hear you from far away.”

Shi Yuning stepped forward protectively, blocking Xie Zhaoran, and asked, “Who are you?”

Cui Gu smiled with a hint of pride. “Only an outsider like you wouldn’t know. For ten miles and eight villages around, no one doesn’t know the name of Li Hongcui.” She cleared her throat and raised her voice a little. “I’m the most famous matchmaker in these parts. You can call me Cui Gu.”

Shi Yuning’s mouth fell open in surprise. She had thought it was just a villager coming to snoop, but she never expected it to be a matchmaker. Who is she here to find a match for? Shi Yuning looked back at Xie Zhaoran, a flash of annoyance in her eyes. Xie Zhaoran’s face was simply too outstanding everywhere they went.

Cui Gu was a little displeased that after she announced her name, they didn’t invite her in. In these parts, everyone wanted her to be their matchmaker. The matches she made were almost guaranteed to succeed, with a success rate of over eighty percent. Cui Gu’s eyes darted around. She saw that Shi Yuning and Xie Zhaoran looked young and probably hadn’t given it much thought yet. She had only come today to scout out the situation. She knew from a quick glance from a distance that the threshold to their home would soon be worn flat by other matchmakers. Luckily, she was quick-witted and came as soon as she heard Auntie Tian had taken in two girls.

“I heard you two girls had a mishap on your way to visit relatives. Where were you originally headed?” This was the cover story Xie Zhaoran had come up with after she woke up. Shi Yuning didn’t know what address to make up, so she turned to the seated Xie Zhaoran.

Xie Zhaoran gave her a reassuring look. She pulled Shi Yuning to her and drew her behind her slightly. “Cui Gu, why don’t you just tell us what you’re here for?”

Cui Gu raised an eyebrow, looking at the composed Xie Zhaoran. She smiled. “You must be the older sister. You seem more level-headed. Don’t worry, I mean no harm.” “I’m sure you know that a matchmaker’s job is to arrange marriages. I can see you’re both of marriageable age. If you have any ideas in that regard, just tell me, and I’ll find you two good matches.”

Xie Zhaoran chuckled. “That won’t be necessary. Auntie Tian saved us, and once we’re healed, we’re going to the capital to find our family. We won’t be staying here for long.”

Cui Gu’s heart sank. She felt as though a gold ingot had just flown away. She had been thinking that with their looks, if she just spread the word, the wealthy families in the county would be lining up. Her matchmaker’s fee would surely be substantial.

“But girls, you’re just going to the capital to find family, which is a long and dangerous journey. And besides, living with relatives is still living under someone else’s roof. You might as well stay here. I can find you a match, and then you’ll have a proper home of your own, won’t you?”

Xie Zhaoran shook her head. “Thank you for your kindness, but I have a home.” She looked at Shi Yuning, who was on high alert, and said with a smile, “As long as my sister and I are together, any place is home.”

Shi Yuning was suddenly brought back to the present. She looked down at the sincerity in Xie Zhaoran’s eyes, and her nose tingled with emotion. She nodded firmly. “Yes, we’ll be together forever.”

Cui Gu waved her handkerchief dismissively. “Oh, it’s a good thing for sisters to get along, but you know, all women get married. When you both get married, won’t you be separated?”

“If you trust me, I can help you two find a family with two sons who are of marriageable age. That way, you two sisters can marry the two brothers and never have to be separated for the rest of your lives.”

Shi Yuning and Xie Zhaoran’s faces both darkened, and their gazes toward Cui Gu were no longer friendly. Cui Gu was taken aback. “What’s wrong? Isn’t that great? Sisters become sisters-in-law. You can see each other every day and be close.”

Shi Yuning scoffed. “You can marry them yourself. I have no such intention.” The things Cui Gu said made her feel sick.

Cui Gu assumed Shi Yuning was still young and naive, so she tried to persuade Xie Zhaoran. Xie Zhaoran’s expression was even colder than Shi Yuning’s. She looked at her icily. “With my leg and foot not being convenient, I won’t see you off.” She issued a direct order for her to leave.

It was the first time Cui Gu had been treated so rudely. After talking for so long, she hadn’t even been offered a cup of water and was being driven away. She flapped her handkerchief and stormed out of the courtyard. At the gate, she yelled back at them, “Don’t you dare regret this! If you ever beg me to arrange a marriage for you, I’ll charge you double the price!”

Shi Yuning pouted and yelled back, “Don’t you worry, we won’t spend a single cent!”

Only after she saw Cui Gu swagger away did Shi Yuning turn around and glare at Xie Zhaoran. Xie Zhaoran raised an eyebrow. “What?”

Shi Yuning snorted. “I’m telling you, what’s the point of you being so good-looking?” It was only the first day, and they had already attracted a matchmaker. Who knows who else they might attract tomorrow?

Xie Zhaoran nodded. “You’re right, my fault. How about this? I’ll get a mask to wear. From now on, no one but Ningning will get to see my face.”

Shi Yuning realized that no matter what she said, Xie Zhaoran agreed with her. She didn’t know if it was sincere or not, but it felt good. When Xie Zhaoran mentioned a mask, she thought back to the first time she saw Xie Zhaoran wearing one and couldn’t help but exclaim, “That probably won’t work. You’re very alluring even with a mask on.”

Xie Zhaoran immediately heard the double meaning in her words. She grabbed Shi Yuning’s hand and shook it. “What? Was Ningning captivated by me when I wore a mask?”

Shi Yuning turned and held Xie Zhaoran’s hand. “First, get up. You can’t sit by the door anymore.” If she sat there any longer, who knows how many “wild bees and butterflies” they would attract.

Xie Zhaoran allowed Shi Yuning to help her up. She used the bench as a support again and moved back into the room. After Xie Zhaoran lay down on the bed, Shi Yuning put the bench aside and folded the quilts to prop up Xie Zhaoran’s injured foot. “You lie down and rest for a bit. I’m going to brew the medicine.” The medicine had burned a little, so she needed to make a new pot.

But Xie Zhaoran held her hand and wouldn’t let go. “You still haven’t answered me.”

“What?” Shi Yuning was confused for a moment, then immediately remembered Xie Zhaoran’s question. Since she had already confessed her feelings, Shi Yuning didn’t want to hide them anymore. She nodded. “Yes, I was captivated.” She still remembered the surprise and the flutter in her heart.

Xie Zhaoran looked very proud but then grew a little worried. “Ningning, do you only like my face?”

Shi Yuning’s hand paused, her expression a little awkward. She stammered, “How… how could that be?” Although she had been captivated by Xie Zhaoran’s face many times, it wasn’t just her face. Her hands were also very beautiful, Shi Yuning thought, looking at their clasped hands.

Xie Zhaoran had never asked Shi Yuning why she liked her. She had originally thought the question wasn’t important, as long as Shi Yuning liked her. Now she thought about it again, and the question seemed a little important. For example, if Shi Yuning only liked her face, she would need to take better care of her skin in the future to make her like her even more. Shi Yuning had no idea that Xie Zhaoran was already thinking about trying some beauty-preserving techniques she had read about in books and making different masks to captivate her. She tried to pull her hand away, but Xie Zhaoran still wouldn’t let go.

“Let go, I have to go brew the medicine,” Shi Yuning said, lightly patting her hand.

Xie Zhaoran not only didn’t let go but pulled her closer, blinking and reminding her, “Ningning, aren’t you forgetting something?”

“What?” Shi Yuning asked in surprise. What else could there be?

Xie Zhaoran raised an eyebrow. “We haven’t called it even yet. How can I let you go?”

A bomb seemed to go off in Shi Yuning’s mind. Boom! How did Xie Zhaoran bring the conversation back to this again? She regretted ever mentioning “tying it even.”

Xie Zhaoran watched as a blush slowly crept up Shi Yuning’s cheeks, spreading to her fair neck. Seeing her look so conflicted, Xie Zhaoran leaned her head in, pointing at the left corner of her mouth. “Kiss me here. I kissed your left cheek earlier, so it’s only fair.”

Shi Yuning felt like she was meeting Xie Zhaoran for the first time. How could she say such improper things with a straight face? But looking at the face so close to hers, she quickly glanced around like a guilty thief. Although she knew no one could see them, she still felt very shy. Taking a deep breath, she bent one leg and propped it on the bed, leaning in slowly. She lightly touched Xie Zhaoran’s lips. The warm contact sent a tingly sensation through her heart. She quickly pulled away.

Suddenly, a powerful force came from her waist, and Shi Yuning was pulled forward unexpectedly. Their lips, which had just barely separated, were firmly sealed together again. With practiced ease, Xie Zhaoran pried open Shi Yuning’s lips, which had little defense, and went straight in, storming the city and plundering the land.

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