The Scholar’s Unconventional Little Wife - Chapter 2

Matchmaker Wang’s tongue was faster than the 800-li express couriers at the Qinghe Town relay station.

The next day at noon, the rain had stopped, and the sun hung brightly in the sky. The “Xu Family Restaurant” had just opened its doors, and before a single customer could step inside, the first, second, third… and countless other waves of matchmakers arrived right on schedule.

Lin Ruo’an sat behind the counter, her eyelid twitching as she stared at the account book.

She was supposed to be attending Scholar Chen’s lecture today, but Xu Fenggu had insisted she stay at the restaurant, claiming that “with a new addition to the family, we need someone to hold down the fort.” At this moment, she was profoundly grateful for that decision—not because she got to slack off, but because the drama unfolding before her was more captivating than any novel.

“Oh my, Sister Xu, congratulations, congratulations!” The first to burst in was Matchmaker Li from the east end of town. Her voice was loud enough to lift the roof. “I heard Ruo’an has been betrothed to a child bride? What a momentous occasion! Why didn’t you let us sisters know? We could have prepared gifts!”

Xu Fenggu was at the stove, slicing braised pork. Her knife rose and fell with a steady rhythm, and she didn’t even look up. “Sister Li, your news is ever so swift. It’s no big deal. The child is still young; we’ve just settled the arrangement for now. There’s no rush.”

“Not a small matter at all! Ruo’an is a Xiucai Scholar now! And this child bride… I’ve heard her origins are unclear. Sister Xu, it’s not that I’m being meddlesome, but one must be prudent with such a lifelong commitment. As it happens, I know the Third Miss of Official Liu’s family in town. She’s well-educated and refined, with a generous dowry—”

Before she could finish, Xu Fenggu’s cleaver came down with a heavy thud on the thick cutting board. The braised pork split cleanly in two, the surface as smooth as a mirror.

Matchmaker Li’s voice cut off abruptly, and she shrank back, pulling her neck in.

Only then did Xu Fenggu slowly raise her head. “Matchmaker Li, I appreciate your good intentions. But we in the Lin family value trust and honor. Since we’ve taken this girl in, she is one of us. Official Liu’s daughter is a person of high status; our small family cannot hope to climb so high.”

Her tone was flat, yet it carried an unquestionable authority.

Matchmaker Li managed a sheepish smile and was about to speak again when a slightly shrill voice came from the doorway: “Trust and honor are all well and good, but shouldn’t we at least see this child bride? Boss Lady Xu, all the prominent families in Qinghe Town are concerned about Ruo’an’s future marriage.”

The newcomer was the town’s renowned “official matchmaker,” Nanny Sun, who was said to have connections with the county yamen and habitually looked down on others. Behind her trailed two women, their heads craning to see the commotion.

Xu Fenggu sneered, her hands never ceasing their work. “Nanny Sun is right. But that girl got caught in the rain yesterday and is ill. She can’t be exposed to the wind, and it wouldn’t be right to offend you all. Once she recovers, of course, I’ll bring her out to pay her respects to her elders.”

“Ill?” Nanny Sun took two steps closer, sniffing the air. “I was wondering why there was a smell of medicine in this shop! Could that girl have some hidden ailment? Boss Lady Xu, this is no matter to be taken lightly. If Ruo’an’s future is at stake…”

Behind the counter, Lin Ruo’an felt a surge of anger. Nanny Sun was practically cursing her. Just as she was about to speak, she saw her mother flip her wrist. The heavy-backed kitchen knife spun in a graceful circle in her palm before—thwack!—its tip plunged deep into the cutting board.

Everyone froze at the display.

“Nanny Sun,” Xu Fenggu said, turning around with a cold smile, “you frequent the government office and have seen much of the world. But have you ever heard of an ‘illness of joy’? This girl came to repay a debt of gratitude. If the wedding warding off evil spirits works, it’s our Lin family’s blessing. If it doesn’t… then it’s our Lin family’s burden to bear. No need for you all to worry yourselves.”

Nanny Sun’s face flushed with frustration. She snorted, “Since Boss Lady Xu has already made up her mind, this old woman won’t say another word. Just a reminder: a child bride’s position is, after all, not legitimate. If Ruo’an becomes a juren or jinshi in the future, this identity… I’m afraid it won’t be presentable in public.”

With that, she turned and stomped away, her footsteps thumping loudly.

Seeing the situation turn sour, Matchmaker Li quickly slipped away as well. The women who had been watching the commotion at the door dispersed, whispering among themselves.

The shop finally quieted down.

Lin Ruo’an let out a long breath and gave her mother a thumbs-up. “Mom, you’re awesome.”

Xu Fenggu shot her a glare and continued chopping meat. “Awesome my ass. This is just the beginning.” She paused to listen to the sounds from the backyard. “Has that girl woken up yet?”

“Fourth Lady just went to check. She said the fever has broken a bit, but she’s still unconscious. Mom, that thing you said just now… about repaying a debt of gratitude and warding off evil spirits with a wedding… you made it sound so real.”

“Sometimes, the truth sounds like a lie, and when you keep telling a lie, you almost start to believe it yourself,” Xu Fenggu sighed. “Go see if the congee on the stove is ready. Bring her some, and add a bit of sugar.”

Lin Ruo’an replied with an “Okay,” lifted the curtain, and headed toward the backyard.

The side room door was left ajar. Zhao Siniang was sitting on a small stool by the entrance washing clothes. Seeing Lin Ruo’an approach, she gave a simple, honest smile. “Little Shopkeeper, that young lady just seemed to move a little.”

Lin Ruo’an nodded and gently pushed the door open.

The room was dimly lit, with one half of the window propped open for ventilation. On the wooden plank bed, the girl who had looked like a mud monkey yesterday had been changed into a clean coarse cloth dress. Her hair had been carefully combed, revealing a smooth forehead and delicate features.

Cleaned up, she really is an exceptionally beautiful girl.

Lin Ruo’an placed the bowl of porridge on the small table beside the bed. Just as she was about to turn and leave, the person on the bed’s eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.

They were incredibly clear eyes.

Pure as a newborn baby’s, yet as unfathomable as a deep pool.

Their gazes met.

Lin Ruo’an’s heart skipped a beat. This look… it’s too clean. So clean it’s almost unsettling.

“How… how do you feel? Is anything bothering you?”

The person on the bed simply watched her, showing neither joy nor sorrow.

After a long moment, she slowly shook her head.

“Can you understand me?” Lin Ruo’an breathed a sigh of relief. As long as we can communicate. “What is your name? Where are you from?”

Another long silence followed. A deep confusion surfaced in those clear eyes, and her brow furrowed slightly as if she were trying hard to think, but could remember nothing. She shook her head again.

Amnesia?

Lin Ruo’an made a guess. She took two steps closer and sat down by the bed. “Don’t worry. If you can’t remember, just don’t think about it for now. You had a fever and fainted in the alley. My mother and I brought you back here. This is the Xu Family Restaurant; it’s safe. Just focus on recovering for now.”

As she spoke, the person on the bed watched her silently, her gaze so intense it seemed she was trying to capture every word and understand its meaning. The stare was so direct it felt as if it could burn two holes right through Lin Ruo’an’s face. Lin Ruo’an felt inexplicably uneasy, the tips of her ears flushing slightly.

“Ahem,” she said, changing the subject as she picked up the bowl of porridge. “Have some porridge first. It’s sweetened with sugar.”

She scooped a spoonful, blew on it, and held it to the other woman’s lips.

The person on the bed lowered her gaze to the white porridge, then looked back up at Lin Ruo’an. After a few seconds, she slowly opened her mouth and accepted the spoon.

Her movements were slow, her swallowing even slower, but she was cooperative.

After feeding her half a bowl, Lin Ruo’an noticed she seemed to lack energy and stopped. “Alright, get some rest. I’ll be right outside. If you need anything, just call out or knock on the bedframe.”

She rose to leave.

Just as she reached the door, a faint voice drifted from behind her:

“You.”

Lin Ruo’an paused and turned back.

The woman on the bed was still watching her, a flicker of light now dancing in her eyes. She seemed to want to say something, her lips parting, but in the end, she only managed to utter two words with great effort:

“Thank you.”

Lin Ruo’an smiled. “You’re welcome. Get some rest.”

After leaving the room and closing the door, she leaned against the wood, listening to the silence return. Her heart was a little unsettled.

“It seems… I’ve picked up a huge trouble,” she murmured to herself, yet her lips couldn’t help but curl into a smile.

From the shop in front, Xu Fenggu’s voice pierced through the curtains: “Lin Ruo’an! Where the hell are you? Get over here and help! Matchmaker Zhang is back with her niece, claiming they’re just ‘passing through’ and insist on having a bowl of noodles! If you ask me, she has other motives!”

Lin Ruo’an pressed a hand to her forehead.

Great. The matchmakers’ war of attrition, round two, begins.

She straightened her robes, plastered on her gentle, jade-like “Scholar Lin” smile, and lifted the curtain to step into the smokeless battlefield, one filled with the glint of blades (mostly her mother’s gaze and kitchen knife).

In the back courtyard room, through the half-open window lattice, a pair of clear eyes quietly watched her retreating figure. After a long moment, they slowly closed.

The sunlight outside was just right.

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