Chapter 79: Chapter 46: The Village Head’s 2 Sons

Mr. Zhou stared, momentarily stunned, at the young girl before him. She was ethereal and serene, as if from a dream. ’How could a place like this produce such an otherworldly girl?’ Her looks were secondary; more than half her face was hidden by a kerchief. The most striking feature was her pair of eyes, as clear as water. But it was her aura, her very presence—naturally quiet and subtle, yet when combined with those limpid eyes, it sparked with a boundless vitality that was nearly impossible to describe in words.

Just moments ago, as she passed by the study window, he had seen her cupping a book in both hands, lost in its pages. The sight of her, along with a branch of red plum blossoms braving the snow outside, had formed a breathtakingly beautiful picture.

Thinking of the face beneath the kerchief, Mr. Zhou felt a pang of private pity and regret. He asked gently, “I saw you reading just now. You must recognize quite a few characters, then? If you’d like to read the books, feel free to take them home.”

Juhua did want to read, but Mr. Zhou’s collection consisted mostly of scholarly classics, with few travelogues or miscellaneous works, and certainly no novels. Besides, she didn’t want to draw too much attention to herself. So, she lowered her gaze and replied in a soft, small voice, “I don’t recognize very many characters.”

She had wanted to blush for better effect, but her face simply wouldn’t cooperate. There was nothing she could do about it.

Still, her demeanor was convincing enough. Mr. Zhou naturally assumed she was just flipping through the books out of curiosity. ’Girls can’t attend school, after all. It’s only normal for them to admire scholars.’

He nodded and said, “Well, once you recognize more characters, feel free to come and borrow any books you’d like to read.”

Juhua quickly thanked him, then changed her shoes, picked up her basket, and left.

Zhang Huai had been deeply unsettled lately, his mind filled with the image of Juhua. It forced him to seriously contemplate his feelings for her, and as a result, he had grown quiet and withdrawn.

The more he thought, the more he realized that his heart truly ached for the “ugly” girl. To be fair, his heart had always ached for Juhua, but it had never been like this, where he just couldn’t get her off his mind.

’Is it just that my heart aches for her, or is it love?’ Even he couldn’t figure it out. How could a simple farm boy, experiencing the first stirrings of love, be expected to parse such subtle emotions?

In any case, Juhua had said she wouldn’t consider any marriage proposals for four years. That meant he still had four years to think things through and decide if he wanted to marry her.

Yes, he realized he wanted to marry her. Although he hadn’t made a final decision, the thought was constantly on his mind, leaving him deeply unsettled.

But he had to be absolutely sure. Because aside from his own uncertainty, he had a feeling that even if he went to her family to propose, Juhua might not agree to marry him!

Therefore, he needed to think this over carefully so he could be fully prepared when the time came.

It was in this state of mind that he looked out the classroom window and saw Juhua walking gracefully out of the master’s room. She looked just as she did in his dreams, the kerchief hiding the lower half of her face, revealing only her clear, sparkling eyes. Her silver-red jacket and silver-gray trousers stood out against the snowy landscape, making her look like a part of a painting.

He felt a sudden, sharp pain in his chest, as if struck by a heavy hammer. His mind went blank. It was a good thing he was sitting on a chair, or he would have surely collapsed.

At that moment, only one thought consumed him: he didn’t care what Juhua’s face looked like, he was going to marry her! Yes! He had decided. He would marry her and bring her home!

’But would Juhua be willing to marry me?’

Watching her figure recede into the distance, his heart felt as if a heavy stone was tied to it, sinking straight down.

For the first time, he felt that Juhua was even more unreachable than Liu’er, someone he could only look up to. To him, Liu’er was just a pretty girl he could marry and bring home as a wife; he had never been preoccupied with thoughts of her. Juhua, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. He had thought he didn’t want to marry her, yet he couldn’t get her out of his mind.

He had grown up protecting Juhua alongside Qingmu and knew her inside and out. But lately, he’d been thinking of her by day and dreaming of her by night. ’What if Juhua isn’t willing to marry me?’ The mere thought made his heart ache with pain.

The poor boy was beginning to be tormented by love.

Meanwhile, the “ugly” girl in question was thinking, ’I wonder how much money Mom made selling the pig’s head meat today. Why isn’t she back yet?’

Juhua was genuinely worried about her mother. If her brother had found her, he would have surely stopped by the schoolhouse on his way back. But so much time had passed, and there was no sign of them. Seeing that the snow had stopped, she started walking toward the village entrance. She knew it wouldn’t do any good, but she just had to go take a look.

Beneath the vast, monochromatic dome of the sky, a human figure seemed exceptionally small. She stood at the village entrance, gazing into the distance. She wasn’t familiar with this area to begin with, and the unbroken expanse of pure white snow made it impossible to get her bearings.

Unexpectedly, she spotted two figures trudging toward her through the snow. They were carrying bundles on their backs, but they clearly weren’t her mother and brother. Their silhouettes were completely different, and they weren’t carrying a shoulder pole.

She waited quietly. When they drew near, she saw that they were two young men—or more precisely, two young men dressed as scholars, wearing scholar’s caps, long robes, and carrying bundles on their backs.

The two were quite surprised to see her as well. As they approached, they kept looking her over, occasionally whispering a few words to each other as if asking who she was. Juhua didn’t recognize them at all.

The taller one was about sixteen or seventeen, with a narrow face, large, double-lidded eyes, and a slightly shy and reserved demeanor. The other looked to be only thirteen or fourteen. He had the same eyes and brows, making it obvious they were brothers, but his cheeks were fuller and rounder, and he appeared more lively.

Just as they were about to pass Juhua, the younger one, apparently unable to contain his curiosity, smiled and asked her, “Which family are you from? How come I’ve never seen you before?”

Juhua had already noticed their curious glances. ’Are there other people from the village studying away from home?’ she wondered. Seeing how forward the boy was, she couldn’t resist the urge to give him a scare and teach him a lesson about accosting every girl he saw.

So, without a word, she abruptly lifted her kerchief…

Sure enough, the boy was caught completely off guard. The beauty before him seemed to transform into a ghoul. His face turned pale with horror, and he stumbled back two steps, crying out, “You’re Juhua?”

The older brother was more composed. He had been about to stop his younger brother from speaking, but Juhua had already lifted her kerchief. And so, he too witnessed the extreme transformation.

Although he was also startled, he quickly regained his composure and smiled apologetically at Juhua. “I’m sorry! Changyu didn’t mean any harm. We’re from Li Gengtian’s family on the east side of the village. I’m Li Changfeng, and this is my younger brother, Li Changyu. He spoke out of turn because he didn’t recognize you.”

Juhua lowered her kerchief. ’So they’re the village chief’s sons,’ she thought. ’Even they recognize my ugly face. It seems my reputation precedes me.’ She said nothing, only watching them quietly.

Li Changfeng’s face flushed slightly. He gave her a faint smile and prepared to leave, but his brother Li Changyu wouldn’t have it. Embarrassed at having been so frightened by Juhua, he stepped closer and asked with a cheeky grin, “Juhua, you did that on purpose, didn’t you? Who are you waiting for out here?”

Juhua ignored him, simply staring at him in silence, waiting to see what the boy would do next.

Li Changyu grew uncomfortable under her gaze. Just as he was about to make another teasing remark, his brother grabbed him and scolded, “Aren’t you going to hurry home? Mother is waiting. The moment you’re out of school, you start acting wild. What’s wrong with you?” He then shot another apologetic smile at Juhua.

Li Changyu had no choice but to follow his brother. After a few steps, he glanced back. He saw Juhua standing there in the snow like a snow lotus, exuding an indescribable, pure beauty. For a moment, he didn’t know whether to call her ugly or beautiful.

“Sigh! If Juhua’s face wasn’t ruined, she’d be a great beauty. I’ve never seen a girl as beautiful as her in my entire life. She’s much prettier than Wu Tianhao’s sister. How come I never noticed before!” Li Changyu lamented as they walked.

Li Changfeng chided him, displeased. “A girl with a blemish on her face must be heartbroken about it. And you treat her like that. Have you no manners?”

Li Changyu laughed. “I wasn’t making fun of her. I don’t think she cares about it at all. She even dared to lift her kerchief to scare me. Brother, don’t you think she’s a little different from when we were kids?”

Li Changfeng replied, “Who’s the same as when they were a child? Doesn’t everyone change as they grow up?”

Chatting, the two brothers soon arrived at their front gate.

Li Changyu ran ahead and knocked loudly on the courtyard gate. Then he ducked to the side to hide, winking at his brother.

Li Changfeng shook his head. ’This little brother of mine is so immature.’

As expected, a voice called out, “Who is it?” and the courtyard gate was pulled open by their gray-haired grandfather.

The old man squinted, peering outside. Before his brother could shout, Li Changfeng stepped forward, took his arm, and said, “Grandpa, it’s me. Changfeng is back. Changyu is back too.”

The old man instantly lit up, his voice rising in volume. “Changfeng? Oh, my! Changfeng is back!”

Li Changyu popped out from the side, shouting, “Me too, Grandpa! Honestly, Brother, you had to go and announce it. You couldn’t just let me give Grandpa a surprise.”

Li Changfeng shot him a glare. “What surprise? It would have been more of a scare.”

Seeing his younger grandson made the old man even happier. The wrinkles on his face smoothed into a wide smile as he took one boy by each hand and led them into the courtyard.

*****

Juhua whispers to all you lovely readers, “Please leave a recommendation and add this to your collection!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep