Xiao Changyi... Hehe, she's really growing fond of this man the more she looks at him.
At this thought, a deeper smile formed on An Jing's face.
After treating An Jing's foot injury, Xiao Changyi went to the kitchen to wash his hands before coming back.
He pulled out the servitude contract from his bosom and emotionlessly handed it to An Jing.
An Jing merely smiled, but didn't take it.
"Here," Xiao Changyi finally spoke, his voice faint, revealing no fluctuation in emotion.
An Jing continued to smile, yet she also spoke, "I already gave it to you, so it's yours."
Xiao Changyi remained silent, but also didn't withdraw his hand.
An Jing lowered her eyes to look at the servitude contract extended before her, feeling his stubbornness. After a long while, she finally asked with a laugh, "What, are you disdainful of me?" After a pause, her smile widened, "Unable to have children."
Xiao Changyi still said nothing.
An Jing sighed, somewhat disappointed, and took the servitude contract without even looking at it and stuffed it into her bosom.
She had intended to get up and leave, but didn't expect to hear Xiao Changyi say, "You can heal from your injury before leaving, or you can choose never to leave." He paused, "If you never leave, and stay at my home, then you'll have to marry me."
An Jing was initially stunned, then burst out laughing. When she finally stopped laughing, she cheerfully said, "You do know I can't bear children, right?"
"It doesn't matter."
"If you marry me, I won't let you take any other girls. You can only have me, One Person. Does that not matter to you?" An Jing raised her eyebrows. In an era where a man could have multiple wives and concubines, her question was a provocation.
Xiao Changyi's gaze locked onto her, and he said deliberately, "I will marry only you, I just want you, One Person."
An Jingxin's heart trembled. She had met many men before, but none of them were to her taste, which resulted in her dying without ever having been in love. Living again, perhaps she could fall in love and get married.
After all, she had a very good impression of this man.
Bending down and lowering her head, she found a woodcutting knife from the bamboo basket. An Jing handed the knife to Xiao Changyi, "Here, my dowry."
Xiao Changyi stared blankly at the woodcutting knife in his hand, taking a moment to process.
An Jing held back a laugh, her eyebrows raised even higher, "What's wrong, do you want me to shout it out at the village entrance so the whole village knows I'm marrying you?"
Xiao Changyi finally caught on and reverted to his expressionless façade, calmly stating, "No need, I will inform the village chief tomorrow and everyone will find out."
An Jing simply smiled. She was liking this man more the more she interacted with him. How could he be so perfectly to her taste~
Xiao Changyi turned and entered the inner room, then brought out a wooden box and placed An Jing's dowry—the woodcutting knife—inside it.
An Jing hopped on one leg to the doorway of the inner room, just in time to see Xiao Changyi putting the woodcutting knife in the box, and she couldn't help but feel a mix of laughter and tears. However, upon seeing it, she must say the inner room was indeed tidy.
Being someone who liked cleanliness, An Jing was even more satisfied with Xiao Changyi, her future husband.
There was a bed in the inner room made from planks—fit for One Person to sleep, but two people... it might collapse, right...?
An Jing was not quite sure about that.
Having accepted that Xiao Changyi was poor, An Jing didn't mind the simplicity of the furniture in the inner room at all; the thatched hut itself was sturdy enough for her standards, which weren't high at the moment.
Moreover, she was certain that life would gradually get better.
She has always been optimistic.
Once Xiao Changyi saw her standing at the doorway to the inner room, he put down the box, got up to help her sit on the bed, then went back to fiddle with the box. After surveying the inner room, he decided to place the wooden box containing the woodcutting knife on top of the wardrobe.