Li Chuntao initially thought that Yang Xiaocui’s words were just pleasantries.

But unexpectedly, after dinner, Yang Xiaocui really came to find her.

Though she didn’t want to get too close to Yang Xiaocui, since she was already here, Li Chuntao wasn’t the type to chase people away, so she invited her inside and asked Alu to pour her some tea.

It was the first time Yang Xiaocui had tasted such exquisite tea; she took a careful sip, realizing it was indeed different from the plain water she usually drank. No wonder wealthy families all drank tea.

"Chuntao, I came so late, I hope I’m not bothering you?"

Li Chuntao found Yang Xiaocui quite different from her mother. Unlike her mother’s loud voice, Xiaocui spoke softly and seemed very honest. "You’re not bothering me, not at all."

"Ah, that’s good. Chuntao, to be honest, although I live in this village, I seldom go out because of the work at home, so I don’t know many people or have many friends. Now that you’ve moved here, we’re neighbors and about the same age, I couldn’t help but want to befriend you."

These words were quite sincere; it was indeed true that she didn’t socialize much due to her chores.

This friendly gesture from Yang Xiaocui left Li Chuntao unsure how to respond. She could sense Xiaocui wanted to befriend her, but she wasn’t interested, so she just smiled without saying anything.

Seeing Li Chuntao quiet, Yang Xiaocui wasn’t discouraged. After all, there’s plenty of time ahead, and they’ll get to know each other eventually.

She wasn’t in a hurry. She had come with a purpose today; her previous words were just an introduction to forge a connection. She continued, "Chuntao, since we’re almost the same age, have you been matched for marriage?"

Li Chuntao didn’t expect Yang Xiaocui to ask her this. She obviously didn’t want to say much, so she just shook her head, "Not yet."

The question was meant to lead to what Yang Xiaocui wanted to say next. Learning that Li Chuntao hadn’t been matched, she felt even more strongly that she couldn’t let her get too close to Yang Dong.

"I just got matched recently. I wonder if you’ve heard Yang Dong’s third sister-in-law say that Yang Dong and I got engaged not long ago."

Mentioning this brought a shy expression to Yang Xiaocui’s face. "Speaking of this, I felt a bit embarrassed. That day, I was delivering food to my family and fainted on the way. It was Yang Dong who saved me and carried me back. But when we entered the village, I woke up and didn’t know what was happening. There were many people surrounding me, and I found myself on Yang Dong’s back. I was stunned, thinking it was over. So many people saw me being carried, my reputation must be ruined, and I wouldn’t be able to find a husband." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Yang Xiaocui sniffled a couple of times, "At that time, I felt like my world had collapsed. Chuntao, can you understand my feelings back then? I really didn’t want to live anymore. If my mother knew that my reputation was gone and I couldn’t get married, she would definitely scold and hit me."

At this point, Yang Xiaocui’s face flushed again, followed by a slight smile at the corner of her mouth, "But fortunately, Yang Dong is a good person. He said he wanted to marry me. I thought, if he marries me, people wouldn’t speak ill of me anymore. And since Yang Dong hadn’t been matched either, I agreed."