Volume 1, Chapter 30: I Have Always Enjoyed Taking on Difficult Challenges Since I Was Young

Qiao Xun’s cheeks flushed. He shook his head helplessly. “No. I want Mother to abandon the idea. Miss Jiang is such a wonderful girl; I mustn’t drag her down with me. If she is willing, I’ll give you a definite answer then!”

That was to keep Madam Wang from acting rashly. Jiang Xian had saved his life three times. If not for her, Qiao Xun would probably have already returned to the underworld.

He had no way to repay such a tremendous kindness at present, but he absolutely could not bring trouble upon Jiang Xian.

As for the marriage proposal, everything would depend on Jiang Xian’s wishes.

Madam Wang was instantly furious. She reached out and jabbed her son hard in the forehead. “You foolish boy! You’ve merely had a run of bad luck these past few years. How could anyone be unlucky for an entire lifetime? Once you pass the licentiate examination and rise steadily through the ranks, Jiang Xian will probably be marrying you into a life of comfort!”

Qiao Xun did not wish to explain further. He took the last ounce of silver from his robe and handed it to Madam Wang.

“In any case, wait for my word. Don’t do anything before then!”

Madam Wang accepted the silver, pursed her lips sheepishly, and said, “Too late! I’ve already taken the matchmaker to the Jiang family to propose. They said we should go into town together on the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, so the two of you can meet and see whether you take a liking to each other. If you do, we’ll continue discussing the marriage!”

Qiao Xun stared at Madam Wang in utter shock, overwhelmed with embarrassment. “Mother, how could you...?”

Afraid that her youngest son would be angry, Madam Wang hurried to explain. “Oh, Sanlang, a girl like Jiang Xian is so rare that you’d have to carry a lantern to find one! You’re quiet while she’s fiery; you’re good with words and she knows martial arts. Once you marry her, you won’t have to worry about anything at home. You can simply devote yourself to your studies, and she can even protect you. In all the villages within ten miles, where would you find another daughter-in-law capable of keeping our household in line? Don’t you agree?”

Besides, they were all fellow villagers and would get along easily. If Qiao Xun became successful and later married the daughter of a high official or some wealthy young lady, Madam Wang might not even know how to deal with her!

“If that’s the case, then we’ll wait until the ninth,” Qiao Xun said. There was no way around his mother. In any event, the decision lay with Jiang Xian. If she was willing, he would marry her; if she was not, he would take the blame upon the Qiao family. He could not possibly ruin Jiang Xian’s reputation by holding her up.

Qiao Xun suddenly realized that the house was unusually quiet today. He asked curiously, “Are Eldest Sister-in-law and Second Sister-in-law not at home?”

Madam Wang shook her head with disdain. “Who knows where those two have run off to? I haven’t seen them all day. I suppose they’ve gone back to their parents’ homes to borrow money.”

Now that the family had divided its property, the two daughters-in-law were even more eager to make their own arrangements. They were probably longing to move out and live separately. Madam Wang could think of no other reason.

...

Peach Blossom Village.

Chen Daniu drove his donkey cart, carrying Jiang Xian, her daughter, and a cartload of goods, to the courtyard at the foot of Great South Mountain.

From a distance, Jiang Xian saw two women squatting outside the Jiang family courtyard, shivering from the cold. Their faces looked vaguely familiar.

She could not remember who they were for the moment, so she kept an eye on them, wary that they might be some sort of malicious watchers.

As the New Year approached, thieves, kidnappers, and the like became more common. Most of them were outsiders moving from place to place to commit their crimes, however. It was rare for anyone from the village to do such despicable things—unless they were thick-skinned enough not to fear being drowned beneath the villagers’ spittle.

Little Madam Wang and Madam Zhao had come to Peach Blossom Village early that morning, though they had not known they had brushed past Jiang Xian.

After waiting all morning without seeing anyone emerge from the Jiang household, the two women did not want their journey to have been wasted. They made inquiries around the village and confirmed that the solitary house at the foot of the mountain belonged to Jiang Xian. They then settled down to wait there.

Whenever the cold became unbearable, they paced back and forth. When they could no longer stand it, they even went to Jiang Xian’s home and borrowed a bowl of hot water from Madam Qian. While there, they had tactfully asked about the proposed meeting.

The two women had also taken turns slandering Qiao Xun. When they saw Madam Qian’s expression change, the sisters-in-law finally left, satisfied, and waited near the Jiang home for Jiang Xian to return.

Jiang Xian carried Sugar Sugar down from the cart while Chen Daniu helped bring the goods into the courtyard.

Not far away, Little Madam Wang and Madam Zhao exchanged puzzled looks.

Madam Zhao asked in a low voice, “How many daughters are there in the Jiang family?”

Little Madam Wang looked perplexed. “I think there’s only one.”

“What? Then why did three people come back together? Could that be her husband and child?”

As soon as Madam Zhao finished speaking, she watched Chen Daniu carry in load after load of New Year goods and could not help exclaiming in amazement. “Good heavens, they bought so much meat and lard, as well as rice and white flour. That fluffy sack must be filled with cotton, right? And bolts of satin, too! How many New Year supplies has her family bought? Is the Jiang family really that wealthy?”

Little Madam Wang had no idea. She was completely baffled.

This clearly looked like a harmonious family of three. Could her mother-in-law have been referring to another hunter from the Jiang family? But the woman carrying the little girl was definitely Jiang Xian, the same person they had seen two days earlier. They had not mistaken the house.

While the sisters-in-law huddled together whispering, Chen Daniu finished unloading the goods. Jiang Xian came out to see him off and gave him a packet of inexpensive rice candy.

After trying several times to refuse, Chen Daniu eventually could not prevail against Jiang Xian. He thanked her with a smile, climbed back onto the cart, and drove his donkey home.

Little Madam Wang and Madam Zhao finally put aside their doubts. So he was merely a fellow villager who delivered goods.

They had not found the wrong person. As Jiang Xian turned to return home, the two women hurried forward and called out to her.

“Jiang Xian!”

“Little Sister, wait!”

Jiang Xian turned at the sound of their voices and looked at Little Madam Wang and Madam Zhao as they approached, her expression wary and puzzled.

Once they were closer, Jiang Xian immediately remembered who they were. She pointed at the two sisters-in-law in surprise. “Aren’t you the elder and second sisters-in-law of Student Qiao? How did you find my home?”

Little Madam Wang and Madam Zhao exchanged glances. Rubbing their stiff, frozen hands, they smiled at Jiang Xian.

“Young lady, you certainly have a good memory. We only met once, and you remembered us,” Madam Zhao praised her with a smile, though inwardly she thought, This girl will not be easy to deceive.

Little Madam Wang nodded along. “That’s right. We’re Qiao Xun’s elder and second sisters-in-law. We came to find you today because there’s something important we must tell you.”

Jiang Xian raised her brows slightly and stared at them curiously, waiting for them to explain why they had come.

Little Madam Wang glanced at Madam Zhao, giving her a meaningful look as she tried to make Madam Zhao play the villain.

After all, she had already spoken ill of Qiao Xun in front of Madam Qian that afternoon!

Madam Zhao pretended not to notice.

Little Madam Wang had no choice but to ask awkwardly, “Jiang Xian, you know that my mother-in-law took a matchmaker to your home to propose marriage, don’t you?”

Jiang Xian nodded. “Yes, I know. What about it?”

Little Madam Wang let out a long sigh.

“Normally, this would be a family disgrace, and as Qiao Xun’s elder and second sisters-in-law, it would be improper for us to speak of it. But the two of us have already married into the Qiao family, that cursed pit, and we truly cannot bear to see such a wonderful girl as you fall into it as well. That is why we came especially to warn you.”

“Warn me about what?” Jiang Xian narrowed her eyes. Looking at the women’s pale foreheads, she could tell that they were ordinary people, neither blessed with much good fortune nor burdened by much misfortune. She was genuinely curious why they were taking the trouble to slander Qiao Xun.

Jiang Xian thought, Why won’t Heaven grant me the ability to read minds?

How satisfying that would be!

Little Madam Wang sighed again and spoke to Jiang Xian with great earnestness. “Jiang Xian, you don’t know our Sanlang. His reputation sounds impressive—people say he is a literary star descended to earth—but in truth, he is nothing but a jinx, the kind who is unlucky to the extreme.

“Being with him will bring you no happiness. From now on, you’ll only suffer one misfortune after another. Good things will never come your way. He can do nothing at all except bury his head in books, and even then he has never achieved anything. If the household’s soy-sauce jar fell over, he wouldn’t even know enough to set it upright.

“Jiang Xian, we only came because you look like a kindhearted girl with a good fortune about you. We have suffered enough ourselves and could not bear to see you endure the same hardships, so we came specially to warn you. Our Sanlang is not a man you can marry. He is not someone to entrust your whole life to!”

Madam Zhao hurriedly nodded in agreement. “That’s right. Miss Jiang, we truly don’t want you to repeat our old path. Oh, our lives have been unbearably difficult!”

The two women wore such bitter, aggrieved expressions that one would have thought Qiao Xun—not their own husbands—had ruined both their lives.

Jiang Xian almost laughed as she listened.

The last time they had visited, these two had been clamoring to divide the family. She wondered whether the Qiao family had granted their wish.

Now, just as the marriage meeting was about to take place, Qiao Xun’s own elder and second sisters-in-law had come to plead with her earnestly. Tsk, Qiao Xun truly was surrounded on all sides.

Was he really that terrible? Even his closest family members looked down on him?

Jiang Xian curled her lips into a mischievous smile at Little Madam Wang and Madam Zhao. “Originally, I wasn’t particularly interested in marrying Student Qiao. But after hearing what you two sisters-in-law have said, you’ve actually aroused my curiosity.

“You probably don’t know this, but I’ve had good luck since I was little. Whenever I go hunting in the mountains, I always bring back more than anyone else. Every hunter on Great South Mountain knows how fortunate I, Jiang Xian, am.

“Tell me, if someone as lucky as me were to marry that jinx, Student Qiao, do you think I could suppress his bad luck?”

Her words left Little Madam Wang and Madam Zhao frozen in place, their expressions stiffening even further.

“Jiang Xian, you’re not joking, are you?” Little Madam Wang’s mouth twitched. Had all her efforts been wasted?

Madam Zhao studied Jiang Xian with a complicated expression. Why did this girl refuse to recognize their good intentions? Could she have been bewitched by Qiao Xun’s licentiate title and handsome appearance?

If Jiang Xian really married into the Qiao family, then she and her elder sister-in-law would have gone to all this trouble for nothing. How would they face their third sister-in-law in the future?

Jiang Xian laughed aloud. “No, I’m not. Eldest Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law, I’ve enjoyed challenging difficult things since I was young. Ordinary things hold no interest for me. Life would be dreadfully dull otherwise, wouldn’t you agree?”

Little Madam Wang and Madam Zhao twisted their mouths in unison.

“Hey, you girl, why are you so ungrateful...” Little Madam Wang blurted out without thinking.

Jiang Xian’s expression immediately darkened, and a chill like winter wind radiated from her entire body.

Little Madam Wang suddenly shuddered.

Why had it become so inexplicably cold?

Madam Zhao noticed that something was wrong with Jiang Xian’s gaze. She hurriedly pulled Little Madam Wang backward while speaking to Jiang Xian.

“Well then, Jiang Xian, since you refuse to listen to our advice, just pretend we never came. We’ll be leaving now.”

Madam Zhao dragged Little Madam Wang away.

Jiang Xian snorted softly. “At least you know when to stop. Even my parents can’t control me. What makes you think the two of you can? Hmph!”

She withdrew the icy aura radiating from her body and prepared to return home.

Madam Zhao gripped Little Madam Wang’s arm and pulled her away. Little Madam Wang tried to wrench herself free while angrily scolding her. “Why are you dragging me? We haven’t accomplished anything!”

Madam Zhao’s forehead instantly creased with exasperation. Lowering her voice, she reminded Little Madam Wang, “Eldest Sister-in-law, did you not see the look in her eyes? She’s a hunter. What if we anger her and she beats us up?”