Chapter 45: Then, will he marry me?

In the courtyard, Xiao Qing let out a burp.

Just moments ago, Xiao Qing had indulged in a feast.

The dozen or so mice nearby had all been swallowed in single gulps by Xiao Qing.

Just as Xiao Qing had eaten her fill and was feeling comfortable enough to go to sleep, she suddenly saw her elder sister running back through the night.

"Sister, you..."

"Xiao Qing, I'm going to sleep!"

Before Xiao Qing could finish her sentence, Bai Ruxue ran into her room as if she were fleeing, leaving Xiao Qing standing bewildered in the night.

What was wrong with her sister?

And where was Big Brother Xiao?

Hadn't he gone to find her?

Xiao Qing waited in the courtyard, and after about the time it takes to burn half an incense stick, Xiao Mo finally returned.

Xiao Qing hurried forward. "Big Brother Xiao, what happened to Sister? Did something happen between you and her?"

"Emmm..." Xiao Mo thought for a moment. "Your sister and I did have a little something happen, but it's nothing serious. Ruxue is actually perfectly fine, so don't worry."

"Alright then."

Since Big Brother Xiao said so, Sister must be okay.

"Get some rest early. I'm heading back to my room," Xiao Mo said to Xiao Qing.

Xiao Qing nodded. "You should rest early too, Big Brother Xiao."

***

"I said it... I actually said it..."

Lying on the bed, Bai Ruxue's ankles were taut, her shapely calves repeatedly kicking against the mattress.

She pressed her pillow tightly over her head, leaving only her peach-blossom eyes exposed.

"I realized that I think I've fallen in love with you..."

Recalling the words she had just spoken to Xiao Mo, Bai Ruxue felt overcome with shame, and her fair calves kicked even faster against the quilt.

After a long while, as the bashfulness in her heart slowly ebbed away, Bai Ruxue gradually regained her composure.

"Wait... why was I so shy? And why did I run away on the mountain?"

Once she calmed down slightly, Bai Ruxue realized she had acted quite foolishly.

After she had said those words, she had been so mortified that her only instinct was to bolt down the mountain.

But in reality, there was no need to be ashamed.

To like someone is to like them; to not like them is to not like them.

*I just like Xiao Mo.*

*I only spoke the feelings in my heart out loud.*

*I didn't even wait for his reply before I ran straight down the mountain.*

"Seriously, why did I run?"

Bai Ruxue buried her head in the pillow again, feeling a sense of annoyance at herself.

After sulking for a while, she rolled over and lay on her back.

Staring at the ceiling with the pillow clutched to her chest, her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts.

*Does Xiao Mo like me?*

*He should like me, right?*

*Last time, he said that once I understood what true love was, he would marry me.*

*Is this what true love feels like?*

*Then, will he marry me?*

*Do the words he said back then still count?*

The more she thought, the more anxious she became.

She wanted to go find Xiao Mo, but she didn't dare to ask him.

In her heart, she looked forward to the answer, yet she was terrified of it.

"So annoying, so annoying, so annoying!" Bai Ruxue rolled around on the bed like a rolling pin. "I wasn't like this before!"

"Sister, what's wrong?"

When Xiao Qing entered the room, she found her sister rolling incessantly on the bed.

"Xiao Qing..."

Clutching her pillow, Bai Ruxue sat on the bed like a duck, her peach-blossom eyes wavering.

"I feel like I'm not acting like myself anymore. What should I do?"

***

In his room, Xiao Mo was reading by candlelight.

In the past, Xiao Mo had needed to rely on moonlight to read at night, and if the moonlight was poor, he couldn't read.

But after passing the Yuan exams, he no longer needed to do that.

Now, even if Ruxue didn't raise silkworms or catch wild chickens and rabbits, Xiao Mo would not lack money.

However, Ruxue continued to raise silkworms and occasionally caught wild chickens and rabbits to sell, believing that every little bit of extra money helped.

A quarter of an hour later, Xiao Mo set down his book.

He felt he could no longer focus.

His mind was filled entirely with images of Ruxue.

Xiao Mo truly hadn't expected Ruxue to say such a thing.

Although Ruxue had said "I like you" before, Xiao Mo knew that this time was completely different.

Ruxue's affection for him was true romantic love.

Xiao Mo had been stunned at the time and hadn't had a chance to respond before Ruxue ran off.

"That girl..." Xiao Mo shook his head with a smile and gently blew out the candle.

It seemed he would have to make a trip to the town tomorrow.

He couldn't keep her waiting for too long.

***

The next morning, Xiao Mo woke up and walked into the courtyard.

Bai Ruxue had been wiping the table, but upon seeing Xiao Mo, she acted like a startled little bird and hurried into the kitchen.

During breakfast, Bai Ruxue didn't say a word and didn't dare look at Xiao Mo.

Whenever Xiao Mo moved slightly closer to her, she would blush and quickly move away.

Xiao Qing sensed that something must have happened between her sister and Big Brother Xiao; the atmosphere between them was indescribably strange.

"No! I can't go on like this!"

In the afternoon, Bai Ruxue patted her cheeks.

She felt she couldn't keep hiding from Xiao Mo, and in her heart, she wanted to know his answer.

It was just that she was too embarrassed to take the initiative to ask.

Therefore, in the afternoon, Bai Ruxue summoned her courage to clean the courtyard, attempting to approach Xiao Mo.

But Xiao Mo acted as if nothing were wrong, as if yesterday's events had never happened, focusing solely on the book in his hands.

Seeing his calm demeanor, Bai Ruxue puffed out her pink cheeks, feeling a small surge of irritation.

She continued to pace around Xiao Mo, trying to catch his attention.

But Xiao Mo remained unresponsive; Bai Ruxue even began to suspect if he had lost his memory of the previous night.

"Stupid Xiao Mo, stupid Xiao Mo! I said those things last night, yet you're acting like nothing happened today! Even though I was the one who ran away, you could at least give me an answer now! Stupid Xiao Mo! You clearly said you would marry me, and now you won't say a single word! You big egg, you big egg! I'm never talking to you again! You big, big egg!"

In her room, Bai Ruxue squeezed a pillow between her rounded, full legs and began punching it repeatedly with her small fists, as if she were pounding on Xiao Mo's chest.

"Sister... are you okay?" When Xiao Qing walked into the room, she saw her sister bullying a pillow so hard it looked like the cotton stuffing was about to burst out.

"I'm fine!" Bai Ruxue pouted petulantly, her chest heaving. "Is that stupid Xiao Mo still reading?"

"No," Xiao Qing shook her head. "Big Brother Xiao went out."

"Eh? Out?" Bai Ruxue blinked. "Where did stupid Xiao Mo go?"

"To Qingshan Town," Xiao Qing said. "Big Brother Xiao said he went to get something. He told you not to worry and that he'll be back in a couple of days."

(End of Chapter)