A Farm Girl: Three Acres of Fertile Land Can Be Exchanged for a Country

Chapter 77 Scarce Goods

Ruolan took Wutong to her room and found a light blue ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) for her to change into.

Because her hair was short, they wrapped it with a handkerchief, leaving only a few wispy bangs showing.

Ruolan even took out cosmetics to put on makeup for her, but Wutong was worried that she wouldn't have time to remove the makeup when she got back, and that Zhao Sanyang would see through her act, so she refused.

After getting ready, Ruolan patted Wutong on the shoulder and laughed, "You look so beautiful. If you hadn't gotten so tanned, you would have looked even better."

Wutong hadn't worn women's clothing for a long time, and now she felt uncomfortable all over. She wondered to herself if Zhao Sanyang would be so shocked by her appearance that his eyes would pop out.

She blushed shyly as she met Ruolan's approving gaze.

The two walked through a grove of trees and came to a flat meadow where a man dressed in a dark blue robe stood.

Because he was standing with his back to the two people, Wutong could only see his figure.

The other person was of average height and looked even more presentable than Zhou Pan'an.

"Young Master Hu."

Ruolan called out softly, and the person turned around. As Ruolan had said, he had a crew cut and a straight face.

It's not bad, but it's not particularly amazing either.

She had medium-sized eyes, a moderately shaped nose, slightly full lips, a slightly square face, somewhat sparse eyebrows, a few red pimples on her cheeks, and her skin wasn't very fair. (Shanwu said)

He was frail and somewhat rustic, but his eyes didn't seem particularly innocent; that was Wutong's first impression of him.

"This is my younger sister, Wutong," Ruolan said, pulling Wutong in front of him.

Young Master Hu nodded to Wutong and gave a slight bow, saying, "Hello, Sister Wutong."

Ruolan released Wutong's hand: "Please continue your conversation, I won't disturb you any longer."

"Hey..." Wutong didn't expect her to leave so quickly. She reached out to stop her, but was a step too late. Her fingertips brushed against her water sleeves, and she could vaguely see the other person mouthing encouragement to her.

She was both amused and exasperated, but she forced herself to turn around and face the young master Hu.

Young Master Hu mistook her attempt to persuade him to stay for a girl's shyness, and felt he should display the demeanor of a refined scholar. He looked up at the sky and exclaimed, "Ah, what beautiful weather..."

He sighed, shook his head, and recited a poem.

Wutong had never encountered such an opening before and didn't know how to react appropriately, so she could only clap her hands insincerely and say, "Good poem, good poem."

Young Master Hu said, "Oh, so Sister Wutong knows poetry too?"

Wutong didn't understand poetry, but she had memorized quite a few when she was studying. She said, "I've only heard a little bit about it."

Young Master Hu asked, "Which song does the young lady like the most?"

Wutong looked left and right, saw the green grass at her feet, and casually recited: "The grass on the plain grows lush and green, withers and flourishes every year, but wildfires cannot burn it all, and the spring breeze brings it back to life."

Young Master Hu clapped his hands in admiration: "What excellent writing!"

"I didn't do it."

"It would be great if you could remember it."

Young Master Hu made no attempt to hide his admiration for her, seemingly genuinely interested in her.

It's not surprising, considering that there are fewer educated women these days, making them a rare commodity.

Like Zhou Pan'an, Young Master Hu was a scholar who repeatedly failed the imperial examinations. He felt that his talents were not recognized and believed that he was different from ordinary farmers. Therefore, he believed that he should marry a woman of high status to be worthy of his wealth.

He pulled the sycamore tree to sit on the ground and began to chat endlessly.

Wutong didn't have much patience, and she was worried that leaving would embarrass Ruolan, so she could only listen with her head down.

As she listened, she realized something was wrong, because Young Master Hu's body was leaning closer and closer to her, and his fingers were slowly reaching out to tickle her palm.

I thought he was a true scholar with lofty ideals but no time to spare, but it turns out he's just a rogue in the guise of a literary figure.

He's so eager to take advantage of me on our first meeting, does he really think he's some kind of rare commodity?

Without hesitation, Wutong withdrew her hand, changed her sitting posture, and said generously, "Young Master Hu, what are your requirements for your future wife?"

Since it's a blind date, let's have a proper discussion about marriage. Who's interested in listening to his long-winded talk?

Young Master Hu wasn't embarrassed at all; on the contrary, he appreciated her frankness and said with a smile, "I don't have any requirements for a wife. A beautiful woman like Sister Wutong is naturally someone to be admired at home. She doesn't need to do any laundry or cooking."

Wutong said, "Oh? That's so nice?"

Young Master Hu nodded confidently, deeply believing that he was a husband who would be hard to find even with a lantern.

Wutong said, "That's so embarrassing, but the house is for two people."

Young Master Hu said, "Two people? No, no, I like a lively atmosphere. After we get married, we should have at least one son and one daughter to make a perfect family. What do you think? Of course, I don't mind if there are more, as I can afford to support them."

Wutong asked, "Anything else?"

Young Master Hu said, "There is also the basic filial piety. To be honest, I know about Sister Wutong's background. Your parents are both deceased. If you come to my family in the future, you can treat my parents as your own. They are both kind people."

He paused for a moment and said, “My father became disabled last winter and is now bedridden. It would be best if you could help him wash his body and serve him tea and water every day. He is a picky person and a rough servant will not be able to serve him well. But don’t worry, he has a very good temper and will not hit or scold you. He will even give you red envelopes during holidays.”

Wutong smiled enigmatically: "Anything else?"

Once Young Master Hu started talking, he couldn't stop: "And then there's my mother. She went blind ten years ago. She loves cooking and embroidery, but unfortunately, she's not able to do it all. So you'd better learn from her. If you can take on the responsibility of cooking three meals a day and all the clothes for the family, she'll probably like you even more."

She only eats three meals a day and works like a beast of burden. She can be appeased with a little pocket money during holidays. Who wouldn't like a daughter-in-law like that?

Wutong rolled her eyes inwardly and said, "After saying so much, I wonder what Young Master Hu's plans are for the future?"

She glanced at the other person's hands, which were untouched by manual labor: "I heard you've been studying since childhood. Do you aspire to pass the imperial examinations and become an official?"

These words struck a nerve with Young Master Hu. He dreamed of passing the imperial examination and becoming an official, but the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination) was always out of his reach. He had studied diligently for more than ten years and exhausted nearly half of his family's wealth, but now he had only obtained the title of Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examination). To take another step forward was extremely difficult.

He couldn't bear the hardship of studying anymore. He made his own plans and said nonchalantly, "No, no, I won't force myself to pass the imperial examination. If I can pass, I will; if I can't, so be it. But after my father passes away, I will inherit all the family property, and I will be the richest person in the surrounding area."

He envisioned the future with great ambition, spitting as he spoke: "I'll buy you a big horse-drawn carriage, and we'll go out for a stroll every day after we wake up, buying whatever we want."

The sycamore tree looked down at the green grass and thought that the army was still the best.

End of this chapter