Chapter 8 chapter eight

After a few minutes, he woke up with a start. "Get your dirty hands off!" Aya yelled at him, elbowing him in the ribs. "Do you think I'm that kind of casual woman?" Jemin blinked for a long time before he knew where he was or what happened.Chaos seems to be the norm these days.Chaos had been his way of life ever since he climbed over that wall and met this strange girl. She was still sitting on his lap, but she was losing her temper with him—she always seemed to be. "Do you think I'm another Diana?" If she had been another woman, waking up with him on his lap, he would have kissed her, but Aya was not like other women.

Without saying a word, he pushed her to the ground without any politeness, and walked towards the horse. Aya was at a loss, did he flirt with every woman he came across? "A pervert!" she said, but her tone was not as accusatory as it should be.She stood up and patted the dust off her body. Jamie approached her. "I won't—" she was cut off as Jemin put his arms around her waist and lifted her into the saddle.But he held Aya a little too high, and she fell hard into the saddle.When she screamed, Jemin smiled and sat on the horse behind her. As soon as the horse started, Aya naturally leaned back on Jemin's body, which made the corners of his mouth curl up, and (though he didn't see it) Aya smiled too.

After a while, Aya said softly, "I chose your favorite white cheese." "Really?" Jemin asked, managing to keep his voice steady but ecstatic inside.It was the first time Aya had served him, and it was especially sweet that she had noticed what he liked. He tried to find something to say, "Maboken gave me some money, but what you bought today will save me a lot of money." Aya squirmed in his arms, then looked up at him. "Oh, Jemin, I'd love to help save money. I liked what I did today, it was fun, and..." She looked down. "Maybe it's my specialty."

Jemin smiled. "You did a great job." "Really? Do you really think so?" "Yes, you are as talented in business as you are in painting." Aya stared at Jemin with wide eyes. "But I'm not good at painting. I believe you have seen better painters than me." "No, I've never seen a better painter than you." Aya hesitated to speak, as if she had forgotten how to speak, which made Jemin laugh. "I noticed you like almonds, so I'm going to use them as a duck stuffing, and..." She pulled some wild sage from under her blouse. "I found this, it can also be used for stuffing."

Jamie smiled at her. "I'll definitely savor it," he whispered. Aya couldn't understand him for a moment, and then she blushed when she realized that Jemin meant where the sage was hidden.She turned away blushing. Upon seeing the camp, Aya said, "Can I help save money? I like being useful." "Of course," said Jemin. "But don't lie, stop saying you sell cloth that never wears out, and stop disappearing suddenly. Can't you imagine how worried I was when I woke up this morning and found you gone?" "I thought you'd be happy," Aya said, pouted. "If I fell into a hole and couldn't get out, your life would be so much easier."

Jamie smiled and hugged her tighter. "Aya, I will miss you if you are gone. I know you will only cause me trouble, but I will miss you anyway." Knowing that Jemin couldn't see her face, she grinned heartily. "Today there are turnips and carrots, and a dollop of butter. Oh, yes, and onions, and I can pluck a goose feather and make you a pillow." "That's great," Jemin whispered as they entered the camp, and Rhys helped Aya dismount. "Excellent indeed." As soon as she saw Aya sitting in front of Jemin, Fran knew immediately that their relationship had changed.Of course there would be changes, because Aya seemed to have a way with men; maybe she used to make good things for them to eat.

Fu Lan sighed heavily, this trip did not go as she expected.When she agreed to pose as the May heir, she imagined that along the way everyone would know who she was and that she would attract the interest of many men, one of whom she would choose as her husband.While it might be cheating to do so, Fulan hopes that her beauty will make him love her.She knew it was the only way she could marry a good man. Aya knew what she was going to face at the end of the trip, Fran didn't, and she didn't know if Mayboken had made arrangements for her.Would he send her a letter telling her that she no longer had to be Aya's "girlfriend"?Will she be sent back "home"?She always described her family to Aya as a bunch of angels, but in reality they would just ask her to take more food, more money, more of anything from May's.

Fulan knew that Aya thought her living in a "beautiful prison" was the most photographable thing in the world, but Aya had never seen the world, so she didn't know what would happen to a woman when she had no money.Fulan's mother had been a great beauty, but she married for love: instead of a wealthy but old boring banker, she married a handsome man who could never settle down to work.Five years later, Fulan's mother was no longer beautiful. Pregnancy, childbirth and earning money to support the family made her old and haggard. When her mother was alive, Fulan, dressed in tattered clothes, often walked to the banker's mansion, wondering how her mother would marry someone like her father.She watched the banker's children in their clean starched clothes, looked at their toys, and vowed never to make the same mistake as her mother.If she—Fulan—is lucky enough to inherit her mother's beauty, she will definitely make good use of it.

It was her idea to write to Mayboken, explaining that her family was his distant relative, and asking for a job, and sometimes Fran remembered the painstaking effort she had taken to steal high-quality stationery from the printer's desk , and then revise the contents of the letter over and over again.In her letter she told Mayboken that his daughter must be lonely because no one had ever seen her, so could she—Fran—be her friend? When the reply letter and a bag of money arrived, Fu Lan and her family were ecstatic.They celebrated for a week and pretty much ran out of money.When the Mei family's carriage came to pick up Fu Lan, she left without looking back.

Now, Fran sees a way to leave Aya, the stingy Mayboken, and the dreaded Todd without having to depend on the May estate.If she can make a man fall in love with her, she will marry him.She doesn't want him to be so rich or handsome that a girl can blush, she just wants him to look like a banker who was rejected by her mother. But who could she marry?How to find objects?Fulan wanted to scream.If she had to pretend to be Meng Jieming's wife along the way, how would she find a suitable partner? Aya dared to sneak out of Jieming's sight, but she didn't dare. So Fu Lan looked at the opportunity in front of her.Jemin has two subordinates, but Fu Lan can tell at a glance that they are poor and not much better than her.Now only Jemin is left to choose.

But he fell in love with Aya! Damn woman!Fulan thought, Aya doesn't know how men look at her, she is so ignorant that she thinks that men are staring at her because she is the heir of the legendary Mei family, but the fact is that Aya's vivaciousness greatly makes up for her lack of classicism. beautiful.Completely cut off from the outside world, Aya has no idea what behavior is appropriate and what is not, and she is likely to host anyone her father sends to see her for dinner in the barn! Aya has no concept of class and treats everyone equally.Two years ago, an elderly duke said that he was tired of hearing all the rumors about the heir and wanted to see Aya in person.As a result, Aya asked him to pluck the goose feathers, and drew the scene, and then gave the painting to him.As the old man left, he swore he had never had such a good afternoon in his life.When they learned of the old man's death the next year, Aya shed tears. So Fran wasn't surprised that Meng Jiemin looked at Aya fascinatedly. What really surprised her was that Aya looked at him in the same way, and Todd's eyes when he observed them.There must be something growing in it! Love, Fulan thought with disgust, was the beginning of love, that stupid useless thing that everyone talked about but no one really needed.It was love that made her mother unhappy, it was love—— It was love that was about to ruin Aya, Fran thought.If Aya rebelled against her father and insisted on marrying a poor earl, then Mayboken would definitely cancel her inheritance.Then, of course, her count would leave her for it, so where would Aya go? Maybe I should save her, Fu Lan thought, if I took Yu Jieming away, then Aya would not be able to make her father angry, and would not be in danger of losing her inheritance. And if I marry the earl, then I will be Lady Flan, she thought with a smile, wouldn't that make my sister mad with jealousy? Of course, Meng Jieming said he was poor, that's why he took the job.But how poor can a man with a title go?Besides, he has many rich relatives who are willing to help him.Fu Lan saw that as soon as those relatives received his letter, they immediately sent people to protect the Mei family's carriage. Compared with her, Meng Jieming is much richer, and he is probably the only man she will meet.It's a pity that he is too handsome, Fu Lan has already discovered that the uglier the man is, the easier it is to seduce. Fulan narrowed her eyes and looked at Aya, setting a goal in her heart.At the end of this trip, she will be Meng Jieming's wife.Whatever means had to be taken, she would give it a go.Someday, Aya would appreciate her. Aya was rearranging the horrible and uncomfortable carriage.If the Queen of England is free to move around the country, why not the May heir?The answer, of course, is that Mayboken is too big and unwilling to spend more money to hire guards, so that his only son is forced to travel like the daughter of an unknown merchant.However, Aya seems to enjoy bartering with the lower classes.Like her father, she likes to make money. Fu Lan stood up and patted her body.She hates riding in such a crappy carriage. When she becomes Mrs. Meng, she will have her own luxury carriage, velvet seats, twelve footmen, and—— "What are you planning?" Fran was taken aback. She didn't have to turn around to know that it was Todd, the hideous little man, who was whispering to her. "I was thinking maybe I could save Aya," she replied, before walking away with airs.Let him guess, let him accompany his beloved Aya, and guess what I'm thinking! She walked towards Jemin with a smile. "Would you like to walk with me for a while?" Jemin asked Fulan. "The night is beautiful tonight," Fulan took Jemin's outstretched arm, and the two walked along the path. "In a few days we won't have to sleep outside," Jemin said. "We'll be lodging at my friend's house and have a bed to sleep in." Fran smiled slightly. "Great, so I don't have to cook around a campfire," she said with a grimace. "Aya did a great job, didn't she? I never knew almonds tasted so good!" Jemin recalled with a smile. Fulan looked up at him, the gradually darkening sky made her look extraordinarily beautiful. "Are you going to walk with me and talk to another woman?" "Uh, no..." said Jemin, and then lost his mind. After they walked in silence for a while, Fu Lan suddenly laughed. Though puzzled, Jemin turned to her, about to smile. "We are the same type of people, aren't we?" Fu Lan said kindly. "How to say?" "Tell me, Jemin, do you have to work hard to court women? I mean, do you have to send flowers or write love poems to get a woman's attention?" Jemin looked down. "Actually..." he stammered. "I don't have to," Fu Lan said. "Just sit still and let them woo me. There's been men fighting over sitting next to me, or over serving me cider." She looked up at Jemin. "It must happen to you often." Jemin smiled and looked down at Fulan. "I admit it did, until recently—" Fulan frowned. "I think it's time for you and me to talk about business." But Jemin's mind is still stuck in "recently".The first day I met Aya put her under him, then he put her on his lap and spanked, then she attacked him, and his eyes were bruised; Aya sat in front of him to sleep on the horse and then she sat on his lap— "...to make plans for marriage, perhaps in secret, and then tell my father—" "Married?" Jemin didn't hear the first half of the sentence, and said blankly. Fulan blinked her thick eyelashes at him. "I thought you wanted the gold from the Mei family, the property I inherited." "I..." Jemin didn't like hearing it said so bluntly. "It's okay." Fu Lan said, keeping her body as close to Jemin as possible.When she found that his mind was wandering elsewhere, she let him go suddenly, covered her face with her hands and began to cry. "Oh, Jemin, you don't know what I'm going to face, my father is going to marry me to a horrible man, I'll never have love and children, I know it! I'm only three weeks old like a A prisoner is locked up, and I'll be a prisoner when I get married. Oh, how can I bear that?" Jemin pulled Fu Lan into his arms, stroking her back to comfort her. "I know Aya said you wanted to marry me out of spite, but that's exactly what I asked for. I always dreamed that my father would send a handsome man to escort me, and then we might—no, I dare not say come out." "Tell me," murmured Jemin, afraid he already knew the answer. "Maybe he'll save me from this dreadful marriage." "Your father trusted me, he—" "How is your family?" Fu Lan said. "Is it as poor as Aya? Is it well fed and warm?" Jemin swallowed, thinking of the moldy lentils Pei Ling described, and her dream of being warm.The recent relationship with Aya made him forget his responsibilities, and Fulan's words brought him back to reality. Fulan grabbed Jemin's arm and looked at him with pleading eyes. "We could marry in secret, and once we were married, my father couldn't object, he couldn't dissolve our marriage." "But..." Jemin didn't want to speak. If Mayboken got angry, would he cancel her inheritance? Fulan smiled slightly, as if she could see through Jemin's mind, "Everyone only pays attention to my father's wealth, so much so that they forget that my mother is the only child of a rich man. If my father doesn't give me anything, I still have grandpa The land, the house, a castle or two, and a decent income." She smiled at Jemin. "What's more, I don't believe that my father will be disappointed because I marry the earl." "Maybe..." Jemin said absently. Fulan looked up at him, tears welling in her eyes. "You'll save me, won't you? For me? For your family?" Jamie gripped her shoulders firmly. "I will try my best to save you, but my sense of honor makes me have to ask your father's permission. I can't marry you in secret, I must get his permission." Fu Lan looked away so that Jemin would not see her face.She couldn't let Mayboken know about it. "I don't care if he agrees or not. He imprisoned me for half his life and sold me to the son of a rich family. Shouldn't I be happy?" "Don't say that about your father, don't—" Jemin knew the problem was that he couldn't seem to think.Marriage is not a child's play and should not be taken lightly.What would happen to his family if he pissed off someone as rich as Mayboken?He has to think about them. "I will--" "You don't like me," Fu Lan pouted. "You don't like me at all." "Of course I like you," said Jemin, but even he knew his voice was unconvincing.Frankly speaking, he rarely thought of Fu Lan. "I can understand," Fu Lan said coldly. "It's always been like this. After all, I'm the heir to the May family, and that usually scares men away. No man will love me for who I am, they all want money, and only Aya can make a man love her. You Look at Todd, ugly, but he loves Aya; Les can't leave her eyes, even Tom wants to chase her. Aya is right, I'm not human, I'm just my father's gold." Fran turned and walked toward the camp, but Jemin grabbed her arm.Xiao Qiu always said that as long as a woman told Jemin a sad story, he would become tender. "Fulan," he said softly. "No, you are a very sweet woman, and every man would marry you very soon." "Oh, Jemin," Fran said, grabbing his neck. "I just knew you loved me! I would be the best wife in the world, and your family would be the best, and you would be the happiest man in the world." Fran took his hand. "Come on, let's go and tell the good news to others." Her eyes lit up when a thought flashed through her mind, "Yes, you should write to my father, and I will write to him too , we put the letters together and sent them to him. I'm sure he'll agree, because he'll be glad to hear his daughter is called the Countess. Come on, don't delay." She stopped, looking at Jemin. "What's wrong? Isn't this what you want? You are about to marry the heir of the Mei family, please tell me if this is what you want." "This is what I have to do," murmured Jemin. "This is what my family needs." Fu Lan stretched out her arms and spun around in circles. "I'm the happiest woman in the world, what about you? Aren't you happy?" "Oh, I'm happy, really happy." But his voice was full of resigned pathos. "Come on, we have to go back." "Yeah, we've got to tell them," Fran said cheerfully, then paused. "But, darling, let's not talk about writing to my father, Aya will—well, you know who she is. Just say we're going to be married in secret, okay?" "Of course." Jemin said, then heaved a heavy sigh and followed Fulan back to the camp. P.S. Sorry, the purple silk vest was torn when Aya set me on fire, but don't worry, I wasn't hurt. "How?" Xiao Qiu asked. "What do you think? I'm sure he's about to marry the May heir, and I'm sure Mayboken will be delighted for his daughter to marry Jemin. He's an earl, after all." "I'm not so sure," Pei Ling said, smelling the fragrance of flowers from the small garden behind the house. "Do you think that if Mayboken married his daughter to his brother, would he refuse? What man would refuse? So he would marry his daughter to the son of a rich merchant. There must be something hidden in it, just as many poor nobles want to marry She does." "It's true," Xiao Qiu said, but he didn't want to think about it. "What kind of person do you think this person named Aya is?" Pei Ling hesitated for a moment before answering. "I think she's the funniest person I've ever heard." "Interesting? Guess the widow just back from the funeral didn't find her 'interesting.' Weird, why didn't anyone throw her in the compost?" "But then again, what's the widow going to do with a thousand buttons? Maybe she's grateful they've been bought." Xiao Xi stopped pacing and looked at Pei Ling.For some reason, her and Pei Ling's roles seem to have switched.In the past, it was usually Xiao Qiu who was cynical and skeptical about things, but now it was Pei Ling who had a pessimistic view of money. For some reason, Xiao Qiu didn't like this girl named Aiya. "Oh, Xiaoqiu," Pei Ling said with a sigh. "Are you never romantic? You worry that your romantic brother will fall in love with this poor Aya, and then we will never have enough to eat." "According to your words, he has fallen in love with her!" Xiao Qiu muttered. "How can you say that my brother is very romantic? Is it romance that makes him such a good soldier?" "of course." "You're crazy! How can a soldier be romantic if he kills you to death?" "You know very well that Jemin hates killing, what he loves is the sense of honor and justice in defeating evil." "That's true," Xiao Qiu said slowly, "but what does that have to do with Aya? She almost drove my brother crazy, and even set him on fire." Xiao Qiu narrowed her eyes. "I'd love to set her on fire." "Pick some cherry blossoms for me, okay? Judging by their taste, there should be a good harvest this year." Xiao Qiu took out the dagger by his side, and cut off a branch from the nearest cherry tree. "What shall we write to my brother?" "You mean, what can we write that makes him really fall in love with this rich woman, because Jamin has admitted that he only married her for the new roof." "Yeah, Jemin's sense of honor doesn't extend to love in marriage, does it? We're too poor for love." "And he has a lot of burden," Pei Ling said sadly. "Mother and I" "And me," Xiao Qiu said. "I want to be like a queen and never marry!" "I want to have a thousand babies like the queen bee, each pulling on my skirt and putting their arms around me." Xiao Qiu smiled slightly. "O'Henry is always waiting for you, and he'll give you—" "Be careful, I'll fix you!" Pei Ling said, reaching out to grab her little sister.