The Fearless Husband - Chapter 18

Chapter 18 — The Fang Scholar’s Family Sends a Matchmaker…

Fang Dingman and his wife waited from morning until noon, but Yu Qinglong still hadn’t returned. If they stayed any longer, they would run out of things to awkwardly chat about with Doctor Mo.

Besides, they were getting hungry, so they climbed onto their ox cart and went straight to their fields. Someone had already delivered food to the laborers working there, and they figured they might as well sit down and eat together.

Madam Fang Wu sighed. “Why hasn’t that boy come back? Could it be he had something going on with Shu’er and didn’t want us to find out?”

Fang Dingman thought that was very likely—but probably not in the way his wife suspected. She didn’t know it, but he did: the small pulley well and the miniature waterwheel in their son’s room had obviously been made by Yu Qinglong. If they had been made by Yu Qinglong’s older brother instead, then his son would be trying to befriend him, not begging to marry Yu Qinglong.

Although their son claimed he had bought those toys, that “purchase” clearly came from Yu Qinglong’s hands. Perhaps the boy was hiding from them because he didn’t want that exposed.

Still, the visit hadn’t been entirely fruitless.

“Maybe he’s just avoiding more gossip,” Fang Dingman mused. “You know how people love to talk. Shu’er went to Doctor Mo’s place two or three times, and next thing you know, folks are saying that Yu Qinglong’s been using his lessons there as an excuse to seduce our son. Some people just can’t keep their mouths shut.”

Madam Fang Wu frowned. “Well, at least he’s smart enough to care about reputation. But could that just be an act, something he did to make a good impression on us?”

It wasn’t vanity on her part to think so. Ever since her son had passed the xiucai exam, countless families had been eager to form ties with them. Having a scholar in the family meant exemption from taxes and corvée labor—not only for himself but for his entire household. It was a status many could only envy.

Whenever she attended weddings or funerals, unmarried girls and ge’ers alike would greet her with sweet smiles.

But this Yu Qinglong had practically bolted from sight at first glance.

Fang Dingman asked, “So what’s your plan? Should we send someone to propose, or not?”

Madam Fang Wu wavered. Deep down, she still didn’t want to. The Yu family’s poverty was one thing, but the boy’s reputation was another matter entirely. He’d been rejected from three engagements already. If her son married someone like that, people would gossip without end.

And the Fang clan was large. Her branch had fewer members, but the extended family was sprawling. Both her husband’s elder and second brothers had numerous children, and their wives—her sisters-in-law—never missed a chance to whisper poison into her ears.

Still, her son was unyielding. If he insisted on this ge’er and no other, what could she do?

And then there was Doctor Mo’s comment—how healthy and robust Yu Qinglong seemed, good breeding stock, so to speak. That had stuck in her mind. A strong body meant strong children, and that, for her, was no small temptation.

Her son was tall but thin, hardly any flesh on him. If he married a frail ge’er, their child would surely be weak.

She sighed. “Let me think about it. It’s not like there’s any rush now that the bun-seller’s match fell through.”

“You’re not in a hurry, but Shu’er is,” Fang Dingman said. “And there’s something you’re missing. That Qinglong boy—he loves to study! If he and our Shu’er live together, you won’t have to worry about Shu’er slacking off ever again. It’d be like giving him both a spouse and a study companion. Where else are you going to find a deal that good?”

That argument made Madam Fang Wu pause.

Children of wealthy families often had study attendants—but not all were useful. The best ones could read and write, help with recitation, and even study alongside their masters.

They had once tried to hire one for their son, but he’d rejected them all, saying they were dull as dirt.

Seeing her hesitation, Fang Dingman pressed on. “And think ahead—when Shu’er goes to the provincial exams, Qinglong could accompany him. A girl couldn’t travel that easily, but a ge’er could. You’d never have to worry about who’ll look after him then.”

Madam Fang Wu bit her lip. “But the boy has been rejected three times. Won’t people say our son married someone other families didn’t want? How humiliating would that be?”

“That may be true,” Fang Dingman admitted, “but I want to hold a grandchild, and soon! Don’t you?”

Of course she did.

Several of her friends in the village were already grandmothers. Every time they met, they’d ask when her family would hold its wedding feast. How could she answer that when her stubborn son refused every other match?

She huffed. “Let me think on it.”

“Fine,” said her husband, “but don’t think too long.”

“I know, I know. You’re always in such a rush. If I make up my mind, I’ll send someone straight to inquire at the Yu family.”

The couple agreed to keep quiet for now and not tell their son. That had been Madam Fang’s idea—she wanted to test just how serious he really was.

Marriage wasn’t a trivial matter. It decided a lifetime’s happiness, and it couldn’t be made lightly.

That night, however, Fang Shu began a hunger strike.

Hadn’t that man from the Wang family once thrown a tantrum to break off an engagement—crying, making a scene, even threatening suicide?

He couldn’t bring himself to behave so disgracefully, of course. But skipping a few meals? That he could do. Maybe if he fainted, he’d get sent to Doctor Mo’s—and then he’d see Yu Qinglong again.

——

The next day, Yu Qinglong worried that the Fang couple might come back, but when they didn’t, he finally relaxed.

His customer service skills might not be great, but poverty gave him no choice. Of the hundred copper coins he’d earned from that wooden toy, eighty had gone straight into the household fund, and the remaining twenty were already dwindling.

He needed to record and review what he learned each day, but without ink, that was hard. So he’d bought a few small broken chunks of cheap ink, two taels in total, for only eleven coins—half the price of a full stick after haggling. So no, the toy money was not refundable.

“Has anyone come looking for you lately?” Doctor Mo asked as he practiced writing.

“No, Master,” Yu Qinglong replied.

“Then the Li family affair is well and truly over?”

“I think so,” Yu Qinglong said. “Grandmother would never risk sending me to town again—she treasures that precious grandson too much. Though they haven’t been idle either. The past few days, people have been whispering that I’m temperamental, wild, and uncultured. No doubt that rumor came from them. But it’s fine—if it means no one ever tries to arrange another marriage for me, all the better.”

Doctor Mo frowned. “You’re a ge’er—why talk about marriage so casually? Don’t you feel embarrassed? And who knows what the future holds?”

Yu Qinglong thought he was trying to comfort him, so he just smiled. “Understood, Master. I’ll stop bringing it up.”

——

That afternoon, on his way home, he ran into Hu Bo again.

It was unavoidable. The village was small, and his route to and from Doctor Mo’s always took him past that man’s house.

He tried to walk past without a word, but Hu Bo sneered, “I heard Scholar Fang’s parents came the other day. Why’d you run off so fast, eh? Got scolded for shamelessness and couldn’t face them?”

Yu Qinglong looked at him, then up at the birds flying overhead.

“What are you looking at?” Hu Bo snapped.

“I’m looking at the birds,” Yu Qinglong said evenly. “They don’t mingle with rats for a reason. Rats live in filth, so their thoughts and words are filthy too. Being near them stinks up the air—just like you. Disgusting to look at.”

“You—!” Hu Bo gritted his teeth. “Don’t get cocky! You think just because the Li and Zhao families didn’t propose that you’re safe now? Dream on! Neither of them are decent people. You’ve offended them both—you’ll see what happens!”

Yu Qinglong’s eyes narrowed. “And how do you know that?”

Hu Bo stiffened. “None of your business.”

Yu Qinglong gave a soft laugh. “Ah. So it’s Yu Qingfa, then. You and he—”

“Watch your mouth!” Hu Bo barked, face blanching.

Yu Qinglong’s smile turned colder. “My grandmother doesn’t let Qingcai talk about such things. My second and third aunts would never share that kind of gossip with an outsider—it’d make them look indecent. So where else could you have heard it from?”

The first time he’d learned about Zhao Lao Si’s scheme, it had also been through Hu Bo. Clearly, Yu Qingfa was the source.

Hu Bo’s fists clenched. “You’re slandering me!”

“You know perfectly well whether I am,” Yu Qinglong said softly. “Let me make myself clear. From now on, when you see me, you keep your head down and your mouth shut. If you so much as speak to me again, I’ll ruin your reputation. I’ve got nothing to lose—barefoot men don’t fear those wearing shoes. You’ve been spreading rumors about me these past few days? Then I’ll spread some about you. Let’s see who lasts longer.”

That shut him up.

Because the truth was—Hu Bo had met Yu Qingfa in secret several times. Not because he wanted to marry into the Yu family, but to sniff around for news, especially about Yu Qingxi.

Scholar Fang was far out of his reach—too highborn, too refined. But Yu Qingxi lived close by, and they were of similar age…

He hadn’t expected Yu Qinglong to catch on so easily. Even if he denied it, the mere possibility was enough to scare him stiff.

Satisfied at the sight of his pale, frightened face, Yu Qinglong finally left.

People like that didn’t deserve kindness.

If he had a younger sister or brother who was a ge’er, he might’ve been more careful—acted less harshly, for fear of tainting their reputation. But he was the youngest, with no one else in the family who needed to marry. What was there to fear?

The villagers had been gossiping about him for years—what difference did a few more rumors make?

As for the Bai family’s claim that Bai Wanqiu couldn’t marry until he did, that was about money, not him. He refused to take the blame for it. His only focus now was to study under Doctor Mo, master medicine, and one day leave this place.

This village was too poor, too small. He saw the same faces every day. How could he make a living when no one here had money to spend?

Town was better, but not by much. He needed to reach the big cities—see the world beyond these dusty roads.

There was no entertainment here, no company, not even a hot bath to look forward to. So he worked, studied, and worked again, trying to drown out his restlessness.

At least the parts for the waterwheel were finished. Once his second brother brought the remaining materials, they could assemble it. If it sold, he’d start saving for travel expenses.

That night, he told his eldest brother, “Big Brother, I need a large stone for the base of the waterwheel. It’s heavy—I can’t carry it alone. Could you help me bring it back when you have time?”

“Of course,” Yu Qingjia said. “I’m heading to the hills to chop wood these next few days, but I can help in the afternoons. Have you found the right stone?”

“Not yet,” Yu Qinglong said. “I plan to look soon. There are plenty by the river to the south.”

The same spot where Fang Shu had once gone to haul stones.

He remembered there being several good ones there. Lately he’d been too busy studying and crafting to check.

Now that the wheel parts were done, it was time to find the perfect stone.

His brother agreed to help once he did.

For the next few days, Yu Qinglong washed clothes and searched for stones by the river.

The weather was warming fast. Everyone sweated while working, so washing was necessary—and convenient cover for his search.

That day, he finally found one that would do. He returned home, ready to tell his brother—only to freeze at the sight of a stranger sitting inside.

The visitor’s clothes looked oddly familiar—almost identical to those worn by the matchmaker surnamed Li he’d seen at the gate once before.

A bad feeling crept up his spine.

Before he could ask, his sister-in-law Zhou Jian’er waved him over cheerfully. “Little Brother, come help me with something.”

Outside, he lowered his voice. “Sister-in-law, who’s that in the house?”

She smiled brightly. “A matchmaker! She’s here on behalf of the Fang family from the lower village—asking if our family might be open to a marriage arrangement.”

Yu Qinglong frowned. “Marriage? Between who and who?”

“Silly boy, of course between Fang the scholar and you!” she said, grinning. “The Fang family’s taken a liking to you—they want you to marry their scholar son!”

Yu Qinglong: “?!”

Was that Fang Shu out of his mind?!

He’d just finished drawing up his three-year plan!

Author’s Note:
Yu Qinglong: My three-year plan, goneee 😭
Fang Shu: Can I be included in that plan, husband? 👀
Yu Qinglong: [rolls eyes]