The Fortunate Lady and Her Mountain Man

Chapter 257: Chapter 257: Deduct One Point

Song Jing suppressed his soaring spirits and solemnly promised Ji Huan, "Don’t worry, I’ll have my mother find the best matchmaker to propose marriage to your family."

Ji Huan’s smile vanished.

"Um, don’t tell your mother just yet... What I mean is, there’s no rush. The most important thing right now is your exams, and there are so many of them..."

Song Jing was brimming with excitement. Forget two or three exams; even eight or ten wouldn’t feel like a hardship.

"Whether it’s the county exam or the provincial exam, I will definitely pass. Trust me."

He was on top of the world, his words now filled with more confidence than before.

It wasn’t that Ji Huan didn’t believe him, but nothing was ever a sure thing when it came to the examination hall.

"Ahem. Anyway, just do your best. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Even if you can’t see the world outside for a while, it’s not a big deal. The scenery here is quite nice too."

To prove her point, she gestured randomly to a spot.

But then she saw the amusement in Song Jing’s eyes deepen.

Ji Huan followed his gaze and realized she had pointed to the burial mound.

She shot Song Jing a glare but couldn’t help laughing herself.

After they finished laughing, her tone became serious.

"I’m serious, Song Jing. We can give this a try, but I haven’t agreed to marry you right away. There’s a trial period, understand?"

’Trial period...’

The initial rush of excitement in Song Jing’s mind slowly faded, and his reason returned.

He guessed that Ji Huan hadn’t proposed this trial period just to test him.

Given their current circumstances, it was unrealistic for him to marry her immediately, even if he wanted to. It wouldn’t affect him much, but if things went wrong, it could end up hurting Ji Huan.

’I was too rash. I should wait until after the provincial exam, once I’ve earned the title of scholar, before proposing to her.’

He wanted Ji Huan to marry him with honor and fanfare. He wanted to make it so those rumors and slanders... even if they couldn’t be silenced completely, at least no one would dare say them to her face.

He also wanted...

He had many plans for their future, but all of them depended on him passing the provincial exam first.

’I have to be patient. I can’t be too hasty.’

Having thought it through, Song Jing let out a breath.

"Alright. I’ll do my best to pass this trial period as soon as possible."

This was what Ji Huan liked most about him. He was always open to discussion, understood things immediately, and would never force his own wishes on her.

So she smiled, her eyes curving. "Good performance. Plus one point!"

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Song Jing’s eyes twinkled mischievously. "In that case, I’ll have to keep score for you too."

Ji Huan nodded calmly. "Fine by me. It’s only fair to treat everyone equally."

Song Jing immediately followed up, "Do you want to earn a point right now?"

’What does he mean by earning a point right now?’ Ji Huan watched him warily.

Guessing what she was thinking, Song Jing looked a little embarrassed and quickly said, "Don’t get the wrong idea... It’s just... a few days ago, I saw Wu Rongying’s fiancée gave him a sachet that she made, and he carries it with him every day... So, I was thinking..."

’So after all that, he’s just asking for a gift in a roundabout way.’

’Of all things, he wants a sachet?’

Ji Huan felt a headache coming on.

"Um... you should probably forget about it."

Rejected before he could even finish his request, Song Jing looked a little disappointed.

Ji Huan explained awkwardly, "My needlework is terrible. You probably still remember those gloves... Can I just not earn this point? Or maybe you could ask for something else... If all else fails, you can just deduct a point from me, right?"

Song Jing didn’t say anything, just watched her quietly, his gaze conveying his unyielding stance.

"Well... alright, fine." Ji Huan reluctantly agreed.

"But let me warn you now, it’s definitely going to be poorly made. In any case, it won’t be as good as the one made by what’s-his-name’s fiancée."

Song Jing looked at her with a smile in his eyes. "Whatever you make will be the best, and I’ll be sure to wear it every day."

Ji Huan had planned to just slap something together to get it over with, but hearing that Song Jing would wear it every day put her under immense pressure.

Seeing her conflicted expression, Song Jing’s smile widened. Ji Huan, in turn, shot him an annoyed glare.

A gentle breeze wafted by, brushing past the man and woman sitting side-by-side under the shade of the tree. Even the light and shadows seemed to slow their steps, tiptoeing softly past them.

After chatting and laughing for a while, the conversation inevitably turned to the recent events concerning the Hu Family.

Song Jing hadn’t gone out much recently. He’d heard from his classmates that the person selling hot and spicy soup had changed—and at more than one stall—and he had been quite worried about Ji Huan, afraid it might affect her.

After returning to the village, he had heard bits and pieces, but nothing was as real as hearing it from Ji Huan herself.

After that, Song Jing also asked about the vagrant.

In the letter Ji Huan had written back to him, she mentioned that a vagrant had appeared at the village entrance, and that he had even moved closer to her house.

Song Jing had been worried, and in his second letter, he specifically urged her to be careful and suggested it would be best to discuss a solution with the village chief.

Ji Huan gave him a general account of what happened afterward, including how the vagrant had saved Dabao from human traffickers, and how they had discovered the vagrant’s injuries and gotten him medical treatment.

"You’re saying he’s living in Dabao’s grandfather’s house now, still recovering from his injuries?"

Ji Huan nodded, paused for a moment, and then suddenly asked.

"Although Doctor Xin performed the surgery, I also helped clean his wounds. And when Hu Liang and Hu Dacheng are busy and can’t come over, I also have to look after his meals. Do you... mind?"

Song Jing’s brow furrowed slightly, but after a moment, it slowly smoothed out.

"It would be a lie to say I don’t mind at all. But... since he did you and your brother a great service, helping him is the right thing to do."

Ji Huan let out a small sigh of relief.

When she was helping the vagrant, she and Song Jing weren’t really anything to each other. Now that they had broken the ice, some things needed to be made clear.

’I’ve thought about it. If Song Jing minded a great deal, or even objected, believing that a woman shouldn’t have contact with other men for any reason... I still wouldn’t have abandoned the vagrant. On a smaller scale, that would be irresponsible to a patient. On a larger scale, it would mean that if I married Song Jing, I would have to become the model of a woman whose husband is her entire world. I don’t think I could do that. So the most likely outcome would be...’

Fortunately, while Song Jing might not have been entirely thrilled about it, he was willing to understand her actions. This gave Ji Huan a sense of deep comfort.

After pretending to be magnanimous, Song Jing then deliberately put on a stern face.

"Once your moral obligation is fulfilled, you should still send him away as soon as possible. His origins are unknown. What if his enemies come looking for revenge? How would you and Dabao handle that? Also, in the future, if there’s anything that Hu Liang and Hu Dacheng can handle, try to entrust it to them. It’s just that..."

He didn’t finish, but Ji Huan could no longer hold back her laughter.

"As you wish, Lord Song."

Song Jing glanced at her, then glanced at her again, unable to keep a straight face any longer. He broke into a smile. "It’s too early to be calling me ’Lord.’ I’m waiting for you to call me by another title."

’Talk about progressing at lightning speed.’ Ji Huan was truly impressed.

"Then you can just wait!"

Seeing that it was getting late, it was time to head back.

They certainly couldn’t walk back together, so Song Jing let Ji Huan go first.

Ji Huan nodded, walked down the slope, then turned to wave at him before leaving with a carefree stride.

Song Jing watched her until she was far away, shaking his head and smiling to himself for a moment before he, too, started back.

As he neared the village entrance, he heard someone call his name.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!