Chapter 6: The Only Choice Is to Compromise.
Translator: Flying Lines
Xie Mengxuan sat on the bed with her head down, being absent-minded.

“Darling, darling, I’ve made some fish soup, quickly get up and taste it. I caught the fish barely a moment ago. It is quite fresh!”

With full expectations in his starry eyes and his smiling face, Geng Zhishan walked out of the kitchen and shouted loudly as he held the fish soup. He walked as quickly as he can for the purpose of currying favor with her.

Xie Mengxuan just came back to earth to see the fish soup in front of her. The soup was white and decorated with chopped green onion on it. The scented fish smelled delicious and she was tempted by it, with her fingers slightly moving and her stomach growling secretly. So she reached out her hands and took the soup. She blew the green onion to the edge of the bowl; then she took a sip of the soup.

The fish soup was so delicious that she couldn’t help drinking more.

It seemed that she liked the soup a lot; Geng Zhishan simpered and said, “My dear wife, do you like the fish soup? If you like it, I’ll make soup for you every day.”

When hearing that, Xie Mengxuan felt a tremor in her heart. She looked up and saw his glittering eyes full of joy.

Suddenly she came to mind vaguely that she had seen the same sparkling eyes before. Her face assumed a sort of dreamy expression. She regarded him as a familiar man in a moment.
As the man’s giggle came to her ears, Xie Mengxuan regained her consciousness. She tried to hide her disappointment so she bowed her head and looked at the soup saying, “It is widely said that a gentleman should stay away from the kitchen. Are you really reconciled to cook for your family in the kitchen? Haven’t you thought to marry a woman who will cook for you?”

She meant nothing saying so, but the face of the foolish man turned red. He sat on the bedside and touched her hand with his fingers, whispering, “Darling, if you are willing to cook for me, I will be very happy. Even if it doesn’t taste fine, I will still eat all of them.” Xie Mengxuan blinked, ‘What happened?’ As soon as she turned her head, she saw the man smiling shyly. She moved her body slightly to the other side, worrying in her heart, ‘Does the stupid man regard me as the only woman to marry?’

Geng Zhishan stared at Xie Mengxuan’s fair and tender hands and reached for them, “Dear wife, your hands feel so tender.”

Slapping!

Xie Mengxuan slapped him on the back of his hand subconsciously. “Don’t touch me.”

Geng Zhishan looked at his hand and then looked at her with grievance. It seemed that he was really hurt, “But you are actually my wife.”

She was the firstborn daughter of Xie family and was loved and doted by the whole family. A lot of men tried to woo her and would like to marry her. She once heard many of them say “I love you”. But as wise as she was, she could sense whether these men loved her wholeheartedly.

She couldn’t deny that at the moment, she was vexed. She had a clear sense that the peasant man loved her wholeheartedly. Nevertheless, this love would eventually turn out to be fruitless.

When they were looking at each other, she could see that she was the only girl in his eyes. Xie Mengxuan pursed her mouth and twisted her lips into a smile. What a lovely and witty girl she was. Geng Zhishan even lost himself in admiration of her.

Xie Mengxuan went gloomy. She moved closer to Geng and asked in a low voice, “Geng Zhishan, do you…do you like me?”

He nodded his head quickly. “Yes, I do.” A shy smile lit up Geng Zhishan’s face.

Xie Mengxuan took a deep breath. It was wrong for her to exploit the man, but she had no choice. In return, she would treat him kindly when she stayed here currently and repay his favor in some day.

She smiled for finding such a rational reason and turned to Geng Zhishan:”If you do love me, I will ask you for help. May I make a request?”

Her smiling expression and sweet voice made him confused. But he nodded his head subconsciously.She tried to purse her lips and lower her voice. Finally, she stared at him and said, “Please take me to Imperial Capital.”

Hearing these two words, Geng Zhishan regained his mind. He withdrew his eyes from Xie and braced himself to ask, “Darling, is this a honey trap?”

She froze for a moment at Geng’s words, wondering why such a stupid man became clever at this time. Therefore she compressed her lips tightly with her squinted eyes and long face. She raised her chin up slightly and said word for word.

“Just forget what trap it is; I just need your specific answer. Will you help me or not?

Geng Zhishan compressed his lips too while staring at her, with an unyielding attitude. He erected his back and bowed his head, murmuring, “I know you regard me as a fool. If you go to Imperial Capital, you won’t come back anymore. You detest me because you think I’m foolish, like others do.”

“I don’t,” she felt torpid.

Geng Zhishan looked up at her, “If not, why do you persist in leaving me?”

It was unbelievable for her that she should feel a sense of guilt as if she had bullied a little kid. She really had a headache just looking at the grievance on his face.

In the end, she waved her hands and watched her injured legs. “All right, all right. I will not go to the city before my legs recover.”

Hearing those words, Geng Zhishan was very happy. Instead of hugging her, he restrained himself from the impulse and danced round in circles in the room. Finally, he squatted in front of her like a puppy, with his eyes brightened. “My dear wife, honey, may I take you to go for a walk in the mountains? I need to cut firewood to earn a living. Look, I can make money.” Geng Zhishan took some copper coins from his pocket. It seemed that he was begging for praise like a dog after accomplishing some difficult moves, which made Xie twitch the corner of her mouth unconsciously.

She looked down at these copper coins that were strung together on a rope, whereas the money did by no means matter to her.

“My dear wife, you are in charge of all the money for the rest of my life.” Geng Zhishan stuffed them into Xie Mengxuan’s hands and smirked.

The money couldn’t even afford one of her earrings. But the man was so sincere that she couldn’t made a snide comment. She had handled countless money before and would normally ignore the several coins. However, those copper coins this man gave her felt so valuable and heavy.

“I won’t receive them, please take them back.” Xie Mengxuan put them back in Geng’s hands.

Geng Zhishan looked at the money in his hand and thought that it might be too little for her. So he immediately lay under the bed and looked for something, stirring up dusts that pervaded the whole room.

Xie Mengxuan bent down to have a look but inhaled the dust accidentally. She coughed for a while, waving her hand, and asked with confusion, “Geng Zhishan, what are you doing? Copper coins are not seeds, so they will not grow up and yield fruits of silver.” She said this seriously, while Geng Zhishan kept rummaging under the bed. Hearing Xie’s words, he raised his eyebrows unconsciously. ‘Of course I know!’

After a while, he finally pulled out a small earthen jar. He adjusted himself and wore the same silly look again before he came out to put the jar in the hand of Xie Mengxuan.

Xie Mengxuan looked at the dirty object and moved aside, asking teasingly, “Have you actually planted money successfully?”