That day, Fu Yun was unable to part from Yue Ji for a long time and returned to the village later than usual.

Seeing as his behavior had been odd recently, one of the others immediately walked up to him to see if he was alright. “Fu Yun! Did something happen?”

Fu Yun could only smile wryly. He also knew he hadn’t done that good of a job at pretending that everything was normal but he had still hoped that he had done better than this. Now, it seemed that it was high time he gave an explanation.

He shook his head but stretched out his arm and put it around the other man’s shoulders. “Happen? Not really. But there’s something I have to tell you.” The wry smile was still on his lips and now turned a little sheepish. He had long since decided on the story he wanted to tell but had always waited for the right time. Now, it seemed that that time had come.

The other raised his brows. “What’s going on?” He couldn’t help but think that even if nothing had occurred on this day, something should have happened a few weeks ago. That would be the reason for Fu Yun’s odd behavior then. Maybe now, he was finally willing to talk about it.

Fu Yun cleared his throat, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed when he thought of what he was about to say. “Well, I … I met a girl.”

The other man blinked his eyes, unable to understand what was going on. He met a girl? But what did that have to do with anything?

Fu Yun saw that he didn’t catch his drift and could only continue to tell his story. “Actually, it’s been a few weeks since then. I just … I didn’t think it’d lead anywhere so I didn’t want to tell anyone just yet. But I’ve been seeing her more often lately and today, we talked for a long time, and … well, I think I want to be with her.”

Slowly, it dawned on the other man what this was really about. “So you … have been so distracted lately because you’ve been thinking about this girl?” That definitely wasn’t what he had expected but thinking about it now, it also seemed to make sense? Huh. Sometimes, things could really be this simple. They shouldn’t have worried as much before and just waited for Fu Yun to come clean himself. All that effort had been wasted.

Fu Yun nodded, glad that his story seemed to be taken seriously. Well, save for the fact that this girl wasn’t a girl at all but should be considered male and also happened to be a spirit instead of a human … it wasn’t complete bullocks so maybe that was why it seemed believable enough.

With the relief of not being suspected flooding through him, he got slightly more talkative. “Yeah, that day, I was vexed about still not finding any prey on my usual route despite being out for so long so I went deeper into the forest. That’s where I saw her.

“I know it must sound ridiculous but it was love at first sight for me. At that moment, I knew I wanted to marry that girl and spend the rest of my life with her. It’s just that I also know it wouldn’t be a good idea so I didn’t say anything back then.”

The man excitedly patted his shoulder, smiling brightly. “What are you even saying! I was always wondering when you’d finally wake up and fall in love. Isn’t it great to find someone you like? There’s nothing ridiculous about that. You’re just finally catching up to the lot of us.” He laughed when he said so and almost wanted to call the others over to let them know. Seeing how secretive Fu Yun had been about this so far though, he didn’t dare to overdo it. It was good enough that he had been willing to tell one of them now.

Fu Yun scratched his head. “Yeah, I guess you’re not wrong. It’s just that I didn’t know who she was or where she came from and beauty is only skin-deep, after all. I thought it would be better to wait a while.”

“Well.” The other man patted him on the shoulder again. “It’s good to not be too hasty but you also have to grasp an opportunity when it presents itself. You said you finally decided though?” If he remembered right, that was why Fu Yun had finally opened up, wasn’t it?

Fu Yun nodded, glanced over his shoulder at the forest, and gave a hum. “These weeks, I’ve diverged from my usual route a bit so I managed to see her every now and then and exchange a few words. She’s from a small village on the other side of the forest. They’re also not doing too well over there so she went out with some small traps to try and catch something. I don’t think she has had much luck either.”

The other man made a sound of agreement. “Not surprising. None of us did either. This winter is really too harsh.” He fell silent and then sighed. “Well, it seems like even a harsh winter has its good sides. When are you going to bring her here? I mean, she did agree to be with you, didn’t she?”

Fu Yun hurriedly nodded. “Yeah, she agreed. In fact, I brought it up today. That’s why I couldn’t keep silent about this any longer. It’s just …” He put on a troubled expression, looked at the man next to him, and then around the village. “I don’t have family here but she does on her side of the forest. It seems a bit wrong to ask her to move here. She also mentioned that I could live with her and her family instead.”

The man looked at him in a daze. “Live with her family?” How could that be? A woman moved into a man’s house after marriage. He had never heard of a live-in son-in-law! Was such a thing even possible?

But then, Fu Yun’s parents had indeed died already so there was nobody for the woman to take care of even if she moved in. And Fu Yun’s house wasn’t big either. It could be more aptly described as a hut. There wouldn’t be much to do for her.

On the other hand, if she had a big family that needed to be supported, then Fu Yun could play a vital part in that while she could continue to take care of her parents. Even if her family wasn’t big, it might not be too bad. Maybe the girl was even her parents’ only child. Then her staying to take care of them when there were no in-laws on the other side made sense.

The man rubbed his head, feeling that even though it sounded odd at first, it might still be the best way to deal with it in the end. Anyway, Fu Yun certainly wouldn’t have decided on this if that wasn’t the case. He had probably spent quite a few days thinking about everything before he brought it up to her today. Although … “Are you sure about this yet?”

Fu Yun smiled faintly. “I am sure that I want to be with her. As for anything else … I guess we have until the end of the winter to think about it. Before that, it doesn’t seem to make much sense to make any decisions. A wedding is better to hold in the spring.”

“Eh, it could also bring some good luck. Maybe winter will end sooner if you accumulate some.”

Fu Yun laughed and slapped the other man’s shoulder. “Believe me, I’m the one who is the least patient when it comes to waiting for the end of winter but my marrying her won’t change a thing about it. Anyway, I’ll go back home and look through my things. If I really move there, there’ll be lots of things to organize so I want to be prepared.”

“Oh, sure.” The other man nodded but then couldn’t help but call him back. “Ah, right!” He grabbed Fu Yun’s shoulder again and pulled him back. “Heh, say, this matter with that girl … is that supposed to be a secret?”

Fu Yun looked at him in surprise. “No, it’s not.” In fact, he had told him so the story would spread faster. He didn’t want to have to recount it over and over again, after all. Plus, if everyone made up their own version later on by filling in the blanks, he’d have to think about it less and could just focus on preparing for his future life with Yue Ji.

“Alright, I … I just wanted to make sure because you didn’t talk about it earlier. I mean, you can trust me. If you want me to keep a secret, I’d definitely keep it!”

Fu Yun smiled, not sure if he really trusted in anyone’s ability to keep a secret in this village. Usually, everything even slightly odd would soon be spread around. “Don’t worry, I just didn’t say anything because I wasn’t ready. It wasn’t about not trusting you guys or something. So, of course, I don’t mind the others knowing. Either way, I gotta go now!”

The other man gave a hum and nodded, watching Fu Yun leave for his hut again. Then, he immediately rushed to tell everyone else. It indeed was true that secrets couldn’t be kept long in this place and if it wasn’t even supposed one, that would only make the story travel faster.

Fu Yun knew that this would happen. He smiled to himself as he closed the door behind him, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled. It didn’t matter how it was spread. The important thing was that by the end of this day, everyone in the village would know he had met someone he liked and would likely move to the other side of the forest after the end of winter to be with them. The details could get fudged in between but this was the overall version everyone would agree on. For him to be with Yue Ji without a problem, it was enough as well.

The other side of the forest might not sound far but, actually, the forest was quite big. Even if you walked straight ahead, you’d need half a day to get to the other side. And, well, there was no straight path through the forest, only a few footpaths that had been created throughout the years by the hunters taking the same routes again and again.

This kind of distance wasn’t too far to visit somebody but it was far enough that most people wouldn’t think of it for no good reason. In the winter, when the paths through the forest were hard to see and even harder to follow, nobody would try for sure.

While they might make an attempt during the other seasons, he hadn’t mentioned any specific regarding that village on the other side of the forest. So if somebody tried in the future, they wouldn’t be able to find the right one and could only return in confusion. By then, they could make up whatever story they liked. He’d already have built his life with Yue Ji.

Fu Yun sighed to himself but then shook his head. The people in his village could also be considered his friends. He naturally didn’t want to lie to them and he would be lying if he pretended that it wasn’t difficult to know that he might never see them again. But Yue Ji was worth it. Since he had decided on this life, he could only do all this.

He smiled wryly and then indeed went to look at everything in his hut, deciding how it could be transported best. There wasn’t too much in small objects as he had already figured before. The most troublesome would be the furniture. He could leave it behind but … this was also what had been left for him by his parents.

His mother had died young and his father had finally left him alone in the world before he had even come of age, so these things meant a lot to him. They were the last objects that tied him to those two people and they were full of memories of a time when he hadn’t been all alone. He didn’t want to lose it and also wanted to share it with Yue Ji.

Of course, he could show him when they came here to take the small things but then they would be in a hurry. Plus, finishing the hut in the forest would be difficult already. If he had to add new furniture … well, it would take more time.

He thought for a while and then started to pile the small objects together, already tying the fragile things like his bowl and plate up in furs or other fabric so they wouldn’t break on the way. As for the big things, he’d get a carriage. He didn’t have to vanish in the middle of the night, after all. He only had to sneak Yue Ji in at such a time so he wouldn’t be seen. But he could totally come back in the day to get the rest and then slowly get it to the clearing.

Making up his mind, Fu Yun took his time to prepare to move his things bit by bit. Since everyone in the village was now aware of him moving to the other side of the forest when spring arrived, nobody thought it strange. In fact, everyone was excited for him, and soon, some gifts in preparation for the upcoming wedding piled up in his hut, adding to everything he’d have to take along and also adding to his anticipation for the end of winter.