Zhao Ce: "Size? What size?" He looked at the little girl in front of him with sparkling eyes, her face begging for praise. He coughed lightly, quickly bringing his scattered thoughts back. "Why don't you try them on?" he said. "To see if they fit." The little girl's slippers looked very small, and Zhao Ce couldn't help but take another look.

The sun had already set halfway by now, casting a warm yellow glow on everything. The two sat on the edge of the courtyard, bathed in the warm light. Su Cai'er was a bit shy, and she wiggled her old grass shoes on her feet. She murmured, "Should I try them on now?" without waiting for Zhao Ce's answer. She blushed, saying, "Then let me try them on..." She would always obediently do what her husband asked her to do. With that, she took off her grass shoes, revealing a pair of patched socks covering her feet. After taking off the socks, a pair of small, white feet with a slight callus on the joint of the little toe appeared in front of them.

Su Cai'er was a bit shy, but she slid her feet into the slippers. She shifted her weight, revealing her sparkling little toes. "It fits perfectly," she said. Zhao Ce looked at her restless little toes with their faint pink nail polish peeking through and coughed lightly, looking away. "Yes, of course it fits since you made them yourself," he said. "Let's wear these slippers for our bath tonight."

Zhao Ce stood up and didn't look down at the ground again. He felt like he had been in ancient times for too long and had become too innocent. It was just a little girl looking at her feet. Why should he be uncomfortable? Su Cai'er replied softly, "Okay..." blushing. She squatted down and picked up their shoes, ready to take them to their room. She also found Zhao Ce's clothes that needed to be washed and went back to their room with the little girl in her new slippers.

The next morning, the little girl helped Zhao Ce put on his new shirt. After breakfast, they saw that the sun had risen, and Zhao Ce walked to his field. When he got there, he saw Uncle Liu and his son cutting grass in the field. Uncle Liu and his son were quick with their hands and feet. After working all afternoon yesterday and this morning, they had already cut more than half of the grass. Uncle Liu's son, Zhao Zhiqiang, was the first to see Zhao Ce come over.

He straightened his back, his face covered in sweat. "Zhao Ce, why did you come over?" The uncle working in the field also looked over when he heard his voice. Zhao Ce replied, "I came to see if the grass has been cut."

"If it's been cut, then I'll come over and bring it to you," said the uncle's son, Zhao Zhiqiang. The uncle wiped his sweat and said, "Didn't we say yesterday that we would do it for you?" "You're an educated man, go home," he added. "Don't get sunburned."

Zhao Ce helplessly said, "I haven't been studying these past few days, and there's nothing to do at home." "Let me help you tie up the cut grass," he added, ignoring their objections. He joined in and even though he wasn't very skilled, he was smart and quickly got the hang of it. The uncle tried to persuade him a few more times, but seeing that he couldn't persuade Zhao Ce, he stopped.

The three of them worked hard in Zhao Ce's field, tying the cut straw into small bundles. Zhao Ce was sweating all over by the time it was almost time for lunch. Then, the uncle's wife brought over food for them, accompanied by her grandson. When she saw Zhao Ce, she exclaimed, "Oh, you're here to help too?" Zhao Ce wiped the sweat off his face and smiled, "I came to help." "It's time for lunch? Then I'll go home and have lunch first," he said.

......

As the sun rose higher, Su Cai'er was inside the house, sewing the soles of her shoes. Suddenly, she heard someone knocking on the door. She walked over and opened it, asking timidly, "Who is it?" Standing outside was Li Shi. Su Cai'er had only seen her once before, on the second day she arrived at Zhao Ce's home. At that time, she came with her uncle-in-law, saying that she wanted to take Su Cai'er away. Su Cai'er was very scared at the time, so when she saw Li Shi again, she couldn't help feeling a little nervous.

But Li Shi was her husband's aunt, so Su Cai'er suppressed her fear and invited her in. She went to the kitchen and quickly brought out a bowl of sweet soup for Li Shi. "Aunt, please drink some water," she said softly. Li Shi looked at her small and timid frame and hesitated for a moment before pointing to a nearby stool and saying, "You sit too." Su Cai'er nodded her head slightly.

She sat down somewhat uncomfortably. Li Shi didn't wait and said directly, "Are you from Xiahe village?" Su Cai'er nodded. "Then Su Sanlin, who is he to you?" Hearing this familiar name, Su Cai'er pursed her lips. "He's my, my eldest uncle..." Li Shi heard her admit it with her own mouth. She thought that what Zhao Wenhao had heard was probably close to the truth. But for the sake of caution, she continued to ask, "You, you weren't originally from Xiahe village, were you?" "I heard that your parents both passed away. How did they pass away?"

Su Cai'er looked up, her eyes misty. She glanced at Li Shi, who was staring at her. Unexpectedly, she met her tearful big eyes. Li Shi was stunned for a moment. Those eyes...were surprisingly pretty... Beside her, Su Cai'er had already lowered her head again. "M-my father was taken away by a big animal in the mountains." "My mother..." Her lips trembled. Auntie had come to ask her these things, probably because she had heard something. In her heart, she felt a little scared. Su Cai'er trembled and said, "My mother...my mother got sick." Li Shi saw her small body trembling slightly and also felt uncomfortable.

She was also a mother and had a daughter at home. She looked at this little pitiful one in front of her, whose voice was trembling. She frowned slightly, and her heart, which she had just managed to soften, became cold again. Li Shi asked bluntly, "They say that you harmed your relatives in your village. This matter can be big or small. Ce'er is kind-hearted and lets you stay." "So, you have to be honest about what happened." "After all, Ce'er is your husband, and now he is your closest person." "If you really harmed your relatives, we won't send you away." "We'll find a place for you to stay near the back of the mountain."

Su Cai'er opened her mouth but couldn't speak properly. Her voice was trembling. She never thought of harming her husband. What her mother said about her father's death had nothing to do with her. But what Auntie said also made sense. What if... Su Cai'er's voice choked up, "I...I..." She didn't finish her sentence. The door was pushed open from the outside. A familiar and reassuring voice came in. "Cai'er, why didn't you close the door?" Su Cai'er lifted her teary, blurry eyes and saw her husband walking in from outside, with his back facing the light.

knittedturtle

Check out the Patreon here for those sweet, sweet Extra Chapters 

patreon.com/KnittedTurtle

By becoming a patron, not only will you be supporting the work I already do, but you’ll also be helping me create and release even more chapters.

Whether you become a patron or not, thank you so much for reading my novel. I’m incredibly grateful for your support.