Mother Liao suggested calling the matchmaker back, and Liao Shisan agreed. He then called his daughter back from the store to discuss the matter.
Liao Qiuniang, with her head lowered, kept clutching her cuffs. When her father noticed, he asked his wife to leave so that he could talk to his daughter alone. “You want to marry him, but you feel that you are not worthy of him?” Liao Shisan inquired.
Liao Qiuniang’s face turned pale, and tears streamed down her face. Liao Shisan clenched his fists tightly, released them for a moment, and spoke in a deep voice, “Aji and those two guards were sold overseas by the master, and they will never come back in this life. Now, your father is working in King Yan’s army. Yin Wen, Wang Yunshi will never dare to say anything to the outside world. As long as we don’t tell, the Feng family won’t know.”
Liao Qiuniang shook her head, wiped her tears, and said, “Mr. Feng treats me sincerely. I can’t lie to him.”
Liao Shisan pondered, “Then what are you going to do? If you don’t marry him, will you never marry in this life? Qiuniang, if you really don’t have anyone you like, father won’t force you to marry, but when you meet someone who likes you, how can I have the heart to see you in such a state?”
Liao Qiuniang remained silent.
Liao Shisan continued, “Qiuniang, you didn’t get caught by that b-stard. Even if you did, you’re still you, nothing more, nothing less. Others can look down on you, but you can’t look down on yourself.”
Liao Qiuniang’s vision blurred again, and she choked up, saying, “Don’t talk about it, I understand. You go and ask him to come over. I will tell him in person that if he doesn’t mind, I will marry him. If he minds, just pretend that the marriage proposal never happened.”
Liao Shisan agreed, “Okay, if he doesn’t agree, Father will work in another guard house.”
Liao Qiuniang nodded absentmindedly.
Liao Shisan went to find Feng Teng, and Liao Qiuniang, not in the mood to sell buns anymore, sat alone in her room.
Some time later, Liao Shisan returned and took Liao Qiuniang to the hall. Feng Teng was fidgeting. No matter what he asked, Liao Shisan refused to say why Qiuniang wanted to see him. Feng Teng thought about it and felt that Qiuniang might want to scold him face to face.
“You talk, I’ll be guarding outside.” Liao Shisan sent his daughter into the hall, then walked away a few steps and guarded from a distance.
Feng Teng, unafraid of anything, found himself suddenly overwhelmed at the sight of Qiuniang’s red eyes. He wanted to approach her but hesitated, questioning, “You don’t want to marry me; your parents forced you, so you’re crying?”
Realizing the absurdity of his assumption, Liao Qiuniang was teased by him and laughed through her tears. Her almond eyes were clear and bright, with a slight dimple near her lips.
Feng Teng anxiously observed her smiling face, captivated by its charm. From the moment he first saw her, he wished he could visit her store every day to buy steamed buns and witness that radiant smile.
“I guessed wrong? Then why are you crying?” Feng Teng asked, taking a step closer.
Liao Qiuniang glanced at his big feet. Honestly, despite Feng Teng being the son of an official, he was a big and robust man, resembling his father both in physique and temperament. His demeanor was akin to the diners she often entertained, making her feel a sense of familiarity. Yet, Feng Teng’s handsome appearance brought her joy as he courted her gracefully. His approach was simple, just lining up daily to buy buns, without any bullying or inappropriate advances.
She looked down upon someone as dignified as Yin Wen, regardless of his wealth or power.
“I have something to tell you.”
Taking a deep breath, Liao Qiuniang raised her head and gazed firmly at Feng Teng.
Subconsciously, Feng Teng straightened his back. “Speak, I’ll listen.”
Forced back by his fiery and sincere eyes, Liao Qiuniang turned her head and confessed, “I have experienced harassment before. Though I am still pure, he touched me inappropriately, even saw my legs…”
Despite summoning the courage to say that, Liao Qiuniang couldn’t hold back her tears.
Feng Teng was shocked by her words at first, and then became angry from his heart. He clenched his fist and spun around twice, then slammed it on the table, gnashing his teeth and saying, “Who is that beast? I’m going to kill him now!”
Liao Qiuniang lowered her eyes and revealed, “Yin Wen, Elder Yin’s eldest grandson. Elder Yin once saved my father’s life, so my father beat him twenty lashes, and the grudge is over. You can’t seek revenge.”
Feng Teng was taken aback. The Yin family’s reputation in Pingcheng was well-known, and he naturally recognized Elder Yin.
“Does the third master and the third wife know about this?” Feng Teng asked, his chest heaving.
Liao Qiuniang glanced at him and replied, “The third lady knows, and she accompanied me to the Yin family to seek justice. The third master probably doesn’t know, and I don’t want him to. I don’t want to hurt the third lady or cause trouble to her. Yin Wen is a beast, but Elder Yin and the third madam are good people. If the third madam hadn’t given me a store and a bodyguard, I might have died at Yin Wen’s hands.”
Feng Teng was angry, squinting his eyes and saying, “How can you endure this?”
Liao Qiuniang held back her tears and explained, “My father has already dealt with him. It’s not important anymore. I just didn’t want to lie to you. Why are you asking so many questions? I’ll ask you: Do you still want to marry me? Just tell me. If not, then my business has nothing to do with you!”
Her tears flowed like water breaking through a dam. Feng Teng finally understood, belatedly realizing why she had always seemed hesitant around him.
It wasn’t that she didn’t like him; she was afraid he would mind.
Feng Teng rushed over, embraced Liao Qiuniang, and declared, “Marry! As long as you are willing to marry me, I will obey you!”
Liao Qiuniang cried even harder, clutching his clothes and asking, “You really want to marry me and will never regret it?”
Feng Teng assured her, “There is nothing to regret. I will treat you as if you were bitten by a dog. I was also bitten by a dog when I was a child, so let’s not dislike each other!”
Liao Qiuniang burst out laughing. She simply liked him, liked his rugged physique.
Suddenly, a low cough came from outside.
Liao Qiuniang hastily pushed Feng Teng away, blushing, and ran off. She didn’t run very far before hearing Feng Teng loudly addressing him as father. Overjoyed, she realized he truly didn’t mind her past.
Liao Qiuniang agreed to Feng Teng’s marriage proposal.
Feng Teng was ecstatic. The next day, when he saw Wei Luo in the guardhouse, he couldn’t help but run over to show off, “Third Master, I’m getting married, and I’ll treat you to a wedding wine!”
Wei Luo finally took another look at him.