People in love tend to become foolish.
In reality, this isn't entirely true. They simply focus too much on their partner, causing them to overlook potential issues.
It's similar to how some fans perceive their idols as being filled with starlight. If you remind them that their idols also fart and defecate, they might consider it blasphemous.
Likewise, those in love only see the good in their partner, ignoring the bad—even if it's a fatal flaw.
After An An came of age, Wen Qian constantly emphasized that it was okay to fall in love, but one should never lose their head over it.
Who would have thought that An An would remain clear-headed until this age? Sometimes Wen Qian wondered if her overly pessimistic education had caused her child to have no expectations at all.
An An didn't have any intention of spending her life alone, but she also didn't have any particular desire to stay single or get married.
If it happened, it happened. If not, so be it. It wasn't a big deal to her.
When An An interacted with people, especially those who had shown interest in her before, there were reasons why things didn't work out. First, there was no spark. Second, she could already predict what they would say or do next.
This made An An feel incredibly bored. In matters of love, figuring out the other person completely took away all the fun.
An An's ability to predict and judge situations might not have been as refined as Wen Qian's, but when it came to matters of the heart, she was possibly even more direct than Wen Qian, without any hesitation.
So before anything could even begin, the story had already ended for An An. To outsiders, it seemed as if An An never took relationships seriously, but in reality, she had already decided there was no future.
When Yin Chuan arrived, An An only followed her mother's request to learn about the new resident's background, also to ensure safety.
As they gradually spent more time together, An An found him quite interesting.
Yin Chuan felt the same way, so they often arranged to go hunting together.
Yin Chuan wanted to use these opportunities to spend time with An An, using excuses like setting up fence posts to mark territories or teaching hunting techniques.
Although they were doing things together, they often focused on their prey and couldn't talk much, but finding food in the forest was the top priority.
This way of interacting was actually the most realistic for the two of them. Neither was the type to fall head over heels in love instantly, nor would they neglect basic needs for the sake of romance.
Their relationship developed in this most mundane of ways.
Until Yin Chuan took the initiative to define their relationship—that is, to become a couple.
Once this relationship was confirmed, they wouldn't be the same as before. They would appear together in front of others.
At this point, when neighbors saw them walking together, they knew what was going on.
Wen Qian also found out. An An had informed her when they defined the relationship, receiving wishes for a good relationship in return.
The two continued their leisurely romance, with An An going to Yin Chuan's area to hunt together one day, or Yin Chuan coming to find An An another day.
During the second autumn, Yin Chuan proposed. He thought about the long winter ahead when they wouldn't be able to see each other much, so he wanted to get married quickly.
An An figured the timing was about right, so she agreed. You could say Yin Chuan's plan of action was within her expectations, but she didn't dislike it.
Marriage meant they could live together, so they wouldn't have to worry about not seeing each other in winter. They were both quite happy about it.
Seeing the young couple's romance, Wen Qian couldn't help but think of how people from her era used to fall in love. Back then, people had mobile phones. When they couldn't meet in person, they could call, text, or video chat.
Unlike now, when you had to walk so far just to talk to someone face-to-face.
And there was no chance to manage a group of backups through phone fishing, let alone two-timing.
Wen Qian didn't know the situation in the south, but here in the Northern Forest, if someone dared to two-time and deceive others, and was discovered—as long as the victim wasn't blinded by love—the scoundrel would have only one fate: to be beaten half to death.
After An An and Yin Chuan got married, they still lived with Wen Qian. When Wen Qian talked about the past, Yin Chuan also spoke about southern customs.
It turned out that in the south, they could have multiple wives or husbands. However, those who could have multiple partners were mostly wealthy and powerful.
Most ordinary people still practiced monogamy. Yin Chuan was originally just introducing the situation in the south, but when he finished, he found An An staring at him.
An An felt she had been too trusting. If Yin Chuan had another wife in the south, what did that make her?
She had never even considered this possibility before and wondered if falling in love had lowered her IQ.
Before bed that night, the two sat in candlelight. Yin Chuan found An An's question amusing and said, "You really are slow on the uptake. We're already married, so it's too late for regrets now."
An An narrowed her eyes. "What's there to regret? If there's a mistake, we can fix it right away. It's not a big deal."
Seeing that he couldn't tease her anymore, Yin Chuan explained, "Your mother already checked my background. You don't need to worry, I'm as clean as a whistle. Haha!"
An An's eyes widened. "Checked your background?"
"How else could I have entered your family? Your mother asked about everything before we decided to get married."
After some thought, An An felt her mother was really impressive, thinking of everything for her.
Yin Chuan, on the other hand, was recalling the scene at the time.
Originally, Yin Chuan and Wen Qian often met because of An An, but they never really got to know each other deeply.
It wasn't until they were about to get married that Wen Qian asked to see Yin Chuan alone. They talked for a long time, something An An didn't know about.
Yin Chuan still remembered how Wen Qian had just smiled and asked him to recount his life experiences from childhood to adulthood.
After Yin Chuan finished, Wen Qian asked him to tell the story again in reverse order.
This method seemed like she was looking for inconsistencies. Yin Chuan was taken aback but began to recount his story backward.
Not only could he tell it in reverse, but he could also provide detailed answers to Wen Qian's questions.
Yin Chuan increasingly felt that this elder was no ordinary person. He wondered what would happen if any of his lies were exposed.
The Wen Qian he observed was very relaxed, with no weapons around her, but her aura was strong, despite her advanced age.
After passing the test, Yin Chuan let out a long sigh. He felt like he had been interrogated, but understood that it was all for her daughter's safety.
Wen Qian naturally wanted to consider her daughter's future. If the man in question turned out to be full of flaws, she wouldn't hesitate to eliminate him.
In the Northern Forest, one or two deaths were hardly unusual occurrences.
Fortunately, Yin Chuan harbored no ill intentions, and he spoke honestly when addressing his lover's elder.
Although Wen Qian was advanced in years, killing someone wouldn't be difficult for her. After all, she could still skillfully utilize her spatial abilities.
She appeared to have nothing in her hands, posing no apparent danger, but her spatial pocket contained no shortage of lethal implements.
