Xinghua Village was nestled in a mountain valley, with most of the households bearing the surname Wang. The village had only about fifty to sixty households, and the Wang family was considered one of the more prosperous ones.
Wang Chunhua was the only daughter in the family, with an elder brother and two younger brothers. She was quite pampered at home. At the moment, she stood at the doorway, smugly bidding farewell to her two brothers.
"Hehe, father only wants to take me and not you two. What can you do about it?"
Wang Erzhuang and Wang Sanzhuang glared at her, their eyes fixed on their father. Wang's Father didn't even glance at them, just pulled Wang Chunhua and walked away.
"Chunhua, let's go. We'll be late."
"Okay, father."
Wang Dazhuang, carrying a backpack, also ignored his two brothers and followed closely behind. The three of them were going to the town to buy items for an upcoming celebration. Having the two younger ones would only cause trouble.
The journey from their village to the town involved crossing a few mountains, which was no easy feat. Even the physically fit Wang Chunhua started panting after a while. Seeing this, Wang's Father quickly found a clean rock for her to rest.
Wang Chunhua refused, "Father, let's keep going. We'll be late otherwise."
After making the purchases, they still had to walk back. Wasting time would make the return journey even more treacherous in the dark.
"Can you manage?" Wang's Father asked, and when Wang Chunhua nodded resolutely, he pressed on, with her clinging to his arm.
Wang's Father glanced at her, slightly displeased, "I told you not to come, but you insisted. If it were just some snacks or candies, I could have bought them for you to eat back home."
"I wanted to explore the town," Wang Chunhua murmured softly. "It's boring in the village, with nothing but mountains on both sides."
They crossed another mountain, and seeing that she could barely walk anymore, Wang's Father again suggested she take a break. He pointed ahead, "It's flat from there on, we'll reach soon. There's still time, so rest a bit."
Wang Chunhua stood on her tiptoes, trying to peer ahead, but saw nothing. Having been to the town only a few times, she couldn't remember the way and didn't know if her father was being truthful.
However, Wang Dazhuang had already sat down, patting the slope next to him, "Come, sit for a bit. I'm tired too, can't walk anymore."
Wang's Father gave his son an approving glance and sat down beside him. Wang Chunhua had no choice but to follow suit.
They had been resting for a while when suddenly, a sound of sliding soil and rocks came from behind them. Wang Dazhuang quickly pulled his sister up and took a few steps forward. Looking up, they saw a tall man sliding down the slope, holding some wild chickens.
Wang Chunhua stared intently at the chickens, unable to take her eyes off them.
"Wow~ Are those wild chickens? Their feathers are so beautiful!"
Dong Shan ran a few steps to steady himself, then turned around and saw Wang Chunhua staring at him. He scratched his head sheepishly, his gaze falling on the wild chickens.
He plucked a couple of the nice tail feathers and offered them to her, "Here, take these."
Wang's Father was about to refuse, but Wang Chunhua had already taken the feathers from Dong Shan's hands, smiling, "Thank you!"
Dong Shan shook his head, "It's nothing," and hurried off to the inn with the chickens.
After he left, Wang's Father scolded, "You girl, we don't even know that person. How could you just accept his things?"
"They're just a couple of tail feathers." Wang Chunhua examined them with delight. "They're so beautiful."
The feathers were lovely, and the man looked nice too.
"Ah, you..."
Wang's Father couldn't bring himself to say more, and led them to continue the journey.
Although the family didn't visit the town often, Wang's Father, being an old man, had been there many times and was familiar with it. He directly took them to a pastry shop.
He bowed slightly, smiling, "Shopkeeper, may your business prosper!"
"Thank you, thank you." The shopkeeper gestured for them to come in. "What would the elder brother like?"
"We need to prepare for a celebration at home. Shopkeeper, what pastries would you recommend?"
The shopkeeper understood and took them to make selections. The town's pastries were limited, but for a celebration, the shop could provide some decorated with auspicious "wedding" characters for them to take home and display.
Just as Wang Dazhuang was about to join the commotion, he spotted a sickly-looking young man passing by on the street. He quickly pulled Wang Chunhua into a corner.
"Bad omen!"
Wang Chunhua peeked out, "Who is it?"
"Who else could it be?" He sighed. "That family who tried to arrange a match with you."
Wang Chunhua resembled her father more, being tall and sturdy. That family's son, however, was sickly and frail. They had wanted a strong daughter-in-law to balance him out, but the match never happened since Wang's family wouldn't let their only daughter marry such a "sick ghost."
In the end, it didn't matter, but that family had spoken quite rudely, looking down on the Wangs. Wang Chunhua had a fiery temper and ended up arguing with them, causing quite an unpleasant scene.
Her reputation as a hot-headed girl had spread throughout the village.
Wang Chunhua scrunched up her nose, "Bad omen indeed!"
The siblings hid for a while, and only when the young man was no longer in sight did Wang Chunhua breathe a sigh of relief. She had been scolded many times by her mother over this incident, and she didn't dare cause any more trouble.
Dong Shan came out of the inn, intending to buy some food, when he noticed Wang Chunhua standing stealthily by the pastry shop. He couldn't help but pause in his steps, wondering what she was up to.
Wang Chunhua turned and saw him, immediately standing upright and putting on a bright smile.
Caught in the act of peeking, Dong Shan wiped the sweat from his palms on his pants and smiled awkwardly before continuing on his way.
Wang Chunhua's gaze followed Dong Shan as he disappeared around the corner. Once he was out of sight, she turned her attention back.
If she had to marry, she would rather marry someone like him, she thought to herself, and decided to tell her mother about it when she got home.
Wang's Mother glared at her, annoyed that her daughter had come back from the town with a new love interest.
That night, the elderly couple lay in bed, discussing their daughter's marriage.
"Chunhua said she's interested in that young man. Let's see if he's already betrothed or not."
Wang's Father recalled Dong Shan's appearance and made a clicking sound with his tongue. "He doesn't look bad, sturdy like a farmer."
"Shall we go find a matchmaker to inquire about him?"
"We can try." Wang's Father sighed lightly. "I was originally thinking of finding her a match in the nearby villages, but I don't know where this young man is from."
"Let's just make some inquiries first. If he's too far, we can always tell our daughter no."
Wang's Father nodded. "Leave those matters to you then."
"Alright, you can count on me."
