Chapter 14: Marriage

Chen Wuji smiled lightly in his heart; Huo Sanniang is also a person with a perverse taste.

She actually uses this kind of thing to tease a fool.

He shifted the shoulder pole onto his left shoulder, scratched his head and said, "It seems I'm supposed to go somewhere? This, right?"

Since she's interested, let's have a proper chat.

Huo Sanniang's cheeks flushed quietly, yet she asked eagerly, "Where are you talking about?"

Chen Wuji's eyes narrowed slightly; is this something that can be said?

He shook his head, still wearing a foolish expression, and said, "I don't know…"

"I don't know what you're talking about either, so what shall we do?" Huo Sanniang said, troubled.

Chen Wuji almost couldn't hold back a laugh, "Well then, little miss, you're pretending quite decently."

It's not that members of the same family don't go through the same door, right?

"Maybe it's the mouth," Chen Wuji said.

Huo Sanniang's watery eyes widened suddenly, and she coughed violently, "You rascal, how could you think of that place?"

"Men and women just have different faces, right?" she asked again abruptly.

Chen Wuji smoothly followed Huo Sanniang's line of thought and asked in surprise, "Isn't that so?"

"It's not something, it's different, not at all the same," Huo Sanniang shouted.

She rubbed her cheeks hard, "It's over, I still want to be a woman, but now I seem forced to be a man; I don't want to be a man in this kind of matter at all."

"You… you fool, you're not that utterly stupid, how can you not even know this? Bodhisattva, truly absurd."

Her words suddenly gave Chen Wuji a very good idea.

This matter must go along with it.

We should let Huo Sanniang take the initiative; it should be very interesting.

"Not knowing is just not knowing," Chen Wuji muttered.

Huo Sanniang clenched her teeth, steeled her heart, and suddenly said forcefully, "Tonight I'll teach you properly, just once; if you learn, there'll be a next time, if you don't, then just endure."

"But I'm stupid," Chen Wuji's mouth twitched, "You're harsh on me."

In that very instant, he suddenly had a flash of insight and finally knew how to play the fool.

Just treat yourself as a four- or five‑year‑old child.

There's no need to pretend to be slurred‑mouthed and muddled.

Huo Sanniang laughed in irritation, rose onto her tiptoes, patted Chen Wuji's head, and in a child‑soothing tone said, "Alright, alright, don't feel wronged, I'll teach you a few more times."

"It's not that I'm unwilling to teach you; truly, that kind of thing isn't suitable for me to teach."

Chen Wuji pursed his lips and asked, "Then who will teach me?"

"…" Huo Sanniang was stunned, "Well, it seems only I can teach, never mind, I'll teach. I was joking with you, you rascal, why are you taking it seriously?"

…

All the while bantering, they unintentionally arrived at Yunan County City.

Under a not‑particularly grand city wall, two Soldiers were stationed there, and outside a not‑very long line of ordinary townsfolk carrying poles or hurrying with donkey carts was queued.

Before the gates were opened.

Huo Sanniang leaned against Chen Wuji, whispered, "Just wait a bit, before the gates open; if we enter now we should just catch the Matchmaker on duty."

Chen Wuji nodded.

He was brimming with energy now, his chest almost about to burst.

Huo Sanniang unintentionally promised him many good things, making him completely exhilarated.

His mind was filled with Huo Sanniang's instructions for the night, and how she would teach him to do such things.

Not to mention, playing the fool actually seems quite nice.

Having found the right trick, playing the fool isn't that hard; one can persist for a while.

After waiting about a quarter of an hour at the city gate, the gate opened.

After the guard Soldiers inspected them one by one, Chen Wuji and Huo Sanniang entered the city smoothly.

The two did not linger a moment; after entering they headed straight for the Xianya.

Huo Sanniang's guess was correct; the various officials in the Xianya were just starting their shift.

Upon learning Chen Wuji and Huo Sanniang were there to register a marriage, they hadn't even seen the Matchmaker, yet a Clerk below promptly handled it.

Chen Wuji examined carefully; marriage registration in this era was still quite detailed.

The ages, birth orders, and marital statuses of both parties were recorded in detail, with special note of a brother's house transfer.

After sealing, the Clerk gave Chen Wuji and Huo Sanniang a marriage contract and a marriage acceptance document.

With these two marriage documents, Yuan Laoer could only make Huo Sanniang a widow again, or forcefully seize her.

Otherwise, even if he bribed the Matchmaker to the extreme, the fact of this marriage could not be altered.

Absurdly, as they were leaving, that Clerk actually gave each of them two cash coins.

It's unclear what the original wording was, but according to the Clerk, this was Court money rewarding them for marrying.

It's His Majesty the Emperor's reward!

After leaving the Xianya, Chen Wuji's lingering heart finally settled in his belly.

Now he can peacefully sell meat.

"Wife, let's go, we're going to sell meat," Chen Wuji laughed especially merrily.

One of life's three great joys, he has encountered one today.

Huo Sanniang blushed, nodded, and the two hurried to Yunan County's largest market—East Market.

Here it encompasses all sorts of livelihoods; everything you can do is present.

Huo Sanniang paid the business tax for entering East Market, then took Chen Wuji to a spot beside a pork stall and said, "Let's set up here."

"Someone's already selling, let's stay a little farther," Chen Wuji shook his head and said.

Huo Sanniang's business sense still needs development.

This isn't a main thoroughfare nor the most crowded spot, and there's another pork seller; he carries these odd items, which probably only attract onlookers and are hard to sell.

Chen Wuji pulled Huo Sanniang, walking while watching the meat market, and finally stopped beside the live‑animal trading area, setting up his own small stall.

He took out a pre‑prepared small wooden board and wrote a line of advertisement on it with charcoal.

"Mountain God meat nurtured by spiritual Qi, sincerely offered for twenty coins."

Huo Sanniang watched Chen Wuji write the line cleanly and neatly, and her eyes quietly narrowed.

Someone seems to be lying.