Cuddling with the Cold Female Protagonist – Chapter 3
by Little PandaMartial Contest
Her quick agreement stunned everyone present.
When Ye Shui heard this, her eyes reddened and she shook her head vigorously at her.
The fate of a young lord who marries to counteract misfortune, others might not know, but she knew all too well.
Because her father had been such a counteract misfortune husband for her mother, but shortly after giving birth to her, her mother died. Her father was considered to be a wife-killer [ε 妻 | kΓ¨ qΔ« | someone believed to bring misfortune to their spouse], suffering endless torment. After her grandmotherβs death, the father and daughter were driven out. Her father was taken to work on river repairs and soon died of illness. When she begged her aunt to let her father be buried with her mother, she was told her father was a wife-killer and unworthy of their family graveyard. She could only sell the keepsake her mother had given her father and buy a separate plot of land to bury him.
Ji Qingchi smiled comfortingly, βDonβt worry, Iβve heard the Su family head is benevolent and charitable, surely her young miss is also reasonable. Nothing will happen.β
Besides, even if that young miss was unreasonable and willful, she could make her submit with the sword in her hand.
Ji Qingchi smiled very gently.
Wang Erfeng saw this and happily said, βThatβs good then. Why wait for another day when today will do? Come with us to the city to apply right now!β
Fearing she might change her mind, Ji Qingchi didnβt care either way β the sooner she met the Su family, the sooner she might be able to return to the palace.
She immediately agreed, βAlright.β
Seeing her savior anxiously pacing about, she smiled and said, βBenefactor, come with me.β
Li Tiezhu said, βWhoβs ever heard of bringing another woman along when going to be someoneβs counteract misfortune husband?β
Ji Qingchi gave her a sidelong glance, βSheβs like my sister. The officials havenβt made any rules saying a young lord canβt have his sisters see him off, have they?β
Li Tiezhu shrank back from that glance, feeling as though this young lord had wanted to kill her just now.
But thinking that he was just a weak young lord without any weapons, what could he do to her? She immediately muttered, βWho knows if sheβs really a sister or a βromantic sisterβ.β
Ji Qingchi gave her a cold look without responding. Wang Erfeng was very pleased and asked his cousin sister to drive their ox cart to take them to the city to apply.
Wang Erfengβs cousin sister was almost thirty, still unmarried, built sturdily, and looked somewhat fierce. Hearing her cousin brotherβs request, she frowned, βWhy are you so enthusiastic about this?β
Wang Erfeng mumbled and told her what Li Tiezhu had said.
βCan you really get thirty taels of silver just for recommending a suitable candidate?β
βOf course!β
Thirty taels was enough to feed and clothe small households like theirs for a year and a half, and for Wang Erfengβs drunkard cousin sister, it was enough drinking money for half a year. Upon hearing this, she said without delay, βThen letβs hurry!β
Though it was Ji Qingchi who was going to be the husband, the Wang siblings seemed more eager than her, pulling the cart and rushing to the city without rest.
When they arrived, the Su family head had coincidentally posted seven or eight people to guard beneath the notice, and there were already quite a few people standing there, waiting to apply.
Just as Su Yi had predicted, most of the applicants were muscular men who particularly appealed to Fengchengβs women.
Ji Qingchi went to stand with those people, her frail figure looking like a chick mixed in among wild boars, completely out of place.
The housekeeper noticed her and asked in surprise, βYoung lord, are you here to apply too?β
βYes.β
The housekeeper shook her head, βOur young miss is delicate. The head of household wants someone strong to take care of our young miss. Young lord, with your build, Iβm afraid you wonβt even be able to push our young missβs wheelchair.β
βWhether I have strength or not can only be known through testing, right?β Ji Qingchi smiled, and seeing four tall, imposing women pushing a stone roller [η³η£ | shΓgΗn | traditional grain grinding stone] on a cart, she pointed at it and said, βIf I can move that, would that count as being strong enough?β
Everyone followed her finger and saw it was a millstone for grinding grain. They were all shocked β that thing weighed at least two hundred jin [100 kg | 1 jin = approximately 0.5kg;], normally requiring two people to lift it.
βThisβ¦ young lord, please donβt force yourself. It wouldnβt be good if you got hurt somewhere.β
βItβs no matter.β Ji Qingchi smiled, walking up to the stone roller. Ye Shui worriedly tried to step forward but was grabbed by Wang Erfeng, who said hatefully, βDonβt cause trouble.β
Ye Shui, being weak, couldnβt break free from him and could only glare at him angrily, watching Ji Qingchi with tear-filled eyes.
One of the male applicants mockingly said, βYou little fellow, making such big claims. If you can move it, weβll willingly give up.β
βWait.β Another man with a scar on his face blocked her way. He was a notorious fallen noble in Fengcheng, a man who shamelessly engaged in unspeakable dealings. Hearing that the Su familyβs young miss was weak, he had specially brought several sworn brothers, waiting to be chosen so he could enjoy a few good days before the young miss died. Now Ji Qingchiβs sudden appearance angered him as it threatened to ruin his plans. βYoung lord, are you here to cut off my brothersβ livelihood?β
Ji Qingchi said coolly, βThis aunt doesnβt believe I have strength. Iβm just proving it to her. How is that cutting off your livelihood? If this brother wishes, he can try too.β
βHmph, Iβll try then.β The man sneered. He had been throwing his weight around in Fengcheng for a long time. Though he was male, even women couldnβt beat him in a fight. It was just a stone roller β how could he not lift it?
He charged aggressively to the stone roller. The women, having heard Ji Qingchiβs words, were interested in watching the show. Seeing this, they put down the cart and let the man have access to the stone roller.
The man took a deep breath and suddenly squatted down.
He liftedββ
The stone roller didnβt budge at all.
βCome on, big brother!β The brothers he brought cheered him on.
Thinking he couldnβt lose face like this, he strained again to lift, but the stone roller still didnβt move.
Once, twice, and again.
After three attempts, the man used all his strength until his face turned red, but the stone roller hadnβt moved an inch.
But to save face, he still stubbornly said, βThe stone roller moved a few cun [ε―Έ | cΓΉn | traditional Chinese inch].β
The implication was that for such a heavy object, he, as a man, had already done remarkably well.
The onlookers snickered, and Ji Qingchi nodded, βBrotherβs arm strength is amazing.β
The manβs already red face flushed even deeper at her words, βYour turn!β
Ji Qingchi calmly walked to the stone roller, avoiding her injured left shoulder, and using clever force, embraced it with both hands. What had been like a thousand-jin weight in the manβs hands was like a goose feather in hers.
If she hadnβt been injured, it would have been nothing for Ji Qingchi to lift the stone roller and walk some distance with it. But now with her left arm injured, she couldnβt lift and move it as usual. Still, moving it was effortless for someone skilled in martial arts like her.
Taking a breath, she moved the stone roller in front of the housekeeper and smiled, βNow, would you say I have strength?β
Everyoneβs jaws nearly dropped, and those boasting men felt so embarrassed they quietly slipped away.
The housekeeper, though worldly and experienced, was surprised but didnβt show it. She kept nodding to herself, thinking this young lord who looked like he could be blown over by the wind actually had great strength, and his appearance wasnβt rough either β truly a match for their young miss. She immediately clapped and smiled, βGood! Iβll report to the head of household right away.β
Meanwhile, Su Ming was still worrying about what to do if no suitable young lord was willing to marry her daughter.
In Fengcheng, such counteract misfortune marriages were usually arranged by matchmakers who would choose a young lord from a poor family, buying the marriage with silver given to his parents. But most of those young lords were forced into the wedding sedan, and the Su family head, being kindhearted, firstly didnβt want to buy someoneβs son like a slave trade, and secondly worried that after death, a bought young lord wouldnβt serve her daughter wholeheartedly, so she wanted someone to marry in voluntarily.
But in these times of peace and prosperity, who knew if anyone would be willing.
As she worried more and more, her housekeeper happily walked in, βFamily head, weβve found a candidate!β
Su Mingβs eyes lit up, βOh? How is he? Is he strong?β
βStrong! Extremely strong! Can lift and carry a two-hundred-jin stone roller without even breathing hard!β
βReally!β Su Ming was overjoyed, but after a momentβs hesitation, asked, βWhat about his appearance?β
βThough not like youngββ The housekeeper had meant to say not like the young missβs matchless beauty, but remembering how the family head hated others discussing the young missβs appearance, she changed her words, βHeβs a refined-looking young lord].β
βQuick, quick, take me to see him.β
As the housekeeper happily led the family head away, behind the main hall, Gancao [ηθ | GΔncΗo | meaning: licorice], the little maid sent by Su Yi to gather information, ran pale-faced toward the back courtyard.
βYoung miss, young miss, terrible news!β
Here it comes! Her prediction came true! She was going to marry a muscle man!
Su Yiβs hand holding the teacup trembled, spilling all the tea on her white dress.
βOh my! Young miss! Are you alright?β Yanshen frantically wiped for her, checking if she was scalded while turning to scold Gancao, βThe young miss is fine! What are you shouting about in broad daylight!β
βHuff huffββ Gancao ran up, panting while saying, βNoβ¦ itβs Housekeeper Geβ¦ Housekeeper Ge says theyβve found a counteract misfortune husband for the young miss!β
βAh?β Yanshen also caught her breath, turning to look at Su Yiβs deathly pale face, carefully asking, βThenβ¦ whatβs the young lord like?β
βThey say he can lift a five-hundred-jin stone roller!β
βCrashββ The teacup in Su Yiβs hand shattered.
βHe can kill two tigers! And a wild bull!β
βThudββ Even her fan fell from her unsteady hands.
Su Yiβs face was like golden paper [ι’ε¦ιηΊΈ | miΓ n rΓΊ jΔ«n zhΗ | extremely pale] as she weakly asked, βThenβ¦ what about his appearance?β
Gancao scratched her head. Afraid of being discovered, she had hidden far away and hadnβt heard clearly, only catching the family head and Housekeeper Ge talking about strength and stone rollers. But she figured someone so strong must look fierce.
So she made up, βThey say heβs built like Vajrapani [ιε | jΔ«ngΔng | Buddhist guardian deity], with a face full of thick flesh, scars, and buck teeth!β
βUghββ Su Yi couldnβt catch her breath and fainted again.
βYoung miss!β Yanshenβs crying echoed to the heavens, βYoung miss! Someone come quickly! Call the doctor! The young miss has fainted again!β
Hahahaha poor Su Yi
It would be pure comedy if she fainted every ending of a chapter lol