Chapter 43: First Encounter with An Xiu’er

It was a man and a woman. The man looked to be about the same age as Song Jingchen. He was fishing with a bamboo basket.

The woman was squatting by the river and washing clothes. Her back was facing the trio. From the looks of it, she had a small frame.

“Sister-in-law, it’s Sister Xiu’er!” Sister Huan tugged at Shen Yijia’s hand and whispered.

Shen Yijia looked down at Sister Huan curiously. If she remembered correctly, this girl had only come yesterday like her.

How did she know this person?

Sister Huan was a little embarrassed by Shen Yijia’s gaze and explained, “Sister Xiu’er lives in the house next door to ours. She was the one who sent the pickled vegetables we ate in the morning. You were still asleep at that time, so you don’t know her!”

“Oh…” Shen Yijia suddenly understood.

The two people by the river also noticed Shen Yijia and the children.

The woman called Sister Xiu’er turned around and smiled when she saw who it was.

Only then did Shen Yijia see the girl’s appearance clearly. She was stunned.

The girl’s hair was tied up with a simple wooden hairpin, and the rest of her hair was draped over her shoulders. She was wearing rough linen clothes which looked faded from use.

However, the simple attire could not hide her beauty.

Shen Yijia’s first thought was that this girl would look perfect standing next to Song Jingchen.

Even Shen Ruyun, who claimed to be a beauty, could only feel ashamed in front of this girl.

Apart from being confident in her martial strength, Shen Yijia clearly did not have a deep understanding of her own appearance.

She did not know that her own beauty was comparable to the girl in front of her. The two simply had a different type of beauty.

Seeing that her sister-in-law was in a daze, Sister Huan’s face turned red. She pulled Shen Yijia over and introduced her. “Sister Xiu’er, this is my sister-in-law.”

Surprise flashed across An Xiu’er’s eyes. She obviously didn’t expect that the girl who looked younger than her was already married.

However, she quickly put on a smile and said, “My name is An Xiu’er. I live next door.”

Her voice was gentle and pleasant.

Shen Yijia rubbed her nose and said awkwardly, “My name is Shen Yijia. Well… thank you for the pickled vegetables you gave us. They’re delicious!”

Actually, she had not eaten a single bite all morning.

Brother Hao glanced at his sister-in-law and decided not to expose her.

An Xiu’er paused and smiled. “That’s a random snack I made at home. It’s nothing. If you like it, I’ll send more over next time.”

Shen Yijia said nothing.

That was definitely not what she meant.

“Xiu’er!” The young man who was fishing in the river carried the bamboo basket ashore and called out to An Xiu’er. This broke the awkward atmosphere.

An Xiu’er stuck out her tongue at the person and introduced him. “This is my brother, An Dong.”

She turned to An Dong and said, “They just moved here.”

The women here usually didn’t tell other men their names, so An Xiu’er didn’t mention Shen Yijia’s name.

An Dong glanced at Shen Yijia and nodded in greeting.

Shen Yijia also glanced at the person. Perhaps it was because he had been exposed to the sun all year round, his skin was a little tanned.

However, his facial features were in harmony, and he was also a handsome young man.

If Lin Mu were present, he would have recognized this young man as the one he had asked for directions.

Perhaps because she had seen too much of Song Jingchen, Shen Yijia felt that something was lacking when she saw other men.

She turned to the basket. “Wow, there’s a big fish in there.” she thought to herself.