After being forced to leave the marriage, I became the wife of a top scholar.

Chapter 42: Repaying a favor
Back in her room, Bai Wanqing was filled with sorrow; she never imagined she would end up in such a state.

Why?! What did she do wrong from beginning to end?!
Looking at the hairpin her mother had left her, Bai Wanqing had a sudden urge to commit suicide for the first time, a thought that made her shudder.

"Bai Wanqing, what are you thinking!" Bai Wanqing lightly slapped herself and scolded herself.

That slap happened to knock the herbal book containing maple leaves to the ground, and the maple leaves fell out of the book.

Bai Wanqing looked at the fallen maple leaf and for some reason felt that it might be able to help her.

She picked up a maple leaf, feeling dazed and confused. Without taking anyone with her, she found a horse in the side courtyard and headed towards Linjia Village.

The cold wind was like a knife, and the setting sun was like blood.

When Bai Wanqing rode to Linjia Village, she found it funny herself. She found the place based solely on a leaf left behind by a child, not to mention whether that child was from Linjia Village or not.

Even if it were, that happened so many years ago. Who knows what that boy is like now? Why would he help her?
Bai Wanqing smiled helplessly, realizing that she was grasping at straws in her desperation.

Just as she was about to leave, she happened to run into Lin Yunche coming out of a farmhouse. He was carrying two buckets and walking towards the well in her direction.

Lin Yunche didn't notice Bai Wanqing at first, but recognized her when he got closer.

"Hmm? Isn't this the eldest daughter of the Bai family? What are you doing here?" Lin Yunche raised an eyebrow and asked, his eyes full of inquiry.

Bai Wanqing smiled awkwardly. If she said she was looking for the person who gave her mother maple leaves back then, would people laugh their heads off?

If it were a good thing, that would be fine, but Bai Wanqing couldn't bring herself to ask someone to marry her, something so difficult to say.

“If you don’t tell me, I’m leaving! Linjia Village is in a rather remote location, and it’s not safe for you to stay here too late.”

"Don't think that just because I saved you last time, I'll save you again this time. I think you should go back as soon as possible and avoid causing trouble for others." After saying this, Lin Yunche threw the two buckets into the well. The buckets were filled with water in no time, and he deftly lifted them up. The water in the buckets was still steaming.

Bai Wanqing bit her lip. She originally wanted to go back, but Lin Yunche's words provoked her. Since she was here, she should at least find out the truth. Even if the other party was unwilling, at least she had tried.

"I'm looking for a boy! He should be from your Linjia Village, and his surname is Lin!" Bai Wanqing asked Lin Yunche with her almond-shaped eyes shining brightly.

Lin Yunche was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, clutching his stomach. "You came to Linjia Village looking for a child with the surname Lin?"

"Well, we didn't come to the wrong place!"

Hahaha! Lin Yunche couldn't stop laughing, while Bai Wanqing had a black line on her face. She should have known that asking this question was just asking for trouble.

Seeing Bai Wanqing rein in her horse and turn to leave, Lin Yunche stopped laughing and said, "Alright! Alright! I'm not laughing anymore. Let's get down to business. What do you want with the Lin family's children?"

Bai Wanqing glanced at him but didn't say anything.

Lin Yunche added, "I didn't mean anything by it! I just wanted to know what your intentions were. If you're not doing anything bad, I can still tell you."

“I was born and raised in Linjia Village. There’s not a single boy with the surname Lin in Linjia Village that I don’t know. I can definitely help you.”

Lin Yunche's eyes flickered, trying to discern something from Bai Wanqing's expression.

Bai Wanqing's expression betrayed her dejection; it was truly laughable that she had now placed all her hopes on a stranger.

Lin Yunche noticed that something was wrong with Bai Wanqing. "What kind of person did you find? Tell me!"

This time, Lin Yunche wasn't joking; instead, he adopted a serious demeanor, a look that was quite rare for him.

Bai Wanqing hesitated for a moment, but still took out the leaf tucked inside the herb collection. No matter what, she had to give it a try.

The moment Bai Wanqing took out the leaf, Lin Yunche froze on the spot.

These maple leaves look so familiar.

“Young Master Lin, do you know that there was a little boy in Lin Family Village more than ten years ago who was treated by my mother? Back then, he gave my mother a maple leaf as a token. I’ve come to find him,” Bai Wanqing said.

Lin Yunche, his face stern, looked down at Bai Wanqing with disdain. "What do you want with him?"

Bai Wanqing remained silent.

Lin Yunche sighed, picked up the two buckets of water from the ground, and said, "Alright, come with me."

Lin Yunche led the way, and Bai Wanqing also jumped off her horse and followed behind her, leading the horse.

Perhaps because her feelings were too complicated, Bai Wanqing was in a daze. She arrived at Linjia Village in a daze, and followed Lin Yunche to his home in a daze as well.

Lin Yunche walked into the courtyard, and Bai Wanqing followed, leading her horse.

Lin Yunche carried the water he had brought back into the house to fill the water vat, and Bai Wanqing led the horse to follow him into the house.

Seeing this, Lin Yunche helplessly stopped him, saying, "Miss Bai, horses cannot enter the house!"

Bai Wanqing then realized her lapse in composure. She apologized, then immediately led the horse out of the yard and tied it to a wooden post in front of Lin Yunche's house. She then stood in the yard and waited.

After pouring out the water, Lin Yunche discovered that his water tank had leaked at some point. He then scooped the water out with a basin and poured it into a large basin next to him. This busy work took a quarter of an hour. After finishing there, he went straight to the kitchen to start rinsing the millet for dinner. His mother and father were not coming back from the mountain, so he didn't need to cook for them. His younger sister had gone to his aunt's house today, so it seemed that half a bowl of millet porridge would be enough for him.

As he was thinking this, he completely forgot about Bai Wanqing, who was still standing in the courtyard.

Bai Wanqing stood still, motionless, her expression somewhat blank. By the time Lin Yunche remembered her, her limbs were frozen stiff.

"Hey! Are you stupid! Why didn't you urge me?" Lin Yunche stood in front of Bai Wanqing, looking at the ice crystals covering her face, and felt a little guilty.

Bai Wanqing slowly shifted her gaze to Lin Yunche. She wanted to smile, so she smiled slightly and told him that she was fine.

But because her face was frozen, she couldn't force a smile.

"Stop laughing! Your smile looks worse than crying!" Lin Yunche led Bai Wanqing into the house.

The house was built with yellow mud, and the walls inside had cracks in some places, perhaps because of the cold weather.

Inside the room was a wooden bed and a wooden table, nothing else.

This is the main hall of Lin Yunche's house, and also where he usually sleeps.

"It's a bit simple, please don't laugh at me!" Lin Yunche said casually, not caring what Bai Wanqing thought.

Perhaps because the room was warmer, Bai Wanqing's thoughts returned to normal.

"When are we going to find Maple Leaf Boy?" Bai Wanqing asked softly.

Maple Leaf Boy? He's got a new nickname in such a short time.

Lin Yunche twitched the corner of his mouth, cleared his throat, and said, "Speak, what do you want?"

Bai Wanqing looked at him without speaking, so Lin Yunche had no choice but to say, "Speak, what do you want to see me about?"

In an instant, Bai Wanqing's head felt like it was about to explode. With a buzzing sound, the person in front of her was the Maple Leaf Boy she was looking for.
Does she still need to state her demands?
Bai Wanqing's hesitation annoyed Lin Yunche. "Didn't you say you were looking for me? Why did you find me but not say anything? If you don't talk, there's no way I can help you."

"You...you really are the boy my mother saved back then?" Bai Wanqing wondered, wondering if this person was lying.

"Yes! Of course it is! We don't have these maple leaves in Huai'an County. My mother brought them from Beijing. You don't need to know. Anyway, these maple leaves are mine. I even carved two characters for 'wood' on them back then. That should be right!"

At this point, Lin Yunche felt like he had been tricked. She was the one who was in a hurry to find someone, and it didn't seem like anything good was going on. Why was he in such a hurry to admit it?

Bai Wanqing nodded in confirmation, then stared intently at Lin Yunche, as if trying to see right through him.

"Don't look at me like that, it's a little scary." Lin Yunche felt the hairs on his body stand on end.

"Are you engaged?" Bai Wanqing asked.

Lin Yunche had never seen such a straightforward girl before, who immediately asked if he was engaged. His face flushed red instantly.

"No, no!"

"Then would you be willing to marry me?" Bai Wanqing asked again.

Lin Yunche's mind had completely shut down. Was this woman crazy? Did she even know what she was saying?

"I don't want to!" Lin Yunche naturally didn't want to. This dashing and handsome young man had only enjoyed a few days of carefree life, and now he wanted to get married? He wasn't that stupid.

Bai Wanqing bit her lip and held the maple leaf in front of Lin Yunche. Lin Yunche frowned and asked, "What? Are you trying to take advantage of my kindness?"

Bai Wanqing was slightly taken aback, but when she looked up again, the confusion in her eyes was gone. "Yes! I am being forced into becoming a concubine by Master Huang. I refused, and he said that he would let me go as long as I get engaged to someone else."

"If you are willing to marry me, then the debt of your mother's life-saving grace will be wiped clean."

Lin Yunche was shocked by the resolute look in Bai Wanqing's eyes, but his face also darkened. Lin Yunche's eyes flashed, and then he slightly raised the corners of his mouth and took the maple leaf from Bai Wanqing's hand.

"That's excellent! In that case, I haven't broken my promise."

"Are you really agreeing? You might face retaliation from Master Huang!" Bai Wanqing reminded him, adding that if he changed his mind and refused now, she would take back what she had just said.

"I'm not afraid of revenge, but you've seen the current state of my Lin family. Do you feel wronged after marrying into this family?"

Lin Yunche felt that Bai Wanqing was just acting on impulse. After all, she was the pampered daughter of the Bai family, could she really endure such hardship?
Unexpectedly, Bai Wanqing replied without hesitation, "Young Master Lin is so righteous; I am already extremely grateful for your help. I am not wronged at all."

Lin Yunche nodded, seemingly agreeing but not quite.

Knowing that Lin Yunche was reluctant, Bai Wanqing added, "Don't worry, our marriage proposal is just a temporary measure. If you find someone you love in the future, I can leave at any time!"

Lin Yunche smiled slightly after hearing this, "Whatever you say!"

(End of this chapter)