Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 802 - 800_1

Chapter 802: Chapter 800_1

Shangguan Xuanyi turned his head, looking toward the entrance. In the backlight of the entrance, came a man with a tall and slender figure, with an extraordinary demeanor. Despite his coarse clothes, he exuded an air of noble elegance that couldn’t be concealed.

Shangguan Xuanyi’s heart fluttered as he saw the once youthful face coincide with the man outside the door.

Xiao’er detected Shangguan Xuanyi’s emotional fluctuation and followed his gaze. Her eyebrows raised in surprise. What a handsome man! His aura and demeanor reveal an exceptional upbringing.

This man had a pair of unique phoenix eyes. Xiao’er felt that she had seen them somewhere before. She glanced at Shangguan Xuanyi, who seemed to recognize the man.

Xiao’er remembered the village chief’s words, his adopted son, the phoenix eyes! A thought flashed through Xiao’er’s mind. It couldn’t be!

The village chief noted the peculiar way they were looking at Dali and proceeded to introduce: "Young Master Shangguan, this is Dali. Dali, these are our village’s patrons, Young Master Shangguan and his lady."

Dali entered the room and bowed to the two in a precise and natural manner, "Young Master Shangguan, Madam."

Shangguan Xuanyi watched "Dali", who did not seem to recognize him. He suppressed his questions, nodding slightly before returning his gaze. But he noticed that his wife was staring at another man without blinking.

Shangguan Xuanyi subtly adjusted his position, blocking Xiao’er’s line of sight towards Dali. He felt discontent: was he that fascinating? She had never stared at him that way for so long!

Even though someone else had once been hailed as the most handsome man in the Imperial Capital, he himself was rumoured to be equally striking!

Interrupted by Shangguan Xuanyi’s movements, Xiao’er took a few steps to continue observing this man, who might be the one Shangguan Xuanyi had been reminiscing about.

Shangguan Xuanyi was outright displeased now. Was he that mesmerizing? He coughed with annoyance.

Dali was somewhat embarrassed by Xiao’er’s gaze. He touched his face, wondering if there was dirt on it.

"Madam, is there something dirty on my face?"

Xiao’er snapped out of her train of thought and replied with a slight smile: "No, I was just thinking that you are incredibly handsome!"

Having heard this, Dali blushed. The lady was too blunt. He was usually tongue-tied and now fumbled for a response. He could only manage a chuckle.

"You look even more handsome when you smile!" Xiao’er candidly expressed her thoughts.

Such a warm smile, she thought, could probably melt the entire Arctic Ocean!

Feeling a twinge of jealousy, Shangguan Xuanyi firmly gripped Xiao’er’s hand as a warning.

Xiao’er winced in pain and glared resentfully at Shangguan Xuanyi. She then noticed his face flush with jealousy and anger. Xiao’er blinked at him: such a petty man!

The village chief looked at Dali, whose face was flushed, then at Xiao’er, who spouted shocking words, and finally at Shangguan Xuanyi, whose face was full of anger. He couldn’t help but shiver: the atmosphere made him a touch nervous.

Fortunately, the watchman came out with the land deed at that moment: "Master Shangguan, this is the land deed."

The village chief heaved a sigh of relief and promptly told Dali, "Dali, fetch the ink, brush, paper, and inkstone. We need to draw up a contract of sale, then we can transfer the property at the Government Office."

Shangguan Xuanyi accepted the land deed and took a look.

"Father, why did you bring out the land deed?" Dali didn’t understand; he had only gone to fetch water, and already something unknown to him had taken place at home.

The watchman finally noticed that his son had returned. "Dali, you’re back! Master Shangguan wants to buy that wrecked courtyard at the edge of our village to build a workshop. It has collapsed halfway and we aren’t planning to rebuild there anyway, so we might as well sell it to earn some silver for your marriage."

For marriage? Xiao’er breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he wasn’t married yet, and she hoped he wasn’t engaged either. Otherwise, this love match would surely be ruined!

"Father, I can earn the silver for my marriage myself. Besides, our family is not short of money anymore," Dali replied. Before his memory was restored, he had no plans of getting married. Dali reached into his robe and touched a jade pendant with a character ’Yan’ engraved on it. It was evidently a woman’s name. He worried that he might already have a wife, or at least a fiancée, before he lost his memory.

But he did not know whether he would ever recover his memory in this lifetime.

"Seeing as the house has almost entirely collapsed and is uninhabitable, selling it to get some silver is a good idea. We have no plans to rebuild there anyway," the watchman explained to Dali.

The village chief also explained Shangguan Xuanyi’s purpose of buying the courtyard and the benefits it could bring to the villagers.

Upon hearing this, Dali did not object further. He felt responsible for the villagers and was willing to do more for them, so he brought out the ink, brush, paper, and inkstone, and personally drew up a contract of sale.

Shangguan Xuanyi saw the familiar handwriting, which further confirmed his belief that Dali was the man he was thinking of.

But why hadn’t he returned to the Imperial Capital in ten years?

Indeed, ten years can change a person tremendously.

Once the initial excitement wore off, Shangguan Xuanyi decided to clarify everything before making the next move. His sister had suffered so much over the years, and he couldn’t bear to give her false hope.

After purchasing the land, they took their leave.

On the carriage, Xiao’er couldn’t wait to ask, "Was that man the heir to the Duke of Zhen’s Mansion who disappeared many years ago?"

Shangguan Xuanyi grunted in discontent.

Seeing his reaction, Xiao’er suppressed her laughter and leaned closer to smell him, "My dear, you reek of jealousy!"

Shangguan Xuanyi glared at Xiao’er, "Hmm, I am jealous!"

"Pfft," Xiao’er couldn’t help laughing.

"Is it that funny?" Shangguan Xuanyi squinted his eyes.

"No, it’s not funny. I just thought Dali’s phoenix eyes looked familiar, so I took a few more glances. Why are you being so jealous!"

"You said that he was handsome."

Xiao’er nodded, "Yes, he is handsome, but a man who is too attractive can seem effeminate. I’m more into your type!"

Effeminate? Jiang Yuheng, despite his youth, was a tactical genius in warfare and was incredibly strong, earning him the title of Dali General. Yet to Xiao’er, he seemed effeminate, and just because she said so, he would seem so to her, and this fact made Shangguan Xuanyi feel a bit better about himself, "You’re not allowed to compliment any other man’s appearance apart from mine!"

"Oh? So when I say a man is handsome, you think it means he’s effeminate. So, Brother Shangguan, you like being effeminate?"

Shangguan Xuanyi was left speechless.

When they returned to their townhouse, Shangguan Xuanyi instructed Niu Tian to investigate the man named Dali from Huatian Village.

Before nightfall, Niu Tian came back with news.

Dali was rescued by the watchman ten years ago. At that time, he was unconscious for seven days before regaining consciousness. Since the watchman had no children, and Dali had amnesia, not remembering who he was, the watchman took him in and adopted him as his son. Upon seeing his strength, the watchman simply called him Dali.

Presently, he serves as a bailiff in the Government Office during the day and is the watchman at night.

Shangguan Xuanyi recalled the voice of the watchman that night. No wonder it seemed familiar! It was because he had just reached puberty when he disappeared, so his voice now was slightly different from then, and he hadn’t really paid it any mind.