Volume 1, Chapter 24 – What “Close Girl Friends” Do I Even Have?

At this moment, Huang Kaiyou’s family was also standing not far away, though their focus wasn’t on the conscription at all—it was on Huang Qi.

“Father, Mother, you must have heard it too—just now, my so-called ‘sister-in-law’ spoke, and it was definitely a woman’s voice!” Huang Long whispered to his parents.

“And his hands really are fair and delicate. The villagers weren’t lying.” Huang Bo, who had gone to gather information, returned to report. His face carried a strange excitement because just the sight of those “jade-like hands” had already made his heart itch with desire.

“So… he really is a woman? If that’s the case, doesn’t that mean our courtyard is completely out of the question?” Zhou Fang’s face showed a trace of worry.

“A voice like a woman’s, hands like a woman’s—but that doesn’t necessarily mean he is one. After all, in this world, there are plenty of pampered young masters who look neither male nor female.” Huang Kaiyou, still unwilling to accept it, added, “And don’t you think it’s strange? If he can already speak, that means his toothache has mostly healed. So why is he still wearing that veil?”

“Father’s suspicion makes sense!” Huang Long nodded thoughtfully.

“Then what do you plan to do?” His wife, Zhou Fang, asked curiously.

“I won’t give up until I see his face. Let me think of a way!” Huang Kaiyou mused.

“Heh, now that the conscription rules have changed, I wonder what those bachelors will do?” Huang Bo glanced at the villagers in the distance, a mocking smile appearing on his face.

“Yeah, especially He Chao and Liu Keqian. They were always spouting nonsense about their ‘grand ambitions.’ Now, who knows how long they’ll even live? Hilarious.” Huang Long couldn’t help but chuckle.

That evening, guests arrived at the house, forcing the usually frugal Huang Kairong to light the oil lamp.

The visitors were none other than the families of He Chao and Liu Keqian, each carrying gifts—though they were just common farm products like eggs and cured meat, and not much at that. Still, in these times, their value was immeasurable, especially for rural folk who could barely fill their stomachs.

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Huang Qi’s family was caught completely off guard, utterly confused as to why these two families had suddenly come bearing gifts.

After exchanging some small talk in the courtyard, the topic inevitably turned to the conscription.

“Sigh… Your Huang Qi is truly capable, finding himself such a beautiful partner. But what about our He Chao? He’s already twenty-six. In two more years, he’ll have to enlist.” He Chao’s mother spoke with deep worry.

“Two more years? With the way things are going, the conscription rules could change at any moment. Who knows, he might have to go tomorrow!” He Chao’s father took a grim drag of his homegrown tobacco.

“Ah, Brother He! Our Liu Keqian is no better. The two of them were born in the same year. At least He Chao is outgoing, but my son? You couldn’t squeeze a word out of him if you tried! How’s he supposed to find a partner like this?” Liu Keqian’s father shook his head helplessly as he looked at his son.

“Father, must you embarrass me like this in front of sister-in-law? Am I really that hopeless? The reason I can’t find anyone is that there are barely any young girls around here!” Liu Keqian retorted indignantly.

“Exactly! Where are we supposed to meet girls out here in the countryside? What does personality matter when there’s no one around?” He Chao chimed in, solidarity with his friend.

“Always making excuses! Then how did Huang Long and Huang Bo find partners?” Liu’s father immediately questioned.

He Chao and Liu Keqian opened their mouths but found no rebuttal.

Huang Qi’s heart ached a little for them. After all, these two were his close friends, and he didn’t want to see them sent to their deaths on the battlefield.

‘Ugh, it’s always feast or famine!’ Huang Qi couldn’t help but grumble inwardly. Back in the Honghua Sect, every cultivator had women fawning over them, and there were even plenty of unmarried women desperate enough to resort to any means to find a husband—except for the fairy maidens, who were highly sought after. But here in the countryside? A bunch of bachelors, scorned and unwanted. The two worlds couldn’t be more different.

‘If only the ordinary women from the sect who can’t find husbands could be matched with these desperate brothers in the countryside, it’d be a perfect exchange of resources. But with Huatian Village being so poor, would they even be willing to marry down?’ Huang Qi’s thoughts wandered. After all, he had once been a bachelor himself, so he understood their plight all too well.

“By the way, niece, since you come from a well-off family, you must have a wide social circle. Surely you have many close girl friends, right?”

At that moment, Liu’s mother seized the opportunity to probe Huang Qi.

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“Huh?”

Huang Qi froze. Him, a fake rich young lady? What “close girl friends” did he have? He had plenty of “close guy friends”, sure, but…

“Yes, niece, you might not know this, but our He Chao and Huang Qi aren’t just cousins—they grew up practically sharing the same pair of pants! Surely you wouldn’t want to see him sent to die on the battlefield? If you have any unmarried sisters among your friends, could you introduce them to He Chao?” He Chao’s mother pressed eagerly.

‘Hey, hey, hey! I’m not a matchmaker!’

Huang Qi finally understood—so this is why they’re being so nice! Still, he didn’t feel any resentment. As the saying went, a parent’s heart aches for their child, and besides, these two brothers had always treated him well.

“What? Sisters? Mother, have you lost your mind? Look at the state of our family!” He Chao immediately interjected with brutal self-awareness.

The others around them couldn’t help but smirk mockingly. Did you really think anyone could be as lucky as Huang Qi? He at least had some cultivation background—even if it wasn’t impressive, it still gave him an edge. How could ordinary people compare?

“That’s right, sister-in-law. Our Huang Qi was only able to find such a good daughter-in-law because she didn’t mind his circumstances. You can’t expect every rich young lady to be like that.”

“Exactly. Introductions are one thing, but don’t make things difficult for our daughter-in-law.”

Huang Qi’s parents simultaneously came to their “daughter-in-law’s” defense.

“My apologies, I misspoke!” He Chao’s mother quickly apologized.

“Sister-in-law, I’m not picky. I don’t need any of your rich friends—if you have any maidservants you could introduce me to, that’d be enough.”

“Yeah, with families like ours, who dares to hope for a wealthy bride? As long as she’s decent and honest, looks don’t matter.”

He Chao and Liu Keqian rephrased their pleas.

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“Ugh…”

Huang Qi was backed into a corner again. ‘If I actually knew any girls—even one—would I have been forced to impersonate my own fiancée?’

“Niece, what’s wrong? You won’t even help with such a small favor?” He Chao’s mother begged pitifully.

Huang Qi was so embarrassed he wanted to crawl into a hole. ‘Aunt, I’d love to help, but what “close girlfriends” or maidservants do I have? The Honghua Sect has plenty of unmarried women, but I don’t even know them! Otherwise, I’d gladly play matchmaker.’

“Well, sister-in-law, introductions are one thing, but let me be clear—whether it works out depends entirely on your sons. If they fail, you can’t blame our daughter-in-law.”

Before Huang Qi could respond, his mother had already agreed on his behalf, throwing him into complete disarray.

“Cousin-in-law, don’t you worry! You know me better than anyone. Just having your daughter-in-law make an introduction would be more than enough for me to be grateful!” He Chao’s mother quickly assured her.

“That’s right. In these times, not even parents or matchmakers can arrange marriages for their children, let alone you. How could we possibly hold it against you?” Liu’s father chimed in.

“Daughter-in-law, we’re all family here. These two boys are practically like real brothers to our Huang Qi. If you can help, please do your best.”

His mother turned to him with earnest persuasion.

“O… Okay.”

Huang Qi had no way out now. He could only agree stiffly. As for whether he could actually deliver… well, he’d worry about that later.

The He and Liu families immediately beamed as if they’d already found wives, a testament to how much they trusted Huang Qi’s identity as a wealthy young lady.

“Take your gifts back. Since they’re so close to Huang Qi, helping out is the least I can do. I can’t accept these.”

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Huang Qi thought it over before speaking. First, their families were close, and accepting gifts would be inappropriate. Second, if he took the gifts but failed to deliver, how could he ever face them again?

After much back-and-forth, the two families finally took their gifts home—after all, none of them had much to spare.

“Daughter-in-law, don’t stress too much. Later, just bring a couple of maidservants from your home to visit the village. That’ll be enough to satisfy them. Whether it works out is up to them.”

Li Fen tried to reassure him.

“Just bring a couple of maidservants?”

Huang Qi smiled wryly. ‘Oh, dear mother… this is my home. Whether I have maidservants or not, shouldn’t you know best?’

That night, Huang Qi spent his time cultivating. After reaching the first layer of the Spirit Gathering Realm, he found that he no longer felt as drowsy as before, so the hours didn’t drag on endlessly like they used to.

By dawn the next day, his cultivation had already progressed to the mid-second layer of the Spirit Gathering Realm—a speed he could never have achieved before. Without a doubt, this was the mask’s doing.

“Ah, mask, oh mask… if it weren’t for your damn feminizing effect, I’d call you Grandpa—no, Grandma! Great Aunt! But alas, these petty benefits can’t make up for the trauma you’ve inflicted on me. So don’t think I’ll ever bow to you—not a chance!”

Huang Qi sighed. As far as he was concerned, the Human Skin Mask was still the villain of his story!

After breakfast, Huang Qi and his parents prepared to set out—their destination, of course, being the county office to register. Otherwise, if they missed the deadline, “Huang Qi” would be forced to enlist. While he was absolutely certain that not even the heavens could find “Huang Qi” now, he didn’t want to cause trouble for his family.