When Mei Lin didn’t respond at that moment, Murong Jing He didn’t seem upset; he merely smiled and turned his gaze back to the horizon.
To them, this wasn’t a major issue. Mei Lin had already thanked the man who helped her, and she considered the matter closed. However, the next day, an unexpected visitor came—a village woman.
Mei Lin was about to go hunting when the woman arrived early in the morning, just as she was about to leave. The woman’s family name was Liu, and this was their first meeting.
Seeing Mei Lin at the gate, the Liu woman didn’t greet her immediately. Instead, she stood there, scrutinizing Mei Lin from head to toe, as if she wanted to peel off her clothes to examine her more thoroughly.
Mei Lin felt uncomfortable under the intense gaze. Just as she was about to speak, the woman muttered to herself.
"Such a pretty little lady. She’s a bit thin, but those hips should be good for bearing children..."
Mei Lin’s expression changed slightly, but only for a moment. In the next instant, she smiled—a radiant, dazzling smile that made the old woman’s eyes blur with envy. The Liu woman, feeling a pang of regret, twisted her old waist and shuffled closer, launching into a stream of chatter before Mei Lin could say a word.
"Where are you off to, little lady?" After a while, the woman finally seemed to remember that Mei Lin was about to leave.
While trying to figure out the woman’s intentions, Mei Lin smiled and replied, "Winter is approaching, and we don’t have much food stored up. I was thinking of heading into the mountains to see if I could gather something to get by." Since she had been learning how to process hides and sell game from the hunter, nearly everyone in Lao Wozi village knew she was skilled at hunting, so there was no point in hiding it.
Upon hearing this, the Liu woman clucked her tongue in sympathy. Mei Lin’s smile was starting to waver when the woman finally exclaimed, "What a shame, such a delicate lady like you having to run into the mountains every day. What if you ran into a wolf or a tiger? What would you do then?"
Mei Lin kept smiling but didn’t respond, nor did she invite the woman inside.
Seeing that Mei Lin wasn’t engaging, the Liu woman pressed on, "If only there were a capable man at home, you wouldn’t have to suffer like this."
Mei Lin’s eyes darkened, and her tone grew cold. "What are you implying, Auntie? My family does have a capable man." Even though Murong Jing He couldn’t move, he was still more capable than most men in the world. Mei Lin felt a surge of indignation, though she didn’t realize she had unconsciously begun to consider him as the man of the house.
The Liu woman’s face openly showed disdain, and she scoffed before noticing Mei Lin’s displeasure. Quickly, she forced a smile and said, "Oh, of course, of course, little lady. I know you have a man at home, but forgive me for saying this—your husband is more of a burden than a help, isn’t he?"
"If you know it’s offensive, why say it?" Mei Lin retorted with a cold smile, no longer polite. "Whether my man is capable or not is none of your business, Auntie. You should leave now." With that, she turned to go.
The Liu woman assumed that a young, beautiful woman like Mei Lin must be full of resentment, stuck with a crippled husband, and would want to vent to someone. She never expected such a reaction. Panicking, she grabbed Mei Lin’s sleeve.
"Is there something else you need, Auntie?" Mei Lin, wanting to settle down in the village, didn’t want to offend anyone too harshly. She took a deep breath, softening her tone slightly.
Afraid she’d be sent away before she could state her purpose, the Liu woman dropped her pretense and got straight to the point.
"Don’t be angry, little lady. I’m actually here to bring you some good news." Mei Lin raised an eyebrow, feeling a strange sense of foreboding, but remained silent.
The Liu woman continued, "You know Second Wei, from the head of the village, don’t you?" Seeing Mei Lin’s puzzled expression, she added, "He’s the one who carried you home from the mountain path yesterday."
Mei Lin nodded to show she understood. The Liu woman went on, "Second Wei has taken a liking to you and wants to marry you as his wife. His family has five acres of prime paddy fields, four acres of fertile land, and he’s never been married..."
The moment the Liu woman mentioned marrying her, Mei Lin was stunned, barely registering the rest of the woman’s praise.
"Auntie, I have a husband at home," Mei Lin replied, feeling both amused and annoyed, her tone firm.
The Liu woman paused, giving her a puzzled look. "So what? Several families in this village have one wife and two husbands. Second Wei doesn’t mind and is even willing to take care of your crippled husband..." Seeing Mei Lin’s expression turn dark, the Liu woman quickly realized she had misspoken. She pretended to slap herself, spitting twice in mock disgust. "My mouth is filthy! Please don’t take offense, little lady."
Mei Lin held back her anger, simply pressing her lips together without replying.
"Where else could you find such a good offer? Just nod your head, and you can live a life of comfort," the Liu woman said, increasingly uncertain of Mei Lin’s reaction, and tried to wrap things up before saying something else offensive.
Mei Lin closed her eyes, struggling to suppress the urge to kick the woman out. When she opened them again, her expression was one of pitiful innocence.
"I appreciate your concern, Auntie, but a good woman doesn’t serve two husbands. I can’t bear that kind of reputation..." Seeing that the Liu woman was about to argue, Mei Lin quickly added, "Besides, my husband, though unable to move, is a good man. If I were to remarry, it would break his heart. He’s not in good health; if anything were to happen to him because of this, how could I enjoy any comfort?"
Her words left the Liu woman speechless. Afraid of causing a death, the woman couldn’t push further. After mumbling a few more words and urging Mei Lin to think it over, she reluctantly left.
Once the woman was gone, Mei Lin lost all desire to go out. She was fuming, with no outlet for her anger.
Murong Jing He was sitting up in bed, staring out the window in thought. When he saw her storm back into the kitchen, making a racket, and then suddenly head to the woodshed to start chopping logs with the fury of someone attacking a person rather than wood, he couldn’t help but laugh.
"Woman, come here," he called.
Mei Lin angrily split two logs before stopping. When she looked back and saw the amused man in the window, dressed in his old white inner robe, his dark hair spilling over the pillow, looking lazy yet smiling, her anger suddenly melted away. All she could hear was the pounding of her heart, as loud as thunder. She lowered her head, her ears burning, feeling inexplicably shy.
"Hey, are you deaf? I told you to come here, didn’t you hear me?" Murong Jing He’s voice came again, tinged with an odd undertone.
Fine, I’ll go! Mei Lin suddenly looked up and glared at him, then tossed the axe aside and walked straight over.
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