“Brother-in-law, you’re finally back! When did you return?”
As soon as Guan Zhu Zi saw Jin Feng, he greeted him excitedly.
Tian San Ya, standing beside him, held Guan Xiao Rou’s hand, warmly asking after her like a sister.
Their enthusiasm gave Jin Feng goosebumps.
Life is a stage, and sometimes it’s better to play along.
Though he knew exactly why Guan Zhu Zi and Tian San Ya were so warm, Guan Zhu Zi was, after all, Guan Xiao Rou’s blood brother, so Jin Feng had to show some respect.
Smiling, he replied, “Just a few days ago. Today I finally had time to come with Xiao Rou to visit.”
“Your business comes first, Brother-in-law.”
Guan Zhu Zi took the reins from Jin Feng. “Let’s go home. Ma was thrilled to hear you were coming and wanted to meet you at the village entrance, but I was worried she’d fall, so I didn’t let her.”
“Good!”
With so many people around and gossip likely, this wasn’t the place to talk. Jin Feng nodded and led the way into the village.
Halfway there, Guan Xiao Rou’s mother, Guan Liu Shi, came running over.
“Ma, slow down.”
Guan Xiao Rou hurried to support her mother.
“Son-in-law, when did you get back? You weren’t hurt on the battlefield, were you?”
Guan Liu Shi anxiously looked Jin Feng up and down.
Ever since she heard Jin Feng had gone to war with Qing Huai, she hadn’t slept well, fearing something had happened to him.
“Auntie, I’m fine.”
Jin Feng spun around and even jumped twice to show her.
“Good, good, as long as you’re fine.”
Guan Liu Shi patted her chest and said, “Don’t mind an old woman’s nagging, but you’re a craftsman, not required to serve in the army. Can you avoid the battlefield in the future? It’s too dangerous.”
“No more going!”
Jin Feng smiled and agreed.
With his title secured, staying home with Guan Xiao Rou and living a cozy life was far better. Only a fool would return to the stinking, miserable battlefield.
“Good, good!”
Guan Liu Shi took Jin Feng’s hand in one and Guan Xiao Rou’s in the other. “Son-in-law, you’ve lost weight. Come, I’ll make you something nice to eat.”
The group chatted and laughed as they returned to Guan Zhu Zi’s house.
Some villagers wanted to follow and watch the excitement, but the village head shooed them away.
However, the village head himself entered the courtyard and closed the gate.
Guan Xiao Rou, knowing Jin Feng’s real purpose for coming to Guan Jia Bay, pointed to the old clan head and introduced, “Dear, this is our clan head, also the village head.”
“Hello, Village Head.”
Jin Feng gave a scholarly bow with a smile.
“Oh, none of this village head or clan head business. By seniority, Xiao Rou calls me Third Grandpa, so you should too.”
The clan head waved his hand.
“Hello, Third Grandpa.”
Realising the clan head was showing goodwill, Jin Feng smiled and bowed again.
“Good lad, good lad.”
The village head’s beard curled up as he grinned.
“Zhu Zi, look after your brother-in-law and the clan head. I’m going to cook.”
Guan Liu Shi gave instructions and headed to the kitchen with Tian San Ya.
“Ma, Dear has business to attend to. We’re not eating here.”
Guan Xiao Rou followed them into the kitchen.
“Your husband’s finally here. How can you leave without eating? The villagers would laugh at us!”
Guan Liu Shi shot Guan Xiao Rou a look.
“It’s way too early for that. What time is it to start cooking?”
Guan Xiao Rou said, half-laughing, half-exasperated.
“Dried rabbit takes time to cook. It needs a good stew.”
Guan Liu Shi grabbed a basin and started soaking the rabbit.
“Ma, you haven’t finished the rabbits I sent?”
Guan Xiao Rou poked at the rabbit, asking.
While Jin Feng was away for two months, Zhang Liang occasionally hunted and sent Guan Xiao Rou game, which she had someone deliver to her family, including rabbits and pheasants.
“Xiao Rou, you don’t know, but Ma saved all the good stuff you sent.”
Tian San Ya pointed to the rafters.
Guan Xiao Rou looked up and saw a row of dried game hanging there.
“Ma, I sent those for you to eat. Why keep them?”
“Your Ma said we’d wait for you and your husband to eat them.”
Tian San Ya said with a hint of envy, “I’m pregnant, and Ma still wouldn’t let me have a bite.”
“Sister-in-law, you’re pregnant?”
Guan Xiao Rou asked, delighted.
“Yes.”
Tian San Ya blushed and nodded.
“Then why were you running so fast just now?”
Guan Xiao Rou, a bit annoyed, helped her sister-in-law to a stool. “I’ll tell Big Brother later not to let you work in the fields anymore.”
Guan Zhu Zi and Tian San Ya had been married for years without children.
They’d seen a doctor in the county who said Tian San Ya was too weak to conceive.
Her harsh treatment of Guan Xiao Rou and Xiao E in the past partly stemmed from this.
These past two months, thanks to Guan Xiao Rou’s support, the Guan family’s living conditions had improved dramatically. They could eat three meals of wheat porridge a day and even had white flour noodles occasionally.
With Tian San Ya’s health improved, she’d successfully conceived.
“Ma, Sister-in-law’s pregnancy is a big deal. We struggled before, but we can’t let her go hungry now.”
If Jin Feng heard Guan Xiao Rou, he’d tease her for being overly sentimental.
But girls of this era were like that. Just as Guan Xiao Rou was fixated on Jin Feng taking a concubine, she saw her sister-in-law’s past harshness as normal. Many sisters in the village had similar experiences with their sisters-in-law.
It was the way of things, enduring as a daughter-in-law until becoming a mother-in-law.
Many women, mistreated by their mothers-in-law, later felt it was their right, even duty, to treat their daughters-in-law the same once they became mothers-in-law.
“Xiao Rou, you and your husband have been married a while. Any news in your belly?”
Tian San Ya asked.
“No…” Guan Xiao Rou shook her head, blushing.
“Well, your husband was away recently.”
Tian San Ya advised, “Now that he’s back, you’d better hurry. I hear plenty of girls have their eyes on him. Don’t let someone get ahead of you.”
“He won’t. Dear said he doesn’t want a concubine for now…”
“Your man’s just sweet-talking you. Don’t take it seriously.”
Tian San Ya said, “I’ve been thinking of finding a nice girl for your brother to take as a concubine. Your husband’s a capable man. If he doesn’t have a concubine, people will gossip about you.”
“Xiao Rou, your sister-in-law’s right. Your husband will definitely take a concubine someday, but you can’t let her have a child before you, got it?”
Guan Liu Shi joined the conversation.
“Yes.”
…
In the kitchen, the three women whispered. In the main room, Jin Feng, Guan Zhu Zi, and the clan head sat, each taking a seat.
The three weren’t familiar and didn’t know what to talk about, making the atmosphere slightly awkward.
But Jin Feng had already guessed why the clan head stayed.
If he brought up recruiting workers now, it’d seem like he was begging Guan Jia Bay for help, putting him at a disadvantage in negotiations.
So, despite his urgency, he held back.
Picking up a coarse bowl, he sipped plain water, looking calm and composed.
