The tiger, now several hundred jin lighter, allowed Jin Feng and the others to return much faster. They set off from the county office after lunch and arrived back at Xi He Wan before dark.
“Here, candied hawthorns!”
After sending away the curious villagers, Jin Feng took out an oil paper package from the cloth bag.
“Why did you buy so many?”
Guan Xiao Rou opened the oil paper and found there were fully a dozen sticks inside.
“It’s not easy to go to the county office, so naturally I bought more.”
Jin Feng smiled and took out one. “The inn clerk said these are the best candied hawthorns in the county office. You try one too.”
“If Xiao E sees these candied hawthorns, she’ll be overjoyed.”
Guan Xiao Rou wished she could fly back right now.
In just a few short days, she had gone from being a jinx everyone despised to someone everyone envied for her good fortune.
She couldn’t wait to share this good news with her mother, with her little sister.
Visiting relatives naturally couldn’t be done too early in the morning. Even though Guan Xiao Rou was eager to return, they still waited until the sun rose the next day before setting off.
“Oh dear, the jinx from the third family is back again!”
“I said long ago that no one would want such a jinx. Look, it’s only been three days and she’s been sent back, right?”
“I don’t think she’s been sent back. The two of them were smiling just now.”
“If not sent back, why is that man carrying a cloth bag? It must be full of compensation stuff.”
“How do you know? What if it’s gifts from the son-in-law to the father-in-law.”
“You’ve lived half your life. How many sons-in-law have you seen giving gifts to their fathers-in-law, especially since Guan Xiao Rou is a jinx.”
“Yesterday the back mountain had a tiger. Maybe the jinx brought it. Quick, go call the third one back. We can’t let the jinx return to the village!”
…
Just entering the village, the gossip completely ruined Guan Xiao Rou’s good mood.
It was replaced by full-hearted fear.
“Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”
Jin Feng held Guan Xiao Rou’s hand and squeezed it slightly. “Remember what I said? We don’t eat their rice. Just treat their words like farts.”
“Mm!”
Guan Xiao Rou felt the warmth in her palm. Her heart gradually settled. She stopped in front of a rundown small courtyard.
In the courtyard, a seven or eight-year-old little girl was lying by the wall root, digging at something with her hands. Hearing footsteps, she slowly raised her head.
Seeing it was Guan Xiao Rou, the little girl shouted in surprise. “Ah, sister, you’re back?”
“Xiao E, what are you doing?”
Guan Xiao Rou quickly walked over and pulled the little girl up from the ground.
“Sister, I heard a cricket chirping here. Its nest must be here.”
The little girl pointed at the wall root. “Sister, put me down. If I catch the cricket, I’ll roast it and we can eat it together.”
“Xiao E, did sister-in-law not let you eat again yesterday?”
Guan Xiao Rou held the little girl, her eyes reddening with tears.
“Sister-in-law said I won’t live anyway, eating is a waste of food. She even told big brother to throw me to the back mountain…”
The little girl started crying too. “Sister, they said you got married. Take me with you, okay? Don’t let big brother throw me to the back mountain. There are wolves there, I’m scared… I’ll spin thread for you, I can dig wild vegetables too. Sister, take me with you, okay…”
Guan Xiao Rou hugged the little girl tightly, looked up at Jin Feng with pleading eyes. “Husband…”
Jin Feng nodded, feeling a lump in his throat too.
Creak!
A middle-aged woman with messy hair pushed open the room door.
“Mother!”
Guan Xiao Rou wiped her tears. “This is my husband…”
The middle-aged woman looked at her daughter with a tear-streaked face. Her expression changed drastically. Without waiting for Jin Feng and Guan Xiao Rou to speak, she rushed over to kneel before Jin Feng.
“Son-in-law, since you picked Xiao Rou as your wife from the bride-sending team, you can’t send her back… Son-in-law, please be kind, take Xiao Rou back. Otherwise, when her brother returns, he’ll beat her to death…”
“Auntie, it’s not like that!”
Jin Feng quickly supported Guan Liu Shi.
Joking aside, for the first meeting, having the mother-in-law kneel to him, what was that about?
Though, this mother-in-law was still a bit hard to call.
“Mother, husband isn’t sending me back. We’re here to see you.”
Guan Xiao Rou also quickly explained.
“Really?”
Guan Liu Shi didn’t quite believe it.
“Of course it’s true. Husband even brought gifts for mother.”
Guan Xiao Rou took the cloth bag from Jin Feng’s shoulder, pulling things out one by one. “These two rabbits were caught the day before yesterday. Husband salted them. Mother can keep them to eat slowly. This bolt of cloth is what husband bought from the county office yesterday, for mother to make clothes…”
“Son-in-law, these are for me?”
Guan Liu Shi’s eyes widened round.
In her half a lifetime, this was the first time someone gave her gifts.
And so many things at once.
“Auntie, the gifts are a bit meagre. Don’t disdain them.”
Jin Feng felt a bit embarrassed.
Even with two lives, this was the first time meeting a mother-in-law. The most valuable things were two wild rabbits, which made him feel they weren’t presentable.
“No disdain, no disdain! Too much, and all good things…”
Guan Liu Shi quickly waved her hands, then turned to Guan Xiao Rou. “What does son-in-law do?”
With more women than men, sons-in-law’s status rose accordingly. When visiting the wife’s family, few brought gifts.
Like Jin Feng bringing such a pile, almost none.
“Mother, husband is a scholar, but he can hunt. The rabbits are what he caught.”
Speaking of Jin Feng, Guan Xiao Rou’s face was full of pride. “He’s also a tiger-slaying hero. The night before last, he shot a tiger over five hundred jin with just three arrows!”
“Tiger-slaying hero?”
Guan Liu Shi stared with wide eyes. “A few days ago, a tiger came to our back mountain, very fierce. The tiger-hunting team’s men injured five or six before driving it away. Yesterday, I heard the village head say it was killed in Xi He Wan. Was it son-in-law who killed it?”
“Yes, it was husband!”
Guan Xiao Rou said proudly.
“Heavens!”
Guan Liu Shi sat down on the ground with a thud, slapped her thigh, and wailed loudly.
“Mother, why are you crying?”
Guan Xiao Rou was frightened and at a loss. “Did I say something wrong?”
“I’m happy.”
Guan Liu Shi wiped her tears. “The heavens have finally opened their eyes. Xiao Rou, you’ve found a good son-in-law!”
“Mm, husband is so good to me. Since entering the door, he hasn’t hit me. He lets me eat at the table, white rice as much as I want. Yesterday in the county office, he bought cloth for me to make new clothes!”
“Good, good! You’ve finally endured it…”
Guan Liu Shi stroked Guan Xiao Rou’s hair, her eyes full of maternal affection. Her gaze at Jin Feng grew fonder. “Son-in-law, don’t stand in the courtyard. Come inside.”
The house was even more rundown than Jin Feng’s. In the centre was a table missing a leg and two long benches used for who knows how many years. Under the window were two old spinning wheels.
Besides that, there was nothing else.
“Son-in-law, sit. I’ll get you a bowl of water.”
Guan Liu Shi picked up the broken teapot on the table and ran to the kitchen for water.
“Sister, did you really eat white rice?”
The little girl finally found a chance to speak.
Grabbing Guan Xiao Rou’s arm, her mouth almost watered.
