“Eat, why aren’t you eating?”
Jin Feng pointed at the rice bowl.
“I’m full.”
Guan Xiaorou replied softly.
Jin Feng’s mind flashed back to Guan Xiaorou’s pleading words that morning: “…I can weave cloth, and I eat very little…”
His heart ached. He picked up Guan Xiaorou’s empty bowl, scooped a full serving of thick wheat porridge, and placed it in front of her.
“I’m really full…”
“Eat it all!”
Jin Feng interrupted her domineeringly, his tone firm.
“…Alright.”
Startled by Jin Feng, Guan Xiaorou obediently picked up the bowl.
Jin Feng placed a piece of green vegetable in her bowl with his chopsticks. “Eat this too!”
Guan Xiaorou gave a soft hum and picked up her chopsticks again.
As she ate, tears began to fall, dripping one by one.
“Don’t cry!”
Jin Feng panicked. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have raised my voice. Please don’t cry…”
“Head of the house, don’t say that. You’re the head, it’s right for you to scold or hit me,” Guan Xiaorou sobbed. “I’m crying because, since I can remember, this is the first time someone’s forced me to eat more… and it’s wheat porridge…”
“Silly girl, things will get better.”
Jin Feng sighed, reaching out to pat Guan Xiaorou’s head. “Don’t cry, eat more.”
Even in the modern era, a head pat was potent, let alone in this backward feudal society.
Guan Xiaorou felt a tingle on her head, then a warm current flowed into her heart, comforting her.
And so, her tears fell even more…
Jin Feng, afraid that further comforting would ruin the meal, pretended not to notice and focused on eating.
Thankfully, Guan Xiaorou soon calmed down, wiped her tears, and continued eating.
After cleaning the dishes, the two sat across from each other. The large flame of the lamp flickered, creating a subtle and awkward atmosphere.
Guan Xiaorou kept her head down, unconsciously twisting her clothes’ hem, her face flushed, her body trembling slightly.
Two years ago, during her first bride delivery, her mother had told her what would happen next…
Jin Feng, sensing her nervousness, was about to say something to ease the tension when a rustling sound came from outside the window.
“Who’s there?”
Jin Feng opened the door.
“The big diamond’s out, run!”
A group of half-grown kids scattered.
It was just village children eavesdropping, a Xihewan tradition.
“Those brats haven’t gone far. They’ll probably come back,” Jin Feng pointed at the shop. “You sleep first. I’ll tidy up the shop.”
Jin Feng wasn’t a saint. Sitting across from a lovely young woman, he naturally felt stirred.
But this drafty house would turn any intimacy into a live broadcast if eavesdropped.
Besides, he could see Guan Xiaorou wasn’t ready.
“She’s already my wife. We have plenty of time. No rush. First, solve the survival issue.”
Jin Feng consoled himself and turned his attention to crafting a crossbow.
The brats returned twice more, causing a ruckus until midnight.
When they finally quieted down, the lamp oil ran out. Jin Feng took down the door panel, lay on it, and reflected on the strange day, planning his next steps.
Unlike other transmigrators with grand ambitions, he didn’t want to rule or dominate. He just wanted to earn lots of money, be an ordinary playboy, and marry a goddess-level wife… well, that goal was already achieved. Time for a new one… Since the Kang Dynasty encouraged concubinage, he’d contribute to the state by marrying a few more pretty, obedient concubines…
Perhaps too exhausted, he fell asleep while thinking.
At dawn, Guan Xiaorou rose.
Her face was slightly haggard, clearly from a poor night’s sleep, worrying all night about whether Jin Feng would return to bed and what she should do if he did.
Should she half-resist or lie still and pretend to sleep?
Tangled in these thoughts until midnight, she finally dozed off.
Seeing Jin Feng sleeping on the door panel, fully clothed, she hurried to fetch their only blanket and gently covered him.
Then she squatted beside the panel, resting her chin, watching the sleeping Jin Feng.
She hadn’t dared look closely yesterday.
He’s much better-looking than the blacksmith in our village… tall too… and a scholar, not rough like other village men who beat their wives to set rules…
After sneaking a look, she quietly left the shop and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
After making breakfast, with nothing else to do, Guan Xiaorou sat on a stump, waiting for Jin Feng to wake.
“If only I had a loom,” she thought idly.
It wasn’t until the sun rose that Jin Feng emerged from the shop, stretching and greeting her, “Morning!”
“Head of the house, you’re up!”
Guan Xiaorou hurried to fetch the wash water she’d prepared.
By the time Jin Feng washed his face, breakfast was on the table.
After breakfast, as they cleared the dishes, a young woman in her twenties entered the courtyard, a small bag on her arm.
“What’s she doing here?”
Jin Feng wondered.
It was Zhang Mancang’s sister-in-law, Lin Yunfang, married into Xihewan for four or five years, but Jin Feng had never spoken to her.
About to greet her, Guan Xiaorou stood excitedly and called out brightly, “Cousin Yunfang!”
“Cousin?”
“Yes, she’s my cousin from my uncle’s family. We were close as kids.”
Meeting a relative, Guan Xiaorou was delighted.
“Cousin.” Since they were family, Jin Feng stood and greeted her.
Lin Yunfang smiled at Jin Feng, then pulled Guan Xiaorou into the inner room.
“Seems this cousin isn’t too fond of me either.”
Jin Feng touched his nose, unbothered, and returned to the shop.
After spending most of the morning, he finally completed his first crossbow.
Some arrows left by the old blacksmith for hunters could be repurposed with slight adjustments, saving effort.
He loaded an arrow, aimed at a wooden post ten steps away.
The arrow thudded into the post.
“Good accuracy, but not enough power!”
Jin Feng frowned slightly, making adjustments.
By the time he was satisfied, the sun was overhead.
“Time to head up the mountain.”
Jin Feng picked up the crossbow and left the shop.
Lin Yunfang had left at some point. Guan Xiaorou sat in the courtyard, chin in hand, daydreaming, with a basket of dried wild vegetables beside her.
“Where’d the vegetables come from?”
Jin Feng asked casually.
