CH 14

Chapter 14 – Luring The Husband Away

“Didn’t she tell you that I’ve taken 5 taels of silver?”  Li Jing’er asked.

Mother Wu’s selfishness was deeply rooted in her bones.  She would never think about what she had done but only what others had done less.

“Yes, she told me.”

From morning to night, she would keep repeating the words that whatever the wife borrowed, the husband must repay.  She wanted him to repay a total of 40 taels of silver within a year including the 5 taels taken away by his wife.

Isn’t the 5 taels part of the 20 taels compensation?   Why had the amount increased by so much more now?  Even the interest for the silver taels is not this high!

However, he was not worried about the additional debt and allowed his mother to say whatever she wanted.  Before his wife is found, he would not give his mother a single tael of silver as he needed to use the money on more important matters.

“My husband had died and I gave birth to a daughter for him.  Is it considered too much to take the 5 taels of silver from her?  However, I have to thank you for dying as that helped me to leave without a hitch.”

His ‘death’ was something good and it came at the right time which saved her a lot of problems.

“I’m still alive.”  He stressed.

Li Jing’er entered the main hall with the three children and they were led to a small corner.  She felt thirsty and wanted a drink of water, so she picked up the teapot on the table but found it was empty.

“There is a well on the east side of the village entrance, go and fetch me some water!  I want to cook some porridge for the children.”

There did not seem to be much food in the house.  She only kept a few catties of rice, a few catties of white flour, some dry goods that could easily absorb water and expand once soaked, some indispensable oil and salt, half a bottle of soy sauce, and some seasoning ingredients which were placed in the open.

To prevent the villagers from coming in to steal when she is not at home, everything else was hidden away.

“Is this the way you order your man?”

Although he was dissatisfied, he was not annoyed and they were just like a young couple conversing at home and saying a few words of ridicule.

“I don’t dare to bother you……”  Doing it herself was not a problem.

“Put it down!”  He said in a loud tone.

When he saw her picking up the water bucket placed by the door like she was planning on fetching the water herself, Xiao Jingfeng felt he had failed miserably.

When did her temper become so bad?  Just because she did not like his words, she showed her temper and bravely demonstrated that without him, she could still carry on living.

“This is my house, so don’t scold me in this kind of commanding tone.”

Does he think she is still that cowardly Li Jing’er of the past?  He should be made to suffer!

“Men’s work should be done by a man, so don’t rush to do it.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he grabbed the bucket and strode toward the village entrance.  His straight tall figure looked very handsome.

Unbelievable male chauvinism………

Li Jing’er did not realize that the corners of her lips were raised slightly and she seemed to be in a good mood as she hummed a modern pop song that was about to be forgotten.

The spare food was hidden in a small hole under the stove.  She removed the firewood that was stacked up into a small pile and then stretched her hand inside to search.  She pulled out half a strip of bacon, some corn, a few dried mushrooms, some dried shrimp, a potato, some dried cowpeas, and a small packet of brown sugar.

It should be enough to cook a pot of porridge as well as some side dishes, she thought.

She peeled and shredded the potatoes into thin slices, then cut the mushrooms and cowpeas into appropriate sizes and put them into the pot together with the dried shrimp and corn.

As soon as the water is added, she can light the fire and start to cook.

The bacon was cut into thin slices as a side dish.  After frying the bacon in oil until fragrant, it would turn soft and slightly salty and would taste delicious when soaked in the porridge.

“The water is here, where should I pour it?”

Xiao Jingfeng’s walking pace was fast and he came back very quickly with a bucket of water that was 90% full without spilling a single drop.

Men are so useful!  Li Jing’er sighed.

“Over there……..pour out the dirty water that is inside then wash it and pour the water in……..”

As she spoke, she scooped water from the bucket and then poured it into the pot.  After striking the flint, the fire quickly started, and then she adjusted the position of the firewood to keep the fire at medium heat.

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“The water is not enough, I’ll go and fetch more.”  He went out again.

Although the water jar was not very big, it was half the height of a man.  In fact, the water consumption was not too much, and normally, it was enough to fetch just one to two buckets of water.  It was because not all the water would be used up unless it rains and the water is needed to clean up the mud on her.  If hot water is needed for bathing, she only has to fetch two more buckets of water at the most.

But Li Jing’er did not intend to tell him and let the man who was eager to make up to his wife and children get busy.  She did not intend to shatter this beautiful misunderstanding and she also intentionally or unintentionally led him in the wrong direction and let him think that she was leading a poverty-stricken life.  The family had only four walls, no leftover food, and was so poor that the quilt was the most valuable thing left in the family.

She wanted to mislead him that this house is the only place she stays in and then seize the opportunity to sneak back up to the mountain.

An ‘ex-husband’ should belong in the past with all entanglements and feelings of longing severed.

Moreover, she is not the real Li Jing’er.  She does not know how deep the relationship between her and Xiao Jingfeng was and just in case, a flaw is revealed due to carelessness, she would not be able to explain.

“Jing Niang, the auntie next door gave me a few eggs, a handful of green onions, a cabbage, and a big fish head.”

The neighbors seemed quite friendly.

“You took them?”  Seeing him with the things in his hands, Li Jing’er was so angry that she showed a twisted smile.

“She shoved all the things to me and I couldn’t refuse.”

It did not seem good to refuse the good intentions of others but the auntie’s eyes were a bit weird.

“Did she talk to you?”  This troublemaker especially made trouble for her.

“A little.”  He was hurrying back with the water therefore, they did not talk much.

“What was said?”  She was harboring some hope.

“She asked me who I was and I told her I am your man.  Then she asked how long I was going to stay and I replied that I’m not leaving.”

His wife and daughter are here, why should he leave?

Upon hearing this, Li Jing’er rubbed her forehead and groaned.

“You’ve caused me trouble, Xiao Jingfeng.”

When he heard, his face changed slightly.  “What did I say wrong?”

“You should have said that you’re the child’s father and not my man.”

This man is really a scourge.  As soon as one comes into contact with him, nothing will turn out well.

“It’s the same.”  He did not understand.

“Do you see the house in the alley on the left with red lanterns hanging at the front door?  The person in that house works secretly as a prostitute and half of the men in the village are her men.”

It was an open secret known to everyone.   Some wives of those men had gone to the house several times to make trouble but the place still remains open to welcome guests.

The reason was the Village Chief also visits the place openly and with him as the protector, no matter what drastic problems arose, all would be settled.  After even quarreling with their wives and receiving beatings, those men would continue to visit the house.

“Do you mean………a secret prostitute?”  In such an obscure little village?

Xiao Jingfeng became anxious and his brows furrowed as if he felt very troubled.

She could not help but sneer.

“You’re indeed capable.  The moment you arrived, you ruined my reputation.  It took me a year to gain the villagers’ approval but you ruined it in less than half an hour.”

“Jing Niang, I was originally your man.  This is not something shameful.  Over time a person’s heart can be seen and they will know the kind of people we are.”

It seems that this place is not a suitable place to live in for too long a time.  He has to make arrangements to get another house for them to stay in.

“That sentence ‘Over time a person’s heart can be seen’ is merely a joke.  You are bound by military duties so how many times can you be here in a month?  When the others see men coming in and out of my house, wouldn’t they do the same too?  They will imitate other people and think that I’m selling myself too.”

She deliberately made the matter sound very serious so that he would be less arrogant, always thinking that by calling himself her man, he could ignore the fact that they had long since divorced.

Although secret prostitutes were working in the village, they dared not make it public.  Usually, the men who patronized them were singles that wanted to seek a brief comfort.  Most of the villagers were controlled strictly by their wives and although they did have the thought, they were not brave enough.

Li Jing’er only said those things to scare him.

“Jing Niang, you should move!”  The more she talked, the more worried he became.

“Are you going to support me?”  She retorted.

“I’ll raise……..”  He was very eager to do it.

“Mother, is it time to eat?”

Shuangming was rubbing his eyes and leading Little Sister Yue who had just gotten up while the still drowsy Shuangzhen followed behind.

“Yes, I’m almost done.  Mother will put in the fish fillet for a quick stir-fry and then make a plate of vinegar cabbage and there’s also your favorite scrambled eggs with onions.  Go and wash your hands first and then sit at the table.  The delicious mushroom porridge is about to be ready.”

She sprinkled a little brown sugar into the porridge to make a soft sweet porridge that was easy to swallow.

“Wa, I want to eat eggs and there’re a lot of dishes.  Tomorrow, I want……..”

Shuangming glanced at the man beside the table and said.  “……..to be as tall as him.”

Hmph!  You must be dreaming!

Xiao Jingfeng silently belittled the child.

“Tomorrow after tomorrow, one day you will get your wish.”

Li Jing’er fooled the child once again and her son was coaxed into smiling.

Anyway, there will be a tomorrow after tomorrow and tomorrow will always be waiting for another tomorrow.

“Xiao Jingfeng, you can walk fast, so go to town tomorrow morning to buy us some meat buns for breakfast.  Walk faster and don’t let the buns cool down.  Buns taste delicious only when eaten hot……..”

Walk faster?

Xiao Jingfeng thought he was fast enough and more nimble than those soldiers in the army.

In the morning, he bought 50 meat buns in one go and stuffed them into his arms.  He was afraid that they would get cold but was not afraid of them scalding his arms.

He rushed back in a hurry and upon reaching the house that he left early in the morning, he was stunned.

Why is the house locked up?  And there is also an iron chain strung through the door handles holding the door together with a big shining lock as if it was mocking him for being too passionate.

Without much thought, he climbed over the wall to enter the courtyard.  He found the stove was cold, the bowls and plates were put away inside the cabinet and the fluffy soft quilt was folded into a square and placed in the center of the bed.

But where are they?

The originally noisy voices of the children were gone…….the woman’s soft voice coaxing the children to sleep was gone………the house was empty…….