When the Village Chief saw that the person who answered was the beautiful ge'er, he smiled and said, "Is young man Ling, at home?"
Ming Xi nodded. "He is. Please come in, Village Chief."
As soon as the Village Chief entered the courtyard, he began looking around. The courtyard had undergone a tremendous change compared to when he first sold it to Ling. He remembered there had only been one house then, and it was old and unrepaired, leaking wind and rain. Back then, when Ling gave him a silver ingot, he had felt too embarrassed to accept it.
Now, that same house was repaired as if newly built, with two additional rooms added beside it. There were several trees in the yard, a large shed nearby, and a babbling stream of living water flowed next to the kitchen.
Ming Xi: "Village Chief, this way, please."
Only then did he follow Ming Xi into the house. Upon entering, he realized the true marvel lay inside. All the furniture was complete and well-appointed. The kang was spread with thick rugs. The brazier burned high-quality gold-flecked silver charcoal. The cups and kettle on the table were all painted with gold tracery and colorful designs—each item was extravagant.
He sat at the table, tracing the brocade pattern on the tablecloth, thinking,
Such fine fabric, and they use it as a tablecloth.
"Village Chief Uncle, please sit first. He's in the kitchen; I'll go check."
Ming Xi said once he was seated.
The Village Chief said in stiff manner, "Go ahead, go ahead. Don't mind me."
After Ming Xi left, the Village Chief muttered to himself,
"It seems Mei'er and Huan'er will be heartbroken. With such a dazzling person by his side, he probably wouldn't look twice at them."
Huan'er and Mei'er were his own ge'erand daughter. Both were still unmarried. After seeing Ling, they had set their hearts on marrying him. Little did they know he already had someone he favored.
...
Soon after, Ling Cang entered carrying a tray with today's breakfast: flatbread stuffed with meat, pickled vegetables, and lean meat porridge.
Ming Xi followed behind, holding bowls and chopsticks.
He placed the tray on the table. The Village Chief looked at the food on the tray and swallowed.
He had never seen such a lavish breakfast before. Ordinary families couldn't even afford white flour, yet this fellow's household not only had white flour but also meat.
"What brings the Village Chief here?" Ling Cang asked as he placed the bowls on the table.
"It's about yesterday's matter. Li Laizi confessed everything. That Yane went with Li Laizi after she left your house." the Village Chief said.
Ming Xi handed a flatbread to the Village Chief.
"Village Chief Uncle, you must not have eaten breakfast yet, coming so early. He made plenty; let's eat together."
The Village Chief waved his hand. "You eat it. White flour and meat are rare delicacies."
Ling Cang took a bite of his flatbread. "Eat."
Only then did the Village Chief accept it.
"I was thinking that although she committed a wrong, she is, after all, a native of Yunxi Village. I beg Ling, young man, to be magnanimous and let her off this time."
Ling Cang picked up some vegetables for Ming Xi.
"That's easy to say. Since she willingly went with Li Laizi, they must be mutually enamored. Why doesn't the Village Chief take charge and facilitate this wonderful match?"
The Village Chief's hand suddenly stilled.
It seems Ling is unwilling to let her off. This Li Laizi is not a good man—lazy and gluttonous. His father died early, and his mother was also killed by him (with a bowl strike). No one in the surrounding villages is willing to marry their daughter to him.
The Village Chief sighed. "If that's the case, then I will go and inform them."
After he walked out the door, he took another look back at the courtyard, feeling that as soon as he entered the yard, his whole body felt much more comfortable.
He shook his head.
It's probably just my imagination.
"Why make her marry Li Laizi?" Ming Xi didn't understand.
Ling Cang: "Because they are a perfect match."
Since she thought to harm others, she must be prepared to face punishment.
After breakfast, the two made flat peach preserves in the kitchen. Ming Xi removed the pits, and Ling Cang cut them into pieces. When he encountered an especially sweet one, he would feed a piece to Ming Xi.
The charcoal fire in the room was strong, and Ming Xi got so hot he took off his cloak.
"Ling Cang, can these pits be planted? We can plant them in the yard when spring comes."
Ling Cang had just finished filling a jar.
"Yes. You collect them in a jar."
Ming Xi did as told, placing the pits one by one into a jar and sealing the lid.
They also pickled some radish cubes and sour green beans. In winter, there was plenty of leisure time. After finishing, they returned to the room to roast sweet potatoes and chestnuts.
Five days later, the Village Chief came again. He said Yane was unwilling to marry Li Laizi and had made several scenes. In the end, her father tied her up and stuffed her into Li Laizi's courtyard.
When Li Laizi found out, he said, "She doesn't want to come? I don't even want to marry her! Do you think I got a bargain?"
He glanced at Auntie Zhang nearby and laughed.
"Auntie Zhang, why don't you go home and ask your own man if he got a bargain?" Then he looked around.
"Who knows, maybe more than one or two people have taken advantage of Zhang Yane." After Li Laizi said this, some villagers shrank back, clearly guilty.
If they hadn't investigated, it would have been fine. Once they did, it turned out most of the men had fooled around with Zhang Yane. They were dragged home by their wives by the ears.
This matter concerned the reputation of the entire village. If outsiders found out the daughters of Yunxi Village were so lacking in propriety, how would the ge'er and women of the village marry in the future?
The Village Chief strictly forbade the spread of this matter. He declared on the spot that if anyone leaked it, they would be expelled from the clan and driven out of Yunxi Village. Since every family in the village had daughters or ge'er, for the sake of their own children's futures, everyone nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Early one morning, the Zhang family took advantage of the pre-dawn darkness to tie up Zhang Yane and deliver her to Li Laizi's gate.
They still had a ge'er at home who couldn't risk being rendered unmarriageable because of this.
Although Li Laizi was full of disdain, he saw that Zhang Yane did have some looks. His eyes shifted, and a plan formed.
If used well, Ms. Zhang could become his money tree.
Later, it was heard that he sold Zhang Yane to the owner of a gambling den for ten taels of silver.
The New Year was approaching.
Everyone in Yunxi Village was busy preparing for the New Year and had no time to protest this injustice. Those families whose men had been involved with her cursed her, saying she deserved it.
In the courtyard on the West Slope, Ling Cang and Ming Xi were writing couplets for the New Year.
In the past, the Divine Emperor's calligraphy treasures were highly sought after in the celestial realm, worth a fortune and difficult to obtain. If Ling Cang was in a good mood, one might even hope to receive one.
The local Earth God clung to the door frame, drooling with desire. A few days ago, he had felt the powerful aura in this area. Not long after, he received an edict from the Celestial Emperor stating that the Divine Emperor had entered the mortal realm and that he was to follow this person's arrangements.
From his observations these past few days, this person's bearing was extraordinary—he likely wasn't from the mortal realm. That could only mean he was the Divine Emperor of the Three Realms.
"Ling Cang, there's a sneaky little old man at our door." Ming Xi whispered to Ling Cang, leaning close.
Ling Cang glanced over and knew immediately it was the local Earth God.
"Xi'er, go invite him in. Perhaps he's a beggar asking for food." Ling Cang continued writing his couplets.
Ming Xi looked at the person outside the door. Apart from being a bit short, he was dressed in fine clothes—nothing like a beggar.
He walked towards the door.
"Grandpa, do you want a couplet?"
He kept staring at Ling Cang writing the couplets; probably he wants to ask for one to take back.
The Earth God was taken aback, then nodded repeatedly.
"If you could bestow this old man with one scroll, then... then this old man will surely treasure it carefully."
This person is really strange. What's so special about a couplet that needs treasuring?
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