Chapter Six, Daughter-in-law
The Nangong family is more than twenty miles away from here, and they would not let me in, so I have no choice but to accept this gift. Taking advantage of the absence of my family, I opened the package to take a look. Inside, there was a box of fragrant medicinal oil, a box of exquisite osmanthus cake and fruit, a box of sugar cubes, and a letter.
The letter was written by Nangong Ming, and although the handwriting appears somewhat immature, it is quite neat. However, I feel that he did not consider whether Lin Luor could read or not. Fortunately, the characters in this world are similar to Chinese, and since I often go to Hong Kong to buy original Taiwanese comics and danmei novels, I am quite accustomed to reading traditional characters in vertical format
But... what if this is money from selling oneself
The healing ointment from the Nangong family is indeed a remarkable product, feeling icy to the touch. After applying it for a short while, the redness and swelling have significantly subsided, and the scar appears less alarming.
I was very satisfied, leaving the entire box to him, and then, with the silver notes tucked under my arm, I walked away gracefully
"Mother, please do not say anything!" The herd raised a cloud of dust as I waved goodbye to the beasts
I feel a bit confused: "What?"
In the letter, Nangong Ming expressed deep concern for my injuries and apologized for being unable to persuade his father to rescue me from my suffering. He sent me a special healing medicine for my scars to aid in my recovery and promised to find a way to help in the future, ensuring that my grandmother and uncle would not beat or scold me, this poor little orphan.
In the afternoon, I went to the tea house to help my grandmother tidy up the tables and chairs, and the horse from the Nangong family arrived again
"Dong dong," two soft knocks came from below the window, waking me from my dream. I leaned out to look down, only to see Shi Tou holding a large bowl, smiling and waving at me, then he raised the bowl up, saying, "Catch it!"
"Let us go." The great beast turned and left on its own, leaving behind a reward for the following guards
After finishing, Shitou took a towel from the shelf, handed it to me to wipe my hands, and then gently said in a voice as soft as a mosquito's whisper: "I'm sorry..."
Yet, upon opening my eyes, I found myself still in that unfamiliar tile-roofed house filled with the smell of earth and salted fish. The bamboo pillow pressed painfully against my head, and I bit down on the corner of the coarse cloth quilt, letting a few drops of saliva escape.
"Where is your father? How can you apply the medicine by yourself?" Seeing that I truly could not find any other children, I walked over and stuffed two boxes of sweets into his hands, "These were given to me, but I don't like them. Here, take them to nourish your body."
Being liked by a man is a comedy, while being liked by a madman is a tragedy
I shot him a glance and said, "Can't you tear it with your hands if you have no teeth?"
Stone took a deep breath, steadied himself, and with a surge of determination, declared loudly: "My grandfather has made an agreement with your grandmother! If your face does not heal, you will not be able to marry into a good family! In the future, I will marry you as my wife!"
Why are both worlds so real
... ...
Nangong Ming glanced at his father, then at me, stamped his foot, and chased after him, calling out: "Father... listen to me!"
He is very principled and shook his head to decline my warm invitation
The stone reluctantly took one last look at the chicken leg, turned its gaze away, and no longer succumbed to the temptation of food
The online novels remain unfinished, the American TV series "The Big Bang Theory" has not released its fourth season, and a certain celebrity's assault incident is still causing a heated uproar
Is the Holy Mother still not at peace? I took two steps back and waved my hand, saying: "You must have mistaken me for someone else; I am not familiar with your young master."
I dreamt that I was awakened by the alarm of my mobile phone, beside me was a soft KITTY pillow, at my feet was a yellow fluffy duck, and the enticing aroma of fried dough sticks and soy milk wafted up from the breakfast shop downstairs, accompanied by the incessant honking of cars and motorcycles. Even the bald head of our boss, who forces us to work overtime, appeared particularly pleasing to the eye.
"No one is competing with you, so don't get your hands all messy." Before I traveled back in time, I would always take my uncle's child during the summer vacation. Seeing him getting all dirty, I would habitually take out a handkerchief and hand it to him, then instruct, "Turn around, let me apply some medicine for you."
How did it come to this? The little beast saw the little loli transform into a small monster, and was so frightened that his eyes nearly bulged out. He trembled his lips for a long time before finally managing to utter the word "yes".
The excited mind was doused with cold water. After much inner turmoil, I decided to secretly hide the money first, and later look for potential investment opportunities, or perhaps flee to a distant place where Nan Gongming could not find me. Given their family's wealth, they would likely not care about this mere two hundred taels.
I quickly went through all the little girls in the village in my mind, and I really couldn't think of a second one
A little brat who is just a few years old, I did not hold his transgressions against him. Upon opening the lid, I found two plump and large marinated chicken legs, emanating a delightful aroma. This is my favorite food; in the past, I refrained from eating too much for the sake of my figure. Now, wanting to gain weight and become a chubby girl, I happily accepted them.
Is that a dream over there? Is that reality over there
"That's right, that's right!" The young man bent down, took another look at my face, and said decisively, "The young master has made it very clear; unless there is another girl here with injuries on her mouth and nose, missing two front teeth, and a hairstyle resembling a halved watermelon rind, it is impossible to make a mistake."
I saw that the child's brows were furrowed into a shape resembling the character '八', looking quite pitiful, so I generously gave him one.
Feeling frustrated, I shook the envelope and discovered there was another piece of paper inside. Upon unfolding it, I found a two hundred tael silver note, accompanied by a note stating that it was for me to buy some oil flower powder, advising me not to recklessly apply rouge on my face
I simply ignored him
In the evening, sleep is particularly sweet.
The Nangong family is truly wealthy! Young Nangong Ming is indeed quite extravagant at such a young age! The funds for eloping have finally been secured!
Tomorrow is the market day, and he is busy preparing the kitchen knives and farming tools he needs to sell. I can't be bothered to remind him about such trivial matters. Shitou took the box, dipped a small piece, licked it, and suspiciously asked, "How did you become so virtuous? You haven't poisoned it, have you?"
I looked at my unremarkable eight-year-old body and thought about a future devoid of money, power, and physical strength, feeling an overwhelming sense of dread as the sky appeared ominously dark and my heart felt equally heavy
Stone swallowed hard and asked, "You have no front teeth, can you bite?"
Hold on! Don't be ungrateful! I don't have time to waste with you! I still have other matters to attend to! The Nangong family is quite well-known in this area, and even their gatekeepers have more dignity than the local landlords. The young man waited for quite a while, and seeing that I didn't reach out, he began to lose patience. The friendly smile he had been wearing faded, and he pushed the package into my hands before walking away without looking back.
Money is a good thing, and my face instantly brightens up. My mind starts calculating rapidly, estimating the silver prices across various dynasties. I recall that in the Tang Dynasty, one tael of silver was approximately worth between 2,000 to 4,000 RMB; in the mid Northern Song Dynasty, it was between 600 to 1,300 RMB; in the mid Ming Dynasty, it was between 600 to 800 RMB; and in the Qing Dynasty, it was between 150 to 250 RMB. Even if I calculate using the lowest estimates, these 200 taels of silver are worth a full 30,000 RMB! I could buy quite a bit of land and even look at several houses!
The stone called out to me from behind, yet it stammered and could not articulate anything.
In the middle of the night, I leaned against the window to gaze at the stars, densely scattered across the sky. With the naked eye, a long Milky Way stretched across the center, a beauty that has long been polluted and vanished in the twenty-first century. Even if children from the city spend a fortune to fly to tourist attractions, they may not be able to witness such a beautiful starry sky
Pah! Which of his eyes saw that I have suffered bullying? Moreover, there are so many people in the world who are suffering, and many beggars by the roadside; why does he have to focus on me alone? Being brain-dead is a kind of illness that needs to be treated
"It was my foolishness that caused you to get hurt," said Shitou, speaking even more stutteringly, his face as red as if it were on fire. "You... your face, I will take responsibility from now on, and I will not let them bully you again, so don't worry."
As for the other items sent by Nangong Ming, especially the medicinal ointment, I do not want them and do not intend to bring them home, so as not to cause my grandmother and the others to worry. Therefore, I wandered around the village for a while and only saw Shi Tou sitting in the small courtyard of his home with a frown, struggling to reach back to apply the medicine on his back.
Hey, I know you wouldn't dare! The stone, fearing I might snatch it back, immediately stuffed the osmanthus cake into his mouth. His eyes are narrow, and even when he doesn't smile, there is a hint of a smile on his face. Now, they are curved like a crescent moon, with dimples dancing lightly at the corners of his mouth, and his tiger teeth moving up and down, making him look particularly adorable
"How do you plan to take responsibility?" I teased this serious little rascal, finding it quite amusing
The closer Nangong Ming got, the more unnerved I felt. Especially when I recalled those intense scenes from the original work, where a man would imprison or bind the woman he loved, subjecting her to all kinds of humiliation just to vent his desires; such behavior is clearly indicative of an unstable mind.
The stone suddenly blushed, lowered its head and looked at me for a while, before slowly turning around
I am extremely fond of the stars; when I gaze at them, I forget all my sadness, troubles, and worries, achieving a momentary peace of mind, which brings me great happiness
I had just taken over when Shitou immediately took two steps back, climbed up the stone crevice, grabbed the window bars with both hands, and nimbly flipped over to jump into the room. Rubbing his nose, he said to me apologetically: "Ugly monster, this... I saved it for you during dinner, it's a matter of reciprocity, don't be polite."
To have reached this point in scheming, I feel a sense of sorrow for the rapid decline of my own moral integrity, yet it cannot deter my determination to shamelessly default on my debts
I no longer insist, tearing and eating with great delight
Unappreciative! My face is almost turning black from anger.
My grandmother pinched my ear and pulled me back, while splashing water on my face and scolding me: "Little girl! Playing with your aunt's cosmetics! Do you think they don't cost money?"
Faced with everything familiar, I was so moved that I shouted loudly from the balcony: "Comrades, hello! I, Hu Hanzan, have returned!"
Jumping off the horse was a young lad of about sixteen or seventeen, with a charming baby face. He walked up to me with a smile, looked me over from side to side for a moment, and handed me a small package, saying, "This is from our young master."
I endured a good beating, yet I set down a heavy burden from my heart
When we usually see photos of celebrities without makeup online, we are often startled and hold our hearts in shock