The woman slapped her thighs twice, looking full of regret.
“You useless little burden!”
She grabbed the broom from the corner and swung it at Mu Guiying.
“See if I don’t beat you to death!”
Mu Guiying was startled by the scene before her. Before she could react, the broomstick had already landed on her body.
The clothes of early summer were thin, and the burning pain on her skin was immediate.
She jumped off the kang bed and tried to snatch the broom from her cousin-in-law Liu E, but her small frame was no match for Liu E’s sturdy build. They were completely unequal opponents.
The broomstick struck her back again, setting it ablaze with pain.
“You ungrateful brat! You eat my food and wear my clothes, and you still dare fight back?”
Liu E was enraged and hit even harder.
Mu Guiying ran around the room, dodging the broom.
Fighting head-on clearly wouldn’t work right now.
She quickly begged for mercy, deciding to use a roundabout strategy instead.
“Auntie, if you beat me up, Gu Yunche really won’t want me anymore,” Mu Guiying said as she circled around the round wooden table to avoid the broom. “And the reason I failed was because you didn’t put enough medicine in the wine. Gu Yunche sobered up too quickly, so nothing happened.”
Outside the door, Gu Yunche—who had turned back after hearing the commotion—heard every word clearly. His cold, stern face darkened even further.
He sneered.
“Tch. So this was all just playing hard to get?”
Gu Yunche never expected Mu Guiying, a girl raised in the countryside, to understand the sixteenth stratagem of the Thirty-Six Stratagems. Earlier, when she begged him not to leave and asked him not to abandon her, she had actually been using military tactics on him.
He was a man who commanded troops year-round, yet he had been toyed with by a little girl.
Thinking of this, he strode away.
Suddenly, a sturdy and honest-looking man bumped into him.
The man’s eyes were clear and innocent, and he looked simple-minded.
He grinned sheepishly.
“Sorry, brother. I was in a hurry to save my wife and accidentally hit you.”
Gu Yunche frowned.
“Who’s your wife?”
“Of course it’s Guiying. Guiying is my wife.”
The man grinned proudly, his smile foolish yet sincere.
Gu Yunche closed his eyes helplessly.
Mu Guiying was already married. She had lied to the Gu family about her age.
So why had he come here?
To bring a married woman back to the capital and register her household there?
With that thought, he turned and left.
Gu Yunche planned to call his mother at the village committee office and tell her the truth—that Mu Guiying was not worthy of the Gu family’s years of care, nor worthy of being taken to the capital.
Inside the house, Liu E was dizzy from chasing Mu Guiying around the table.
Just as she stood there panting with her hands on her hips, her foolish son rushed in.
“Mom, don’t hit Guiying! If you hurt her, I won’t have a wife anymore!”
Seeing the fool from the novel appear right before her eyes, Mu Guiying sucked in a sharp breath.
Liu E’s eldest son was already twenty-five years old. When he was little, he had suffered a high fever during the night that damaged his brain.
On the surface, he only seemed a bit slow and simple-minded rather than completely stupid. But at night, he would scream and howl terribly because he was afraid of the dark. Outsiders might not realize anything was wrong during the daytime, but at night it became obvious that he wasn’t normal.
Mu Guiying instinctively backed away in fear, only to see the fool rush over and pull her tightly into his arms.
He puckered his lips and tried to kiss her.
“Wife, kiss! If we kiss, it won’t hurt anymore!”
Mu Guiying desperately covered the fool’s mouth with both hands.
She pleaded with Liu E.
“Auntie, if I’m tainted, Gu Yunche definitely won’t want me anymore. Then the money for Second Brother’s marriage will be completely gone.”
Liu E finally caught her breath and smacked her eldest son on the neck.
“Stop fooling around. Your wife hasn’t earned money for our family yet, so don’t mess things up.”
The fool listened obediently to his mother and released Mu Guiying.
Mu Guiying finally let out a small sigh of relief, only to hear Liu E speak again.
“Son, your wife isn’t listening to me. Lock her in the woodshed. Don’t give her dinner tonight.”
As if he had received a military order, the fool hoisted Mu Guiying onto his shoulder and carried her toward the woodshed.
Along the way, all her kicking and struggling were useless.
During the years she had lived in Liu E’s house, she had been half-starved while also feeding pigs and cooking meals. She ate little and worked hard. How could she possibly outmatch a young man in strength?
The fool set her down on a pile of firewood.
“Wife, stay here obediently. Tonight I’ll secretly bring you some corn cakes.”
Mu Guiying rolled her eyes.
“Wow, your heart is really so kind. I should thank you, huh?”
“No need to thank me. You’re my wife.”
The fool clapped his hands happily, looking delighted.
Mu Guiying was speechless.
After the fool locked the door from outside and left, Mu Guiying looked around the woodshed.
There was only one small window, but it had been nailed shut with wooden boards from the outside. If she wanted to escape, she would have to wait until the fool brought her food and seize the opportunity then.
Thinking back on everything that had happened during the past half day, Mu Guiying felt deeply emotional, yet her mind became increasingly clear.
Since she had come here, she absolutely could not repeat the same mistakes!
She did not want to end up like in the novel—dying alone and helpless aboard a smuggling ship.
Suddenly, Liu E’s loud voice came from outside.
“Old Wang, Commander Gu still hasn’t finished drinking. It’s all because that girl Guiying doesn’t know how to treat guests properly.”
Old Wang replied with something, but Mu Guiying couldn’t hear clearly.
Liu E’s booming voice rang out again.
“Commander Gu came here to take Guiying away, so I can’t neglect him. I’m going to invite him over tonight for more drinks. Old Wang, help me slaughter another chicken.”
Liu E was really going all out!
Just to ensure Mu Guiying succeeded in climbing into Gu Yunche’s bed, she had killed another chicken.
Meanwhile, at the village committee office, the village secretary watched Gu Yunche make a long-distance call for nearly twenty minutes and grew increasingly anxious.
He silently lamented how expensive the phone bill would be.
Then he heard Gu Yunche raise his voice, his deep magnetic tone carrying helplessness.
“Mom, why won’t you trust my judgment? That Mu Guiying is not a good person. I’m not taking her back to the capital.”
He rubbed his temples.
“As for Uncle Bai’s daughter, Bai Lin, I’ll go to the provincial city and bring her back.”
The village secretary frowned upon hearing this.
So the leader from the capital had changed his mind and no longer wanted to take Mu Guiying back?
Did that mean the poor girl would really end up marrying Liu E’s foolish son?
Gu Yunche listened to the phone for a while longer.
Finally, he compromised helplessly.
“Fine. I’ll observe her for one more night. But I’m afraid she’s going to disappoint you.”
After speaking, he hung up the phone, his expression dark as water.
Just as the village secretary entered the room, intending to explain Mu Guiying’s situation, Liu E came rushing in noisily.
The moment she entered, she shouted,
“Commander Gu, I’m here to invite you to my house for drinks!”
Gu Yunche’s cold gaze swept over Liu E.
A mocking smile appeared on his lips.
“That’s perfect. I quite like Aunt Liu’s wine.”
The moment Liu E heard that, she smiled so widely her mouth nearly split apart.
She wiped her rough hands on her clothes.
“Alright then, I’ll go buy peanuts and braised pig trotters from the store right now.”
Liu E glanced at the hesitant village secretary, afraid he might ruin her plans by talking too much.
With a cheerful smile, she said,
“Village Secretary, come with me. I just happen to have something to discuss with you.”
The village secretary considered it for a moment. Since he couldn’t persuade Gu Yunche, perhaps he could only persuade Liu E to show some kindness instead.
Seeing the village secretary about to leave, Gu Yunche stood up.
“Wait a moment,” he said in a deep voice.