Han Xiuxiu turned around, her tone softening.
“If it hadn’t been for Xianglan, I wouldn’t have had the courage to jump. She told me that I should at least fight for myself.”
Lu Yunfei raised an eyebrow.
“She encouraged you to jump into the river?”
“…”
Han Xiuxiu hadn’t expected that reaction. She hurriedly explained,
“I actually knew a little how to swim…”
Halfway through the sentence, she stopped.
That had been what the original Han Xiuxiu had thought too. She had gathered her courage and jumped into the river, believing her modest swimming skills would be enough. But once she was actually in the water, those little tricks had been completely useless.
Otherwise, Han Xiuxiu wouldn’t have transmigrated into this body.
Had she not arrived, the villagers would have pulled up nothing but a corpse.
The smile had long since vanished from Lu Yunfei’s face. Watching Han Xiuxiu’s expression, he saw her suddenly freeze in thought and sighed inwardly.
My wife is simply too kind.
She believed the best in everyone and never imagined that people could harbor ill intentions. Li Xianglan had encouraged her to jump into the river, and she had actually done it. Thankfully she’d been rescued in time. Otherwise, she would have lost her life.
“I was the one who made the decision,” Han Xiuxiu said. “I refused to marry a fool!”
“Weren’t you the one who told me this morning not to call him a fool?”
“That’s different.”
“How is it different?”
“It’s just different. If I didn’t want to marry him, then to me he was a fool. But Xianglan was willing to marry him, so we shouldn’t call him that.”
Lu Yunfei sighed inwardly.
A woman’s thoughts really are impossible to understand.
Han Xiuxiu smiled.
“As long as her life turns out well, that’s all that matters. Xianglan had a miserable life at home. It’s no wonder she was willing. I just don’t want everyone making fun of her. At least I won’t.”
“…”
“When I said I wanted to marry you, she never laughed at me either. She kept helping me think of ways to make it happen.”
Lu Yunfei’s heart filled with both sweetness and bitterness.
Hearing his wife’s heartfelt confession made him happy.
But at the same time, he thought she had been far too foolish. She never should have gambled with her own life.
Han Xiuxiu wasn’t only feeling sorry for Li Xianglan.
She also pitied the original Han Xiuxiu.
If the original owner hadn’t found the courage to jump into the river, then she would have been the one marrying the man with the intellectual disability.
One person’s poison was another person’s honey.
Everyone was simply choosing the life that suited them best.
To Han Xiuxiu, both the original owner and Li Xianglan were pitiful young women, so she naturally felt more sympathy toward them.
Having cleared the air, Lu Yunfei solemnly promised,
“I won’t call him that again.”
Han Xiuxiu looked up at him.
He gently ruffled the hair on her forehead.
“You silly girl…”
Han Xiuxiu lowered her head and muttered to herself.
Han Xiuxiu was the foolish one—not me.
If it had been me, I never would have gambled with my own life. I’d have gone straight after Lu Yunfei myself.
Suddenly Lu Yunfei slapped his forehead.
“We’ve been talking about everyone else and completely forgotten the important thing.”
He took out the silver they’d earned from selling yesterday’s goods and handed it to Han Xiuxiu.
“From now on, you’ll manage all the money in this family.”
Han Xiuxiu accepted it without hesitation.
“Sure. Since you trust me, I’ll take care of it.”
The one who controlled the household finances held the real authority.
Everything else was secondary.
Lu Yunfei poured the rest of the loose silver onto the bed without hiding a single coin.
Among it were two five-tael silver ingots that stood out immediately, another four mace of loose silver, and two or three hundred copper coins.
Han Xiuxiu picked out two mace of silver and handed it back to him.
“You shouldn’t go around with no money at all. Keep this with you.”
Lu Yunfei grinned.
“When I’m in the mountains, what would I spend money on? If I ever need any, I’ll just ask you.”
“Alright.”
She tucked the silver into the money pouch.
“Where should we hide it?”
This was the entirety of their family’s wealth.
If a thief stole it, they’d have nowhere to cry about it.
It had to be hidden carefully.
There was no need to keep secrets from each other.
Lu Yunfei showed her where he usually hid his money, and she placed the silver there.
Clearly in a good mood, Lu Yunfei took Black Panther out for a walk while Han Xiuxiu stayed home to sew.
The original Han Xiuxiu had always been handy with a needle, capable of mending and making simple clothes, though embroidery wasn’t her strength.
Fortunately, these were only undergarments and didn’t require elaborate stitching.
By the time Lu Yunfei and Black Panther returned, Han Xiuxiu had finished most of the garment. Only one sleeve remained unattached.
She rolled her aching neck.
“Want me to massage it for you?” Lu Yunfei asked while washing his hands.
“Sure.”
She’d spent the entire afternoon bent over sewing his clothes.
It was only fair he contributed some effort too.
The moment his hands began working, however, she regretted agreeing.
It hurt.
“Ow…”
His massage technique, though, was surprisingly practiced.
“If it hurts, that means the blockage hasn’t cleared. Once it does, it won’t hurt anymore. I’ll be gentler. Just bear with it.”
“Mm.”
Trying to distract herself from the pain, she asked,
“You know acupuncture points?”
“What’s so difficult about that? I used to massage my father all the time.”
As he spoke, his thumbs kneaded the Dazhui point at the base of her neck in slow circles, loosening her stiff muscles before moving to the Tianzhu points.
At first the pressure was painful.
But gradually it became much more comfortable.
By the time he reached the Jianjing points on her shoulders, the pain had almost disappeared.
Her neck and arms had been the most exhausted after sewing all afternoon.
His massage left her feeling wonderfully refreshed.
The massage lasted about fifteen minutes.
Han Xiuxiu stood and stretched.
Meanwhile, Lu Yunfei picked up the unfinished undergarment from the sewing basket and held it against himself.
Seeing that only one sleeve remained, he stared in surprise.
“You finished it this quickly?”
“It doesn’t need embroidery. Of course it’s quick.”
“It’s almost dark now. Take a rest.”
He smiled.
“Today Black Panther caught a rabbit. Tomorrow you can take it to your father.”
“Alright.”
Han Xiuxiu went to look at the rabbit.
It weighed around three or four jin (roughly 1.5–2 kilograms).
Its hind legs bore several bite wounds from Black Panther.
Covered by an upside-down basket, it lay weakly on the ground.
Han Xiuxiu grabbed a handful of fresh grass and offered it to the rabbit, but it barely reacted.
Its injuries were severe.
She doubted it would survive.
“How much can a rabbit sell for?” she asked.
“Thirty to fifty copper coins, depending on how many are being sold lately and how fat it is.”
“Easy to sell?”
“Fairly.”
She nodded thoughtfully.
“Next time, if you catch one alive, let’s keep it instead. Then it can have baby rabbits.”
Each rabbit wasn’t worth much individually.
But over time the numbers would add up.
Rabbits produced several litters a year and only ate grass.
Keeping a few at home seemed worthwhile.
Lu Yunfei laughed.
“Alright. Tomorrow I’ll set a few more traps. If I catch a pair, we’ll raise them.”
Women always wanted to keep every animal they saw.
They hadn’t even been married a month.
They’d already raised chickens, planted vegetables, and now wanted rabbits too.
Their little home was becoming livelier by the day.
That evening they reheated the leftovers from lunch and cooked noodles.
After eating, warmth spread through their bodies.
The mountains grew dark early, and once night fell, the air turned cold.
There was little to do except close the door and go to bed.
Han Xiuxiu lit the oil lamp, intending to sew on the last sleeve.
She had barely taken out her sewing basket when Lu Yunfei wrapped an arm around her waist.
“I’m not in a hurry to wear it,” he said. “Why rush? You’ll strain your eyes.”
Han Xiuxiu knew exactly what he had in mind.
But she couldn’t really blame him.
They were still newlyweds.
Having discovered the joys of married life, Lu Yunfei wished nothing more than to hold his soft, sweet-smelling wife and go to bed early.
Only with her in his arms could he sleep soundly.
The next morning, Lu Yunfei and Han Xiuxiu got up at first light.
After a simple breakfast, Han Xiuxiu saw him off before getting busy herself.
She had a long list of chores before heading down the mountain.
She cleaned the house, mixed feed for the chickens, fed both the hens and the chicks, then locked the door and set off carrying the basket with the rabbit inside.
She went first to her parents’ home.
The moment she stepped into the courtyard, she saw Han Daliang squatting beneath the eaves sharpening a knife.
Madam Li was feeding the chickens.
Han Dongdong was crouched in a corner watching ants.
Only Han Xiaoxiao was nowhere to be seen.
“Father…”
“Xiuxiu’s back.”
Han Daliang stood up, still holding the knife.
“Sit down for a while. Let me finish sharpening this.”
Hearing the commotion, Madam Li poked her head out, glanced at Han Xiuxiu, then withdrew again as though she hadn’t seen her.
Han Xiuxiu pretended not to notice either.
“Father, my husband caught a rabbit yesterday and asked me to bring it over.”
“A rabbit?”
Han Dongdong immediately ran over.
“Big Sister! I want to see it!”
Han Xiuxiu set the basket down.
The rabbit was still alive, though badly injured and barely moving.
Han Dongdong reached in to grab it by the scruff of the neck.
Han Xiuxiu laughed.
“Be careful. It might kick you.”
Hearing that Han Xiuxiu had brought home a rabbit, Madam Li finally smiled and emerged from the chicken coop.
“Xiuxiu’s back.”
Han Xiuxiu greeted her politely.
“Mother.”
Madam Li looked over the plump rabbit, and her smile widened.
“We’re attending the wedding feast today. We’ll slaughter it in a couple of days.”
“Its hind legs are badly injured. I’m not sure it’ll live that long.”
Madam Li lifted the rabbit and examined its wounds.
Quietly she muttered,
“No wonder they were willing to bring it here.”
Han Xiuxiu heard her but pretended not to.
“Where’s Xiaoxiao?”
Without looking up, Madam Li replied,
“She went to the river to wash clothes.”
Han Xiuxiu frowned.
“Xiaoxiao’s still so young. How can you send her to wash clothes by the river? What if she falls in?”
Madam Li sneered.
“There are plenty of people by the river. How would she fall in? Every family’s children help with chores. Everything can’t fall on me.”
Han Xiuxiu turned toward Han Daliang.
“Father…”
He coughed awkwardly.
“Jufang… maybe wait until Xiaoxiao’s a little older…”
Jufang was Madam Li’s given name.
Hearing her husband side with Han Xiuxiu made her even more displeased.
“Oh? You suddenly can’t bear it now? Then why didn’t you stop her earlier?”
Han Daliang fell silent.
He really had pretended not to notice while Han Xiaoxiao carried the washbasin off to the river.
That only made Madam Li more confident.
“You know how to pity your daughter, but do you ever pity me? If washing clothes means she might fall into the river, then eating means someone might choke to death. Should we just stop eating too?”
Han Daliang had never been able to win an argument with Madam Li.
Han Xiuxiu couldn’t be bothered arguing with her either.
“I’ll go find Xiaoxiao myself.”
From a distance, she spotted Han Xiaoxiao struggling to lift the wooden washbasin.
The wet clothes made it much heavier.
The little girl bent nearly double beneath the weight and trudged forward with great difficulty.
Seeing this, Han Xiuxiu’s heart ached.
She called loudly,
“Xiaoxiao! Put it down. I’ll carry it.”
Han Xiaoxiao’s face immediately lit up.
“Big Sister!”
Han Xiuxiu took the basin.
The sisters walked home together.
Han Xiaoxiao completely forgot all the grievances and unhappiness from earlier and happily chattered away about all kinds of little things.
Watching her smile so brightly, Han Xiuxiu suddenly asked,
“Xiaoxiao… would you like to come live with your big sister?”