“That boy from the Xu family must have starved himself senseless. He really dared to take three!”
“Just wait and see. With three more people crammed into that broken hut of his, they’ll have to stack on top of each other to sleep at night.”
Xu Lang held the three light yet unbearably heavy marriage contracts in his hand, completely ignoring the noise around him.
He turned around and looked at his three nominal wives.
The three women were also sizing him up, but there was not the slightest trace of joy in their gazes.
The tall Murong Yanran’s eyes were filled with rejection and disgust, as if even one extra glance at Xu Lang were an insult to herself.
The gentle Hua Yourong let out a soft sigh and lowered her head as if resigning herself to fate. Yet her slender shoulders trembled slightly, revealing the unease in her heart.
The youngest, Xia Zhiruo, looked utterly confused and frightened. Her small hands clutched the hem of her clothes tightly as she timidly hid behind Hua Yourong.
Xu Lang took in all of their reactions.
It was only natural.
No one would feel happy being forcibly assigned by the authorities to a man so thin he looked as if he might stop breathing at any moment.
Let alone three women being assigned to such a man.
This was not marriage. This was clearly going to die together.
“Let’s go, my three wives. We’re going home,” Xu Lang said with a wide grin, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.
To the three women, that smile looked no different from the grin of a soul-reaping ghost.
The villagers burst into louder laughter.
“Haha, he’s already calling them wives!”
“Xu Lang, do you even have any grain left at home? Don’t let your new brides run off from hunger tonight!”
A village ruffian who loafed around all day, Zhao Erhu, let his crafty eyes roam back and forth over Hua Yourong and Murong Yanran, his gaze full of greed.
“Xu Lang, you can’t support so many. How about… sharing one with your big brother here? I’ve got grain stored at home. I guarantee I won’t let your sister-in-law starve!”
His frivolous words triggered a round of lewd laughter.
Everyone loved beauty. They had chosen those burly women earlier simply to survive.
But now, seeing the three stunning women beside Xu Lang, which man did not feel a surge of jealousy?
Envy grew like wild grass.
Xu Lang paused and glanced back at Zhao Erhu.
There was no anger and no retort, just a calm look.
Yet that single glance made Zhao Erhu shiver for no reason, and the crude words he was about to say stuck in his throat.
Xu Lang ignored them and led the three women toward the most remote corner of the village.
Along the way, villagers pointed and whispered. The looks of sympathy, mockery, and schadenfreude felt like thorns against their backs.
The three women lowered their heads further and further.
Especially Murong Yanran. Born into the family of a military champion, she had never suffered such humiliation. Her fingernails nearly dug into her own flesh.
Soon, they arrived at “home.”
Rather than a home, it was more like a shack that might collapse at any moment.
The thatched walls let wind through from all sides. The roof had several large holes, through which the sky could be seen directly. When a gust of wind blew, the entire structure groaned and creaked.
Inside, the place was bare. Aside from a broken wooden plank set up as a “bed” and a chipped clay jar, there was nothing.
Seeing this scene, Xia Zhiruo almost burst into tears with a “wah,” but Hua Yourong pulled her back firmly.
Though Hua Yourong herself felt miserable, she still comforted softly, “Zhiruo, don’t cry. Since we’re here, we must make peace with it.”
Murong Yanran trembled with anger, her pretty face pale and rigid.
This was her destination?
From the daughter of a general to being reduced to squeezing into a place worse than a pigsty with a starving man?
“My three wives, just sit wherever you like,” Xu Lang said cheerfully, utterly unaware.
“Sit?” Murong Yanran finally could not hold back. She let out a cold laugh. “Sit where? On the ground?”
“The ground is clean,” Xu Lang answered seriously.
Murong Yanran fell silent, feeling as if she had punched cotton. Her chest felt suffocatingly tight.
Hua Yourong tugged at Murong Yanran’s sleeve, then bowed slightly to Xu Lang and said softly, “Husband, we… we are all hungry.”
As soon as she spoke, Xia Zhiruo’s stomach growled loudly in response, and her small face flushed bright red with embarrassment.
Xu Lang nodded. “You’re hungry. I’ll cook.”
Cook?
All three women froze.
In this house, even a mouse would leave in tears. What could he possibly cook with?
Boil the northwest wind?
Xu Lang did not explain and turned to leave the hut.
As soon as he left, the suppressed tension erupted.
“I can’t stand this anymore! I would rather be executed by the authorities than spend my life with someone like this!” Murong Yanran said in a low voice, but her determination was unmistakable.
“Sister Yanran, calm down!” Hua Yourong hurriedly persuaded. “Fleeing marriage is a capital crime. It will implicate our families!”
“Family?” Murong Yanran gave a bitter laugh. “My father died in battle. My mother passed from illness. I no longer have family. Even if I die, I will die standing. I will not endure this humiliation!”
Xia Zhiruo was terrified and sobbed softly. “I… I don’t want to die… I’ll listen to Sister Yourong.”
Hua Yourong sighed and continued, “The officials will return to check in seven days. Where could we even run? Famine is everywhere. It’s even more dangerous outside. At least… at least here we have a place that blocks wind and rain.”
Even as she said “blocks wind and rain,” she felt guilty.
With this broken house, when it rained, it would probably be livelier inside than outside.
“Blocks wind and rain? Hua Yourong, open your eyes and look! Is this a place fit for people to live?” Murong Yanran pointed at the holes in the roof. “I would rather die outside than starve to death here!”
Just as Murong Yanran’s emotions were about to spiral out of control, Xu Lang’s consciousness had already sunk into his mind.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, for completing the newbie mission: Choose your wives!]
[Newbie gift pack has been issued. Please check.]
[Marriage rewards are being calculated…]
It’s here!
Xu Lang felt a surge of wild joy.
“Open the newbie gift pack!”
[Ding! Congratulations, host, for obtaining: 50 kilograms of premium rice x1, 50 kilograms of white flour x1, 10 kilograms of air-dried cured meat, 5 kilograms of fresh vegetables, 30 eggs, seasoning gift pack x1!]
[Congratulations, host, for obtaining: Exclusive storage space x1 (10 cubic meters, time frozen, absolute freshness)!]
Seeing the storage space filled with supplies, Xu Lang was so excited he almost jumped.
Food. It was food.
In this famine era, where human life was cheaper than grass, food meant life.
With the storage space, all his worries were gone. He no longer had to fear being discovered and killed for it.
He suppressed his excitement and continued checking.
[Marriage rewards calculation complete!]
[Host has married three high-quality wives at once. Rewards doubled!]
[Congratulations, host, for obtaining: God-tier Craftsman Skill!]
[Congratulations, host, for obtaining: God-tier Culinary Skill!]
[Congratulations, host, for obtaining: Constitution Enhancement x2!]
Instantly, countless pieces of knowledge about construction, carpentry, and mechanisms flooded his mind, as if he had spent decades immersed in the craft.
At the same time, cooking techniques from various cuisines, mastery of heat control, and methods of handling ingredients became crystal clear.
More importantly, a warm current flowed through his limbs and bones. He could clearly feel his frail body being rapidly strengthened.
His once unsteady steps became firm. His weak limbs filled with strength. Even the burning hunger in his stomach eased significantly.
“Awesome!”
Xu Lang was overjoyed.
The God-tier Craftsman Skill could be used to repair the house or even build better things.
The God-tier Culinary Skill could turn the simplest ingredients into delicacies.
The Constitution Enhancement was the foundation for survival.
With these, how could he fail to live well?
With a thought, Xu Lang took a small handful of rice, a palm-sized piece of cured meat, and a few vegetables from the storage space.
He could not take too much at once. It had to be gradual, or he would frighten them.
He set up a simple stove behind the hut with a few stones, took the chipped clay jar from inside, lit a fire, rinsed the rice, and sliced the meat.
His movements flowed smoothly, without the slightest hesitation.
Inside the hut, the argument continued.
“Hua Yourong, stop trying to persuade me! We walk different paths and cannot make plans together. If you accept this fate, I won’t stop you. I’m leaving right now!” Murong Yanran said firmly as she turned to rush outside.
“Sister Yanran!” Hua Yourong and Xia Zhiruo both panicked and rushed to stop her.
At that moment, a rich aroma suddenly drifted in without warning.
It was not the bitter smell of grass roots or tree bark, nor the fishy scent of clay.
It was the fragrance of meat.
Mixed with the mellow scent of rice, it forcefully invaded their noses.
The three women froze.
The arguing stopped. The sobbing ceased.
Inside the hut, only the increasingly loud sounds of swallowing remained.
Murong Yanran’s foot, which had been about to step out, froze midair.