Seeing her so fearless and self-assured, Zhou Sinian loosened the hand that had been gripping her chin.
“I had some doubts before, but now I’m completely certain.”
The corner of Meng Yu’s mouth twitched.
What was this called?
Backfiring?
“Wh… why?”
There was a hint of defiance in her tone.
Zhou Sinian glanced at her.
“Because only a thief shouts ‘catch the thief.’”
Those words left Meng Yu momentarily speechless.
“Anyway, I am Meng Doyu!”
She resorted to blatant stubbornness in the end.
Zhou Sinian nodded.
“No one denies that you are Meng Doyu.”
He had personally brought her home as his wife, and the memory of her on their wedding day was still clear.
She was indeed the same person, but her nature—that would need careful investigation.
Meng Yu knew full well about the man’s sharp perceptiveness. She mainly didn’t want to stir up trouble anymore, so she used the excuse of needing rest and, after Zhou Sinian left, sat on the kang bed, frowning in thought.
The original personality of the woman whose life she’d taken over was so different from hers that living cautiously in her stead seemed worse than just ending it all.
Although it was a bit troublesome, the original identity was that of a poor farmer, so she had no fear of Zhou Sinian investigating.
“Forget it. Let’s take it one step at a time.”
Thinking too much now was clearly useless.
The two of them had no emotional foundation, yet they were married. Zhou Sinian had been staying in the east storage room for three days straight, letting Fan Cuixiang cry and scold, but he resolutely refused to sleep in their room.
Meng Yu, however, was perfectly comfortable, sleeping alone on the spacious kang bed—it was pure bliss.
The three-day “return home” visit was an old tradition. Early in the morning, the Zhou household began preparations.
Return-home gifts had to be prepared. In this era, most households barely had enough to eat; bringing even a few items back was already considered generous. Most couples either returned empty-handed or didn’t go at all.
By the time Meng Yu got up, Fan Cuixiang had already prepared everything.
The gifts were the highest standard: four boxes, two jin of millet, five jin of coarse grain, one jin of white flour, and a half-jin piece of pork.
Seeing all this, Meng Yu frowned.
Fan Cuixiang immediately noticed, clenching her fists.
“Our family’s already generous! Many young couples return home empty-handed. Meng Doyu, you shouldn’t be ungrateful!”
These days, no family was well-off; the fact that she could bring four boxes showed her kindness.
Meng Yu didn’t argue. She turned to glance at Zhou Sinian emerging from the storage room.
“Want me to bring it?”
Fan Cuixiang froze, then followed her gaze to her eldest son.
Of course Zhou Sinian knew what Meng Yu meant—her dissatisfaction with the Meng family was obvious.
But…
“Aren’t you afraid of being beaten? It wouldn’t look good if you didn’t bring anything back.”
As for his own pride, Zhou Sinian didn’t care.
Coincidentally, Meng Yu didn’t either.
“If these things are sent, it’s like giving meat to a dog. If we already know the outcome, why bother?”
Fan Cuixiang hesitated.
Meng Yu continued, “Besides, even if I brought back a mountain of gold, they wouldn’t appreciate it. Why bother putting in effort for someone else’s cold indifference?”
Then she turned to Fan Cuixiang.
“Mom, pack it up. Let’s go.”
Watching their backs as they left, Fan Cuixiang followed a few steps but ultimately stayed silent.
Would it really be proper to marry someone and, on the three-day return visit, not bring the four boxes of gifts?
What Fan Cuixiang didn’t know was that Meng Yu had already set her sights on the bride price.
“How much did the Zhou family give as a bride price?”
Zhou Sinian paused mid-step and then turned to glance at Meng Yu oddly.
“You’re thinking about the bride price?”
Meng Yu didn’t like the way he said that.
“What do you mean, ‘thinking about the bride price’?” She stood there, her gaze showing displeasure. “The money the Zhou family gave as a bride price is for marrying a wife, right? So if it went to someone who married into the Zhou family, that money should belong to me. Isn’t that correct?”
Her logic was flawless.
Zhou Sinian frowned.
He couldn’t argue even a single word.
“They’ll give it to you?”
She had already said she wasn’t favored in the Meng family.
“Of course not! That’s why you have to cooperate with me.”
Seeing the smile at the corner of her mouth, Zhou Sinian realized this wouldn’t be simple.
However, the Meng family had indeed gone overboard. Zhou Sinian was not one to be bullied silently, so he immediately nodded in agreement.
“Alright.”
Seeing him agree so readily, Meng Yu couldn’t help but laugh.
“I love dealing with smart people like you!”
The Meng family lived in Da Fan Village, about fifteen li from Zhou family’s Zhujiatun. Zhou Sinian’s stride was long, and as a former soldier, this distance was nothing.
But the panting behind him—like a broken bellows—made him stop once more.
He turned and looked at the person swaying with each step, nearly faint from exhaustion.
His gaze was full of disbelief.
How could someone be so weak?
“Really that tired?”
Hearing the man’s words, Meng Yu didn’t even get a chance to roll her eyes.
Ignoring him, she continued trudging forward, her ragged breathing growing more frantic.
Zhou Sinian paused, then strode up to her and crouched down.
“Come on, I’ll carry you.”
He truly feared she might collapse on the way to her family’s home, and if that happened, no amount of words could explain it later.
With sudden weight on his back, Meng Yu didn’t hesitate to flop onto his broad, safe shoulders, closing her eyes as if near death.
Zhou Sinian stood up swiftly; the weight behind him was lighter than any backpack he had carried.
Meng Yu felt a flicker of gratitude. Though he constantly doubted her, he had acted with the courtesy a man should.
His back was wide and safe; utterly exhausted, Meng Yu fell asleep.
In her dream, she played the violin, the spotlight shining only on her.
“Meng Doyu, we’re here. Wake up.”
The voice shattered her beautiful dream. Meng Yu opened her eyes, still clinging to the lingering sweetness.
She climbed down from Zhou Sinian’s back and looked at the earthen house ahead.
They had arrived at the Meng family home.
She glanced at Zhou Sinian.
“See? Your in-laws didn’t even bother to come out and greet you.”
Zhou Sinian looked at Meng Yu.
This woman complained immediately after eating—she truly didn’t value the fact that he had carried her all the way.
“A phoenix in distress isn’t worth a chicken. If you hadn’t been sent back, the Meng family would all be outside greeting you by now.”
Meng Yu mocked him again.
Zhou Sinian chuckled.
Meng Yu immediately sensed trouble.
As expected.
“You never thought it might be your own fault? If you were favored in the Meng family, wouldn’t they have come out to greet you?”
Very good.
The boomerang had just come back and hit him straight.