The weather became increasingly cool, and Ji Sang squatted at the doorway, looking at the loquat tree in the courtyard. The loquats this year seemed to have been nourished by the rain, as there were still some hanging on the tree at this time of the season, interspersed among the green leaves with their orange-yellow color.

The sky behind the loquat tree was a vibrant blue, vast and cloudless.

In this pristine era untouched by environmental destruction, the air was exceptionally fresh, with a scent of freedom when breathed into the lungs.

Rarely having such a leisurely moment, Ji Sang found herself lost in thought.

“Sang Sang, what are you looking at?”

Wen Jian emerged from the stove side, his clothes tainted with the smell of smoke. Ji Sang turned her head to look, but the man’s face was backlit, making it impossible to see his expression. However, she could feel his focused gaze when it fell upon her, as if he wanted to draw her in.

A slight stir arose in Ji Sang’s heart, “…I’m not looking at anything. I was just… guessing if this year’s loquats are sweet.”

Wen Jian followed Ji Sang’s gaze towards the loquat tree in the eastern part of the courtyard. Only a few scattered fruits remained, and a bird perched on top, enjoying a satisfying meal.

“Do you like eating loquats?”

Ji Sang nodded, “Mm, they’re very sweet.”

Wen Jian hesitated for a moment, then extended his palm, “Let’s go inside and have a meal.”

Ji Sang hesitated briefly, her dark eyes fixed on his outstretched hand. His palm was broad and calloused from years of holding a pen, and every time that thickness brushed against her delicate skin, it would invariably make her tremble slightly.

Ji Sang waved away certain scenes that suddenly flashed through her mind. By the time she regained her composure, her hand had gently come to rest in his, feeling the warmth of his fingertips.

He held her soft hand, exerted a slight force, and Ji Sang stood up from the ground. Perhaps due to squatting for too long, Ji Sang’s vision momentarily darkened. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, and when she reopened them, her hands were already resting on the man’s chest. Through the thin fabric of his clothes, she could feel the vigorous beating of his heart beneath her palm.

Wen Jian wrapped one arm around her slender waist, and their gazes collided in mid-air.

Ji Sang felt a bit embarrassed, her back tingling from the scorching heat against her waist. She quickly straightened herself, lowered her eyelids, and without looking at him, she murmured, “…Let’s eat, let’s have a meal.”

After saying that, Ji Sang hurriedly walked away.

Wen Jian’s palm still carried the warmth of her touch as his fingertips gently caressed it. After a moment, a clear smile emerged in his chest, and he took steps towards the stove.

They had red soup noodles for lunch.

Wen Li was skilled in cooking and could create the most authentic flavors even with the simplest ingredients. The red soup noodles had two remaining eggs, the only ones left in the house. She sliced one and a half eggs and placed them on top of the noodles. She also added some green vegetable leaves and served the steaming hot dish on the table.

The four of them sat around the table.

Wen Jian naturally placed half of an egg into Ji Sang’s bowl.

Ji Sang looked at him with her dark eyes, and he had already bowed his head to eat.

As they finished their meal, Wen Jian and Wen Zheng mentioned that they were planning to go to the market in the afternoon.

Upon hearing that Wen Jian was going to the market, Ji Sang, who hadn’t been there despite living here for so long, eagerly said, “Wen Jian, you’re going to the market? Take me with you!”

Wen Jian glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “If there’s something you want to buy, tell me, and I’ll bring it back for you. It saves you the trouble of going there, which would take at least a few hours on foot.”

Ah, it’s that far?

“It’s not about buying something. I want to try selling the paper.”

“Sell paper?”

Ji Sang nodded and replied earnestly, “I sun-dried over a hundred sheets of paper before. You’ve used some, but there’s still a lot left. I carefully examined them, and although the paper may not be as delicate and fair as desired, it’s still suitable for writing. I want to give selling a try. After all, we need to earn back the labor costs…”

Ji Sang furrowed her brows, pondering. The paper she made this time was actually in a state of not being high-quality enough for the wealthy families to appreciate. As for the poor people, judging by the village’s situation, apart from Wen Jian, the scholar, who had the need for paper, the rest of the poor people didn’t read and wouldn’t require paper.

The paper had been produced, but she wasn’t confident about selling it.

However, her attitude remained positive. If she couldn’t sell it, she could always use it as toilet paper. She didn’t want to use bamboo scraps for that purpose anymore…

Wen Jian couldn’t help but be drawn in by her words. After a brief contemplation, he said, “I’ll handle the paper sales. You can’t come with me today.”

Upon hearing this, Ji Sang anxiously asked, “Why?”

“You mentioned your… discomfort.” He winced in pain.

“…” Ji Sang suddenly covered Wen Jian’s mouth, and her face instantly turned bright red. In the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Wen Li, who was clearly amused. She felt so embarrassed that she didn’t know what to say…

Wen Jian, what happened to your aloof persona?!

Were you just pretending all along?!

Damn it!

Wen Zheng, who had a good eye, stood up and pulled his wife. “We’re done eating. Hurry and help me bundle the firewood. We’ll go sell it at the market later.”

Wen Li realized the situation and averted her gaze, saying, “Oh,” before standing up and following him out, leaving the space for the young couple.

Ji Sang felt even more ashamed and angrily said, “Wen Jian! Can you please… can you please only say these things when it’s just the two of us!”

Wen Jian pursed his lips and seemed to contemplate for a moment before nodding seriously. “Hmm, I’ll pay attention from now on.”

His sudden serious tone caught Ji Sang off guard, and she was about to say something when she heard him continue, “But… just now, it was you who asked why.”

So, he answered.

Ji Sang: “…”

She felt like she had just punched a pillow.

—

In the afternoon, after Wen Zheng and Wen Jian finished preparing, they pushed the cart and left the house.

Ji Sang hid under the eaves, looking outside. Wen Jian had walked halfway when he suddenly turned his head and glanced at her, waving his hand. Wen Li, who stood at the gate, smiled at her.

Ji Sang’s little face instantly heated up. She turned around and entered the room, taking a few steps to sit on the edge of the bed. Her heart was pounding uncontrollably…

Ji Sang had slept little last night and had a lot of free time in the afternoon. She lay on the bed to catch up on some sleep.

She was in a deep sleep when she was awakened by noises from outside.

She picked up her coat from the end of the bed and headed out the door. Wen Li was standing at the gate, talking to a woman. Ji Sang recognized the woman as Aunt Qin, who lived next door to the Cui family.

When Aunt Qin saw Ji Sang, she brushed past Wen Li and called out, “Ji Sang, you’re home? You should hurry back to your parents’ house and see for yourself. Your father is holding a sickle, ready to kill your mother!”

Ji Sang’s heart sank, and she quickly walked over. “Ah? Aunt Qin, what happened?”

Aunt Qin said, “I just heard from your mother-in-law that your mother came today to call you back for lunch.”

Ji Sang nodded. “Yes, she did.”

Aunt Qin clapped her hands abruptly. “It’s a good thing you didn’t go back. Your mother was hanging from the ceiling beam, pants off and doing… you know what. Your father happened to come back and saw the whole scene. He was furious and wanted to kill your mother. Hurry back, Cui Lizheng has already gone over…”

Wen Li glanced at Ji Sang. With no men in the house, she was worried about Ji Sang going alone, so she hurriedly said, “Ji Sang, you should go. I’ll accompany you.”

Ji Sang furrowed her eyebrows, feeling puzzled. “Huh?”

The three of them walked out of the gate and headed quickly toward Ji Sang’s home.

Even before reaching the gate, they could hear the wailing cries of Ji Shen, like a pig being slaughtered. A crowd had gathered outside the gate.

“I’d rather die… It’s all because of that damn Niu Shan. He and Chunhua just came back, but why did they bring Niu Er Gou? Niu Er Gou went mad and hung me on the beam… It’s not my fault, it’s a misunderstanding…”

“You shameless woman, weren’t you enjoying it just now? Niu Er Gou gave you a good time, didn’t he? You screamed so loudly that the whole village heard…Lizheng, you have to do justice for me. Ji Shen doesn’t follow the proper conduct of a wife, so she deserves to be punished…”

“No, no… Her father…”

Upon seeing Ji Sang and Wen Li approaching, the people outside the gate quickly made way for Ji Sang, allowing the eldest daughter of the Ji family to go back.

Ji Sang entered the house and saw Ji Shen kneeling on the ground, her clothes disheveled, her hair a mess. Her face was covered in tears and snot, but there was an unusual flush on her face. Her thighs were exposed, and she wasn’t wearing anything.

Ji Ming’s face was completely dark, his anger causing his chest to rise and fall violently. He tightly clenched his fists, as if wanting to punch Ji Shen in the face.

No man can bear to have his woman wear such a humiliating hat.

His mind was filled with the scene just now—his own wife being suspended, wearing only a pink-colored bellyband that couldn’t cover her large breasts, her pants stripped off, and Niu Er Gou holding a large object like a donkey’s penis, thrusting it into the place that belonged to him. His wife’s body was undulating, her breasts swaying as she moaned with her eyes closed.

The area below her was wet, and the floor was soaked.

And his daughter, Ji Chunhua, was pinned down by Niu Shan.

This scene…

He was so angry that his head went blank. He threw the fish he was holding and grabbed a tool, ready to kill Niu Er Gou and Niu Shan. Little did he know that Niu Er Gou was strong despite being foolish and forcefully knocked him down to the ground. His head hit a nearby stool, and he immediately passed out. When he woke up again, Ji Shen was kneeling beside him, but there was no sign of Niu Shan, Niu Er Gou, or Ji Chunhua.

Cui Lizheng listened to Ji Ming and let out a deep sigh. He said, “Ji Ming, killing someone means facing the consequences. If you want to kill Ji Shen, it’s better to divorce her. It’s also a way to accumulate merit for yourself.”

Ji Ming was trembling with anger, knowing that Cui Lizheng’s words were right, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

Seeing Ji Ming silent, Cui Lizheng happened to see Ji Sang approaching and said, “Ji Sang, you came at the right time. Try to persuade your father.”

Ji Sang was called by her name and was about to come over when she saw Ji Shen suddenly go crazy and grab Ji Sang’s throat, shouting, “You wicked girl, it’s all because of you! It’s all your fault! You were the one he should be fucking!!!”

People around saw Ji Shen suddenly going insane and trying to kill Ji Sang, so they rushed forward to grab her.

Ji Shen had great strength, and Ji Sang almost had her neck snapped by her. She had difficulty breathing, and her face turned red… She almost thought she would meet her end here, just when she came back.

It was a struggle to drag Ji Shen away, and Ji Sang suddenly started coughing, gasping for breath. She took several deep breaths, feeling like a fish stranded by the pond, unable to reach the water. Her lungs were in pain, but her mind was clear.

According to what Ji Shen said, if she had come back today, she would have been the one hanging from the ceiling beam!

Luckily!

Wen Jian didn’t agree.

Ji Sang was shocked! She looked at Ji Shen in disbelief. How could someone be so malicious?

Ji Ming immediately understood something from the fragments of conversation and looked at his eldest daughter with concern. “Ji Sang, are you okay?”

Ji Sang slowly regained her senses, her voice hoarse and unpleasant. “Dad… I’m fine.”

Ji Ming’s eyes turned fierce as he looked at Ji Shen. Unable to hold back anymore, he slapped her, filled with anger, sorrow, and disappointment in his voice. “Lizheng, don’t say anything else. I—divorce! I divorce her!”

“After divorcing her, let her do whatever she wants!”

…