The Spirited Daughter-in-law and the Mountain Man

Chapter 869: All 869 men have arrived

Xiao Yishan’s expression turned as dark as thunder. He had thought such a secret matter would remain unspoken by Rong’er, but unexpectedly, she had caused the entire family to become aware, prompting him to say awkwardly, “I say this only because I don’t want our family to fall apart.”

“You’ve already promised to marry that woman, Li Rong’er, haven’t you?” Yuchuan said coldly, “I don’t like her. If the members can’t get along, why should they live under the same roof? Can you say you won’t marry Li Rong’er?”

Silently, he wore a grim face, saying nothing. How could he not take responsibility after he had ruined Rong’er’s purity? After a long silence, he finally spoke, “What does Fourth Brother think?”

Xiao Qinghe, who had been sitting in his wheelchair nearby, calmly said, “Second Brother, let’s divide the family. It’s time for each of us to establish our own households.”

Even as a disabled man who had lost his wife and knew no other woman would fancy him, he was resigned to never marrying in his life—as long as his second and third brothers could start their own families, that was all that mattered.

He didn’t care anymore, he just didn’t want to be a burden to them any longer.

...

“Since Fourth Brother puts it that way, then let’s divide the family,” Xiao Yishan said with a stern face, “I’m injured right now. Once I’ve recovered, we can deal with the specifics of dividing the household.”

“Very well,” Xiao Yuchuan understood his second brother simply wanted the family to spend more time together before going their separate ways, so he said nothing more on the matter.

Later, Xiao Yuchuan mentioned it to Su Qingyue, who thought it reasonable to wait until her second brother had healed before dividing the family.

She still took Big Mixed Fur up the mountain to collect medicinal herbs as usual.

Xiao Yuchuan wanted to accompany her, but she wouldn’t allow it. Not only did she intend to gather herbs, but she also set aside time during each mountain visit to practice the grappling and combat skills from her past life as a killer.

Although she didn’t wish to live in darkness in this life, preferring to spend it peacefully basking in the sunlight, she found that keeping up with the practice was still beneficial for strengthening her body.

As Xiao Yuchuan watched his wife, with a bamboo basket on her back and Big Mixed Fur by her side, he called out from behind, “Dear, you mustn’t sneak away behind my back again!”

She raised a hand to signal she understood.

The Xiao Family’s 6 acres of vegetable fields were all planted with crops, and in recent days, the seedlings had started to grow.

Xiao Yuchuan waited until he could no longer see his wife before telling his second brother, “I’m going to water the vegetable field.” With that, he picked up two manure buckets from the outhouse and left.

Xiao Yishan watched his third brother carrying manure out the door, not showing any sign of disgust, and thought to himself that his third brother’s heart was in the right place—a hard worker who didn’t shirk his field duties even with the family about to divide. After all, a calculating person would wait until after the division to handle their own share of the work.

Su Qingyue walked along the village road with a back basket, and several young men noticed her and approached.

“Su Qingyue, where are you heading?” one of them asked.

“Wherever you’re going, let me accompany you…” another chimed in.

“Better I accompany you…”

The men jostled to offer their company.

These young men were all from the village, and although Su Qingyue had seen them before, she wasn’t close to any of them. She replied, “No need.”

Ding Er, carrying a hoe, hurried over when he saw Su Qingyue, “Sister Su, you’re heading up the mountain. Let Ding Er come with you!”

Li Yibao’s son, Li Zuibao, from the old house next door to the Xiao Family, saw Su Qingyue from a distance and ran over, “Girl Su is going out, how come you didn’t tell your Brother Bao?”

Su Qingyue looked at these men buzzing around her like flies, feeling a hint of repulsion, and said coldly, “Step aside!”

Li Zuibao grew tired of his mother, Madam Li Wang’s constant nagging about how she should have been the first to buy Su Qingyue from the Zhu Family; his ears had grown calloused from hearing it. His mother had made up her mind: now that Su Qingyue was no longer tied to the Xiao Family and had so much money, she was determined for him to win over Su Qingyue no matter what, “Girl Su, we’re neighbors…”

PS—Recommended read: Long Jiuyue’s “Explosive Little Doctor: The World’s First Absolute Pet,” a strong female-led pet-centric story with space, cute kids, loyal dog men, and an exciting must-read plot.