Volume 1, Chapter 7: Open Your Mouth

"Use this cloth to make yourselves new clothes tomorrow."

Liu Feng tucked the floral fabric into Mu Wanqing’s arms. "I didn't prepare any clothes for you when you married into my home. I can't let you suffer."

"These are still wearable..." Mu Wanqing traced the fine texture of the cotton, her voice growing faint. Her beautiful eyes, however, welled up with moisture, deeply moved.

She then carefully placed the fine cotton on the bed, fearful that it might gather dust.

Her gaze shifted to the rice bag on the table. As she loosened the knot, snow-white grains spilled out, startling her into quickly cinching the opening shut. "White rice? Even if this were swapped for coarse grains, it would be enough to last a month!"

"Sister, there is so much coarse grain here too. I don't think we could finish it all in a winter."

Liu Feng affectionately patted the sisters' heads. "From now on, mix the white rice with the coarse grains, and you can even add some minced meat."

The two sisters beamed with joy. Now, they no longer feared that Liu Feng would sell them off.

Liu Feng prepared to cook for the sisters; after all, in the new era, it was common for men to handle the kitchen.

The sisters hurriedly stopped him as he headed toward the kitchen, picking up the pots and pans to set them in order. "There is no reason for a man to cook. Let us handle it; you should just rest, husband."

Watching their busy figures, Liu Feng sighed, "The ancient times are truly better."

If this were the modern world, any man who returned home so late without a word would likely have his hide stripped by his wife.

Before long, wisps of cooking smoke rose.

Liu Feng tidied up the other items and placed his spear in the corner of the inner room.

He squatted down to gather the wild vegetables that had spilled on the floor, then retrieved some sheet metal and nails, measuring them against the dimensions of the door. He intended to repair the dilapidated wooden entrance.

Meanwhile, in Wenhuang County, at the Squire’s estate.

In the warm pavilion, candlelight flickered. Behind a screen, a massive wooden tub billowed with steam, making the entire room humid and stifling.

Squire Zhang’s fat, jowly face shifted in and out of the shadows. Dressed in silk pajamas, his rotund, bloated body seemed ready to crush the solid wood chair beneath him.

He looked at Li Ergou, who stood respectfully before him, his hulking frame trembling slightly. The Squire raised a hand to stroke the black mole on his chin and huffed, "You couldn't even handle a drunkard. What use are you?"

Li Ergou knelt on the ground in terror. Shivering, he held his bruised, purple wrist above his head. "Master, please calm your anger. That brat must have been possessed by something evil. Look at this injury..."

On the swollen wrist, the imprint of five fingers was clearly visible, as if clamped by iron pliers.

Every time he recalled the scene from this morning, his wrist began to ache instinctively, as if the bones were about to shatter.

*Bang!*

"I don't want to hear your pathetic excuses!"

Squire Zhang grabbed a teapot and hurled it; hot water splashed all over Li Ergou. "I'll give you two days. If you still can't bring one of the Mu sisters here, you know the consequences!"

"Yes, yes, yes."

Li Ergou scrambled out of the room, head bowed. Looking at the wound on his arm, his eyes turned cold and vicious. "Liu Feng, you forced my hand!"

Three claps echoed in the warm pavilion.

A man with a scarred face stepped out from behind the door, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth as he smiled. "Master, shall I go and bring that woman here tonight?"

Squire Zhang shook his head, the fat on his face quivering. "Liu Feng married her through the official government matchmaker; he is a registered citizen. The authorities are watching closely; we cannot be too reckless for now. However..."

He paused. His chubby cheeks squeezed his eyes into slits, and a cold, sinister glint flickered within. "I heard that brat had a change of heart today and even went hunting. Isn't that even better? You can seize the opportunity to..."

Squire Zhang raised his hand and made a throat-slitting gesture. "Remember to do it cleanly."

The scarred man clenched his fists. The cracking sound was chilling; his sturdy muscles clearly belonged to someone trained in combat, unlike the village brute Li Ergou.

"Rest assured, Master. I guarantee that once he returns to that courtyard, he will never walk out again. By then, his thatched hut will be reduced to ashes along with him." With that, the scarred man turned and left.

Once silence returned to the room, a maid in a green tunic entered, carrying a copper basin filled with hot water. She kept her head lowered, yet she could still see Squire Zhang’s pale, oily belly, which looked like the flesh of a dead pig.

As she set the basin down and prepared to withdraw, her wrist was suddenly seized by a thick, fleshy hand.

"Cui'er."

Squire Zhang leaned toward the girl’s hair and sniffed deeply, his foul breath spraying against the nape of her neck. "Tell me, do you think that willow-thin waist of the Mu woman could withstand a few nights of my torment?"

The maid gripped her palms tightly, staring at the distorted reflection of the fat face on the lotus-patterned tiles. She whispered, "Master is vigorous and strong; naturally, you would—ah!"

Before she could finish, she was dragged into the steaming, massive wooden tub.

In Siwa Village, at Liu Feng’s small courtyard.

After Liu Feng's diligent labor, the dilapidated door had been reinforced with a thin layer of sheet metal.

Using mortise-and-tenon joints and iron nails, he had secured the door firmly to the frame. As it swung back and forth, there was a slight creak, but Liu Feng was satisfied. He wasn't a carpenter, so achieving this much was already quite good.

At this moment, the Mu sisters' dinner was ready.

Mu Wanqing carried a coarse ceramic basin, while Mu Wanqin held the bowls and chopsticks. The two walked out of the kitchen one after the other and set the food on the table. Waves of meaty fragrance wafted out, whetting their appetites.

In the white, milky broth floated several bones, with wild onions settling among the oil droplets. Beside it were two plates of stir-fried wild vegetables that shone with a vibrant green, clearly sautéed with the pheasant fat saved from the night before.

"Wife, what a fine craft you have!" Liu Feng praised her without reservation.

Mu Wanqing smiled gently and virtuously brought over a basin of hot water, placing it on the wooden stand nearby. "Husband, wash your hands and eat."

Liu Feng nodded. After washing the sawdust and dust from his hands, he sat on the slightly wobbly stool.

Mu Wanqin ladled a full bowl of thick rice porridge for Liu Feng.

Looking down at the meat in his own bowl, Liu Feng suddenly dipped his chopsticks into the sisters' bowls to test them. The broth was thin and clear, with only a few specks of oil and not a single shred of meat.

"You two are treating yourselves like birds," he said, feigning a stern face as he picked up the meat and placed it into their bowls.

Mu Wanqing hurriedly covered her bowl. "I stay home idle all day..."

Liu Feng’s women could not be allowed to suffer. Since they finally had enough to eat, they shouldn't be so frugal.

"Open your mouth." Liu Feng gripped Mu Wanqing’s chin and forced the meat into her mouth.

Then, he did the same for Mu Wanqin, forcing a piece of meat into her mouth as well.

The sheen of oil coated the sisters' lips, bringing a flush of color to the faces that had previously lived on wild greens.

The sisters' eyelashes fluttered. While the savory taste of meat filling their mouths was intoxicating, in their hearts, nothing was as important as their husband’s affection.

Her loving eyes welled with faint tears. Noticing the sawdust on Liu Feng's brow, she said, "Husband, you have a bit of wood dust right here."

As her warm fingertips touched his brow, Liu Feng’s eyes lifted slightly. He grabbed her slender wrist and pulled her abruptly.

"Ah...!"

Mu Wanqing gasped in surprise. Having lost her balance, her entire body fell into Liu Feng’s arms, her arms instinctively wrapping around his neck.

A faint, natural scent wafted over, causing Liu Feng to take a greedy, deep breath.

Mu Wanqing’s exquisite face turned crimson, like a ripe apple. Nestled in Liu Feng’s secure embrace, she felt a bit dazed. "H-husband..."