Jinlu didn't expect her to be so clingy. Except when he went to the toilet, she would follow him even when he went to the toilet.
It's not that I find it annoying, I'm just worried about tiring her out.
She's a girl after all; she can't be treated like a man.
"Alright, I'll go cook then. Husband, take your time."
"Okay, I'm leaving."
Jinlu put the machete into the bamboo basket and walked towards the low hill.
There are far fewer people in Aishan now; it's already lunchtime.
In households that eat early, smoke is already rising from the kitchen.
A small number of people are still searching for wild vegetables and mushrooms.
Jinlu skillfully walked to the other side of the low hill, where fewer people went because it was a long walk, but there was plenty of dry firewood.
After chopping for about ten minutes, Jin Lu's line of sight came into view of a figure.
It's Zhu Wenjuan.
She looked at him with a mournful face and a reproachful gaze.
It's like Jin Lu is a heartless man.
These past two days, she has been listening to her aunt and trying to control Jinlu. In order to avoid running into him, she has been hiding at home and not going out.
Unexpectedly, in the afternoon, the eldest cousin's wife suddenly ran home and said that Jinlu had married Wang Jingshui, the youngest daughter of the Wang family, and had given her a dowry of 10 taels of silver and a new wedding dress. They had gotten married yesterday, and he was incredibly generous.
Zhu Wenjuan was so shocked by the news that she smashed a bowl on the spot, and her aunt did the same. Both of them asked their eldest sister-in-law if what she said was true or false.
After receiving an affirmative answer, Zhu Wenjuan burst into tears, while Zhu Xiaohua also wore a gloomy expression.
Desperate for an explanation, she ran to the Yan family's door and happened to run into Wang Jingshui seeing Jin Lu off. The sight of the two being so sweet pierced Zhu Wenjuan's heart, and her eyes welled up with tears again. She followed Jin Lu all the way to Aishan.
"Don't you have anything to say to me?" Seeing that Jinlu ignored her and continued chopping wood, she asked.
Zhu Wenjuan could no longer suppress her anger. Her nose stung, and large tears fell to the ground.
"No."
Jin Lu responded coldly, not even raising his head, and continued chopping wood.
"you!"
"Why did you betray me? Why did you marry her? What do I lack compared to her? Why wouldn't you give me ten taels of silver as a bride price, but were willing to give her? Tell me, what is it about her that I have that she doesn't?"
Zhu Wenjuan screamed hysterically, her voice incredibly loud, but luckily no one was around.
Otherwise, gossip about the two would probably be flying all over the village.
Did you ever really like me?
Jin Lu threw down his machete, stood ramrod straight, and looked at her with a completely devoid of warmth in his eyes.
“If I don’t like you, why have I been spending all this time with you? Am I so worthless that you can summon me and dismiss me at will? Tell me, what do I lack compared to her? Why are you willing to pay 10 taels of silver to marry her, but only give me five? Am I only worth five taels?”
Zhu Wenjuan's conversation was still focused on the bride price.
Jin Lu chuckled as if he understood everything.
“When she married me, she didn’t ask for a dowry. It was my mother who insisted on giving it to her. I told her that day, if you don’t come with me, we’ll pretend we never met. Have you forgotten? Now you come to me saying this. Don’t you find it ridiculous? I’m already married. Men and women shouldn’t touch each other. Let’s just treat the past as a dream. From now on, you and I are strangers. Don’t bother me anymore. I’m afraid my wife at home will be jealous.”
Jinlu picked up the machete, threw it into his basket, and prepared to leave.
"No, don't go, Brother Jinlu, you're mine, don't leave me, I love you, I really love you. It was Aunt who made me do this, it was her, I had no choice. Brother Jinlu, please don't go, what will I do without you? Don't abandon me, sob sob sob—"
Just as the two were passing each other, Zhu Wenjuan suddenly hugged Jin Lu from behind, burying her face in his back and crying as she begged him to stay.
Behind a large tree not far away, a person was hiding.
It was Wang Jingshui. Just as Jin Lu left, her mother-in-law returned, bringing ice jelly. She ladled out a bowl to bring to her husband and then accompanied him to chop wood, since her sister-in-law and sister-in-law had already prepared the meal, and she really had nothing to do.
Holding the bowl, Wang Jingshui searched all the places her husband frequented, but couldn't find him.
So they searched for it on the other side of the low hill.
I happened to see Zhu Wenjuan hugging her husband and crying.
Wang Jingshui dared not look any longer; she held the bowl and went back dejectedly.
Just as she turned around, Jin Lu tried to break free from Zhu Wenjuan, but unfortunately, she was unaware of it.
"I'm already married. Face the facts, let go, and don't force me to hurt you."
If it were before, Jin Lu would probably have blushed with embarrassment if Zhu Wenjuan had hugged him like this, but now he was completely unmoved and even wanted to break free from Zhu Wenjuan's embrace.
However, he was carrying a basket on his back, which contained a considerable amount of firewood and a machete, and he was afraid of hurting her, so he couldn't break free for a moment.
"I regret it, Brother Jinlu, I really regret it. I'm willing to marry you, five taels it is, please divorce her and marry me, okay? Brother Jinlu, I know you love me, we love each other. You were forced to marry her by your mother, weren't you? I knew your mother didn't like me, she must hate my aunt and therefore hate me, so she tried everything to break us up. Brother Jinlu, please don't listen to your mother, okay? Juan'er only has you—"
Zhu Wenjuan truly regretted it; she shouldn't have listened to her aunt and tried to manipulate Jinlu.
She should have gone out with Jinlu that day.
"If you dare to say another word about my mother, I really will hit you."
Jin Lu's face was as cold as ice.
He allows others to talk about his mother like that.
After saying that, he forcefully pried Zhu Wenjuan's arm off and resolutely left.
"Waaaaah, don't leave me—"
Zhu Wenjuan broke down. Her vision went black, her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground, wailing loudly. But Jin Lu didn't turn around until his figure disappeared into the bushes.
Her shoulders trembled as she cried, and the hairpin in her hair fell into the mud.
It is a rosewood hairpin personally carved by Jin Lu.
He promised to replace it with a gold hairpin for her later, but unfortunately, he never got to see it; Jinlu-gege (Brother Jinlu) belonged to someone else.
Zhu Wenjuan cried for a long time. She picked up the hairpin from the ground and stood up unsteadily.
Ignoring her disheveled hair, she stumbled and staggered down the mountain.
Her wrists were covered in red marks, enough to prove how much force Jin Lu had used.
Back at the Chen family home.
Everyone was waiting in the main room.
"What happened? Didn't you go to find Jinlu? Why is your hair all messed up and your wrists are all red? Did he bully you? That beast! He wouldn't give you 10 taels of betrothal money, but he used 10 taels to marry someone else in the blink of an eye. Now he still covets your body. Come on, let's go to the Yan family to demand an explanation. I want to see how that little bitch Yan will try to argue. She must compensate you with money. Who can you marry after this? He has ruined your life!"
Zhu Xiaohua came forward. Seeing her niece's miserable state, she had a series of thoughts and assumed that she had been abused by Jin Lu.
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