Meng Jing ate the fragrant noodles in her mouth without saying a word.
Meng Chijian had previously planned to ignore A Mian completely, but when he looked up, he noticed that her clothes were torn at the shoulder, revealing a bit of her rounded shoulder.
If this gets out, people will probably start spreading rumors that the Meng family mistreats their daughter-in-law.
“I…I shouldn’t have caused trouble, I shouldn’t have climbed the tree,” Lu Amian racked her brains, “I shouldn’t have argued with people, and I shouldn’t have thrown pears at others…I shouldn’t have been so greedy…”
She was still apologizing when suddenly a large hand covered her shoulder and pulled her sleeve up.
“When did I say these things were wrong?” Meng Chijian frowned. “I’m asking you, is the pear more important or your life?”
A-Mian said, "Pear."
This is a fairly common idea nowadays; even the simple-minded people in the village know that a porcelain bowl, an egg, or even a handful of fine salt are far more precious than a person. Sometimes, during family quarrels, a wife might be so angry at being told she was given an extra piece of meat that she threatened to jump into the river and commit suicide. Not to mention that breaking a bowl or tearing clothes would trigger a fight in the family that could cause chaos and disorder.
"..." Meng Chijian sneered, "Then go back to reflecting on your actions."
Lu Amian took one last, reluctant look at the dining table before slowly moving to the corner of the wall.
Meng Chijian knew that A Mian was still uncivilized. He originally thought of giving her a small punishment as a warning, but he saw that she was deep in thought at first, but gradually her eyes went blank and her gaze drifted to the dry grass that A Dou was eating.
Meng Chijian's right eyelid twitched violently.
Ah Mian had no remorse whatsoever; she only felt that the hay looked like cucumber strips, and the long ones looked like noodles...
She couldn't help but reach out to take it, but Meng Chijian slapped her hand away fiercely.
Hearing the commotion, Meng's mother couldn't sit still any longer. "Sanlang, what are you doing?"
Seeing her mother speak up, Meng Jing quickly chimed in, "Brother, A-Mian isn't a soldier in your army camp. How can you scold her like that?"
Meng Chijian's breath hitched.
“No,” A-Mian rubbed the back of her hand, “Third Brother is… a good person.”
"...Is it a good person to not give you noodles and make you stand as punishment?"
"Hmm." A-Mian smiled with her eyes crinkling. "It's alright, little sister. He was just protecting A-Dou's food supply... Look how well he's raised A-Dou."
The three members of the Meng family remained silent for a moment.
Meng Chijian looked up at the sky helplessly and swallowed the food in his bowl in a few quick bites.
Only then did he pretend to be fierce and drag the person back to the room.
He realized that he had never told this person about the family rules, and strictly speaking, he couldn't blame her.
As Lu Amian was struggling, a few words suddenly floated down from above her head.
"I won't lecture you with grand principles, you wouldn't understand anyway. Just remember what I'm about to say—"
"Firstly, your life is very valuable, more important than pears; secondly, you must eat dinner at home at the latest every day, otherwise you will not be allowed to eat anymore, you can only watch from the side. If you do not want to eat dinner at home, you must come and tell me in advance."
As he spoke, he picked up two buckets of hot water and threw Ah Mian into the wooden bathtub.
He looked at the large patch of skin on A-Mian's shoulder, chafed raw from carrying water, as if inspecting his own possessions. Meng Chijian took a deep breath, poured medicinal wine on it without hesitation, and bandaged the wound with a clean white cloth.
"You're not allowed to leave the house for the next three days." Meng Chijian used an iron fist to suppress the little animal's body, which was struggling as it was being treated for its wounds. He no longer worried about scaring her and said indifferently, "You'll learn your lesson once you know the pain."
Ah Mian was held in his arms. Because the wound on her shoulder couldn't get wet, she could only raise one arm and let Meng Chijian wash it like a scalding pig...
"You, you, can you be gentler!" Ah Mian trembled as she tried to escape the large hand, but all she could do was crawl into the arms of the culprit.
"I didn't use any force, and besides, this is how we always wash steamed buns."
"Who is Mantou?" A-Mian asked, trying to change the subject. Her undergarment was already soaked with water, clinging damply to her body, with water droplets dripping from the edges, making her itchy.
"A dog I used to own."
"..."
Ah Mian felt the scrubbing pressure lessen and, after catching her breath, asked, "It's uncomfortable with my clothes sticking to my body like this. Should I take them off?"
"……Shut up."
After washing his clothes, Meng Chijian left a change of clothes, told A-Mian to dry them off and put them on, and then left.
Ah Mian changed her clothes, and the dirt from the past few days was washed away, making her feel very refreshed.
The firewood was still burning, and she wanted to steal some sweet potatoes to roast. Just as she was thinking about how to sneak out, the wooden door behind her was suddenly pushed open again.
Meng Chijian placed a bowl of hand-pulled noodles in front of her.
The blue porcelain bowl was covered with a generous layer of meat sauce and topped with a fried egg.
There was also a large bowl of shredded cucumber.
"Eat it all."
Ah Mian felt as if she had suddenly arrived in a fairyland, her whole body feeling soft and fluffy, as if she were walking on cotton and clouds.
She picked up her chopsticks and tentatively took a noodle first.
The white dough was kneaded so well that it felt like it was going to slide right into my stomach!
Without saying another word, she mixed the noodles and meat sauce evenly together, quickly picking up cucumber shreds while stuffing the mound-like noodles into her mouth.
"I've never eaten such delicious noodles before!"
Eat slowly.
Amian pounded her chest twice with her little fists, almost choking, and suddenly felt a surge of heroic spirit. "Third Brother, whether I have to go through fire or water, it's all up to you! My life is yours!"
A bowl of plain noodles is something worth following to the death.
Meng Chijian touched the back of her sweaty neck and went to the kitchen to get half a bowl of noodle soup.
After finishing her noodles, Lu Amian was so sleepy that she could barely keep her eyes open.
With her eyes closed, she felt a warm stove in front of her and, without thinking, stuck to it tightly.
Meng Chijian carried her into the bedroom, tore the little thing off his body, and stuffed it into the quilt along with the hot water bottle.
He stood silently by the bedside, his forehead beaded with cold sweat, watching her sleep soundly.
Her words still echoed in my mind—
My life belongs to you.
There was a time when many people entrusted their lives to him just to have a full meal.
He slowly left home and walked into the mountains through the thick fog.
On the hillside lay a desolate graveyard, littered with nameless tombs. Meng Chijian sat beside them, a chilling cold seeping into his very bones.
He also spent the entire night here on his wedding night.
The Central Protectorate had considered keeping him in the army as a centurion, or even a lieutenant general.
However, he chose to return to his hometown, content to be just a simple countryman.
I thought I would live a quiet and bleak life from now on, but I never expected to meet Ah Mian.
She was different from all of them.
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