Xiang Nanzhi had no idea what they were talking about; it was like listening to gibberish. Jira also heard the commotion outside and had no choice but to get up and lift the tent flap. "Ah!"
She was clearly startled. "Sister-in-law, it's brother!"
"You're back!"
At Jira's shout, Shen's mother trembled again, as if waking from a dream. Her face was still wet with tears, but she smiled at Shen Shixun and said, "It's you. Ah, Shixun is back."
"Brother, why didn't you tell me beforehand? I wasn't prepared."
Jira wiped her hands and took Xiang Nanzhi's hand. "Mom, look! Sister-in-law is back!"
Mother Shen nodded, "Shixun is back, and you're here too. It's good that you're back."
Rooney smiled and said, "I'll go get ready. Gila, you come with me."
Pulling Gila aside, Rooney said, "Your mother is sick, very sick."
"I know that sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn't."
"She just mistook Sehun for your father."
"ah?"
Gila looked shocked. "This can't be, can it?"
"Really, he pulled Sehun aside and talked to him for a while, and I was listening in."
Gila frowned. "Why didn't you call me sooner?"
"I called out, but you didn't come out."
Rooney pinched the woman's chest and then her waist. Gila slapped him, saying, "Don't do anything rash, you'll scare my sister-in-law."
"Doesn't your brother sleep with her?"
Gila turned around and glared at him sharply. "These are not things you can talk about in front of outsiders."
"Men and women are just like this, it's better to be open and honest about it."
Gila ignored him and continued preparing food. The woman had delicate hands and feet, and her body was wrapped in a silk skirt. She was pregnant, but it wasn't obvious.
"Jila, have you seen your father?"
"Never seen it before."
The word "father" was a sensitive topic for both her and Shen Shixun, a place that couldn't be touched. "Then you..."
"Don't ask anymore, I don't have a father, my father is dead."
Rooney moved the stool closer and kissed Gila's lower abdomen. "Thank you, Sehun."
Why are you thanking my older brother?
"Thank him for putting those mastiffs at the entrance of your tent."
Rooney used to dream of sleeping with Gila. She was a beautiful young woman, like a flower in full bloom. Rooney wanted to possess her, but he was also afraid that someone else would touch Gila.
Every time he thought about how Gila's tent might be broken into by a man one day, he felt a surge of hatred.
But unexpectedly, after so many years, when Gila had fully grown into a woman, it was he who personally picked this delicate flower.
He was incredibly excited when Gila first agreed to tie up the mastiff and invite him inside.
Later, seeing Jira crying in pain and at a loss, I realized that her tent had never been touched by a man.
No wonder, he used to ask around about which men in the tribe had ever stayed in Gila's tent, but no one would say.
It turns out it wasn't that they were unwilling to talk about it, but rather that they simply didn't want to.
Gila thought he was in her way, and he kept pinching and kissing her. She kicked over a stool, and Rooney had no choice but to get up. "Don't be mean, Gila... let me kiss you properly."
"You should go out now and have a good talk with my older brother and sister-in-law."
Rooney said he was unwilling, but he still went out.
Xiang Nanzhi was in a good mood, and Shen's mother was very warm towards her, pulling her aside to talk. She couldn't understand a word, but she could feel the old woman's enthusiasm for her.
Shen Shixun acted as the translator, speaking with a smile while pondering what his mother had just said.
Rooney offered Xiang Nanzhi some dried meat to tide him over, and Xiang Nanzhi accepted it without hesitation, thanking him.
He then gave Xiang Nanzhi some fried mushrooms. Xiang Nanzhi took them, but Shen Shixun slapped her hand, saying, "They're poisonous, don't eat them."
They were used to it and could eat anything, but her constitution wasn't good for her.
If she takes a bite, she'll probably be half-dead.
Rooney was confused. "It's delicious, why won't you let her eat it?"
Shen Shixun cursed at him in Gong language, and Rooney had no choice but to slink away with the mushrooms.
Mother Shen dressed Xiang Nanzhi in beautiful clothes and draped a silver bridle around her head. A round disc-shaped ornament hung down from her forehead, with rounded sides that reached her chest. The metal clattered as she walked, making it difficult for Xiang Nanzhi to walk.
"It's so heavy, Mom."
She called Shen's mother "Ama," and Shen's mother understood, replying in broken Mandarin, "Beautiful."
These are the jewelry of the Gong ethnic group; they only wear them when dressed up in their finest attire.
The skirt of the Gong ethnic group is made of thick but breathable fabric, revealing Xiang Nanzhi's two arms.
Afraid that Nan Zhi wouldn't understand what she was saying, Shen's mother added gestures and turned around in a circle. Shen's mother smiled, and tears immediately welled up in her eyes.
Xiang Nanzhi didn't know what was going on either, "Mother."
Mother Shen pointed to her stomach and then made some kind of gesture...
Xiang Nanzhi didn't understand, but nodded. Chen's mother also nodded and took her hand as they came out of the tent.
The Gong ethnic group's dried meat is made from real, concentrated meat that has been sun-dried; you'll be full after just a few pieces.
Emerging from the tent, two men sat on the ground smoking. The tobacco was so strong it was nauseating. Xiang Nanzhi cleared his throat.
Shen Shixun turned around, tapping his pipe, and froze when he saw the woman's clothes.
"Jila, Jira!"
Rooney quickly called Gila out to see what was happening. Gila was holding a basin. "Oh, sister-in-law!"
She exclaimed in surprise, "This is what my mother wore when she got married!"
Over the years, this outfit had been treasured by Shen's mother at the bottom of a trunk. It was very precious. Jira loved this outfit when she was a child, but she never dared to touch it.
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