Frog at the bottom of a well
In the blink of an eye, the box was turned upside down. Meng Yan tapped the bottom of the wood as if by accident, and the pleasant tapping sound brought everyone's attention back.
Whether it was my imagination or not, everyone's expressions turned somewhat unpleasant, except for Meng Yan, whose smile remained bright and clear.
It's eye-catching, but there's nothing we can do about it.
"Sister Shuang, I saw this satin garment in Lincheng, and it was truly unforgettable."
My aunt's brief remark made my mother's expression stiffen, and everyone around her looked on with amusement, listening intently for my mother to respond.
In Meng Yan's view, the implication in those words was that she was practically about to snatch the item, but she deliberately pretended to leave the choice to her mother.
"this……"
The mother hesitated. She, as the head of the household, still needed to maintain the superficial relationship. But how could she not know the price of the fabric? Besides, her daughter had brought it back herself. She couldn't even bear to throw away the old mooncake wrappers, let alone these.
Whispers arose from all around, like a fog that had risen out of nowhere, seemingly unrelated, yet in reality, it was relentlessly pressuring those within the fog to choose a direction.
A stone table was placed in the center of the backyard. Meng Yan was standing next to it, calmly enjoying his mooncake. His mother sat to his left, her hand unconsciously pausing on the satin cloth. Lin Yun stood between her mother and the stranger, her head bowed, as silent as ever, as if she were the one who couldn't speak.
The surrounding smoke and haze continued to spread, blending seamlessly with the dilapidated courtyard beneath his feet. In a daze, Meng Yan thought of using Zhang Yuelang's fire talisman to burn this mess to the ground.
"Why are you all silent? It's just a piece of cloth. I was just saying it casually. Don't take it to heart, Shuang."
My aunt came to my rescue with her fake smile, and the others chimed in. My mother responded with a faint smile as well.
Amidst the cheerful atmosphere, Meng Yan picked up a wooden box with one hand and slammed it on the table. The heavy sound of striking stone shattered the fake smiles and made the relatives who had already reached the courtyard gate turn around.
"Could it be that you brought this material to show us, so you can buy it for your mother later when you've saved up some money?"
It's unclear which corner or crevice was so full of spiritual energy that it gave birth to a spirit. Its speech sounds very much like human speech, but unfortunately, it's not very bright.
Meng Yan casually picked up a piece of cloth, patted it twice in front of everyone as if dusting it off, folded it up, and then put it back.
Which fabric shop lends out a whole piece of sample material?
After this action, the faces of all the aunts and uncles regained their color, no longer looking lifeless, and the rare red and green of autumn were restored.
Finally, she slammed the wooden box shut, smoothed out the non-existent creases on the lid with her hand, and then fastened a small lock from the side, which slammed onto the box with a thud.
Her gaze swept across everyone's faces. With a silent smile, she shook her head at them, then pulled a short knife from her sleeve and forcefully stabbed it into the box. The sharp scraping sound pierced everyone's ears, causing them all to frown. However, the box remained intact, with only a mark on its surface indicating that someone had tampered with it.
"Let's go, let's go, we still have things to do when we get home."
Someone shouted, and the crowd surged out through the narrow doorway.
The mother remained seated, gazing silently at the disheveled figures. Lin Yun's gaze lingered, before she finally nodded to Meng Yan and the other woman and followed the crowd to the front yard.
The last shadow disappeared around the corner. Only then did her mother turn her gaze away, gently taking Meng Yan's hand and patting it lightly. "Don't take them seriously. It's been like this for years."
Meng Yan casually spread her hands, then suddenly remembered something, took out a folded piece of paper from her pocket, unfolded it for her mother, and placed it on the table. The letter contained her long-planned scheme.
She wanted to and already had the means to buy a property outside the valley. She could ask her senior brothers and sisters who frequently traveled around to keep an eye out for the exact location, or she could personally inspect it in her mechanical kite. The structure and size of the house could be decided according to her mother's wishes. All she could do was bring her mother out of the Lin family and pave the way for the life she wanted. All her mother needed to do was nod and come with her.
When she wrote this letter, Meng Yan wasn't sure what her mother's answer would be. Now, looking at her mother's increasingly solemn expression, she sighed silently in her heart.
“Jian’er, I know you’re doing this for my own good, but I’m afraid…”
The second half of her sentence was interrupted by Lin Yu, who suddenly appeared at the door. He told his mother to see the guest off and complete the proper etiquette.
Although neither explicitly stated their position, the mother and daughter had already discerned each other's answer through their eye contact. Meng Yan folded the letter, sealed it in the box along with the silk, placed the key in her mother's hand, and followed behind her to see off their relatives.
The procession, which was heading towards the gate, paused subtly for a moment, chatting with the four members of the Lin family who had come to see them off.
The words were passed around, and unsurprisingly, they landed on Meng Yan and Lin Yun.
The former stood noncommittally against the wall, while the latter remained silent, bowing their heads and nodding occasionally; neither of them uttered a word in response.
Perhaps feeling slighted, the seemingly kind uncle changed the subject, turning his gaze to Meng Yan, "Xiao Jian, young ladies should be dignified and have proper posture. You've grown up and worked hard these past few years, but you mustn't forget these qualities in your bones. How wonderful you were before, quiet and obedient, just like your sister today. Listen to your uncle, who's been through it all; husbands' families all prefer gentle and considerate girls."
"Yes, Meng Jian, your status is already low, and you have a wife above you." A distant relative chimed in from who-knows-where, "Even if you don't want to climb up the social ladder, just to get a little more money from your husband and make your life a little easier, you should pay attention to your image in public. If word gets back to your husband's family, they might kick you out, which would be so embarrassing."
These considerate reminders were met with smiles and agreement from everyone. Amidst the cheerful atmosphere, Lin Yu put his fist to his mouth and coughed lightly twice, reminding Meng Yan to tidy up his appearance and behave himself.
Meng Yan had no idea where this imaginary husband came from. In fact, they seemed to have figured out her background and were giving her advice on everything as her former self, trying to teach her to be a beloved and virtuous wife and mother.
Meng Yan continued to lean against the wall, pondering the possibility of making them see reality clearly. After a moment, she shook her sleeves and gave up.
How can a frog at the bottom of a well believe in the vastness of the sky?
But she didn't intend to continue pretending. Pretending to be weak and obedient was really tiring, and their incessant chatter and strange voices were really noisy.
She forced herself to stand up straight and took a few steps to loosen her muscles. Instead of receiving her relatives' approval, she heard the sound of metal hitting the ground.
Swords, bows, and arrows lay scattered at his feet, each reflecting the sunlight, cool yet dazzling, making everyone present sweat profusely.
A handkerchief floated gently on the wind and landed right on the blade. The mandarin ducks embroidered on it were inseparable and deeply in love. The next moment, disturbed by the sharp blade, they went their separate ways. Half of it fell into the ground, and the other half lay across the blade. If only another gust of wind came, the two handkerchiefs could probably make up a whole family.
Meng Yan kicked the dagger, and the gust of wind that was startled swept up the tattered handkerchief, which landed in her hand. With great tenderness, she wiped the dirt off the handkerchief and held it out to the crowd, hoping that the owner would come to retrieve her precious handkerchief.
"What are those things under your feet?"
Meng Yan believed himself to be of good character and was willing to set aside past grievances to answer his elders' questions. He quickly picked up the objects on the ground and walked toward the elder who had spoken.
She was holding several iron objects in her left hand and playing with a short knife in her right. Her fingertips slid across the blade, a shocking sight yet she was unharmed, clearly not the first time she had done this.
"Don't come any closer, Meng Jian. No matter what, we are your elders. How can you point a knife at your elders like this?"
Well, this is indeed not good. Judging from the direction my relatives are moving, several hands are already firmly pressed on the door latch. If this continues, I'm afraid we'll have to say goodbye to this old wooden door today.
Out of politeness, Meng Yan sheathed the blade and continued walking towards the crowd. She moved through the crowd as if they didn't exist, allowing her to walk without any hindrance.
Seeing that his aunts, uncles, and cousins were about to break down the door and leave, his mother stopped him from behind, saying, "Jian'er, carrying so many things must be heavy."
Having understood her mother's meaning, Meng Yan tossed the dagger into the air, watched it spin a few times before catching it and letting it land safely in her hand, then gave everyone a gentle smile.
The people who had left the venue trembled as they came back, wanting to say something, when they saw the short knife suddenly reflect light. They silently closed their mouths, swallowing all the words they had to say.
The place was unusually quiet, and Meng Yan was almost distracted by them, almost forgetting her business. Fortunately, no one had left, so she took the opportunity to make her next arrangements.
No one saw where she pulled the purse from; it was like a weapon suddenly falling to the ground. By the time they realized what had happened, she had already put away the weapon and placed the purse in her mother's hand.
To everyone's surprise, she also gave Lin Yu a similar purse, but before handing it to him, she checked everyone's hand, including Lin Yun who was standing in the corner.
"Jian'er means that the silver in this purse is for everyone."
The only one present who could understand what he meant was indeed his mother.
Meng Yan nodded, then deliberately tucked the purse meant for her mother into her arms, covering it with her hand. The implication was clear: this was a purse reserved specifically for her.
"Don't worry, Xiao Jian, we'll take good care of your parents and sister."
Another flash of light appeared, and Meng Yan smiled as he massaged his mother's shoulders.
“Especially your mother, just tell her what you need.” After saying that, he hurried to find his mother. “Shuangmei, if you need anything in the future, just tell your brother and sister-in-law, or have Xiaoyu and Xiaoyun pass on the message.”
The relatives, who had initially been quite animated, gradually recovered and offered a mix of genuine and insincere thanks and praise, which strengthened the already fragile family bond and created a sense of kinship.
It is often said that people are easily taken advantage of; the harmony that brings wealth one moment can quickly turn into trouble the next.
"I wonder which lucky young master is so fortunate to have married our beautiful Xiao Jian. I imagine it won't be long before A Yu and A Shuang are holding their grandson."
She spouts utter nonsense. Can't she speak properly without this man who only exists in her imagination? Can't she live her life without him?
She was incompetent herself, relying on a man who was equally useless, and actually thought that everyone else was just as useless.
Meng Yan didn't want to listen anymore and just wanted to fly around in his mechanical kite a few times to spread his curses, but the group of people seemed to still have something to say, so he had to frown and start brandishing his short sword.
A sharp glint flashed in her eyes, and the aunt who had been speaking shivered. She forced a dry laugh and turned the conversation to Lin Yun, saying, "Speaking of which, Xiao Yun is only a year younger than you. She's at the perfect age to choose a husband. As the elder sister, you should help your younger sister out."
Without paying attention, his hand slipped while handling the knife, and in full view of everyone, the dagger flew towards his aunt who was enthusiastically offering advice.
After the panic and screams subsided, a pile of people appeared on the ground. The knife was just barely touching the hem of her clothes; if she hadn't fallen in fright, the knife wouldn't have even touched her.
Meng Yan felt guilty for her careless mistake, but she was unable to speak, and her apology never reached her fallen aunt's ears.
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