Chapter 22: Speaking Ill of the Wife

His hand was very warm, and there seemed to be a thin callus in his palm.

The moment he held her, his grip was surprisingly tight.

Xia Li easily pulled away.

Furrowing her brows, she looked at him for a moment, stood up straight, and exhaled, “Did you forget what I told you?”

“Girls shouldn’t be touched casually by boys, including holding hands. If you keep this up, do you want me to scold you and send you to jail in the future?”

The man had a hint of redness in his ears and explained in a low voice, “But just now, that boy clearly held my wife’s hand… Why can’t I hold hands?”

He looked at her seriously with his dark eyes: “From now on, Li Zi can’t let anyone else hold her hand, only I can, okay?”

“…… No.”

The shock on the man’s face was evident.

Xia Li: “……”

She continued walking without looking back, “It’s because the other person is a boy, and that’s the issue. What I meant is that people of the opposite sex shouldn’t freely touch each other’s bodies, understand?”

The man fell silent.

His large hand that had held his wife’s was still loosely clenched into a fist, hanging stiffly by his side.

After a while, he finally spoke in a low voice: “Li Zi, you’re so cruel.”

Xia Li didn’t hear him clearly and turned her head: “Hmm?”

The man tightly shut his mouth, looking gloomy.

This was the first time he had spoken ill of his wife.

She must not hear this.

Thinking about not being able to hold his wife’s hand anymore after this made the man finally be distracted at the market.

It wasn’t a big market day; although there were only a few vendors, it was still quite lively.

Not long after mealtime, the stir-fry stall by the roadside had put out its fire, and the boss was casually eating while chatting.

There were also stalls selling various nuts, peanuts, and candies, along with vendors carrying baskets of their homegrown vegetables.

Moving further in, the road widened, and there were various shops selling counterfeit goods, tobacco, clothes, and shoes, with people coming and going.

This market was located at the geographical intersection of several nearby villages and towns. Since it was close to the cotton spinning mill and glass factory in town, it could do some business here; while it wasn’t flourishing, it was at least a way to make a living.

Xia Li wanted to sell fish and first went to check the market price at the fish stall by the roadside.

The boss looked at her bucket of fish and assessed it, saying, “The size is decent, but there are only a few, right? I’ll give you six dimes for it.”

He then went to get a weight to measure.

Xia Li couldn’t help but scoff when she heard that.

According to the original owner’s memories, she had a rough idea of the current fish prices.

Normally, fish of that size would go for about eighty cents a pound, and bigger ones could even sell for a dollar. Not to mention the recent fishing ban, which made fish expensive and meat cheap. Was this boss really trying to cheat her so blatantly?

She pulled the wooden bucket back and said simply, “No need.”

With that, she continued walking forward.

The boss glanced over and said, “Hey, girl, are you still not satisfied? The price is six dimes and two cents! I’ve already given you a discount.”

Xia Li ignored him.

The boss followed behind, trying to persuade her a couple more times. When he saw she still refused, his expression darkened as he sneered, “You little girl, I’ll see if you can sell it today!”

Xia Li asked two more fish stalls ahead, but they all stubbornly insisted on the price of six dimes and a few cents, refusing to budge. She then realized that these stalls were all relatives, effectively monopolizing the fish sales at the market.

Seeing that she was just a young girl who looked easy to bully, they not only refused to raise the price but also sneered at her, saying, “You might as well sell it to us; look at your fish, they’re losing their vitality. If you wait any longer, they’ll be dead, and no one will take them. Six dimes and three cents isn’t low, really!”

Xia Li was most annoyed by this kind of behavior and was determined not to sell to them.

A young stall owner seemed friendly and came over, directly reaching to touch the fish to weigh them.

Xia Li quickly snatched the bucket back and coldly reprimanded, “You’re going too far; I’m not selling! Are you trying to force me?”

The young man’s expression changed, glaring at her fiercely: “You little girl, don’t you know what’s good for you? I’m worried your fish will suffocate; that’s why I’m trying to help you!”

As he spoke, he attempted to grab the wooden bucket from Xia Li’s hands, but suddenly his wrist was twisted hard!

“Hey!” he yelped! He lost his balance and fell heavily behind the stall.

The tall, strong man stood in front of Xia Li, his brows furrowed, his face fierce, and his dark eyes glinted like a tiger’s, radiating cold fury as he looked down at the other man.

The stall owner and his family were dumbfounded, rushing over to help their relative.

Initially thinking she was just a single girl selling fish, they were suddenly intimidated by the imposing figure of this tall, cold-faced man. Yet, they were unwilling to back down, shouting:

“You, you, you want to fight? You want to brawl, huh? Try moving again, see what happens!”

The man pressed his thin lips together, expressionless, and rolled up one sleeve.