Chapter 42: Great Joy

“It was her!” Wen Lan pointed at the Song family wife. “Mother, it was her! She yelled so loudly just now that she ruptured my eardrum! I can’t hear anything now—nothing at all! She has to pay! She has to pay compensation!”

Of course, Lin Furong’s mother wasn’t foolish. Hearing Wen Lan say that, she immediately joined in, grabbing Wen Lan and walking up to the Song family wife. “You deafened my daughter—hurry up and pay compensation!”

“Aiya, how strange! I was just talking—who told her to listen? What does her bleeding have to do with me?” the Song family wife quickly deflected.

“Well then, we were hosting a meal—who told you to come? You choking—what does that have to do with us?” Lin Hehua chimed in too.

This time, the Song family wife had no words.

Wen Lan continued her performance, her voice laced with sobs. “Father, Mother, you must stand up for your daughter. Auntie Song deafened me—you must make her pay three taels of silver!”

Three taels of silver? Upon hearing that, the Song family wife realized Lin Furong’s side was even more ruthless than she was. She started to panic and hurriedly pulled her husband and son over, saying to the Lin family, “You’re clearly trying to extort money from us! Husband, Dabao, we’re leaving!”

With that, she dragged her hefty body and fled the Lin family’s courtyard as fast as she could.

Once the Song family wife was gone, the villagers who had come to watch the drama gathered around Wen Lan with concerned expressions.

“Child, are you really deaf?”

“Nope, just scaring them,” Wen Lan replied with a smile.

“Good thing you’re not deaf. That Song family wife is just too much—always trying to scam money from others.”

Wen Lan thought to herself: Where were all of you earlier? Why didn’t anyone speak up then? Now that the troublemakers were gone, they suddenly had so much to say. Let’s be real—they were just here to see if something juicy would happen to the Lin family.

People’s hearts… really are cold. Not even roe deer stew with radish can fill them.

At that moment, the villagers shifted their attention to the hunter.

“Furong, is this the hunter from the mountains?”

“Yes.”

“Aiyoo, this young man looks so strong and handsome!”

Saying that, the crowd swarmed around the hunter like they were watching a sideshow.

The hunter’s face immediately fell.

Wen Lan quickly stepped in and pulled everyone away. She pointed at the wild boar the hunter had brought back, now lying at the doorway, and said, “Grandpas, grandmas, uncles, aunties—today my husband and I hunted this wild boar in the mountains. If you don’t mind, please help yourselves. Consider it a small gesture from the hunter for marrying me.”

Sure enough, meat was far more appealing to the villagers than staring at the hunter himself.

With a loud cheer, the villagers all crowded around the wild boar.

At the thought of getting a share of the meat, the villagers completely dropped their earlier sarcasm and began congratulating the Lin couple.

“Your daughter Furong has really married into a good family! This young man’s not only good-looking but also skilled—your household will never go hungry again!”

“Such great fortune—to have a son-in-law like him.”

“You should let your Muge follow his brother-in-law to learn how to hunt…”

“Yes, yes! One day, your son-in-law should teach our Shanzi how to hunt too…”

“…”

“…”

Everyone was talking over each other, practically lifting the Lin family up to the heavens.

In the end, as the meal ended and the villagers left to split the wild boar meat, the whole farce at the Lin family concluded amidst the village’s praise for the hunter.

With the Lin couple suddenly so highly regarded in the village, they looked at Xuan Yue with even more affection in their eyes. As night fell, Lin Furong’s mother walked up to Xuan Yue and said, “Good son-in-law, come inside—Mother will cook you dinner.”

“No need,” Xuan Yue declined. “I didn’t come to eat—I came because I have something to discuss with you.”

With that, he gave the Lin family a sweeping glance and walked into the house, hands behind his back.

His bearing was like a man about to negotiate serious business.

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