Chapter 22

Zhou Jing was clearly alone and unarmed, yet his fierce presence was overwhelming.

His eyes sparkled with excitement as if he were a hungry wolf that had finally spotted its prey and would not rest until he devoured it.

Shen Cheng had never walked such a long mountain path before, and he was startled by Zhou Jing’s menacing appearance.

In his shock, he fell down on the ground with a thud, trembling uncontrollably.

Zhou Jing strode forward, closing the distance with several determined steps.

Shen Cheng was so frightened that his legs felt weak, and he could not get up. He had no choice but to brace himself on the ground, gradually scooting backward on his backside.

Father Shen still had the strength to stand and step back, but after retreating a few paces, he panicked and stumbled, falling to the ground.

The Shen father and son were both arrogant on the outside but cowardly at heart—completely useless.

“You, you, how could it be you? Where are those two brats?” Father Shen asked, trying to muster some courage as he sat on the ground.

“Did they steal your silver and you caught them, making them unable to get out of bed? I’ll tell you, the silver isn’t something I asked for, nor did I encourage them to steal it. They chose to steal it for me, they wanted to use the silver to beg for my forgiveness. It has nothing to do with me!”

Zhou Jing was actually so enraged that he actually laughed.

“Do you really have no feelings for Xiao Mo and Shen Lin? Even if they did steal my silver and I nearly beat them to death, it was all for you. Don’t you feel even a hint of guilt or unease?”

Father Shen replied with righteous indignation, “What do I have to feel guilty or uneasy about? It is only right for them to honor me with silver. It was my mercy not to have strangled them both to death the moment they were born!”

“Fine, very well!” Zhou Jing exclaimed in fury.

“Since that’s the case, I have nothing to consider for you either. Just pretend that Xiao Mo and Shen Lin are already dead, and I won’t regard you as my father-in-law anymore!”

With that, Zhou Jing lunged forward and grabbed Father Shen. In just a few swift movements, he stripped him bare and bound him with the rope he had brought along. Father Shen sat on the ground, completely naked, without even a pair of trousers.

“What, what are you trying to do?”

Father Shen stammered, fearing that Zhou Jing planned to strip him completely and beat him for more pain. “I—I’ll let you know, I am the biological father of Shen Mo and Shen Lin, your father-in-law! If you really dare to do anything to me, the officials won’t let you off, and neither will heaven. Just wait for the thunder to strike you!”

Zhou Jing sneered coldly. “You should be thankful that you are Xiao Mo’s biological father!”

After saying this cryptic remark, he stuffed the filthy, dark sock he had stripped off Father Shen’s foot into his mouth.

The smell was too foul, and Father Shen rolled his eyes in disgust, nearly choking and passing out from it.

After binding Father Shen to the tree, Zhou Jing turned back to Shen Cheng. Shen Cheng seemed to wake from a dream and jumped up, trying to escape, but Zhou Jing swiftly pounced and pinned him down.

Zhou Jing’s fists showed no restraint as he aimed for the areas that hurt, particularly the buttocks, which had been mercilessly struck by countless shoe soles, causing Shen Cheng to cry out in pain.

Zhou Jing continued to rain down punches and kicks.  He finally decided to stop only when he himself grew tired.

He then took the other sock from Father Shen’s foot, which had not been washed in who knew how long, and reeked terribly, and stuffed it into Shen Cheng’s mouth.

After catching his breath for a moment, he pulled both of them and started walking back in the direction they had come from to Shen’s family village.

When they were still a few hundred meters from the mountain, Zhou Jing stopped, tied the naked Father Shen and himself to a tree, removed the sock from Shen Cheng’s mouth to allow him to call for help, and then turned back into the mountains, taking a detour to Wang Family Village.

Zhou Jing moved quickly, his eyes sharp.

As he descended the mountain, he deliberately hid behind trees to scan the area, only daring to run home once he saw no one around.

His home was situated far from the village head and the main part of the village, so nobody going to town would pass by, which made his return smooth.

By the time Zhou Jing hurried back, the rice in the pot had already finished steaming, and the fire had gone out.

He scooped out the rice, rekindled the fire, and took out the three dishes he had prepared the night before from the rickety cupboard, reheating them in the pot.

Then, he acted as if nothing had happened and happily went outside to call the workers for lunch!

“Dinner’s ready! Let’s eat first and then get back to work!” Zhou Jing called out loudly.

Some of the workers who were familiar with Zhou Jing, knowing he was a good boss, laughed and said, “Look at the boss, all sweaty from cooking. He must be making us something delicious! I could smell the meat from a distance!”

“Hey, you have a dog’s nose! You could smell it from that far away?” someone teased in agreement.

The workers all put down their tasks and followed Zhou Jing into the house.

As soon as they saw the dishes in the kitchen, not only did the village workers look stunned, but even the few craftsmen from town stared wide-eyed, their eyes gleaming with greed.

“Are all of these for us? This meal is way too good! Even what we eat during the New Year at my home can’t compare!” someone asked, looking foolishly amazed.

There were a total of five dishes on the table. For a dozen or so men, it wasn’t an extravagant feast, but each dish was heaped high in bowls, and they were all generously laden with oil and meat!

The five dishes were: braised eggplant strips, stewed green beans and potatoes with pork slices, chicken and mushroom stew, spicy stir-fried shredded meat, and stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork slices.

Suddenly, the sound of swallowing saliva filled the air, each man’s gulp louder than the last. Nobody dared to mock anyone else; these dishes were better than what they might find even during the New Year in town.

“Boss, are these really all for us? Is it possible that something good has happened in your family?”

Zhou Jing smiled and said, “Of course, there are happy events! I’m about to finish building this big brick-tiled house; isn’t that a reason to celebrate? Actually, I should have invited everyone a long time ago. I know there’s a saying around here that when the work begins, the workers should be treated to a good meal.

Even the wealthy families might set off firecrackers for good luck. We, being a small family, can’t compete with the big households, so we’ll skip the firecrackers, but this meal to reward everyone is definitely necessary! You all know my family ran into some trouble not long ago.

These past few days, I’ve managed to clear my mind a bit, so I thought I’d make it up to everyone. Please don’t be too picky, and when it’s time to work, make sure to put in your best effort!”

Carpenter Cao said, “Don’t worry, boss. We all know about the troubles in your family, so no one will gossip. Everyone will definitely put in their best effort! Besides, even though you owe us this meal, the food has always been good, with plenty of oil and meat. Anyone who dares to complain will have to get past me first!”

Zhou Jing smiled brightly and said, “In that case, thank you! Let’s not waste any more time chatting; let’s eat!”

No one had time for Zhou Jing’s polite formalities.

Each person was hungry, and they hurried to fill the two tables propped up by stools, each one quicker than the last.

At that moment, it became clear who could expertly wield their chopsticks and who had the ability to swallow without chewing at all.

Fortunately, there was plenty of meat and vegetables, so even though the men ate heartily, they would never finish off the meat in just a few bites.

Carpenter Cao accidentally glanced up and noticed Zhou Jing still busy at the stove, not having eaten yet.

He questioned, “Boss, what are you still doing? Come over and eat!”

Zhou Jing replied, “You all know my wife is not feeling well. The doctor recommended some nourishing food, so I’m just making him some medicinal porridge.”

The so-called medicinal porridge was actually yam porridge. Yams were abundant in the mountains, but since they were considered a medicinal ingredient, those of good quality could be sold for money.

Most villagers chose to sell them instead. The leftovers, which weren’t as good, were kept for medicinal use and were not used in cooking.

The villagers were unaccustomed to eating them, always feeling there was a medicinal taste, which made them unsuitable for cooking.

However, the yam porridge Zhou Jing made was not only cooked until soft, but he also added goji berries and red dates, which gave it a subtle sweetness that Shen Mo really enjoyed.

Carpenter Cao joked, “Your little wife is lucky to have found a thoughtful and capable man like you!”

Zhou Jing said: “This is what you don’t know; you only see the surface and not the inner truth. In fact, for me, I am fortunate to have such a wonderful wife like Xiao Mo. You don’t know that during my hardest times, it was my wife who saved the last bit of wild vegetables for me to eat, while he filled himself with cold water. I lay there unable to move, and he helped me with everything, taking care of my needs and wiping my face and body. Given all this, who do you think is luckier between the two of us?”

Carpenter Cao was stunned for a moment before saying, “In that case, it seems you are indeed luckier, considering you have such a good wife who shares both joys and hardships with you.”

After speaking, he sighed again and added, “Indeed, those who are not directly involved in the situation cannot fully understand it; observers will never feel as deeply as those who are actually experiencing it.”

Zhou Jing smiled but said nothing, as he carried the specially prepared yam porridge and the five dishes that had already been served separately for Shen Mo and Shen Lin.

Even for the farmers, there were distinctions in seating for men and women.

For the past few days, Zhou Jing had been cooking exclusively for Shen Mo and Shen Lin, but since the food was good today, they all ate the same.

Otherwise, if he prepared separate dishes each day, he would have to ensure that there was meat at every meal.

Shen Mo listened intently to the conversation between Zhou Jing and the craftsman, his face turning slightly red.

Seeing this, Zhou Jing decided to tease him: “We are a married couple now; it’s only natural that I care for you. What’s there to be embarrassed about?”

Shen Mo’s face turned even redder, while Shen Lin rolled his eyes dramatically beside them, swallowing the words “shameless” along with the yam porridge in his mouth.

Now he dared not speak ill of Zhou Jing in front of his older brother like he used to, knowing that his brother would be displeased.

It was said that once someone had a husband, they would forget their mother; his brother seemed to have forgotten his little brother after gaining a husband.

There was indeed a difference between having slept together and not.

In the past, when they hadn’t been intimate, he would criticize Zhou Jing, and his brother would agree with him.

But now that they had shared that experience, how could he say anything bad to Zhou Jing? No matter what he said, it would always be considered his fault!

Seeing this scene, Carpenter Cao couldn’t help but think of his own wife at home.

It was the same story; his wife had endured many hardships with him when they were young and had given him children.

He recalled that his wife loved jewelry the most, so after finishing the work, he decided to make a silver bracelet for her, hoping it would bring her joy and happiness.

“Indeed, our boss is truly a good man who cares for his wife!”

When hearing this, Wang Ren, who had been like an invisible person, suddenly spoke up in an unusually loud voice, “If I get married, I’ll treat my wife just like that!”

Shen Lin, who was focused on stuffing yam porridge into his mouth, trying hard to ignore the unbearable sweetness coming from the table, was startled by Wang Ren’s loud voice.

The spoon slipped from his hand and fell into the bowl with a splash, splattering some porridge onto his clothes.

“Crazy!” Shen Lin muttered under his breath, looking at his soiled shirt, knowing he would have to wash it again!

On the other side, Wang Ren’s eager gaze dimmed after abruptly saying that. He fell silent once more, lowering his head and digging into his rice.

Zhou Jing watched the entire scene with great interest.

He wondered how Wang Ren had suddenly come to him in the first place, pressing him about how to manage his family.

It was not his wife who was wronged and yet Wang Ren came to him and even offered to help him with the matters of the Shen Family.

Now it all made sense; he had been waiting for an opportunity like this!