Chapter 6 – A Burst of Motherly Instinct

Gu Yun was Fu Ting’s childhood friend. Years ago, Gu Yun had fallen into a hunting trap. The others who were with him were too scared of the responsibility and ran away. Only Fu Ting risked his life to climb down and save him. From then on, the two shared a bond stronger than life itself.

But Gu Yun was the careless type. Already at his age, he neither wanted to marry nor even look for a woman—he only wanted to live freely. Unfortunately, his family wouldn’t stop pressuring him to marry.

After enduring another night of endless nagging, his head was splitting. When he saw Fu Ting, he muttered a “Brother Ting,” and lowered his head to keep walking.

But how could Fu Ting possibly let such a good opportunity to “show off” slip by?

He waved the pancake right in front of Gu Yun and deliberately smacked his lips as he took a big bite, sighing in contentment. “Ah~ my Jiaojiao is amazing! She’s not only the best wife, but the pancakes she makes are first-class delicious!”

Gu Yun, who had been nagged all night and hadn’t even eaten breakfast, caught the smell of the scallion-egg pancake. His stomach started growling loudly.

“Brother Ting, this was made by Sister-in-law? Sister-in-law can cook?”

“Mm.” Fu Ting answered with feigned casualness, but inside he was brimming with pride, eagerly waiting for Gu Yun to ask more.

“My god, does this mean Sister-in-law is really planning to live a proper life with you? No way. She didn’t put poison in that pancake, did she? When she gave it to you, did she say, ‘Husband, time to drink your medicine’?”

Fu Ting: “……”

Completely oblivious to Fu Ting’s stiff expression, Gu Yun continued babbling, “Dear heavens, don’t tell me she wants to poison you to death so she can run off with that educated youth Huo? Honestly, compared to her suddenly reforming, that sounds way more believable!”

Fu Ting: “……”

Furious, Fu Ting gave Gu Yun’s idiot head two hard slaps. Even if he himself sometimes had doubts deep down, he would never allow anyone else to slander his Jiaojiao.

“My Jiaojiao would never hurt me! Even if she really did poison me, I’d accept it willingly!”

Gu Yun: “……” Ow ow ow, that hurt~

When Ruan Jiaojiao came out with food, Dabao and Xiaobao had already tidied the bedroom spotless. Four little stools were neatly lined up against the wall, and the two little ones were giggling at them like they’d found treasure.

Children were so easily satisfied.

“Dabao, Xiaobao, come. Mama will take you to catch a pheasant.”

The two were far too skinny—they needed proper nourishment. Fu Ting too, though even without it, he was already plenty strong.

Thinking of him made Ruan Jiaojiao’s cheeks flush red. Xiaobao immediately asked if she was sick since her face was so red.

She laughed and said she was fine, then took the two children to the back mountain.

After yesterday’s bass-catching miracle, both Dabao and Xiaobao fully believed she could catch a wild pheasant.

Ruan Jiaojiao secretly pulled a plump pheasant from her space and staged it so it looked like the bird had flown into a rock and died. Then she let the two children pick it up.

“Wow, Mama, you’re amazing!”

Xiaobao clapped with delight.

Dabao’s eyes also couldn’t hide his awe, though he just pursed his lips and stayed silent.

His introversion wasn’t his fault—the original host had been too awful, leaving this little boy burdened with too much. No wonder he had become withdrawn and anxious.

“Come, Dabao, you hold the pheasant. What, you’re not afraid, are you?” Ruan Jiaojiao teased.

“I’m not afraid! Hmph!” Dabao’s fighting spirit was roused, and he eagerly volunteered to hold the bird.

In truth, he wanted to. In this small mountain village where meat only appeared on holidays, walking down the street with a fat pheasant in hand would feel glorious.

That was exactly Ruan Jiaojiao’s plan too. She wanted those children who once bullied and looked down on Dabao and Xiaobao to see them walking home with a fat bird.

She also picked some wild greens. While picking, she couldn’t help but think of Wang Baochuan.

Wang Baochuan had waited in a cold cave for Xue Pinggui for eighteen years, living on wild vegetables. But Ruan Jiaojiao wasn’t that kind of love-struck fool. Even though she was willing to give to Fu Ting, she would never let herself become some parasitic vine clinging to him.

Mother and children returned triumphant, happily singing on the way back. Ruan Jiaojiao even taught them a children’s song that didn’t exist yet in this era—

“Clap your little hands, clap your little hands, stretch your fingers out, stretch your fingers out…”

Just then, Huo Yunshu, returning from the commune with some documents, heard the cheerful melody. He stopped in his tracks.

The voice was beautiful, the song pleasant. Looking up, he saw a graceful figure in the distance—astonishingly pretty.

Since when did the foot-of-the-mountain village have such a lovely young wife?

He stepped closer for a better look, only to realize it was none other than Ruan Jiaojiao—the woman who had pestered him for three years!

His face twisted with disdain. He was about to turn away, pretending not to notice, when he spotted the fat pheasant in Dabao’s hand.

At the same moment, Ruan Jiaojiao also noticed him—this male lead from the dog-blood rural Mary Sue story Beauty’s Schemes in the Seventies.

As the male lead, he was of course handsome, especially with those frameless glasses perched on his straight nose, giving him an air of refinement.

But seeing his expression and eyes, Ruan Jiaojiao only felt disgust.

Huo Yunshu looked harmless, but was in fact the most calculating. He knew full well that Ruan Jiaojiao liked him, yet instead of rejecting her, he encouraged her with false ambiguity until she fell deeper.

He accepted every gift she gave him. He treasured every love letter. Whenever she was hurt, he’d ask after her with words as if he were her husband—

But words were all they were. Last year, when she sprained her ankle and it swelled terribly, it was Fu Ting who cared for her the whole time. Huo Yunshu only sighed softly, “Seeing you like this, it breaks my heart.”

Break your heart, my ass! What, were you having a heart attack?

He just wanted to string her along, treating her like a dumb fish in his pond. And the original host was indeed dumb enough not to see through it.

The more Ruan Jiaojiao thought, the angrier she got. She planned to pretend not to see him and leave. But Huo Yunshu shamelessly stepped right into her path.

“Jiaojiao, little sister, this pheasant is for me, right? You’ve worked so hard. I really shouldn’t take it, but I can’t waste your kindness, so I’ll just accept it~”

With that, he snatched the bird straight out of Dabao’s hands!

No matter how much Dabao wanted to protect it, he was only five years old. How could he resist?

Besides, this was Mama’s former crush. If he disobeyed him, wouldn’t Mama be angry?

And so, the boy’s fragile little heart suffered yet another wound.

Ruan Jiaojiao: “……!” Damn hypocritical scumbag!

Her motherly instinct exploded. She marched right up and—slap, slap—gave Huo Yunshu two resounding slaps. Then she followed with a vicious kick, sending him flying—right in his most vulnerable spot!