Chapter 32: Chopping Wood

Wang San suddenly had a suspicion:
Could it be that Wang Man was the one who shaved his head?

She’d always been complaining about the lice on his head, keeping her distance out of fear they’d get on her. It had to be her—she must’ve shaved his head while he was sleeping.

To be fair, Wang San had a bit of wit to him—he’d guessed right away.

With that realization, he wasn’t so scared anymore.

When Wang Man came back from her training and saw Wang San still sitting on the bed, she glared at him.
“What are you still sitting there for? Trying to hatch chicks or something?”

Seriously, not even a bit lively—like a wooden log.

Wang San cautiously asked,
“Manniang, was it you who shaved my head?”

Clearly, he was still hung up on it and needed to know the truth.

Wang Man raised an eyebrow.
“So what if I did? Got something to say?”

That was a clear admission.

Wang San quickly shook his head. Would he dare?
Absolutely not.

Wang Man growled,
“Get out here. We’re going up the mountain to chop wood.”

“Chop wood? What for?”
Wang San pretended not to understand. He didn’t want to go. A few of his nephews had already brought over firewood—what would he go for? That’d be stealing their work.

If he had time, he’d rather sneak into town and try his luck at the gambling den.
Come to think of it, he hadn’t been to the gambling house in several days.

Without another word, Wang Man walked out and came back in with the fire-poking stick. Before she could say anything, Wang San blurted out,
“Didn’t you say we’re chopping wood? Let’s go then! What tools do we need?”

Seriously, one word out of line and she was ready to beat someone up—where did she learn such bad habits?

Wang Man couldn’t help but find it funny. She gave him a look that said, Good, you know what’s good for you, and walked out.

Wang San let out a sigh of relief. That was close—just a little more, and he would’ve been hit again.

When he saw Wang Man heading toward the red fruit forest—the place with the giant snake—his legs started to tremble.
“Manniang, aren’t we going to chop wood? What are we doing in the red hawthorn forest?”

“There’s a lot of dry wood there. That’s where we’re going.”

Wang Man had long noticed the abundance of firewood in that area. If it hadn’t been for harvesting the red hawthorns, she’d have chopped it already.

“But… but there’s a giant snake there! We can’t go!”

Wang San stopped in his tracks and refused to move forward.
What if they ran into another snake?

Hadn’t the villagers said the one they killed wasn’t the same as the old one?
Didn’t that mean there might be more?

If the one from before could swallow a child whole, wouldn’t the current ones be able to swallow him?

The more he thought about it, the more afraid he became. His legs wobbled, and his feet refused to cooperate.

Seeing him acting like a coward, Wang Man snapped,
“You’ve got less guts than a cat—how did you ever make it as a thug?
Giant snake? Didn’t I already kill it?”

“They said there’s more than one snake over there.”

Wang San quickly grabbed her as she kept walking.

His little wife might be small, but she wasn’t lacking in courage.

“You ever heard the saying?
‘One mountain cannot house two tigers.’”

Wang Man shook off his hand and kept walking.

So what if there were snakes? If she could kill one, she could kill another.
That way, she’d gain fighting experience and earn some silver. A win-win.

Yes, this girl was still dreaming of exploring Xianfeng Mountain once her wounds healed.

Wang San had no choice but to steel himself and follow her. He still muttered under his breath,
“That saying is about tigers. These are snakes.”

Snakes usually came in nests, not like those solitary tiger types.

Wang Man was getting irritated.
“Snakes, tigers—same thing.
Think about it: if this was your territory, would you be happy with others bossing around in it?”

That was pure nonsense. Twisting logic like a pro.

Wang San muttered,
“What if it’s a mating pair? Then they can coexist.”

This guy was so rattled by Wang Man he was starting to lose it.

Wang Man stopped in her tracks and tilted her head to look at him.
“You make a good point. Wait here—I’m going back to get something.”

She needed to prep. Better safe than sorry. If they really ran into something, she wanted to be ready.

Seeing her turn back, Wang San thought for a moment and followed after her.

He didn’t want to wait here alone. Best case? They skip the hawthorn forest altogether.
Better yet—skip chopping wood entirely.

After a few steps, Wang Man suddenly stopped.
How could she forget? She had a storage room.

It wasn’t short on anything—especially weapons.
Besides, she still had a dagger strapped to her waist. What was there to be afraid of?

Turning to see Wang San behind her, she snapped,
“Didn’t I tell you to wait there? What are you following me for?”

Wang San…
I’m scared. I’m timid. Is that not allowed?

Seeing Wang Man heading back toward the hawthorn forest again, Wang San hurried to grab her.
“Manniang, can’t we just go somewhere else?
There’s firewood everywhere. Why do we have to go there?”

He really couldn’t wrap his head around it.

Wang Man ignored him and quickened her pace.

Wang San had no choice but to follow, despite his fears.

Even though the giant snake was gone, no one dared come here.
There were still bloodstains on the ground from where the snake had died—creepy just to look at.

Wang San didn’t dare glance that way, keeping close behind Wang Man.

There was only one hatchet at home, and it had a notch in the blade, making it difficult to use.

Wang Man handed the hatchet to Wang San and started breaking branches by hand.

Because no one came here anymore, there was plenty of firewood.

In no time, they had bundled up several loads of dry wood—ready to burn.

Looking at the bundles, Wang Man told Wang San, who was resting nearby,
“You carry two bundles back first. I’ll stay here and keep chopping.”

Wang San paused mid-fan and reluctantly said,
“How about we go back together?”

Even though they hadn’t seen the giant snake, his heart was still pounding with fear—he couldn’t calm down.

Wang Man thought he was just afraid of getting tired and said, a bit speechless,
“How about I take them back, and you wait here?”

Wang San shivered and looked around.
“Let’s go together, okay?”

But seeing the look Wang Man gave him, he quickly corrected himself,
“Actually, I’ll carry them back.”

Wang Man said nothing, just stared at him.

Wang San had no choice but to pick up the bundles and head back.

Wang Man called out after him,
“Don’t dawdle—come right back after you drop them off.”

Wang San didn’t look back. “Mm,” he responded.

Many villagers saw Wang San and looked at him like they were watching a novelty act.

Everyone knew how lazy he was. But ever since he bought Wang Man, he’d suddenly turned hardworking.

Someone who was of the same generation as Wang San’s father joked,
“Well, well, Wang San, getting a wife has made you a family man, huh?”

Wang San…?

Like he had a choice?
Unless he could beat that little tigress Wang Man, he had to work.

“Isn’t that right? Wang San really pampers his wife.
Just the other day, when he saw the giant snake, he ran back to get help for Manniang.”

Wang San…
Enough already.

“Look at him blushing! Poor guy’s shy now.”

Wang San rolled his eyes but didn’t respond.

“Hey, Wang San—tell me, have you and Manniang done that yet?”

The one who asked was a lecherous loafer.

Wang San’s steps halted. He shot a murderous glare at the man.
“Say that again?”

Before the guy could respond, someone beside him quickly smoothed things over:
“Lai, what nonsense are you spouting? Manniang’s still a child.
Even if Wang San’s starving for it, he wouldn’t lay a hand on a kid, right?
Right, Wang San?”