3 Facing Reality

Fu Mei Li sighed for the nth time.

She sighed for herself and she sighed for the previous Fu Mei Li, who was just a poor little girl who eventually couldn't bear up to her troubles. She really wanted to give that girl a hug if she could. Her memories were so full of grievances and tears.

At this point, Fu Mei Li realizes she has nowhere to go at the moment, except here with the Jin brothers.

After all, she is now in ancient times. She doesn't even know what dynasty she is currently in. She didn't think it was a good idea to leave the village and travel to another place to seek a job. This is not the modern times when solo women have more options in terms of transportation, economic opportunities, and safety.

She suddenly has the urge to give a deep bow of thanks to the people who invented bullet trains, accessible police stations, and even emergency whistles. And a deep pang of longing for a society that offers higher education and many jobs to women arose in her heart. She finally fully understands the saying that you'll only learn to treasure something once you lose it.

Fu Mei Li stopped her gloomy train of thoughts. There's nothing she can do anyway. She can either sink or swim. She chooses to swim. And thrive beautifully if she can! This is not the modern world, but it is also a world of opportunities.

So, Fu Mei Li bravely faced her current reality.

She is a 17-year-old and is now married to five men. Based on her limited relationship experiences, she didn't expect much from her current husbands. She doesn't expect to receive love and be cherished. Although that would be good, it was enough for her to be treated kindly. She won't stand any more bullying!

She also vowed to the previous Mei Li that she will do her best to seek justice for her maltreatment, to recover her mother's dowry, and verify if her mother was poisoned to death. That's right, based on the assimilated memories and her Chemistry and Botany knowledge, the symptoms of the deceased mother look very much like a slow-acting poison. She'll find out eventually.

In the meantime, she promised herself to live well in this second chance at life, and to somehow make the most out of being a shared wife!

Just as she made her resolution, Jin Shufen came back with his other brothers in tow. The presence of five tall men suddenly made the room very cramped.

She was still inclined on the bed headboard and finally got a full look at these newly acquired husbands.

Wow! Fu Mei Li's inner fangirl was busily waving the perfect ten scorecards for the Jin brothers' genes.

All five have similarities in their appearance, being brothers and all, but they also give off a distinguishing feel each.

"Are you alright?" A deep and dignified voice came from the man who was projecting a scholarly and an aloof noble air. He was tall and had fair skin. His long black hair is swept back and held with a simple white jade crown. He possessed eyes that looked at her with a firm and deep gaze as if he could see through the littlest lies.

He looked elegant and had an overall neat appearance with his white brocade robe trimmed with dark purple. His clothes didn't look new and looked like they've been worn for years instead. In fact, all their clothes look well used. However, they each wore them with grace.

"Yes, I'm feeling better now. Thank you." She then awkwardly looked at him. "I'm sorry to have gotten ill on the journey and to have troubled you. I didn't get the chance to talk to any of you on the way here so may I know your names?"

The brothers were surprised with Fu Mei Li saying so much. She even took the initiative to ask their names. One has to know that she hid in the carriage all the way to Shenghuo Village. The Jin brothers even thought she hated them and the whole situation. After all, she was from the capital and people there view their customs in disdain.

Now, she seemed to have warmed up to them a bit, although she still possessed that aristocratic politeness that made people subconsciously keep a distance.

"My name is Jin Mingyu. I'm the eldest among the five of us. I'm 25 this year." So this was her original fiance! The Jinshi that left his post at the Hanlin Academy. Fu Mei Li wondered why he quit or was he dismissed? She didn't have the answer to this now but she decided to find out eventually.

"This is my second brother," Mingyu gestured towards the tallest man in the room. To be honest, Fu Mei Li was surreptitiously looking at this guy from the beginning. He was smoking hot! He simply fits her preferred aesthetics from top to bottom.

"Jin Haoran." A man of few words, it seems. He was one or two inches taller than the rest of his brothers. He was clothed in a pair of all-black top and bottom clothes that had a militaristic cut to it. It seems that this guy practices martial arts judging from his imposing bearing, which felt like a sharp sword just waiting to be released from its scabbard.

He had his long black hair tied in a high ponytail with a dark twine. He looked strong with sharp eyes and broad shoulders. And, even if she couldn't see them, she was sure that those muscles of his are perfectly sculpted. He still looked lean and well proportioned when clothed but she wonders what divine vision would greet her once she peels off the fabric. Wait, get your head off the gutter, Fu Mei Li! She hastily scolded herself.

Mingyu added in his cold and detached voice, "Second brother is 24 years old." He then pointed to another guy who appeared as tall as him. "This is Third brother."

"My name is Jin Weimin. You can call me Big Brother Wei if you want. I'm 22 this year." This guy smiled at her in an honest and endearing way. He does seem like a big brother who can give protection and care. He is handsome just like his other brothers, with his long dark hair half tied up and half loose over his shoulders.

Weimin is dressed in a dark brown robe that stopped near his thighs. Below that was a dark blue pair of pants that stopped at his calves. He was wearing wooden clogs on his feet. His skin is a healthy wheat color just like his second brother, only a shade darker. It seems this guy spends a lot of his time out in the sun. Does he farm or is he a builder?

Before Mei Li could ask him, the first guy she saw in this world, chirped in. He was smiling in a roguish kind of way with his eyes looking at her like a fox eyeing his prey. From feeling good towards Third Brother, she suddenly felt wary of this guy for some reason. "I'm the fourth, Jin Shufen." He then pointed to the remaining guy that wasn't introduced, "I'm twins with him."

That surprised Mei Li. It seems these two are fraternal twins since they don't look identical. She didn't expect there would be twins in this family but it's not something bad. Jin Shufen still had that half-smile and half-smirk on his face. He was dressed in light green robes with red trims. He left his long dark hair untied and it fanned down his back looking so silky. Part of his hair covers his right face from time to time when he moves, giving his look a sense of mystery and cunning.

Beautiful! Truly too beautiful. If she were to judge just based on facial features and without her bias for tall and strong-looking men, then Shufen is hands down the most handsome among the five brothers. He definitely looks like a famous top model and could easily grace fashion magazines all over the world. He even looks like a beautiful woman, almost, if not for that cunning rogue posture.

Finally, the last guy introduced himself. "My name is Jin Longwei. Fourth brother and I are 20 years old now." Mei Li was a bit dumbfounded when this guy suddenly turned pink and bowed down looking pretty shy. "Welcome to our home." He said in a soft voice.

Longwei was dressed in light blue robes with white trim. He seems to be the leanest looking of them all. And his skin is also the palest. It seems like there is something wrong with his health? He had his long dark hair gathered over his left shoulder and tied at the ends with twine. With his embarrassed appearance, he looked...too cute!

So these are her husbands. Her brain that's used to filing and organizing data quickly gave them classification tags. In order of age, they are Mr. Aloof CEO, Mr. Smexy, Mr. Nice Guy, Mr. Perfect, and Mr. Adorable.

Her husbands are really good-looking. And, although some of them were aloof and reticent, so was she most of the time. At least, she didn't sense any major hostility from them, although her emotional perception really cannot be trusted.

Time will tell if they can get along with each other. Still, she was willing to move forward with a positive mind.

She remembered to thank her lucky beer that her husbands didn't look too bad so far.

Suddenly, there was a loud commotion outside.