Haoran’s Thoughts

The Jin brothers looked at their little wife who looked confident and resolute. They started to believe in what she said.

Mingyu turned to Haoran, "Second brother, you know the mountains best among us. What do you think?"

Mei Li looked at the uncommunicative Jin Haoran and was anticipating a little to hear him answer his brother. He'll probably say a lot of words now, right?

Jin Haoran continued eating his dinner, looking unbothered. "Possible." He said, and then after a momentary pause he added, "Go."

Gosh, how much does this guy value his words? But Mei Li stopped caring about that because what Haoran said just now made her happy.

"See, big brother Haoran knows the way. He can guide me!"

Mingyu was still hesitant. "Are you sure? This is no joking matter." Jin Haoran just looked at him for a few more seconds, nodded, and continued eating.

Mingyu still knew his brother's personality. Haoran wasn't careless. If he said they could go, then he'll make sure they don't wander into dangerous places. Mingyu sighed at the fact that their family reached such a low point that they even had to have their wife go up the mountains for mushrooms.

"Alright, you two have to be very careful. Do not go deeper into the mountains. Even if you don't find any Lingzhi, you have to come back early and safely."

"Thank you, big brother Mingyu!" Mei Li was overjoyed.

After dinner, Mei Li quickly bathed and got to bed. She wanted to sleep early so she would have energy for tomorrow. She knew very well that her current body wasn't in top condition.

Not long after, the freshly bathed Jin Haoran entered her bedroom. It was the second brother's turn to sleep beside her tonight.

Fu Mei Li who had a little crush on this guy the instant she saw him was nervous all of a sudden! She totally forgot about this. How was she supposed to sleep now?

Haoran saw her covered by the quilt already so he said nothing and blew out the oil lamp. The bedroom was doused in darkness and a tall and well-built man crawled under the quilt to lie beside her.

Her taut nerves were further stimulated by the fresh scent of the man. She laid there rigidly, hoping against hope that sleep would claim her soon.

Jin Haoran, whose senses have been honed to sharpness from practicing martial arts and occasional hunting, could feel Mei Li's nervousness.

Actually, he wasn't as calm as he pretended to be. He still remembered the laundry incident that morning and his resulting imagination, which was now playing through his mind again.

Jin Haoran was then immersed in his thoughts. He didn't like to speak much but he was quite observant.

This woman had been living in their house for around two weeks now. She cooked many of their meals during this period and, even though the ingredients were inadequate and common, she always managed to introduce something different and delicious.

He had long ago noticed that she realized his love for delicious food and that he ate more than his brothers. She always gave him extra servings without his prompting.

Considering that they didn't have much food in the house, Fu Mei Li as the wife had every right to limit their food intake. But she was not stingy and even cooked more for them. He could see her effort to be more creative in the kitchen, using ingredients that didn't seem to taste good before.

She also treated Aunt Li in a more familiar manner. Since she was a lady from a rich family in the capital, it wouldn't have been strange if she ordered Aunt Li around like any servant. Yet she interacted with the elder woman just like they did and, in fact, those two were becoming closer.

He was unable to express himself properly through words but he was grateful in his heart for all of these.

At first, he really didn't care if he and his brothers had a wife or not. As the second brother, he was also more than aware of their family conditions. And even though the five of them were long past the age of marriage (15-18 years old), their Jin family was in dire straits that having a wife wasn't such a pressing concern.

Later on, they had to honor their mother's last wishes, so they got this wife.

He grew up in Shenghuo Village and didn't find the idea of sharing a wife strange. But he had no special feelings towards the woman who he had not seen before until they fetched her from the capital.

He thought at first that she would just be another person living here and would have nothing to do with him.

Like his other brothers, he thought that she would hate the idea of being their wife. But based on her actions in the past few days, it seemed that she didn't disdain them. She was even doing her best to help pay off their debt.

Slowly, Haoran started noticing their wife more. Somehow, he was reminded of that long lost friend. Like that friend, Mei Li was kind and always gave him more of the delicious food she made. She was also kind to their brothers and had a strong and elegant bearing despite her frail body.

Haoran cannot help but admire her a little. Having this wife doesn't seem too bad. In fact, she somehow added more warmth to their home.

Before, he didn't care much about what time he got home from the fields. But, these days, he started anticipating dinner time and would look forward to going home early. Mei Li serving him a delicious meal felt quite satisfying!

He just hoped that she wouldn't disappear, too…

No! He must protect her. He is older and stronger now. He must keep his people safely under his wing!

Mei Li who was lying nervously on one side of the bed did not realize that Jin Haoran had now considered her as one of his own. If she knew, wouldn't she have been jumping with joy?

"Let's sleep," Haoran told Mei Li. That's right, the door in his heart that had long ago barred the entry of other people apart from his family was now slowly opening for his wife.

Mei Li, who had no idea about the things that went through Haoran's mind, could only regulate her breathing and clear her mind as much as she could until she fell asleep.

Haoran, whose eyes could see better in the dark, gazed carefully at the sleeping woman beside him. He whispered many words that she did not have the chance to hear.

"Mei-er, I'll protect you. Don't leave me, okay? Otherwise, I'll just follow you...even to the underworld."