Chapter 20: "Don’t Meddle With My Life."
After that Aunt Lu left with her twins and the people she had brought, leaving me half alive at that moment.
Turning to Mo Ying, u shouted, "150 taels? Seriously? Why did you agree to that? There’s no way we could ever get 150 taels in 5 days, even if we borrow from the entire village, we still won’t be able to raise that much."
"Lin Xu, calm down.. Brother Ying just agreed because your Aunt pressured him, it’s not his fault..." Yan Mei tried helping but I yelled at her too.
"Help? He just made things worse for me!" I then turned to Mo Ying, "Listen I don’t know what type of life or which way you were raised but that amount is huge, we could afford it but that would take weeks of sales. How are we going to get it in five days?"
"Enough!" Mo Ying snapped.
"Has anyone ever told you you nag a lot. She said that ’I’ should pay the money. She never said ’You’ so why the heck are you panicking!" He frowned as I looked at him confused.
"What do you mean?"
"I’ll make the money.. and pay the Bride price, you just have to worry about taking care of your kids, leave the rest to me."
"Mo Ying, I don’t want to sound annoying but I won’t leave anything to you. This is my life, you are a complete stranger, what if you end up leaving when you can’t come up with the money. I’ll end up marrying Big Man Lou while you just go and leave your life after ruining mine."
Mo Ying’s eyes darkened at my words, his jaw clenching so tightly I thought he might actually snap at me again.
"Lin Xu," he said slowly, his deep voice heavy with restrained anger, "do I look like someone who makes empty promises?"
I bit my lip, unable to answer. The truth was, I didn’t know him well enough to say yes or no. He had appeared out of nowhere, defended me in front of Aunt Lu, and now he was talking about paying a ridiculous amount of money like it was nothing.
"You don’t know me, fine," he continued, stepping closer until his shadow loomed over me. "But don’t insult me by assuming I’ll run away. If I give my word, I’ll keep it. I’d rather die than break it."
The intensity in his eyes made my throat dry. For a moment, I almost believed him. Almost.
Yan Mei tugged at my sleeve. "Xu-jie... maybe you should give him a chance. Brother Ying... he doesn’t seem like the kind of man who speaks without thinking."
But I still shook my head stubbornly. "This isn’t just about chance, Mei. This is my whole future! If he fails, I’ll be trapped forever."
Mo Ying let out a low chuckle, though there was no humor in it. "Trapped? You think marrying Big Man Lou will be your prison? Then what do you call the life you’re living now? Struggling every day, biting your tongue just to survive. Tell me, Lin Xu, aren’t you already trapped?"
His words struck deeper than I wanted to admit.
I lowered my gaze, my hands tightening into fists. "Even if that’s true... At least I know how to endure this kind of life. Gambling my fate on a stranger’s promise is something I can’t afford."
Mo Ying exhaled sharply, then tilted his head. "Five days. That’s all I need. If I fail, you can hate me forever. But if I succeed..." His lips curved into a faint smile. "Then you’ll owe me more than just gratitude."
I froze, staring at him. "What... what do you mean by that?"
But instead of answering, he turned and walked out of the compound as I just sighed..
**
The rest of the day I went to the market selling as much meat as I could but only made 15 taels.
Not enough at all. Should I have really believed his words?
I don’t trust people, especially men for that matter. They have the sweetest mouths but always the most bitter heart.
I arrived home at around seven and the kids informed me that Mo Ying hasn’t come back since last night.
I acted unbordered as I made dinner.
The night was fast and after eating, the kids all slept.
Meanwhile I couldn’t sleep for some reason and I found myself gazing at the moon outside until I finally fell asleep.
**
Mo Ying came in around midnight and from his attire, you could tell he just did not dirty work as there was mud and dirt all over him.
Washing his hands, he made his way to the kitchen and to his surprise he saw some bowls of food covered for him.
Seeing it, something lit up in him as he ate as though he hadn’t eaten in years.
He finally felt satisfied as he washed up the plates and kept them back.
Making his way back to his room, Mo Ying paused at the sight before him. Lin Xu had fallen asleep sitting against the wooden pole, her head tilted to the side, her arms folded loosely across her chest.
But then, her body shifted too far forward, and she nearly toppled.
He reacted instantly. "Lin Xu—!"
His arms caught her just before she hit the ground. She stirred, her lashes fluttering open halfway, confusion clouding her sleepy gaze.
"You..." she mumbled faintly, her voice thick with drowsiness. "Let go... I’m fine..."
Mo Ying frowned, his jaw tightening as he steadied her. "Fine? You were about to hurt yourself. Stop being so stubborn."
She tried to pull away, but her body was too heavy with exhaustion. With a low sigh, he lifted her into his arms. She gasped softly, her small hands instinctively clutching at his dirt-stained shirt, but her strength quickly gave out.
"Put me down..." she whispered weakly.
"Quiet," he replied, his voice firm but not unkind. "You’ll only hurt yourself more."
Her head rested against his chest, and the steady rhythm of his heartbeat calmed her despite herself. He carried her into her room with ease, lowering her onto the bed.
Carefully, he drew a blanket over her and, with a surprising gentleness, brushed a stray lock of hair away from her face.
Even half-asleep, her lips moved. "You... shouldn’t... meddle with my life..."
A faint smile tugged at his mouth as he looked down at her. "Then stop giving me reasons to."
But she had already drifted back into deep slumber, her breathing evening out, the tension in her expression softening at last.
Mo Ying lingered for a moment longer, his dark gaze unreadable, before quietly turning and closing the door behind him.
Upon arriving back at his room, Mo Ying pushed the door open.
Inside, a figure was already waiting. Fuhan rose immediately from where he had been kneeling by the window, his head lowered in deference.
"Young Master," he greeted quietly, his voice low and steady. "I have gathered the information you requested about the woman, Lin Xu."
Mo Ying gave a slight nod, closing the door behind him. "Speak."
Fuhan straightened but kept his posture respectful, his hands clasped behind his back. "She was married off at the age of fifteen, to a man who left her the same night of their wedding. It has been eight years, and he has not returned once. Since then, she has raised three children alone."
Mo Ying’s eyes narrowed slightly, though he remained silent.
"During these years," Fuhan continued, "she has suffered greatly under her in-laws. They treated her as less than human forced labor, constant scorn, and beatings. Only recently did she summon the courage to separate from them, though they still wish to wed her off for their gain."
The room fell quiet for a moment. Fuhan’s head lowered again, his tone becoming even more cautious. "Young Master... forgive my boldness, but... do you truly intend to marry her? She does not know your identity, nor the weight it carries. To her, you are just an ordinary wanderer. Yet you are the general’s son. One day, you must return to your station. Will you truly marry her?"
Mo Ying’s gaze was unreadable, his eyes cast toward the flickering lantern. His jaw tightened, but his tone, when it came, was cold and final.
"What I do is none of your business."
Fuhan bowed his head deeper, not daring to question further. "Yes, Young Master."
"Concerning the bride price... she wasn’t lying, making money is not easy at all. I spent all day lifting loads yet I could only make 5 taels."
Mo Ying sighed, "Get things ready.. in five days time, bring in all these.."
He said handing over to Fuhan a piece of paper with different items written on it.
"Yes Young master!" Before Fuhan could leave, Mo Ying instructed one last thing.
"Make sure my father is unaware of any of these..you may leave!"