Chapter 21: Riding Together
The villagers’ fear of the authorities was deeply rooted. The so-called “the people do not fight with the officials” was a consensus passed down from generation to generation, and it was a wise one.
Before this, the main residence had taken it for granted that village matters would be resolved within the village, at most going to the village chief for a decision. Thus, they were bold and unafraid: who didn’t know that the village chief and First Uncle Cui had been as close as brothers since they were children?
Who would have thought that a Cui Er would appear out of nowhere to back the widow? This had really stirred up a hornet’s nest. He was going all out, willing to drag everyone to the authorities to stand before the county magistrate.
Cui Jingkong was not afraid. He had been the top scholar in last year’s county examination. Scholars were exempt from corvée labor, could see officials without kneeling, and could not be tortured at will.
On the day the results were announced, people from the county had come with gongs and drums to deliver the news of his success to the Zhong residence. It had been many years since Qianshan Village had produced a proper scholar.
Cui Er had spoken of justice and impartiality, but wasn’t it obvious who the county magistrate would favor? It was just that when the time came for the hearing, Fourth Uncle Cui and First Uncle Cui would have to kneel on the ground and be beaten on the buttocks.
Seeing that First Uncle Cui still wanted to argue, Cui Jingkong said another word, this time shutting his mouth:
“Speaking of old matters, the main residence has never had the grace of raising me. According to First Uncle’s words, shouldn’t half of my father’s property be returned to me now?”
Second Uncle Cui, who had been watching the commotion from the sidelines, saw that the trouble was being directed his way and quickly stood up. Third Master Cui’s land was now occupied by his two sons.
Since his own interests were at stake, he advised, “Alright, alright, Fourth Brother. How many times can you go up the mountain in a year? Stop embarrassing yourself and arguing with the younger generation. It’s not bad if a family can get by together!”
Fourth Uncle Cui was already quite afraid of reporting to the authorities. He had already shrunk back like a turtle, but he still had to have the last word. “I think it’s you, Cui Er, and this bitch who are up to something shady. We’re all surnamed Cui. Why are you siding with an outsider!”
“Fourth Brother, are you looking for a beating again!” His words were purely disgusting. Liu Guilan immediately scolded him back.
However, this slander had hit the mark by mistake. Cui Jingkong didn’t care. He was even willing to nod and admit on the spot that his intentions towards his widowed sister-in-law were not good. But Feng Yuzhen couldn’t.
She placed her hands on her knees, her fingers digging into the fabric. It was clear she was embarrassed.
“I’m not sure if my sister-in-law and I are up to something shady, but Fourth Uncle—” Cui Jingkong’s tone was a little hesitant, as if he were genuinely puzzled. “A few years ago, on a dark and windy night, I seem to have accidentally seen Fourth Uncle coming out of the Li family’s house in the ditch, pulling up his trousers.”
His tone changed, and he lightly dropped another sentence that shocked everyone. “Speaking of which, it’s a coincidence. Uncle Li was away for more than half a year, and his wife got pregnant just a month after he came back. Who wouldn’t say it’s a happy event?”
“You… what nonsense are you spouting!” Fourth Uncle Cui’s face turned pale. There was an endless clamor from outside the door.
The Li family’s man had gone to the county to work five years ago and had been gone for half a year before returning. It was said that he had earned a sum of money, and everyone in the village knew about it. As for Fourth Uncle Cui, his behavior at that time had indeed been improper, and there had been rumors, but this was the first time someone had witnessed it.
Why would Cui Er lie? This time, after the people at the door dispersed, it wouldn’t take two days for this matter to spread throughout the village, known to all, young and old.
Fourth Aunt, who had been silent all this time, suddenly jumped up. She was a fiery person by nature and rushed out to twist Fourth Uncle Cui’s ear:
“I told you long ago that you and that woman from the Li family were making eyes at each other. The more I look at that child these past two years, the more I think he looks like you. Those two garlic noses are ugly in the same way. Cui Laosi, you dare to pretend in front of me!”
This time, the main residence was truly in a mess. But Cui Jingkong, the source of the chaos, stood calmly in place.
Seeing that the scene was not going to quiet down, the village chief, who was indeed very close to First Uncle Cui and had come to support him, thinking that handling a widow would be an easy matter, had to intervene.
If this mess were to be taken to the authorities, and if the matter of Third Master Cui’s property and Cui Ze’s family register were to be involved, and if the truth were to be revealed, First Uncle Cui, who had secretly withheld the land deed and identity tablet, would not be able to escape.
So the village chief slammed the table, cleared his throat, and made a decision. “Alright. Third Master Cui’s property in the village will belong to the Cui main residence from now on. The house in the mountains will belong to Feng Yuzhen and Cui Jingkong. Are you satisfied with this?”
Fourth Uncle Cui was being pulled by the ear by his wife and was crying out in pain. He had no choice but to agree.
Feng Yuzhen, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up. She lifted her face and said word by word, “Fourth Uncle, you should take all your things. I will go up the mountain to tidy up the house in a couple of days. If anything is left behind, I will throw it into the mountains. If it’s carried off by a tiger or a wolf, it’s not my responsibility.”
Her usually gentle face had a cold, chilling fierceness. Cui Jingkong’s eyes flashed, and his gaze was fixed on her face. His chest pounded uncontrollably at this rare sight of her.
And so this commotion ended abruptly. Before the two of them left, Liu Guilan secretly stuffed a few steamed buns into her hand for them to eat on the way.
Her expression was complicated, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she only sighed and said nothing more.
The news that Fourth Uncle Cui and the Li family had fallen out spread like wildfire in the village.
Fourth Uncle Cui hid in the main residence for half a month to avoid the gossip. Until one day, he had to go out. When he came back, he was beaten black and blue, his nose bleeding, and one of his arms was broken. Everyone in the village knew it was the Li family’s man who had done it.
***
Time flew by, and the sun gradually became more scorching. Summer arrived quietly. In this season, all living things were vibrant and lush, except for Feng Yuzhen.
Many wounds could only be left to air out quietly. The slightest touch would be excruciatingly painful. No one could bear it for her. Feng Yuzhen could only endure it. It had been like this since she was a child, in both her lives.
In the first few days after she returned, she was like a string puppet, barely hanging on. Whenever she heard Cui Jingkong call her “Sister-in-law,” it sounded inexplicably harsh, like a needle pricking her heart.
The reason Cui Jingkong had agreed to let her move in before was simply out of a sense of duty to take care of his brother’s widow. Now that he had discovered that this widowed sister-in-law was not officially his, and was a useless burden, it was possible that, given his tyrannical nature in the storybook, he might make her disappear without a trace.
She had worried for a few days, but gradually found that Cui Jingkong did not seem to have this idea. He just came back later and later every day, looking travel-worn, with a few specks of wet mud on the hem of his clothes and shoes.
Today was the same.
When Cui Jingkong got home, the food on the table was already cold. Feng Yuzhen heated it up again in the pot.
The weather was hot, and she was not in a good mood. The woman’s appetite was very poor.
Her already slender oval face was even thinner, her chin sharp, looking like a wilted flower. She listlessly picked at the rice in her bowl, one grain at a time, as if it were more difficult than drinking medicine.
The two of them should have gone to their separate rooms to rest as usual, but Cui Jingkong said to her, “We’re going up the mountain now.”
Feng Yuzhen’s steps towards the room faltered. She was stunned for a moment, then refused. “It’s dark. We won’t be able to come down from the mountain now.”
“We’re not going back to the wooden house.”
Feng Yuzhen was even more confused. “Then where are we going? It’s not good to travel at night anyway.”
Cui Jingkong did not relent, his dark eyes fixed on her. “I’ve borrowed a horse.”
Feng Yuzhen walked out of the door in astonishment. What greeted her eyes was a shiny black steed. It was tied to the fence. Seeing someone come out, it snorted impatiently and pawed at the sprouting grass with its hooves.
Up close, the black horse looked exceptionally tall, its muscles bulging. Feng Yuzhen had only ever seen one from a distance before. This was the first time she had been so close.
A fear of the unknown arose in her. She hesitated, not understanding Cui Jingkong’s intentions. “Kong’ge’er, I don’t know how to ride a horse. Besides, there’s only one. Let’s just forget it.”
“I’ll take you. We’ll ride together.”
“How can we do that? Wait… ah!”
The woman’s waist was slender. Cui Jingkong held it firmly with both hands. He lifted his arms, and Feng Yuzhen’s feet were off the ground. He lifted her onto the horse’s back as easily as if he were placing an object.
She was still in a state of shock. The black horse was not used to her and shook its body, trying to throw her off. She was already afraid, and her body twisted and turned. She closed her eyes tightly, just waiting to be thrown to the ground.
But a low growl, like that of a beast, escaped the young man’s throat. The previously untamed horse lowered its head and stood quietly. Cui Jingkong then skillfully and nimbly mounted the horse.
“How can we sit so close!” Feng Yuzhen was furious and couldn’t be bothered to be polite to him anymore. The two of them were sitting on the same horse, one behind the other. If the villagers saw them, it would surely cause gossip.
The young man sitting behind her wrapped his arms around her body, his head close to her neck. He grabbed the reins, and with a kick of his long legs to the horse’s belly, the black horse immediately galloped off. Only the woman’s cry of alarm and his rhetorical question were left in the wind. “Why not?”
“I… I’m scared! Stop! Turn, turn quickly! We’re going to hit a tree!!”
The horse was bucking violently. Feng Yuzhen’s tongue was trembling, her voice shaking. She didn’t even know what she was shouting. She was about to lose her soul.
Her brother-in-law’s young, warm body was pressed tightly against her back. Feng Yuzhen grabbed the strong arm by her side with one hand and instinctively burrowed deeper into Cui Jingkong’s embrace, her eyes even welling up with tears from fear.
No matter what she shouted, whether she was begging for mercy or giving a warning, Cui Jingkong never responded. He just laughed.
Several times, it looked as if they were about to crash straight into a rock or a tree. Hearing his widowed sister-in-law’s panicked cry suddenly rise in pitch, Cui Jingkong would steadily pull the reins, and the black horse under him would nimbly change direction.
After a few times, even a fool could see that he was deliberately teasing her.
Feng Yuzhen was both ashamed and angry. Perhaps it was the cool night wind blowing in her face, but it seemed to have blown all her troubles to the back of her mind.
Between heaven and earth, there was only the galloping horse beneath her, the winding mountain path ahead, and her brother-in-law behind her. Nothing else was needed.
With the thought of arguing until Cui Er stopped, she let out her voice.
She shouted to her heart’s content, venting all her resentment. Two bright clouds of satisfaction appeared on her cheeks, looking pitiful and lovely. At this moment, Cui Jingkong finally spoke, his gaze fixed on the woman in his arms. “Turn your head. It’s easy to get wind.”
“You don’t need to worry about me!”
For once, Feng Yuzhen was firm. Cui Jingkong felt no anger at her impolite words. Instead, he laughed out loud.
He had never laughed so unrestrainedly before. Most of the time, he was stingy with even a slight curve of his lips.
So she thought, her brother-in-law was indeed not a good person. He had to laugh right by her ear. The young man’s thin lips seemed to have unintentionally brushed against her earlobe. The spot was slightly hot. Feng Yuzhen unconsciously bit her lip, and half of her body went numb, her voice softening.