Chapter 8: Former Fiancée
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A warmth blossomed in Zhen Mi’er’s heart; she still had her husband, the one she liked very much. With that thought, the dark clouds in her heart immediately dispersed.
The three of them walked and stopped intermittently. Their baskets were empty, having picked only a few wild vegetables, but they had gathered quite a bit of firewood. They bundled the firewood into piles, covered them with some dry branches, and marked the spots to come back and carry them home later.
Since they hadn’t found much to eat, Zhen Mi’er was reluctant to give up. She carried her basket deeper into the forest, with Gu Tingzhi and Gu Qinghe following closely behind.
The weather was gradually turning colder, and nearly all the edible plants on the mountain had been picked clean. Any living creatures were either caught or had hidden deep in the woods.
Zhen Mi’er picked up a sturdy long stick and tapped around the bushes, hoping to find some living thing.
Gu Qinghe and Gu Tingzhi wanted to imitate her. Just as the two were about to pick up sticks nearby, they suddenly heard a heavy, panting grunt. Startled, they abandoned their sticks and hurried back to Zhen Mi’er’s side.
Zhen Mi’er had naturally heard the sound as well. Instinctively, she stepped in front of Gu Tingzhi, steadied her trembling legs, gripped the long stick tightly, and opened her almond-shaped eyes wide. She could not be afraid now—she had to protect her husband!
For some reason, seeing Zhen Mi’er like this, Gu Tingzhi’s fear vanished instantly. He grabbed her small hand clutching the stick, took it into his own, and quite naturally pulled the little hedgehog-like Zhen Mi’er behind him.
Zhen Mi’er protested silently but dared not speak loudly, fearing to alert any dangerous creature nearby.
Gu Tingzhi patted her furry head, glanced at Gu Qinghe, who immediately understood. Habitually obeying her third brother’s command, she held onto her sister-in-law’s arm to prevent her from moving forward.
At this moment, she completely forgot that her third brother was still recovering and needed their protection. When she realized this, she was stunned.
Looking up toward her third brother quietly walking toward the bushes, she was alarmed again. Seeing her sister-in-law nearly in tears with worry, she felt both guilty and anxious, but she held onto Zhen Mi’er’s hand tightly without letting go.
Just moments ago, she thought her protective third brother had returned, so she obediently followed the arrangement. The unknown creature still panting nearby was not something she could let her sister-in-law approach; otherwise, her brother would surely be distracted.
As Gu Tingzhi gradually neared the bushes, he found a fat, adult wild boar lying there.
This boar had apparently fallen into a hunter’s trap and injured its limbs. Yet it was remarkably strong, managing to break free through sheer brute force. But with all its limbs wounded, it was now powerless and resting in the grass, its black fur soaked with fresh blood.
Seeing Gu Tingzhi approach, the boar opened its mouth wide, revealing sharp tusks, and let out a fierce roar, seemingly trying to scare him away.
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Gu Tingzhi glanced back and saw Zhen Mi’er and the fourth sister clinging to each other in fear, their tear-filled eyes unblinking as they stared at him.
Thinking that this ugly beast had not only frightened Zhen Mi’er but also scared the fourth sister to tears, a sudden surge of fierce energy welled up in Gu Tingzhi’s heart. His hands seemed to fill with a hot current as he raised the thick stick and, before the boar could react, slammed it down hard on its head with a “bang.”
The boar let out a painful roar, dizzy and seeing stars from the blow, but it was not killed outright. It suddenly pushed itself up and charged fiercely at the attacker, aiming for his neck.
As the boar rushed forward, Gu Tingzhi summoned all his courage and struck once more at the same spot with a “bang.”
The boar could fight no longer and collapsed limply to the ground, soon breathing its last.
Gu Tingzhi was momentarily stunned, seemingly not fully realizing what he had done. But seeing the dead boar, he happily waved to the others nearby.
Zhen Mi’er and Gu Qinghe hurried over.
When they saw Gu Tingzhi unharmed and the boar lying dead, they were both relieved and frightened.
Zhen Mi’er took out some hemp rope from the basket, and the three worked together to bundle the boar tightly. Using the long stick that had killed the boar as a makeshift carrying pole, they gathered materials on site.
Not daring to linger, Zhen Mi’er and Gu Tingzhi carried the boar in front, while Gu Qinghe, carrying the basket, took out the previously hidden dry firewood and slung it over her shoulder. The three headed back.
The foolish son and chubby daughter-in-law of the Gu family had gone up the mountain once and brought down a wild boar! Before they even reached home, the entire village knew.
The reason they were not yet home was because they were stopped at the foot of the mountain by a young woman.
The girl was extremely beautiful, graceful and elegant, with a rare hairpin adorned with two colorful silk flowers.
She sized up Zhen Mi’er and Gu Tingzhi from head to toe, covered her mouth and sneered, then said to Gu Qinghe, “Is this your third sister-in-law?”
Before anyone could answer, she seemed to think of something even more amusing and bent over laughing.
Gu Qinghe was speechless.
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Zhen Mi’er was speechless as well.
Gu Tingzhi thought: Everyone says I’m a fool, but this person is the real fool. The wild boar was so heavy, and the big fool stopped us on the road—what if it wore out Zhen Mi’er?
Gu Qinghe wanted nothing more than to rush over and tear that flashy face apart.
She whispered to Zhen Mi’er, “Third sister-in-law, this woman is Yang Xiuqing, the one who broke off the engagement with my third brother!”
Zhen Mi’er naturally knew of her. Having cared for Gu Tingzhi for so many years, how could she not recognize his former fiancée?
When she first heard of his engagement,I'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.