Xue Fenglin's body hadn't fully recovered; his voice was hoarse and weak, and he wasn't standing very steadily. Yet, his imposing aura was astonishing.
Coupled with his tall stature, Wang Xiaolian was instantly intimidated. He nervously retreated a few steps, hiding behind Nanny Wang.
Seeing that Xue Fenglin didn't actually come to hit him, he emboldened himself and cursed again, "What a pair of adulterers, already protecting each other! You two are getting together without a proper matchmaker, you should be driven out of the village, and Shen Xuan should be drowned in a pig cage!"
"Village Head!" Nanny Wang put her hands on her hips and spoke to Li Youtian, "This matter concerns the reputation of our Wang family's women and 'ger'; it can't just be let go! It's fine for an old woman like me, but the Wang family has two daughters-in-law and an unmarried 'ger.' If we don't apply the village rules, what face do we Wang family members have to live with?"
The customs of the Great Jin Dynasty were much more open than previous dynasties. Except for a few remote areas, the practice of drowning in a pig cage had long been abolished; otherwise, Shen Xuan wouldn't have dared to bring someone directly into the hut.
However, unlike men, people were still much harsher on women and Ger.
To 'apply the village rules' meant forcing Li Youtian to punish Shen Xuan and the other man accordingly.
In a situation like Shen Xuan and Xue Fenglin's, Xue Fenglin, as a man and not a local villager, would only be driven out with beatings. But Shen Xuan would be dragged to the village ancestral hall, have his pants removed, and be flogged.
Though flogging was painful, it was merely external injury and would eventually heal. The truly devastating part was being stripped naked and flogged in front of everyone, which was akin to brutally tearing off a woman's or a ger's dignity.
Many who couldn't bear the shame would choose death, with hangings or drownings occurring frequently on the very day of the punishment.
In truth, while there were village rules, were there no secret affairs within the village? Most of the time, everyone turned a blind eye; it wasn't worth escalating to the point of applying village rules.
But the Wang family was relentless towards Shen Xuan. It was unclear if they were bullying him because he was foolish, believing he wouldn't commit suicide even if punished by village rules, or if they simply wished he would die.
Facing the aggressive Wang family, Village Head Li Youtian was in a difficult position.
Even the surrounding villagers fell silent, waiting to see how the matter would conclude.
From the whispers of the nearby villagers, Xue Fenglin finally understood what the village rules entailed.
His heart went cold. He thought, 'aren't they trying to kill Shen Xuan?'
A huge wave of anger and panic surged within him! He immediately disregarded everything else, tightly gripping Shen Xuan's hand and declaring, "Who dares to lay a finger on Shen Xuan? They'll have to step over my dead body first!"
Shen Xuan was stunned, not expecting Xue Fenglin to defend him so vehemently.
To him, having his pants removed and being flogged, while humiliating, wasn't truly a matter of life or death. Besides, he already planned to leave Yunshui Village; the world outside was vast, and who would know him there?
But Xue Fenglin's actions, to Shen Xuan, were certainly touching.
He thought, 'even if I get flogged, I won't regret it. Saving Lin Ye was truly not in vain.'
Xue Fenglin's resolute stance made Li Youtian even more conflicted.
Xue Fenglin was an outsider, so Yunshui Village had no right to punish him. As for punishing Shen Xuan, this man was blocking them so vehemently, even threatening death.
However, if he let them off without any punishment, he couldn't appease the Wang family, and he, as the village head, would lose face.
The Wang family grew anxious seeing Li Youtian hesitate. With the matter having escalated this far, wouldn't letting it go make people think the Wang family was easy to bully?
Nanny Wang then spoke again, "If Shen Xuan isn't punished, then the ger and girls in the village will follow suit in the future. Will our Yunshui Village's reputation still matter? This matter absolutely requires an explanation!"
Just as Li Youtian was in a dilemma, his wife, Second Sister-in-law Huang, had an idea and whispered a few words into his ear.
Li Youtian's eyes lit up. He then cleared his throat, stroked his beard, and said, "Nanny Wang is right, this matter must have an explanation; we can't let it ruin our Yunshui Village's rules."
"Since you don't accept punishment according to village rules, then there's another path before you."
"This brother here, if you marry Shen Xuan now, then you will be legitimate husband and husband. As long as you can give Yunshui Village an explanation, you naturally won't need to be punished by village rules."
Shen Xuan and Xue Fenglin were both stunned, never imagining that the village head, after long deliberation, would come up with this solution.
"I..." Shen Xuan was about to object, but felt Xue Fenglin squeeze his hand firmly, seemingly hinting at something.
He looked at Xue Fenglin, who gave him a reassuring glance before stepping forward and saying, "I agree. Let's do it this way."
Shen Xuan's vision went black, and for a moment, he was overcome with mixed emotions. He wondered if Xue Fenglin's words were merely a stopgap measure.
He had never even considered marrying, no matter who the person was.
But in this situation, he couldn't say much, so he had no choice but to remain silent for now.
In his heart, however, he thought that once the dust settled, he would talk things through clearly with Lin Ye.
What began as a scandal turned into a joyous occasion. Li Youtian felt he had handled the matter well.
The villagers also breathed a sigh of relief, happily gossiping and praising the village head's resourcefulness. After all, who truly wanted a death in the village?
The Wang family was furious, their faces contorted with anger, not having expected things to develop this way.
Wang Xiaolian still wanted to cause more trouble, but Nanny Wang comforted him, saying, "Forget it. Since the village head has spoken, we'll give him face. Besides, that man looks ugly and crippled, sickly and needing to be waited on in bed. If there weren't something wrong with him, how could he fancy a fool like Shen Xuan?"
Wang Xiaolian heard this and thought that Shen Xuan, once married, would simply suffer. He felt much happier.
However, seeing that the village rules couldn't be used, they began demanding that Shen Xuan be driven out of the old house.
They argued that since Shen Xuan was married, he should live with this outsider man and shouldn't even be allowed to stay in the thatched hut in the backyard.
"Hmm..." Li Youtian thought for a moment, then spoke, "In that case, Shen Xuan, you two can move into the empty house belonging to the Wang family in the west end of the village."
Seeing the Wang family members freeze, Li Youtian added, "Since you Wang family members are now living in the Shen family's old house, and you insist on driving Shen Xuan out, he can't possibly sleep on the streets, can he? He'll just have to live in your old Wang family house. Anyway, that house of yours is empty; just let Shen Xuan live there from now on. Do you still want to move back?"
The Wang family members, upon hearing this, were naturally unwilling to move back to their dilapidated old house. Although they were somewhat reluctant, they grumbled and let the matter go.
After all, compared to the Shen family's old house, the Wang family's old house was small and run-down. It was empty anyway, so it didn't matter if Shen Xuan and his partner lived there.
The whole affair dragged on for an entire afternoon. As dusk approached, the villagers went home to cook.
Shen Xuan went back to pack a few items of clothing, a small bundle in total, which he placed in his usual back basket. Then he and Xue Fenglin left the Shen family's old house.
Walking out of the old house and looking back at the large characters on the plaque above the entrance, Shen Xuan breathed a long sigh of relief. He felt no regret at all, but rather a sense of liberation.
He had lived in this old house for over ten years, but it held only bad memories. He had planned to leave once he saved enough money, but unexpectedly, he had inadvertently freed himself from the Wang family's control ahead of schedule. Perhaps this was a reward for his good deed of saving someone!
Shen Xuan helped Xue Fenglin walk about half a li westward, arriving at the Wang family's old house.
This house had only one courtyard and two tiled rooms. On the east side of the tiled rooms, there was a small kitchen and a latrine. It wasn't even as big as the Shen family's old house's backyard.
But for Shen Xuan, who had long lived in a storage room, the conditions of this tiled house were much better than before.
Xue Fenglin was still weak and had walked for so long that he was now panting.
Shen Xuan first let Xue Fenglin rest in the courtyard, while he busily started cleaning the house.
After he finished and came out, he saw that Xue Fenglin hadn't been idle either. Although he had difficulty moving, he had already helped clean the kitchen.
Xue Fenglin was still injured and now dripping with sweat from his efforts.
Shen Xuan quickly drew a bucket of well water, wet a coarse cloth with it, and told him to use it to wipe his face.
Because of the Wang family's commotion today, they hadn't even had time to eat lunch. Now that it was almost dark, their stomachs were already rumbling.
Shen Xuan then said to Xue Fenglin, "Let's eat first. We can clean up the rest tomorrow. I'll make you a good meal!"
Saying this, Shen Xuan rummaged in his back basket. He first took out the herbs that were laid on top, then retrieved four fresh bamboo shoots, two grass carp, a block of tofu, and a bag of cornmeal from the bottom.
These were all things he had hidden away earlier. When leaving the Shen family, he certainly couldn't leave them for the Wang family, so he brought them along.
Xue Fenglin was somewhat surprised to see Shen Xuan pull out so many ingredients as if by magic.
He hadn't really noticed before, confined to the room, but today, when he passed the kitchen after being discovered by the Wang family, he inadvertently saw their lunch.
Besides radishes, there was only a stir-fried egg; it wasn't even as good as what Shen Xuan had secretly cooked for him earlier.
'How could someone as clever as Shen Xuan have been enslaved by the Wang family for so many years?'
Shen Xuan noticed Xue Fenglin's confusion and readily explained, "I injured my head when I fell into the water as a child, and I've been somewhat muddled ever since. I only just regained my senses a few days ago."
So that was it. No wonder the villagers called Shen Xuan a fool... While Xue Fenglin pitied Shen Xuan's plight, he also secretly felt fortunate.
If Shen Xuan hadn't regained his senses, he might have died at the village entrance this time. This was truly a fateful encounter between them.
Shen Xuan went to the kitchen and skillfully started washing vegetables and cooking. Xue Fenglin helped him make the fire. Although he was clumsy at first, he soon mastered the knack.
Without cooking wine, Shen Xuan sliced a few pieces of wild ginger and tied them with scallion segments, stuffing them into the fish belly to remove any fishy smell. He cut the tofu into large pieces and threw them into the pot, adding only a small amount of salt.
The grass carp now was wild and unpolluted; its flesh was naturally firm and sweet, with a unique flavor.
While Shen Xuan stewed the fish soup, he also began slicing bamboo shoots and blanching them. Then he put the cornmeal into a clay pot to boil, and soon, once the water boiled, a pot of corn gruel was ready.
At this time, Shen Xuan started stir-frying the bamboo shoots. Once they were ready, he took the fish soup off the stove.
Lifting the lid of the fish soup, a rich aroma wafted out, revealing a thick, milky-white fish broth beneath. Xue Fenglin looked and swallowed.
The two worked well together, and one dish and one soup were quickly prepared.
This time, without the Wang family's supervision, Shen Xuan finally didn't have to hide anything. He could openly set the table and eat, feeling immensely pleased.
They had both been hungry for too long, and the food was completely devoured soon after it was served.
Xue Fenglin had tasted all kinds of delicacies in the Marquis's residence, but he felt none of them compared to the taste of this simple meal.
The fish soup Shen Xuan made had tender, non-fishy meat and smooth tofu, and the bamboo shoots were refreshing because of their freshness.
He ate and drank his fill, finally regaining his energy, and sat contentedly at the table, looking at Shen Xuan.
Under the dim oil lamp, Shen Xuan's face was flushed from eating, a slight smile on his slender face. His long eyelashes cast fluffy, branching shadows beneath his eyes.
Outside the window, the night sky was filled with twinkling stars, and the chirping of insects and croaking of frogs in the fields intermingled into a lively symphony.
Away from the troubles of the capital, his heart found a rare sense of peace.
This scene, this moment, was even more comfortable than being in the Marquis's residence.
Xue Fenglin's heart suddenly fluttered; he felt Shen Xuan was incredibly docile and adorable at this moment.
Although his background was a bit lacking, with such a disposition, what did it matter if he married him?
As he thought this, he instinctively reached out towards Shen Xuan, only to hear the other man speak, "The matter of marriage today was merely a temporary measure, Lin Ye. Please don't take it to heart."
Xue Fenglin froze, then saw Shen Xuan looking at him very earnestly. "I have long resolved never to marry in this life. From now on, we can simply be friends, just as before."
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