The Spirited Daughter-in-law and the Mountain Man

“Wife, I usually eat only three bowls of rice. But because you care about me and you served me such delicious food, I ate an extra bowl tonight.” He gives her a playful wink. “You jumped into the river for me and I know you did it with love, so I ate an extra bowl tonight just for you…” He expects his wife to take charge eventually; her small frame probably doesn’t have the strength to do so, he needs to save energy to be both resistant and encouraging.

“Third brother!” Xiao Yishan scolds him with a straight face.

Xiao Yuchuan doesn’t back down. “Pfft! Even if you’re my brother, it’s not your place to interfere in how my wife and I develop our relationship.” He’d let his second brother beat him twice because he deserved it, but when he’s right, he’s no pushover. He looks at Qingyue with a smile. “No need to rush, dear. I’m patient and can wait for you.”

Su Qingyue simply lowers her head and focuses on eating.

“Wife, you’d better eat more, in case you don’t have the strength to force yourself on me later.” Xiao Yuchuan’s face is serious. “I told you, I’m mentally unprepared, and I won’t take the initiative.”

Xiao Yishan’s face darkens. “Third brother, quit talking nonsense. Your wife is injured, why bring this up?”

“My wife is injured, but she jumped into the river for me, and the whole village knows it…” Xiao Yuchuan gazes at Su Qingyue’s ugly face, deeply moved. ‘My wife is just shy; she loves me so much, but she’s too embarrassed to say it…”

He suddenly shuts up, his eyes fill with regret.

He recalls hearing his wife’s previous screams, which might mean that her voice isn’t pleasant to the ears.

“Enough.” Xiao Yishan’s face is solemn. “It doesn’t matter that she can’t speak.

Haven’t we known that all along? Her silence is peaceful.”

“I still think it would be better if my wife could nag me.” Xiao Yuchuan waves his hand dismissively. “But it doesn’t matter, wife. If you’re mute, then you’re mute. I, Xiao Yuchuan, accept you as you are.”

The deaf but not mute Su Qingyue is unaware that the Xiao brothers had misunderstood her inability to speak. She finishes eating and puts down her bowl and chopsticks. Her belly feels full after devouring a bowl of rice and lots of stewed chicken.

She glances at the table, where a pile of chicken bones that she ate is in front of her, with only a few pieces of chicken left in the bowl. In front of the second brother and his younger brother, there are only two chicken bones each.

This means they each ate only two pieces of chicken before eating four big bowls of rice just with the chicken soup.

She feels embarrassed again. It’s like she’s taking over their house as a guest. She needs to watch herself; being too overbearing as a guest can lead to people disliking her.

“Wife, would you like to eat some more?” Xiao Yuchuan is very enthusiastic.

Su Qingyue doesn’t hear him. She gets up and goes to the stove, picking up one of the leftover willow branches placed beside it. She takes one of the small branches from the bundle and starts to clean her teeth with water scooped up with a wooden ladle.

As she finishes cleaning her teeth once, Xiao Yuchuan is already handing her another branch.

She gives him a glance, wondering why he’s offering help out of nowhere does he have ulterior motives?

She doesn’t take it and instead picks up another branch from the stove and continues to clean her teeth.

Xiao Yuchuan doesn’t mind and frowns instead. ‘Wife, you only need to clean your teeth once… if you clean them too many times, you’ll damage your gums….”