Cheng Siniang did not respond, but Meng Nanzhou was not annoyed. He glanced at the basket and said, "Some mushrooms on the mountain are poisonous. If you can’t tell them apart, it’s best not to pick them randomly. If you really want to eat some, just go buy them at the market in town."
As he spoke, he unfastened his coin purse from his waist. After a long moment of hesitation, he set aside a larger ingot and selected one smaller than a fingernail—about a tenth of an ounce—and pressed it into Cheng Nuo’s hand.
"The weather is turning cold. I noticed the jacket you’re wearing is still from years ago. Go to the tailor shop and buy a new one, then buy a couple of pounds of mutton to help the family build up their strength. I remember you like the pastries from Fu Ji, so get some of those, too. If there’s anything left over..."
Cheng Nuo let out a laugh.
Judging by her tone, Meng Nanzhou felt it did not sound like she was happy.
"Is there a problem?"
He was offering her money and showing her concern; in the past, Cheng Siniang would have been moved to tears of gratitude by now.
Cheng Nuo pulled two copper coins from her bodice and, along with the silver ingot Meng Nanzhou had just given her, slapped them down onto the stone bench in the courtyard.
"Take this money and find someone to repair the leaking roof—better yet, have it renovated. Then, build the perimeter wall higher; there are many women in this house, and it’s not safe. If there’s still money left after that, have the walls of the house whitewashed..."
Meng Nanzhou was shocked. "This pittance? It’s not even enough to buy the roof tiles, you..."
Halfway through his sentence, he realized Cheng Nuo was playing him for a fool. He had offered her money out of the kindness of his heart to improve her life, and if she wasn't going to be grateful, fine—but was she now mocking him for being stingy?
He had been too good to Cheng Siniang. A woman like this didn't deserve a pleasant look from him!
Meng Nanzhou intended to flick his sleeve and leave, but he thought of Feng Zhiyi, who had no status or title, and how she had endured the hardships of pregnancy for his child, only to be denied even the right to be called "Madame Meng." His resentment toward Cheng Nuo grew more intense than ever.
He suppressed the anger in his heart and forced a smile. "It was my oversight. I haven't managed household affairs for a long time and have grown unfamiliar with market prices. How about this: tonight, Siniang, you can tell me all about it."
With that, he raised his hand, intending to tuck a stray lock of hair behind Cheng Nuo’s ear.
Cheng Nuo was startled and retreated several steps.
?
What was he playing at?
Ever since Xiao Pan'er was born, Meng Nanzhou had never touched Cheng Siniang again, and the opportunities for them to even share a bed had been few and far between. In the six years of their marriage, the number of nights Meng Nanzhou had spent here could be counted on one hand.
Had he lost his mind today?
Cheng Nuo couldn't help but reflect on whether she had been acting too unruly these past few days, leading Meng Nanzhou to mistakenly believe she was throwing a tantrum just to grab his attention.
A wave of disgust washed over her. She kept her head lowered, her eyes darting around. She would bolt the bedroom door shut tonight; if Meng Nanzhou dared to force his way in, she would slit his throat.
She would then stage it to look like a burglar had broken in—after all, hadn't they been worried about thieves just yesterday?
Cheng Nuo even planned out where to bury Meng Nanzhou. The more she thought about it, the more excited she became, and a faint flush crept onto her cheeks.
To Meng Nanzhou, this sight meant she was feeling shy.
As expected, as long as he showed even the slightest bit of concern, Cheng Siniang would be overwhelmed with gratitude, bowing and scraping to him. Unfortunately, he had already promised A'yi that he would never touch another woman in this life; Cheng Siniang's beautiful dreams would eventually come to nothing.
Convinced that Cheng Nuo wouldn't refuse him, he walked toward the study with full confidence to grind his ink and write a letter of divorce.
That evening, Mother Meng unusually took to the kitchen, preparing a bland bowl of dough-drop soup. She took her bowl and chopsticks and returned to her room with Meng Sijing, not staying a moment longer.
Before she left, she even took Xiao Pan'er with her.
It was a blatant invitation for Meng Nanzhou to make his move.
Cheng Nuo snuck into the kitchen and grabbed a sturdy fire poker. As she prepared to leave, she turned back to snatch the vegetable knife from the cutting board. She hid the knife under her pillow and stood the poker by the edge of the heated bed, within easy reach of her hand.
She had barely been lying there for long when there was movement at the bedroom door.
"Siniang, it’s me. Why did you bolt the door?" Meng Nanzhou’s voice drifted in through the door panel.
He really had the nerve to come.Cheng Nuo was not narcissistic enough to believe that Meng Nanzhou harbored any improper intentions toward her. The book had described Meng Nanzhou’s feelings for the female lead as an all-consuming, life-or-death devotion. As for other women who sought to get close to him, they either ended up discarded like worn-out shoes—meeting a wretched fate—or were drained of their value and left to rot in the wilderness.
At his core, Meng Nanzhou was a man who wouldn't stir without the prospect of profit. The fact that he was willing to become a live-in son-in-law to achieve his goals spoke volumes about his character; he was a master of duplicity and manipulation. Once you lost your value to him, his true nature would be exposed in an instant.
Now that he had passed the provincial examinations, the Cheng Family could no longer offer him any assistance and had instead become a stumbling block on his path to success. Most importantly, if Cheng Nuo recalled correctly, the female lead, Feng Zhiyi, had already reunited with Meng Nanzhou by this point.
In Meng Nanzhou’s eyes, the existence of Cheng Siniang was a betrayal of his past love and a stain on his life. Only by completely ridding himself of her could he prove that his heart was as firm and unyielding as stone.
Meng Nanzhou was obsessed with Feng Zhiyi, but alas, while the prince had passion, the goddess was cold; Feng Zhiyi’s background and "protagonist aura" were destined to match her with a man of the highest status and intellect in the story, leading to a shocking and tumultuous romance that would ultimately propel them both to the pinnacle of life. Meng Nanzhou was, at best, a supporting male character meant to embellish the female lead’s charm.
Outside, a cold wind howled. Before long, Meng Nanzhou was shivering, rubbing his hands together, blowing on his fingers, and stomping his feet. "If you don't open the door, I'm leaving."
Inside, there was a rustle of someone getting out of bed. Just as he thought Cheng Siniang had calmed down and was back under his thumb, the room plunged from light into darkness.
Cheng Nuo had blown out the candle.
Meng Nanzhou felt a breath catch in his throat, unable to go up or down. This bitch was actually proving immune to both soft and hard tactics.
Peering through the window and eavesdropping, Mother Meng was so angry she hopped on the spot. "In the middle of winter, Cheng Siniang dares to leave my son out in the cold? He is a scholar; his constitution isn't like others'. If he catches a chill and something happens to him, can that pathetic little thing afford the cost?"
Meng Sijing leaned in. "Mother, don't you think Cheng Siniang has been different ever since she tried to hang herself? In the past, if Brother was willing to take a single step into her room, she would have been beating drums and making a scene for all to know. Yet tonight, she dares to block Brother outside. Could it be that she's been possessed by something unclean?"
Mother Meng glared at her daughter. "What nonsense are you spouting? Your brother is a provincial graduate, a reincarnation of the God of Literature. How could he fear ghosts or demons? Even if there were a female ghost attached to Cheng Siniang, with your brother’s handsome and masculine presence, that ghost should be the one unable to control herself."
Meng Sijing: "..."
Mother, do you even hear yourself? Who is the one truly talking nonsense here?
As the mother and daughter argued, a loud "clattering" and crashing sound erupted from the neighboring room, followed immediately by Meng Nanzhou’s pained, stifled groans.
Meng Nanzhou had climbed through the window, but the moment his feet touched the floor, Cheng Nuo—who had been lying in wait—struck his spine three times with a wooden rod. The blows were fierce and heavy; while it might not have broken his bones, it would certainly leave bruises that would last half a month. He could forget about sleeping on his back tonight.
"Cheng Siniang! Are you trying to murder your husband?"
Mother Meng held up a candle to the window and saw her son sprawled on the floor, in a state of utter disarray.
In the candlelight, Cheng Nuo saw Meng Nanzhou’s face, covered her mouth, and took a step back, dropping the stick. "Husband? Why is it you? Climbing through a window in the middle of the night is not the behavior of a gentleman. I thought I had encountered a ruffian."
Meng Nanzhou was sweating from the pain, his voice dripping with malice. "Stop the act. I was knocking at the door for half an hour; don't tell me you didn't hear."
Cheng Nuo pulled two cotton earplugs from her ears. "It was a misunderstanding. The wind has been loud lately, and I haven't been sleeping well, so I started wearing earplugs early. It wasn't intentional."
Meng Nanzhou sucked in a cold breath, furious, yet unable to lash out. He still needed to use tonight to get his hands on the original marriage contract, and then force Cheng Siniang to sign a document voluntarily surrendering the farmland and house.
He would let her be smug for a few more days. There would be plenty of chances to deal with her later.