"You treat me like your own child?"
"Shi Fengxian, do you take me for a complete fool?"
"Aside from my Third Uncle, which of you uncles and aunts didn't stab us in the back when my father died?"
"I'm warning you now: from this day forward, don't you ever set foot in my house again!"
"And what's more, you better scrape together the thirty cash you swindled from me over the years and pay it back!"
Recalling the vile face this woman had worn in the past, Shi Yi found her utterly nauseating.
Empathizing with the original host's pent-up grievance and fury, he snapped completely and burned his bridges on the spot!
Shi Fengxian had tried to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice used to lure it—she was certainly not about to swallow that!
So she had no desire to stay here a moment longer.
Shaking off Shi Yi's grip, she pointed a trembling finger at him, shaking with rage.
"Fine! Very well, you've grown quite a backbone, haven't you!"
"Shi Yi, you unfilial beast with no respect for your elders—I'll have your Second Uncle come and teach you some manners!"
With that, she stormed off, fuming.
As she walked, she pounded her chest to calm her breath, muttering under her breath the whole way.
"Good lord above, has this boy lost his mind?"
"It's infuriating! He actually had the nerve to lay hands on me."
"Just you wait! I'll have your Second Uncle come and deal with you!"
"Bah."
Shi Yi spat behind her back, making no effort to conceal his utter disgust.
The woman had been touched by the way Shi Yi had so decisively stepped forward to defend her.
Yet she quickly masked the feeling, lowering her head in silence to resume washing things.
Shi Yi squatted down beside her as well, gazing at the five red finger marks on her face.
"Does it hurt?"
The woman said nothing, continuing to wash the pelts.
"Not even a little?"
Still nothing.
Shi Yi felt a headache coming on.
He had never encountered a woman this ice-cold, not even in his past life.
Shaking his head, he reached out and placed a hand directly on her forehead.
The woman froze, her body trembling instinctively.
From childhood on, apart from her father, no man had ever dared to grow so close to her.
"What are you doing?"
Her voice was so cold the surrounding air seemed to drop several degrees.
"Hmm, running a slight fever indeed."
"Open your mouth," Shi Yi said.
"What are you playing at?"
A flicker of rising anger was already apparent in the woman.
Does he take me for a three-year-old child, telling me to open my mouth just like that?
"Why do you have so many objections? When I tell you to open your mouth, open it! Hurry up, stop arguing!"
Shi Yi suddenly turned stern.
The woman was completely thrown off by this sudden shift in momentum.
Yet that small mouth, like a water-drop cherry, opened up with the utmost grievance.
Shi Yi was an ordinary mortal; when a stunning woman stood before him, who wouldn't feel their heart race?
So the moment she opened her mouth, countless thoughts flashed instantly through his mind.
"Why... why are you swallowing?"
Realizing something was amiss, the woman spoke up.
Shi Yi snapped back to reality. "Aren't your throat and chest uncomfortable? Quit talking."
The woman frowned slightly. She had just begun to feel a shred of goodwill toward Shi Yi.
It had been a very long time since anyone had stood up to protect her like that in front of outsiders.
Yet the simple act of Shi Yi swallowing his saliva instantly dispelled a good deal of that favorable impression.
She couldn't shake the feeling that this country bumpkin was nothing more than a rogue.
He had seemed that way from the very first moment she laid eyes on him in town.
Even so, she kept her delicate mouth open.
Shi Yi washed his hands, extended a finger inside to press down her tongue, and took a look.
"Just as I thought, it's obviously not consumption."
Because her tongue was being pressed down, the woman felt a discomfort in her throat.
She instinctively closed her mouth.
The exact moment she closed it, Shi Yi's finger happened to pull back out.
*Pop.*
The strange sound rang out.
An abrupt awkwardness settled over the air.
The woman was thoroughly annoyed, convinced this country bumpkin had done it on purpose!
Shooting him an even more disgusted look, she gathered up the few washed pelts, stood up, and went to hang them out to dry.
Shi Yi felt terribly awkward—how could such a coincidence happen?
He hurried after her.
"How long have you had this cough?"
"It comes and goes." The woman had no wish to speak with him, especially when she remembered his finger just now...
This scoundrel, where did he come up with so many tricks!
It was simply sickeningly repulsive!
He actually put his finger inside my mouth!
And made that sound!
Shi Yi gave an "oh" and said, "Then let me test if this stuff works."
He had no ulterior motives whatsoever.
He walked over to the side.
In this era, the common people were frighteningly poor.
Down by the water in the settlement, one could spot people lying flat, driven by gnawing hunger to drink water just to fill their stomachs.
The tree bark on the mountains had been stripped clean and eaten.
Yet on the other hand, due to a lack of knowledge, there were plenty of things in this world that they dared not eat, leaving certain edible items to run rampant.
Ginger, for instance, was one of them.
A fair amount of it grew wild right nearby.
Shi Yi dug up some ginger, then plucked a good deal of grass-like vegetation from the weeds beside the stream.
First came the cooking.
He heated the pot, added oil, and tossed in the ginger slices.
The sight left the woman staring in a daze.
"What is this country bumpkin trying to do?"
"How can anyone eat such wild weeds?"
"Though... it smells rather appetizing..."
"It's just that this country bumpkin is far too wasteful. At the rate he's using that oil, it won't last a few days!"
*Gurgle, gurgle*—the woman's stomach let out an uncooperative growl of hunger...
Naturally, having been reborn as a modern man, how could he possibly treat cooking oil as something precious?
He used it without the slightest pang of heartache.
If the villagers were to witness this scene, they would undoubtedly curse him as a spendthrift!
Because ordinary households in the settlement simply boiled water, dipped a pair of chopsticks into lard, stirred it into the hot water, and drank it as soup.
Yet this country bumpkin was using so much oil just to stir-fry a dish!
He clearly didn't know how to keep house—no wonder his family was so poor.
In her heart, the woman harshly criticized Shi Yi's outrageous extravagance.
Ignoring her, Shi Yi simmered a pot of rabbit meat soup.
Then he ran over to the vegetable patch, picked some malnourished greens, and tossed them into the pot to boil.
Once done, he carried the pot of rabbit meat soup over and placed it on the battered, grime-encrusted table.
"Must be starving, go ahead and eat. I still need to take care of a few things."
The woman looked at the rabbit meat soup on the table.
She frowned. "The meat you cooked is at least two catties."
"Two catties of rabbit meat can fetch four cash."
"On top of that, you used all that oil. Do you realize a single pot of food like this could be traded for a catty of rice?"
Shi Yi turned his head back. "You're quite the housekeeper, aren't you?"
"I merely saw you being so extravagant and couldn't help saying a word," she replied.
Shi Yi turned away, grabbed another battered earthen pot, and set some water to boil.
He laughed heartily. "Don't fret over it, what's two catties of rabbit meat?"
"From now on, our family will have rabbit meat at every meal—rich food every single day!"
"Eat up. I'm heading out to hunt some more this afternoon."
"We'll process them tonight, and tomorrow I'll take them to Zhou Bapi to trade for grain."
"With husband and wife of one mind, their sharpness can cut through metal. Life for our little family is going to get better and better!"
Though the woman felt some inner resistance, she couldn't withstand the rich aroma wafting from the table.
Swallowing hard, she walked over and took a seat.
Her slender back remained held straight as a ramrod.
These subtle movements suggested she must have received a proper upbringing.
Without rushing to pick up her chopsticks, she watched as Shi Yi tossed some grass-like herbs into the earthen pot.
Lifting her willow-leaf eyebrows, which curved like new moons, she asked in utter bewilderment,
"What are you doing there?"