Chapter Five: A Life That Brings Prosperity to Her Husband

Zhao Hengyi’s tattered burlap sack bulged at his shoulder, with fresh blood seeping through—he had truly caught some game!

“Hengyi, this was your first time in the mountains, and you actually brought back something?” Sixth Aunt blurted out, her words candid and unrestrained.

“Yes, I caught three rabbits and a pheasant,” Zhao Hengyi replied cheerfully, not the least bit bothered, and smiled as he gently wiped the tears from Miao Xiaoyu’s cheeks. The sight made all the aunts exclaim in delight, teasing him for spoiling his wife beyond all reason.

Miao Xiaoyu’s face flushed crimson. She bent at the waist, head lowered, and hid behind Zhao Hengyi, having already forgotten her earlier fright. Only one thought filled her heart: I’m not a bringer of bad luck!

“Now things are looking up—Hengyi can hunt! Life will get better from now on!”

“Exactly! Isn’t Xiaoyu a lucky star? Otherwise, why would simple-minded Hengyi, after marrying her, suddenly be able to catch game?”

“That’s right, Xiaoyu truly brings good fortune to her husband!”

“Let’s see who dares to gossip about Xiaoyu being a jinx now!”

For Zhao Hengyi, who had never entered the mountains before, to catch three rabbits and a pheasant without a bow and arrow—whether it was true or not, everyone credited Miao Xiaoyu. Their praise finally eased the tight knot in her heart.

Zhao Hengyi was more than happy to let them believe it. As long as he kept safe and well, with time, no one would mention ill-fated destiny or bad omens again.

Yet Miao Xiaoyu harbored a question. All the aunts said her husband had never entered the mountains or hunted before; how, then, had he managed to catch so much game without bow or arrow?

After the women had chatted to their hearts’ content, Zhao Hengyi finally, under their envious gazes and bathed in the evening sun, took his wife home.

Amid the swirling steam, Miao Xiaoyu’s face radiated genuine happiness.

All three rabbits and the pheasant were plump—enough to trade for a good amount of grain. But Zhao Hengyi insisted on keeping one rabbit for themselves. It pained Miao Xiaoyu—she couldn’t bear to part with it.

Yet her husband explained that both of them were far too thin, and her six sisters were at the age when they needed proper nourishment. Only by eating more meat and growing stronger could their days improve.

Lacking enough seasonings, the rabbit stew was still rather bland in Zhao Hengyi’s eyes. He had noticed plenty of wild herbs in the mountains today and planned to pick some next time.

His body was still too frail. If he wanted to earn more money, support Xiaoyu and her six sisters, and live freely in the Yan Kingdom, he needed to get stronger.

His memories were fragmented, with everything before age seven or eight a complete blank. Even after that, his recollections were patchy and vague—almost all his experiences were in Elm Bay.

Still, Zhao Hengyi was sure of one thing: he wasn’t a fool. At the very least, his mind worked fine. The villagers called him “Simple Hengyi” only because he never fit in.

For ten years or more, he’d lived in Elm Bay, yet always remained on the periphery, as if afraid to interact with the other villagers. He didn’t know how to socialize, and his only support was his so-called father.

Privately, he called him Uncle Fu.

Uncle Fu had passed away two years ago. The village chief and others helped with the funeral, but all clues ended there.

And he could read! In the Yan Kingdom, where most commoners were haunted by hunger, he had somehow been to school. His family must have been well-off once, though that was of little use now.

Enough. If he couldn’t remember, there was no point dwelling on it. From now on, he would simply be Zhao Hengyi—a man determined to survive, and to live well, in the Yan Kingdom.

One thought after another crowded Zhao Hengyi’s mind, one plan following the next, sifting through them all, until the sound of quiet sobbing reached his ears.

Ah, Xiaoyu had been so strong before. Why, after coming home with him, had she become so prone to tears?

“Why are you crying again? Was it what those aunts digging wild vegetables on the southern slope said about you being unlucky? A jinx?” he asked.

Eighteen years old—in his past life, that would be just out of high school. But in the Yan Kingdom, most women were already mothers of one or two children by that age.

“It’s not because of them,” Xiaoyu sniffled, embarrassed but eager to assert her luck. “We’re married, you went to the mountains and came back unharmed, and you caught all that game. I must bring fortune to my husband.”

“Of course, of course,” Zhao Hengyi replied, playing along with a broad smile. “Catching game is all thanks to your lucky star!”

“Big Sister brings good fortune to her husband!” the six little sisters cheered.

“Brother-in-law caught those rabbits all because of Big Sister’s luck!”

“From now on, we’ll all live better lives!”

Watching the six little ones leap with joy, Zhao Hengyi’s smile brimmed with genuine warmth.

After dinner, he took out his hand-made crossbow, carefully cleaning and adjusting it. The thing was crude and roughly crafted, but at twenty paces, it could pierce a man.

The six little girls crowded around him, curiously watching as he worked on the crossbow, peppering him with questions. Zhao Hengyi answered them all patiently, even letting the boldest, Second Sister Ruo Chang, try a shot.

When the ugly, makeshift crossbow shot right through an old tree by the door, the girls erupted in amazement, their adoration for their brother-in-law deepening.

Miao Xiaoyu was even more astonished than her little sisters. Though her family had fallen on hard times, the Miaos had once been renowned cloth merchants in Anyang County and never lacked for guards. As a child, she had seen the guards practicing.

Such a powerful weapon, crafted by her husband’s own hands! No wonder he’d been able to catch so much game his first time in the mountains.

Her husband was truly talented. With this skill alone, he could surely provide them a comfortable life.

Unconsciously, Miao Xiaoyu’s gaze toward Zhao Hengyi grew full of adoring stars.

As night fell, it was time to sleep.

Zhao Hengyi’s home was a single thatched hut. He made Miao Xiaoyu and her sisters sleep on the bed, while he took the door off its hinges and laid it across the doorway as his own bed.

Lying fully dressed on the doorboard, with the crossbow and hatchet within arm’s reach, Zhao Hengyi finally drifted into a deep, exhausted sleep.

But Miao Xiaoyu felt a pang of sadness. Even with her sisters around, still… for a married couple, nights shouldn’t be like this.

Should she take the initiative?

There were things every matchmaker taught a bride, and Xiaoyu understood them all. But her husband…

In the middle of the night, faint sobbing reached Zhao Hengyi’s ears, instantly waking him.

It was Xiaoyu’s voice. What had happened?