The donkey cart's wheels crunched over the gravel by the gate, creaking as they went.
Old Buck was back.
The deal had gone smoothly. Not one of the fifty spearheads had been returned, and the garrison's quartermaster had even rewarded him with two extra silver coins for rushing the order.
The old man was in a good mood. He hummed some nameless tune as he came through the gate, carrying a roast goose he'd bought on the roadside. The greasy paper couldn't contain its overpowering, meaty aroma, and the big black dog in the yard kept circling around, drooling.
Naturally, dinner was a feast.
Besides the roast goose, Martha had gone out of her way to make a few scallion pancakes and a pot of thick vegetable soup.
The family gathered around the rough wooden table with a missing corner. The dim oil lamp stretched everyone's shadows long across the room.
Su Li ate with great decorum. Even though he was doing backbreaking work swinging a sledgehammer now, and even though his stomach was staging a revolt, he still kept the measured pace that seemed ingrained in his bones.
He tore off a strip of goose, dipped it in the soup, and savored it slowly, spitting out every bone and stacking them neatly at the corner of the table.
Old Buck, by contrast, was truly "gnawing."
He opened his big mouth and crunched down on everything—skin, meat, even the bone fragments—swallowing them whole. Grease shone around his mouth as he lifted his cup for a swig of cheap rum, then let out a satisfied sigh.
Martha barely touched her food.
She held half a pancake in her hand, her shrewd little eyes shifting between the two young people at the table.
Su Li was a genuinely good kid.
When he'd first arrived, he'd been as weak as a chicken. But in just one month, his shoulders had broadened, and he'd filled out. The scholarly air about him had faded, replaced by a lean, vigorous look that drew the eye.
Especially his face. Now that it had a little more color and warmth, he was even more appealing.
Just look at Old Li's daughter at the head of the village. Lately, she'd been finding excuses to hang around outside the blacksmith's shop. She'd borrowed a hoe three times already.
And then there was her own daughter.
Sena sat with her head bowed, sipping her soup in tiny mouthfuls. She'd nearly buried her face in the bowl.
Every now and then, she sneaked a glance at Su Li across the table. Whenever their eyes met, she immediately recoiled like a startled rabbit, her face as red as the roast goose's rump.
"Pathetic."
Martha cursed inwardly.
It had been a whole month, and Sena was still acting half-dead.
Her eyes practically dripped with longing, yet she didn't dare take a bite.
The cabbage had already been washed and delivered right to her mouth. Did Martha have to chew it up and feed it to her herself?
If she didn't act soon, some flashy temptress from outside would snatch Su Li away. Then she'd have nowhere to go and cry.
Martha set down the pancake in her hand and cleared her throat.
"Ahem."
It wasn't a loud sound, but it worked at the dinner table. Old Buck stopped chewing at once, and Sena looked up at her mother in confusion.
"Little Su." Martha put on a smile so kindly it was almost unnerving. "You've been working yourself ragged lately, haven't you?"
Su Li was busy wrestling with a goose leg. When he heard his name, he quickly swallowed the meat, set down his chopsticks, and sat up straight.
"Not at all, Auntie. This work builds strength, and I like it." Su Li smiled as he replied, his manners beyond reproach. "I have Uncle to thank for teaching me so well."
"That's right." Old Buck proudly raised his head. He was about to boast about his teaching skills when Martha shot him a glare, and he swallowed his words.
"What teaching? The boy's just smart!" Martha glared at the old man, then turned to Su Li with a smile. "Still, you've seemed a little worn down these past few days. Have you been sleeping poorly?"
Su Li's heart gave a jolt.
What was this about? Why did that opening sound so familiar? In his previous life, bosses usually laid the groundwork just like this before squeezing every last bit of value out of their employees.
"I'm fine. The stable's cool, and I'm used to it." Su Li tried to steer the conversation elsewhere.
"Cool, my foot!" Martha slapped the table, sending ripples through the soup in her bowl. "Autumn's already here, and the dew's heavy in the morning and evening. I got up in the middle of the night yesterday and heard that old donkey sneezing. Even the donkey's cold. What about a person?"
Su Li's mouth twitched. Was the donkey really sneezing? It had choked on dry hay.
"I'm really fine, Auntie. I'm in good health."
"Good health or not, it's still no good." Martha's tone was firm, with a domineering edge that left no room for argument. "We're not the kind of stingy household that treats people poorly. If we make a young man like you sleep alongside a donkey every night, people will talk behind our backs and say the Old Buck family bullies outsiders."
As she spoke, Martha paused and turned her gaze toward Sena, who was sitting quietly beside them.
"I was thinking you should just move into the house."
Old Buck was drinking. At her words, he spat out his wine, splattering it all over the floor.
"Cough, cough, cough... Have you gone mad, old woman?" Old Buck's eyes bulged as he gestured at the tiny house. "Where's he supposed to sleep? We can barely turn around in our room. Should he sleep in the stove?"
Su Li quickly waved his hands. "Uncle's right. It really wouldn't work. I'm fine in the stable. If I have to, I'll lay down a couple more layers of straw."
"Who said anything about sleeping in the stove?" Martha ignored the two men's protests and stared straight at her daughter. "Isn't Sena's room spacious enough?"
The air froze.
Even the big black dog, chewing a bone under the table, stopped and looked up at the strange atmosphere.
The spoon fell from Sena's hand with a clatter into her bowl. She stared at her mother with her mouth agape, looking terrified, as if she'd just heard something out of a fairy tale.
"Mom... what... what did you say?"
"I said I want your Brother Su to move into your room!" Martha declared, perfectly justified. "Your room's got plenty of open floor space. Lay down a blanket, and two people can sleep there. I'm not telling him to sleep in your bed. What's wrong with him sleeping on the floor?"
"N-no, that won't do!" Old Buck was flustered, the veins in his neck bulging. "A young man and a young woman alone together? What if people hear about it? What'll happen to Sena's reputation? How am I supposed to show my face in the village?"
Su Li hurried to his feet, genuinely panicked this time.
This wasn't a perk. It was a death sentence. If he really moved in, sooner or later Old Buck would bring that giant iron hammer down on his head.
"Auntie, I absolutely can't do that." Su Li's expression was righteous. "I'm not afraid of hardship or cold. But Miss Sena is an honorable young woman. I can't ruin her reputation. If word got out, who would ever come to ask for her hand?"
At that, Old Buck's expression softened a little, and he looked at Su Li with more approval.
At least the kid knew better.
But Martha wouldn't fall for that. She'd been around the block, and she knew how to do business.
Reputation? Could you eat reputation? If she could get this son-in-law in the door and make the marriage a done deal, it'd be worth it even if their reputations took a hit.
Besides, the village gossips could say whatever they liked. Once the two of them were together and had a chubby little boy a couple of years later, who'd dare wag their tongues?
"What's all this about asking for her hand? Let's see who dares come ask for it!" Martha sneered. "The butcher from the east end of the village wants to propose. Does Sena like him? Or that dimwit farmer?"
She turned to Su Li, her gaze growing more suggestive.
"Little Su, let's speak plainly. Auntie thinks you're a decent boy, and someone who knows how to care for others. Sena may not be a great beauty, but she's kindhearted and knows how to run a household. You've been eating from the same pot for so long. Why act like strangers?"
"Besides, if we've done nothing wrong, we've got nothing to fear. You sleep on the floor, she sleeps in the bed, and there's eight feet between you. Who could possibly gossip? Unless..." Martha narrowed her eyes. "Unless you've got something to hide?"
The accusation hit Su Li like a heavy hat, and he almost failed to catch it.
This wasn't a discussion. It was a siege.
She meant to tear through the paper-thin barrier between them by force, then shove them both under the same blanket.
Before you continue