You Marry Him?

"Where are the legs?" Old Man asked.

Tang Fei lowered his head to look for Phoenix's legs.

"I meant the rabbit legs." Old Man said irritably.

Look at this brat's lecherous stare. Even if her legs were slim and long, he couldn't just keep staring at them.

"I gave them to An Ning." Tang Fei said dismissively.

"You gave them away again? Again? Didn't you just send over a huge chunk of mutton two days ago? How much can that mother and daughter eat? Do you know what you're doing?" Old Man cursed. "A beggar treating guests—poor but generous."

Tang Fei shot Old Man a glance and sneered. "I dug up a whole sack of cassava last time. Why is there only half a sack left?"

"Of course we ate it. There are so many mouths in this family, and there's Little Fatty, that bottomless pit. What's wrong with eating it quickly? Isn't that normal?" Old Man said, embarrassed into anger as he deliberately raised his voice.

"I saw it at Aunt Cheng's house." Little Fatty smiled honestly.

Afraid of angering Old Man, he quietly added, "When I went to the kitchen to get a knife for chopping up the rabbit legs, I found half a sack of cassava in the corner. I don't recognize cassava, but I recognized the sack. Big Brother marked it with charcoal ash."

Old Man glared fiercely at Little Fatty, that traitor, then explained to Tang Fei, "I was thinking that we have plenty of meat at home now. We haven't even finished the two-headed sheep you brought back last time, and now we have a Red-eyed Rabbit too."

"Besides, you two little brats both love meat and don't like cassava. How much can I eat by myself? Aunt Cheng happened to come over and help clean up. She mended the holes in both your clothes and shoes, and even used old cloth to make each of you a pair of shoe soles, so we can sew fur onto them for winter boots later."

"Don't let this heat fool you. In another two months, it'll start getting cold. The snow might bury us up to our knees. How are we supposed to survive the winter without fur-lined boots?"

"When has our family ever looked down on cassava? When we were starving, we drank plenty of grass-root soup. Little Fatty practically had to gnaw bark."

Tang Fei waved a hand carelessly. "Forget it. What's done is done. We didn't say anything, did we? Little Fatty and I gave things openly, unlike some people who sneak around when giving things away. What's so shameful about that? What? Guilty Conscience?"

"It wasn't me, I didn't do it, you're falsely accusing me." Old Man flew into a rage.

Seeing Tang Fei, Little Fatty, and even that newly arrived woman staring at him strangely, Old Man felt his explanation was utterly powerless. Matters between men and women only grew murkier the more one tried to explain them, because most people wanted to believe there was something going on rather than believe there wasn't.

If there wasn't, then it wouldn't be any fun, and it wouldn't satisfy the public's curiosity.

"Think whatever you want." Old Man put on the shameless expression of someone ready to Break the Pot and Smash, then said, "I said I didn't sleep with her, so I didn't sleep with her. Besides, so what if I did? Even if I did, it would've been my beautiful body's contribution toward you two brats' winter boots."

Tang Fei looked disgusted. "Stop flattering yourself. Even if you wanted to sleep with her, Aunt Cheng might not be willing to take you in. With Aunt Cheng's looks and figure, plenty of men would chase after her. Why would it ever be your turn?"

I might not want it, but you can't say I'm incapable.

What men feared most was being told they couldn't do it.

Old Man hurried to explain, "It's only because I don't want to. If I had wanted to, Aunt Cheng would've become your godmother long ago. Back then, I was known as one of the Empire's Twin—"

Reminiscing about the past, Old Man could not help feeling wistful, and his mood sank.

He was even more worried that his words would stir someone's curiosity. Little Fatty was nothing to worry about; even if you put the words right in front of his mouth, he still wouldn't chew out any meaning from them.

But this brat Tang Fei was far too clever. He could see the big picture from the smallest clue, discern autumn from a single leaf. He could dig endless details out of the faintest traces, and even figure out exactly how many legs a centipede had. Sharp as a ghost, he was truly hard to fool.

He was nothing like his father. Instead, he had the same temperament as his mother, who had been called the Empire's Beauty.

And Phoenix, this delicate guest who had come all the way from New Star—although they had not known each other for long, one could still spot clues in her words and actions. She was no easy person to deal with either.

The more one spoke, the more likely one was to slip up. He understood that principle.

He understood it more deeply than anyone—pain carved into his flesh and marrow.

"Empire's Twin what?" Tang Fei asked.

Sure enough, he had caught the tail Old Man had exposed and seized on it for questioning.

Phoenix's eyes brightened slightly as she studied the thin, shriveled, somewhat sleazy-looking old man before her with a thoughtful expression.

"When I was young, I was known as one of the Empire's Twin Heroes, the Flower of the Galaxy, and the Blue Star Spokesperson." Old Man said with a serious face. "I'm not bragging, but I was incredibly handsome when I was young. Anyone who saw me had to give a thumbs-up and praise me as a dashing, graceful young gentleman. The women who liked me ranged from eighteen to eighty, enough to circle Blue Star once. More terrifying than the sales of fragrant milk tea."

Sure enough, whenever someone said, "I'm not bragging," every word that followed was bragging.

"Pah!" Tang Fei spat.

"Shameless," Little Fatty muttered softly.

The curiosity in Phoenix's eyes vanished at once. It seemed she had been overthinking things.

Then again, how could a random old man encountered among the ruins possibly be some great figure? How could he possibly have any connection to the Empire?

Men on Old Earth all loved to brag!

Phoenix silently added a fresh note to her impression of Old Earth.

"Although not a single sentence you said is believable, I did reach a conclusion from your excuses." Tang Fei said.

"What conclusion?" Old Man asked.

"You really didn't sleep with Aunt Cheng." Tang Fei said. "You didn't get anywhere?"

"... I said it wasn't that I didn't get anywhere. It was that I didn't want to. I resisted."

"If you put in just a little more effort, our two families could become one." Tang Fei said meaningfully. "Then you could take care of Aunt Cheng more openly, Aunt Cheng could keep the house in order, and Little Fatty and I could live a little better."

Tang Fei had indeed considered the possibility. If Old Man and Aunt Cheng got together and the two families became one, they could take care of Aunt Cheng and her daughter more openly, and those people who loved gossiping would have nothing to attack them over.

We were already sleeping together. What was the point of saying we were having an affair?

My bottom line was lower than your firing line. What bite would your insults have left?

Aunt Cheng and her daughter were hardworking, capable, and skillful. They could keep the household neat and orderly, and he and Little Fatty's lives would surely improve by another level.

At the very least, after returning from hunting every day, they would not have to cook for Old Man.

Only a mother's love was best. A child with a mother was like a treasure.

Tang Fei and Little Fatty had no mother, but they could find Old Man a companion.

Old Man curled his lips and glanced sideways at Tang Fei. "Aunt Cheng mentioned something to me two days ago. She said you and An Ning aren't that young anymore, and you grew up together and have a very good relationship. How about you two make do with each other?"

Tang Fei was shocked. "You're actually setting your sights on me? I'm still a child!"

"A child? Look at Old Wang's children. Some of them had kids of their own at fifteen or sixteen. Then look at Blacksmith Zhang's daughter. She's your age, and she'll be promised to someone by the end of this year. Do you think this is still a time of peace and prosperity?"

After the Great Cataclysm, animals lived longer and longer, while human lifespans grew shorter and shorter.

There was no helping it. Animals had far stronger survival abilities than humans.

At the beginning, animals had also died out in large numbers. But there were simply too many of them, and their reproductive capacity was strong. Once they adapted to the current harsh environment, they began mutating endlessly, one by one becoming the overlords of this black land.

Humans, on the other hand, struggled to survive in such highly radioactive conditions. After the massive deaths, no one wanted to have children anymore, and even those who did found it difficult to raise them.

Thus, there were fewer and fewer humans in the ruins, while animals became more and more numerous.

That was why humans had been squeezed into one tiny settlement after another, while fierce animals occupied most of the land and sea.

After all, humanity had always followed the basic rule of life: eat what you could beat, run from what you could not.

Humans had also begun showing signs of "reversion," with shorter and shorter lifespans, so the age for marriage had to be brought forward.

It was said that Blue Star's laws used to require young men and women to be eighteen before they could marry. Now even the laws were gone, so who would care about such things?

"Impossible." Tang Fei shook his head. "An Ning and I are impossible. Ever since we were young, I've always treated her like a little sister. It's impossible between us."

"What do you mean, impossible? These days, it's not easy to find a wife. Let me tell you, quite a few young men like An Ning. How many girls around your age are there in the entire human settlement? Aunt Cheng said she'd consider you first. If you don't like her, then she'll marry her off to another family."

"That's their family matter. I can't control it. In any case, An Ning and I are impossible." Tang Fei said.

"Although An Ning has a scar on her face, she has a good foundation, a good heart, and she can paint. You two get along well too." Old Man looked troubled as he asked Tang Fei, "You don't like girls like An Ning? Then what kind do you like?"

As if possessed, Tang Fei glanced at Phoenix and found that Phoenix was staring at him too. He felt the tension of being caught red-handed doing something bad. His face reddened, and he stiffened his neck as he said, "I don't know what kind I like. Anyway, don't meddle in this. I'm busy hunting every day. How would I have time to think about such things?"

Phoenix also spoke up in support. "Yes. Scientific research has proven that getting married too young is detrimental to both men's and women's health. Especially for women—giving birth too early affects..."

Phoenix truly could not bring herself to say words like "uterus" and "ovaries" in front of these "strange" men, so she could only force herself to continue, "Anyway, it's especially bad for women's bodies and causes serious harm. I suggest they wait until after eighteen to consider marriage and having children. New Star has explicit regulations forbidding marriage before eighteen."

Old Man took in every interaction between them. His eyes flickered as he stared at Phoenix. "What does this have to do with you? I finally found him a wife, and you scared her off with just a few words. If he can't find a wife in the future, will you marry him?"

"..."