Recklessly Breaking a Delicate Branch - Chapter 8

The conversation lasted for a full two hours (half an hour), and it wasn’t until Zhou Yan picked up his hunting tools to prepare dinner for the evening that Jiang Wanshu finally had a moment of leisure to wander outside.

Autumn nights are long. Jiang Wanshu put down the military treatise Zhou Yan had brought into the room, walked out the door, and realized how late it had gotten.

She wore a foreign-style dress, with a long braided pigtail over her left shoulder, and from a distance, she had the fresh, rustic air of someone who might still be farming in the fields.

However, just as Jiang Wanshu was about to step into a small patch of bamboo leaves in the forest, a gust of wind blew by, and the sand in the wind unexpectedly got into her eyes. She turned to go to the small kitchen to scoop a bowl of clear water to wash them, but the next moment, a figure suddenly rushed toward her. The man, who was tall, instantly fell at her feet, startling Jiang Wanshu into taking a step back.

Jiang Wanshu looked down at the man who had fallen to the ground. She knew this person, but she hadn’t expected such a strong, sturdy man to be this disheveled.

The man now noticed her as well, scratching his head awkwardly, his face flushed red.

Jiang Wanshu endured the itch from the sand in her eyes, extended her hand, and spoke softly, “Brother Musha.”

Musha grinned foolishly for a moment, and was about to use Jiang Wanshu’s hand to get up, but then remembering his purpose, he shook his head and refused.

“Thank you for your kindness, sister-in-law, but I can’t get up right now.”

He said awkwardly, scolding himself for being reckless and making a fool of himself in front of an outsider while putting on an act for Mai gu laji.

Jiang Wanshu frowned at Musha’s form of address for her. Knowing that even if she brought it up, Musha wouldn’t change it, she simply accepted it and withdrew her hand.

Her expression was annoyed, and she unhappily looked at the empty space in front of Musha.

The sand in her eyes was really uncomfortable. Jiang Wanshu rubbed the corners of her eyes with her hand but it still didn’t help. She took a long stride, and under Musha’s gaze, walked away step by step.

When Jiang Wanshu reached the small kitchen, cupped a bowl of clear water from the large earthenware jar to wash her eyes, and was about to go elsewhere, she looked up and saw Mai gu laji emerge from a side room.

As an observer who had been watching Musha from beginning to end, Jiang Wanshu saw firsthand that Musha, who had just been sitting leisurely pulling weeds at the edge of the forest, suddenly wilted the moment Mai gu laji came out of the room. He leaned back, bracing himself with one hand on the ground and clutching his waist with the other, groaning and repeatedly saying the word “pain.”

Mai gu laji was a healthy grassland girl. From this vantage point, Jiang Wanshu clearly saw Mai gu laji, who had been full of anger when she first emerged, immediately soften when her gaze fell upon Musha.

She ran quickly to Musha’s side, tears streaming down her face.

At this, Jiang Wanshu was genuinely shocked by the scene, her eyes wide.

How could a powerful-looking man like Musha resort to such a cheap trick to make a girl feel sorry for him, sprawled carelessly on the ground?

When she saw Mai gu laji crying, Jiang Wanshu knew Musha’s scheme had succeeded.

She watched the scene in astonishment, forgetting the idea of going back to the room.

From a few dozen meters away, Jiang Wanshu could clearly hear the conversation between Musha and Mai gu laji.

The setting sun’s afterglow slanted across the girl’s beautiful face. Mai gu laji’s embroidered shoes were dusted with soil, and her expression was filled with distress.

She knelt down by where Musha had fallen, and when Musha placed his hand in her palm, she used the strength of the bamboo behind her to help him up.

There was a stone protruding from the ground behind her. Mai gu laji thought it was this stone that had caused him to fall.

She anxiously tried to check the pain in Musha’s waist, but Musha stopped her.

A scent of perfume wafted through the air. Musha pulled Mai gu laji into a hug, during which he also stroked Mai gu laji’s soft, long hair with his large hand, saying pitifully, “A-Jia (a term of endearment), you see how clumsily I just fell, so please don’t be angry anymore, okay?”

With that, Musha took out his thumb and wiped away the tears from Mai gu laji’s eyes.

Mai gu laji was a girl who was easily moved. Looking at the man’s attentiveness and his ‘injured’ appearance, her voice became hoarse and she said coquettishly,

“It’s my fault too, my temper flares up whenever this topic comes up. But I have my own principles. I don’t want to become the shared wife of you and my cousin. Anyway, my mother’s views are different from mine. If I went back with you, it would certainly anger my mother to death. I can’t go back, so I won’t go back, that’s final.”

Saying this, Mai gu laji suddenly became the person who needed to be understood. To give Mai gu laji strength, Musha held her even tighter, comforting her, “Don’t worry, A-Jia, I’ll find a way to convince Mother eventually.”

Then, Musha gently picked up Mai gu laji and slowly walked towards the room.

Jiang Wanshu watched from the side, feeling pity for Mai gu laji.

Indeed, among the young men of the steppe, there was the custom of “co-wife” (shared wife). Girls were scarce on the steppe, and in previous dynasties, there were also practices like sending princesses for marriage alliances and the law of levirate (the brother succeeding the deceased husband). When she herself was forced into a marriage alliance, she had no choice but to accept such a custom.

Regarding the concept of a “shared wife,” it was best if both parties were willing, but if the woman was unwilling, she certainly couldn’t be forced into it.

Jiang Wanshu had always held a disdainful attitude toward this.

The water on her eyes had dried. Jiang Wanshu looked toward the distant bamboo forest and suddenly remembered that Zhou Yan was also a man of the steppe. If she was truly unlucky and ultimately couldn’t escape his grasp, would Zhou Yan share the same idea as Musha’s mother and also want her to be a co-wife to multiple husbands?

Thinking of this, Jiang Wanshu couldn’t help but shiver.

Girls were rare on the steppe, and people always prioritized the continuation of their lineage. It was hard to say whether Zhou Yan would force her into something she didn’t want, just to expand the number of his ancestors’ descendants.

Jiang Wanshu’s mind was a mess, and she waited anxiously for Zhou Yan to return.

She recounted the story to Zhou Yan, only to watch him laugh as she frowned.

The man, whose index finger was calloused from hard labor, flicked her forehead and said definitively, “What are you little brain thinking about all day? I don’t hold that belief. Besides, I have no blood relatives in this world. Even if I did, I wouldn’t bear to give you away.”

Jiang Wanshu was somehow struck by Zhou Yan mentioning that he had no relatives, and she lowered her voice, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

She felt a little guilty, but Zhou Yan didn’t seem too concerned about what Jiang Wanshu said, replying calmly: “I grew up in a wolf pack. If you talk about a mother, the she-wolf who always treated me as her child was my mother. But she died, she died in my arms when I was ten. Later, someone saved me, and I followed her to where she lived and recognized her as my elder sister. When we eventually return to the steppe, I’ll take you to meet her.”

As he spoke, Zhou Yan’s eyes reddened.

As for Jiang Wanshu, she was having trouble accepting this fact.

Zhou Yan was actually raised by a she-wolf?!

She wasn’t stupid. Having heard Zhou Yan mention going back to the steppe so many times, she already knew that what he had told her when he first rescued her—that he was a native of this deep forest—was a lie.

Given his demeanor, she had assumed that Zhou Yan and his family must be powerful on the steppe, but she had not expected that, apart from the woman he considered his elder sister, he didn’t even know his own biological parents.

Jiang Wanshu felt truly remorseful about this and handed Zhou Yan a cup of warm water, “Perhaps your father and mother are still looking for you.”

Admitting that one is unloved is unfortunate, and Jiang Wanshu was trying her best to offer comfort.

Zhou Yan maintained an indifferent attitude, his expression becoming lazy, “Enough, I’m not that fragile. If you have the time and inclination to talk about these things, you should think more about how to face my elder sister when you return to the steppe with me. But my elder sister is a reasonable person, she should like you too.”

As soon as he mentioned taking her back to the steppe, Jiang Wanshu fell silent.

Jiang Wanshu held the warm water for a long time, and when Zhou Yan still hadn’t taken it, she simply drank it all herself.

She then recalled the matter she had wanted him to personally promise earlier. Jiang Wanshu placed the empty cup on the wooden table and asked again, “When we get to the steppe, is it absolutely true that you won’t force me to serve other husbands?”

Zhou Yan answered firmly, “Of course.”

This little delicate flower of his was truly adorable.

One moment she was thinking about escaping, and the next she was afraid that if she couldn’t escape and was taken to the steppe, she would be subjected to their custom of “one woman serving multiple husbands,” while the Confucian classics that she, a noble Central Plains lady, had studied clearly emphasized “chastity.”

She was also a princess of the Central Plains, so she naturally attached more importance to these rites. He wasn’t a completely ignorant man, so knowing that Jiang Wanshu was unwilling, how could he possibly force her?

Furthermore, she was so beautiful; he wanted to monopolize her. He couldn’t bear to let any of those uncouth steppe men touch her.

Zhou Yan curved his lips, watching her as she delicately put down the cup of warm water.

The girl’s skin was snow-white. In the flickering candlelight, she placed her hands neatly on her thighs, appearing dignified and graceful.

Night had fallen, and it was a time when a man’s desires awakened. Even just sitting there, the girl in front of him made it impossible for him to restrain himself.

Recalling the promise he had made to Jiang Wanshu that day, Zhou Yan couldn’t help but curse himself for being soft-hearted.

He stared intently at the girl before him and suddenly asked, “Wanwan, do you want anything to eat right now?”

Jiang Wanshu was stunned by his question and reflexively replied, “I don’t have the habit of eating a late-night snack after dinner.”

The moment Jiang Wanshu’s voice fell silent, the man’s large, rough hand scooped her up before she could even react. Zhou Yan held her in a princess carry and began walking towards another area.

Zhou Yan’s voice was now deep, “In that case, let’s go to bed early.”

Jiang Wanshu was clearly stunned by his words, and even her struggles in his arms ceased.

Go to bed early?

Jiang Wanshu suddenly remembered something and began to struggle again, but just as she was about to flip herself out onto the floor, the man’s large, iron-like hand firmly clamped her waist. His large hand then patted her hip as a warning to keep her still.

“Don’t worry. I said I wouldn’t touch you until we worship the Wolf God, and I won’t. But you know, when a man’s true desire arises, it’s hard to suppress. If you don’t make a little sacrifice, and I really can’t hold back and do something that violates my promise, you can’t blame me.”

Zhou Yan spoke with complete seriousness, which immediately frightened Jiang Wanshu into silence.

She closed her eyes in shame in his arms, consoling herself.

As long as he didn’t move, it would be fine. It was just sleeping with him, nothing more. He had held her so tightly when they woke up this morning—what was the difference between being bitten by a dog once or ten times?

Zhou Yan laughed as he looked at the person with her eyes closed in his arms, saying no more.

Central Plains girls were shy, and few were taught these matters of human intimacy. They were easily fooled.

She probably thought in her heart that when he said “sleep,” he meant just holding her tightly, like last night.

However, he would teach her all the “human intimacy” in this regard.

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