The brothers blinked at Fu Mei Li. Were they stinky?
Jin Weimin was about to sniff himself to verify but realized the action was inappropriate.
"We'll do as you say." Jin Mingyu replied after a moment.
At first, he really didn't want to talk about the matter of sharing a bed with their wife yet. In fact, it wasn't really that inconvenient to share a room with Shufen.
Even though Mingyu felt that Fu Mei Li was a little intriguing, theirs was still an arranged marriage. If not for his mother's last wishes, he wouldn't have recalled that he had a fiance.
Also, he very much agreed that having a child at this point is not a good idea. Aside from the woman being young and unhealthy, he still has some unresolved matters in the capital. He didn't want to have a son or daughter in times of uncertainty.
But his fourth brother approached him in the study that day and asked about it. Later on, Weimin also expressed in no unclear terms that he wants to accompany the wife at night.
So, even if he was not in a hurry to consummate his marriage, he could understand the stance of some of his brothers.
Jin Mingyu still understood that there are some things between husbands and wives that cannot be prevented or delayed. He also didn't want to get in the way of his brothers' intentions. So he agreed to talk to Fu Mei Li that night.
On the other hand, he also did not want to force the woman into a corner. Doing that just wasn't in line with his values and he thinks that a man forcing himself on a woman is simply despicable.
So this seems to be the best compromise for both parties. His brothers and himself can accompany the wife at night and have the opportunity to cultivate their feelings if they want to, while Mei Li didn't have to be forced to consummate if she was not ready.
"We agree to your conditions." Mingyu told her again.
"Good. But can you please not start tonight? I need time to digest this matter. Tomorrow night wouldn't be too late, right?" Mei Li asked and fortunately the brothers agreed and soon piled out of her room.
Fu Mei Li spent most of the night deep in thought and considering all angles she could think of.
As a result, she slept late and woke up late. When she went to the kitchen, Aunt Li had already cooked her breakfast. All the men in the house seemed to be out and she didn't know where they went.
"Aunt Li, do all the wives in this village have multiple husbands?"
Aunt Li smiled at her, "Yes, most of them do."
"Why?"
"Well, although Shenghuo Village has fertile lands, the land is limited. We are located in a valley and surrounded by mountains."
Aunt Li continued her explanation, "Long ago when our ancestors settled here, they reclaimed the available lands. When their children were born, people realized that splitting the land among multiple sons will eventually make each portion really small."
"To avoid fracturing the fertile land so much that they became useless, the practice of sharing a wife was born. That way, all the land can be passed down from generation to generation to all the sons without the need to split."
"The Jin family has a long history in this village and have always followed this tradition. They have become one of the richest families here. Only in recent years and after a series of disasters did the Jin brothers get reduced to their current state." Aunt Li added and there was sadness in her eyes.
"Why? What happened to the Jin brothers?" Mei Li was indeed curious. How did this family fall to this state?
Aunt Li pursed her lips and after a while replied, "It's best that the brothers tell you these things themselves."
Aunt Li immediately perked up the next moment though. "Don't you worry about this for the moment. Now that the Jin brothers have you as their wife, things should get better!" Aunt Li still hasn't forgotten how this capable young woman solved the troublesome uncles a few days ago.
Mei Li just smiled at the kind and optimistic elder woman.
She spent the rest of the day in her room wrapped up in her thoughts.
Fu Mei Li has calmed down thoroughly at this point. Before traveling here, she was already an adult and even older than all of her husbands. She still has her composure.
She understood that since she was their wife, then sleeping on the same bed is inevitable.
This was also an opportunity to get to know them better. In truth, although she has had several failed relationships in the past, she wasn't at the point of being bitter and giving up yet. In fact, her fighting spirit was really aroused.
Her running away from the city to join the excavation project that time was just her way to get a breather. If she didn't transmigrate, she would have returned to the city and got on with her dating life.
So why not give the Jin brothers a chance? More importantly, why not give herself a chance?
If they are really good to her, then she can definitely be good to them, too.
Fu Mei Li smiled at this thought and the heavy feeling in her heart seemed to have been blown away by a fresh breeze.
She was not burdened by the ideals of monogamy prevalent in modern society. After all, she has seen and studied all kinds of culture and ways of life in her previous line of work. If there's one thing she has learned over the years, it's that you cannot pigeonhole people.
Different people, different strokes. Things that may sound wrong or strange to one person can be just right for another. Plus, if everyone involved agreed to and are happy with the relationship, then where is there any space for outsiders to comment and interfere?
So Mei Li made up her mind. She will not feel burdened by the sleeping arrangements anymore. As long as the brothers don't go overboard, she can take this opportunity to observe them, talk to them privately, and get to know their minds.
If she really can't get along with them, then she'll leave after figuring a way out. But if things develop positively, then hey she was not averse to it!