Weimin's hands that were massaging Mei Li's legs hesitated for a moment.
"You really want to know?" he confirmed.
Mei Li waited for him to elaborate.
Weimin glanced at her and told her a story that surprised her.
It turned out that Jin Weimin had seen her before, when he was younger. Way before the five of them took her out of the Fu estate.
More than eight years ago, the eldest Jin Mingyu moved to the capital to study for the imperial exams.
To support their growing need for money, their two fathers decided to expand their business in the capital.
So they made many trips to Chang'an to sell their village products.
Then, eventually, the eldest brother sent good news via a letter to their village. He passed the imperial exam and was assigned to work for the emperor.
In his letter, Mingyu also informed them that he was betrothed to a lady in the capital with the help of the Grand Tutor.
Naturally, their parents were happy and proud that their son passed the exams and even got such a good fiancée.
And because of the tradition in their village of sharing a wife, everyone immediately assumed that the lady was the fiancée of all the brothers.
Their parents were very pleased about such a good marriage prospect.
The brothers were, of course, curious about their fiancée. Especially Jin Weimin.
Weimin managed to convince his fathers to take him along on one of their trips to the capital.
He wanted to congratulate his eldest brother in person and he wanted to catch a glimpse of their fiancée.
So that was how the then 17 year old Weimin visited the capital for the first time. He helped his fathers carry goods for selling, such as grains and cloth.
When he got there, he pestered his eldest brother to tell him where the Fu estate was.
He actually camped near the gate of the Fu Manor for many hours before he saw Mei Li come out. He knew it was her since Mingyu gave him a copy of her ink portrait.
Weimin actually followed her that day. He wanted to know what kind of woman she was. Growing up in the village, he heard all sorts of stories about how horrible the people from the capital can be.
He wanted to know if their fiancée was worth it. He didn't want him and his brother to suffer in the future.
After following the then 12-year-old Mei Li for some time, Weimin saw her come out of a restaurant with some steamed buns in her hands.
She actually gave food to the mother and daughter beggar squatting at a corner.
Jin Weimin was moved by what he saw. It turned out that their fiance was a kind lady who can recognize the sufferings of the poor.
On top of that, she looked cute.
It was then that he decided that he would treat their future wife very well.
When he and his brothers finally met Mei Li at the Fu estate, he was heartbroken at how gaunt she looked. He was further saddened when she got extremely sick and arrived in their village unconscious.
He resolved that he would properly take care of their wife and be good to her. That was why he acted familiarly right from the start. All these years, Weimin only had Mei Li as their wife in his heart.
Mei Li didn't think such a thing could happen.
She combed through the previous Mei Li's memories for a bit before she found the relevant information.
It was that time that the original owner learned of her betrothal and that she would get married at 15. She didn't even know she was betrothed to five men at that time.
The thought of marriage stressed her out but she didn't want to create a scene at home and sadden her already ailing mother.
She was still the pampered eldest miss back then, so she could go out anytime she wanted and had enough allowance to eat out.
According to the previous Mei Li's memories, she went out that day to clear up her mind and calm her emotions.
She saw the mother-daughter pair of beggars and it looked like the mother was sick. She empathized strongly because her own mother was sick as well.
So she bought those steamed buns and gave them to the beggars. She even left some broken silver.
Who knew Jin Weimin would see this scene and convinced himself to become the number one supporter of his wife.
The current Mei Li felt complicated. The person Weimin saw wasn't her. What would he think if he found that a different soul was inhabiting this body? That she was a completely different person?
Apart from freaking out, would he still like her and support her?
Mei Li sighed in her heart.
She wasn't even sure if she would do the same thing the previous Mei Li did.
Her life in the modern times taught her that only kindness begets kindness. She wasn't sure if she could be as proactively selfless as the old Mei Li.
She donated to some charities before. Did that count?
All she could do now is try not to disappoint her third husband moving forward. She wasn't a saint, that's for sure. But she supposed she could work on her kindness meter and be more aware about it.
"Wife, let's go to sleep." Weimin finished his massage. He could see the wife looking tired, so he proposed that they get some rest.
Mei Li had no objections as she was also tired from all the walking she did today.
Weimin dutifully blew out the oil lamp and laid beside Mei Li.
The last thing that Mei Li felt before she drifted off to sleep was Weimin's snug and warm embrace.
Weimin felt the woman shift within his arms to find a comfortable position. Soon enough, she was asleep.
He felt like honey was coursing through his veins. The wife did not reject him from hugging her to sleep!