[Volume 1] Chapter 23- Mountain

Jiho gazed at the mountains, starting to walk, she met many villagers returning from the farm. As she walked on the mountains, she encountered numerous mers and women collecting firewood.

Seeing Jiho with a basket on her back, carrying a newly crafted bow and arrow, many aunts and old men teased her.

"Oh ho, Scholar Li, not even married for a day and already changing, huh?" Jiho smiled and continued walking deeper.

Venturing further, Jiho stopped and looked around. The forest stood in tranquil silence—tall trees, a carpet of moss, and a gentle breeze. Nature's calm embrace surrounded her, offering a quiet sanctuary. Jiho closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and started to concentrate. Suddenly, she opened her eyes and started to run.

Thuk thuk.

"Huff Huff," Jiho rushed toward a direction and stopped, a smile forming on her face.

'Found it.'

On the other side, after Jiho left, the mers looked at her leaving back with painful expressions on their faces.

Clap clap.

"Okay, let's do some work," Third brother Su clapped and smiled.

"Um, let's go," eldest brother Su rubbed his eyes and walked inside. Second and fourth brothers Su looked at each other with a little smile and followed their brothers.

Entering the yard, they were stunned to see Jiho's washed clothes hanging on a pole. It was the first time they saw a woman washing her clothes. Even Aunt Zhang, who loved her husband, only helped with fetching water, and Uncle Cheng's wife didn't do any work. All laundry and cleaning work were left for mers.

Sigh.

"Looks like our wife is reliable, at least," Ji-hoon teased.

"Enough chit chat, Ji-er, let's see if we can do anything," Min-seo hit his head and tried to force a serious face but his still turn red.

"Second brother, hah, say it without your red face," Ji-hoon looked at him with a smug expression while trying to hide his smile.

"You... stop right there, you idiot," Min-seo picked up a stick and started chasing him.

"Come and get me , hahaha".

"Hah... stop already, guys," eldest brother smiled while rubbing his head looking at his brothers laughing .

'if I was a little better than...'

Eldest brother Su looked at his silent fourth brother, and his smile stopped.

'If it's not for me than...' Feeling the stare, Kyung-ho looked back and smiled at his eldest brother ,Joon-su who looked at his brother's face, smiled back, and rubbed his head.

'Yeah, everything will be alright now.'

Clap clap.

"Enough, let's go back and do work." Hearing their eldest brother's voice, both brothers stopped and ran back towards him after taking out their bedding for sunbathing, sweeping the yard. They looked at the rising smoke from the village and knew it's time to cook breakfast as they walked toward the kitchen.

"Min-er, go find some firewood."

"Yes, eldest brother."

"And Ji-er, go and fetch water from the well. Kyung-er, you follow me, okay?"

"Yes, eldest brother." After saying, everyone went to do their assigned work.

Eldest Su walked inside the kitchen with Kyung-ho to cook but was shocked looking at things in front of him. Thud. Hearing a sudden sound from the kitchen, all Su brothers ran towards the kitchen and found their eldest brother standing straight. "Brother, what's wrong?" Second brother Su asked hastily while rushing towards his eldest brother's side.

"This..." He reached out his hand on bowls in front of him. When he opened it, he saw a full bowl of boiled eggs, vegetable soup, and rice with a paper saying 'eat it clean.' Seeing the same handwriting as yesterday, they already knew it was written by Jiho. In this disaster, many people cannot afford rice and much less eggs, which can be sold for money, and even not for disaster, mers can't even get to eat meat or eggs if they were a bit favoured than they might get some eggs a year but now.

"She..." Min-seo looked at the food with a complicated expression.

"Oh, enough already. Let's eat." Ji-hoon picked up the bowl and started to walk out of the room; suddenly, his hand was grabbed.

"Ji-er, I don't think it's right," eldest brother Su looked at him while biting his lips.

"Brother, don't you guys think it's enough?" He put the bowl on the counter and looked at them, who were stunned.

"Ji-er," Min-seo's voice turned cold as he glared at him.

"What... do we always have to live like this? Even when we don't do anything, they call us jinx. It's not like we stole or robbed them. So why are we treated like animals in that Su family? Now that we got a little hope of light, you guys still want to walk aimlessly. You guys can do it, but not me. This is the first time I'm being treated as a human being, so let's live like this." His face turned more bitter as he spoke, tears started to form in his red eyes.

"..." Suddenly, the bowl was grabbed. Ji-hoon looked up and saw his eldest brother who was walking out. "Let's not waste her sincerity." After saying, he walked out of the kitchen. Looking at his leaving back, Su brothers smiled at each other and followed behind him.

On the other side, Jiho was calmly gelding her bow and ready to shoot.

SWOOSH.

Soon, a rabbit munching on leaves fell on the ground with an arrow embedded in its head. After struggling for a while, it laid motionless. Jiho picked it up by the ears. As she looked at it, she remembered her skinny husbands at home.

"Looks like it's not enough." After putting the dead rabbit in the basket, Jiho started to walk around. After a while, Jiho found more rabbits and two roosters. Jiho started to tie their legs. Suddenly, a self-mocking smile formed on her face.

'Looks like I have to thank Ji family for this.'

Due to nine years of imprisonment, Jiho possessed survival skills learned from criminals, including adept archery and many survival skills. Chirp chirp. When Jiho heard bird sounds, she snapped out of her daze and looked at the sky. Seeing the sunset, she found it's already late. She started to walk back home. Jiho suddenly stopped midway.

"Why am I walking so fast? It's not like..." Half of the sentence stuck in her throat, and she continued to walk as she reached home.

"Wife, you are back." Jiho stopped in her tracks as she looked at four men running towards her with a smile. Not knowing why, but Jiho again felt her heart tingling as she touched her heart.

Not getting any response from their wife, Su brothers became anxious and looked ateach other. Eldest Su came closer to Jiho. "Wife, are you okay?" Jiho, who looked up to answer, met blue eyes that reflected her face. Suddenly, Jiho felt her face burning.

'Look like it's too hot.' "I... am back." Jiho turned her face and walked inside.

'Why did I stutter?' Eldest Su looked at Jiho running back, smiled, and followed inside.

Mers: *tilting their heads* "Is there something wrong?"

Jiho: "Old man, can't you also give me things like space?"

Master: "Hmm, it's not a bad idea... but hehe."

(I hope you like it! Feel free to share your opinions!(￣(ｴ)￣)ﾉ)