Return to the Maiden Home

With several hundred pounds of tiger no longer weighing them down, Jin Feng and his companions made much quicker progress on their return journey. They set out from the county seat after lunch and arrived back in Xihewan before nightfall.

"Here, candied hawthorns!"

After seeing off the curious villagers, Jin Feng pulled out an oil-paper package from his cloth bag.

"Why did you buy so many?"

Guan Xiaorou unwrapped the paper to find more than a dozen sticks of candied hawthorns inside.

"It's not often we make a trip to the county seat, so I thought I'd stock up," Jin Feng said with a smile, handing her one. "The innkeeper told me these are the best candied hawthorns in the county. Try one."

"Xiao'e will be over the moon when she sees these," Guan Xiaorou said, her heart aching to return home.

In just a few short days, she had gone from being despised as a harbinger of misfortune to someone envied for her good fortune. She couldn't wait to share this wonderful news with her mother and younger sister.

Visiting family wasn't something one did at the crack of dawn, so despite Guan Xiaorou's eagerness, they waited until the sun was well up before setting out the next day.

"Oh no, the third family's jinx is back!"

"I told you no one would want her. Look, she's been sent back after just three days!"

"It doesn't look like she was sent back. They were smiling just now."

"If she wasn't sent back, why is that man carrying a cloth bag? It must be full of her worthless belongings."

"How do you know? Maybe it's gifts from the son-in-law to his father-in-law."

"In all your years, how many sons-in-law have you seen bringing gifts to their in-laws, let alone when the daughter is a jinx?"

"Yesterday, a tiger attacked the back mountain. It might have been brought by the jinx. Quick, call the third brother back. We can't let the jinx stay in the village!"

...

As soon as they entered the village, the gossip shattered Guan Xiaorou's good mood, replacing it with dread.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here," Jin Feng said, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Remember what I said? We don't rely on their rice. Just treat their words as nonsense."

"Mm," Guan Xiaorou nodded, feeling steadier as she sensed the warmth of his hand. She stopped in front of a dilapidated courtyard.

Inside, a little girl of about seven or eight was crouched by the wall, digging at something with her hands. Hearing footsteps, she slowly looked up.

Seeing Guan Xiaorou, the girl's face lit up. "Sister, you're back!"

"Xiao'e, what are you doing?" Guan Xiaorou hurried over and pulled the girl to her feet.

"Sister, I heard a cricket here. Its nest must be around here," the girl said, pointing at the base of the wall. "Sister, let me go. I'll catch it, and we can roast it together."

"Xiao'e, did sister-in-law not let you eat again yesterday?" Guan Xiaorou asked, her eyes welling up as she held the girl.

"Sister-in-law said I'm going to die anyway, so eating is a waste of food. She even told big brother to throw me into the back mountain..." The girl began to cry. "Sister, they said you got married. Can you take me with you? Don't let big brother throw me into the back mountain. There are wolves there, and I'm scared... I can spin thread for you, and I know how to dig for wild vegetables. Sister, please take me with you..."

Guan Xiaorou held the girl tightly, looking up at Jin Feng with pleading eyes. "Husband..."

Jin Feng nodded, his throat tightening.

The creak of a door interrupted them as a disheveled middle-aged woman stepped out.

"Mother!" Guan Xiaorou wiped her tears. "This is my husband..."

The woman took one look at her tear-streaked daughter and paled. Before Jin Feng or Guan Xiaorou could speak, she rushed forward and dropped to her knees.

"Son-in-law, since you chose Xiaorou from the bridal procession, you can't send her back... Please, take her with you. If her brother finds out she's back, he'll beat her to death..."

"Auntie, it's not like that!" Jin Feng quickly helped her up.

This was their first meeting, and having his mother-in-law kneel before him was beyond awkward. Even though he still struggled to call her "mother-in-law."

"Mother, my husband isn't sending me back. We came to visit you," Guan Xiaorou explained.

"Really?" Guan Liu-shi asked, disbelief written across her face.

"Of course! My husband even brought gifts for you," Guan Xiaorou said, taking the cloth bag from Jin Feng's shoulder and pulling out its contents one by one. "These two rabbits were caught the day before yesterday. My husband salted them so you can eat them slowly. This bolt of cloth was bought in the county seat yesterday for you to make clothes..."

"Son-in-law, these are for me?" Guan Liu-shi's eyes widened.

In all her years, no one had ever brought her gifts—let alone so many.

"Auntie, the gifts are modest. I hope you don't mind," Jin Feng said, feeling a little embarrassed.

Even with two lifetimes of experience, this was his first time meeting his mother-in-law, and the most valuable things he'd brought were two wild rabbits. It felt inadequate.

"Mind? Of course not! This is too much, and all such good things..." Guan Liu-shi waved her hands, then turned to Guan Xiaorou. "What does your husband do?"

With more women than men, sons-in-law held a high status, and it was rare for them to bring gifts when visiting their in-laws. For Jin Feng to bring so much was almost unheard of.

"Mother, my husband is a scholar, but he also hunts. He caught these rabbits himself," Guan Xiaorou said proudly. "And he's a tiger-slaying hero! Just three nights ago, he killed a tiger weighing over five hundred pounds with just three arrows!"

"A tiger-slaying hero?" Guan Liu-shi's eyes widened. "A few days ago, a tiger came to our back mountain. It was so fierce that five or six men from the hunting team were injured before they managed to drive it away. Yesterday, the village chief said it was killed in Xihewan. Was that your husband?"

"Yes, it was him!" Guan Xiaorou said with pride.

"Heavens!" Guan Liu-shi collapsed to the ground, wailing and slapping her thighs.

"Mother, why are you crying?" Guan Xiaorou asked, panicked. "Did I say something wrong?"

"I'm crying from joy," Guan Liu-shi said, wiping her tears. "Heaven has finally opened its eyes! Xiaorou, you've found a good husband!"

"Yes, my husband treats me so well. He didn't hit me when I entered his home, lets me eat at the table, and gives me as much rice as I want. Yesterday, he even bought cloth for me to make new clothes!"

"Good, good! You've finally found your way out..." Guan Liu-shi stroked Guan Xiaorou's hair, her eyes filled with maternal affection. Her gaze toward Jin Feng grew warmer. "Son-in-law, don't stand in the yard. Come inside."

The house was even more run-down than Jin Feng's. A rickety table with a missing leg and two ancient benches stood in the center, while two old spinning wheels sat beneath the window. Beyond that, the room was bare.

"Son-in-law, sit down. I'll fetch you some water," Guan Liu-shi said, grabbing a cracked teapot from the table and hurrying to the kitchen.

"Sister, did you really get to eat rice?" the little girl finally found her chance to speak, clutching Guan Xiaorou's arm, her mouth watering.