Chapter Forty-Six: He Is Strictly Controlled by His Wife

Madam Liu had not yet noticed that her eldest son had come outside; she was still ranting at Gu Xiaoyao, her words crude and malicious.
“You really think you’re somebody, don’t you? I speak nicely to you, but you’re never satisfied. You just have to be scolded a bit to feel comfortable, isn’t that so?”
Some villagers saw Chu Chengjin step out and quickly called to him.
“Chengjin, you’re out. Go talk to your mother. We’re neighbors, after all. If you ever get something good, you’ll surely bring it to us, won’t you?”
It was hardly surprising that the villagers were so eager for meat; they hadn’t tasted any in days.
They had considered hunting in the deep mountains, but venturing into the wild was not something anyone could do lightly. Even on the outskirts, they could hear the roars of wild beasts, and going further inside meant risking getting lost.
“Uncles and aunties, my wife will decide this matter. If she’s willing, I have no objections,” Chu Chengjin said, pressing his fist to his lips to suppress an itch in his throat, his gaze tender as he looked at Gu Xiaoyao.
Madam Liu nearly spat blood at her son’s words. This useless eldest boy, was he truly bewitched by this little vixen?
“Chengjin, our family doesn’t have much. If you don’t keep the pork for ourselves, why exchange it for things with the villagers?”

“If you think our family can’t finish it, we could take it to sell at the city market. We’d surely earn a good sum.”
She dared not scold Chu Chengjin outright and forced herself to speak gently about the matter.
But no matter how carefully Madam Liu schemed, she couldn’t control how others regarded her.
Some villagers had already brought what they could to barter. Gu Xiaoyao wasted no time and soon fetched a suitable knife from the kitchen.
She saw Chu Chengjin smiling at her, and walked over, her face tinged with hesitation before she reached out and brushed his cheek.
“It’s cold here. You should rest inside. When the meat is cooked, I’ll call you.”
Chu Chengjin felt her gentle touch against his cheek, but did not react as he had before. He seemed to obey quietly, nodded, and went inside.
Watching him enter, Gu Xiaoyao felt she was fulfilling her role as a wife quite well. Though she had only seen pigs run and never tasted pork herself,
This was how a husband and wife should treat each other, she thought. Since he was now her rightful husband, she ought to care for him more.
“Chengjin’s wife, let me slaughter the pig. I’ve done it before; the pigs I raise, I butcher myself,” Dahua’s father said with a grin, seeing her take out the kitchen knife and patting his chest to volunteer for the task.

Such rough work was best suited for men; it wasn’t proper for a young lady to see blood.
“No need, I’ll be faster. You just prepare the things for storing the meat.”
Dahua had already boiled water in the kitchen, and she and her mother carried the hot water out and poured it over the wild boar.
Once the boar was drenched, Gu Xiaoyao crouched down and swiftly scraped off the bristles with her knife. When she focused on a task, her speed was astonishing.
Dahua’s father watched her handle the knife with remarkable skill, and the pig’s bristles were soon clean. If he’d done it, it might not have turned out so well!
“I think Chengjin has struck real fortune—just look at how capable she is! She hunts wild boars, too. Which wife in our village has skills like that?”
“That’s right! Madam Liu must be smiling inside now. If I’d known, my son could have been the lucky one!”
Many women whispered to each other, their words filled with envy for Madam Liu. Her daughter-in-law was fierce, but competent indeed!