Chapter 22: Plain Talk
The group rested for about half an hour. Except for Li Qi, everyone else had recovered.
Although Li Qi was still a bit tired, he could finally force himself to be energetic, and at first glance, he seemed to have recovered.
However, only he himself could feel that he was still somewhat weak, like the feeling after doing two hundred frog jumps, resting for a while, seemingly recovered and able to walk and run, but with an inner trembling in his thighs.
The merchant group also came forward one after another to greet Li Qi, trying to get close, praising him with terms like "brave warrior," "valiant hero," and "true man," all expressing their gratitude.
Li Qi wasn't too aloof either and smiled and exchanged pleasantries with them. After all, last night they had worked together and overcome a difficult situation, which could be considered a life-or-death bond.
If it weren’t for that military formation created by the machetes, Li Qi estimated he would have been dealt with in two or three moves against those black mists.
Even with the military formation, without Ba Kui fighting alongside him, they would likely have failed.
One could only say that last night was truly fortunate.
Having gone through a difficult situation together, their relationship naturally grew closer.
As dawn broke and everyone’s strength returned, they chopped wood and made a fire. They threw dry rice cakes made from spiritual rice similar to rice patties into the pot to cook, adding salt and wild vegetables they had just found. They made a pot of rice patty soup and a group of people gathered around the fire, drinking soup and chatting, utterly content.
“Li Qi, this encounter truly is fate. If we hadn’t happened to run into each other and then happened to meet again last night, both of our groups would probably have faced dire consequences. But since we met, we turned misfortune into fortune! Hahaha,” a merchant raised his bowl, took a sip of soup and cheerfully chewed the now-softened rice patty.
“Yes, it truly is luck,” Li Qi echoed, then took a sip himself.
These rice patties, hard as stone when dry, became soft and glutinous like nian gao once cooked. With the addition of wild vegetables, they were truly fragrant and delicious, much tastier than what he usually ate.
As he was agreeing, A'Du came over and sat down again.
“Brother Li, that woman still hasn’t woken up. Are you really planning to carry her all the way to Feng County? Even if you manage to carry her there and she still doesn’t wake up, are you going to hire a doctor for her? How would that money be accounted for? And even if you hire a doctor, if she doesn’t recover and dies, you might even get tangled in a murder case. The authorities would have to investigate. It’s not worth it,” A'Du said to Li Qi.
“Then what else? Should I abandon her now and let her die?” Li Qi rubbed his temples in distress, feeling a terrible headache.
Did he not know what A'Du was saying?
Saving someone meant inviting a pile of trouble. Once in the city, he would have to explain to the city guards what happened to this unconscious person. He might even have to pay for her treatment. If she couldn’t be saved and he simply abandoned her, he might be accused of murder.
Moreover, even if the woman woke up, would he still be responsible for her? If so, would he have to look for her family? What about her food, drink and personal needs? The woman's clothes were tattered, so she clearly needed new ones, and new clothes were not a small expense, at least twenty or thirty qian.
And if he didn’t bother with her and just left her alone on the street, what difference would that be from directly killing her? It was all too common for a helpless woman alone to be abducted by villains.
“If you ask me, just leave her here to fend for herself. Pretend you never saved her. We risked our lives to pull her out of the demon’s grasp; we’ve already saved her life. If she dies again, it’s not our fault,” A'Du suggested to Li Qi.
The other merchants also nodded in agreement, supporting A'Du's suggestion.
“Brother A'Du is a sensible person. When you’re out on the road, don’t bring extra trouble upon yourself.”
“We’ve already saved her life; she should be grateful to us. We can’t have her repay kindness with enmity and cause us trouble, can we? We’re all unfortunate people, why make things difficult for each other?”
“Exactly, Brother Li, you’re traveling alone in the dead of winter. It’s clear you have important business to attend to. How can you be dragged down by this woman?”
The merchants chattered on, one after another, sounding utterly serious, as if taking the woman along would make every step impossible.
However, the leader of these merchants, the strong man named Ba Kui, looked repeatedly at the woman and suddenly chuckled: “Haha, Li Qi, you aren’t married yet, are you?”
At these words, the chattering merchants all fell silent.
Including A'Du, all their faces revealed subtle smiles.
Some who didn’t understand or hadn’t reacted yet suddenly understood after seeing the expressions on their companions’ faces, and they all showed the same expression.
“I see this woman. She has a beautiful face and a good figure. Her skin is smooth, and there are no calluses or scars, so she probably hasn’t done any rough work. A woman like this might look good, but she’s not suited for daily life. Brother Li Qi, don’t let beauty blind you. Marrying such a woman is only temporary pleasure, but you’ll suffer for the rest of your life,” Ba Kui said earnestly to Li Qi, seemingly with a lot of experience.
“That’s right Li Qi, this woman looks pretty, but her hips aren’t wide and her waist is thin. She looks like she’d have a difficult childbirth. Besides, a woman like this can’t carry anything or lift anything; she can’t help with household chores. Even if she gives birth to children, how will she manage them? You can’t be busy with the family all the time and neglect outside matters, can you? Who would earn money then?”
“I agree. Even in the best-case scenario, this woman learns to do chores, but after only two years of working, she’ll become like our wives. By then, her face will be ugly and her waist thick, and she won’t even be efficient at chores. You’ll have to teach her everything. That’s truly a loss!” Someone slapped their thigh and commented.
“Exactly. If you’re really craving smooth skin like that, there are plenty of brothels and pleasure houses in the city. Just go there when you feel like it. Why keep one at home? She can’t do anything or help with the livelihood.”
Several merchants chattered on, their words sounding as if they were true.
“I actually think Brother Li deserves a woman like this,” A'Du said, surprisingly offering a different opinion.
“Although we’ve only known each other for two days, Brother Li acts with courage and strategy, is well-organized and methodical and is also capable. He even knows spell techniques and he doesn’t bully others with his strength. If you ask me, he’ll definitely earn money in the future, acquire some property and hiring a few servants to attend to things won’t be difficult. Then will he still fear a beautiful wife turning ugly from doing rough work?” A'Du said, drinking his soup and chuckling.
“Haha, A'Du really knows how to talk!”
“What do you mean ‘knows how to talk’? I think Brother Li is someone destined for great things!”
The merchants also chimed in, though it was clear their words were flattery and compliments, without the same sincerity as before.
Li Qi, however, was left speechless by their antics.
What were these people thinking? Picking up a random woman on the roadside and suddenly it turned into him marrying her?
(Chapter End)