Chen Cuihua hurriedly wiped Song Ning’s tears, then turned to scold Wei Hu, “Stop making Ning-ger cry! This ger has cried several times today—why must you upset him?”

“Mother, of course, he’s unhappy. Why must you make him suffer?”

Hearing his mother speak thus, Wei Hu became even more certain the ger was unhappy—otherwise, why would he have cried so many times?

Song Ning nodded, his eyes red. “I… I’m willing. Please don’t send me away. I beg you.”

Wei Hu lowered his gaze and met the ger’s clear, lake-like eyes. His heart softened momentarily, but then he remembered his reputation for being unlucky for wives. He steeled himself and spoke softly, “If anyone bullies you, I’ll teach them a lesson. I won’t let you suffer any injustice.”

Fearing being sent back, Song Ning hurriedly grabbed Wei Hu’s sleeve. “No, please don’t. I beg you.”

The ger cried in such a pitiful way, his eyes brimming with tears, his nose red from crying. He seemed afraid of Wei Hu, clutching his sleeve only timidly.

Before Wei Hu could speak, Chen Cuihua angrily pounded him again. “Look what you’ve done—you’ve made Ning-ger cry the moment you got back. Now you’ll pay for it.”

“Mother…” Wei Hu was at a loss for words, unsure how to respond.

His mother had quietly brought this ger home while he was away. Wei Hu sighed, fearing he might be bringing misfortune upon the ger.

Chen Cuihua pulled Ning-ger close to comfort him. “Ning-ger, don’t mind him. Hu-zi has that temper. It’s not that he dislikes you. He’s just afraid… well, you know, his last two marriages didn’t work out.”

“I know. I… I’m not afraid.”

Chen Cuihua patted Song Ning’s hand. “Good ger, you’ve been through so much.”

Wei Hu didn’t know what to say. He wanted to send the ger home, but the ger refused. His maternal home seemed like a den of wolves, and Wei Hu didn’t even know where the ger was from.

While the Wei family was in a stalemate, Li Guifen had just been cracking melon seeds at her own doorstep. From afar, she spotted Wei Hu carrying a deer back home. Seeing it made her eyes red with envy, and she quietly followed over to watch the commotion.

Hearing Wei Hu’s reluctance, Li Guifen leaned against a neighbor’s doorway and laughed aloud. “Hu-zi is so kind-hearted. This isn’t something to joke about. What if it brings bad luck…”

Li Guifen no longer coveted the deer. Hearing Wei Hu’s displeasure only amused her further.

Chen Cuihua spotted Li Guifen sneaking up again. She spat, “Li Guifen, save your snide remarks! You can’t even control your own Li Gui’er, yet you have the nerve to meddle in my family’s affairs.”

Stung by the remark, Li Guifen snorted and walked away, content to wait for Wei Hu’s downfall.

Chen Cuihua coaxed Song Ning inside. “Don’t listen to your brother Hu’s nonsense. Rest inside; let him do the work.”

Song Ning was led back inside. Seeing that he could stay, he breathed a sigh of relief. He’d rather live out his days in this village than return to the Song household. His stepmother now ruled the roost there; going back would only make life harder.

Never mind marrying this hunter—at least his mother-in-law treated him decently. That was better than enduring torment back home.

Wei Hu was also sulking at his mother. He tied the deer in the backyard, wrapped its leg with some old cloth, and planned to haul it to town tomorrow to sell.

When he’d bagged this deer, he’d been marveling at his good fortune—stopping him in his tracks so soon after entering the mountains. Little did he know his mother had secretly arranged a marriage for him behind his back.

Wei Hu didn’t know much about the ger’s family situation, but it didn’t look good. The ger had cried several times, clearly unwilling. When he left, Wei Hu planned to save up some silver to give the ger as a dowry. He had to make sure the ger was properly taken care of.

After tending to the fawn, Wei Hu emerged from the backyard. He spotted Huadou pacing near the main hall door. Calling out to the dog, Huadou obediently trotted off to the side.

Wei Hu glanced at the ger sitting in the main hall. The ger flinched at his voice and immediately lowered his head. Wei Hu took Hua Dou’s collar and tied it beside Hei Dou.

He washed his hands and went to help his mother wrap dumplings. Chen Cuihua whispered a few words to him, “This Ning-ger is such a good boy. You mustn’t keep that stern face and scare him.”

“Mother, why are you so foolish? You know my fate. Why bring misfortune upon others? Besides, they wouldn’t want it anyway.”

“What fate! It’s all nonsense spread by outsiders, and you actually believe it!”

Wei Hu stopped arguing with his mother. She was determined to marry him off to a husband, but Wei Hu felt his fate was unkind, and besides, the other party wasn’t willing either.

Chen Cuihua went on and on about Song Ning to Wei Hu. Only then did he learn that this ger came from a well-to-do family in town. If not for his stepmother’s ill will, he wouldn’t have ended up in their household.

“The Song family? The one that runs the grain shop in town?”

“Who knows which Song family it is. All I know is they’re well-off and have maids to serve them.”

Wei Hu hummed in acknowledgment, keeping his plans to himself. Otherwise, his mother would surely lay into him again.

Chen Cuihua was quite pleased that this man had safely entered the Wei household. She refused to believe her son was cursed to bring misfortune to his wives—that was just nonsense spread by outsiders jealous of their family’s good fortune!

In her youth, Chen Cuihua had been the village beauty. She married Wei Hu’s father, a hunter, and within two years gave birth to Wei Hu. Their life had been peaceful and happy. But when Wei Hu was twelve, her husband fell in the mountains and broke his back. Despite countless medicines, he couldn’t be saved.

Fortunately, Wei Hu proved to be a determined lad. From a young age, he followed his father into the mountains to hunt, earning money to cover his father’s medical expenses until the family was left penniless. Yet despite their hardships, Wei Hu’s diligence allowed them to save up several dozen taels of silver.

By the time he reached seventeen or eighteen, the age for matchmaking, they smoothly betrothed a ger from another family. But mere days after the engagement, that ger fell ill with a cold and passed away. After that, finding a suitable match became difficult. They arranged another betrothal, but the ger vanished into the mountains and was never seen again.

After all these setbacks, the dowry alone had cost twenty or thirty taels, leaving the family destitute, barely able to put food on the table.

The ten taels of silver given to the Song family as a dowry were hard-earned savings from Chen Cuihua and Wei Hu, and now it was all gone.

Game in these mountains wasn’t easy to come by. Venturing deep into the wilderness meant encountering jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards. Chen Cuihua forbade Wei Hu from straying too far into the woods, insisting he stick to hunting wild chickens and rabbits just to scrape by.

Her husband’s livelihood depended on hunting, so she warned Wei Hu repeatedly, dreading any mishap in the mountains.

This wasn’t something to joke about. Just two years ago, an old man from the village went deep into the woods to gather hazelnuts and mushrooms. He wandered too far and was mauled by an old mountain wolf, losing half his face.

Chen Cuihua finished preparing the meat filling and swiftly kneaded the dough. “Are we taking that deer to town tomorrow to sell?”

“Mhm.”

“Take Ning-ger with you. Show him around town. The cold weather’s coming soon. Pick out some fabric for him and buy some cotton. I’ll make him a couple of padded jackets.”

“Understood.”

“Don’t go into the mountains these next few days. Ning-ger is still shy since he arrived. Stay home and keep him company. When he returns to his parents’ home in three days, you should go with him.”

The moment Wei Hu heard his mother bring up the marriage again, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. This return visit was unavoidable—whether he liked it or not. If the villagers found out he disliked this ger and refused to make the return visit, the ger would likely be unable to hold his head high in the village.

Chen Cuihua beamed as she prepared a feast of dumplings, generously serving Song Ning a heaping bowl. These past years, the search for relatives had drained her family’s savings, leaving them living frugally. Dumplings had been a rare treat, last enjoyed only during last year’s New Year celebrations.

It wasn’t that her family couldn’t afford meat dumplings; Chen Cuihua simply couldn’t bring herself to spend the money, saving every penny to find a suitable match for her son, Hu-zi, someday soon.

Chen Cuihua thrust both bowls into Wei Hu’s hands. “Take these to your husband.”

Wei Hu said nothing, silently carrying the bowls over. The sun hadn’t yet set, and the room was still fairly bright. Wei Hu entered the main hall with the food, setting the bowls beside Song Ning. “Dinner’s ready.”

Song Ning had already jumped to his feet the moment Wei Hu entered, twiddling his fingers uncertainly.

Wei Hu was a towering figure, his presence nearly blocking the doorway as he entered. Song Ning felt a bit intimidated by him. Though the hunter was handsome, he carried a certain wildness about him—like a beast of the mountains. Even if he didn’t attack, his mere presence was unsettling.

Chen Cuihua entered carrying two bowls. “Ning-ger, sit down and eat.”

Song Ning obediently sat down. Before him stood two large bowls: one filled with dumplings, the other with his leftover noodles from noon, reheated and brought out.

Chen Cuihua, worried he might feel awkward eating as a newcomer, had generously portioned his meals.

It had been ages since Song Ning had had dumplings. These were large, perfectly round, stuffed to the brim with filling.

Chen Cuihua urged him to eat quickly, her smile bright as she said, “Tomorrow, your brother Hu-zi is going to town to sell game. You should come along for fun. If there’s anything you want to buy, just tell your brother Hu-zi directly.”

“Mhm.” Song Ning nodded.

He took a bite of a dumpling. Sesame oil must have been mixed into the minced pork filling—the oil glistened as he bit into it.

Seeing his lunch bowl still half-full, he reached for the bowl of noodles. But before his hand could grasp it, a rough, large hand snatched the bowl away.

Chen Cuihua’s eyes twinkled as she glanced at the two of them. Only after Wei Hu wolfed down the bowl of noodles in a few bites did she speak. “You naughty boy! That bowl of noodles was leftovers from Ning-ger’s lunch today. I reheated it because I was worried he wouldn’t have enough to eat. How could you just take it and eat it?”

“I thought it was lunch you saved for me.”

Song Ning’s ears flushed slightly. He silently ate the dumplings in his bowl. They were fragrant and large—his oversized bowl held at least ten.

Song Ning had a small appetite. With five or six left in his bowl, he couldn’t eat anymore.

This time, Wei Hu didn’t snatch them away. He simply said, “If you can’t finish, leave them. Eat them tomorrow.”

Song Ning nodded. “I’ll… I’ll wash the dishes.”

Chen Cuihua pushed his hand away. “You rest. Let your brother Hu-zi do it.”

Wei Hu had eaten two bowls of dumplings and was full. He gathered the bowls and chopsticks and went outside to wash them.

By now, dusk had fallen. Chen Cuihua lit the oil lamp and brought out extra quilts from the room. “This quilt hasn’t been sun-dried yet. I’ll take it back to my room first.”

Song Ning sat silently by the bed. Listening to the sound of water outside the window, he gritted his teeth and climbed onto the bed. He couldn’t be sent back to the Song family.