Chapter Five: Triggering Hidden Plot

Chapter Five: Triggering Hidden Plot

Father's back was more hunched than ever, and even the warm sunlight couldn't lift the heavy cloud of sadness hanging over him.

"Father, why don't you explain what's going on?" Lu Mingchao sighed, speaking in a gentle voice.

This careful way of getting along made her feel somewhat out of place.

Lu Father hesitated to speak, seemingly ashamed to bring it up.

It was clear that Lu Father had many reservations.

Lu Mingchao became even more curious.

Gossip was an instinctive human trait; no one could resist the temptation of gossip, and the desire for knowledge was simply unstoppable.

If there was an exception, it was because the gossip wasn't shocking enough.

Lu Mingchao poked at Lu Lei, who was sitting next to her, pretending to be absorbed in the view but clearly not fooling anyone.

The roadside was lined with bare branches and jagged rocks, making his pretense quite unconvincing.

Lu Lei: ...

"Brother, won't you help clarify things for me?" Her voice was rough and shaky, almost breaking as she spoke, sounding almost pitiful.

Lu Lei scratched his head, feeling an overwhelming sense of guilt for not answering.

"Father, then I'm going to say it."

When Lu Father didn't say anything, Lu Lei turned to look at him and, with a slightly uneasy lick of his lips, summoned the courage to speak. "There has indeed been a marriage arrangement in the family, but it was something Lu Miao went to great lengths to fight for."

"Lu Miao is Lu Minghui."

Lu Mingchao was stunned, her large eyes blinking as the sunlight dappled down, glittering like gold on water.

Went to great lengths to pursue him?

"Brother, tell me in detail," Lu Mingchao perked up.

Lu Lei opened up, pouring out every detail clearly and thoroughly.

"Xie Yan is a hunter who came to our village a few years ago, living at the southernmost part of the village, at the foot of the mountain. He’s a master hunter, always bringing home game, even in the harshest winter. His livelihood is secure, and he lives as comfortably as the wealthy families in the town."

"While most families in the village were struggling to make ends meet, patching old clothes and barely scraping by, Xie Yan's home always smelled delicious, and his children always had new clothes."

"Everyone dreams of living a life of luxury, and many unmarried girls and young widows in the village had their eyes on him, with matchmakers visiting every so often."

"Ever since Lu Miao was rescued by Xie Yan after getting caught in a trap in the mountains, she fell head over heels for him, constantly checking on him, bringing him meals, and doing everything she could to win his heart."

"But since Xie Yan was always busy and rarely around, Lu Miao decided to focus on winning over his children instead, thinking she could 'get close to the water and catch the moon first,' using a roundabout way to win him over."

Lu Lei frowned, racking his brains to recall. Then his eyes lit up. "That's right, as the saying goes, 'those who live closest to something have the best chance of getting it first.' And there was also 'attacking Wei to save Zhao.' She figured that if she couldn’t get close to Xie Yan directly, she could win him over by winning over his children first."

"That’s exactly what Second Brother meant."

"But Xie Yan is a man of few words, and instead of being grateful, he warned Lu Miao not to have any ulterior motives toward his children.

This matter spread through the village, and people said that Lu Miao was shamelessly trying to become a stepmother, disgracing the entire family.

Lu Miao wasn’t one to give up easily, and the more obstacles she faced, the more determined she became. No matter how much her father tried to persuade her, she wouldn’t listen. One day, she staged an incident where she ‘accidentally’ fell into the water on a path Xie Yan would surely pass, and then claimed they had physical contact.

The situation became difficult to manage and even harder to resolve. In the end, the old village head had to step in to mediate. He persuaded them again and again, saying that Xie Yan’s children also needed a mother to take care of them, and with Lu Miao threatening to take her own life, Xie Yan had no way to avoid it and finally relented.

Xie Yan kept his word and was surprisingly generous. After the marriage was decided, he immediately gave one hundred taels of silver as betrothal gifts, only asking that Lu Miao would treat his children well.

But one hundred taels! For an ordinary family, three to five taels would be more than enough to find a wife.

Then why did she suddenly change her mind?" Lu Mingchao's delicate eyebrows furrowed, full of confusion.

Something she had longed for and couldn't obtain, only to discard it like trash once she got it?

If she had to marry, she’d much rather live a life of wealth and ease, without having to serve a husband or bear children.

Lu Lei curled his lips, his resentment obvious, and snorted coldly. 'The die was cast, so our father had no choice but to start preparing for the wedding. The wedding date was even set. But who would have thought that after Lu Miao came back from buying red cloth, hairpins, and rouge in the county, she would cry and make a fuss, saying she wasn’t our parents’ daughter and that she didn’t acknowledge this marriage, wanting to go to the capital to find her real family.'

At first, the family thought she had been cursed or was suffering from some kind of hysteria, but it got worse. She refused to eat or drink and insisted on finding her real family, even accusing them of not caring enough because she wasn’t their real daughter, spouting nonsense that they weren’t sincere because she wasn’t biologically related.

Our father’s hair must have turned gray from all the worry during those days when Lu Miao was chasing after Xie Yan, and even our simple-minded mother cried many times at night.

In the end, we couldn’t control her anymore, and our father had no choice but to let her go find her family.

Our father wasn’t at ease letting her, a weak woman, travel far alone, so he took me along to accompany her to the capital. We never expected that she would actually find her real family.

Pah, an ungrateful wolf!

Lu Lei was full of resentment.

The more Lu Mingchao listened, the more confused she became, feeling like she was wrapped in a fog. Was she experiencing some hidden plot?

It hit her—she was probably onto something. With her years of experience with melodramatic novels, she figured this was either a prophetic dream, a fateful rebirth, or maybe even a transmigration story come to life.

If it was a rebirth, then the version she saw was after the rebirth. Quite interesting.

Lu Mingchao’s black-and-white eyes were full of lively interest.

'Don’t worry, Chaochao, both I and our father will make sure you don’t have to clean up the mess that ungrateful wolf Lu Miao left behind.'

Lu Lei patted his chest, grinning foolishly, his voice filled with earnestness.

'Let’s talk more about it when we get back,' Lu Mingchao continued with her small face raised. 'I heard that Xie Yan is said to be ugly, with no looks and very rough?'

Lu Lei’s eyes widened in disbelief. 'Chaochao, who told you that?'

'Isn’t it true?' Lu Mingchao asked suspiciously.

Lu Lei burst into laughter. 'Of course not.'

'Do you think the young girls and wives from the neighboring villages were only interested in Xie Yan because of his hunting skills?'"

"Lei, what kind of nonsense are you spouting in front of Chaochao?" Father Lu gave Lu Lei a light slap on the back of his head.

Lu Lei grinned. "Father, I'll be more tactful."

"Chaochao, if it weren't for the scar under Xie Yan's eye, he'd be the most striking person I've ever seen."

"That scar, along with the fact that he often ventures deep into the mountains, dealing with wild animals, makes him come across as even colder and more intimidating. This gives him an overall presence that is stern and commanding, far from the idealized image of a refined, scholarly gentleman."

"You can call him fierce, but you can't say he's unattractive."

"And as for being crude, that's just ridiculous."

"Chaochao"