While Bai Jing and Lu Hao were bathing, Bai Sheng briefly explained their situation to the rest of the family.
This was done with their consent, as they would all be family from now on, and it was better to be upfront than to let gossip fester.
Lu Ye was furious upon hearing this. Now that Sister Hao had escaped, if that family dared to find them, he would make them taste his fists.
Huang Gousheng also grumbled angrily, "That man is truly inhumane. So what if they have a daughter? A daughter is also human! Lu Hao and her mother are too pitiful."
"Indeed," Grandma Zhong sighed heavily. "Fortunately, little Miss Hao had the courage to escape. Otherwise, who knows what torment mother and daughter would have endured."
"It's a good thing our Hongshu Village doesn't have such despicable men. If there were, I'd beat him to death!" Tian Guihua exclaimed, rolling up her sleeves agitatedly.
Zhao Dazhuang immediately declared, "I think daughters are just as good as sons. I want a daughter!"
Tian Guihua glanced at him, her aggressive demeanor instantly softening as she moved behind the others.
Everyone sympathized with Lu Hao and her mother. They also admired Bai Jing's fortitude, especially the women of the household. They used Bai Jing's story to sternly educate their own men, vowing to make them pay if they dared to stray.
The men all displayed a strong will to survive, crowding around their wives and solemnly vowing their lifelong fidelity.
Ma San secretly kissed Liu Shi on the cheek and whispered, "Wife, you'll always be my sweetie. I'll only have you, my sweetie, for my entire life."
"Naughty!" Liu Shi playfully elbowed him, blushing.
Their couple had now risen to second place among the most saccharine couples in Hongshu Village. Ma San, that incorrigible man, dared to be so affectionate in front of others.
Hu Daniu happened to be home that day. Yang Shi said nothing, but her sharp gaze fixed on him, making Daniu's scalp tingle and leaving him flustered.
Feng Pingze, meanwhile, secretly took Du Min's hand and squeezed her palm. Du Min's expression finally softened with satisfaction.
For some reason, Zhao Dazhuang's gaze involuntarily shifted to Tian Guihua. She glared at him fiercely.
He immediately lowered his head, looking like a frightened quail.
Bai Sheng concluded with a decisive statement, "None of the men in our family are allowed to take concubines. It must be one husband and one wife. If I discover anyone with improper behavior, I will personally castrate him!"
Everyone immediately responded with "Yes, yes, yes," but their gazes were filled with sympathy for the elders.
Lu Ye, believing he had never been even slightly improper, felt a surge of alertness as everyone stared at him sympathetically. He took his beloved's hand and declared loudly, "My darling is absolutely right. Men should only love their wives for their entire lives and not even glance at other women. Darling, if anyone acts improperly in the future, I will castrate him for you!"
Not bad, Bai Sheng mused, glancing at her husband. His will to survive was quite strong, and she was quite pleased.
After bathing and changing into new clothes, Bai Jing and Lu Hao felt incredibly refreshed. They returned home chatting and laughing.
The others were already setting up tables for the evening meal.
Lu Hao and Bai Jing exchanged glances, both filled with anticipation, wondering if they would finally get to eat their fill.
However, even if they didn't eat their fill, they loved this home. Although there were many servants, the interactions between them and the masters were relaxed, free from rigid rules. The servants felt more like family than subservient slaves.
While Tian Guihua was busy in the kitchen with the rice and flour, Grandma Zhong took Bai Jing and Lu Hao to arrange their accommodations.
There were plenty of rooms in the house. Grandma Zhong led them to the row of houses where the Royal Guards had stayed the previous year, near the warehouse, assigning each of them a room.
Lu Hao was thrilled. She had never slept in such a nice room, which was equipped with a desk, chairs, and a wardrobe.
The bed was also covered with clean, soft bedding.
Many also liked the room, carefully touching the bedding on the bed with her hands.
Bai Jing looked at the simple, clean room, feeling a profound sense of peace and contentment. She finally had a place to call home. From now on, she would strive diligently for her own life.
At dinner time, His Royal Highness, Lord Ji, and Lord He returned on schedule.
These men were very peculiar; they always arrived precisely at meal times.
Every time everyone had set up the tables and chairs, arranged the dishes, and was just about to sit down, they would return, never missing the mark.
Seeing two unfamiliar women and a child in the house, Ji Chenghe casually swept his gaze over them. It was just one look, but it stunned him completely.
Lin Jing!
The woman he had met by chance in the capital, with whom he had only exchanged a few words but who he could not forget!
How could she be here!
Even though she was so thin that she had lost her resemblance, he recognized her at a glance!
That year, when he went to the capital to participate in the Spring Imperial Examinations, he had arrived two days early. The inns around the examination hall had seen their prices soar and were already fully booked.
He was a poor scholar and couldn't afford an inn. He had given the inn thirty copper coins, asking if he could sleep in the corridor for two nights. He had his own thin quilt, so he could manage.
During the Spring Imperial Examinations, the weather was still quite cold, and the thin quilt he brought was utterly insufficient for warmth, especially sleeping in the corridor.
In the middle of the night, he shivered uncontrollably from the cold. Later, as he drifted off into a hazy sleep, he suddenly felt a heavy, warm sensation upon him. He woke up abruptly, and under the dim corridor lamp, he saw a woman covering him with a thick cotton quilt.
Seeing that he was awake, the woman quietly chuckled, "You were lying under my room's window. I could hear your teeth chattering and your sleep-talking all night."
"I was... sleep-talking?" Ji Chenghe was incredibly embarrassed. He looked up at the corner where he was lying and saw that it was indeed under the window of a side room.
The woman giggled softly, "You kept calling out for your mother."
"I... I'm sorry to have disturbed you, miss," Ji Chenghe said, feeling mortified. But he couldn't help it; the innkeeper had only allowed him to lie here because it was the innermost corner, inconspicuous.
"It's fine. You can use this quilt. I heard that the examination hall is also very cold. If you catch a cold, all your years of hard study will be wasted," the woman said frankly.
"Thank you, miss. My surname is Ji, Ji of seasons, Chenghe. May I ask for your name? Miss, your great kindness, Ji will surely repay in the future!" Ji Chenghe said earnestly.
The woman, not displaying the shyness of ordinary ladies, generously replied, "My name is Lin Jing. I've accompanied my father and my future husband to the capital for the Spring Imperial Examinations. Good luck. I should go back to sleep now."
"You gave me the quilt, how will you sleep?" Ji Chenghe suddenly remembered this.
Lin Jing waved her hand, "It's alright, I'll share with my maid."
With that, she tiptoed to open the door and entered the room.
Ji Chenghe's heart felt warm.