The Fool I Married

In the famine years, my parents planned to sell me to the old squire in town as a concubine in exchange for grain and silver.

I refused with every fiber of my being.

So I coaxed the hunter's simpleton son into going home and telling his father that ten bushels of grain and five strings of silver would be enough to take me as his wife.

1

The Great Feng Empire had suffered three consecutive years of drought. Famine was everywhere, and the dead lay scattered across the land.

Our area was near a mountain and a river, so we could usually find things to fill our stomachs. We weren't hit as hard at first, but after three years of drought, the fields yielded nothing. Many families had already cut back to one meal a day, and even then, their bellies were never full.

I was fifteen that year. I had a pretty face and fair, delicate skin—a rare beauty in these parts.

A few days earlier, my mother and I had gone to town to sell the embroidered handkerchiefs we made. Squire Chen, a man in his sixties, spotted me and got ideas.

He asked my mother where our village was.

Within two days, he sent men carrying ten bushels of grain and five strings of silver, along with a matchmaker, to our door. He called it a betrothal gift. He wanted me as his thirteenth concubine.

My parents were blinded by the offer. They actually agreed to the match.

I said I wouldn't do it. My father raised his hand and slapped me across the face.

"You have seven brothers and sisters! The youngest is only two! If you don't marry out, do you want to watch them starve to death?"

Was the eldest daughter supposed to sacrifice her entire life for her brothers, marrying some lecherous old man with one foot in the grave?

Rage and bitterness choked me. I ran out of the house and hid in the bamboo grove at the end of the village, sobbing loudly.

After a while, I heard rustling behind me.

I slowly turned and looked up.

Through the wide gaps in the bamboo fence, a young man in green clothes stood holding a skinned rabbit. He tilted his head slightly, staring at me.

2

He stood as straight as a pine tree, his face as handsome as a painting, refined and elegant.

For someone in this rural backwater, his skin was as fair and smooth as cream. It was rare.

How did the old poems put it?

*Like jade among the common stones, a gentleman unmatched in this world.*

Unfortunately, this gentleman was a fool.

His name was Silas. He was the son of Hunter Cole, who had moved to our village three years ago.

When they first arrived, they were generous, hosting a feast for the whole village. Hunter Cole said their hometown had been ransacked by bandits, and the two of them had been out traveling, so they escaped the disaster.

That was how the Coles settled here.

I didn't look down on Silas for being simple. On the contrary, in this village, he only recognized me.

Because when the village children bullied him, I saved him. I cursed them out and taught him how to talk back.

After that, whenever someone called him an idiot, he would stand there and seriously retort: "You're the idiot! You're all idiots! Your whole family are idiots!"

A man this handsome, acting so foolishly—it was oddly endearing.

I never mocked him for being simple. After all, he really was.

"Luna, why are you crying?" he asked.

See? He remembered me.

"I'll cry if I want to. What's it to you, little fool?" I sniffed and turned away, continuing to cry.

Silas ignored me.

I cried my tears, and he built his fire and roasted his rabbit.

3

I cried until I was tired. Then I stopped.

I was too hungry to have the strength to continue.

The last time I'd eaten was yesterday morning.

Behind me, I heard more rustling, accompanied by the growing aroma of roasted meat.

I didn't turn around. I just stood up to leave.

"Luna," Silas called out.

"What?" I turned.

He was standing on the other side of the bamboo fence, holding out a freshly roasted rabbit leg.

I hesitated, not taking it.

"Father gave it. Silas can't finish it all," he said.

I was starving. I swallowed hard and reached out to take the leg. "...Thank you."

He smiled at me.

It was a beautiful smile, innocent and carefree.

We sat across from each other, separated by an old bamboo stump, eating the roasted rabbit.

I knew he hadn't killed the rabbit. His father had done that and given it to him to roast for fun.

His father doted on him.

How did I know?

When they first arrived in the village, Silas was always being bullied.

Once, a village boy threw a stone that cut open Silas's forehead. Blood streamed down.

Hunter Cole grabbed his knife and stormed straight to the boy's house.

This man had real skill. Within days of settling in, he'd gone up the mountain alone and killed a tiger.

He said that if anyone dared to hurt his son again, he'd make their whole family pay with their lives.

After that, the villagers only dared to call Silas an idiot behind Hunter Cole's back.

I was worried back then, so I went to the Coles' house to check on Silas's injury. From outside the wall, I saw his father carefully coaxing him, bandaging his wound.

Hunter Cole adored his simple son. He indulged him in everything.

Suddenly... a bold idea sparked in my mind.

"Little fool," I said, looking at Silas.

"Hm?" He actually responded, looking up at me.

4

I remembered that when others called him an idiot, he would get furious and argue with them.

"You don't like being called an idiot, do you?" I asked. "But when I call you 'little fool,' why don't you get angry?"

He stared at me blankly for a moment, then lowered his head and mumbled, "You're Luna."

"Hm? Yes, I am. So what?"

He didn't answer.

It seemed like he didn't want to talk about it anymore, but I wasn't ready to give up on the idea forming in my head.

I thought maybe he could save me from my misery.

"Silas?" I looked at him, testing the waters.

His hand, holding the roasted rabbit, paused. He looked up at me, his youthful voice tinged with childish innocence: "I'm here. What do you want now?"

I looked at the rabbit in his hand and reached out. "I want another leg."

"Oh." He quickly tore off the remaining leg and handed it to me.

I ate as I spoke. "Do you know why I was crying earlier?"

He shook his head.

No follow-up.

I muttered inwardly: *Little fool.*

"Aren't you going to ask me?"

He took a bite of meat, swallowed, furrowed his handsome brows, and said with a hint of grievance, "Luna, I already asked!"

"Yes, you did." I smiled and told him, "My parents want to marry me off to an old squire in town as a concubine. I don't want to, so my father hit me."

I pointed to the red, swollen spot on my face.

Silas swallowed. He reached out his greasy hand but didn't touch my face, just pointed near it and asked, "Does it hurt?"

5

"Yes!" I nodded.

But I waited, and he just lowered his head and went back to eating his rabbit.

It seemed like he didn't understand what I'd said at all.

I thought for a moment and rephrased it.

"If I marry someone else, you'll never see me again."

Sure enough, he froze and immediately looked up at me.

"Why do you have to marry?" he asked.

"My parents are forcing me." I kept it simple and direct. "Silas, do you want to see me every day and play with me?"

"Yes," he answered without thinking.

I leaned closer. "Then go home and tell your father. Ten bushels of grain and five strings of silver, and I can be your wife!"

Silas blinked, thought for a moment, and said slowly, "I'll go home and tell Father..." He paused.

"Ten bushels of grain, five strings of silver," I coached.

"Ten bushels of grain, five strings of silver," Silas repeated.

"And I can be your wife."

"And Luna can be my wife."

I grinned. "Yes, that's right!"

I almost praised him: *You're such a clever little fool!*

But that wasn't enough.

Silas was simple, but his father wasn't.

After I made sure Silas had memorized the phrase "ten bushels of grain, five strings of silver," I added, "When your father asks if you want me as your wife..."

Silas looked at me.

"Just nod and say yes."

Silas nodded. "Yes."

I thought some more, then added, "And if your father asks..."

I paused, my face heating up.

I steeled myself. "If your father asks if you like me, say you do!"

Silas stared at me. "Like who?"

"Like me."

Silas: "Tell Father, like me."

I: "..."

*You little fool!*

"No! Say you like *me*! Luna! Understand?"

"Oh." He nodded, finished eating his rabbit, and stood up.

"Where are you going?"

6

Silas glanced at me. His beautiful, deep eyes were pure and innocent.

"Home to find Father. Tell him."

I was startled. "What? Your father's home today?"

He'd given Silas a rabbit to roast himself. I'd assumed Hunter Cole was out hunting all day as usual.

Silas nodded. "He's home."

Then he left.

He was a simpleton. I was afraid he'd mess it up, so I secretly followed him home.

When he got there, he called out happily, "Father!"

I crouched outside the wall and peered through a gap.

Hunter Cole was turning over animal hides to dry in the sun. He turned at his son's voice and smiled. "Finished the rabbit?"

But Silas didn't answer. He walked straight over.

He stood stiffly with his back to me, facing his father, and said loudly, "I have to tell Father. Ten bushels of grain, five strings of silver... Luna can be my wife!"

He said it so loudly!

I had planned to use this simpleton, but hearing him say it now... my face burned with shame!

Hunter Cole was taken aback, then burst out laughing. "Ha! Does Silas want to get married?"

Silas was silent for a moment, then replied, "Luna told me to say it."

I: *You... you really are your father's son!*

Hunter Cole pulled him over to sit in the shade of the eaves.

Just as I'd expected, he asked Silas, "So, do you want Luna as your wife?"

"Yes," Silas nodded.

My heart leaped, and the corners of my mouth turned up.

*What a clever little fool...*

Hunter Cole continued, "Oh? And do you like her?"

Without hesitation, Silas declared loudly, "Like me!"

I: "?"

Hunter Cole was confused. "What?"

Silas: "Say like *me*, Luna! Understand?"

My smile froze.

*What... what the hell?*

"Right, right!" Hunter Cole laughed heartily. "Well, my son is so handsome, it's no wonder she likes him."

I don't like him! I don't! It's a misunderstanding!

*Silas, you little fool!*

I should never have trusted him so much!

I take back my praise about him being a clever little fool!

7

Hunter Cole shook his head. "But we can't give ten bushels of grain."

My heart sank.

But I understood.

There was a famine. Grain prices had skyrocketed.

Hunter Cole and his son depended on each other. If the drought continued, even the animals would starve, and a hunter's life would be hard.

They had to think about their own future food supply.

But without ten bushels of grain, my parents would never agree.

It was hopeless.

It seemed I couldn't escape my fate.

I took one last look at Silas and turned to leave.

When I got home, my mother and second sister were hanging laundry to dry.

She saw me and hurried over. "Luna, there's porridge for you on the stove. Go eat."

My eyes were red. I looked at her and asked, "If there wasn't a famine, would you still marry me off to that old lecher?"

My mother came over and wiped my tears. "Of course not."

"So... I'm sacrificing my whole life so all of you can survive this famine?"

My mother looked at me, choking back sobs.

"Yes," she said, nodding, her eyes reddening. "Yes. But Luna, when it comes to life and death, nothing else matters. Your father and I are sorry!"

My second sister came over. "Mother, why don't I marry in her place?"

My mother looked at her. "But he doesn't want you!"

8

The sun slanted westward.

Father and my third and fourth brothers came back from their work. They'd caught two catfish, picked a large handful of wild greens, and dug up a few sweet potatoes of varying sizes. It was a good haul.

My father saw that I seemed to have accepted things and apologized for hitting me.

He said that once I married Squire Chen, I'd be wearing gold and silver and eating rich food.

I didn't answer. I just sat by the fence and stared out at the world.

I hadn't accepted anything.

I had tried to resist.

But no one could save me.

Who cared about gold and silver with a lecherous old man?

If I had a choice, I... I would rather be with Silas, that handsome little fool, even if we had to eat chaff and swallow bitterness!

People just had different aspirations.

Suddenly, I remembered what Hunter Cole had said earlier: "My son is so handsome, it's no wonder she likes him."

"Luna." A familiar voice startled me back to reality.

I stood up and looked outside.

Silas was standing by the fence, holding out a small bottle.

"What is it?" I didn't take it.

"Medicine." He raised his hand and pointed at my face.

The swelling had gone down. There was only a faint red mark left.

"I don't need it. I'm fine." I shook my head.

But the little fool was persistent. He didn't pull his hand back. "Father bought it. For you!"

"You asked your father to buy it?"

"Yes." He nodded.

"I don't want it. Take it back!" I turned and walked away.

I went inside. A long time passed. It got dark.

My second sister came in. "Sis, why is that little fool from the Coles still standing by our fence? What did he want to give you? Why didn't you take it?"

"He's still there?" I was startled. I glared at her. "Don't call him a little fool. How smart are *you*?"

She laughed dryly and muttered, "You call him a little fool too..."

"I can. Others can't!" I got up quickly and went outside.

The little fool was still standing there.

So stubborn. Such a fool!

"Give it here!" I held out my hand.

He smiled at me and handed me the bottle.

I took it and shooed him away. "Go home now!"

He didn't say anything. He just turned obediently and left.

"Little fool!" I called out.

He stopped immediately and turned back. "Hm?"

I looked at him deeply, then smiled. "Thank you. And..."

He waited patiently, but when I didn't speak for a long time, he took a few steps back toward me. "And what?"

"Nothing. Go on." I turned and walked back inside.

If fate didn't want us together, there was no point in saying more.

9

I thought that was the end of my connection with Silas.

But the next morning, while I was still half-asleep, my third sister came bouncing in. "Sister, get up! The Coles are here to ask for your hand!"

"Who?"

"Hunter Cole from the end of the village. He brought his... Silas. They're here to propose for him!"

I jolted fully awake.

In the yard, Hunter Cole stood with Silas. They'd hired a matchmaker and brought villagers to help carry the betrothal gifts.

"Nine catties of nuptial wine, nine kinds of dried fruits, nine types of pastries, nine love knots, nine pairs of new shoes, nine bolts of new cloth, nine handkerchiefs, nine bushels of grain, nine strings of silver." The matchmaker waved her red handkerchief cheerfully. "Oh, Mr. Lin, Hunter Cole has sincerely prepared the perfect nine-fold blessing! So, will your family agree to this wonderful match?"

In the Great Feng Empire, weddings prized the nine-fold blessing, symbolizing a long and harmonious union.

Wealthy families even prepared a dowry procession stretching ten miles.

But in this poor, remote village, few could afford to gather all nine types of betrothal gifts.

No wonder Hunter Cole had said he couldn't give ten bushels of grain yesterday... I had misunderstood!

I looked up at Silas. He was staring at me.

My heart leaped. My cheeks felt hot. I quickly looked down, but I couldn't stop the corners of my mouth from turning up.

My mother glanced at me and nudged my father to welcome the guests.

But my father had concerns. "Brother Cole, we've already accepted Squire Chen's betrothal gifts..."

"They're just gifts, not a signed contract. Return them in full." Hunter Cole's tone was reasonable. "Don't worry. Squire Chen won't have any objections."

My father looked skeptical.

Hunter Cole even offered to help return the gifts to the Chen estate.

10

When I asked Silas, I learned that after he'd told his father yesterday afternoon, Hunter Cole had immediately taken the donkey cart and two village helpers into town to prepare the nine-fold gifts.

I looked at the innocent, carefree young man and couldn't help but sigh. "Your father really loves you."

Silas smiled at me.

I muttered, "He must have spent his life savings to arrange this marriage. He didn't have to give so much..."

I scratched my head, already thinking like a member of the Cole family before I'd even married in.

I thought Silas hadn't heard me.

But he suddenly said, "Luna, don't worry. Father said we have plenty of money!"

"Ha! You actually understood that?" I laughed at his silly expression, then looked at him seriously. "Your father is a good hunter, and he's still young. But someday he'll get old, and he'll..." *Die.*

I didn't say it.

But it was true.

Someday, it would just be me and Silas.

I had a simple husband. Wasn't that like raising a son?

"We need to plan for our future too."

Silas looked at me blankly. "Oh."

I couldn't help but smile and snort. "Little fool."

11

We successfully returned the betrothal gifts to Squire Chen.

My mother matched our birth charts. She said Silas and I were a perfect match, destined for wealth and prosperity.

The wedding date was set for half a month later, on the sixth day of the fifth month.

Silas came to my house every day. He probably remembered what I'd told him when I was coaxing him—that we would see each other every day and play together.

Everyone in the village knew we were engaged.

So whenever they saw him heading to my house, they'd tease him. "Oh, Silas, going to see your wife again?"

Every time, Silas would nod seriously and say, "Yes."

Sometimes I'd see it and feel incredibly shy.

Only this little fool went around grinning all day.

During this time, my mother worked day and night, using the cloth from the betrothal gifts to make three new outfits each for Silas and me.

My mother was a famous embroiderer.

The clothes she made were top quality.

The fact that she thought of Silas pleased my future father-in-law.

I had resented my parents over the Squire Chen affair. I admitted that.

But on my wedding day, they gave me a six-fold dowry as a parting gift.

It was all taken from the nine-fold gifts the Coles had given, but it showed they weren't completely greedy.

The six-fold dowry consisted of: six catties of nuptial wine, six new outfits, six kinds of dried fruits, six love knots, six handkerchiefs, and six strings of silver.

As my mother covered my head with the embroidered bridal veil she had made, she started crying.

I comforted her, saying we were in the same village, just the beginning and the end of it. It was close.

But as I left the house, I secretly shed tears under the veil.

Once I walked out that door, coming back would be "returning to my parents' home."

There was a strange melancholy in my heart...

12

The Cole house had two rooms separated by a large central hall. They were quite far apart.

Silas and I lived in the right room.

After the wedding ceremony, my father-in-law entertained the guests.

Silas followed me into the bridal chamber almost immediately.

"Father told me to lift your veil." He used the steelyard scale to lift it, then just stared at me.

Just as I was feeling shy, this simpleton blurted out, "Hey, why is your face so red today? It looks like a monkey's butt!"

I: "..."

*So much for romance!*

Before I left home, my mother had pulled me aside and explained some things about what happens between husband and wife on the wedding night... I had a vague idea.

But Silas definitely had no clue.

It was supposed to be our wedding night, but we just stared at each other.

Then Silas started to doze off.

He asked me, "Wife, aren't you going to sleep?"

Then he climbed over me onto the kang bed. "If you're not sleeping, I will."

"Wait..." I was still too shy to make the first move. I just stopped him and took off his outer robe. "Aren't you hot in this?"

"Hot," Silas nodded.

After I'd taken care of him, I thought he'd go to sleep. But he reached out and started untying my wedding gown.

I was startled, feeling shy.

*Maybe the little fool does know something...*

But after he helped me take off my gown, leaving me in just my underclothes like him, he turned around, climbed onto the kang, and lay down.

I: "?"

That... that was it?

After a while, when I still hadn't moved, he turned his head and gave me a strange look. "Aren't you sleepy yet?"

I had no choice but to lie down too.

Then Silas suddenly got up again.

He blew out the candle on the table, fumbled his way back in the dark, took off his shoes, climbed onto the kang, and lay back down.

After a long silence, I tested the waters. "Silas?"

"What is it?" he asked.

I turned on my side and moved closer.

I hesitated, then asked him, "Can I hug you?"

"Okay, go ahead."

I reached out and wrapped my arms around his slender waist.

I asked again, "Can I kiss you?"

"Sure, go ahead."

I smiled. "You're so obedient?"

"Yes." He really was.

I leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

"Little fool."

"Father said I should call you 'wife,' and you should call me 'husband.'"

"But what if I want to call you 'little fool' in private? Is that okay?"

"Oh."

I took his hand and whispered, "Remember this. From now on, you're *my* little fool. No other woman can get close to you or call you that. Understand?"

"Got it."

"Little fool."

"Yes."

"Little fool."

"Hm?"

"Little fool..."

Silas was Luna's little fool, and mine alone.

At that moment, I truly believed he would be a simpleton forever.

13

On the morning after the wedding, a new bride had to serve tea to her husband's elders.

Even though there was only my father-in-law, I still got up early.

Silas was still snoring away.

Usually, his father spoiled him and let him sleep, but the new bride needed her husband by her side during the tea ceremony.

Besides, I wasn't familiar with the Cole household yet.

So I woke Silas up.

"What's wrong?" He sat up groggily, his voice husky but his tone soft. He had no morning temper. He rubbed his eyes, looked at me, then at the window, and mumbled, "Wife, it's still dark. Time to sleep!"

"It's almost dawn!" I hurried over and pulled him up.

Outside, the rooster crowed.

"Today, I have to serve tea to Father. Do you know where the tea leaves are? Go get them for me."

"I know." Silas hopped off the kang nimbly.

Both the new couple had to serve tea to the elder. The daughter-in-law offered her future filial piety, and the son offered his gratitude for the past.

So I carefully brewed the tea, following the steps my grandmother had used when making tea for my grandfather.

By the time the two cups were ready, my father-in-law had finished washing up.

He was waiting for us in the main hall.

I picked up one cup and had Silas hold the other.

I instructed him, "When I'm done serving Father, it's your turn. Just follow my lead, okay?"

He nodded. "Okay."

I went in, knelt before my father-in-law, and offered the tea. "Your daughter-in-law offers you tea, Father."

He took the tea, took a symbolic sip, set it aside, and pulled a red envelope from his sleeve. "A small gift for good luck. Rise."

"Thank you, Father." I stood up, stepped aside, and looked at Silas.

He understood. He held his tea, stepped forward, and knelt before his father.

"Your daughter-in-law offers you tea, Father."

I: "..."

I was stunned.

My father-in-law was stunned too.

14

"Husband, you're supposed to say 'Your son offers you tea, Father,'" I said with a smile, my voice gentle.

"Oh." Silas stood up with the tea.

He started over.

"Your son offers you tea, Father."

My father-in-law wasn't as formal this time. He quickly took the tea and helped Silas up, as if he couldn't bear to let his good son kneel a moment longer.

But Silas was staring at his sleeve. "Father, where's the red envelope?"

"Here, here!" My father-in-law couldn't help but smile.

The look in his eyes as he gazed at Silas was filled with undisguised affection.

Silas took the envelope, turned around, and walked straight to me, offering it like a treasure.

"Wife, for you!"

I instinctively looked at my father-in-law.

But he just lowered his head and sipped his tea.

I knew that was his silent approval.

"Then... I'll keep it safe for my husband for now."

Silas's handsome face broke into a bright, innocent smile. "Everything is for my wife."

He looked at me and added, "Silas is for my wife too!"

I: "..."

My face turned crimson!

I quickly lowered my head. "Father, I'll go prepare breakfast!"

Silas followed me.

I made some thin porridge and reheated the leftovers from yesterday.

After breakfast, I hesitated, then said to my father-in-law, "Father, about the dowry..."

Traditionally, the dowry belonged to the daughter, so it had been brought to our room yesterday.

But it was all things the Coles had given.

"Since it's your dowry, keep it." My father-in-law glanced at me. "I only have this one son. I just hope you'll treat him well with all your heart."

I lowered my eyes slightly and replied earnestly, "Father, rest assured. Now that I've married into the Cole family, there's one more person in this house to protect him."

"Wife, let's go wash clothes in the river!" Silas had put our clothes in a bucket and was happily urging me on.

Before, his father wouldn't let him go to the river alone.

Now, he allowed him to go with me.

15

I tried to gather my father-in-law's clothes to wash, but he refused.

"You don't need to do that for me. It's not proper..."

What wasn't proper? Every daughter-in-law in the village washed her father-in-law's outer clothes. There was no such strict formality here.

But he was so adamant, and I had just married in, so I didn't argue.

The river where we could wash clothes was far from the village and quite deep.

My father-in-law told us to be careful, then went hunting in the mountains.

While I was washing clothes by the river, Silas was very obedient, helping out. After a while, I stopped paying attention to him.

He went playing in the water, slipped, and fell hard.

The river was deep, with a strong current.

I heard the splash and turned to see him plunge into the water, thrashing and struggling.

"Silas!" I dove in and swam toward him.

He grabbed onto me like I was a lifeline.

But he was strong. He pulled me down with him to the bottom.

He couldn't swim and didn't know how to hold his breath. The more he couldn't breathe, the more panicked he became.

At this rate, we were both in danger!

I gave in to his grip and pressed myself against him.

Then I put my lips to his and kissed him, using my other hand to pinch his cheeks and force air into his mouth.

He seemed stunned, staring at me with wide, foolish eyes.

I took the opportunity to pull him up, using the water's buoyancy to surface.

"Don't be scared, Silas. Don't move. I'll pull you!"

But then I realized... my feet touched the bottom. The water only came up to my armpits.

I turned and looked at Silas.

"Stand up! Stand up!"

Sure enough, the water didn't even reach his chest.

I stared at him and burst out laughing. "You scared me. I forgot this part of the river isn't that deep."

But as soon as I said that, Silas sank back into the water.

"What are you—" I didn't know what he was doing, so I dove under.

He immediately reached out and wrapped both arms tightly around me.

Underwater, he kept his eyes open, staring at me.

When I tried to swim forward, he held me back.

What did he want?

Then, as if he'd grown impatient, he furrowed his brow, brought his handsome face close to mine, and pressed his thin lips against mine...

16

When we burst out of the water, I was gasping. I raised my hand and slapped Silas. "What... what are you doing?"

My face was burning.

Silas stared at me seriously, then reached out and touched my cheek.

"Wife, your face is so red."

I glared at him. But he was clutching his chest, frowning in confusion. "Wife, am I sick? My heart is beating so fast."

I pressed my hand against his chest. It was his heartbeat.

"Little fool."

I climbed out of the water first.

We were both soaking wet. We couldn't go back to the village like this.

I pulled him to sit on the riverbank. "Your heart is beating fast because you like me."

The little fool looked at me. "I like my wife?"

"Yes!" I was shy, but I continued, "From now on, your heart can only beat this fast for me. Got it?"

I was greedy like that.

My husband belonged to me and only me.

The little fool nodded seriously.

17

The Coles didn't farm. I cooked and kept house.

My father-in-law was usually in the mountains all day.

Before, Silas often ate cold leftovers from the morning.

Now that I was here, I made sure he always had hot meals.

In the afternoons, I took Silas out to dig for wild greens.

My dowry hadn't included grain, but the Coles weren't short of it.

It was the first time I realized that being a hunter could be quite profitable.

Or maybe it was because my father-in-law was so skilled that he earned a lot.

After dinner, my father-in-law went to the river to bathe.

I boiled water, and Silas and I each washed up.

But then Silas gathered our dirty clothes and grabbed my hand excitedly. "Wife, let's go wash clothes in the river!"

"Huh? Now?" I was puzzled. "It's dark. Let's do it tomorrow."

Silas pouted. He actually held my hand and whined, "Wife, I want to go now. Let's wash clothes, okay?"

My father-in-law was sitting nearby, organizing his bow and arrows. He turned to look at us. "Why do you want to go now, Silas?"

Silas said happily, "So we can sink into the water and—"

I realized what he was up to!

*Oh, you little fool! You're a lecher at heart!*

"Father, Silas and I need to talk!" I dragged him back into our room.

My father-in-law didn't interfere.

He finished his work and went to his room to rest.

In our room, I tried to coax my simple husband.

I told him that "kissing" didn't have to happen in the water.

I kissed him to show him.

In that instant, his eyes lit up like stars, bright and burning as he stared at me.

He leaned in to kiss me back, but I pushed him away.

I told him that from now on, what we did was private. We couldn't tell his father or anyone else.

He nodded obediently, pinky-swore a hundred-year vow, and I finally let him go.

I told him to blow out the candle and get on the kang.

We had just meant to kiss.

But somehow, things got out of hand...

Maybe men are born knowing these things.

I never expected it to happen so quickly, but by accident, we... consummated our marriage.

18

The third day after a woman's wedding was the day she returned to her parents' home.

My mother was relieved to learn that Silas and I had already consummated the marriage.

Especially when she saw how Silas hovered around me, his whole attention focused on me.

One moment he was bringing me snacks, the next he was pouring me water.

Even my mother had to laugh. "Silas, go play outside for a bit. Your wife and I need to talk."

Silas looked at me.

I smiled. "Go play with your little brothers for a while."

Only then did he nod and leave.

My mother laughed. "He only listens to you."

I smiled but said nothing.

My mother meant that consummating the marriage was a good thing.

"Your father-in-law is still young. If you have children soon, you'll have someone to protect and support you. By the time he's old, your children will be grown, and they can protect you too."

My mother looked at Silas, who was sitting in the yard, and sighed softly. "He may be simple, but he's obedient and listens to you. He doesn't have a wandering eye, and he won't mistreat you."

I smiled. "Mother, I don't mind. I know what I want."

What I wanted was someone whose heart belonged only to me, just as mine belonged only to him.

My mother asked, "Do you think he understands that?"

"Of course."

19

Our married life was sweet as honey.

A few days later, my father-in-law packed the dried hides and a fawn he'd caught the day before to sell in town.

Before he left, he called me to the main hall.

"I heard your grandfather was a teacher. He taught you to read?"

I nodded.

He brought out a brush, ink, and paper. "Could you write a few words for me?"

I thought to myself, *If there's writing materials in the house, my father-in-law must be literate... Unless my simple husband is the one who can read?*

Or maybe for some reason, he didn't want to use his own handwriting.

I kept my thoughts to myself and didn't ask questions. I just wrote the line he dictated: "May 28th, spring blossoms and autumn moons."

I had no idea what it meant.

He folded the paper, put it away, and drove the donkey cart out.

He returned in the afternoon with grain, fruits, and pastries.

He'd bought several kinds of pastries and packed them in two boxes.

He gave them to Silas, but instead of eating, Silas sat down and sorted through them.

He emptied one box, picked out a specific type of pastry, and put it in the other box.

"Wife, come eat!" he called.

I went over. He was guarding one box with one hand while eating from the other.

When he saw me, he quickly handed me the guarded box like it was a treasure. "Wife, hazelnut cakes! All for you!"

I looked at the other box with its variety of pastries, then back at him, confused.

Why just the hazelnut cakes?

"He loves hazelnut cakes. He wanted to give you his favorite,"