Sitting silently on the bed for a long time, Van Dai stared motionlessly at the unconscious Thu Quynh.
Such a beautiful woman... as long as I treat her well, she'll surely be willing to stay, right?
Just like his mother back then. When she was married into these mountains, she was miserable for over half a year. It was only after she became pregnant with him, he heard, that she finally settled down and lived her days in peace.
Looking at his dilapidated house, Van Dai immediately stood up: I'm a married man now. I have to earn money quickly so my wife and children can live in a good house and have a good life!
As Van Dai went out the door, he glanced at Thu Quynh sleeping soundly on the bed. He opened the cloth bag he had brought back yesterday, took out a packet of brown rice, oil, and salt, and carried them to the kitchen.
Fetching a large bucket of water and pouring it into the pot, Van Dai then took out the wild chicken he had been soaking since the day before and chopped it forcefully.
Although he was doing the same work as any other day, today he felt his whole body brimming with energy!
So, having a woman in the house could motivate a man like this. No wonder everyone wanted a wife. Van Dai thought about having a companion from now on, and a smile even reached the corners of his eyes on his rugged face.
He immediately decided: Mm, from now on, I must treat my wife well, so well that she won't be able to bear leaving me.
As long as she doesn't run away, I won't have to sleep alone in the winter anymore!
It's great for a man to have a wife!
I have a wife now, too!
In that instant, Van Dai wanted to run to the village entrance and shout for everyone to hear: I, Van Dai, am a married man now!
When Quynh awoke, sunlight was already streaming across the windowsill.
As she was about to sit up, she found her entire body felt as if it were falling apart. The scene from last night flashed through her mind, and a murderous glint appeared in her eyes...
Damn it!
That bastard!
I'm definitely going to kill you!
Quynh slammed her fist on the bed, cursing hatefully, as if the bed itself were the villain who had kidnapped and tried to violate her last night.
Quynh had never been the weak type; she'd had a boyish temperament since childhood. After her tirade, she finally calmed down. The aches all over her body forced her to suppress her anger.
In truth, the aches weren't caused by that man. This body had probably been beaten before she transmigrated into it, but Quynh still unconsciously took her anger out on him.
Hmph, lucky for him that guy didn't do anything to me yesterday. Otherwise, I would have definitely butchered him.
She lay quietly for another moment, letting her body relax a bit more before sitting up.
She carefully observed the room and discovered she wasn't wearing a single scrap of cloth; there was only a man's coat by her feet.
Seeing the coat, Quynh recalled being pulled from the river last night without any clothes on.
Now she was even more certain that her own clothes couldn't possibly be here.
Picking up the man's coat from her feet, Quynh put it on, and it immediately became a makeshift dress.
Unfortunately, the sleeves were too long, and the collar was too wide...
The coat was so large that on her, it looked like a sack.
Quynh glanced left and right and spotted a rope made of grass. She used it to tie her waist and rolled up the sleeves. Finally, it looked something like a set of clothes.
Standing by the bed, Quynh looked up and out the window in front of it.
The courtyard was so quiet there wasn't even the sound of insects chirping. She knew that bastard definitely wasn't here right now!
In her current condition, getting immediate revenge was impossible.
If this man didn't tie me up, it must mean I can't escape this courtyard.
Right now, the most important thing is to fill my stomach first.
Man is iron, but rice is steel. If I starve to death, what's the point of talking about revenge?
Painfully moving her body to the main door, Quynh was about to go outside when she heard a woman's voice:
"Eldest brother used the big iron lock on the gate again today? Could it be he really caught big game in the mountains yesterday? Hurry up and break it open! Let's go in and see while he's not home!"
Break the gate open?
Quynh looked at the three-room, mud-walled thatched hut that was drafty on all sides, then at the courtyard, which contained nothing but firewood. She had no idea who this woman was to that villain.
Normally, she wouldn't care who wanted to break down this gate; she would even hope someone would steal the villain's house clean.
Never mind stealing, even if they set the house on fire, she would clap and cheer.
But right now, Quynh looked at her own disheveled state. If someone saw her like this, she wouldn't be able to explain herself even if she had a thousand mouths.
Quynh didn't know where this was, but she knew she had to leave!
Of course, she definitely couldn't leave like this. At the very least, she had to find a set of clothes.
Just as Quynh was thinking about how to find some clothes to escape in, a loud "bang, bang, bang" came from the courtyard gate.