Chapter Fourteen: The Ma Family

Watching the two women flee in panic, Meng Xuan, Doggie, and Little Wolf all let out a deep sigh of relief. He had seen pretentious women and ugly women before, but never such an exaggeratedly pretentious, ugly woman—Meng Xuan honestly could not handle it!

Relieved, Meng Xuan glanced down at little Lucky in his arms. The little one was kicking her legs, her round eyes wide open, curiously looking all around. Clearly, the recent commotion hadn’t affected the chubby girl in the slightest.

“Uncle, are you really just going to let those two women go? That’s letting them off too easily,” Little Wolf muttered, still upset about his brother being hit earlier.

“Hmph, don’t worry—I’ll tell you a secret…” Meng Xuan said, pulling the three of them close to whisper in their ears.

Doggie and Little Wolf both exclaimed softly, then the three boys covered their mouths and snickered.

Thinking of what would happen tonight, a glint of cruelty flashed in Meng Xuan’s eyes. Dare to bully my family? Let’s see how you enjoy the consequences.

Because of Aunt Ma Cuicui’s earlier interruption, the four and a half of them—little Lucky counting as half—lost all interest in hunting rabbits. So, the group decided to pack up and head home.

Just as they were about to leave, little Lucky began to babble and squirm.

Meng Xuan looked at the wriggling, babbling child with curiosity. Lucky had always been well-behaved—what was going on now? Since they were heading home anyway, he only held her more tightly in his arms.

Just as little Lucky was burbling away, five or six figures suddenly emerged from deep in the woods. These men wore armor, carried bows, and sported high-waisted leather boots. They were not just any hunters, but professional ones—members of an organization trained specifically to track down rare treasures in the Great Mountain. Some wealthy patron had clearly hired them for this trip, and judging by their bearing, the employer was no ordinary person.

As Meng Xuan considered this, the leader stepped forward and asked, “Have you encountered anything unusual?”

His gaze bore intently into Meng Xuan.

The three children huddled close to Meng Xuan in fear, even little Lucky burrowed deeper into his arms.

Patting his niece comfortingly, Meng Xuan replied, “No, we’ve just been here checking our traps and managed to catch a few rabbits.”

The man sized them up—a young man of about twenty with four children—decided they didn’t have the scent of what he was seeking, and signaled his group to move on.

“My apologies for the disturbance. Farewell,” he said, turning away before Meng Xuan could even respond.

“Uncle…” Little Cenhai tugged at Meng Xuan’s sleeve.

“It’s all right. Let’s go home,” Meng Xuan said, patting Cenhai’s head gently.

Doggie slung their things over his back, and the four of them started down the mountain.

Because Meng Xuan had taken little Lucky out without permission, he was met with a scolding—and something of a beating—when they returned home. Feeling guilty, Meng Xuan said nothing, silently enduring his sister’s nagging. Lin Sanlang, meanwhile, quietly laughed to himself—delighted to see his brother-in-law put in his place.

That night, the Ma household was in utter chaos. Ma, for reasons unknown, suffered relentless diarrhea and filled the house with an unbearable stench. Ma Cuicui was even more outrageous—she stayed up most of the night, insisting on going out to find a man!

The next day, news of the events spread through the village, carried by every gossiping aunt. Here’s what happened: Ma Cuicui, lying in bed, was daydreaming about Meng Xuan and, lost in her fantasies, somehow wandered all the way to the Lin family’s front gate. There, feeling parched and sweating, she happened to run right into the village chief’s son, Lin Dashuan, who was just leaving the house. In the pitch dark, he was suddenly grabbed by an unknown force. The strapping six-foot-tall man let out a shriek and instinctively subdued his assailant. Soon, all the neighbors knew: the Ma family’s daughter had tried to abduct a man in the dead of night and was marched home in disgrace by the furious village chief. The Ma family’s reputation was in shambles.

The chief was livid—why couldn’t she harass anyone else, but had to go after his own son? He vowed to make her the laughingstock of the whole village.

When Meng Xuan heard the story, he burst into pig-like laughter. Let them sample my homemade laxatives and supercharged love potion for free—serves them right!