OBS Chapter 133 'What if I am no longer of value?'
Chapter 133 'What if I am no longer of value?'
Meng Qi did not believe it, but Meng Bochang and Lin Shi did.
Lin always felt that her granddaughter was possessed by some evil spirit, that she had run away from home and done things that no young lady should do.
Every time Shan Qiyu was asked about her daughter, Shan Qiyu would only say that her daughter was indeed capable, and that her previous silence was simply because the time had not yet come—it was more like she was possessed.
Before Lin Shi and Meng Bochang could stop Meng Qi from saying anything irreversible, Meng Shitou frowned and spoke first, "Father, don't argue with my sister, don't argue!"
Meng Qi, being a stickler for details, corrected him, "What sister? She's your niece."
Meng Linlang, who had rushed over, spoke up at the right moment, "Second Grandfather and Second Grandmother, my mother has prepared the meal. You should take Uncle back to eat quickly!"
Meng Bochang also spoke up to shoo people away, and Hu Zi even reached out to pull Meng Shitou, saying, "Uncle Shitou, you should go back and have Doctor Zheng take a look at your injury. If you leave, no one will be arguing anymore."
Meng Shitou scratched his head in confusion.
It's not like he got into an argument with anyone, so why drag him away?
Despite his confusion, he still believed Tiger's words and obediently let himself be led away.
After the family of three left, the people of Mengjia Village finally breathed a sigh of relief. Most people understood that right now, it wasn't Meng Fuqing who needed the people of Mengjia Village, but rather the people of Mengjia Village who needed Meng Fuqing.
Unfortunately, some people fail to see this point and still think of Meng Fuqing as the quiet and reserved little girl she used to be.
Meng Bochang thought to himself that he would have to have a good talk with Meng Qi when he got back. He couldn't get the public grain, and his own grain was almost gone, yet he was still so stubborn. He didn't know what he was thinking.
Those who remained by the pond began discussing how to catch the snake.
It gets very cold after dark, the ice in the pond thickens, and the soil freezes solid, so you have to be quick to grab it.
Meng Fuqing wasn't particularly interested in snake meat; he simply used his dagger to cut off the head of one snake, then picked up the body and left.
Yan He also caught a snake and hurriedly caught up with Meng Fuqing. Suddenly, she noticed that there was someone else following behind Meng Fuqing, just like her.
"Cousin-cousin!" Meng Linlang was afraid of snakes, so she circled around to Meng Fuqing's left side and asked nervously, "You're not angry, are you?"
Her family and her second grandfather's family were already in dire straits, and she worried that after this incident, Meng Fuqing would be so angry that he would kick both of them out.
She used to think that as a member of the Meng clan, the clan leader would not agree to expel them from the group, but now she doesn't think so anymore.
“As long as you continue to maintain this attitude, I will naturally not do anything to them,” Meng Fuqing said. “Not only that, I can also get Chief Du to sell your grain.”
From Meng Linlang's behavior, Meng Fuqing could tell that she had recently been shrouded in a kind of despondency, as if she had given up on everything, and that she was also wavering about what happened in her dream.
At this time, offering small favors or gifts is a good opportunity to win people's hearts.
Meng Linlang was stunned, both surprised and disbelieving, and said in a daze, "Really? Really?"
Meng Fuqing stopped and looked at Yan He, who had been following behind them. "Miss Yan, please go first."
Yan He, who didn't want to leave first: ...
"Fine, I won't listen if I don't want to..." she muttered softly as she walked past the two of them.
After the person had gone far away, Meng Fuqing nodded and said, "It's absolutely true."
After hesitating for a moment, Meng Linlang asked softly, "Why?"
Meng Fuqing asked with a half-smile, "What, are you afraid I'll poison you?"
Meng Linlang quickly shook her head, "You could kill me with a flick of your finger, why bother poisoning me..."
"I just don't understand, after how I treated you before, why would you..."
Meng Fuqing said bluntly, "Because you have value. If you die, where can I find another person who can foresee the future?"
Hearing this explanation, Meng Linlang believed it.
If Meng Fuqing said that she had suddenly become very kind to her, she would not believe it.
At the same time, she felt uncertain about the future. Suppressing her anxiety, she asked, "What if I tell you everything that happened in my dream, and it no longer has any value?"
Meng Fuqing's eyes curved slightly as he looked at Meng Linlang without saying a word.
Being looked at like that made Meng Linlang feel like she wasn't a living person, but an inanimate object.
She trembled slightly involuntarily, and just as she was about to speak again, Meng Fuqing spoke.
"Besides dreams, you yourself are worthless. What face do you have to live in this world?"
After saying that, Meng Fuqing turned and left.
Meng Linlang stood frozen in place, unable to move for a long time. What was clearly a hurtful remark had cleared the fog before her eyes, bringing her sudden clarity.
She blamed Meng Fuqing for disrupting everything in her dream, and later blamed the precognitive dream for becoming a treasure she couldn't protect, coveted by others. So what did she do?
The fact that she failed to protect her secret was also due to her own incompetence and mistakes.
She wanted to be valuable, and for her family's sake, she also wanted to become a valuable person so that Meng Fuqing would treat her differently.
After that, Meng Linlang seemed to have found a way out and was no longer as depressed as before.
Meng Fuqing probably never imagined that by starting something, Meng Linlang would be able to manipulate him and find a target.
Having just gotten rid of Meng Linlang, she saw Yan He starting her coaxing techniques again from afar, surrounding Shan Qiyu, busy with her, and talking non-stop.
Upon seeing Meng Fuqing, she cheerfully remarked, "Qingqing, you brought back a snake too? I have one too. Perfect, how about we grill it together?"
Meng Fuqing looked away, not wanting to watch her pretend.
Turning my gaze, I saw Mu Feng leading two people over. As if in a contest, they brought over a deer with its neck pierced and four pheasants.
"Young master instructed us to deliver this; thank you for your trouble, Madam Shan."
Upon seeing this, Yan He's smile vanished instantly; she suspected that Xie Jin was openly targeting her.
Shan Qiyu's smile never faded as she hurriedly said, "I'll have Ranran and Ali deliver it to you when it's ready. Thank you for your trouble."
Meng Fuqing couldn't help but look at where Xie Jin was resting. The other man held a longbow and dismounted nimbly.
After standing still, it seemed as if eyes had sprouted from the back of its head, and it turned to look at her.
Xie Jin parted his thin lips slightly, but no sound came out. "You're not allowed to eat theirs, eat mine."
It goes without saying who they are referring to.
Meng Fuqing understood, couldn't help but roll her eyes, and turned to walk towards Shan Qiyu.
Xie Jin chuckled upon seeing this.
That night, Meng Fuqing's family seemed to have a bountiful harvest, with more wild game than they could possibly eat.
Many of the bolder ones caught snakes in the snake den, and after returning to their lodgings and learning that the snake that bit Meng Shitou was non-venomous, they felt more at ease eating them.
When it was time to eat, the whole place was filled with the delicious aroma of meat. Even in such difficult circumstances, the group ate, drank, chatted, and laughed, making it a lively and enjoyable occasion.
Before going to bed, Meng Fuqing ground the insect-repelling herbs she had bought into powder and sprinkled them around where they were sleeping.
As soon as she crawled into the tent, she heard a rustling sound outside.
Then a familiar voice came from outside—"Miss Meng, Meng Fuqing, are you afraid? Shall I sleep with you?"
It's Yan He.
Meng Fuqing lifted the oilcloth, his face expressionless, and asked, "Didn't you buy another cart? Isn't it enough for you to sleep on?"
Yan He said pitifully, "I almost caught a cold last night after sleeping here all night."
Everything else is easy to buy, but bedding is the hardest to find during the dead of winter.
Just as he was about to say no, Meng Fuqing changed his mind. "Come in."
The tent was big enough for two people to sleep in, each with a blanket, and another blanket on top of them.
After finally falling asleep, before Yan He could speak, Meng Fuqing asked, "Can you Taoist priests get married?"
Yan He's persistence is even more troublesome than Xie Jin's. If Meng Fuqing didn't know her personality, she would have thought that Yan He didn't have a crush on Xie Jin and Shen Lianxing at all, but instead had a crush on her.
Regarding Taoism, Yan He thought about it seriously. "There are two schools. The Zhengyi school allows people to have families and eat both meat and vegetables. They only abstain from three forbidden foods and five pungent foods on special days. Otherwise, they are no different from ordinary people. The Quanzhen school does not allow people to have families or eat meat, just like the bald monk. I am different. I cannot have families but can eat both meat and vegetables. I follow my master's school."
Unable to start a family.
Meng Fuqing paused for a moment, then asked, "What sect does your master belong to?"
"The Xuan Yi Sect!" Yan He said proudly, "founded by my master."
Meng Fuqing: ...
She asked uncertainly, "Does 'not being able to start a family' only mean 'not being able to get married'?"