Mo Wenxuan suddenly grabbed Liu Chang’s collar: “Liu Chang, I warn you, you aren’t allowed to like her just because ’Ye Ge’ isn’t here!”
“Why can’t I? I just like her, I didn’t say I was definitely going to marry her!”
Liu Chang meant that he was not good enough for Nan Feng, and that Nan Feng didn’t value him either. However, Mo Wenxuan misinterpreted his words.
Mo Wenxuan thought Liu Chang only wanted to toy with Nan Feng. He wondered why else Liu Chang would like her without the intention to marry her.
Mo Wenxuan suddenly clenched his fist and threw a punch at Liu Chang.
“You… hit me? Mo Wenxuan, you hit me? What right do you have to hit me? Does who I like concern you? Why can’t I like her just because you don’t? I am not your son,” Liu Chang also started to fight back.
The two former bosom buddies started grappling with each other, leaving Tie Dan standing there in bewilderment, entirely clueless about who to assist or how to separate them…
Both were scholars previously, not accustomed to fighting. Their strengths were equal, and their fight was just a wild, unorganized mess of flailing arms, ending in a childish wrestle, not unlike women fighting, grabbing hair and tearing clothes off.
Nan Feng, safe at home, was oblivious to their fight.
She went about her day as usual, cooking, eating, fetching water, cleaning the yard.
Her days were fulfilling, yet somehow also empty.
…
One day, Nan Feng returned home from hunting in the mountains.
Whether it was due to her mood or just bad luck, her recent hunts hadn’t yielded much. Today, she had only managed to catch two wild rabbits.
While walking home, she heard someone calling her name from under an old Banyan tree. It was Panyaya and Aqiu.
Zhou Dongdong was also there.
Upon seeing Nan Feng, Zhou Dongdong quickly looked away, not daring to make eye contact.
These three girls were originally resting and sewing shoe soles under the tree. Panyaya and Aqiu put down their needles and threads and rushed over to greet Nan Feng.
“Did you go hunting again?” Aqiu asked.
“Yes,” Nan Feng answered plainly.
Panyaya asked, “What did you catch? Can I see?”
Nan Feng opened her sack. “I didn’t catch much today, just two rabbits.”
Then, Nan Feng took out a rabbit and handed it to Aqiu. “Here, you can have one.”
Aqiu quickly refused: “Oh no, you only managed to catch two. You should sell them at the town market. You can give me some another time, when you have more.”
Nan Feng forced the rabbit into Aqiu’s hands: “That’s precisely why I’m not selling them. The vendors in town won’t be interested. You should take it home and eat it.”
“But…”
Panyaya chimed in, “Come on, Aqiu! If you don’t want it, I do!”
Aqiu quickly hugged the rabbit tight. “Go away. I’m closer to Feng than you are. We often help each other with food. You’re always eating well without sharing any with me or Feng.”
Nan Feng just smiled.
Aqiu suddenly pointed at Nan Feng’s face. “Wow, Feng, the pimples on your face are gone!”
Panyaya also shouted, “Yes, how is your skin so smooth? It’s so white and tender. Don’t you spend all day running around in the fields and mountains? Why has your skin improved instead?”
Nan Feng just laughed and said, “I have a secret.”
“What secret? I want it too. Tell me, tell me,” Panyaya begged Nan Feng.
Aqiu also said, “Me too. Let us all be beautiful together. When the mountain song competition comes at the end of the year, the ladies of our village will be the prettiest!”
Nan Feng smiled: “Okay, but the secret is at my house, you have to go with me to get it. There’s a condition, though. If it works well for you, I want you to do me a favor in the future.”