Ger, So Proud

Chapter 54

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When He Bao’er arrived at Lin’s yard, it was just around noon.

The early winter sunlight was pale and bright, yet, like its color, it didn’t bring any warmth. The yard gate was open, and as He Bao’er stood there, he immediately saw Lin Yu sitting at the table, cleaning his bow and arrows.

Perhaps due to the sunlight, Lin Yu’s face looked even more striking, almost making one overlook the bulky, dark winter clothes he wore and his red, swollen hands.

He Bao’er almost gritted his teeth to pieces. Taking a deep breath, he adjusted his attire and hair, put on a smile, and stepped into the yard.

Lin Yu, hearing the noise, turned his head to look. “He Bao’er?”

“Brother Lin, such nice weather today. Why didn’t you go hunting in the mountains? I heard this is the best time for it. Though it’s cold, it’s not too cold, and the game should be out foraging.”

He Bao’er, very familiar with the place, sat down at the table and instinctively reached for the bow and arrow box on the table.

“What are you doing?” Lin Yu swatted his hand away.

“…Brother Lin, I’m sorry,” He Bao’er forced a smile, “I just thought this bow and arrows looked nice. Don’t mind me.”

Nice? This bow, six arrows, three peregrine feathers, three sparrow feathers—all were gifts from He Ze and indeed very nice.

*Smack*

Except for the longbow and one arrow in his hand, Lin Yu put all the other arrows into the box, closed the lid, and pushed it in front of him before speaking. “Did you come to see me for something?”

“I-I came to thank you,” He Bao’er looked at Lin Yu, “I just came back recently and didn’t know so much had happened to He Ze during this time. I misunderstood you two. I hope you don’t mind.”

He Bao’er spoke sincerely. During those few months in the back courtyard, how could he not have learned anything? It’s just his misfortune not to have been born with a face like Lin Yu’s; otherwise, rising to the status of a main wife would have been an easy task.

Life is simply unfair like that!

Returning here was a choice he had to make. The longer he struggled for a bit of wealth, the more he missed Ah Ze. He finally understood: as long as he could marry He Ze and live a good life, he wouldn’t have any other thoughts.

He heard that Uncle He’s hand had healed and the He family was looking at buying land. Their situation wasn’t as difficult as it seemed. If he could win over Ah Ze’s heart and bear him a child, he would surely live a good life as his wife.

“Ah Ze and I were betrothed since childhood. We grew up together. It was my fault for giving in to my dad’s pressure. If it weren’t for that, Ah Ze wouldn’t have been so distraught. If something had happened to him, I would have wanted to die with him… Brother Lin, we might not be close, but I truly thank you for saving him.”

He Bao’er gripped Lin Yu’s hand tightly, tears welling up in his eyes.

“You have nothing to do with him anymore. I don’t need your thanks.”

Lin Yu’s gaze was cold as he gently but firmly pried He Bao’er’s hand away.

“No,” He Bao’er lowered his gaze and shook his head vigorously, “Even though I got married, my husband pitied me because he knew my heart belonged to someone else. He never touched me. We have divorced, and I came back to find Ah Ze because I want to… I want to…”

“You want to remarry him?” Lin Yu said expressionlessly, his movements in wiping the arrows becoming harsher.

“Yes, at this point, I’m not afraid of you laughing at me. I like Ah Ze. Our years of affection can’t be so easily discarded. I feel this way, and Ah Ze surely feels even more. During this time, I’ve never been away from him for so long. He must be thinking of me as much as I think of him.”

He must be thinking of me as much as I think of him…

“Thinking of whom?”

“Thinking of someone who has been away for a long time…”

One person or several? Other than He Bao’er, who else could it be?

“Snap—”

The sweet smile on He Bao’er’s face in front of him began to overlap with the look of reminiscence in He Ze’s eyes from that night. Lin Yu’s hand pressed the arrowhead heavily onto the table.

“Brother Lin, besides thanking you, there’s another matter I came for today,” He Bao’er glanced at Lin Yu, his smile growing even broader. “I heard about you and Ah Ze. I believe you both are innocent. If Ah Ze was willing to die for me, it shows how important I am to him. So, I trust him, and I trust you.”

What a well-spoken line! As soon as he finished speaking, the wind picked up in the yard, bringing a biting chill that made it feel even colder.

“Tsk tsk, He Ze, did you hear that? This guy’s thoughts are just…” Liu San, panting, caught up with He Ze and, upon hearing He Bao’er’s voice, became excited. “We should go in now, or else your wife…”

“Shut up!”

With a low growl, He Ze successfully silenced Liu San. He and He Dalang were pulled to a corner by He Ze.

“But, He Ze, we…”

“Wait a moment before going in.” For some reason, he wanted to hear what Lin Yu had to say. The next moment, he heard a voice say, “No.”

“What?”

“We’re not innocent. He Ze said he likes me and even proposed to my dad yesterday.” Lin Yu’s thumb carefully rubbed the arrowhead. The sharpness piercing his skin made him feel increasingly calm.

Unexpectedly calm.

“What did you say?!” He Bao’er stood up uncontrollably, eyes wide. “Are you kidding me? How could it happen so fast? How could his parents agree? You’re lying to me!”

“If you’re so sure I’m lying, why are you so agitated? You’ve already been married once. A concubine cannot simply get a divorce; it’s called being dismissed. You abandoned He Ze after Uncle He had an accident. Is that what you call love? Now, having been dismissed, you want to cling back to He Ze? Is that love? You talk about years of affection, but you feel no guilt over causing trouble for He Ze. Is that love?”

Lin Yu’s voice was calm, but each word stripped away He Bao’er’s pretense, leaving no room for denial.

“A concubine? I… How do you know?” He Bao’er’s eyes darted around before fixing on Lin Yu.

He had indeed become a rich man’s concubine, but how did Lin Yu know? His dad had assured him that it was kept secret.

If this got out…

He Bao’er bit his lip, eyes almost bulging out.

“Nothing stays hidden forever.”

“You! Lin Yu, what do you mean? Are you threatening me?” He Bao’er clenched his fists, taking a moment to steady himself before saying, “So what if I was a concubine? As long as He Ze forgives me, everything else can be resolved.”

“He won’t forgive you.” If He Ze was the person Lin Yu thought he was.

If He Ze did forgive, then… it would only show how much he liked He Bao’er, how deeply he loved him. Lin Yu clutched his chest, feeling a sharp pain there.

“You—Lin Yu, I’m not here to discuss this with you today. Anyway, I thank you on behalf of He Ze for saving him. Now that I’m back, He Ze is mine. You know yourself that you’re cursed; don’t cling to him anymore, or you’ll end up killing him!” He Bao’er struggled to maintain his composure.

“Kill him? Maybe,” Lin Yu chuckled softly. “But what does that have to do with you? Even if I do end up killing him, it would be by his own choice.”

“You… you’re unreasonable!” He Bao’er glared at Lin Yu and suddenly lunged at him, but his body halted abruptly. “Lin Yu, what are you doing? Don’t do anything rash…”

“Don’t move, don’t speak.”

Raising his bow and nocking an arrow in one swift motion, Lin Yu smiled, drawing the bowstring halfway, the arrowhead aimed at He Bao’er.

“You, Lin Yu, calm down…” He Bao’er fell back to the ground in terror, scrambling backward. “Do you want to kill someone? That’s a capital offense. Don’t do anything rash!”

“Who said I want to kill anyone? I just remembered that the last time He Ze and I went bear hunting, a black bear charged at me like this. I stabbed it with a spear and then beat it to death with a few punches.” Lin Yu remained seated, seemingly lost in the memory, though his bow and arrow were steady, the arrowhead gleaming in the sunlight and pointed directly at He Bao’er’s eyes.

“Please… Lin Yu, I know I was wrong. I’ll never come to you again. Just don’t aim at me; I’m scared…” He Bao’er, never having faced such a situation, was terrified, his emotions breaking down as he cried and screamed for help.

“I told you to be quiet!” Lin Yu glanced at He Bao’er with apparent displeasure. “When you talk, it distracts me. When I’m distracted, this arrow might just fly.”

He Bao’er immediately stopped crying, hiccuping twice, and didn’t dare move an inch.

The yard fell silent again, broken by a laugh from the entrance. Lin Yu saw who it was, and his arm went limp. He didn’t know whether to put down the bow or keep holding it.

“He Ze, save me! Lin Yu wants to kill me…” Seeing He Ze and the others enter, He Bao’er, desperate, crawled over and grabbed He Ze’s pant leg.

“…”

He Ze frowned and turned to Liu San and He Dalang. “You two caused this mess; you deal with it!”

“What are you doing here?” Lin Yu finally lowered his bow, giving He Ze a cold glance.

“If I didn’t come, I wouldn’t get to see you looking so impressive, would I?” It had been a while since He Ze had seen this side of Lin Yu, and he had missed it. Hearing what Lin Yu had said earlier made He Ze feel even better.

Liu San and He Dalang managed to pry He Bao’er’s hands off, and He Ze shook his leg free, walking over to sit beside Lin Yu.

His smile was unabashed.

He Bao’er, red-eyed with anger, stomped on Liu San’s foot and rushed in front of He Ze. “He Ze, Lin Yu tried to kill me! Didn’t you see?”

“…”

The troublesome infatuations left behind by his predecessor were really…

“I didn’t try to kill him, I just…” Lin Yu looked up at He Ze, instinctively pouting.

“Where’s Uncle Zhang?”

“Huh?—My dad went to the vegetable field, he’s not home.”

“I see,” He Ze said, studying Lin Yu thoughtfully. After a pause, he continued, “So when the cat’s away, the mice will play?”

Before he finished speaking, a light chuckle escaped his throat.

Warm and… indulgent.

Lin Yu stared in a daze, his anxiety melting away in an instant. But just as quickly, he lowered his gaze.

Seeing the tender exchange between the two, He Bao’er almost spat blood. “He Ze, he… he just tried to kill me! You’re covering for him!”

“Kill you? Who saw it?”

“You…”

He Bao’er pointed at He Ze, then turned to the vigorously shaking heads of Liu San and He Dalang, fuming and shouting, “You’re all a bunch of bastards, bastards!”

With that, he stormed out.

“Sigh, another one gone crazy…” Liu San shook his head as he watched He Bao’er’s retreating figure. “Love always ends in vain… He Dalang, how does it go?”

“Ends in…”

“Your stomachs are empty, aren’t you hungry? Time to go home for lunch.” He Ze coldly reminded them.

“Lunch, what to… oh, right, right!” Liu San nodded emphatically, pushing He Dalang’s head down too, and then grinned at Lin Yu. “Brother-in-law, we’ll be off now. You and He Ze have a good chat!”

“Brother-in-law…”

Lin Yu’s ears turned red, his brows furrowing. The two didn’t respond, quickly leaving the yard and even closing the gate behind them.

He Ze stared silently at Lin Yu. As the gate clicked shut, Lin Yu pursed his lips, instinctively leaning back. “What… what are you looking at?”