Chapter 12: Playing Along with Chen Xiao Mi
Chen Xiao Mi was home when Lu Tong knocked on the door, he frowned on seeing this uninvited guest.
In Big Stone Village, it was no secret that Lu Tong and the other Lus had been bullying Lu Lin. They didn’t prepare any dowry for Lu Lin when they sent Lu Lin to Chen Xiao Mi’s house, they made no attempt to hide that fact even for appearance’s sake. Therefore, Chen Xiao Mi didn’t think Lu Tong was here to with the best of intentions, chances were she was here to ask for help.
Lu Lin responded with a sneer on seeing Lu Tong, he squinted his eyes and showed a cold smile on thinking about it was Autumn Harvest season.
Lu Tong avoided Chen Xiao Mi’s sharp eyes, she looked at Lu Lin and said, “Lu Lin, grandfather asks you to come home and help out in the field.”
Chen Xiao Mi grinned with bitterness, “It looks like you and your family are all very forgetful, he is married into my family now, and you are still counting on exploiting him? You wish!”
Lu Tong mumbled, “But you don’t need to rush in the harvest, you don’t have any field.”
“So what we don’t have any field? Collecting firewood, cooking, carrying water, hunting, that’s all his job! Do you think I’ll just ask him to idle about in the house after I gave your family such a generous betrothal present?” Chen Xiao Mi looked so overbearing.
“But Lu Lin doesn’t know a thing about hunting.” Lu Tong mumbled.
“Does that matter? He is mine now, he has to do whatever I tell him, understood? He has to go hunting with me if I ask him to!”
Lu Tong stole a glance at Chen Xiao Mi and lowered her head, ‘what the villagers said is true, this Chen Xiao Mi is indeed a ferocious Bio!’
Lu Tong then cast a glimpse at Lu Lin, she went furious on seeing how meek Lu Lin was, ‘look at you, acting like a sheep in front of this Bio!’
Chen Xiao Mi flashed the stick in hand at Lu Tong, “Get out of my house, or I will make you get out of my house.”
Color flared in Lu Tong’s cheeks, this was the first time that anyone talked to her like this. The villagers had been treating her politely for her brother Lu Cheng Yu was one of the few literate persons in the village.
“Cousin Lin, what do you say about this?” Lu Tong pulled a long face and asked Lu Lin.
A faint sneer crossed Lu Lin’s face. This was the first time that Lu Tong called him ‘Cousin Lin’, she usually ordered the host about by gesture. Their entire family was just so used to take the host as a slave.
“I’m afraid I can’t be much of a help this time, I need to dig for wild vegetables otherwise we will starve tonight… …”
Chen Xiao Mi chimed in, he turned up his volume and said, “I will give you a good beating if you dare help others secretly while living on me!”
Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi exchanged a look subtly, he nodded and said, “I won’t.”
Chen Xiao Mi was glad that Lu Lin played along, he was worried that this Lu Lin was blinded by filial piety and would deny his bloodsucking family nothing.
Lu Tong was filled with indignation on hearing how arrogant Chen Xiao Mi was, and she was furious about Lu Lin’s attitude towards Chen Xiao Mi.
Granted, Lu Lin married into Chen Xiao Mi’s family, but Chen Xiao Mi was a Bio, a Bio should listen to his partner, not the other way around.
With that Lu Tong left Chen Xiao Mi’s house.
Lu Lin smiled at Chen Xiao Mi, “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Thanks to you, I don’t have to be their slave anymore.” Lu Lin blinked. He was indeed relieved that he didn’t have to toil for those leeches, and he preferred going into the mountains to toiling in the field.
Chen Xiao Mi blushed a little, “Don’t mention it, it’s just no need to let them slave you away all the time. And I know one thing for sure, they won’t pay you a penny.”
Lu Lin smiled, “That’s true.”
“How old is this Lu Tong?” Chen Xiao Mi asked.
“She is sixteen, not that young anymore.” Replied Lu Lin, sixteen was indeed not that young in that time and space.
Lu Tong had been counting on marrying rich after her brother Lu Cheng Yu passed the imperial examination at the county level, but she didn’t have much time left, she would have to pay the three-tael-tax in two years on turning eighteen.