Chapter 5: He Was Serious
Translator: Flying Lines
Xie Mengxuan felt her ears tortured when he called her darling. She rolled her eyes with anger and said, “Fetch me some water, and I’m going to wash my face!”

“Okay.” Geng Zhishan stood up obediently and fetched a basin of water which was warm due to the boiled water he specially added. He handed the washbasin to Xie Mengxuan and said with a sincere look, “Here you are, darling.”

Xie Mengxuan reached out her hand into the water only to feel warm and comfortable. Feeling surprised, she looked up and cast a glance at the smirking man in front of her. Then she lowered her head to quickly clean herself up. “Geng Zhishan, could you take me to the Imperial Capital?” asked her.

“Sure.” Geng Zhishan poured the water out and nodded.

A smile appeared on her face the moment Xie Mengxuan heard the words. But before she spoke, Geng Zhishan added, “After you fully recover from your injury.”

“No, I must go back as soon as possible.” Xie Mengxuan looked serious. After taking a deep breath, she said in a soft voice, “Big Brother Geng, please take me to the Imperial Capital! When I find my family, I will definitely reward you. We’ll satisfy whatever you want unless it’s beyond our capability. You have my promise.”

Xie Mengxuan looked directly into Geng Zhishan’s eyes and said sincerely.

His eyes lit up. “Really?” said he.

“Xie Family never lies.” Xie Mengxuan held up her hand and pledged.

Geng Zhishan’s smile turned brighter. Being a little bit shy, he said, “I want nothing but you to be my wife.”

Xie Mengxuan’s eyelids twitched. When she was about to refuse, Geng Zhishan said with naivety, “You’ve just said that you’ll satisfy whatever I want as long as it is within your reach. Is it difficult for you?”

He silenced Xie Mengxuan with just one word. With a red face, she wondered whether the man was a real idiot or he was pretending to be that.

“I won’t take you to the Imperial Capital unless you promise to be my wife. Or, you can go by yourself when your legs heal up.” Seating himself while looking at the roof, Geng Zhishan shook his head and said.

Xie Mengxuan took a deep breath and said word by word: “Geng Zhishan, are you threatening me?”

“No, I just want you to be my wife.” Geng Zhisha said from the heart.

Xie Mengxuan bit the lower lip and lay down with her back towards him. With great anger, she yelled: “Out! I don’t want to see you!”

“No. If you don’t see me, how can you find how nice I am? I’m going to catch fish. Let’s go together,” said Geng Zhishan. He pulled up the quilt and stretched out one arm to cuddle her neck and the other her knees.

His intimate action stunned Xie Mengxuan who struggled to resist his hug by instinct. To her surprise, Geng Zhishan failed to hold her tightly; and as a result, they fell on the bed with one piling on the other. What’s more, the left hand of Geng Zhishan happened to be placed upon a certain part of her body where he shouldn’t have. In an instant, a miserable cry from the girl echoed again in this bamboo house.

Having finished screaming, Xie Mengxuan kicked him with no mercy. However, she hurt not only Geng Zhishan but also her injured leg which could not endure the impact. In addition, she put forth so much of her strength that she suddenly fainted out of pains.

Where Geng Zhishan was hurted was particularly embarrassing. He fell onto the ground in an undignified fashion.

However, the pain from that part was indeed unbearable.

Geng Zhishan lay on the ground for a while to wait for the pain to fade. Puffing hard with his hands outstretched, he turned his head and stared at Xie Mengxuan who still frowned on the bed even though she had lost her consciousness. He felt helpless but showed subtle favor in the eyes. Suddenly the sound of footsteps came from outside. In the blink of an eye, he restored his innocent appearance.

Liang Taohua, a young girl who lived next door to Geng Zhishan, came to knock the door with a pink face. She took out a few copper coins and said in a soft voice, “Big Brother Geng, my mother asked me to have your favor to cut some firewood in the mountain. This is the rewards to you.”

Liang Taohua was gentle, adorable and very shy. There were only three people in her family: her mother, her younger brother as well as herself. Therefore, every time they needed firewood, they would turn to Geng Zhishan.

Liang Taohua was also the only girl in the village who did not despise Geng Zhishan for being silly. She always appeared to be shy when she came here.

Geng Zhishan got up and took the copper coins with a simple smile. “Later I’ll send the wood to you.”

Liang Taohua was looking at Geng Zhishan. She was so shy that her face turned red. Holding a handkerchief in the hand, she twisted it out of nervousness. Her mouth slightly opened and then closed for several times. Finally, after a long while, she said, “Big Brother Geng, my mother let me express her deep gratitude for your care over these years. She…she…she wants to ask you whether you plan to marry someone.”

When she was speaking, Liang Taohua felt her face so hot and lowered her head upon finishing.

Geng Zhishan gave a positive response and stuck out his chest proudly. “Yes! I already have a wife!”

“What?” Liang Taohua felt delightful at first but then was banished to the hell. Her red face paled. She looked at him, shocked by the incredible words.

“Brother…Big Brother Geng, you already have a wife? What others are talking about is true?” Liang Taohua asked with immense pain and blinked as if tears were going to stream from her eyes once he said yes.

Geng Zhishan smirked, scratched his head and glanced at the girl on the bed. “Yes! I have a wife. She’s very beautiful! When she’s fully recovered, I’m going to marry her.”

Feeling numb, Liang Taohua intended to have a look at that girl. She groaned but failed to speak it out. Eventually she could not help crying and running away.

Looking at her back, Geng Zhishan still looked naïve and innocent. He turned back, closed the door and went to the bedside. His eyes were filled with shrewdness while he was staring at Xie Mengxuan. After a long while, he sighed deeply and bent over to look for something under the bed. Finally he took out a porcelain bottle and poured pills out to feed Xie Mengxuan.

He wished that Xie would not be angry when she knew about all the things someday. Her eyes before showed that she was close to the truth. Without disguise, he must have been exposed.

Xie Mengxuan swallowed the pill and fell into sleep. Two hours later, she slowly opened her eyes and quickly glanced around the room. She remembered what had just happened.

Xie Mengxuan clenched her teeth, with bitter hatred and strong determination to kill the womanizer.

Annoyed though she was, Xie Mengxuan calmed down after a while. Geng Zhishan was not in the room. She slightly inclined her ears to hear the odd sounds in the kitchen. Looking at her own legs, Xie Mengxuan was aware that she had difficulty walking. Only when she was able to walk could she think about other things. She was bound to get even with him because she could put up with everything but loss.

However, it might need a long time for her to be able to walk. The simplest way was to make use of the man.

Xie Mengxuan hesitated. She thought to herself that the man was simple and honest although he coveted the chance to marry her; and it was immoral to make use of him.

After all, she was a kind girl.