Yutou let out a hearty laugh. The little voice, surprisingly good at imitating a wolf's howl, thought it could scare Little Tiger?
Whose child was this! Truly a rare find!
His laughter hadn't finished when it caught in his throat. Little Tiger had suddenly broken free from its rope, scrambling and tumbling a dozen paces before collapsing like a jelly-legged shrimp, its body trembling like a sieve.
A majestic, imposing white wolf had appeared before them in the blink of an eye.
A wolf?
No mistake, it was a wolf, not a wolfdog!
There was a wolf in the village!
And it was such a massive alpha wolf!
Yutou immediately moved to shield Bei Yue and Bei Shang, cold sweat trickling down his forehead. He didn't dare to breathe, staring intently at the white wolf.
Good heavens, where had this wolf, over two meters long, come from? He had never seen one so large!
His meager skills were no match for it. If only Brother Xiao were here...
"Little Tiger! Go quickly and call Brother Xiao!" Yutou dared not look back, fearing the white wolf would attack suddenly.
He couldn't see, but Little Tiger had crawled several times without being able to stand. It was simply too weak!
This was innate bloodline suppression; it couldn't help it!
But its body simply wouldn't obey!
"Little ones, I'll hold off this wolf. You two run home quickly..."
Yutou's voice caught again. He stared with wide eyes as two children ran past him from behind.
Little Bei Yue: "Big White, your son is too useless, to be scared like this."
Little Bei Shang: "Hey, wolfdog owner, why don't you have your wolfdog protect you?"
Yutou: "..."
White Wolf: Whose son? He hadn't even married, where would he get a wolf-son? Don't insult wolves.
The two little ones climbed onto the white wolf's back and vanished like the wind.
Yutou's eyes were fixed on them: "Are these legendary immortal children?"
He just watched, and watched, and watched as the white wolf stopped at... the doorstep of Brother Xiao's house?
Little Tiger, usually so spirited, had its courage shattered by a giant wolf the moment it entered the village. It followed Yutou listlessly into the village, arriving at Xiao Shan's house, feeling both excited and terrified.
This was its former owner's home. It wanted to run inside, but the wolf's scent was still present, making its legs tremble.
Yutou had been called back by Xiao Shan, and Little Tiger had been specifically instructed to be brought back.
At this moment, Yutou had no idea that from this moment on, he was no longer Little Tiger's owner.
He was too immersed in the joy of seeing Xue Niang and learning that the two little ones were his nephew and niece, to think of anything else.
"Last time I heard Brother Yuan and Brother Wu talking in the tent, drinking and saying Sister Xue wasn't at all... I don't believe them. Look, Sister Xue is fine, isn't she? I'm going to scold them to death when I get back," Yutou said, wiping away tears.
Little Bei Yue: "Such a big person, still crying. So embarrassing."
Yutou, crying and laughing: "What do you know? I'm happy. You have to call me Uncle. Hurry up and call me!"
Little Bei Shang pointed at the door: "Uncle, didn't you say that was your dog? Then what is my dad doing?"
Yutou froze and looked towards the door. He saw Xiao Shan had already tied Little Tiger next to the doghouse.
What did this mean?
Wasn't Little Tiger his now?
Xiao Shan patted Little Tiger's head: "Little Tiger, we're home. Happy?"
Little Tiger wagged its tail. It was very happy, if not for the white wolf.
Yutou became anxious.
"Brother Xiao, this is my dog."
"Where did you get this dog? You've looked after it for a few years, and it's yours now? Are you a thief?"
"I..."
What did he mean by looking after it for a few years? He ate and slept with Little Tiger. This wasn't an ordinary dog; it was his brother! Who was the thief?
"When you left Bozi Village, you didn't care about Little Tiger's life or death. I led it away. Now you want it back, that's too..." shameless.
He couldn't say the last word.
"It's not that I want it, it's that your Sister Xue wants Little Tiger."
Sister Xue wants it? Yutou looked at Xue Niang.
Xue Niang looked at Xiao Shan, then at Little Tiger: "...Yes, I want it."
Alright then, if Sister Xue wants it, there's nothing he can do. Yutou waved at Little Tiger, "Goodbye, brother."
Xiao Shan let out a disdainful snort: "What about Qian Xing? Have you tamed it yet?"
Speaking of Qian Xing, Yutou's heart grew even more bitter.
When Brother Xiao handed it to him, everyone in the military camp was incredibly jealous! Even Brother Yuan wanted to coax it away.
But Qian Xing was a divine steed; could it be tamed by just anyone?
He now strongly suspected that Brother Xiao simply wanted someone to raise it for him.
"Your mount, who can tame it? I have to feed it well and take good care of it every day." He sounded quite resentful.
"Qian Xing was tamed from a wild horse. If you feed it well and take good care of it, do you want to cripple it?"
Xiao Shan said with great distress, "Truly useless. If you can't tame it, bring it back next time, and I'll release it back into the mountains."
What was it like to guard a great treasure but be unable to use it? It was this feeling, a feeling of scratching and gnawing frustration!
He should have just not given it to him in the first place!
"Alright, let's talk about the important matters."
Xiao Shan led Xue Niang into the house, his expression turning serious.
He was called back not to deliver a dog? And to see Sister Xue? What important matters were there?
Yutou couldn't think of anything else. He had already forgotten about being tricked, so when Xiao Shan brought it up, he looked completely bewildered. Xiao Shan directly kicked him to his knees.
Xue Niang didn't intercede for him this time either.
"Yanzi has a marriage agreement in her hand; it's impossible for her to falsely accuse you. If you have any hidden circumstances, we can help resolve them. But such an important matter, and you treat it as a joke? Playing with a girl's reputation?"
Xue Niang's words were much more effective. Yutou was terrified, and he truly remembered the matter, feeling like crying.
When he explained the situation, Xiao Shan became even angrier.
"With a brain like yours, what are you doing as a scout? You don't recognize many characters, and you don't even recognize the three words 'marriage agreement'? Since you pressed your own fingerprint, no one can be blamed. This matter is settled. Go to Yanzi's house first and finalize the engagement, show them your attitude."
What?
How could that engagement be valid!
How could a little girl be married as a wife? He didn't like raising daughters like Brother Xiao.
Seeing his face full of defiance, Xue Niang tried to mediate: "If you really dislike it, then think about how to handle it, how to satisfy them to get the marriage agreement back. After all, marriage should be based on mutual affection."
Xiao Shan's eyes widened: "What mutual affection? It's his good fortune that she fancies him. Once married and living together, feelings will naturally develop. Isn't that how it is everywhere?"
"Then you only got married at 26, and you waited until you found someone you liked. Why should I get married without feelings first!" Yutou retorted stubbornly.
Anyway, with Sister Xue here, Brother Xiao wouldn't beat him to death.
Heh, you little brat, you're really getting out of hand!
So foolish, this engagement was his own doing, who could he blame?
Xiao Shan got up to hit him, but Xue Niang stopped him.
"Yutou is right. We can't force a lack of feelings. Let him handle it himself first and see what their attitude is."
She then said to Yutou: "Handle it properly. If it causes trouble, I will no longer have you as a brother."
"I understand, Sister Xue," Yutou said obediently.
"If the matter is settled, we'll help you build the wedding house. Don't let others do everything."
"I can do it myself. I have money," Yutou said quickly.
Xiao Shan reprimanded: "Stop dawdling and go deal with it."
Yutou left to handle it.
Soon, he returned, head bowed and dejected.
Yanzi's father was in poor health and wouldn't last long. He just wanted to see his daughter married and repeatedly asked him to take good care of Yanzi.
He couldn't even bring himself to ask for the marriage agreement back.
Alas, thinking of marrying a little girl, she was too different from the wife he had imagined.
"Alright, the house at the foot of the mountain is uninhabitable. Let's follow their arrangement and build two rooms next to it as a bridal chamber. If you want to stay in the military camp, bring her to the border town after marriage, or you can transfer to a post on our side. Once the matter is settled, make plans early, don't let others do everything."
"I understand, Brother Xiao," Yutou said, a little dejected.
Xue Niang smiled: "Don't say it, but looking at you, you really don't deserve Yanzi. It's truly a fresh flower stuck in cow dung."
"Cow dung nourishes people! Look how well Brother Xiao has raised you."
"Get out of here!" Xiao Shan stomped his foot. "You're the cow dung!"
Yutou didn't dare to stay there any longer. He might get beaten if he wasn't careful. He went to find the two little immortal children.
He didn't know where the two children had run off to play. He circled the house but didn't see them. However, Yanzi came looking for him again.
When he went to her house earlier, she had been sitting by the bed, and he hadn't looked closely. Now that she was in front of him, she called out: "Brother Wang Meng."
Yutou blinked, then recognized her.
She had grown quite fast in the past two years, how had she gotten so tall?
Her face wasn't as round as before, and the little pigtails she used to have were now let down and tied on both sides, hanging by her ears.
She was quite, beautiful.
And that address, Brother Wang Meng, sounded so strange, almost unfamiliar.
"Brother Wang Meng, are you unwilling to go through with this engagement?"
Ever since he had suddenly returned and entered her house, her heart had been in her throat, fearing he would say they should break off the engagement. Fortunately, he hadn't said it.
It must be out of consideration for her father.
He was truly a good person.
"These past few days, I've been learning to cook and do needlework from Mother. I can also handle farm work. Or, whatever kind of wife you want, I can learn anything I don't know."
She looked up, her round eyes looking at him expectantly.
A strange feeling arose in Yutou's heart.
This was not at all like the carefree little girl from his memory.
But she clearly was.
She liked to laugh, and her laughter was very bright.
Her parents doted on her; she was a child raised in love.
He had envied her immensely in his heart.
When she ran around him, he would say he disliked it, but in his heart, he was secretly pleased.
Yutou looked at her hands. Her small, fleshy hands were a bit rough.
Suddenly, he felt a pang of something.
"I like girls who are plump and fair," Yutou said in a low voice.
Plump and fair?
Yanzi looked at her own body.
Her skin was quite fair.
But she had grown taller in the past two years and wasn't as chubby as before. She was already eating a lot, so how else could she eat to gain more weight?
Yutou followed her gaze and looked at her body.
He was much taller than her. Looking down, he saw her developing, small mounds like little steamed buns.
Instantly, blood rushed from his face to his neck, turning him red.
"Just, just like this. I'll go to your house to finalize the engagement after I prepare. You'll get married after your coming-of-age ceremony."
"Also, girls don't need to do so much work. Just learn embroidery at home."
After speaking, Yutou turned and left.
"Brother Wang Meng!" Yanzi called again.
Her voice was cheerful, and her round eyes curved into crescents as she smiled.
She ran forward, grabbed Yutou's hand, and placed eight taels of silver on it.
"Here are your eight taels of silver. It's enough to buy things."
When Yutou understood, he was somewhat annoyed and embarrassed. Who was she looking down on? Did he not have money to marry a wife? He already had over thirty taels saved!
"Take it yourself and buy some jewelry to wear. You're a young lady now, you should dress up."
Yutou pushed the silver back to her. Although his tone was not good, Yanzi smiled even more happily.
"Brother Wang Meng, you're so kind."
A budding maiden, like tender green shoots sprouting in the spring fields, exuded vitality and vigor.
Yutou, who had grown up like a wild grass, felt his heart tremble.
Cow dung was indeed quite good.
It could nurture the most beautiful flowers in the world.