"What, do you look down on me because I'm a woman?" Nan Feng teased.
"Not at all, it's just that no woman in the village has ever gone hunting before, I admit, I'm somewhat impressed with your idea," Ye Ge did not prevent Nan Feng from doing so.
"Well, then I'm the pioneer of Daping Village, becoming the first village girl to go hunting," Nan Feng chuckled.
When talking in front of Ye Ge, she didn't hold back. She said whatever she wanted to say.
Ye Ge's gaze looked ahead, his eyes seemingly piercing through the mountains and rivers, looking towards an unknown distance. He then casually mentioned, "Actually, there have been quite a few women who hunt before."
"Oh? Where are they?"
Ye Ge fell silent, he just looked at Nan Feng, "If you're really interested, I can teach you."
"That would be great."
At this point in the conversation, Ye Ge went silent again, and just continued walking forward.
Nan Feng could only follow behind him.
Ye Ge lived on the eastern side of the village. From the grain drying field to his house, they had to cross half of the village.
Along the way, there were still many villagers carrying rice to contribute to the public grain reserve.
There were just over two hundred households in Daping Village, and many of them knew each other. The passing villagers cast strange glances at Ye Ge and Nan Feng, but nobody greeted them.
In the villagers' eyes, Ye Ge and Nan Feng were like eccentricities, their existence ignorable.
Just as they passed a fenced area in the east of the village, a bucket of water was suddenly thrown out from inside. Fortunately, Ye Ge was alert and pulled Nan Feng away just in time.
Nan Feng had no time to defend herself, she stumbled and fell into Ye Ge.
Ye Ge's long arms wrapped around Nan Feng's shoulders, his arms were very thick and strong. Because it was summer, Ye Ge was only wearing a short coat. Therefore, when Nan Feng pressed against his chest, she could profoundly feel his firm muscles, they were hard as rock.
If she wasn't wrong, he probably had an eight-pack abs.
A hunchbacked man with such abs?
The water missed both of them, not a single drop splashed on them.
It was only then that Ye Ge let go of Nan Feng.
A woman's cursing voice could then be heard, "Oh, who is it? It turns out it's the freak the old fool found, no wonder my foot-washing water went astray, look, it missed."
The woman, with dishevelled hair and a very mean look, was Uncle Zhou's eldest daughter-in-law from the Wang family.
When Wang's loud voice shouted, her neighbor, the second daughter-in-law from the Chen family, also came out. Chen was carrying a child on her back. Seeing Ye Ge, Chen also cursed, "Have you heard, the old fool let the freak make the grain offering today, just reported one family of two. Looks like we're going to be gossiped about by the villagers again, saying we're not filial."
"Well," Wang chimed in, "Since the old fool is hanging onto the four chunks of land, let him farm it himself in the future. As long as he doesn't expect us to take care of his funeral, having a freak is enough."
"Freak, you'd better look after the old fool. When he dies, the land still belongs to his sons. It has nothing to do with you."
"..."
The two women's insults became nastier, Nan Feng couldn't bear to listen. She was about to step in to defend Ye Ge, but Ye Ge suddenly held her back with his hand, indicating for her not to argue.
Then, as if nothing had happened, Ye Ge continued to walk forward.
As the voices of the two women behind them gradually receded, Nan Feng finally asked, "They insulted you like that, aren't you angry?"
Ye Ge asked nonchalantly, "What good is being angry? Argue with them? Insult them back even harsher? What then?"
Nan Feng pondered for a while, and thought he had a point.
What good does it do even if they win the argument? They still wouldn't take care of Uncle Er anymore.
Nan Feng thought Ye Ge was quite tolerant.
After turning a corner ahead, they would be at Ye Ge's house.