xymnovel Chapter 36 Pan Jinlian
Chapter 36 Pan Jinlian
The table was soon filled with food and drinks.
Wu Da was not good with words; he just kept serving food to everyone with a simple, honest smile on his face.
Wu Song, being a man of strong emotions, hit it off immediately with Liu Bei and Song Jiang. The group chatted about interesting stories from the martial arts world, drank and chatted, and had a great time.
Wu Yong stood to the side, saying little, simply fanning himself and observing quietly.
After several rounds of drinks, everyone was a little tipsy.
Liu Bei put down his wine cup, as if he had suddenly remembered something, and let out a long sigh.
Wu Song asked, "Why is Brother Chao Gai sighing?"
Liu Bei waved his hand, a perfectly timed expression of regret on his face.
"To be honest, brothers, I heard a strange story in Yuncheng County some time ago, which moved me deeply, hence my sigh."
Song Jiang's heart skipped a beat.
Liu Bei took a sip of wine and slowly said, "This matter is, in a way, quite a romantic affair."
"I've heard that there's a landlord in the city who's hardworking and has quite a bit of wealth. He's married to a beautiful concubine named Li. Li is stunningly beautiful, but unfortunately, the landlord is generous and has friends everywhere, yet he's not interested in women and often leaves her neglected at home."
He was telling the story of Yan Poxi, but he changed Song Jiang's name to an unrelated "landlord" and Yan Poxi to "Li Shi".
"That young and beautiful woman, Li, could not bear the loneliness. Over time, she began an affair with one of the landlord's servants."
"Later, the landlord discovered this. Guess what happened?"
Wu Song listened intently and pressed for an answer: "How is it?"
Liu Bei said, "The landlord, out of consideration for our past relationship, originally intended to let it go. Who knew that the woman was so vicious, conspiring with the adulterer to try and kill him and seize his property."
Fortunately, the landlord had a few loyal brothers who came to his aid, which exposed the wicked couple's scheme and saved their lives.
After he finished speaking, he sighed again.
"In the end, the root of this disaster lies with the landlord himself. Since he married such a beautiful woman, he should have treated her well and spent time with her often. If he neglected her, that beautiful wife would not be a blessing, but a death curse."
"You can't neglect a woman. Otherwise, she's capable of anything."
Upon hearing this, Wu Song slammed his fist on the table.
"What a pair of adulterers! Such a wicked woman deserves to be drowned in a pig cage!"
Song Jiang sighed, "Brother is right. Husband and wife should be harmonious. Neglecting each other can easily lead to trouble."
After a few more words of discussion, the matter was dropped, and everyone continued drinking.
Pan Jinlian paced back and forth between the kitchen and the stairwell, adding dishes and pouring wine, having overheard every word Liu Bei had just said.
She looked at the men chatting and laughing at the table, then at her husband who only knew how to smile foolishly, and the resentment in her eyes deepened.
……
The banquet lasted until late at night.
Liu Bei and his two companions bid farewell and left. Wu Song escorted them to the street corner before turning back.
Wu Da was already completely drunk and was helped upstairs by Wu Song.
He walked to the bedside in a daze and collapsed onto it.
Pan Jinlian sat in front of her dressing table, not asleep.
Looking at her reflection in the bronze mirror, she recalled the imposing men from earlier that day, especially the burly, bearded man named Chao Gai, and the way his gaze swept over her. It felt as if countless ants were crawling all over her.
Wu Da, lying in bed, let out a burp and turned over.
Perhaps emboldened by the alcohol, he looked at his wife's graceful figure under the lamplight and suddenly remembered the story Liu Bei had told at the dinner table.
He sat up and chuckled twice.
"My wife... I have something to tell you..."
Pan Jinlian didn't turn around, and coldly replied, "What is it?"
Wu Da then recounted the story of "the landlord and Li" that Liu Bei had told him, in a completely distorted and disjointed manner.
"...Brother Chao Gai is right, you can't neglect a woman...otherwise, she'll run off with someone else..."
He spoke without malice.
Upon hearing this, Pan Jinlian's body trembled violently.
She turned her head and looked at her husband, whose face was ugly, on the bed, and tears streamed down her face.
"You...you useless piece of trash!"
She choked up, her voice filled with grievance and anger.
"How dare you say that! Ever since I married into your family, have you ever given me a second glance? All you do is sell your steamed buns every day; when have you ever said a single kind word to me!"
"Look at yourself, and look at your brother! You were born of the same mother, how come you're so different!"
She became more and more heartbroken as she spoke, and she buried her face in her dressing table and burst into tears.
Wu Da was stunned by her sudden outburst of crying and cursing.
He sat on the bed, mostly sober.
He looked at his wife, who was crying with tears streaming down her face, and Liu Bei's words echoed in his mind.
"You can't neglect a woman..."
His heart skipped a beat.
Oh!
His wife was so beautiful, and he had indeed neglected to care for her in his daily life.
Could it be that she was also harboring such thoughts after all these tearful confessions?
That would be outrageous!
Wu Da jumped up and scrambled off the bed to walk to Pan Jinlian's side.
"My wife, my wife, don't cry, don't cry..."
He was tongue-tied and didn't know how to comfort her, so he could only awkwardly pat Pan Jinlian's back.
"It's...it's my fault. I...I'll change, I promise I'll change!"
He looked at his wife's pretty face, wet with tears, which looked even more beautiful and charming under the lamplight, and his heart stirred.
"Brother Chao Gai is right, we can't neglect our wives..."
He suddenly picked Pan Jinlian up in his arms.
Pan Jinlian gasped, stopped crying, and stared at him in astonishment.
Wu Da carried her, walked a few steps to the bedside, and gently placed her on the bed.
He took off his shoes and socks, crawled into the quilt, and hugged her tightly from behind.
"My wife, it's my fault."
Wu Da's voice rang in her ears, carrying a strong smell of alcohol.
"Tonight, I won't neglect you."
……
The next morning, as dawn broke.
On the streets of Yanggu County, there were already early risers heading to the market.
Liu Bei and his two companions arrived at Wu Dalang's house once again.
Even before you get close, you can smell the aroma of steamed buns mixed with the fragrance of meat porridge wafting out from inside the door.
Wu Song was practicing a set of boxing moves in the courtyard.
He was shirtless, revealing his muscular, bronze-colored body, and his punches were powerful and menacing.
Upon seeing the three men arrive, Wu Song withdrew his fist and revealed a hearty smile.
"My three elder brothers have arrived just in time. My elder brother and sister-in-law have already prepared breakfast."
He led the three people into the house.
Inside the main room, a few simple breakfast items were already laid out on the square table.
A pot of steaming hot meat porridge, several dishes of pickled vegetables, and a basket of freshly baked steamed buns.
Wu Dalang, wearing an apron, was carrying porridge from the kitchen with a simple, honest smile on his face.
"Please have a seat, distinguished guests. We don't have much to offer, so please don't be offended."
Liu Bei's gaze, however, fell on Pan Jinlian, who was following behind Wu Dalang and helping to set out the bowls and chopsticks.
Today she changed into a clean cloth dress, and her hair was neatly combed and held up with a wooden hairpin.
The lingering resentment from yesterday was gone from her face, and her brows and eyes were much more relaxed. Although she was still beautiful, she had gained a touch of the gentle grace of a housewife.
When she saw Liu Bei and the others, her face flushed slightly, but unlike yesterday, she did not flinch. Instead, she gracefully gave a curtsy.
"Please have a meal, uncles."
Her voice was much clearer and softer than yesterday.
Liu Bei understood.
His story from yesterday wasn't told in vain.