TATLC Chapter 05 – Village Gossip

Lu Lin was sipping his Nutri-Express drink while thinking about some issues when suddenly he heard movement from under the bed.

He looked down and saw a child about five years old crawling out from under it. The child stared fixedly at the Nutri-Express in Lu Lin’s hand.

Lu Lin jolted in surprise. He had been considering whether to tell Chen Xiaomi about the convenience store, but now it seemed his secret was exposed.

After the initial surprise, he quickly regained his composure. Given Chen Xiaomi’s “fierce reputation” and the isolated location of the house he purchased, no ordinary person would come here. The only five-year-old who might appear would be Chen Xiaomi’s youngest brother, Chen Xiaomai.

From the original owner’s memories, Lu Lin knew that Chen Xiaomai had been born premature and was sickly. Once, he developed a high fever, and when the Chen family failed to call a doctor in time, it affected his brain.

“Would you like some?” Lu Lin asked Chen Xiaomai.

After hesitating for a moment, Chen Xiaomai grabbed the Nutri-Express from Lu Lin’s hand and took a sip. Discovering it was sweet, he became extremely excited.

In this world, sugar was still a precious commodity. One piece of candy cost two wen¹, and ordinary people couldn’t afford it, which made sweet things highly coveted.

Lu Lin remembered his own childhood when his family had been poor. The occasional piece of candy would make him happy for days. Later, when conditions improved, he’d grown tired of sweets.

Chen Xiaomai hugged the large bottle and gulped down several mouthfuls before returning it to Lu Lin.

Lu Lin looked at Chen Xiaomai seriously and said, “Don’t tell anyone about this! Otherwise, you won’t get any next time. If you keep quiet, I’ll give you more.”

Chen Xiaomai blinked at Lu Lin, but it wasn’t clear if he understood.

As Lu Lin lay on the wooden door panel contemplating his future moneymaking plans, the village suddenly erupted with gossip.

In ancient times, there weren’t many forms of entertainment, so people naturally gathered to chat about rumors. An outlier like Chen Xiaomi became a prime topic of this gossips.

“The Lu family sent Lu Lin to Chen Xiaomi’s place!”

“That poor child, married off to Chen Xiaomi’s family. That fierce Shuang’er doesn’t recognize any family ties. Who knows if Chen Xiaomi will beat him?”

After Chen Xiaomi left the Chen family, his grandmother, who was still resentful, repeatedly spread rumors that Chen Xiaomi recognized no family relations, beat people randomly, and even came home to steal grain, calling him a vicious bastard.

When these rumors first circulated, nobody believed them. But as time passed, people gradually began to accept them as truth.

Village rumors continued to spread about Chen Xiaomi. When he had announced he was looking for a husband to marry into his family, even the poorest families in the village were unwilling to send their sons to him. However, no one expected that in the end, it would be the wealthy Lu family who sent someone.

“Lu Lin seemed quite sick. I wonder if Chen Xiaomi will call a doctor for him.”

“Probably not.”

“The Lu family could have at least nursed him back to health before sending him over.”

“Expecting anything from the Lu family? How could that be possible?”

“Why would that boy Lu Lin agree to this? Although Chen Xiaomi is a bit fierce, he’s capable. Following him, he might even get to eat meat.” Eating meat was a luxury in the village. Farming families only ate it during New Year celebrations.

At the mention of meat, several people’s eyes gleamed with envy. “Hunting isn’t so easy! Game isn’t available every day.” Once heavy snow sealed the mountain paths, no one could enter the forests.

“Wasn’t that Lu boy said to bring misfortune to his relatives? I heard his parents died because of him. Doesn’t Chen Xiaomi worry about that?”

“Chen Xiaomi has such a strong aura himself. How could she fear him?”

…

Lu Lin lay on the door panel. After thinking for a while, he felt dizzy and decided to stop thinking.

He reached under the convenience store counter, pulled out a fever-reducing pill, and swallowed it.

Running the convenience store often meant working late. Sometimes, he even had to eat and sleep there. He kept some common medicines in the counter for emergencies.

Originally, Lu Lin had stocked these medicines just for treating illnesses, but now these few pills had become potentially life-saving.

In the evening, Chen Xiaocai went out for a while and returned carrying a load of firewood on a shoulder pole.

Lu Lin couldn’t help but admire how children from poor families grew up faster. Although Chen Xiaocai looked fierce, he was actually quite capable.

Winters in ancient times were bitterly cold, and people easily froze to death. If one didn’t prepare enough firewood beforehand, surviving winter would be very difficult.

As soon as Chen Xiaocai returned, Chen Xiaomai stuck close to him. The two brothers huddled together whispering, and Lu Lin couldn’t tell whether Chen Xiaomai sold him out.

Lu Lin frowned, thinking to himself: The convenience store would inevitably be exposed. Now that he had married into Chen Xiaomi’s family, according to this world’s customs, he must follow wherever he was married.²

In this world governed by feudal ethics, Chen Xiaomi had defied his family to protect his brothers. He likely wasn’t a rigid, inflexible person. Even if he discovered he was someone who had taken over another’s body, he probably wouldn’t let him be burned as a freak. After all, Chen Xiaomi was somewhat unusual himself. Despite being a Shuang’er, he was incredibly strong.

Lu Lin felt he needed to take things step by step, letting this family gradually accept him.