Crossing Over to Yamada Love

She said men always crave novelty, and she seemed to know a lot about it. When talking about relationships between men and women, she wasn't shy at all, and it seemed she didn't long for love. She was like an old woman with a calm, still well. How could she have such a mindset? It shouldn't be like that!

Xue Lingfeng was somewhat confused about the girl in front of him. He had known her for three years, and every time he thought he had seen through her, he found that there was only confusion ahead.

At first, he only admired her a little; she was young, and he had no other intentions. Gradually, his feelings changed. He knew that if he paid attention to her, Seventh Brother would definitely compete with him for her, but at that time he didn't care much. Until that day, when Tenth Brother asked him if he liked her, he denied it, telling himself he didn't like her. But was that really the case?

Every time I see her beaming with joy, every time I see her bickering with Xiao Shi, every time I see her talking eloquently, I can't help but look at her.

That snowy night, she was curled up in a ball by the side door, and he felt a pang of heartache seeing her like that. Holding her, frozen solid, he felt an urge to warm her up, and he told himself: I will never let her suffer like that again.

That day, when a young girl called him "sister-in-law," he felt an urge to tell her to shut up. Was he still the same cold and ruthless Xue Laowu? He told her to leave, but the hurt and pain in her eyes pierced him deeply. The three brothers followed her, and she was crying! Crying so sadly, so desperately. Why? She leaned on Xiao Shi's shoulder, and he and Lao Qi could only watch. He so wished that the person she was leaning on was him.

He couldn't express his feelings because he had too many troubles on his side and didn't want to involve her. But when he heard the news that she was getting engaged, he, like Xiao Shi, was unwilling to accept it.

That day he saw her being abused by the matchmaker. That despicable man actually wanted to take her as a concubine. He realized how good she was, so why didn't he cherish her?

That day, she smiled on the outside but felt pain in her heart. She followed him without even realizing it. He overheard their conversation, and without thinking, he blurted out the words "marry her," even though she was still young. He knew she understood everything.

She rejected him, saying she loved the mountains, loved the fields, and loved this kind of life. She said she wasn't used to living in a big house; she would wither and die. He knew she was telling the truth. He had promised her that she wouldn't move into the house, that she could live here, and that he wouldn't take concubines or have maids to share her room. Yet she still refused him. She lacked security; she didn't trust him.

She must have been hurt. Who? Who hurt her! Mo Lan, Mo Lan! I, Xue Lingfeng, am determined to have you! I am determined to love you! You can't escape me now. From the moment you handed me the jade pendant, our fates were sealed. I, Xue Lingfeng, will give my all to love and protect you!

Xue Lingfeng made up his mind, but he didn't say it out loud. He just stared at Mo Lan, expressing his emotions with his eyes.

Mo Lan looked at him intently. She understood some things, but there were also some things she didn't understand.

"Xiao Shi won't be back until after the New Year. His aunt arranged a marriage for him, but he disagreed and made a scene. His aunt had someone keep an eye on him and won't let him come back. I'm afraid he won't be back for a while," Xue Lingfeng told Mo Lan about the chubby boy.

Mo Lan felt sorry for the chubby boy after hearing this, but that's just how it is here. How many people can have their marriages go their way? They all have to listen to their parents.

"Why can you decide your own marriage with Seventh Master? And aren't you two not engaged yet? How can the younger one overtake the older one?" Mo Lan was a little curious. She had always refrained from asking questions before because she was afraid of causing trouble, but gossip is a woman's natural instinct, and she was also curious.

Xue Lingfeng twirled his teacup, his eyes half-closed, a cold glint flashing within them. After a moment, he said to Mo Lan, "Seventh Brother and I share the same father. My mother was the legal wife, and his mother was a concubine. Father didn't value my mother much, but he doted on that concubine. Although I am his eldest son, he didn't particularly like me."

The seventh brother has an older brother; they are twins, and we've never gotten along since childhood. I can't quite pinpoint when he started having feelings for me and began competing with me. There were just too many things to deal with in the household, and in the end, we both agreed with our families that our marriages would be on the condition that we live separately, and the timing of engagements and marriages among the servants was none of our concern.

Xue Lingfeng's words were not detailed or clear; many things were left unsaid. Mo Lan must know a great deal about what's going on here. A secondary wife! Just for that, his family will never be harmonious. To get the household to agree to a marriage of their own volition, it's probably not something that can be achieved through a small incident. But since he doesn't want to talk about it, I won't ask. Knowing too much doesn't do any good.

"Xue Lingfeng." Mo Lan called him by his name directly, since it wasn't the first time.

"No matter what happens between us in the future, promise me that you won't let anyone from your household harm my family. I have no other requests, I only ask that my family be safe and healthy in this place."

Xue Lingfeng looked at Mo Lan, who had a serious expression, and nodded. When this girl said such things, it meant that she was giving him a chance. Having thought it through, he slightly tugged at the corner of his mouth.

After Xue Lingfeng left, Mo Lan slapped her forehead in frustration. Oh no, she still hadn't gotten the jade pendant back! Xue Lingfeng was determined not to give it to her. What method could she possibly use to get it back? Should she really give him a token of their love? No! She wouldn't do as he wished!

**************

The weather is getting colder and colder. The Mo family got up early to soak various beans. Today is Laba Festival, and according to custom, we should drink Laba porridge. The porridge should contain eight kinds of grains. Eight is not only an auspicious number, but it also means a bountiful harvest next year. The variety of grains is a good omen.

Mo Lan looked at the people handling various grains, their faces beaming with joy. It wasn't just because the New Year was approaching, but also because this year's harvest was good, and they had earned a lot of money, making their lives better and better.

"Brother, brother, sister-in-law, are you home?"

Shouts came from outside. The voice sounded panicked and trembled, but Mo Lan still recognized it as her second grandfather, Mo Jin's voice. What had happened this time?

"Hey, Jin, come in and warm up." Mo Quan quickly replied, pulling his brother inside to let him warm up.

Mo Lan frowned at Mo Jin's attire. Her second grandfather must have arrived in a hurry; his coat wasn't buttoned properly, he was only wearing a tattered hat, nothing around his neck, and his face was red from the cold. His expression showed great anxiety.

"Brother, sister-in-law, I need your help. Let's go inside and talk." Mo Jin looked at the people in the room, but he didn't say what it was right away, probably because he had something difficult to say.

Mo Quan and Wang Shi exchanged a glance, knowing that he was in trouble, otherwise he wouldn't be like this. The two of them went to Mo Quan's room with Mo Jin, and Mo Lan followed after thinking for a moment.

Once inside, Mo Jin sat down, opening and closing his mouth repeatedly, but no words came out.

"Jin, what's wrong? Tell me quickly, you're making me anxious!" Mo Quan was getting impatient. What could be wrong that had put his brother in such a difficult position? He was worried sick just watching.

"Brother, sister-in-law, I'm here to borrow money." Mo Jin gritted his teeth and finally spoke, his face flushed.

"I thought it was something serious. Look how anxious you are! How much is it? Your sister-in-law has some loose change. Just tell me." Mo Quan breathed a sigh of relief, finally feeling at ease.

"Fifty taels." The moment Mo Jin uttered the number, all three of them were stunned.

Mo Quan frowned as he looked at his brother. Fifty taels was no small sum. Why did he need so much?

"Jin, what do you need so much silver for? What's going on?" Mo Quan asked, needing to find out what was causing all this money.

“Brother, sister-in-law, I didn’t have the face to come. It’s all because Changsheng is such a disappointment! He lost again gambling a few days ago and got blacklisted by the gambling den. He owes us a hundred taels of silver, and we have to pay it back. How can we possibly have that kind of money? Even if we sold the remaining three acres of land, it wouldn’t be enough. There’s nothing to hunt in the mountains now. I don’t have the skills to hunt wild boars or bears. We’ve scraped together only twenty-odd taels of silver.” Mo Jin sighed deeply as he finished speaking.

"Hey, Jin, I'm not trying to criticize you, but Changsheng can't keep going like this. Gambling like this all the time isn't sustainable," Mo Quan advised his brother.

“How can I not say it? I’ve scolded him, I’ve hit him, but he still went anyway. I was planning to send these twenty-odd taels today. I’d let them have some time to prepare the rest. Who would have thought, who would have thought…” Mo Jin said, tears streaming down his face.

"What's wrong?" Mo Quan asked hurriedly.

“This morning, two burly men came. After getting off the carriage, they threw a cloth bag in front of us, saying we had been dragging our feet for too long and wanted some interest to show us. We opened it and found a bloody ear and a finger inside. My mother fainted on the spot. Those two bastards said the finger was chopped off yesterday, but it was too late to deliver it. Today they cut off an ear, and if we didn’t deliver it tomorrow, they would chop off a hand and deliver it instead. I… I really had no other choice but to beg you, brother and sister-in-law.” Mo Jin sobbed uncontrollably, tears streaming down his face.

Mo Lan sighed. Mo Changsheng had his ear cut off and a finger chopped off. Would he learn his lesson? Would he stop? If he not only didn't get better but also harbored resentment towards her family, it would be troublesome. But in the current situation, she couldn't just leave him to die; it wouldn't be right to watch him die.

"Ah! Changsheng has suffered so much. One hundred taels. Even if we give you fifty taels, it won't be enough. Where are you going to get the rest?" Mo Quan asked Mo Jin, furious with Mo Changsheng. This child is truly a menace; he's so old, why doesn't he learn to be good? He's dragged our family down like this. His brother is already this old and he's still causing him so much worry and anxiety; it's endless trouble!