The Fortunate Lady and Her Mountain Man

Chapter 119: Chapter 119: Obsession and Guidance

After the meal, Ji Huan had Hu Ximei stay behind to chat for a while.

Actually, she had noticed it long ago. Whether it was going to town to set up their stall, the housewarming banquet some time ago, or even further back, the Hu Family had fallen into a fixed pattern: Hu Ximei was always the one left behind to watch the house.

Before, she was responsible for looking after her little nephew and niece, as well as doing the housework. Still, she could at least sneak away for a break now and then. If she wanted to go out and play, she just had to take Xiao’an and Hua with her.

Ever since they brought Granny Xie over, she didn’t even have that small bit of time anymore.

Granny Xie was paralyzed and bedridden, unable to care for her own eating, drinking, or toilet needs. Unless someone in the family could take her place, Hu Ximei couldn’t go anywhere.

Whenever Dacheng came back from packing up the stall in town, he would animatedly describe how fun and lively it was. And every time, Ji Huan could see the unconcealable disappointment and gloom on Hu Ximei’s face.

It’s not scarcity that breeds discontent, but inequality.

Sensible children, in particular, are often sensitive—one could even say they overthink things. If she wasn’t guided through this in time, it could even affect the rest of her life.

"Ximei, your mother and your brothers—it’s not that they don’t care about you. They’re just used to this way of life. They spend all day thinking about how to support the family, so it’s inevitable that they fall short when it comes to showing they care... But they all love you dearly. I’m sure you can feel that, right?"

Hu Ximei nodded, her expression softening a little.

She truly saw how hard her mother and two older brothers worked.

Ji Huan changed the subject. "But there are also things you’re not doing right."

Hu Ximei was taken aback. Her first reaction was to blame herself. "I really shouldn’t be envious of my brothers..."

"Thinking like that is even more wrong," Ji Huan interrupted her.

"You’re unhappy, but you tell them you’re happy. You clearly want something, but you tell them you don’t. You’re obviously not full, but you tell them you are. Your mother and Dacheng are not the most perceptive by nature. And while Liangzi is a bit more thoughtful, he’s too busy earning money to think too deeply about it. So naturally, they believe whatever you say. And in turn, you end up feeling sad because they neglect you."

Hu Ximei lowered her head and stammered, "It’s my fault..."

Ji Huan patted her shoulder. "You just want your family’s attention. There’s nothing wrong with that; you’re just not using the right method. You could actually try a different approach. Just say what’s on your mind. If you want something, take the initiative to ask for it. In front of your family, it’s okay to be a little ’less sensible’ once in a while."

It’s not that she didn’t understand these principles, but it was still hard to accept.

Someone has to take the first step and make a change. Otherwise, the knot in her heart would one day become an impossible tangle.

"C-can I?" Hu Ximei’s eyes widened.

’Wan is telling me not to be so sensible...’ She thought Wan’s words were a little strange, but she couldn’t help but feel tempted.

"How will you know if you don’t try? You have to make your presence known yourself. But let’s be clear about this first: whatever you express or ask for must be within your family’s ability to provide, understand? You can’t make limitless demands, and you certainly can’t build your happiness on someone else’s suffering. While you’re getting what you want, you also have to give them something of equal value in return. Loving someone is just as important as being loved, and it can bring you just as much happiness."

Hu Ximei nodded emphatically. "Okay, I’ll listen to you. Next time, whatever I’m thinking, I’ll just tell Mom and my brothers directly."

"That’s the spirit. As long as it’s something they can do, they’ll surely agree."

Hu Ximei felt a little shy again. "Wan, how do you know so much? No wonder everyone likes you so much."

’This "everyone" is probably limited to just the Hu Family,’ Ji Huan thought to herself.

Besides, everything she’d said was just from her own personal experience.

In fact, during her own adolescence, she had been just like Hu Ximei, especially obsessed with getting her parents’ attention.

In the first few years after she was taken back, her mother despised her accent and detested the "bad habits" she had picked up in the countryside. While ordering her to change, her mother gave her no shortage of cold looks.

The gap between a junior high in the countryside and one in the big city was enormous. She would tremblingly bring home a failing test for them to sign, only to be met with a heavy slap and the words, "How could we have given birth to something as stupid as you?!"

After that came endless cram schools and tutoring sessions.

For six whole years, she had no friends, no free time, not a single moment to herself.

She listened to the radio relentlessly to fix her accent. She earned first place in every subject. She practiced drawing and calligraphy day and night until she developed severe tenosynovitis... Everything she thought, everything she did, was just to hear a single word of praise from them, to earn their approval. She would do anything for it.

She didn’t want to study medicine but was forced to change her major. She didn’t want to be a doctor but was placed in a hospital. She never once fought back, believing that as long as she was outstanding enough, she would one day become their pride and joy.

It wasn’t until later that she learned that family of hers existed in name only. Her parents had long since built separate lives with other people, and one of them even had a child with their new partner. They remained married only for certain undisclosed reasons.

And she, the child who hadn’t even grown up by their side, had become completely redundant.

After she started working, she rented an apartment and moved out. Her parents didn’t even notice until half a year later.

It was right around that time that the obsession in her heart suddenly vanished.

She didn’t know if it was because she had finally given up hope, or because she had simply grown up.

Ji Huan snapped out of her memories and smiled at Hu Ximei. "Because the people who like you will like you no matter what, and the people who don’t like you won’t, no matter what you do."

This was the biggest difference between her and Hu Ximei.

The Hu Family loved Ximei; they just weren’t good at expressing it.

But she had been trying to catch fish by climbing a tree from the very beginning.

Fortunately, the thing she had tried so hard to get for so long was something she no longer cared for.

After their heart-to-heart, although the knot in Hu Ximei’s heart hadn’t been completely untied, you could see she was much more relaxed and had regained some of her former cheerfulness.

"Wan, you’ll never guess! The village chief came back this morning and gave his wife a beating!"

Gossip is a woman’s nature. Although Hu Ximei was still a girl, her talent in this area had already awakened.

Ji Huan found this incredible. The village chief was utterly henpecked. Could a slave truly turn the tables and sing a song of freedom?

She’d heard that if Mrs. Hong so much as coughed, it was enough to make his legs tremble. At home, he was constantly having his ear twisted or being forced to kneel.

Back when Mrs. Hong had refused to take in Mrs. Meng and Song Jing, the village chief hadn’t dared to go against her wishes. So what could possibly make him pluck the whiskers from a tiger’s head now? Could it be that he was drunk?

"Are you sure you don’t have it backward? Isn’t the village chief usually the one getting beaten?"

"How could I be wrong? Lots of people went to watch. The two of them fought from the main hall into the courtyard, and then from the courtyard out into the street. I went to see it too."

Hu Ximei thought of something funny and covered her mouth, giggling.

"The village chief’s cotton-padded jacket was torn to shreds, and his face was covered in bloody scratches..."

Ji Huan lost interest.

’Isn’t that what usually happens? What’s so surprising about it?’

"No, listen, Wan! After that, the village chief finally snapped! He pinned his wife to the ground and slapped her face with the sole of his shoe until it was swollen!"

Ji Huan hissed. Just hearing about it made her own face hurt.

’The village chief must not have just been drinking wine—he must have been drinking pure alcohol! Does he have a death wish?’

"What were they fighting about?"

"What else?" Hu Ximei leaned in close to her ear. "Apparently, the County Magistrate said something about needing to stabilize our morale or whatever... and then when the village chief got back, he saw that all the able-bodied men in the village were gone. When he found out the rumor about conscription had started from his own house..."

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