The Fortunate Lady and Her Mountain Man

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Ji Mingfang’s Fury

Ji Huan thought she had been too slow and was holding him up. She was about to step aside to let him go first when she suddenly realized something.

’That’s not right. Doesn’t the Ji Family have its own private well in their courtyard? What is Ji Mingfang doing here?’

Ji Mingfang didn’t look at her. He grabbed the rope, gave it a few quick shakes, and then turned the crank. A bucket, about eighty percent full, was lifted up.

Then, he lowered the second wooden bucket into the well.

Snapping out of her daze, Ji Huan quickly went over to see exactly how he did it.

For the first shake of the rope, he angled it slightly downward, forcing a little water into the bucket. Once it had some weight, it wasn’t as buoyant. The second time, he just needed to find the right angle and apply the proper force.

’So it was that simple!’

Just as Ji Huan was about to thank him, Ji Mingfang had already turned and walked away.

’This older cousin of mine has always been so difficult.’

Ji Huan grabbed the carrying pole and hung a bucket on each of the curved hooks. She squatted down, braced the center of the pole against one shoulder, gathered her strength, and heaved—but it didn’t budge.

’The weight must be unbalanced.’

She tried positioning the pole across both her shoulders, gathered her strength, and heaved—still no luck.

’Looks like I overestimated myself and underestimated the weight of two full buckets.’

Just as she was about to pour out half the water from each bucket, Ji Mingfang returned.

Without a word, he took the carrying pole from her, lifted the two buckets with little effort, and headed directly for her dilapidated shack.

Only then did Ji Huan notice a basket of pig feed nearby. ’So that’s what he was doing this morning? He went up the mountain to gather pig feed?’

Ji Huan snapped back to reality, quickly took Dabao by the hand, and slung the basket of pig feed over her arm to follow him.

Ji Huan knew that Ji Mingfang walked with a slight limp in his left foot.

The path to the shack was uneven. Although his strength and build made carrying two buckets of water easy, he struggled to keep his balance. A good amount of water sloshed out of the buckets.

Halfway there, Ji Huan couldn’t stand it any longer. She almost told him several times to put the buckets down, figuring she could manage to get them back on her own, even if it took a while.

Perhaps sensing Ji Huan staring at him, her gaze lingering too long on his bad leg, Ji Mingfang’s body gradually tensed. His already unsteady steps grew more erratic. He missed his footing on a raised patch of ground and nearly fell.

Ji Huan rushed forward to steady him, but he pushed her away, his lips pressed into a thin line. He readjusted the pole on his shoulder and trudged on without a word.

’Her cousin had always been like this, as she recalled. He had endured so many strange looks because of his leg; one could only imagine how sensitive he was. If she were to ask him to put the buckets down now, it wouldn’t be seen as considerate. It would be a backhanded blow disguised as pity.’

Ji Huan averted her gaze and started talking to Dabao instead. As she expected, Ji Mingfang didn’t seem as tense anymore.

Her heart was in her throat the whole way, but they finally made it to the shack without further incident.

Ji Mingfang helped her pour both buckets of water into the large vat, then turned and left without a word. He hadn’t said a single unnecessary thing from start to finish.

Watching his sensitive expression and rigid back, Ji Huan swallowed the "thank you" she hadn’t managed to say.

’But she felt like she was forgetting something... What was it?’

It was only when she saw the basket of pig feed on her arm that she remembered: Ji Mingfang had forgotten to take it with him!

’He came out at the crack of dawn to gather it. If he went back empty-handed, he might not even get breakfast, and he’d definitely get a scolding.’

At this thought, Ji Huan hurried after Ji Mingfang.

Ji Mingfang himself only remembered the pig feed once he was back at the Ji Family’s house.

In the main hall, the family was nearly finished with breakfast. When Mrs. Zhu saw him return empty-handed, she let out a snide "Oh?" and said sarcastically, "What did you do this morning, go up the mountain to admire the scenery? Was everyone supposed to wait for you to eat?"

Ji Mingfang glanced at the scraps left on the table and said nothing.

Granny Kang’s expression was just as sour. "Didn’t I tell you to go gather pig feed? Where is it?"

"Mother, you’re making things too hard for him," Mrs. Zhu said, pursing her lips and shaking her head. "With his weak shoulders and arms, what can he possibly do? It’s a miracle he doesn’t cause more trouble. Look, he didn’t bring back a single stalk of feed, and he even lost the basket." She continued, "You should just stay home and be a freeloader. The family doesn’t have an endless supply of baskets for you to lose."

"And the family doesn’t have enough food to feed freeloaders!" Granny Kang slammed her hand on the table. "Go find that basket for me right now! If you can’t find it, you don’t have to eat today!"

Ji Mingfang’s face flushed red. He turned and walked out.

He tried to walk quickly, but couldn’t, which only made his limp more pronounced.

The sight was even more of an eyesore to Granny Kang.

"How did the Ji Family end up raising such a useless cripple!"

She said it deliberately loud. Ji Mingfang, who hadn’t gone far, heard every word clearly. His steps faltered to a halt.

But Mrs. Zhu, ever the troublemaker, chimed in, "Thankfully, our Mingmao is able-bodied, with strong arms and legs. Mingmao, you can’t grow up to be a useless freeloader that everyone despises, you hear?"

"Mother, I don’t want to be a good-for-nothing like my cousin! I want to be like Fourth Uncle, study hard and become a high official!"

"Oh, my Mingmao is just so promising..."

Yang, who had kept her head down the entire time, glanced at her son’s rigid back. She mumbled to Mrs. Zhu, "Sister-in-law, please don’t talk about Mingfang like that..."

"What? Am I wrong?" Mrs. Zhu rolled her eyes. "A cripple is a cripple, and a good-for-nothing is a good-for-nothing. Am I not allowed to say it?"

Yang turned her pleading eyes to her mother-in-law.

Granny Kang’s anger boiled over. "And isn’t this all your fault? For generations, no one in our Ji Family has had a disability. Then you gave birth to a crippled son! If my eldest wasn’t so stubborn, I would have made him divorce you long ago! He can’t do anything all day. If he’s not a good-for-nothing, what is he? This is outrageous..."

The hands at his sides clenched into tighter and tighter fists. Self-loathing and shame could not extinguish the fire of rage churning in his chest. This time, unlike all the others, Ji Mingfang did not retreat to his room.

He spun around and stared directly at Granny Kang. "Is my leg really my mother’s fault? I thought you, of all people, knew the truth, Grandma."

Granny Kang froze.

She had been the head of the household for so many years and was used to having her way. She couldn’t stand anyone challenging her authority. In the entire Ji Family, besides that brain-damaged jinx, no one had ever dared to speak to her like that.

To be contradicted by her eldest grandson—the one she despised most of all—was like pouring oil on a fire.

Granny Kang slammed her bowl onto the floor. In a few swift motions, she swept all the remaining food from the table onto the ground.

"Eat! Go on, eat! I feed you all this good food, and for what? To raise a bunch of useless layabouts! You’re good for nothing but talking back to your elders! If you’ve got so much nerve, then don’t eat the Ji Family’s food!"

Her tantrum scared everyone else into backing away, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire. The head of the family, Ji Qingshan, had finished eating early and gone to tend the cattle, so there was no one around to keep her in check.

The couple from the eldest branch were trembling, wanting to intervene but not daring to.

Ji Mingfang’s chest heaved. The fire that had been suppressed in his heart for more than a decade was burning so hot he felt he would go mad.

"You think I give a damn..."

"Mingfang!" Yang shrieked, running out to grab his arm and drag him toward the east wing of the house.

Granny Kang stormed out of the main hall with her hands on her hips, jabbing a finger in their direction.

"Let him speak! I want to hear just what this good-for-nothing has to say for himself!"

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