Chapter 22: Vernacular

The group rested for two quarters of an hour, and everyone except Li Qi had recovered.

Although Li Qi was still a bit tired, he finally managed to perk up, and at first glance, he seemed to have recovered.

However, only he himself could feel that he was still a bit weak, like the feeling after doing two hundred frog jumps, resting for a while, seemingly recovered and able to walk and run, but with his inner thighs still trembling.

The Merchant groups also came up to greet Li Qi, trying to get close, praising him as a strong man, a brave warrior, a true man, and expressing their gratitude.

Li Qi wasn't too aloof; he also smiled and exchanged pleasantries with them, after all, everyone worked together last night to overcome the difficulties, which could be considered having risked their lives together.

If it weren't for the formation of bladed weapons made of choppers, Li Qi would have probably been dealt with in two or three moves against those black mists.

Even with the bladed weapons formation, without Ba Kui fighting desperately alongside him, they would most likely have been finished.

It can only be said that last night was truly good luck.

Having overcome the difficulties together, their relationship naturally grew closer.

When dawn broke, everyone's strength recovered, and they chopped wood to make a fire, throwing dried rice cakes made from spirit rice, similar to rice cakes, into the pot to boil, adding salt and freshly gathered wild vegetables to make a pot of rice cake soup. A group of people gathered around the bonfire, drinking soup and chatting, utterly content.

“Li Qi, this time it’s truly fate. If we hadn’t happened to run into each other, and then happened to meet again at night, both of our groups would probably have been in grave danger. But since we met, it turned out for the best! Hahaha.” A Merchant raised his bowl, took a sip of soup, chewed on the softened rice cakes, and chuckled.

“Yes, it’s truly luck,” Li Qi agreed, then took a sip himself.

These rice cakes, hard as stone when dry, became soft and glutinous like New Year's cakes when cooked. With the wild vegetables, they were truly fragrant and much tastier than what he usually ate.

While he was agreeing, A Du sat down again.

“Brother Li, that woman still hasn’t woken up. Are you really planning to carry her to Feng County? Even if you manage to carry her there, if she still doesn’t wake up, are you going to find a doctor for her? How will that money be accounted for? Even if you find a doctor and she doesn’t recover and dies, you might end up with a murder lawsuit, and the authorities will investigate. It’s not worth it,” A Du said to Li Qi.

“Then what else? Should I leave her here now and let her die?” Li Qi rubbed his temples in distress, feeling a persistent headache.

Didn’t he know what A Du was saying?

Saving someone meant inviting a lot of trouble for himself. Once in the city, he would have to explain to the guards what happened to this person, and if she remained unconscious, he would likely have to treat her. If she couldn’t be saved, abandoning her directly could lead to a murder charge.

Furthermore, even if the woman woke up, should he still take care of her? If so, would he have to look for her family? What about her food, drink, and bodily needs? The woman's clothes were tattered, so she obviously needed a change, and changing clothes was not a small expense, at least twenty or thirty coins.

But if he didn't care and simply abandoned her alone on the street, how would that be different from directly killing her? It was all too normal for a weak woman alone to be abducted by rogues.

“If you ask me, just leave her here to fend for herself, as if you never saved her. We risked our lives to pull her out of the hands of demons; we’ve already saved her life. If she dies again, it’s not our fault,” A Du suggested to Li Qi.

The other Merchants also nodded, supporting A Du's suggestion.

“Brother A Du is a sensible person. When traveling, don’t bring more trouble upon yourself.”

“We’ve already saved her life; she should be grateful to us. We can’t have her repaying kindness with enmity and causing us trouble, can we? We’re all suffering people, why make things difficult for each other?”

“Exactly, Brother Li, you’re traveling alone in this severe winter, which clearly means you have important matters to attend to. How can you be dragged down by this woman?”

The Merchants spoke one after another, as if it were a serious matter, as if bringing this woman along would make it impossible to move forward.

However, the leader of these Merchants, the burly man named Ba Kui, looked at the woman repeatedly and suddenly smiled: “Haha, Li Qi, you haven’t married yet, have you?”

At these words, the chattering Merchants all fell silent.

Including A Du, everyone’s faces showed subtle smiles.

Those who didn’t understand or hadn’t reacted, upon seeing the expressions on their companions’ faces, suddenly realized and showed the same expression.

“I see this woman has a beautiful face and a good figure. Her skin is smooth, and she doesn’t have calluses or scars, so she probably hasn’t done any rough work. Such a woman looks good, but she’s not one for managing a household. Brother Li Qi, don’t be blinded by her beauty. Marrying this kind of woman is only for temporary pleasure, but you’ll suffer for the rest of your life,” Ba Kui said to Li Qi earnestly, seeming very experienced.

“That’s right, Li Qi, this woman looks pretty, but her buttocks aren’t big, and her waist is thin. She looks like she’d have a difficult birth. Besides, this kind of woman can’t carry or lift anything, she can’t help with household chores. Even if she gives birth, how will she manage the children? You can’t always be busy at home and neglect outside matters, can you? Who will earn money then?”

“I think so too. Even in the best-case scenario, this woman learns to do chores, but as long as she works, within two years, she’ll become like our wives. By then, her face will be ugly, her waist will be thick, and she still won’t be efficient at work, and you’ll have to teach her everything. That’s a real loss!” Someone slapped his thigh and commented.

“Exactly, if you’re really craving that kind of smooth skin, there are plenty of brothels and courtesan houses in the city. Just go when you’re craving it, why keep one at home? She can’t do anything or help with the livelihood.”

Several Merchants chattered, speaking as if it were all true.

“I, however, think Brother Li is suited for this kind of woman,” A Du said something different at this point.

“Although we’ve only known each other for two days, Brother Li acts with courage and strategy, with method and order, and he is capable, even knowing arcane arts. He doesn’t bully others with his strength. If you ask me, he will definitely be able to earn money and acquire some property in the future. What’s so difficult about finding a few servants to attend to things? By then, will he still be afraid of a beautiful wife getting ugly from doing rough work?” A Du said with a chuckle, drinking his soup.

“Haha, A Du really knows how to talk!”

“What do you mean ‘knows how to talk’? I think Brother Li is someone who will achieve great things!”

The Merchants also chimed in, but it was clear they were flattering him, saying nice things, yet not as sincerely as before.

Li Qi, however, was left speechless by them.

What were these people thinking…? Picking up a random woman by the roadside, how did it suddenly turn into him having to marry her?