If you don't consummate the marriage for three years and then marry a successful educated youth

Zhang Lan glared at her: "You..."

The sister-in-law snorted, picked up her hoe, and moved to another plot of land. Her voice drifted over on the wind: "You believe so much in what the Taoist priest says, but why didn't you hear him mention that it was his first marriage?"

"Do you think that Taoist priest knew that your daughter would remarry in the future? Otherwise, there would be no need to bring up her first marriage separately."

"Besides, city people are all cunning. Why would they treat your daughter so well? They probably have some schemes up their sleeves. You don't want to be sold out and still be counting the money for them."

The man tugged at her arm: "Wife, shut up. Do you really want to start a fight?"

The sister-in-law snorted: "You men just love to smooth things over. What did I say? This is all the truth. What, can't you even listen to it? Back then, that Taoist priest came to our door looking for water."

"The family hasn't been divided yet. I heard it clearly. People say Fengjiao is lucky, but they're talking about her first marriage. They didn't mention her second marriage."

"She's remarried now, and there's no such thing as a good person in the city. I just don't want her to be happy for nothing."

Zhang Lan couldn't stand it anymore and rushed over to pull her hair.

The two women quickly started fighting. The captain, his face dark, came over and ordered his men to pull them apart: "That's enough. How old are you? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"

"Alright, what exactly caused the fight?"

"Hmph, it's nothing, we just bickered."

Zhang Lan didn't want the Taoist priest's affair to be made public, especially in front of her former in-laws. That would be too embarrassing, and she didn't want to do something so shameful.

The captain didn't bother with the women's hair-twisting antics; they were pointless to argue about. He waved his hand and said, "Alright, let's split up and get back to work."

He turned and walked away quickly.

*

On the other side, Wen Yao arrived at the foot of the hillside in the forest, bending down to dig up some kind of medicinal herb. She heard footsteps behind her, turned around and looked back: "Coming, come and help me dig this herb."

Gu Erge hummed in response, then subconsciously looked around. Not seeing the burly figure, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He crouched down and dug, whispering, "Little sister, hasn't the black bear come?"

"...Second brother, his name is Jiang Lie. Don't give people nicknames so easily. Also, why are you here today? Are Father, Mother, and eldest brother all well?"

"Yes, everything is fine, don't worry."

Wen Yao's gaze fell on the bites on his face, and her lips twitched: "How did your face get bitten like this by mosquitoes? Didn't you burn any mugwort? Look at the state your face is in."

Gu Erge touched his face, grinning, "It's nothing, it's nothing. Men don't rely on their looks to make a living, it doesn't matter if you're a little ugly. Little sister, why are you digging for herbs today?"

"Is that guy nice to you? Does he bully you?"

"Ah Lie is very good to me, Second Brother, don't be so hostile towards him. He may look a bit fierce, but he's a really nice person and very considerate to me."

Remembering the purpose of her visit, Wen Yao took out an oil paper package from her bag and handed it over: "This is for you. I picked some insect-repelling leaves in the mountains. Put one on your body at night and mosquitoes won't come near you."

Gu Erge's eyes lit up: "Really? These leaves are so magical!"

Suddenly her expression changed: "Wait, how did you go to the mountains to pick them? You weren't alone, were you? My goodness, what's your husband good for? Letting you go into the mountains alone."

"What if you encounter a wild animal? You're a girl who can't even kill a chicken, how would he possibly take care of you...?"

Wen Yao raised her hand and smacked him on the head, interrupting his incessant chatter: "Second brother, your nagging habit is getting worse. Who told you I went into the mountains alone?"

"Ah Lie accompanied me there. There are many good medicinal herbs in the deep mountains. I went there to collect herbs and process them. Now more and more patients are coming to me, and I don't have enough herbs to prepare."

"Look how prejudiced you are against him. How could he possibly let me go into the mountains alone? Can you be nicer to him in the future?"

Gu Erge pouted and said irritably, "You slapped my head? You have no manners at all, hmph."

As he spoke, he opened the oil paper package, took out a white leaf, and looked somewhat confused: "Aren't all tree leaves green? This needs photosynthesis, right?"

"Little sister, my grades aren't good, but you can't try to fool me. What kind of tree has white leaves? How can it grow like that?"

Wen Yao said irritably, "This is good stuff. I didn't pick many to begin with. You take one bag, my in-laws take one bag, and we'll keep some for ourselves. It'll be very useful. Don't be ungrateful."

"Make sure to wrap it up tightly so that it doesn't leak air. This leaf can keep mosquitoes away for three days if you put it on your body. Replace it with another leaf when it stops working."

"By the way, when it's not working, you can burn some kerosene in it. The smell can repel a lot of mosquitoes. The main thing is that it doesn't have a pungent smell, unlike mugwort which is so strong."

Seeing that his younger sister wasn't teasing him, Gu Erge quickly folded the oil paper package and carefully placed it inside his clothes: "Okay, I know. You also need to take good care of yourself."

"Oh, and I have some good news for you. I overheard my older brother talking to Dad. They said the city is dealing with those people, and we'll probably be exonerated soon."

Wen Yao's eyes lit up: "Really? That's great! Once you can go home, I can change my surname back to Gu, and you won't have to suffer anymore."

"He has a stable job at the university, but you should avoid him. He's too cunning and meticulous. He's bound to have a backup plan, and it's not that easy for him to fall."

Gu Erge's lazy face became more serious: "Yes, I understand, don't worry."

Wen Yao returned home with her basket on her back before noon.

As darkness fell, mosquitoes began to emerge, biting and sucking human blood with abandon. The sound of swatting filled the air as the Gu family huddled together, talking in hushed tones.

Gu Erge took out an oil paper package and gave each of them a piece. He wrapped the rest in oil paper and handed it to them, saying, "Mother, you keep this safe and make sure it doesn't get damp."

"These are... leaves? Why are you sorting these things, kid?"

"Oh, I didn't take this. My little sister brought it to me during the day. She said it's really effective against mosquitoes. One piece can keep you from getting bitten by mosquitoes for three days."

"Ugh, I didn't sleep a wink last night. I was bitten so badly, look what my handsome face looks like now."

Looking at his younger brother's face, Brother Gu's shoulders trembled as he couldn't help but laugh: "Ahem, I told you to cover your head, but you didn't want to. Now your face is too ugly to show anyone."

"Apply the ointment tonight, and I'll fumigate with mugwort; it'll make you feel a bit better tonight."

Gu Erge waved his hand and pulled his eldest brother back: "It's okay, little sister said there's no need to go to so much trouble. Just carry this leaf with you tonight, and you'll be guaranteed to be free from mosquito bites."

"Well, let's give it a try. My sister is very steady. If she says so, it must be useful. It's just that these white leaves are really special. I've never seen anything like them before."

"Oh, I don't care about anything else, as long as I can sleep soundly at night, anything is fine."