Ch 32: My Wolf Husband

When Lin Shuishi noticed quite a few children and a few unfamiliar villagers around, he quickly patted Fuli’s shoulder, signaling that he wanted to walk on his own. Now that they were in the village, it would draw too much attention to be carried like that, especially with someone as unique as Fuli. Lin Shuishi imagined that by tomorrow, there would be at least eight or nine different rumors circulating through the village. So, he quickly asked Fuli to squat down, jumped off, decisively grabbed the rattan basket, and dashed ahead, running straight back home.

As he passed by the Zheng family’s gate on the slope, eldest sister-in-law Zheng was outside with a winnowing basket, sifting corn husks. Seeing Lin Shuishi coming up from the village, she called out to him, “Shuishi, what are you doing out so early in the morning?”

Lin Shuishi, feeling a bit self-conscious, glanced back at the road where Fuli was leisurely walking toward them. He stammered a response, “Just went up the mountain to gather some wild goods.” Then he took out several large bird eggs from the basket, saying, “Sister-in-law, you can cook or fry these for the kids; it’s good nourishment.”

Zheng Dajie had never seen such strange, large eggs before! Even regular chicken eggs were a rarity for them. She wanted to decline but looking at the few snot-nosed kids around her, her motherly instincts kicked in, and she couldn’t resist taking the eggs from Lin Shuishi’s hands, albeit a bit shyly.

“Well… We’re like family, so I won’t be too formal with you. Yesterday I…”

Before she could finish, her voice trailed off. Lin Shuishi followed her gaze and turned around, only to see Fuli, with a small wolf cub tucked under one arm, already catching up to him. With long strides, Fuli passed by the Zheng family’s gate without so much as a glance and headed up the slope.

Lin Shuishi had locked the front gate last night, so instead of using the front door, Fuli reached the wall that was over a person’s height, and with a single leap, he easily entered the courtyard.

Zheng Dajie was left staring wide-eyed, stammering as she pointed to the spot by the wall where Fuli had disappeared. “W-who is that? How did he get into your house like that? He looks terrifying.”

Lin Shuishi had no choice but to explain, saying that this was the benefactor who had saved him in the mountains. Now that he was recovering, Lin Shuishi had accompanied him to ensure he wouldn’t be in danger going up the mountain alone.

After explaining, Lin Shuishi quickly said his goodbyes to Zheng Dajie, thinking it best to leave quickly before saying something he might regret. He also wasn’t sure if the little black horse had made it home yet.

As Lin Shuishi walked away with the basket on his back, he left behind a speechless woman. Though she had been quite intimidated by Fuli’s imposing figure and demeanor, once he was out of sight, she stood at the gate, marveling at how handsome and strong he was—truly a real man!

She knew quite a bit about the family matters in the Zheng household and had heard from her in-laws that Lin Shuishi likely wouldn’t be marrying into their family to be with Dongsheng after all. It seemed there was something going on between him and that benefactor of his.

Zheng Dajie watched the young man struggling up the slope with his load, and then her thoughts wandered back to that mountain-like man she had seen earlier. Her face flushed as she sighed inwardly, wondering how Shuishi could possibly handle someone of such immense stature!

Her child tugged at her, asking for the eggs that Lin Shuishi had given them, snapping her out of her thoughts. She scolded herself for having such improper thoughts and quickly took her child inside to store the eggs safely.

Meanwhile, Lin Shuishi, after saying goodbye to Zheng Dajie, finally made it to his doorstep, still carrying the basket on his back. But when he reached out to push the door open, he suddenly froze.

Since they had left through the back slope the night before, the front door was still bolted from the inside!

He was about to call for Fuli to help, but then thought better of it, knowing that Fuli might not even bother to open the door. Just as he was about to look for something to pry the door open, the thick wooden door suddenly creaked and opened.

There stood the tall and imposing Fuli, his muscular frame even more pronounced in the sunlight. His iron-like hand gripped two large pieces of what used to be the door’s sturdy wooden bolt.

Lin Shuishi blinked in surprise and clicked his tongue in resignation—well, it seemed they wouldn’t need to bolt the door anymore. The door’s bolt had been cleanly snapped in two, something that no ordinary person could manage.

In the courtyard, the little black horse lay dejectedly in the empty livestock pen. It had been unable to keep up with Fuli’s speed the night before and had been sent back by Lin Shuishi. Frustrated, it had arrived at the door only to remember that horses can’t open doors! So, it had spent a chilly night in the pen, waiting for the humans to return. Lin Shuishi felt relieved when the little black horse came over to him, but seeing the frost on its long eyelashes, he felt guilty and immediately gave it several fruits from the basket as a peace offering.

With everyone back together, it was time to cook! Lin Shuishi was eager to put all the “goodies” he had brought back to good use. But when he opened the water jar, he found only a small puddle left at the bottom—just enough to make medicine for Fuli.

Sighing, Lin Shuishi remembered how Dongsheng had been pinned to the ground and choked by Fuli while trying to help him carry water. He felt genuinely sorry for involving him in such trouble.

So, Lin Shuishi fetched an old yoke from the side room, along with two new buckets that Uncle Zheng had recently made. He opened the door and headed for the river.

Along the way, he encountered some fellow villagers also fetching water. Seeing a young man carrying such a heavy load in the middle of winter, they couldn’t help but ask whose household he belonged to and why he was out doing such heavy labor. Lin Shuishi just smiled cheerfully, not minding at all—he had always considered himself a responsible man.

What this responsible man didn’t know was that Fuli was quietly following him the entire way.

Fuli observed every person they passed, scrutinizing their intentions and behaviors with the same focus and strategy he would use while hunting.

Finally, as Lin Shuishi reached the riverbank, Fuli made up his mind. He believed he could do it.

Lin Shuishi had just bent down to fill his bucket from the warm river when he noticed a large hand reaching out beside him to grasp the bucket. The distinctiveness of that hand left no doubt about who it belonged to. Surprised, Shuishi looked up to see Fuli seriously holding the bucket.

“I need to fetch water to cook…,” Lin Shuishi started, unsure whether to stop Fuli or not. He still harbored some fear—while the villagers who had encountered Fuli were only intimidated by his overwhelming presence, Lin Shuishi knew this man’s true wildness and ferocity. Fuli was the most formidable beast, the unrivaled ruler of Dongshan.

But Fuli ignored Lin Shuishi’s hesitation. He grabbed the bucket, bent his knees, and mimicked the movements of the other villagers at the river, filling the bucket perfectly. Then, following their method, he carefully hung the buckets on either side of the yoke, spreading his arms to maintain the balance.

However, as soon as he placed his arms on the yoke, there was a sharp “crack”—the sturdy yoke snapped clean in two.

Fuli froze, and Lin Shuishi couldn’t help but laugh. He had been feeling nervous, but now he covered his mouth and chuckled. The scene was just too amusing—this invincible beast king of the mountains, defeated by a simple yoke meant for ordinary humans.

But Lin Shuishi thought to himself, It’s the same yoke, but how could it handle the same shoulders? Fuli’s body was like iron, with the strength to shake mountains—how could a mere bamboo yoke withstand the pressure of his arms?

“Never mind, the yoke just wasn’t sturdy enough. We can carry the buckets by hand instead,” Lin Shuishi said, accepting Fuli’s help and instinctively trying to make excuses for him.

But Fuli didn’t back down. His eyes narrowed dangerously, and without a word, he grabbed the buckets and the broken yoke and disappeared in just a few strides. Lin Shuishi scratched his head, still chuckling, and hurried after Fuli as they headed home.

Even though the task had been a failure, for some reason, Lin Shuishi felt strangely happy—like a little sparrow that had witnessed a tiger’s blunder and, rather than fleeing, decided to chase after it, laughing to itself. He didn’t realize that at any moment, the beast could pounce, break his wings, and clamp down on his frail body.

As Lin Shuishi jogged along the riverbank back toward the slope, he noticed several men carrying yokes and coming down to fetch water, all with looks of shock and bewilderment. Curious, he looked ahead and suddenly froze, his smile fading.

Fuli was upstream, barely covered by a simple animal skin, his arms almost bare.

He had given up on those “useless” items and directly carried a heavy, enormous water jar, tossing it into the river upstream. After filling it with water, he tested its weight by lifting it slightly and then hoisted the full jar onto his shoulder, effortlessly walking back.

Before leaving, he turned his head, glancing at Lin Shuishi from a distance with his dark golden eyes. Then he tilted his head, signaling Lin Shuishi to follow.

Lin Shuishi hesitated, but seeing that Fuli wouldn’t move until he did, and aware of how much attention Fuli was attracting, he had no choice but to awkwardly follow behind, being led back home by Fuli.

Not long after, the village began to buzz with rumors—about the young man from the Lin family who had returned, about the handsome man who was close to him, and about how that man seemed so poor that he couldn’t even afford proper clothing.

As a result, the village’s gossipy aunts couldn’t sit still. They hadn’t seen Fuli, but they had heard that Lin’s son had come back, so they wanted to visit and take a look. After all, they reasoned, even if Lin Shuishi was an orphan now, His father had been a respectable man in his day, and his only son, even if he was just a ger, surely deserved better than a brute who couldn’t even afford clothes.

Meanwhile, Lin Shuishi hardly left the house. One morning, when he woke up groggily, he saw Fuli standing by a basket of wolf fur, tilting his head in puzzlement as he stared at it.

When Lin Shuishi got closer to see what was happening—oh, what a surprise! The basket of speckled eggs had hatched three gray, fuzzy chicks. One of the eggs still occasionally shook, with a tiny yellow beak poking at the hard shell from inside. The chick inside would rest occasionally to regain strength, then continue its relentless effort to break free.

Lin Shuishi hadn’t expected that, after enduring such harsh cold and turmoil, these eggs would still hatch, albeit sparsely. He cherished them, feeding and watering them daily, hoping to see them grow strong, spread their wings, and fly.

And who knows? If they stayed, he might have a steady supply of eggs.

Fuli, who had recently started eating eggs and cooked food, was gradually abandoning his wild eating habits, transforming almost suddenly as he strove to resemble “humans.”

He was becoming more and more “like” a person.

But it was only “like.” One night, Lin Shuishi awoke groggily and, in the dim light of the waning moon, accidentally witnessed the inner turmoil beneath Fuli’s calm exterior.

Fuli couldn’t digest human food properly. In the dead of night, with no one around, he would vomit until his eyes were bloodshot. Yet, the next day, he would still sit at the table with Shuishi, eating the soup and vegetables.

He was trying hard to prove himself, while at the same time, trying hard to conceal the struggle.