Chapter 67
Wang Jin curled his fingers, tightening his grip on the newly acquired belt hook he had prepared to give to the man, and hid it in his sleeve.
The next day, when the man went out hunting, A-Mu came to find Wang Jin with a small blanket. The blanket had been stitched into two layers, the inner layer thin and lightweight, the outer layer thickened, stuffed with down feathers in between.
Wang Jin gave Mu ger a puzzled look. Mu ger said, "A-Jin, you gave me so many down feathers. After making a quilt and clothes, I still had some left, so I stitched this small blanket for you. It’s quite warm."
Wang Jin frowned and refused, "I already said it was for A-Mu to keep warm. You should use it. The child in your belly shouldn’t get cold."
As he spoke, he took the blanket and draped it over Mu ger’s abdomen, which was slightly rounded but not yet obvious.
Mu ger lowered his head, gently stroking his belly with tender eyes. "He’s warm enough. This blanket should be for you, A-Jin. You’re also very sensitive to the cold."
With that, he picked up the blanket and tried to hand it back to Wang Jin.
Back and forth, the down feathers inside the blanket shifted around, clumping together in one spot, making the warmth distribution extremely uneven.
Wang Jin frowned, glancing at the blanket and then at the clothes Mu ger was wearing today.
Mu ger’s outfit today was also padded with down feathers, making the whole garment thicker. However... just like the blanket, the feathers had gathered at the hem due to movement, greatly reducing its insulating effect.
Wang Jin pressed his lips together, spread the blanket on the table, then hurried inside to fetch a sewing basket. From the basket, he pulled out a colored stone and used it to draw a grid pattern on the blanket.
"A-Mu, spread the down feathers evenly inside, then stitch along these lines to secure them. That way, they won’t keep shifting around."
Mu ger looked at it in surprise. "So that’s how it’s done! I was struggling with them always sinking to the bottom!"
Once he understood, Mu ger didn’t need further explanation. He quickly stitched the blanket and even took off his outer garment to sew it as well...
His hands moved so fast that Wang Jin couldn’t help but cheer him on. When it came to manual skills, Mu ger was undoubtedly one of the best.
"A-Jin, you mentioned before that you wanted to find something to divert the attention of the gers in the tribe. Is this what you meant?"
Wang Jin’s face showed a hint of confusion.
Seeing this, Mu ger sighed and reminded him, "That time when Yue ger deliberately provoked you and made you lose your temper. These days, the gers who were at leader's place have been praising Yu ger and Yue ger while slandering you. Though some have spoken up for you, they’re few. Everyone in the tribe is saying..."
Mu ger paused, as if unwilling to continue, then skipped ahead. "Anyway, have you thought of any ideas?"
"What are they saying?" Wang Jin was curious about the words Mu ger had omitted.
After all, those gers had spent time with him before, weaving cloth and making rouge together. He had even thought they were quite endearing. What were they saying about him now?
Mu ger rubbed his lips together a few times before carefully replying, "The rest isn’t worth knowing, but the most widespread rumor right now is... that A-Jin’s lunatic illness might have flared up again."
"..." So, in their eyes, that kind of behavior was equivalent to lunacy?
Sensing Wang Jin’s silence, Mu ger seemed afraid he would take it to heart and quickly added, "A-Jin’s health is fine. There’s no relapse. Don’t worry. Even if, by some remote chance, it did happen, I, Brother Heng, and A-Yuan will always stand by you."
Mu ger’s anxious reassurances made it seem like he truly feared this would leave a mark on Wang Jin’s heart. Wang Jin softened his gaze, giving Mu ger a sweet smile and nodding. "I know."
He knew these people would always be by his side.
Mu ger studied Wang Jin closely, confirming there was no trace of gloom on his face, before easing his own worry. Slowly, he said, "Then... right now..."
"Right now, A-Mu, first tell me who spoke up for me?" Wang Jin took over the conversation.
Mu ger froze, thought for a moment, then answered, "Hua ger’s younger brother Qing ger, Yu ger who lives near the leader, Xiao Ruo’s older brother Mian ger and younger brother Wan ger, and also Zhen ger and Jia ger, who used to follow Yu ger."
Out of all the gers in the tribe, only these few had defended him... That really was few.
Mentioning Zhen ger and Jia ger, Mu ger’s expression turned odd. After a moment of consideration, he added, "Zhen ger and Jia ger probably acted on Yu ger’s instructions."
Wang Jin waved his hand, indicating he understood.
Zhen ger and Jia ger were orphaned gers in the tribe, their parents and brothers had all died in hunts. Originally, they were supposed to be matched with beastmen after coming of age, but having grown up following Yu ger, they had grown accustomed to the good food and clothes under his care. They looked down on ordinary beastmen, which was why they remained unmarried until now.
Mu ger said, "Though those two are as domineering as Yu ger to outsiders, they’re quite loyal to him. They’ll do whatever he says."
Wang Jin nodded, thinking to himself, After raising them for so many years, of course they’d obey him.
Mu ger continued, "But Yu ger is also quite strange. Before, he kept saying..."
He paused, then said, "...those things about you, yet now he’s gone to such lengths."
Unable to openly defend Wang Jin himself, he had others do it, almost as if he were protecting Wang Jin like a friend.
Who would have thought? This was the same person who had once clashed with Wang Jin, insulted him, and even tried to steal Yuan Heng away from him.
Even now, the memory of Yu ger’s aggressive behavior toward Wang Jin and his coquettish, affected manner around Yuan Heng still occasionally flashed through Mu ger’s mind.
But now, not only had Yu ger’s appearance changed, his personality had too. The difference was so stark that Mu ger sometimes wondered if they were even the same person.
He often couldn’t reconcile the two versions of Yu ger, which was why, when he first saw the slimmer Yu ger, he couldn’t bring himself to direct the hostility he once felt toward the aggressive, fierce Yu ger onto him. The same was true afterward, even knowing they were the same person.
Of course, it also helped that Yu ger had never treated Wang Jin or himself that way again.
Hearing this, Wang Jin raised an eyebrow and replied, "Isn’t there an old saying? 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.'"
Before, Yu ger had seen him as an enemy, so he directed all his malice toward him... But now things were different. His enemy was Yue ger...
Wang Jin bared his teeth like a little beast. "Brother Heng is mine!"
"..." Mu ger’s eyebrow twitched. It was true that Yu ger had a preference for handsome men, but after Yuan Heng’s last warning - convincing him that leaving Wang Jin would cause his face to become disfigured again, Yu ger had lost all interest in Yuan Heng.
The last time Yuan Heng returned, Yu ger had bolted like a rabbit, clearly not trying to cling to Yuan Heng but afraid Yuan Heng might cling to him...
Given that, how had this ger in front of him gotten the idea that Yu ger still had designs on Yuan Heng?
Mu ger pressed his lips together and quickly steered the conversation back. "A-Jin, why do you want to know which gers spoke up for you?"
Wang Jin’s eyes gleamed with cunning. "Of course, to thank them."
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