The Ger's Contract Marriage [BL]
Chapter 458: Weird Uncle

Chapter 458: Weird Uncle

"Y...you...you," The uncle driving the Bullock cart was having a problem getting his words out for some reason. The stuttering was mostly blocked out as Xu Zeng tried to focus on the reassuring weight against his chest and the warmth engulfing his right hand.

The two sensations were keeping him rooted in the moment. Xu Hu Zhe and the Da Long and Xiao Long duo were anchoring him somehow, even as his body and mind both desired freedom.

Freedom from what? Freedom from his decisions. Xu Zeng wished he didn’t need his shell, but since his nephews had stopped growing, their development had come to a complete halt, watching them stay in that limbo for another several months would be a painful experience in itself.

He didn’t want to force his nephews to stay this way until springtime. Xuan Jian was of the Torran Clan, yet he didn’t have an all-powerful artifact to help his children hatch. Even with all of Xu Zeng’s own efforts, the combined items he’d found in Nanshan forests weren’t enough.

His egg shell and the unstable energy attached to it was the only right answer he could imagine right now. And this right answer had a time limit that was pushing him past his own limits.

The rocking and cracking of the cart was doing nothing for Xu Zeng, it didn’t feel good, but he wasn’t in nearly as bad a situation as Bai Mo. The fox was on the other side of Xu Hu Zhe, and was being held close by the man, his face pale as he bit his lips.

Xu Zeng would want to do the same— support the fox— even as he felt rather unstable himself. Having Xu Hu Zhe be consistent and reliable when neither of them could be, was reassuring. It was nice having someone to rely on. Correction: it was amazing have two people to rely on.

"You th..three," The uncle finally got out the second word after bouts of stammering. Normally this wouldn’t bother Xu Zeng, but no matter how he was feeling, the eyes the man looked at them with wasn’t quite right.

He would peek at Bai Mo’s ears, then look at Xu Hu Zhe’s arms around both Xu Zeng and Bai Mo, and then look at Xu Zeng’s ears (unpierced). He could pass for a man with the mask on, but the ambiguous hold on Xu Hu Zhe wasn’t helping that case and neither was his mask.

They were a group of unmarried young people, with what seemed to be an ambiguous relationship.

"Where are you three heading?" The Bullock Cart uncle finally asked, and Xu Zeng rolled his eyes, not answering the seemingly simple question.

He may have grown up here, but it had been over 7 years since he rode a bullock cart (willingly), and that was before his dad grew pregnant— back when life was simpler. And even then, it wasn’t a frequent occurrence.

His dad was a private person, for good reason. They were foreigners in this land, and his dad needed to protect his identity. They never mingled too much. For all his kindness, even though he was reserved, after his dad’s death, no one had ever stood up for Xu Zeng.

It was the people who seemed to be the closest— the ones who would frequently come by to borrow this or that— that talked the most about his ger-dad after his death.

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"Only a ger after 11 years of marriage! I thought city dwellers were more capable than us villagers!"

"Kekeke. Even after spending all that silver to make up for his lack of skills on the farm, his husband still remarried even before the grieving period ended!"

"What’s the point of being a delicate and refined ger? He still can’t compare to a woman!"

"He could only give birth to a ger. He was finally pregnant with two sons, and lost them both. If it was me, I would be happy to die too."

"Such a shameless ger, everyone knows he tried to seduce our husbands with that delicate act? What makes him so different from us just because he grew up in a city? He still married a farmer after all!"

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Xu Zeng physically shook his head as he tried to dispel the onslaught of insults thrown at his dead dad. They had fallen like a torrent from the death of three to his supposed "father’s" remarriage, and beyond.

The wagging of tongues had never stopped. The insults thrown at his dad and himself were ceaseless. Some at least pitied him enough, not to say it to his face, but not everyone was so kind.

Many enjoyed watching him go from a pampered ger, doted on by his dad, to the unnamed slave of the Xu household in Sun Village. The ger who slept in the pigpen while his "father" used his dad’s dowry to raise his new wife and raise new, useful children— sons.

This uncle looked like his tongue would wag without end. Xu Zeng regretted his silver hair once again. It had been something he’d come to hate after his dad’s death. He could never hide it, or his presence because of the striking color.

He came to love it again when his inheritance came in, and he saw his brother. They had the same striking silver hair— his brother was his lifeline, so why wouldn’t he want to look like Xu Feng?

But now, he wished he could blend into the early morning air, or become a fly— so insignificant and unnoticeable as it flew around the cattle lugging the cart they sat on. There was no way he wouldn’t be recognized.

A mask was useful, but not enough. He didn’t know the uncle, but that didn’t mean the uncle wouldn’t know someone who would know someone, who would remember the unlucky ger that was "lucky" enough to be married out of the village by his "kind" stepmother.

The uncle noticed no one was answering him, and put on a sheepish grin, but not for a moment did he take his eyes off the three strange passengers on his bullock cart. The mask of a kind older man wasn’t thick enough.

The red hair ger with two uncovered fox ears poking out of his hair was enough to draw one’s attention. Another view of interest was the overly tall black-haired man wearing a delicate white mask who was holding two gers or possibly a ger and a man so unabashedly on his cart.

Fondling could happen on a bullock cart— although this wasn’t a case of fondling, but who knows how the story would change after their departure— but the obvious animal traits, height, and combination of the unmarried trio was too much gossip fuel.

"Wherever the young masters are going. Our local is rich, and all the villages in this area are known for our wheat, the best in the prefecture. The young masters should consider doing business here, even owning a property for relaxation has been done by several young masters in Aran Town."

The man began to grow bolder and bolder. If no one was answering him, who cares!? He could chat up a storm all on his own!

If no one was interested in sharing information with him, who cared!? He could still highlight the businesses tied to his family and make a profit!

After all, all young masters were the same. They only came to the countryside to play. The ambiguous position the three were in, wasn’t helping their case at all.

If no one wanted to talk to him, who cares? The uncle would sell to them. Shame was only momentary, silver was much more beneficial.

Xu Zeng’s brows furrowed as the uncle’s tongue wagged on and on. He knew very well, that the man was over-exaggerating the specialties of the area. Their wheat was not well known in the prefecture. They did have some fruits that were particularly sweet in the spring, but in the fall, none of their fruits were too spectacular as he exaggerated.

His feelings were right, this uncle wasn’t simple at all. Xu Zeng tugged back at the warm hand anchoring him. Xu Hu Zhe leaned a bit closer to him imperceptibly.

Xu Zeng couldn’t help but smile, this man was someone he was naturally drawn to, simple, honest, hardworking, but also smart— he should have noticed this uncle wasn’t a good thing at all, his own life experiences had sharpened his caution around people.

Instead of speaking his plans aloud for the nosey uncle to overhear, Xu Zeng began spelling out his plans and next steps into Xu Hu Zhe’s palm.

They never planned to go directly to Sun Village, it was too eye-catching. Being too eye-catching was something they didn’t need to work hard at. Taking an entire carriage was overkill.

Although leaving their carriage in Aran Town, and the use of their cloaks hadn’t been too helpful. The ears, masks, silver hair, and enormous heights weren’t easily cloaked.

Now, Xu Zeng wanted to completely abandon the idea of visiting his dad. It was debated long and hard by the few elders of the Xu Clan in Sun Village, but they eventually chose to add his dad to the Sun Village shrine.