How could someone be unhappy living in a matriarchal society?

Chapter 18 Li Yu's Heart Flutters

“The back mountain is close to us, which is convenient for you to hunt. If you lose, you will have to go to the more distant Qishan to hunt in the future. It will take you two or three days to come back. She made this request on purpose.”

Shi An couldn't imagine how miserable he would feel if he were alone at home in the future and Chu Ci didn't come home at night.

The man's voice trembled with a sob, "My lady, I don't want you to go to any further places."

Seeing that he was really worried, Chu Ci took his hand.

"It's okay, don't you know my abilities? I won't lose."

Upon hearing this, Shi An slowly raised her head. Her clear, bright eyes glistened with tears, like two sparkling gems, evoking feelings of pity in one's heart.

"Really?" Shi An asked softly.

Chu Ci assured him, "Yes, really."

The man didn't say anything after hearing this, but he was still uneasy.

Upon seeing this, Chu Ci quickly tried to divert his attention.

"I'm so hungry, husband, when are we going to eat?"

Shi An was taken aback, then immediately turned around and ran into the kitchen. "I, I'll cook right now."

I was so focused on the competition that I completely forgot to cook. That was really wrong of me.

**

The next day, many villagers followed Chu Ci to the town.

Besides Wu Liu's family, even Li's mother and daughter, as well as Li Yu, went along to watch the excitement.

Shi An sat on the donkey, staring blankly at Chu Ci walking ahead.

The woman had broad shoulders, a slender waist, and long, straight legs; she had an excellent figure, and he was momentarily stunned by her beauty.

After realizing what had happened, the man raised his hand somewhat embarrassedly and touched his burning cheeks.

Honestly, I'm totally stunned. I saw plenty of beautiful and elegant women in Kyoto in my previous life, so why am I so easily distracted now?

More than half an hour later, a group of people arrived at the meat stall and found that there were also quite a few people there, all of whom had come to watch the excitement.

Zhang Quan strode over, surrounded by villagers from Eryuan Village, looking very smug.

But when she inadvertently caught sight of the person behind Chu Ci, a look of amazement flashed in her eyes. She subconsciously took a few steps closer and stared blankly at Shi An, asking, "You, who are you?"

Chu Ci stepped aside to block Zhang Quan, her face showing displeasure. "He is my husband."

Zhang Quan's eyes showed regret after hearing this, and after a long while he said sarcastically, "You are quite lucky."

Chu Ci frowned. "Enough with the nonsense. This isn't a competition. Hurry up and don't interfere with my business."

"Let's compete!" Zhang Quan was completely unafraid; she was confident she could win.

Zhang Quan walked up to a tall, middle-aged woman. The woman patted Zhang Quan on the shoulder and gave him some instructions.

"Don't bring shame to the Zhang family."

Zhang Quan's expression turned serious. "Yes, Mother."

Chu Ci glanced at the middle-aged woman again. It turned out that Zhang Quan had brought his mother with him. It seemed that she really valued today's competition.

The competition consisted of two parts: one was an archery contest, and the other was a martial arts contest.

Chen Hua and Song Zhao stood beside Chu Ci, massaging her shoulders to help her relax.

Song Zhao: "Chu Ci, good luck! It's up to you today."

Chen Hua: "Yes, Lao Chu, I believe you can definitely win."

Chu Ci nodded: "Thank you for your kind words."

In the back row, Song He and Li Yu stood next to Shi An and discussed the match together.

Song He: "Brother Shi An, do you think Sister Chu can win?"

Before Shi An could speak, Li Yu said confidently, "I believe she will definitely win."

Shi An glanced at him subtly, a faint smile appearing on her face. "My wife will always be the best."

Li Yu: "........."

Song He nodded, "Let's cheer for Sister Chu together."

The target was set more than ten zhang away, which was quite a distance. It would be impressive if an ordinary person could avoid missing the target, and hitting the bullseye would be very difficult.

Zhang Quan stretched his shoulders, picked up a large bow, and stood in front of the crowd.

She reached for an arrow, drew the bowstring taut, her forearms bulging with veins from the effort. After aiming, she released the arrow with a whoosh.

It landed slightly off-center, and although it didn't hit the bullseye, it was still a very good result.

The villagers of Eryuan Village erupted in cheers, and Zhang Quan's mother nodded with pride, very satisfied with Zhang Quan's achievement.

"It's your turn," Zhang Quan said loudly as he walked up to Chu Ci, his face beaming with undisguised smugness.

It's truly impressive that she was able to shoot such a beautiful arrow without having tested it on a target beforehand.

Chu Ci didn't say much, but took his longbow and went to the shooting position.

He drew the arrow, aimed, and shot it all in one smooth motion, with almost no pauses, unlike Zhang Quan who took a long time to aim.

Upon seeing this, Shi An tightened his grip on the handkerchief, and only came to his senses when cheers erupted from the crowd.

"Wow! Sister Chu hit the bullseye! That's amazing!!" Song He smiled brightly. He had been worried that Chu Ci would lose, but now he saw that she was definitely not going to lose. She was clearly very good.

Shi An finally breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this, and some color returned to her face.

Chu Ci's arrow shocked everyone.

After all, she was just a poor scholar with no real skills, and had no other merits besides her pretty face.

Now they can actually hit the bullseye from ten zhang away. The legendary Chengdu is practically on par with pigs climbing trees.

When Chu Ci returned, Song Zhao excitedly clung to her, exclaiming, "Chu Ci, you're amazing!! I didn't even have time to react before you hit the bullseye!!"

"That's it."

Chen Hua only knew that Chu Ci was a great hunter, but he had never actually seen her shoot an arrow. When he saw her easily hit the bullseye, his face was full of surprise.

"Chu Ci, you're a true master who doesn't show off! You're so good at archery, why didn't you show it before?"

Chu Ci smiled but didn't say anything. Instead, she turned to look at Shi An.

The man was looking at her with adoration in his eyes, "My lady..."

Chu Ci hummed in agreement, walked over and took his hand. The two smiled at each other, as if they were people from a painting.

On the second floor of a nearby building, a sinister gaze shot towards Shi An.

Yanqiu gritted her teeth, her heart burning with jealousy.

He couldn't find anyone to redeem him before selling his virginity, and now his body is ruined. He's become a prostitute, forced to serve those disgusting women every day, living a life worse than death.

Why? Why can this despicable person who harmed him live so well?

If it weren't for Shi An's interference, everything I have today, including Chu Ci, would be mine.

Yanqiu was so angry she almost tore the handkerchief in her hand to shreds.

"Shi An, I won't let you have your way so easily. Just you wait..."

Standing in the crowd, Li Yu felt her mind go blank, and there was no one else in her eyes but Chu Ci.

The girl her mother had always disliked had now become so radiant that it was impossible to look away.

She was so outstanding, so beautiful, like a pearl.

From this day forward, in Li Yu's heart, no one can compare to her.