Landlord in the Arctic

"Ugh, let me sleep a little longer... It’s not light out yet, and my head is spinning!" Erica mumbled incoherently, her hair splayed out, still in a daze between sleep and wakefulness.

Jenny’s face was etched with anxiety, her eyes betraying an unconcealable panic. "Wake up... That thing... Did you say anything about it last night?"

It had been right before dinner last night.

Erica had furtively pulled her and Tammy aside, her eyes glittering with excitement. Since Feng Mountain’s younger siblings were all there, she laid out her long-premeditated plan.

Pretend to be drunk.

Then, announce to everyone that they had slept with Feng Mountain.

That way, everyone would know. Not only had they slept with Feng Mountain, but from now on, he was their man.

Given how seriously Chinese men take relationships and their responsibilities, Feng Mountain would never just pretend it didn’t happen.

And as for who Feng Mountain would ultimately choose, they would leave it up to fate.

When Jenny heard the plan, she immediately disagreed.

She had already been through one failed marriage. Just being by Feng Mountain’s side was a tremendous happiness for her, and she didn’t want to complicate things.

But Erica wouldn’t have it. She felt that if they didn’t lock down a man as wonderful as Feng, more women would pounce on him like wolves in the future.

As for Tammy, she neither explicitly objected to Erica’s proposal nor agreed to it. She just stood by in silence, her expression a mixture of hesitation and temptation.

Finally, left with no other choice, Jenny had to pull rank as the "big sister" of the group and forcefully shut down Erica’s terrible idea.

She knew that once the secret was out, the situation would become impossible to control.

It would not only cause trouble for Feng Mountain, but the relationships between the women themselves would also likely become complicated.

So, when she woke up this morning and found herself in Feng Mountain’s bedroom, Jenny’s heart leaped into her throat.

She was desperate to know whether Erica had actually revealed their secret last night.

Seeing that Erica was still lost in a drunken haze, Jenny gave up on her and immediately reached for Tammy instead. She grabbed Tammy by the shoulders and shook her urgently.

"Tammy, wake up! Did Erica say anything about it yesterday?"

Her urgent questioning woke up Demi and Maria.

The two girls sat up, bleary-eyed. They rubbed their eyes and stared at Jenny’s anxious face, their own expressions baffled. They clearly hadn’t grasped the situation yet.

Tammy slowly came to her senses under Jenny’s shaking. She squinted, her head still groggy.

After hearing Jenny’s question, she stared blankly for a moment before answering in a small, uncertain voice.

"I think she did, but I’m not sure. I was drunk at the time."

Hearing Tammy’s ambiguous answer, Jenny’s heart sank. A million thoughts raced through her mind.

’How am I ever going to face Feng?’

"What’s going on?" Maria asked quietly. She could sense something was wrong from Jenny’s expression; the anxiety and unease were so palpable they made the atmosphere in the room feel heavy.

"It’s nothing. Let’s get up," Jenny said, lightly shaking her head to hide her inner turmoil.

With that, she slowly got out of bed. Her movements were sluggish, each step weighed down by her heavy thoughts.

Last night, Feng Mountain had simply carried them to bed in their drunken state. He hadn’t done anything out of line; their clothes were all still perfectly in place.

Even so, Jenny’s heart was filled with apprehension.

When she got to the living room on the first floor, Feng Mountain was just walking out of the kitchen, carrying a stew pot.

He immediately noticed the unconcealable panic on Jenny’s face, but he pretended not to, offering a gentle smile as his voice filled with concern.

"If you can’t hold your liquor, you shouldn’t drink. You must feel awful. Come sit down and have some breakfast."

Jenny walked to the dining table and slowly sat down, her heart a whirlwind of complicated emotions.

Her eyes, full of conflict and confusion, were fixed on Feng Mountain’s back as he bustled about.

’Did Erica actually say anything last night?’

But then she looked at Feng Mountain. His expression was so calm, as if nothing had happened at all.

’So she didn’t say anything?’

Jenny’s feelings were a tangled mess. A part of her secretly hoped Feng Mountain did know, as it might lead to a clear resolution. But another part of her was terrified that if he knew, the peaceful, wonderful relationship they had would be shattered.

Trapped in this web of apprehension and anticipation, time seemed to stretch on endlessly.

Feng Mountain came out of the kitchen with a bowl and gently placed it in front of Jenny.

Then he picked up a ladle and scooped some steaming-hot congee from the pot into her bowl. His movements were gentle, and his expression was as warm as ever as he spoke considerately.

"You shouldn’t eat anything harsh the morning after drinking; it’s too much for your stomach. I made some congee and prepared some honey water. See how you like it."

He then pointed to a small dish on the side.

"These are the pickled vegetables Hua’er made. They go perfectly with the congee—refreshing and appetizing."

Feeling Feng Mountain’s immense gentleness and care, Jenny felt as if a warm current had struck her heart. Emotions churned within her, and a sudden, uncontrollable impulse took over.

She lifted her head slightly, her eyes a mixture of complexity and resolve, and mustered the courage to speak.

"Feng, that night... I..."

Before she could finish, however, Feng Mountain raised a finger and gently pressed it to her lips, his eyes offering a soft, reassuring gaze.

"I know," he said. "Eat breakfast first."

Jenny felt another warm current surge through her, as if his gentleness was wrapping around her, melting her completely.

In that moment, all the tension and anxiety in her heart seemed to dissolve in the face of his tenderness.

But as her head cleared, the question she had just suppressed, along with Feng Mountain’s "I know," plunged her back into a deep state of confusion.

’What does he mean, "I know"?’

’Does he know what happened that night, and that’s why he said it? Or does he just think I was about to complain about my hangover and he was trying to comfort me?’

Jenny agonized over it.

’The Chinese language is so complicated.’

’A single sentence can have a million possible meanings. As a foreigner, I can’t make heads or tails of it.’

Just then, Xiaohua, Hu Zi, and Black Hide shuffled into the dining room. They all had dark circles under their eyes and were yawning nonstop.

Last night, Hu Zi and Black Hide had found Eldest Young Master Xu and Su Ziweng living it up at a tavern and had forcibly dragged them out.

Xiaohua had then unloaded all her questions on them, hoping for a reasonable explanation.

But to her surprise, all she got in return was their merciless ridicule.

Eldest Young Master Xu and Su Ziweng had been completely unfazed. They waved her concerns away, saying it was just a one-night stand and nothing to make a fuss about.

They added that this sort of thing was extremely common abroad. Some married couples even had their own regular lovers, and nobody thought anything of it.

As for why Erica wanted to publicize it, they figured there were only two possibilities.

Either she was trying to lock down a relationship with Feng Mountain and make her intentions clear, or she’d just been without a man for too long and was desperate.

Hearing this answer, Xiaohua and the other two were left bewildered, their hearts a jumble of emotions.

Back at the cabin, they’d tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep for a long time.

’Foreigners’ lives are so chaotic!’

’We just don’t get it!’

When they finally got up this morning and stumbled into the dining room, the first thing they saw was Jenny sitting silently at the table by herself.

Xiaohua and the other two instantly recalled Su Ziweng’s words from last night.

Suddenly, they felt a pang of shame, unsure how to face Jenny. They could only force awkward smiles, trying to hide their discomfort.

The three of them approached the dining table.

Xiaohua’s eyes darted to the steaming congee on the table. Thinking quickly, she put on an unhappy face and pouted.

"Bro, don’t people abroad eat stuff like steak for breakfast? Why are we still eating congee?"

She paused for a moment before continuing her complaint.

"We eat congee back in China. We finally get to go abroad, and we’re *still* eating congee. Feels like we came all this way for nothing. Hey, and you even have the pickled vegetables I made."

"We have steak, but could you even eat it?" Feng Mountain said with a smile, shaking his head. He picked out a large bowl, filled it to the brim with congee, and gently placed it in front of Xiaohua. "Congee is nourishing and easy on the stomach. It’s good for a pregnant woman’s health. Now, hurry up and eat."

"Hmph! Says the barefoot doctor. I’m not eating it." Xiaohua pouted, deliberately drawing out her words in a whiny, coquettish tone. "Hu... Zi..."

...