The Master Descends the Mountain: My Destined CEO

"First, we could just get rid of him. If he escapes, the consequences would be unimaginable."

"But since the kid saved your Nannan, he must be a decent young man. I suggest you go with the second option: have him stay. Your Nannan is of age now, anyway."

The woman nodded, having no objection to this. "I understand, Village Chief. I think the young man seems fine, too."

"He's just a little thin and pale, though. He probably hasn't endured much hardship out there. I don't know how good he is at hunting, but even if he's no good, he can learn to gather medicinal herbs."

"I heard Nannan say he knows about herbs."

The village chief nodded. "Then it's settled. Delays breed trouble. Have your Nannan make him stay tonight."

"Your Nannan is the prettiest girl in the village. Give her some guidance. Don't let her get too attached to one man."

"There are so many men in the village. A month or two, and if she's not pregnant, then it's time to switch to someone else."

"Village Chief, I understand. I'll go back and tell Nannan right now."

After speaking, the woman quickly left, returned home, and shut the door behind her.

"Nannan, the village chief said you're to make the man stay tonight."

"Mom..." Nannan's face turned beet red. "But... but I'm not sixteen yet!"

"It's fine. It's only another month. What's one month, anyway?" The woman took Nannan's hand. "But there's one thing you must listen to your mother about."

"After you get together with him, you can only be with him for two months at most. After two months, go find the village chief's eldest son. He's been waiting for you."

Nannan's expression didn't change, as if she were already used to this kind of thing. "Okay, I understand."

「Night fell quickly.」

The woman's voice called out, "Young man, it's time for dinner."

Xiao Ye emerged from the other room. "Sorry to trouble you."

"It's no trouble. You saved Nannan. It's just a meal."

With that, the woman placed a bowl of rice in front of Xiao Ye.

Potatoes, millet, and flatbread made from coarse flour.

There were three dishes on the table: a wild vegetable soup, a portion of cured meat, and some pickled wild vegetables.

Xiao Ye wasn't picky. After confirming there was nothing strange in the food, he began to eat.

'He had to admit, eating something like this once in a while was actually pretty nice.'

After dinner, just as Xiao Ye returned to his room, Nannan came over, carrying a quilt in her arms.

"My mom asked me to bring this."

Xiao Ye looked at the quilt and the furniture in the room, finally understanding where the girl's innocence came from.

'It's because this place is cut off from the rest of the world. They have no contact with outsiders, are self-sufficient, and don't have much conflict. That must be why.'

"Thank you."

"You're welcome..." Seeing that Xiao Ye had taken the quilt, Nannan didn't leave. Instead, she fidgeted and sat on the edge of the kang bed.

Xiao Ye paused. "Is something wrong?"

"No."

With that, Nannan began to take off her clothes.

The weather was cold now, so she was wearing a thick cotton-padded jacket.

After taking it off, she was wearing a dudou underneath.

It only covered her front, with a single string tied at the back.

Her smooth, fair skin was exposed, a dazzling sight.

Seeing this, Xiao Ye quickly grabbed her hands. "What are you doing?"

Nannan blushed furiously. "I'm staying to keep you company."

"That won't be necessary!" Xiao Ye was sure he hadn't misunderstood, but he still couldn't quite believe that this girl with such innocent eyes was about to do something like this.

Hearing this, Nannan's eyes immediately reddened. "Wh... What do you mean? Don't you like me?"

"Of course I don't like you!"

'Never mind that we've only just met. More importantly, this girl is clearly just a teenager.'

'Xiao Ye was in his twenties; he wasn't such a beast as to rob the cradle!'

"How old even are you?! Look how old I am! Besides, I already have a wife!" Xiao Ye explained.

But Nannan wasn't listening. "I'm already sixteen, old enough to be married! And it doesn't matter if you have a wife. I don't care."

"I... I will be the wife of many men, too. But don't worry, I'll have a child for you!"

'What kind of outrageous thing was that to say?!'

Even the well-traveled Xiao Ye was stunned, not quite understanding what she meant.

"What do you mean... you'll be the wife of many men?" 'This girl is only sixteen, and she's about to get married—and not just to one person.'

'Could it be that my first impression was wrong?'

'Is this village not a good place at all, but some kind of backward cesspool?'

Nannan looked at him strangely. "You don't understand? It means... I will be with many men. All the women here are like this."

"If we're together for two months and I don't have a child, I have to go be with other men."

"But you can rest assured, I'm very free. I can come back to find you whenever I'm not busy."

"As for whose child it is in the end, that's up to me to decide. Our village doesn't care about that."

Xiao Ye asked a few more questions and finally understood what she meant.

It turned out the village had a custom, a so-called "walking marriage."

There were more men than women here, so in order to propagate, they could only have the women constantly giving birth.

And not with just one person. Because there would always be men who couldn't find a partner, and wouldn't their family lines die out then?

So, they had one woman be with several men.

This way, many men could share one wife.

Although it was their custom, and Xiao Ye couldn't really say anything, he was still rendered speechless now that it was happening to him.

He had no way of telling Nannan that this was wrong.

Because this was the custom of their people, and centuries of tradition had made it deeply ingrained.

He was just an outsider; nothing he said would make a difference.

"I understand now. But Nannan... I can't be with you. And I'm leaving tomorrow morning."

Hearing this, Nannan's expression changed abruptly.

She threw herself into Xiao Ye's arms.

Because she was only wearing a dudou, the soft feeling was incredibly distinct.

Xiao Ye subconsciously caught her but quickly pushed her away. "You're still too young. Medically speaking, it's better to wait until you're over eighteen to... conceive."

'She's too young, her body hasn't fully developed. If she were to get pregnant, it would easily lead to all sorts of problems, like a difficult childbirth.'

'The high rate of difficult childbirths in ancient times was also due to this.'

'On top of that, this is a remote and impoverished place with no proper medical care. The risks of childbirth are too great.'

'This is probably why there have always been more men than women here.'

'Women are always the ones who die from childbirth or its related complications, but men never do.'

'Besides, a woman's body is more delicate. Having relations with so many different men makes it easy to get sick.'