The Cowherd's Mistaken Marriage to the Golden Apple Snail - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Early the next morning, I stared at the Old Yellow Ox shivering in the Ox Shed, lost in thought.

Could he really not be killed?

Unwilling to endure the agony of parasites writhing through his bones, the Old Yellow Ox had stood up in the middle of the night to prepare a four-course meal and a soup.

Once he finished cooking, I spat out several pink egg sacs and wrapped them around the dishes.

The moment they touched the food, the sacs burst, their juices and mucus blending into the meal.

This is all pure nutrition, after all.

When the Cowherd woke up and saw the fragrant, steaming meal, his attitude toward me softened for once.

“It tastes good, but it’s a bit slimy.”

I lied without blinking. “I thickened the sauce with starch.”

After eating his fill, the Cowherd patted his belly and let out a satisfied burp.

He tilted his chin up.

“In a bit, go plow the field, then feed the ox, and wash the dirty clothes too.

“You need to learn to find work for yourself. I have some business to attend to outside.

“Work hard, and I won’t treat you poorly.”

Even though I was prepared for it, I was still pleasantly surprised by the Cowherd’s sense of entitlement.

*As long as you give, and give, and give some more, I won’t treat you poorly.*

The more he acted like this, the happier I became.

With a smile, I watched him leave, arm-in-arm with his rowdy friends.

I turned my gaze toward the shivering Old Yellow Ox.

“W-what do you want to do?”

I looked at its four trembling hooves.

“Didn’t you hear the Cowherd say to plow the field? Get moving!”

I glared at him, and the Old Yellow Ox scrambled to hitch himself to the plow and start tilling.

Don’t think I don’t know-it was this old thing who told the Cowherd to steal my clothes.

This Yellow Ox Spirit has lived a long time and knows too much; he absolutely cannot be allowed to stay.

I have to find a way to kill him so he stops giving the Cowherd ideas.

That night, the Old Yellow Ox sneakily called the Cowherd outside.

He glanced toward the house and whispered to the Cowherd with dread.

“My old eyes were failing me; I recognized the wrong person.

“You didn’t marry a Snail Maiden. You married an evil spirit!”

He recounted exactly how he had been forced to work all day.

The more the Old Yellow Ox spoke, the more aggrieved he felt, his voice slipping into a few distressed moos.

In his hundreds of years of life, he had seen many a Weaver Girl, but he had never suffered such humiliation.

He gnashed his teeth and said to the Cowherd, “The Snail Spirit is afraid of salt. As long as you go to the temple and get some consecrated salt, she will surely die.”

Accidents always arrive sooner than tomorrow.

While the salt was still waiting to be consecrated at the temple, a group of uninvited guests arrived at the Cowherd’s house first.

“It’s time to pay back the money you owe from last time, isn’t it?”

“Exactly. You know the rules of our gambling den. If you can’t pay, leave a hand behind.”

The Cowherd looked at the cold glint of the blade, his teeth chattering.

Previously, he thought that since he was about to marry the Weaver Girl, he could sell the cloth she wove for money, so he went to the gambling den to try his luck.

He hadn’t expected his luck to be so poor, nor that the Weaver Girl would turn into a Snail Maiden who could only cook.

His plans were completely thrown into disarray.

He suddenly shoved me forward. “This is my wife! I’ll use her to settle the debt. If you want money, ask her!”

The men sized me up and sneered.

“You think a single woman can pay us off? That’s five hundred taels of silver!”

“Stop the nonsense. This woman is worth ten taels at most. There’s still four hundred and ninety taels left. Pay up now!”

Seeing them move to grab the Cowherd, I looked at his slightly bulging lower abdomen with heartache.

My children!

I stepped forward and blocked the path in front of the Cowherd. “I will give you the money in seven days.”

Under my pleas and guarantees, they gave the Cowherd another seven days.

After the debt collectors left, the Cowherd impatiently reached out his hand toward me. “Where’s the money?”

I quietly pulled the Cowherd aside, avoiding the Big Yellow Ox.

“Husband, don’t forget my shell. That is a treasure.

“As long as I have my shell, we can have as much gold and silver as we want. It’s just…”

I trailed off, only continuing slowly under the Cowherd’s urging.

“My shell needs the hide of the Big Yellow Ox. I just don’t know if you can bear to part with him, Husband.”

I watched the flickering light in the Cowherd’s eyes and curled my lips into a slight smile.