Chapter 49: Hans and His Wife

  "I grew up in this village, my father was a famous hunter far and wide, he had hunted all kinds of ferocious beasts in the mountains, the nobles in the city needed the skins of ferocious beasts to make expensive luxury goods. If they needed any beast skin, as long as they found my father, they never disappointed. I followed my father hunting in the mountains since I was a child and learned all his skills."

  After my father's death, I often went into the mountains to hunt and kill fierce beasts like he did, and gradually, my reputation grew.

  "My wife is the daughter of a wealthy merchant. One day, her father came to me and asked for my help in finding his daughter who had gone into the mountains with two servants but hadn't returned after two days. He told me that he'd heard I was a famous hunter in these parts, so he asked me to find his daughter and bring her back."

  Hans took a sip of wine and his face grew even redder.

  "Because it was winter at that time, the heavy snow blocked the mountain. Even if I went in, I might not be able to come out. So at first, I didn't agree. Finally, Victoria's father gritted his teeth and agreed that as long as I safely brought back his daughter, he would marry her off to me and also give a generous dowry."

  I raised my wine glass, swirled it in front of me, took a sip and said: "This is indeed a blessing from heaven, so you agreed, didn't you?"

  Hans laughed and said, "Who wouldn't agree to such a good thing? I had long heard that his daughter was extremely beautiful. So, I went into the mountains and searched for three days until I finally found her on the verge of death in a mountain cave."

  "Is she hurt?" I asked with concern.

  "She was hungry, I gave her some food and hot water to drink, and she recovered. She told me that she got lost because she had wandered away from her servant and had never been out before, so she got deeper and deeper into the forest and couldn't find her way out. If I hadn't gone looking for her, I'm afraid she would have really starved to death in the mountains."

  "I took her out of the mountain, and it started snowing heavily. The snow was heavier than any other year, and in just one day, all the roads were covered. I knew we had encountered a heavy snowstorm that blocked the mountain. We struggled to trudge through the snowy terrain, and at night, we would find a cave to take shelter. At that time, she was very thin and shivered with cold in the snowy ground. Afraid that she couldn't withstand it, I took off my clothes and put them on her. Relying on my familiarity with the area, we finally returned to the village. When we finally returned to the village, I had frostbite."

  "Victoria took care of me for three days by my side before returning to her father's side. After I recovered, I went to find her father and asked to marry Victoria, but he reneged on his promise and only offered me some money as compensation. I was anxious and repeatedly swore to her father that I would take good care of Victoria for the rest of my life and not let her suffer at all. However, it was all in vain. Her father refused to acknowledge his original promise to marry his daughter to me if I brought her back safely, and he accused me of lying and trying to extort money from him."

  It's indeed the case, and it was actually quite guessable. I didn't have too much blame in my heart for Hans' words about Victoria's parents being prejudiced against the poor and favoring the rich, and I even vaguely guessed this outcome.

  "But Victoria insisted that her father keep his promise. I suppose she was grateful to me for saving her from the brink of death?"

  "No, I'm not just grateful that you saved me. When the mountain was snowed in, you gave me your clothes and didn't mind getting frostbite yourself. You'd rather suffer hardship than let me get hurt. That moved me deeply. I knew that if I married you, you would cherish me for a lifetime. And it's true, even though we've had a hard life, you've never made me do rough work or go without the best things. You always saved them for me." Just then, a voice came from the stairs and Hans' wife came down to sit beside him. She had been listening to Hans tell me his story all along.

  Victoria turned to me and said, "Later I threatened to commit suicide, forcing my father to marry me off to Hans. But my parents thought that their daughter marrying a poor hunter would bring shame on them in front of our relatives, and since I wouldn't listen to their advice and insisted on taking this path of no return, they cut ties with me."

  "Your parents are really something... " I shook my head and laughed.

  "Darling, all these years, time has faded the passion of our youth, poverty has put us in a predicament, and I've started to forget the good you did for me back then, neglecting the care you've shown me over the years. Although we've never had any money, you've given me a comfortable life. It's my fault that you've suffered and been humiliated because of me. Will you forgive me? From now on, I'm willing to be a good wife to you, sharing your hardships and facing all difficulties together. Darling, will you forgive me?"

  Hans became very agitated when he heard his wife's words, nodding vigorously as tears streamed from his eyes. Victoria wiped away the tears on her husband's face and gently kissed him, repeatedly saying sorry.

  Hans held his wife in his arms and said, "My dear, all these years I have been happy, even though I heard some rumors, but I always believed that my Victoria would eventually come back to me, she was just temporarily lost, I can always find the lost Victoria..."

  Hans' words made Victoria burst into loud sobs, she buried her head in Hans' chest and wept like a little girl, Hans gently patted her back to comfort her.

  I no longer disturbed the two of them, I quietly retreated back to my own room during their mutual confession, lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep for a long time.

  Hans is an ordinary hunter, he loves his wife, and he practices what he preaches by taking care of her and loving her even when he knows she has betrayed him. How much magnanimity and deep love does this require? I don't think I can do it, most men can't bear the betrayal of their wives or the mocking gaze of others.

  I was tossing and turning on the bed, thinking about it, and before I knew it, I had drifted off to sleep...