LW chapter 98: Extra 14

 

On the way home, they walked one after the other. Chen Qing walked in front and Zhou Yuan followed behind.

The blush on Chen Qing’s face hadn’t faded yet. By the time they arrived home, everyone had left. He went straight to his room, lay down on the bed, and covered his face with his pillow.

Although Zhou Yuan had held him at night, that had been inside the room. Today, Zhou Yuan had kissed and hugged him outside in broad daylight.

Grandmother noticed that something seemed off between them and looked at Zhou Yuan. “Ah Yuan, what’s wrong?”

Zhou Yuan just smiled. “Nothing, Grandmother. He’s shy.”

Grandmother finally relaxed. “You two must be good to each other.”

Zhou Yuan sat beside her and held her hand. “Our whole family will be fine.”

Grandmother placed her hand on Zhou Yuan’s head and sighed. “You know, Grandmother is old. I thought I wouldn’t live to see you return. But fate is kind. I met Xiao Qing, and I get to see you come back.”

“Grandmother.” Zhou Yuan didn’t like it when she said things like that.

But Grandmother had held it in for a long time. Zhou Yuan had been busy the past two days. Today, finally, they had a chance to talk quietly.

“The people here aren’t very good.” Grandmother sat on the lounge chair and Zhou Yuan sat on the floor. “Do you know what those people who came earlier said? They said Xiao Qing was bought, just a servant. They said that they had children ready to marry and that they didn’t mind having someone like Xiao Qing. They said that as long as he serves you well in the future, they won’t mind.”

Zhou Yuan snorted. “Shameless.”

“Yeah… do you think I’m senile?”Grandmother had spent the whole afternoon hearing such words. “You know? I don’t like it here at all.”

Zhou Yuan turned to look at her. She looked ahead, her eyes full of longing. “My old home, with mountains and water… I’ve always wanted to go back to see it.”

Zhou Yuan sat up straight. “Where is your hometown?”

At that moment, Chen Qing came out and sat on the other side of Grandmother.

“I forgot. It’s been too long.”

Grandmother wasn’t from Yizhou Prefecture. She only remembered that her hometown flooded, so she escaped with her elders to Yizhou. After her elders passed away, she married Zhou Yuan’s grandfather.

The wind and sand of Yizhou had made her forget what life was like in a place with mountains and water. Glancing at Chen Qing, she felt that he looked like someone who needed to live in such a water town.

She held Zhou Yuan’s and Chen Qing’s hands together. “Ah Yuan, do you know why Grandmother didn’t want you to rebuild the house?”

Zhou Yuan tilted his head. “Kind of.”

“I don’t want you to live your whole life here,” Grandmother said. “Take Xiao Qing and go south to a place with mountains and water. Maybe you can buy some land, build a small house, and raise a few chickens. That would be best.”

Zhou Yuan nodded. “Then you can help us raise the chickens and take care of the children, too.”

Grandmother didn’t answer, she only held their hands tightly. Chen Qing could feel two hands on his: one broad and strong, the other thin and almost lifeless.

He looked at Grandmother worriedly. After hearing her words today, he was deeply concerned. Through her, he looked at Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan noticed his gaze and nodded at him.

For dinner, they had hand-pulled noodles cooked in leftover bone soup. While kneading the dough, Chen Qing was still worried. Grandmother rested in her room while Zhou Yuan prepared the fire outside.

“Zhou Yuan, what did the doctor say when we went to the clinic last time?”

Zhou Yuan replied, “The doctor only said that Grandmother is old and that I should prepare myself.”

Chen Qing’s hands, which were kneading the dough, suddenly lost their strength. He leaned on the small table and his eyes immediately reddened. “There’s no way?”

Zhou Yuan stood up, walked over to Chen Qing, and gently ran his fingers through his hair.

During dinner, the courtyard was quiet. Chen Qing didn’t even touch the small bowl of noodles in front of him. His grandmother was worried. “Xiao Qing, what’s wrong? Don’t you like noodles?”

Chen Qing quickly shook his head. “No, I just ate too much at noon.”

“It’s fine. If you get hungry at midnight, there are snacks in your room. You won’t be hungry.”

Zhou Yuan knew why he couldn’t eat and comforted his grandmother.

“All right,” Grandmother said, putting down her bowl. “Then don’t be lazy at night and refuse to give Xiao Qing food.”

After finishing her meal and taking her medicine, Grandmother went to bed early. Zhou Yuan heated water for Chen Qing’s bath. After Chen Qing finished, Zhou Yuan went to bathe. When he returned to the room, Chen Qing was sitting on the bed drying his hair. His eyes were still red.

“Still feeling unwell?” Zhou Yuan sat beside him, took the towel from his hands, and tried to help dry his hair. However, he had never helped anyone dry their hair before and used too much force. Chen Qing’s hair got all messy. Finally, unable to bear it, he took the cloth back.

“I’ll do it myself.”

After Zhou Yuan’s failed attempt, Chen Qing’s hair was almost dry. He lay down, feeling heavyhearted, but he couldn’t sleep.

Zhou Yuan hadn’t expected Chen Qing to be so sad.

Chen Qing held and clutched the blanket. The darkness amplified his sorrow. “Grandmother has been so good to me. I don’t want her to die.”

Zhou Yuan listened silently. He knew that nothing he could say would help now.

“My grandmother at home wasn’t good to me.” Chen Qing rarely spoke so much. He talked about his past and then asked Zhou Yuan, “Why do good people always die young while bad people live a long time?”

Zhou Yuan reached out and held him in his arms. “Don’t worry too much. The doctor only said that my grandmother is old. He didn’t say that she would die soon.”

Chen Qing knew Zhou Yuan was trying to comfort him, and it gave him a moment to breathe.

The next morning, Chen Qing got up later than Zhou Yuan again. By the time he got up, Zhou Yuan was already gone. He didn’t feel like going out and wanted to stay home with his grandmother, hardly leaving her side.

Grandmother laughed. “Ah Qing, why are you so clingy?”

“When I was little, my grandmother treated me badly, so I like you.” He had never been able to say these words before. But now, knowing they might be separated at any time, he wanted to say everything he needed to.

Grandmother sat on the lounge chair. “You like me, then do you like Ah Yuan too?”

Chen Qing nodded. “Yes.”

Zhou Yuan gave him a feeling of reassurance. He wasn’t sure if this was the “like” Grandmother meant.

“Then promise me, you will live well with Ah Yuan in the future. If he makes you angry, forgive him for Grandmother’s sake.”

Chen Qing nodded. “I know. We’ll be fine.”

Zhou Yuan went to the town to buy things. When he returned, he showed them what he had bought: two bright red wedding outfits, red paper-cut characters that read “double happiness,” and a pair of dragon-and-phoenix candles.

“We’re not holding a banquet, but we still need to prepare the essentials,” Zhou Yuan said, looking at him. “I estimated your size roughly when buying them. They shouldn’t be too inaccurate. If anything doesn’t fit, you can alter it.”

Chen Qing looked at the two bright red wedding outfits on the bed. Without a banquet, he thought, there was no need to prepare these—after all, no one would see them, so why spend the money? But Zhou Yuan had prepared them anyway.

“Remember to try them on,” Zhou Yuan said as he carried another bundle toward grandmother. “I bought Grandmother a new outfit. If I had made it, it might not be ready in time for the wedding—not that I don’t trust your skills.”

Seeing the new wedding clothes dispelled some of his sadness. Chen Qing quietly tried on the outfits. They fit him perfectly, with nothing to alter. After trying it on, he wanted to take it off, but Zhou Yuan came in at that moment. Seeing Chen Qing in the bright red wedding outfit, Zhou Yuan nodded. “You look good in red, too.”

Chen Qing smiled. “It fits perfectly. No alterations needed.”

“Good.” He thought that the past few nights hadn’t been for nothing.

Time quickly passed, and it was May 17. Grandmother was in especially high spirits that day. She got up early to prepare the wedding feast. Even though it was just the three of them, she insisted on following the basic standards. This was the only wedding she would prepare for her grandson in her whole life.

In the afternoon, Chen Qing changed into his wedding outfit. Grandmother helped him tie his hair. In Yizhou Prefecture, weddings required a red veil. At that moment, Chen Qing’s eyes were covered with the veil, and he couldn’t see anything.

Soon, evening fell. At the auspicious hour, Zhou Yuan lit firecrackers by the door. Then, he stepped over the scattered pieces and entered the room. Since their house had no main hall, the wedding ceremony took place in the courtyard. Grandmother was already dressed in her new clothes and sitting in the middle of the courtyard. Beside her were several memorial tablets for Zhou Yuan’s parents and Chen Qing’s two fathers.

Zhou Yuan held Chen Qing’s hand and led him step by step into the courtyard.

Since no one was performing the ritual, Grandmother did it herself.

“First, bow to heaven and earth.” Her voice was hoarse and solemn.

“Second, bow to the elders.” She watched as the two knelt at her feet and bowed solemnly.

“Third, the husband and wife should bow to each other.” Chen Qing and Zhou Yuan both bent at the waist.

Normally, they would have entered the bridal chamber, but Chen Qing hadn’t eaten. Since no one else was home, Zhou Yuan helped him lift his veil back in the room. Then, dressed in their wedding attire, they went to the courtyard, where the banquet was already prepared.

Grandmother was waiting for them, too.

After they all sat down, someone knocked on the courtyard gate. Zhou Yuan opened the gate and saw Zhou’s second brother, whom they hadn’t seen in a long time.

He seemed surprised to see Zhou Yuan and paused, then said, “You’re back! That’s great.”

Zhou Yuan didn’t feel much for that family, but Grandmother came out with her cane. Seeing Zhou’s second brother, she smiled. “Ah Hui.”

“Grandmother.” Zhou Hui bowed to her. He had come to give her money, but seeing the situation, she probably didn’t need this small sum anymore.

“Have you eaten? If not, come eat something. Today is Ah Yuan’s wedding.” Grandma pulled Zhou Hui inside. “This is Ah Yuan’s husband, Chen Qing.”

Chen Qing bowed to him, and he returned the gesture.

Zhou Yuan’s expression didn’t change, but he closed the courtyard door. Chen Qing found a stool, and Zhou Hui sat down.

He and Zhou Mu’s family had been separated for a long time. After Zhou Yuan joined the army, he found that Zhou Mu had taken the money that Zhou Yuan had given to his grandmother. He couldn’t persuade them, and after he got married, he left the family.

He had lived with grandmother for a while when he was young, so after Zhou Yuan left, he sometimes brought grain money to grandmother. It wasn’t much, but it helped support her for a long time.

This was why she could still smile at him.

Zhou Hui knew his family had wronged Zhou Yuan, so he didn’t eat much. Before leaving, he offered Zhou Yuan a toast.

The two families could never be close. Zhou Yuan drank the toast but that was it. There would be no further connection, Zhou Yuan had decided to move south with them.

After Zhou Hui left, night fell.

Grandmother wouldn’t let them clean up, saying tonight was their lucky day. Chen Qing didn’t argue and followed Zhou Yuan back to the room.

The bed had been redecorated. Though there was no dragon-and-phoenix quilt, the bedding was bright red, with red dates and peanuts scattered on top.

Chen Qing’s cheeks warmed.

Zhou Yuan took the red dates and peanuts from the bed and set them aside. He found wine and cups at the foot of the bed.

“Shared wine.”

Chen Qing nodded and lightly touched his lips to the cup. He was already feeling a bit dizzy.

The room was lit with dragon-and-phoenix candles. When they heard their grandmother’s footsteps retreating, Zhou Yuan leisurely began to undo Chen Qing’s buttons.

When his hand reached Chen Qing’s neck, he could clearly feel him trembling.

“Don’t be afraid,” he whispered.

Actually, Zhou Yuan was a little anxious, too. He was worried that he wouldn’t know what to do. In the barracks, he had only been around rough, dirty men. Their constant vigilance and training had drained their energy. His only experience in this area was hearing crude jokes from the men in the barracks.

With these thoughts in mind, he removed Chen Qing’s outer clothes, leaving only his undergarments.

Although they usually slept like this, tonight felt especially embarrassing.

Chen Qing curled into a ball and watched Zhou Yuan quickly remove his clothes and undergarment.

By the light of the red candles, Chen Qing saw the crisscrossing scars on Zhou Yuan’s body. Some were shocking.

Chen Qing moved closer and gently touched the scars. He was prone to tears, and now his eyes reddened as he saw Zhou Yuan’s scars.

When Chen Qing touched him, Zhou Yuan’s breathing deepened. Ignoring everything else, Zhou Yuan pressed firmly onto Chen Qing, uncontrollably tearing his undergarment.

Kisses rained down uncontrollably. Zhou Yuan’s kisses were haphazard, and Chen Qing’s responses were chaotic.

The broken window had already been repaired by Zhou Yuan. The early summer breeze couldn’t blow in, yet the room remained filled with heat and ripples for a long time.

Moonlight fell through the window. Chen Qing’s hands clawed at it, then, a pair of large hands pulled them down.

“Mm.” Chen Qing softly hummed.

“Almost there, almost.” Zhou Yuan kissed his sweat-damp temples. “Just a bit more.”

Chen Qing had no strength left, his hands weakly resting on the pillow.

As the moonlight disappeared and the first light appeared in the sky, the sounds in the room gradually ceased. Zhou Yuan kissed Chen Qing’s tear-swollen eyes.

He held Chen Qing and looked at the somewhat dilapidated roof, thinking: So this was what getting married felt like.

 

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