Chapter 16

Old Lady Liu suddenly switched expressions and began wailing loudly, scolding her three sons, “You just stood there and watched your mother being bullied without saying a word! I raised you with my own two hands, and this is how you repay me? If I weren’t afraid you’d starve, I wouldn’t have even come!”

Xue Defu thought to himself, But you were the one who started it… Still, seeing his mother this angry, he didn’t want to fan the flames. He looked hopefully at his father, Xue Zhengyang.

Xue Zhengyang took a moment to suppress his anger before saying to Xue Dean, “De’an, take your mother home.”

Xue Dean lowered his head slightly and said with a smile, “Mother, let’s go talk about this at home.” Making a scene outside only invited gossip. And now Shen Qing and Xue Cui were completely done for; he didn’t even know what to say in front of so many people.

Old Lady Liu wiped her tears and leaned on her youngest son’s arm. “At least you care about your mother. Unlike the others.”

Xue Defu and Xue Deshou, feeling like they’d just been snidely insulted, both turned toward their father.

Xue Zhengyang scowled. “What are you standing around for? Get back to work!” They had eaten at the Shen household and stirred up trouble—he’d be humiliated if they left like this.

Shen Qing shut the courtyard gate before going to the door and calling out, “Wanling!” Don’t worry, they’re gone.

It wasn’t that Xiao Wanling was scared, but Cheng Qiao’er felt too embarrassed to come out. Who knew what kind of torment Old Lady Liu would subject her to afterward? Still, there was plenty of work to do. She wiped her face and said, “Sorry for the scene. I’ll go stack the firewood!”

“Better to be busy than to sit and dwell on that mess,” Xiao Wanling thought and let her be.

Cheng Qiao’er said the soaked grains would spoil if left too long, so they should cook porridge that evening. After all, they’d had meat earlier, so no need for anything fancy later. She couldn’t sit still and grabbed a broom to sweep up fallen leaves and branches.

Seeing how hot the weather was, Xiao Wanling realized the leftover meat wouldn’t last either. She decided to make another batch of buns, using sun-dried wild celery with its fragrance drifting for miles. Villagers, who’d stayed home all day due to the rain, poked their heads out, wondering where the delicious smell was coming from, especially since the teahouse hadn’t opened.

Cheng Qiao’er noticed gaps in the bamboo fence and went around back to fetch some poles. She saw several people approaching on the mountain path—only when they got closer did she recognize them as fellow villagers. She called out cheerfully, “Auntie, Uncle, out for a walk with Dazhu?”

Auntie Wu smiled sheepishly. “My little grandson smelled something tasty and wouldn’t stop fussing. What are you cooking?”

“Meat buns!” Cheng Qiao’er immediately bit her tongue—why couldn’t she think before speaking? What if Madam Xiao didn’t want to share? She quickly ran to Xiao Wanling. “Madam Xiao, the villagers are here… I might’ve let it slip.”

Xiao Wanling smiled. “It’s fine! Meat buns can be sold too.” Four wen per bun.

When Auntie Wu heard the price, she thought it was fair. Earlier that day, she’d traded some beans for food. “Just give me however many I can get for this.”

“You’ve still got eight wen left on your account,” Xiao Wanling said, pulling out a yellow paper ledger and flipping it open. She showed it to Auntie Wu and marked a tick next to her name using a bamboo-charcoal pen.

Steam billowed from the large pot as the villagers waiting to trade for meat buns swallowed hard in anticipation. In one go, over twenty buns were exchanged. Xiao Wanling realized they might not have enough left and decided to cook some noodles for Shen Qing instead.

The freshly steamed meat buns were wrapped in banana leaves. Auntie Wu kept switching hands because they were hot, hurrying down the mountain. The others followed, each giving a word of thanks before leaving.

As night fell, the second brick house’s roof was finished. The doors and windows were also ready, neatly propped up nearby.

Cheng Qiao’er had already forgotten her earlier fight with her mother-in-law and shouted, “Father! Second Brother! Shen Qing! Dinner’s ready!” She conveniently left out Xue Defu. He rubbed his nose, washed up, and sat quietly at the table.

Xiao Wanling brought out pickled radish and said to Shen Qing, “There are noodles in the pot. Help yourself if you’re still hungry.”

Shen Qing replied, “Got it!” He bit into a meat bun and ate fast, washing it down with half a bowl of grain porridge. After several buns, he noticed there weren’t many left, so he dropped his last one into Xiao Wanling’s bowl and went to the kitchen for a giant bowl of noodles, slurping it down contentedly.

Cheng Qiao’er froze, bowl in hand. Shen Qing eats like an entire household—no way they could afford to feed him long-term. Luckily, he could hunt, and Madam Xiao had excellent cooking skills. If they relied on farming and labor alone, they’d starve.

Xiao Wanling finished eating and set down her chopsticks. “Uncle Xue, Big Brother Xue, Second Brother Xue—thank you for your hard work!” She reached into her pouch, planning to pay them. Without their help, it would’ve taken her at least half a month to finish the house.

Xue Zhengyang waved her off. “Don’t be so formal, Madam Xiao! Shen Qing’s always bringing things to our house. We’ve had two meat meals now—what money? If you ever need help again, just ask.”

He’d realized over the past few days that Madam Xiao wasn’t the reckless spender Old Lady Liu made her out to be. On the contrary, she was thoughtful and tactful.

Xue Deshou clammed up from nervousness. Xue Defu didn’t object.

Cheng Qiao’er stood up. “Put the money away already! Big Brother eats your buns and drinks your sweet tea all the time, but you never charge him. He told me. And you even took in our unsellable rough cloth and beans. If we still took your money, we’d be ungrateful.”

Xue Defu’s eyes widened. “What cloth and beans?”

Cheng Qiao’er quickly covered her mouth. Too late. Both her father-in-law and the second household had heard. “We’ll talk about it later.”

Xiao Wanling smiled. “You should all head back and get some rest.”

Xue Zhengyang shook his head. “We’ll put up the doors and windows—it’s nice and cool tonight.” After eating and resting, he called over Xue Defu and Xue Deshou to help.

Cheng Qiao’er lingered, grinding rice flour until the work was done, then finally headed home with the others.

After bathing, Shen Qing saw that Xiao Wanling wasn’t in the courtyard. He went to fetch water but found all the chores had been done. He wiped his hair and laid the cloth on the line, then brought out the dirty laundry to wash.

He secured the gate, checked the fires, and quietly stepped inside with a candle. Xiao Wanling had already gone to bed. Shen Qing crept in and placed the candle on its holder.

Xiao Wanling sat up. “The bamboo mat’s dry now.”

Shen Qing blinked, confused. “Huh? You already have a mat.” He didn’t get what she meant. They’d already slept together last night and slept well. Why not again?

To him, she’d made him licorice tea, cooked noodles, sewn him clothes, and accepted his bride price. Weren’t they already husband and wife?

Suddenly remembering something, he climbed up and took out a bright red marriage certificate from the top of the cabinet, handing it to her. “The village registrar gave it to me a while back. Keep it.”

Bound by dragon and phoenix, together for a hundred years—Shen Qing and Xiao Wanling.

Xiao Wanling was speechless. The certificate was real—but she was not. How could she explain? Ask him to turn her in? Let Madam Xu throw her back into the bridal chamber? No way—she’d worked too hard to escape.

She took out the half-jade pendant, gold hairpin, and the oil-paper bundle. “Shen Qing, you should take these.” One by one, she returned the items. Feeling guilty, conflicted, and heartbroken, she turned over and lay down.

Shen Qing clutched the hairpin, jade, and the oil-paper bundle. His grip tightened, then loosened. So… she still wants to leave.

What could I do to make her stay? He lay back down, fully clothed, deep in thought.

Xiao Wanling felt the bed shift and waited until it stilled before exhaling softly. How could she make money fast…? Then she remembered he still hadn’t given her the identification document.

She quickly turned. “Shen Qing!”

He opened his eyes and remembered the candle. He sat up, blew it out, and lay back down again.

Too quick, she hadn’t even had a chance to ask. She slowed her breathing and decided to search for it while he was out.

In the darkness, Shen Qing opened his eyes. Quietly, he leaned closer to feel her warmth. His tense body slowly relaxed. The scent of her hair made something stir in his chest. He wrapped her in his arms. If I hold her close, maybe she won’t leave…

In the second half of the night, Xiao Wanling noticed an unusual flush on Shen Qing’s face. She couldn’t figure out why he had suddenly come down with a fever. In a hurry, she brewed a pot of tea, adding a handful of dried chrysanthemum blossoms. She then brought some water into the room and soaked a cloth to place on his forehead.

Shen Qing’s face grew even redder, and he let out a low groan of pain.

Xiao Wanling tested the tea to ensure it wasn’t too hot, then gently propped him up and brought the cup to his lips. Without opening his eyes, Shen Qing obediently drank it all.

Just as she released her support, he slumped back onto the bed. She touched his forehead again with the back of her hand—he was burning up. He was far too heavy for her to move. She shook his shoulder anxiously. “Shen Qing, wake up!”

He showed no sign of waking. Instead, he clutched her hand and pressed it to his cheek. “So hot… “I feel terrible…” he murmured. Feeling comforted by the touch, he instinctively leaned closer and refused to let go of her hand.

Xiao Wanling tried to pull her hand away, then refreshed the damp cloth and placed it on his forehead again.

But his hand came reaching again, this time grabbing hers and pulling it onto his chest. That still wasn’t enough—Shen Qing reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her down onto the bed.

Xiao Wanling felt the world spin. Before she realized it, she was lying on the bed with him. Shen Qing clung to her like an octopus, their faces pressed close together. Something felt off.

His chest was bare now, revealing bronze-toned, muscular contours—a nearly perfect body, the kind that would make anyone’s mouth water.

Xiao Wanling gave a little shiver and shook her head. How could I be thinking about that right now? He’s still sick!

But Shen Qing kept pressing closer, clearly wanting more. Xiao Wanling’s face flushed bright red. He had her wrists pinned; no matter how she struggled, she couldn’t break free, and her wrists started to ache faintly.

Her own body was starting to burn up—was she falling ill too? In a panic, she bit down on Shen Qing’s shoulder. “Shen Qing! I’m getting angry!”

Shen Qing opened his eyes, bloodshot and dazed. He stared at her, confused as to why she’d bitten him. Without thinking, he bit her back—not hard—just enough to feel the warmth of her lips against his.

The sensation made his heart race. He kissed her harder.

Xiao Wanling’s mouth was sealed shut by him, and she cursed him silently in her heart. Only when they were both breathless did Shen Qing finally let go.

She gasped for air. “Shen Qing, let me go!”

Shen Qing rested his chin on her shoulder. “Wanling, I feel awful…”

Xiao Wanling took a deep breath. “Then get up! I’ll take you to see the doctor!”