Chapter 105: Slip of the Tongue
It was Huani’s turn to rest that day. Despite wanting to sleep a little longer, she got up early, took some silver coins from the cabinet, and headed to the county town.
Upon arriving in the county, she thought for a moment and decided to enter a shop, where she bought some pastries.
Last time when they visited Grandpa’s house, she and her man carried two jars of good wine and even brought a whole head of pickled pig’s trotters.
Huani couldn’t help but drool at the sight of those pig ears, but she had to restrain herself for the sake of propriety. She comforted herself that once they had more money, she could buy as many pig ears as she wanted.
However, despite delivering the goods, their plan didn’t work out. Grandpa asked them to take the things back, but her man refused to take them and forcefully pulled her out by the hand.
Grandpa and Grandma weren’t sincere about returning the items either. When they left, they didn’t even bother to chase after them, just smiling and saying they should come again when they had time.
“We’ve shown our respect to the elders. We’ve delivered the gifts, and it would look bad to take them back now,” her man had said at the time.
But Huani couldn’t accept it in her heart. They earned money the hard way, and they hadn’t even dared to eat the pig’s head meat on the second day of the second lunar month. Now they had just given it away like this, and the matter was unresolved. She felt so upset that she burst into tears right then and there.
Back home, she didn’t want to talk to her man, but soon he was going away for a long trip. How could she bear not talking to him?
Today, Huani still couldn’t let it go. She wanted to ask again. Her man wouldn’t be back for another three months, and in that time, perhaps things might change.
Huani arrived at a sizable mansion on the outskirts of the county town and knocked on the door. The old servant from the house opened the door for her.
As she walked into the courtyard, she noticed a little maid who hurriedly ran into the house upon seeing her from afar.
When Huani entered the house, Grandpa was sitting at the table drinking tea, while Grandma was playing with her grandson. Upon seeing her, they invited her to sit down.
After exchanging some pleasantries, Huani couldn’t hold back and said, “Grandpa, last time I mentioned that matter to you. Can you think of any way to help?”
Grandpa clicked his tongue and said, “I would like to help, but you see, even my second son is idle at home. I manage a dental clinic, but people are unpredictable. I can’t arrange this.”
Huani pursed her lips and secretly thought, “Where is the second son idle? He goes out eating, drinking, gambling, and whoring every day, not willing to work at all.”
Huani wanted to plead again, but suddenly the little grandson next to her spoke up, “Grandma, the candy dish that was just set here, I haven’t had enough yet, why did you let the maid hurriedly take it away?”
Upon hearing this, Grandma’s face flushed red instantly.
She glared at the child and said, “Where did the candy dish come from? You’re making it up!”
The little grandson insisted, “I’m not making it up. It was clearly there. That woman who just came took it away.”
He pointed at Huani.
Huani’s face turned even redder than Grandma’s. She couldn’t find any words to say and quickly got up, hastily bid farewell, and then left the house in embarrassment.
Walking on the bustling street, surrounded by noise and liveliness, Huani felt uncomfortable and only found it noisy.
She turned into a quiet alley with few people, squatted in a corner, and cried sadly and embarrassingly.
After a while, footsteps approached, indicating that someone had entered the alley.
Huani quickly stood up, wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve while facing the stone wall.
At that moment, the footsteps stopped behind her, and someone said, “Miss, do you need a handkerchief?”
Huani was stunned, turned around to look, and saw a somewhat familiar person standing in front of her, smiling as he handed her a silk handkerchief.
…
Yang Huai was very restless at home, finding fault with everything.
The marriage he had arranged was managed by his parents. The other party was a wealthy family in the county city. He had managed to meet the young lady on a few occasions. She was ordinary in appearance and had a simple temperament, not very talkative.
Whenever she saw him, she blushed and put all her heart on him after a few coaxing words.
Otherwise, this marriage wouldn’t have gone so smoothly. After all, there were so many talented young men in the county city, and her family might not have thought highly of him.
In fact, Yang Huai didn’t care about the woman’s appearance at all. Even if she were just a pig, he would marry her. He valued her family background, and her calm temperament meant she wouldn’t cause trouble in the future.
The business of the Yang family had indeed been booming since he took over, but his ambitions were not limited to this small county. In his view, any business here was just child’s play. Marrying into a wealthy family in the county city would bring him great benefits for his future expansion into the county city.
Therefore, when he heard the news that the wealthy family in the county city was retracting their marriage proposal, he was quite annoyed and angry.
He had planned everything out in his mind, but just at the moment when he was about to execute it, the chessboard was taken away. Yang Huai couldn’t help but feel frustrated about it.
Especially because of the rumors outside, his sister-in-law’s family would occasionally come to his door, banging on it to block him. So Yang Huai hadn’t been out for a while.
His parents were afraid he would cause trouble at home. The servants at home were all young girls and boys who hadn’t come of age, each looking awkward and immature, making him feel sour.
It was really boring at home, and his mood was even worse.
Recently, he often thought of Yu Qingyan from Liuxi Village. That guy had fair and tender skin, extremely handsome. Even though he had seen many people in various occasions, he had never seen anyone more memorable than him.
Maybe it was because the guy didn’t look kindly at him that made him even more unforgettable.
He had planned to find a way to get that guy, and as long as he wanted to, no one could escape his palm.
But just then, those storytellers in the teahouse were all talking about that “Huaiyang Records.” He knew right away that someone was plotting against him from behind, and it wasn’t someone close to him.
Because although that person knew some of his affairs, there were many discrepancies in the details. He had someone investigate it, but couldn’t find out who did it.
Because of this incident, Yang Huai didn’t dare to act rashly for a while.
He had been keeping an eye on Fragrant Melody Pavillion all the time. He had heard that guy was pregnant. Thinking of this, Yang Huai couldn’t help but stroke his chin.
If he could get Yu Qingyan into his house, lock him in the room, and indulge in him from time to time, he wouldn’t be so bored.
That guy was originally fair and tender, but he thought he was a bit thin. After he became pregnant, he rounded up a bit, which was just right.
Thinking of abusing the fair and tender beauty who was pregnant, crying with red eyes, and occasionally reaching out to scratch himself with blood, Yang Huai felt comfortable all over.
He paced back and forth in his own courtyard, fantasizing about it in his mind. After imagining that matter once in his mind, the restlessness in his heart eased a lot, and his mind became clear.
Yang Huai frowned gradually, “These external matters must be resolved. I can’t hide at home for the rest of my life.”
He instructed the servant to check the door, and seeing no one guarding the house, he quickly changed clothes, got into the sedan chair, and left the house straight for a large mansion in the county town.
As soon as the master of the mansion saw Yang Huai, he stamped his foot angrily and said, “How dare you come here at this time? What if someone sees you?”
Yang Huai didn’t waste words. He signaled to the servant behind him, and a bag full of shiny silver taels was promptly delivered to the master.
Seeing the silver taels, the man’s expression didn’t improve.
He impatiently waved his hand and said, “I won’t accept your money anymore, take it away.”
Yang Huai smirked sinisterly, “You have to figure out a way to handle the situation outside. If I’m not satisfied, you won’t be either.”
With that said, he turned and left, and the servant quickly followed him.
The master of the mansion looked at the silver on the table, sighed loudly, sat down at the table, and showed a regretful expression.
After leaving the mansion, Yang Huai got into the sedan chair and headed home.
It was bustling outside, and he had wanted to find a place to relax and drink with a few people. But under the current circumstances, not only could he not show his face, but those opportunistic followers probably wouldn’t dare to come out either. They were all cunning and were probably waiting to see if Yang Huai could survive this time.
Yang Huai pounded the sedan’s wall in frustration, resenting the person who had plotted against him.
As the sedan passed a lively street of shops, he absentmindedly lifted the curtain to look outside. With just a glance, he recognized a familiar figure.
He always remembered clearly those women or young men who had caught his interest.
Walking on the street with red eyes, lost in thought, was none other than Huani from Fragrant Melody Pavillion.
Yang Huai was bored, but this entertainment presented itself right in front of him.
Since he couldn’t get Yuching temporarily, it wouldn’t hurt to take Huani home to pass the time.
Thinking this, Yang Huai ordered the sedan to stop at the entrance of an empty alley and followed the slender figure inside.
Huani turned around and saw the handsome young man with long eyebrows and a face she recognized. However, unlike the last time, his face did not evoke admiration from her; instead, it made her complexion change, almost startling her into screaming.
Seeing her reaction, Yang Huai knew it was related to the recent grievance, and though he felt hatred inside, he maintained a pleasant demeanor and smiled, “Miss, don’t you need a handkerchief?”
Huani shook her head, wanting to step back, but behind her was the hard stone wall.
Yang Huai watched her, his gaze gradually turning sinister, and said, “I have many interesting things at home. Why don’t you come with me and take a look?”
Huani was even more uncertain upon hearing this, pointing at him, “Go away, I don’t want to go to your home!”
Yang Huai’s expression changed slightly.
He glanced back and said, “If you refuse the wine toast, you must drink the penalty.”
It was then that Huani noticed the sedan not far behind him blocking the mouth of the alley. It was a dead end, and both sides’ doors were tightly shut. Even if she called for help, no one would want to interfere.
If she were taken away, no one would know it was Yang Huai who took her.
Thinking of the gruesome deaths mentioned in that accusation, Huani trembled all over, her finger shaking as she pointed at him.
Her mind was in chaos, tears streaming down her cheeks.
She cried out in despair, “If you dare to do such a conscienceless thing again, aren’t you afraid of retribution!”
Yang Huai sneered coldly, “What retribution? How come it hasn’t come to me?”
Huani shouted, “Just because your family is powerful, do you think no one dares to oppose you? Can you still go out in public boldly now? If you dare touch me, your fate will only be worse than it is now!”
As she finished speaking, Yang Huai’s footsteps stopped.
Huani suddenly realized something was wrong, but the words had already been spoken and couldn’t be taken back. She looked at him, her face pale.
Yang Huai narrowed his eyes and said, “What do you know? Tell me everything now.”
…
In the early evening, not long after dark, the oil lamp of a household on the west side of Liuxi Village went out.
Ah Miao’s nest was once again moved to the neighboring room. Accustomed to sleeping on that bed, Ah Miao continuously scratched the door with its small paws, meowing, trying to get the owner’s attention to bring it back.
Unfortunately, its owner was currently too busy to pay any attention to its movements.
In the inner room, Qingyan had just finished bathing. He had applied perfume to his face and body, and had rubbed oil on his belly to prevent stretch marks.
This time, the perfume had the scent of lilacs blooming in spring, crafted to be fragrant, pleasant, and long-lasting.
The tent was filled with this fragrance at this moment.
Qiu Henian bent over, sniffing Qingyan’s hair, his movements gentle.
Qingyan lay lazily on his side, one foot held up, the rest of his body nestled into the bed, feeling no fatigue at all.
He comfortably squinted his eyes shut, allowing the man to imprint delicate kisses on his hair, cheeks, and neck, only occasionally letting out a soft hum.
Today was unexpected. Ever since Qingyan had trouble waking up, their intimacy frequency, already low since pregnancy, had turned into nothing at all.
After bathing today and seeing that Qiu Henian still wasn’t in the mood, Qingyan, who had been eagerly anticipating it since mentioning the bath, became dissatisfied, feeling that Qiu Henian hadn’t been affectionate towards him lately.
Qiu Henian wasn’t neglecting him; he was just too concerned. Seeing that Qingyan couldn’t sleep well, he made sure to let him sleep early every day, enduring without touching him.
But Qingyan had already voiced his concerns. Besides physical needs, the emotional state of a pregnant husband was also important, so Qiu Henian complied with his wishes.
Qiu Henian was afraid of hurting or tiring him, so the entire process was gentle and tender. Only at the very end, unable to resist, did he move urgently and deeply a few times.
Qingyan lying on his side suddenly tensed his back, tilting his head back. After a while, he sighed and relaxed.
After finishing, Qiu Henian briefly cleaned his body, removed the small mat, and quickly covered him with the blanket.
After tidying up, Qiu Henian lay back on the bed. Qingyan wasn’t asleep yet; he turned over, softly snuggling into his embrace, letting out a small yawn.
Qiu Henian looked down at him and couldn’t resist kissing his lips again.
A while later, when Qiu Henian pulled away from those soft, full lips, the person in his arms was already breathing evenly, deeply asleep!
Spoiler for the Next Chapter:
…With a snap, amid exclamations and shouts from the crowd, a head rolled to the ground, and red blood sprayed out.
Qingyan stared blankly at the blood-red eyes of the head, seeing tears of blood rolling down.
