Chapter 153
Wu Shuang was petite, barely reaching Xiao Zhuang’s shoulders. His lips were soft, waist slender, and where there should be flesh, there was indeed some, though small and tender.
Wu Shuang’s style of doing things was quick and efficient, whether cooking, washing clothes, or doing household chores. This applied in the bedroom as well.
Xiao Zhuang, in his early twenties, was a typical passionate youth, inexperienced and lacking finesse, only knowing how to be bold.
When Wu Shuang felt pain, he wouldn’t utter a sound, he just furrowed his brows. When Xiao Zhuang noticed, he became flustered and stopped, but Wu Shuang didn’t mind.
Even when exhausted, he would eagerly approach Xiao Zhuang, grabbing his hand guiding it to himself. Seeing him staring at him intently, he would reveal herself to him.
Xiao Zhuang’s eyes turned red. For a young man recently initiated into such matters, these sights and sensations nearly drove him mad.
One night, at an unknown hour, Xiao Zhuang suddenly woke from a dream, breathing heavily. The intense dream still lingered, almost making him think it was real.
Only when he saw the dark ceiling and heard the steady breathing beside him did he realize it had just been a dream. Although it had been a reality once, that had been seven or eight days ago.
The residue of the dream still haunted Xiao Zhuang. He closed his eyes to calm himself but quickly realized something was wrong — his pants were cool and damp.
In the dead of night, the tall and sturdy young man cautiously lifted the blanket, got out of bed, and squatted by the bedside to inspect. Seeing his delicate brother sleeping peacefully, he quietly slipped out of the room.
In the outer room, he regretted forgetting to bring clean pants. Sneaking back inside like a thief, he rummaged through the cabinet until he found a clean pair.
After changing, Xiao Zhuang washed his soiled pants bit by bit in a basin of water. Afraid of waking the household with the noise, he washed slowly but dared not do it in the yard for fear of being seen by neighbors.
Finally finishing washing the pants, he hung them outside.
Xiao Zhuang planned to retrieve them early in the morning to avoid arousing suspicion from Wu Shuang.
After finishing, Xiao Zhuang quietly returned to the room. However, as soon as he entered, his heart skipped a beat.
He noticed that at some point, the oil lamp in the room had been lit. His wife, who had been sound asleep, was now sitting on the bed, looking down at something.
When Xiao Zhuang entered, Wu Shuang looked up at him. His long hair was disheveled, and he had gained a bit of weight recently. His eyes seemed less prominent, and under the lamplight, his skin appeared even more delicate, making him look even more attractive than when they first met.
Seeing him, Xiao Zhuang remembered the dream he had just had, as well as how boldly Wu Shuang had shown himself to him before. His heart pounded faster.
But what Wu Shuang said next quickly calmed him down.
Wu Shuang held the blanket, pointing to a wet spot on it, and asked suspiciously, “Did you… wet the bed?”
Xiao Zhuang’s face turned completely red.
“I… I didn’t…”
It was too dark when he got out of bed earlier; he hadn’t noticed and accidentally stained the blanket.
Wu Shuang tilted his head to look at him, and Xiao Zhuang remembered how earnestly and resolutely he had spoken when they first talked. Yet, he became like this in the middle of the night because of that dream.
It was absolutely impossible to let the other party know about it.
Xiao Zhuang gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and said, “Yes.”
Wu Shuang looked at him in surprise.
Xiao Zhuang thought he would ridicule him, but he just said, “There are new blankets in the cabinet. Go get one. I’ll take this sheet off and soak it in water first.”
Wu Shuang’s reaction made Xiao Zhuang feel slightly relieved.
Having something to do helped relieve some pressure and awkwardness.
Xiao Zhuang fetched the blanket, and Wu Shuang efficiently removed the sheet.
He wanted to go soak the sheet, but Xiao Zhuang stopped him, “There’s no hot water now. Don’t touch cold water. I’ll handle it.”
Wu Shuang sat on the bed watching his back, his big eyes staring straight ahead, clearly distracted.
Before, no one cared whether he touched cold water, and washing clothes by the icy river in late autumn was a routine occurrence.
He looked down at his two open hands. Despite doing household chores since marrying Xiao Zhuang, the frostbite that recurred every winter had disappeared. The calluses on his fingertips had also reduced a lot, and the palms were smooth and tender.
When he lived with his foster parents, his father would sometimes work, but when he was not, he would only instruct with his mouth. These two people did not look at him as a human being at all, but as a beast.
His sister never bullied him, but she disliked him for always being dirty and seldom paid attention to him.
Xiao Zhuang’s family was large, and no one was idle, even Xiao Zhuang’s mother, who called the shots at home, did everything.
Before marrying into Xiao Zhuang’s family, Wu Shuang had prepared to work like an ox and horse for this family, but in reality, he hadn’t suffered at all. Instead, he enjoyed comfort. Compared to before, the work he did now was nothing.
After Xiao Zhuang finished his busy work and returned to the room, the two extinguished the oil lamp and lay down to sleep.
At this time, Wu Shuang couldn’t sleep and asked, “Have you ever done this before?”
Xiao Zhuang cleared his throat lightly twice and mumbled, “Yeah.”
Wu Shuang responded with an “Oh” and fell silent, lost in thought.
Xiao Zhuang coughed again and said, “I need to ask you something.”
Wu Shuang asked, “What?”
Xiao Zhuang said, “About what happened just now… don’t tell anyone.”
Wu Shuang replied, “Okay.”
His straightforward agreement eased Xiao Zhuang’s nerves.
However, by the next evening, Xiao Zhuang realized his relief had been premature.
Wu Shuang hadn’t told anyone, but he quietly went to the neighboring village’s old physician and got a prescription filled for medicine. Back at their home, he brewed it secretly, making sure to close all doors and windows tightly to prevent the neighbors from smelling it.
After they finished dinner and returned to their room, Wu Shuang quickly closed the door, poured the medicinal soup into a bowl, and had Xiao Zhuang drink it.
Xiao Zhuang drank the concoction reluctantly under Wu Shuang’s concerned gaze.
For a while, his mouth was bitter, but his heart felt even more bitter.
Wu Shuang wasn’t just anyone; he was his own husband. If something bothered him, it would surely bother him too. What couldn’t they talk about?
He had only made things worse for himself; there was no way to voice his discomfort!
…
These past few days, Qiu Henian had gone to the shop to work, so Qingyan hadn’t hurried over there.
The little calico cat was indeed about to give birth. These days, she refused to eat anything but drank a lot of water.
Qingyan cooked her favorite chicken liver, but the little cat only took a sip and refused to open her mouth again.
Ah Miao was especially clingy. Wherever Qingyan went, it followed, meowing from time to time. If Qingyan went out, it would stick close to Jindou’s feet, rubbing against him anxiously.
Her belly was large and hanging down; Qiu Henian said there were at least five or six kittens inside.
Qingyan made a nest for her in the corner of the next room, lined thickly with straw and branches, and Qiu Henian even built a shelter over it to let her hide inside.
Hardly anyone came here normally, so she could feel quiet and secure.
Ah Miao had taken one of Jindou’s small towels usually used for wiping hands and placed it in her nest, lying on it.
Qingyan placed the little calico cat’s food and water bowls outside the nest and also prepared a litter box for her.
These days, Qingyan and Jindou would occasionally go check on her, but they hadn’t seen her give birth yet.
Ah Miao gave birth in the middle of the night. Jindou got up early in the morning and hurried to the next room. It was then that Jindou found that in the small nest he and Qiu Henian had built together, there were six or seven tiny kittens.
They hadn’t even opened their eyes yet, lying on Ah Miao’s belly, mouths open, nursing.
Jindou exclaimed, “Wow,” and quickly ran out to find Qiu Henian!
