Chapter 170
Nian Sheng was usually taciturn, and his manner of speaking and acting were typical of a scholar. However, due to his parents’ simplicity and harmony at home, he lacked the arrogance that some scholars often displayed.
During busy farming seasons at home, even though his father didn’t require his help, Nian Sheng still found time to go to the fields and assist.
When Qiuniang was overwhelmed with tasks, Nian Sheng also worked at the shop for a few days.
As the eldest son in the family after his parents passed away, An Xin naturally had to support his younger brother’s family. Therefore, he had a very pragmatic personality.
If Nian Sheng had been like some scholars who only engaged in idle talk every day, looking down on this and that, full of arrogance, things would not have worked out as they did.
Nian Sheng first spoke with An Le about it. They had known each other for a year or two, and even lived together for a period before the provincial exams. Therefore, An Le understood Nian Sheng’s character and temperament.
Upon hearing about it, An Le was quite supportive. He went home and talked to his elder brother.
An Xin had met Nian Sheng several times before. When Nian Sheng lived with his younger brother, An Xin often brought clothes and food, always bringing something for Nian Sheng as well.
Due to their three-year age gap, An Xin was busy earning money to support his brother’s education, so he had never considered this aspect.
He wanted to refuse instinctively, but An Le grabbed his hand and said, “Brother, you’ve worked hard for me these years. Now that I’ve achieved something in my studies, besides the money and food from the government, I also found a job as a tutor in a wealthy household. From now on, I’ll earn my own living. Brother, you should also think about yourself.”
An Xin was anxious, saying, “You should just focus on your studies; you don’t need to worry about money.”
An Le’s eyes were red, “Brother, I only need an hour each day for the job at that wealthy household. I can eat faster and sleep less at night. Your marriage has been a thorn in my heart all these years. Every time I think about it these past few years, I couldn’t sleep peacefully.”
An Xin lowered his head, “This was my decision. It has nothing to do with you.”
An Le sincerely said, “Nian Sheng is a good person. I know his family background. His parents are kind-hearted. Although not wealthy, they have no worries about food and clothing. Moreover, Nian Sheng is more intelligent than me, and his future is limitless. Perhaps I will rely on his reputation in the future.”
“It will be difficult to find such a suitable match again. Brother, I don’t want you to miss out on another opportunity because of me. I would be restless for the rest of my life. Brother, trust me this time and give Nian Sheng a chance.”
An Xin remained silent for a long time before finally agreeing.
An Le breathed a sigh of relief and replied to Nian Sheng the next day.
Nian Sheng knew about it. Although he was happy, he wasn’t in a hurry.
He only asked An Le to deliver a hairpin to the other party. This hairpin was nothing special, just made of ordinary wood, but Nian Sheng carved it with his own hands.
After that, he would occasionally ask An Le to deliver food or books.
Sometimes, while they were studying together, Nian Sheng would hear that An Xin was coming to bring clothes to his younger brother, so he would intentionally go out and avoid him until he was sure An Xin had left before returning.
An Le couldn’t understand why Nian Sheng would do this. Given the chance to meet his admired brother, why would he deliberately avoid him?
When An Le asked, Nian Sheng explained, “Initially, it was already quite forward of me to ask you to convey my feelings. If he wants to see me, I’ll visit him. If he’s unsure, I don’t want to make him feel uncomfortable.”
After hearing this, An Le sighed, recognizing that his elder brother was indeed a romantic, and he couldn’t help but admire Nian Sheng’s considerate nature.
When he returned, he told his elder brother about Nian Sheng’s words verbatim.
After listening, An Xin remained silent for a while, then took out a sachet from his room and said, “Give this to him. In a couple of days, I’ll prepare some food and visit you. Tell him not to avoid me anymore.”
An Le was thrilled and followed the instructions the next day.
Then, he saw the person he had known for so long, who had always been composed, falter in panic after hearing his words. An Le found the situation amusing yet also felt relieved.
Nian Sheng, who had always been so calm and collected, finally made An Le fully believe that he genuinely liked his elder brother, whom he had admired for so long.
Two days later, when An Xin arrived again with a food basket, Nian Sheng no longer avoided him.
They greeted each other with courtesy. When Nian Sheng raised his eyes, he saw the wooden hairpin that he had carved with his own hands on An Xin’s hair bun.
And An Xin also saw the sachet that he had given to An Le on Nian Sheng’s waist.
The two locked eyes briefly, then quickly averted their gazes.
An Le stood by, covering his mouth and laughing softly, sensing that a joyous occasion in their family was imminent.
…
Nian Sheng’s wedding was planned for the winter of that year, with the ceremony set for the following summer. Once this was decided, Qiuniang began preparing in earnest.
Although their house was small, the yard was spacious enough. They decided to construct a new house in the front yard for Nian Sheng and his future husband.
The ground was frozen solid in the winter, making construction impossible, but it was a good time to prepare materials and find suitable masons and carpenters. Qiuniang was bustling energetically. Qiu Henian and Qingyan discussed and decided to take the opportunity to renovate their own house as well.
As Little Jindou grew older, he no longer slept with the adults but in his own small bed. A few days ago, his bed was moved to the adjacent room, and he began sleeping alone.
The room belonging to Blacksmith Wang was considerably larger than the one Qiu Henian and Qingyan slept in. Qiu Henian planned to divide this adjacent room into two, so that when Hongdou grew older, she would also have her own room. Qingyan naturally agreed.
Qiuniang also wanted to add a small room behind their sleeping quarters, connecting to the main room, but Qingyan hesitated.
The backyard was not as spacious as the front yard; there were already two fruit trees planted there, a vegetable cellar dug, and a toilet in the corner. Space was not very ample, and building a new house might block some of the windows’ light.
Little Jindou was practicing writing big characters in his own room, while Hongdou played on the bed with several kittens, giggling.
Qiu Henian looked at the children and thought of something to say but couldn’t find the words, so he just smiled helplessly.
At night, after the children had fallen asleep, the couple sat by the window table, each occupied with their own thoughts. Qiuniang wanted to speak several times but stopped himself each time.
When Qingyan finished sewing and put away his needlework, he finally looked up at the man sitting opposite him. Qiu Henian was already looking at him.
Under the lamplight, they looked at each other and couldn’t look away, both feeling the same way.
Qingyan smiled softly and said quietly, “During the day, I didn’t think much about it. If you want to build another house in the backyard, go ahead. Otherwise… it really is inconvenient.”
Ever since Little Jindou moved to the adjacent room, the couple had not been intimate again.
Tonight, both of them were finding it hard to endure, and there was really nowhere to go.
After finishing their work, washing up, and reading their books, they looked at each other, neither willing to just go to sleep.
Qingyan bit her lip, met Qiu Henian’s intense gaze, got out of bed, and fetched a clean quilt from the cabinet before heading to the outer room.
The man on the bed quickly understood and hurriedly put on his shoes before following. In the corner of the outer room, a quilt was used as a makeshift curtain, creating a small triangular space.
Qingyan leaned against the wall; luckily, his leg muscles were soft enough that one thigh pressed tightly against his own side, with his bent leg hanging over Qiuniang’s strong arm, which was creating a mess beneath him.
After a short while, the leg he was standing on grew so sore he couldn’t support himself anymore. Qiu Henian simply held both his bent legs, lifting him off the ground. Qingyan’s back left the wall solidly, feeling as if he might be pierced through.
This movement required a great deal of physical exertion; after a while, Qingyan wanted to get down, and Qiu Henian didn’t insist, letting him down. He held Qingyan’s waist, turning him to face the wall, and the movement began again. Qingyan persevered for quite a long time.
When it was all over, both of his buttocks were red from the impact, which made Qingyan embarrassed, but the man held his waist. Qiu Henian looked down at him with satisfaction for a long time before cleaning him up.
When Qingyan turned around and snuggled into his arms, Qiu Henian’s hand still hadn’t left his back as he kissed his lips and kneaded him for quite some time before reluctantly helping him pull up his pants.
…
Qiu Henian and Qingyan’s plan to add a house was known by Qiuniang, and they made arrangements together. After the spring thaw, everything was ready, and construction began.
During the work, it was inevitable that there would be people coming and going, and the noise was loud. Shen Min knew about it and let them stay in his house that was empty in the village. He usually only came back once a year, and it was still empty.
Qiu Henian sorted out his own home, sold what he couldn’t use, and the old furniture that couldn’t be sold was split into firewood with Xiao Zhuang and stacked neatly in the yard. He took the time to pick up the carpenter’s work again and made a set of new furniture for his own home, adding two more boxes and a few chairs to Xiao Zhuang and Wu Shuang.
When the weather began to get hot, the padded clothes on their bodies were changed, and various fresh and tender-colored thin shirts were put on, and their house was finally completely cleaned up. The two children and their husband and wife moved back to their own home.
After this time, the house was much brighter than before, and it was more convenient to live in.
The added house was not large, and it didn’t block the light from the inner room much.
At night, when the two children were asleep, the couple finally had a place to be alone.
Although Qiu Henian was no longer a young man in his twenties, he was in his prime, and he was less hasty in that matter and more patient, but he still felt insufficient.
Since Qingyan had two children, he had become more open-minded. A few touches would often turn him into a puddle of water.
Sometimes Qiu Henian even felt like he was overdoing it. When he nervously looked at Qingyan, he would find his cheeks rosy, eyes watery, and lips moist knowing that Qingyan was not unhappy but rather very satisfied, which reassured him to continue.
Even though they had been married for so many years, every few days, when night fell, they still yearned to enter that small room. Once inside, they didn’t want to come out, wishing they could stick together forever.
