Chapter 33: Wedding Banquet
Late into the night, the bedding was damp in a small area.
They changed the bedding together, took off the soiled sheets and soaked them in water, threw the used towels into it, and after some fuss, they finally went back to sleep.
This was the first time Qingyan tasted the delight of such an affair. He never knew he could find such happiness through this method alone.
Since he was happy, he also wanted to reciprocate.
So, Qingyan leaned close to the man’s ear and whispered, “Are you… not uncomfortable?”
The man turned his face to look at him and asked in return, “Are you going to keep your promise today?”
Qingyan immediately understood what the other meant. Remembering the disastrous memory last time, he covered his face with the blanket.
Although he felt guilty, he still straightforwardly said, “I won’t!”
The man chuckled softly beside him. The blanket covering Qingyan moved, and he emerged from it. The man had already suppressed his smile.
He reached out and touched the corner of his lips, saying, “Every time, you laugh like this when you think I can’t see you.”
The man grabbed his hand and kissed the soft pad of his fingers, whispering, “It’s late, let’s sleep.”
Qingyan lay back in bed, found a comfortable position, and soon fell asleep.
…
These days, Qingyan occasionally went to Liu’s house to help out, and even made a trip to the county town in his spare time.
Finding people this time went smoothly. There was only one caravan that traveled to the south from the entire county town each year. This caravan was of a certain size and reputation locally, so Qingyan easily found out the name and residence of its leader.
He thought it might not be easy to meet the person, but unexpectedly, after stating his purpose to the gatekeeper, the gatekeeper went back to report and let him in.
The leader of this caravan was probably in his fifties, strong and vigorous in appearance, yet with excellent manners and temperament. He patiently listened to what Qingyan wanted to ask him to do.
After pondering for a while, he said, “You mean, you heard someone say that the county magistrate of Nanhui County is called Qin Liangchuan, and this person is said to be from our county. Therefore, based on this, you suspect that this person is the late husband of Li Xizhen?”
Qingyan knew that his reasons were not convincing enough, but he couldn’t explain the real reasons.
He could only try to make up for it and said, “I know there is a high possibility that it’s just a coincidence of the same name and surname. But back then, Uncle Qin was supposed to stay at home for the New Year. It was my aunt who asked him to go out, and as a result, after he left, all that was left was his blood-stained clothes. For so many years, my aunt couldn’t forgive herself, always feeling guilty. We dare not mention this matter in ordinary days, otherwise she would burst into tears.”
Upon hearing this, the leader finally relaxed his frown. As soon as Qingyan entered the door, he could see that he was a person of integrity and soft-heartedness. Otherwise, he would not have seen him, a person who had nothing to do with him, let alone listened to him here.
Qingyan took a step forward, with a faint teardrop in his eyes, “I know that this matter may ultimately be in vain, but since I know it and have doubts in my heart, I can’t just let it go. My aunt is not young anymore. I’m afraid that if nothing is done and it continues like this, she will live her life in confusion.”
The leader paced back and forth in the room.
After a while, he gave him a result, “The caravan will depart in more than a month. According to the planned route, it will not pass through Nanhui County. However, it is not far from Nanhui, about a dozen miles away. At that time, I will take a fast horse and make a trip while the caravan is resting to meet the county magistrate of Nanhui. By then, the truth will be revealed. I will inform you by letter.”
Upon hearing this, Qingyan was very grateful, and took out twenty taels of silver from his cloth bag as a deposit, saying that he would give another thirty taels to the other party after the matter was confirmed.
However, no matter how Qingyan insisted, the leader refused to accept it.
Understanding the other party’s concerns, he only picked up one or two and put them in his palm, saying, “Since I have promised, I will do my best. Taking your two taels of silver is to reassure you.”
After leaving this house, Qingyan finally had some clues and hope for the matter he had been worried about.
He took advantage of his visit to the county town to visit various perfume shops and learned about the market conditions before returning to Liuxi Village.
…
The Liu family’s wedding was scheduled for the sixth day of April.
Early in the morning of this day, after having breakfast, Qiu Henian and Qingyan went to Liu’s house to help.
On this day, the gate of Liu’s house was never closed, with people coming and going, brightly lit, and bustling with excitement.
In the late afternoon, just before dusk, the village head’s son acted as the matchmaker. He led Liu Cai, who was riding a tall and mighty horse, followed by a sedan chair, to welcome the bride’s family. Along the way, there were joyful singing and music playing.
The Bridal Procession had just departed, and the household here was even busier. In less than half an hour, the bride and her family would arrive.
Qiu Henian and several other young men were busy moving tables and chairs between houses. The feast was to be held at home, and Liu’s family’s tables and chairs were definitely not enough.
They borrowed them from various households and would return them after the event. They also brought some from Qiu Henian and Qingyan’s own home.
Qingyan was helping in the kitchen, picking vegetables.
Aunt Li glanced at the spirited bridegroom who was gradually moving away outside and whispered, “It’s all because of your ruthless father and stepmother. I had everything prepared on how to handle things. Back then, you and Dalang could have had such a splendid affair.”
After saying this, she felt that it was inappropriate. After all, those two were Qingyan’s relatives.
No matter how bad they were, she shouldn’t comment on them as an outsider. She couldn’t help but show a look of apology.
Qingyan, however, did not seem displeased.
He smiled and said, “It’s nice to have these things, but it’s okay if we don’t. Living a good life is the most practical.”
Aunt Li patted his hand back and relaxed slightly.
Before it was fully dark, firecrackers resounded through the sky as the bridal procession returned.
All the guests had arrived, and the house and courtyard were crowded with people.
The bride got off the sedan, stepped over the horse saddle at the first gate, sat on the empty accounts at the second gate, and finally entered the new house to sit in wealth and nobility.
At the auspicious time, they began to worship in the hall. Liu Cai smiled broadly, holding the red silk and leading the bride to the front of the hall.
During the worship to Heaven and Earth, he noticed that the hem of someone’s clothes had been wrinkled. He hurriedly carefully adjusted it. When he accidentally touched someone’s fingertip, his hands trembled nervously, causing nearby guests to cover their mouths and laugh.
After the ceremony, the newlyweds entered the bridal chamber, and a grand banquet was held inside and outside the house.
The bride’s family sat at the main table. Among them was a man in his thirties with a slightly dark complexion.
He glanced back several times at Qingyan’s table, but Qingyan was chatting with Qiu Henian and didn’t notice or hear the man mutter to himself, “This is the family that set up a stall next to mine during the Lantern Festival.”
His gaze shifted to Aunt Li sitting beside Qingyan.
He muttered, “She still looks familiar. Where have I seen her before?”
He tapped his head, intending to think carefully, but someone at the same table called him, raised a wine bowl, and offered a toast. He quickly turned his head back, not thinking about it anymore, and went to drink with that person.
…
The Liu family in the north of the village was lively and lively, making the Wang family in the south of the village appear even more deserted and bleak.
Mrs. Wang and Wang Heyao did not attend the Liu family’s wedding banquet. One reason was that they didn’t have money for gifts, and the other was that Mrs. Wang had a disagreement with Liu Fama a few days ago and felt embarrassed to attend the dinner.
There was not much lamp oil left on the lamp stand, and the flame was not big, so the house was not well-lit, which made people feel even more stifled.
Wang Heyao had a gambling addiction but was frustrated because he had no money in his pocket. He paced back and forth in the room with annoyance.
The wound on his foot, bitten by a dog, had not healed yet, and the pain made him more irritable.
There was nothing to do when it got dark, and Mrs. Wang had already fallen asleep.
Wang Heyao thought for a moment, sneaked into Mrs. Wang’s room quietly, listened to her snoring, turned over the outer robe placed beside her bed, and searched through the cabinet, but didn’t find a single copper coin.
He came out of that room with resentment, returned to his own room, grabbed a person from the bed, and threw him to the ground. He heard a muffled clank as the person hit the ground, accompanied by a delayed grunt that sounded like it was contained in his throat.
He lowered his voice and cursed, “He knows nothing but sleeping! I ask you, where did mother put the money, do you know?”
The person on the ground curled up, shaking his body, shook his head.
Wang Heyao’s anger surged, slapped him hard, “You’re useless even though I’m keeping you!”
The person who was slapped didn’t make a sound, not even a cry of pain, just breathed heavily a few times, as if he had completely adapted to this level of beating.
Staring fiercely at the person on the ground, Wang Heyao still didn’t give up. He grabbed the person’s collar, forcibly pulled him up.
The dim light of the oil lamp illuminated Shen Min’s face. The bruises on his face had not yet completely healed, and now there was a new palm print.
But he had no reaction, just looked at the other person expressionlessly.
Wang Heyao dragged him, both feet dragging on the ground. In fact, Wang Heyao was not particularly strong, but Shen Min’s body was too thin, and he was as light as a child.
Wang Heyao impatiently asked, “Do you have any money on you?”
Shen Min looked at him with dull eyes, slowly shook his head.
Wang Heyao narrowed his eyes, “If you lie to me, you know what the consequences are.”
Shen Min still shook his head. Wang Heyao was furious, grabbed him with one hand, clenched his fist, and smashed down towards his most vulnerable temple.
“Since I married you, I’ve been unlucky. I’m going to kill you today to turn my luck around, you bitch!”
Shen Min didn’t dodge or avoid, his face showing a relieved expression, closed his eyes facing his fist.
But this fist didn’t come down for a long time. Shen Min slowly opened his eyes and saw Wang Heyao staring at his face, seemingly lost in thought.
His expression gradually became excited, and his eyes also emitted a light, as if he had thought of something good, and his lips kept moving, murmuring something.
Because the voice was very small, Shen Min barely heard him say, “Why didn’t I think of this? Why didn’t I think of it all this time? Damn it, there’s such a good way to make money, why didn’t I think of it…”
Wang Heyao unexpectedly released Shen Min’s collar, letting him stand firmly on the ground, and even used both hands to help him straighten out his clothes, and even tried to use his hands to smooth Shen Min’s messy hair, but Shen Min turned his head aside to avoid it.
Wang Heyao’s face changed, he raised his hand to hit him again, but quickly thought of something and forcibly restrained himself.
The angry expression turned into an embarrassed smile. Wang Heyao rubbed his hands and said, “I just remembered that a friend asked me to go for a drink tonight. I have to go out now, or I’ll be late.”
He pushed Shen Min’s shoulder with his hand, “You don’t need to worry about me, go back to bed and sleep well, ah, sleep well.”
Wang Heyao straightened his robe, walked out of the room limping, and when he left the room, he grabbed the door panel, stretched his head in, stared at Shen Min standing in place like a snake, grinned, and emphasized each word again, “Don’t go anywhere, just sleep well at home.”
After speaking, he closed the door panel. Outside the door, there was a crisp sound of locking.
A figure walked out from the outer room, swinging the key in his hand, humming a discordant tune, and walked out of the courtyard with one foot deep and one foot shallow!
Spoiler for the Next Chapter:
The frail figure staggered to his feet. He hadn’t cried all night, but now tears finally streamed down his cheeks.
