Chapter 39: Qi Yinglan
In the evening, while washing up, Qingyan noticed that Qiu Henian had two bloodied marks on his wrists from hemp ropes, and the same on his ankles.
It looked frightening.
He felt so heartbroken that tears almost fell, standing helplessly in front of the man, his eyes red, unable to speak.
Qiu Henian sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out towards him, but Qingyan just stared at him and didn’t move closer.
Qiu Henian sighed softly and smiled helplessly, “It’s okay, I’ve already applied medicine. It will heal in a few days.”
Still, Qingyan remained silent.
Qiu Henian spoke gently, “Come here, I want to hold you.”
Only then did Qingyan take a few steps forward, obediently sitting sideways on his lap, burying his head in his neck.
Qiu Henian felt his warm breath and the soft touch of his cheek, embracing him gently and patting his back.
Qingyan choked up and said, “It’s because I was too greedy that I caused you to get injured like this.”
Qiu Henian kissed his hair and said, “It’s something we did together. How can I blame you? Besides, I was happy last night.”
Qingyan murmured sadly, “I don’t want this anymore. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
Qiu Henian fell silent for a while, not saying anything.
Qingyan looked up at him and saw him looking back with deep eyes.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he said, “Qingyan, you’re making it difficult for me. I can’t do what you’re asking.”
…
That evening, Qiu Henian started going to the neighboring room to do some work before bedtime. Qingyan glanced over a few times but couldn’t figure out what he was doing.
When he asked, he was told he’d know when it was done.
As the weather warmed up, Qingyan changed the thick cotton quilt on the bed to a thin one and replaced the pillow with a bamboo one. He washed the blankets, pillows, and other items taken down in the bright sun in the courtyard.
He was busy with this when someone outside the courtyard gate called, “Is Qingyan at home?”
Qingyan answered and went out to open the door.
It was Liu Fa’s wife and Qi Yinglan, who had recently married into Liu’s family.
Seeing him busy, Liu Fa’s wife said, “Hey, you’re airing out the blankets. We just washed ours yesterday too. Let me help you.”
Qi Yinglan came over from behind and said, “Sister-in-law, you’ve been working hard these days. Let me help brother Qingyan with the airing.”
This young lady spoke softly and seemed capable.
Qingyan smiled and said, “Then sister-in-law, you sit. Let Yinglan handle it!”
Liu Fa’s wife chuckled and sat down on a small stool to watch them work.
Qi Yinglan wasn’t exceptionally beautiful but had a slender figure and nimble hands and feet. It seemed she was used to doing chores at home. Qingyan found it a bit strenuous to air out the beddings alone, but with Qi Yinglan’s help, they shook out the folds from each side, making it much easier.
They finished this task quickly and the three of them went inside to sit down. Qingyan brought out peanuts and walnuts and placed them on the table.
Liu Fa’s wife brought over a basket of dried potatoes she had aired out, saying to Qingyan, “These were dried last autumn. Soak them in water until soft, then stir-fry with pork belly. They’re delicious.”
Qingyan thanked her, and Liu Fa’s wife glanced at her sister-in-law and said with a smile, “Yinglan also has something for you, but she’s shy to bring it out!”
Qingyan looked over unexpectedly and saw Qi Yinglan shyly handing over a sachet with both hands, saying, “I made this myself, I’m afraid you might not like it.”
Qingyan took it and examined it carefully. The sachet was delicately made, with faint bamboo leaf patterns on the sky-blue satin. It had tassels of the same color on the mouth. He sniffed it under his nose, finding the scent not as strong as those sold in stores, but delicately fragrant and soothing.
Qi Yinglan explained, “It contains tangerine peel and fennel seeds, good for calming and aiding sleep.”
Qingyan exclaimed, “You’re so skillful. This sachet is really nice. In the future, when you and sister-in-law have time, come by often. We can chat.”
Qi Yinglan nodded with a smile.
Today, the two sisters-in-law came with no particular purpose. Qi Yinglan had married from a neighboring village and was still unfamiliar with the people here. Liu Fa’s wife brought her to get closer to Qingyan, giving him more people to talk to in the village.
They sat together and chatted for a while about other things, then discussed the “full moon ceremony” in a few days.
After a month of marriage, the bride’s parents would visit the groom’s home. Liu’s family would host a banquet, which was a significant event.
Although Qi Yinglan politely suggested keeping it simple, Liu Fa’s wife took it seriously and spent quite some time discussing what dishes to prepare for the banquet with Qingyan.
Before the sun set that afternoon, Shen Min came over with a basket of freshly picked willow sprouts for Qingyan, saying, “May Day is coming soon, and willow sprouts are tender now. Just blanch them lightly in boiling water, then dip them in sauce. They’re fresh and tender.”
Qingyan took the basket and poured the willow sprouts into his own basket, inviting Shen Min to sit down and chat.
Shen Min declined to sit, saying with a smile, “Dinner at home is almost ready. I should go back.”
Worried, Qingyan asked after some thought, “Has everything been okay lately?”
Shen Min nodded, “Don’t worry, your mother and sister-in-law have been quite polite to me.”
Shen Min left Qingyan’s house and headed straight home.
When he entered the house, Mrs. Wang was cooking wild vegetable porridge with a face full of resentment. Seeing him come in, she glared fiercely at him but didn’t start scolding as she used to.
Wang Heyao lay on his mother’s bed, his face bruised and swollen so much that he couldn’t open his eyes and kept moaning.
He still hadn’t managed to scrape together the money for Qian Lei’s compensation. He had been hiding at home for several days. Yesterday, unable to resist the urge to gamble, he went to the gambling house and ran into the thugs Qian Lei had sent, getting beaten up again.
That evening, he managed to drink a bowl of porridge alone. There was no kerosene left in the house, so he lay down to sleep as soon as it got dark.
Wang Heyao had been sleeping on the floor in his mother’s room lately, but today he came over to knock on Shen Min’s door.
Shen Min hadn’t locked the door yet and called him in.
Wang Heyao hunched over, trembling as he entered, his voice tearful as he said, “I can’t come up with another ten taels of silver. Qian Lei will have me beaten to death!”
Upon hearing this, Shen Min calmly said, “Then sell this house.”
Wang Heyao panicked, “This house is not the same as land. If I sell it, where will we live? My mother will skin me alive!”
He leaned closer and said, “You go to that ugly guy tomorrow to borrow money. You have a good relationship with him and his husband. He’ll surely lend you some.”
Shen Min replied, “I’m not going.”
Wang Heyao’s face changed, gritting his teeth, he said, “Shen Min, you’re forcing me to die. If I’m pushed to the limit, I won’t be polite to you today.”
Shen Min reached under the pillow and pulled out a kitchen knife. Even though it was dark, the reflection on the blade was visible, chilling.
Shen Min stood up holding the knife and said, “Alright, let’s see now whether you die or I live!”
Wang Heyao shivered all over, and Shen Wen quickly walked towards him. Startled, he jumped, let out a yelp, and hurriedly ran out of the door, slamming it shut behind him as he fled towards the courtyard gate.
…
As May arrived, the thin cotton clothes couldn’t keep out the chill anymore. Crabapples, roses, and jasmine were all in bloom.
Qingyan helped Aunt Li go up the mountain to pick flower buds, and they worked tirelessly before the flowers fell.
On their way back down from the mountain that day, they met Liu’s eldest daughter-in-law.
Aunt Li asked, “Why is Liu’s eldest daughter-in-law in such a hurry?”
The eldest daughter-in-law of Liu’s family had a happy face and said, “Our Yinglan hasn’t had much appetite recently, so she wanted to eat bananas. Liu Cai couldn’t go out to buy them, so I went to town and bought a bunch.”
She even asked Aunt Li and Qingyan to take a banana each. These things weren’t cheap, but both declined.
Qingyan asked with concern, “What’s wrong with Yinglan? Is she feeling unwell?”
At these words, Liu’s eldest daughter-in-law covered her mouth and smiled, and Aunt Li suddenly understood.
She slapped her hand and whispered, “Your Yinglan is pregnant?”
Liu’s eldest daughter-in-law nodded.
Qingyan didn’t understand at first and asked in confusion, “Pregnant with what?”
When the two looked at him meaningfully, he finally realized that Qi Yinglan was pregnant.
Qingyan was stunned.
After separating from Liu’s eldest daughter-in-law, on the way back, Aunt Li sighed, “Counting the days, he should have conceived on her wedding night. It’s been just over a month now, so she’s having symptoms.”
Qingyan, in this world, knew for the first time that a man could get pregnant. He was still recalling the appearance of Qi Yinglan, who looked just thinner and smoother than the average man.
Qingyan only now realized that he had overlooked a problem. His memories of this world were like a storybook, with detailed and omitted parts. It was impossible to write down every detail.
For example, he had always distinguished between men and qigong based on their more delicate figures, appearances, and attire. In most cases, the distinction was obvious, especially in robes and accessories.
Qigong mostly liked bright colors, and they would style their hair with decorations like hairpins or floral hair accessories, and wear bracelets, rings, and other jewelry, unlike men.
But he forgot one thing: when these men and qigong were just born, their physical structures, at least in appearance, were exactly the same.
How exactly did they distinguish gender?
Aunt Li was still lamenting about Liu’s second son-in-law’s pregnancy, saying, “This is really fast.”
She turned to look at Qingyan, who was still lost in thought, and said, “What are your plans with your husband? When are you planning to have children? Our elders can’t rely on them anymore. While I’m still healthy, I can help take care of your children after they’re born.”
Qingyan exclaimed in surprise, his mind buzzing, and stammered, “I… I’ll think about it later… Auntie, I’ll go home first!”
Qingyan hurried away.
Before going to bed that night, when Qiu Henian read to him, Qingyan kept slipping away from time to time.
It wasn’t until the bed curtains were drawn and the oil lamp was still burning that he came back to his senses.
Qiu Henian held a black bracelet-like object in his palm, much wider and thicker than a bracelet.
Qingyan wondered, “What is this?”
Qiu Henian placed the object in his hand and said, “Be careful, there are needles inside.”
Turning the “bracelet” upside down, Qingyan indeed saw densely packed needles inside, and just looking at them made his eyes hurt.
Qiu Henian’s voice sounded in his ears, “Qingyan, help me put it on my arm.”
Qingyan didn’t understand, “Why would you wear this? It could pierce your skin accidentally.”
Qiu Henian shook his head, “I’ve tried it. The needles are densely packed, so it’s not easy to pierce through. It only hurts when you squeeze the outer ring hard, but it’s also difficult to pierce the flesh.”
Qingyan looked at him, as if gradually understanding his meaning, an expression of disbelief in his eyes.
Qiu Henian looked at him and said again, “Help me put it on, Qingyan.”
His gaze lingered on Qingyan’s brows, eyes, and lips, then moved to his neckline, and his Adam’s apple moved. He said, “I don’t want to endure this night after night anymore…”
“If I lose control, Qingyan,” he looked into his eyes, “squeeze it hard. Don’t hesitate.”
Qingyan opened his mouth, looked down at the “bracelet,” and shook his head vigorously. “No…”
Qiu Henian lowered his head, his forehead against Qingyan’s forehead, his voice low, “Doing this is not hurting me,” he paused, his serene eyes gradually surging with turmoil, his voice hoarse, “Qingyan, you’re saving me.”
Spoiler for the Next Chapter:
Qiu Henian’s gaze softened as he continued, “Once a ge’er reaches adulthood, this pregnancy red mark won’t appear with body temperature changes, only when emotionally moved.”
