Chapter 50: A Pleasant Autumn as the Weather Cools
Qiu Henian held Qingyan like that and gently patted him, soothing him.
Qingyan’s temperament was gentle on the outside but strong on the inside. Although he appeared delicate and beautiful, he would shed tears at the slightest pain and seek his husband’s sympathy by snuggling up to him.
During intimate nights, he would cry like a person made of water, begging for mercy and acting coquettishly.
When he couldn’t bear it anymore and all his pleas were futile, tears would stream down his face. He would rub his wet face against his husband’s face like a little animal, with his warm and rapid breath tickling his husband’s face, causing it to itch slightly.
Qingyan didn’t know that at such moments, the uncontrollable beast within his heart became even more frantic. Eventually, when Qingyan couldn’t bear the pain of being pinched on his wrist, he would temporarily regain his composure, briefly restraining himself with all his willpower in the ultimate satisfaction, and then continue to lose himself…
Qingyan cried easily but was also very capable.
He could manage affairs both inside and outside the home exceptionally well. Despite his tender appearance, he was extremely efficient in his work. If he couldn’t do something, he wouldn’t pretend he could do it and would seek alternative solutions.
He knew how to empathize and could be compassionate.
He handled all the personal relationships in the family, dealt with matters thoughtfully, and was warm-hearted, making relatives and friends alike fond of him.
When Qingyan snuggled up to him, Qiu Henian thought this way.
After being comforted, Qingyan felt much better. He returned to his original low stool and continued eating dumplings with Qiu Henian.
Before long, Xiao Zhuang peeked inside cautiously. Qingyan waved at him and called him in.
Xiao Zhuang’s face and neck turned red; he felt extremely embarrassed and entered the room with lowered head and dragging steps.
Qingyan asked him, “What’s the matter?”
Xiao Zhuang hesitated for a while before saying with effort, “I didn’t mean to disturb Master and Mistress. It’s just that it’s scorching hot at noon, and I couldn’t bear it!”
Qingyan burst into laughter all of a sudden, and Qiu Henian also raised his hand and lightly patted Xiao Zhuang on the back of his head with a smile.
Qingyan took out two copper coins from his purse and handed them to Xiao Zhuang, saying, “This is from Mistress to compensate you. Go buy some ice or something cold to eat.”
Xiao Zhuang’s eyes lit up. He glanced at his master, saw no objection, thanked Qingyan, took the coins, and was about to run out.
Halfway, he turned back and asked, “Should I come back after buying it?”
Qiu Henian pretended to kick him, and Xiao Zhuang swiftly and flexibly ran off.
After Xiao Zhuang left, Qiu Henian finished eating. Together, they cleaned up the plates and bowls.
Just after eating, Qingyan suggested giving Qiu Henian a shoulder and back massage, which Qiu Henian agreed to.
The two sat on a low stool while Qingyan stood behind Qiu Henian.
Qiu Henian’s muscles were not overly bulging but were perfectly slender and well-defined, shaped by hard work. They were firm and honest, making it quite a challenge for Qingyan to knead them. Eventually, he had to use his elbows.
As they chatted and massaged, Qingyan mentioned what Xiao Zhuang had told him about Liu Fa’s relatives.
After hearing this, Qiu Henian said, “I noticed them yesterday and thought they were from the town. So it was them.”
Qingyan murmured in agreement and said, “We’ve gathered enough money at home. Once we visit the bank, and since you’ve just brought in supplies, there isn’t much money left at home. We don’t have to worry about such incidents happening again.”
Qiu Henian thought for a moment and said, “During these days, visit Aunt Qiu and Aunt Li more often. Lock the door when you’re home alone. Don’t go to Liu Fa’s house for the time being. Whenever I have time, I’ll go back home to check on things.”
Qingyan agreed.
After a while, Qiu Henian added, “I’ll consider whether we should discuss this with Liu Fa.”
Shaking his head, Qingyan said, “Let’s wait and see. I don’t know what they’re up to, and bringing this up to Brother Liu now might put him in a difficult position.”
Qiu Henian and Xiao Zhuang got busy again, so Qingyan carried the food basket and headed home.
Once home, he tidied up the food basket, fed the chicks in the house, washed his hands, and took out the dough he had prepared before going out. It had risen quite a bit due to the hot weather at noon.
Qingyan kneaded the dough again, steamed a pot of sugar buns with red sugar.
After the buns were steamed, he kept a few for himself, wrapped the rest while still hot in a cloth-covered tray, put them in a basket, and carried them to Aunt Li’s house.
It was Qin Lan who opened the door for Qingyan. She had stayed over last night, and Qingyan could see she hadn’t slept well with her pale face and red eyes.
“I just steamed a pot of sugar buns, and I thought Niannian would like them, so I brought some for her,” Qingyan said.
Qin Lan thanked him and let him in.
Niannian was squatting in the outer room, playing and drawing on a low stool. Steam was rising from the stove, and the medicinal smell was strong. Aunt Li’s room door was tightly shut.
Qin Lan washed her hands and peeled off a sugar bun for Niannian to eat.
She occasionally took a bite herself and sighed, “I haven’t had time to eat my lunch. These sugar buns came just in time.”
Qingyan glanced at Aunt Li’s closed door and asked quietly, “Have you talked to her?”
Qin Lan nodded and sighed deeply.
“She cried for half a day. Every time I think about it, I want to cry. She nearly collapsed this morning. I’ve asked for a doctor. After taking the medicine, she slept.”
Qingyan said, “The caravan is about to return. What does Auntie think?”
Qin Lan lowered her eyelids and shook her head.
“She’s still overwhelmed for a while, just crying and refusing to say anything.”
She paused, then looked up and added, “They say family matters shouldn’t be aired publicly, but you and Henian are not outsiders. So I’m telling you everything.”
“I want my father to come back. If his official position can’t be resigned, we can find a way to spend some money and transfer him back. As for that concubine… we should offer more money for her settlement. If she wants to remarry, let her. If not, with a sum of money, she can live well enough. If my mother doesn’t want to see that child, I can take care of him. After all, our family can afford one more mouth to feed.”
Qingyan looked at Qin Lan, remaining silent for a while.
Qin Lan glanced at him, lowered her head, and choked up, “Do you think what I’m doing is inappropriate? Do you think I’m forcing my mother to compromise? But he is my father. When he disappeared, I was already so grown up. I have deep feelings for him. In those years, he treated me, his daughter, with great affection. As a father, he didn’t do anything wrong. Moreover, this situation can’t be blamed on him. After all, he lost his memory and doesn’t remember us, mother and daughter.”
Qingyan shook his head and sighed, “That’s not what I meant.”
Qin Lan smiled bitterly, “Our village is poor, that’s why there aren’t many men taking concubines. Look at the town or even the county, wealthy households have secondary wives and concubines, and they visit brothels from time to time. Even my father-in-law had concubines in the past, but he was in poor health, so he stopped early.”
“Men are like this. My mother will understand,” Qin Lan concluded.
Two days later, Qingyan stewed a pot of braised pork and took it to add dishes for the master and disciple in the shop.
As he was halfway there, he saw that the old house borrowed by Liu Fa’s family seemed to have been repaired. People were moving things in and out, and it was Liu Youfu and Zhang Ju’s family.
The village was usually quiet with few fresh events, so some idle elderly men, women, and young wives came out to watch the excitement and gossip when they saw them moving.
Liu Youfu worked silently, while Zhang Ju stood at the courtyard gate and told nearby neighbors, “Back when they sought refuge with us, my family’s old Liu spared no effort. It’s just that our family was poor and couldn’t make things too comfortable, right? These Liu brothers, they’re so stingy even though they’re dripping with wealth!”
“Liu Cai and his wife, just the two of them living in such a big house, while my family of four has to move into this dilapidated house. Shouldn’t people have a conscience? How does that saying go again? When repaying the kindness of a drop of water, one should think of its source. What they’re doing to my family is just heartless!” she continued.
The neighbors nearby listened with amusement, covering their mouths and chuckling.
Zhang Ju added, “Hey, look at my Liu Yong and Liu Xiang, they’re not young anymore. Liu Yong is nineteen this year, and it’s time. If anyone knows of a suitable match, please let us know.”
A well-meaning neighbor asked, “What kind of person are you looking for them?”
Rolling her eyes, Zhang Ju replied, “My Liu Yong is honest and modest, while Liu Xiang is obedient and good-looking. At the very least, we should find someone better off than Liu Fa’s family.”
The neighbor chuckled and said, “Alright, we’ll inquire around for you.”
Zhang Ju seemed to want to say something more, but at that moment, Liu Fa and Liu Cai, the two brothers, drove their ox-cart back with more things. Seeing them, Zhang Ju’s expression immediately changed.
She greeted them warmly, asking after their well-being repeatedly, smiling with many creases on her face, completely different from how she had just talked behind their backs.
After thinking for a moment, Qingyan turned around, bypassed her house, and took another route.
As late August arrived, the weather began to cool completely, even at noon.
Qingyan replaced the cool mats and pillows on the beds at home, cleaned them, dried them, and put them away.
Qiu Henian and Er Yao went to town and brought back a large cart of coal and coal slag, sharing it with Aunt Li’s family. Aunt Li wanted to give them some money for their hard work, but they didn’t accept it. Instead, she cut two large pieces of pork back fat and sent them to their homes respectively.
Qingyan saw that Aunt Li’s illness was getting better and she was energetic, which relieved him a little.
During this period, whenever Qingyan had free time, he went to her house to accompany her, chat with her, and help with chores.
He didn’t mention the imminent arrival of Qin Liangchuan, only discussing making perfumes and snowflake ointments. Aunt Li’s eyes lit up when they talked about these things, and her spirits improved a lot.
During these days, Qingyan and Qiu Niang went to town to set up stalls a few times. The two items made by Aunt Li were starting to gain popularity in the market. “Xizhen’s Snowflake Ointment” and “Xizhen’s Perfume” became popular items in the small-scale market in town.
Taking advantage of this, Qingyan also promoted the name of “Qingqing’s Beauty and Grocery Shop” and established a “one-stop shop” concept. Whatever people wanted to buy, whatever was popular, they could find it at his stall. Girls and young men who loved beauty couldn’t help but stop by his stall.
Qingyan saved up all the money he earned, depositing it as soon as he had enough.
As the autumn harvest approached, Qiu Henian’s blacksmith shop also became busy, with business coming in every day.
The two of them earned money sporadically like this, eating simple meals most of the time, occasionally treating themselves to something delicious, and buying clothes and necessities when needed. Occasionally, they would splurge a bit, but always within their means.
The weather had turned cooler. During the day it was still bearable, but at night they needed to burn a little coal to warm the house. Just one stove was enough; before going to sleep, they covered it with coal slag, letting it burn slowly throughout the night, making the house quite comfortable, and finally allowing them to sleep well.
It was barely dark when the commotion under the bed curtains started again.
Qingyan didn’t let him touch again, covering himself with the blanket and whispering softly, “We just did it a few days ago, not tonight.”
Qiu Henian asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong?”
Qingyan blushed, lifted the blanket and his underclothes, showing the man his lower abdomen.
Qiu Henian propped himself up and leaned over, looking for a while before saying, “It’s red.”
Qingyan nodded, “I heard from other guys in the village that if it’s also red when you’re not in the mood, it means it’s easy to conceive. It turned red several times during the day when you weren’t around.”
Qiu Henian didn’t insist, leaned over and kissed him, then removed his wrist guard and lay down to calm himself.
Qingyan felt a little guilty.
After thinking about it, he buried himself under the covers.
The covers were raised high. Qiu Henian rested one hand on his forehead, covering his eyes, trying hard to restrain his desire to turn over and push down the person below.
A long time passed, and the person under the covers managed to hold on.
Finally, after finishing, a cough came from inside the covers. Qiu Henian hadn’t recovered yet and quickly sat up, lifting the covers hastily.
Under the covers, the beautiful face was pale with a touch of red, eyes moist, lips rosy, with white traces still lingering.
Qiu Henian placed his palm under his chin and said, “Spit it out.”
Qingyan looked at him with complaints, almost crying, pouting and mumbling, “I swallowed it all!”
Spoiler for the Next Chapter:
Qingyan’s voice grew even softer, “They say it’s easy to conceive at this time, but they didn’t say it would feel like this…”
