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墨書 Inktalez
The next day, Xiao Lihua woke up a bit late. When she opened her eyes, she realized that the sunlight was already bright. Suddenly remembering what happened last night, her face felt a bit hot. She slowly sat up and looked around, discovering that she was the only one on the kang. As she sat up, she noticed that her waist, legs, and arms felt a bit sore, and her face flushed again. She thought to herself that Xie Youshun's energy was truly abundant; perhaps it was because of what they did last night that more memories about Xiao Lihua came back to her.
In Xiao Lihua's memory, there were not many instances of married life with Xie Youshun. Each time was quite hurried, and both of them were very indifferent. Xiao Lihua looked down on Xie Youshun and always appeared unwilling, while Xie Youshun naturally couldn't be enthusiastic. However, last night they were in sync with each other, willingly and passionately involved.
"Wife, you’re awake? I made breakfast; come eat something."
As Xie Youshun lifted the curtain, he saw his wife sitting on the kang with her collar loose, revealing a patch of snow-white skin. Her hair was loosely tied back with a ribbon before bed but had now come undone, cascading over her chest and back. It framed her slightly flushed face like the most beautiful pink peach blossoms in spring. Her eyes sparkled as if they had fallen into dew, and her lips were rosy, reminding him of the red fruits on the mountain. He thought his wife's mouth must be much sweeter than those red fruits and wanted to take another bite.
Seeing such a wife made Xie Youshun's mouth dry and his heart race as if it would leap out of his mouth. His body reacted immediately, so he quickly told his wife to eat to cover up his embarrassment.
Xie Youshun thought to himself that he used to enjoy doing such things with his wife. In the past, when he was with other men, they would inevitably talk about women. Listening to their bragging and seeing their wolf-like eyes made him think it couldn't be that enjoyable. He didn't think much of marrying a wife; it felt like hugging a piece of wood until now when he developed feelings for her. When his wife actively embraced him and got close to him, he realized he also had desires—like a tiger that had been hungry all winter, wanting nothing more than to devour his wife. If it weren't for his gentle nature, Xiao Lihua would have experienced more than just sore waist and legs today.
Xie Youshun understood why men wanted to marry; besides having children, there was joy in sleeping together with a woman they liked and doing those things.
"Okay, I'm getting up now."
Seeing Xie Youshun's embarrassed expression made Xiao Lihua feel a bit awkward too, but more than that was joy—harmonious marriage and raising a few children would make her life complete.
Xie Youshun had just used the curtain to cover himself and managed to suppress his impulse until it calmed down. Now hearing his wife's slightly hoarse voice from just waking up invigorated him again, so he quickly turned around and left.
Xiao Lihua got dressed and tidied up the kang before getting off it. As she lifted the curtain to enter the hall, she saw Stone and Wood running in.
"Mom, you're awake! Dad said you were tired and told us not to call you. Are you still tired?" Stone asked with wide eyes, noticing that Mom seemed less energetic than usual and feeling a bit anxious. "If you're tired, you can go lie down; I'll cook. When it's ready, I'll bring it to you on the kang."
Little Wood softly said, "I can pick vegetables and gather firewood."
Xiao Lihua went over and kissed each of them on the cheek, saying, "Mom is not tired anymore. Both of you are good children; so filial! Mom will make delicious food for you."
As soon as the two little ones heard "delicious food," their eyes lit up. Although Xiao Lihua cooked well for them every day, they always felt that each meal was the best one ever. Moreover, Xiao Lihua often made different dishes; what she referred to as delicious might be something they had never tasted before.
Little Wood saliva flowed uncontrollably, and wiping it with his small hand, he raised his head and asked, "Mom, what delicious food do we have? Is it meat?"
Little Wood remembered that yesterday Parents bought a lot of meat, and Mom makes the best meat.
Xiao Lihua playfully poked at the little tuft of hair tied with a red string on his head and smiled, "Yes, it's meat. Today, I'm making braised pork for you, and I'll also cook eggplant. This eggplant is different from the usual stir-fried or stewed ones. Don't eat too much and end up with a little belly like a watermelon."
Little Wood pounced onto Xiao Lihua and said, "Mom, rub my little belly."
Shitou watched his younger brother snuggle up to their mother. He wanted to join in but thought to himself that he was a big kid now and shouldn't act spoiled anymore; otherwise, he would be laughed at. So he could only watch.
Xiao Lihua noticed this and thought how sensible this child was. She reached out to pull him over and rubbed his head, saying, "Shitou, don’t eat too much later. If you eat too much, you won't just be a little watermelon; you'll be a big watermelon. Then I can just gently pat you to see if you're ripe. Our Shitou is so cute and well-behaved; he must be the best big watermelon, sweet and sandy."
"Mom—"
Shitou couldn't help but laugh.
Xiao Lihua thought about how easily children find joy. Her two precious sons were very well-behaved and easy to please. She didn't mind them being a bit mischievous; even if they caused some minor trouble, it was okay—what child hasn't caused trouble?
Xie Youshun came in holding a plate of freshly made pickles. Seeing the three of them huddled together laughing, he smiled as well and called them to eat.
Breakfast was simple: thick rice porridge and pickled cucumbers. The cucumbers were at their best; just a tap with the back of a knife, adding some soy sauce and salt, along with some garlic made for an excellent dish that was crisp and refreshing—very few people disliked it. Additionally, Xie Youshun boiled three eggs—one for each child except himself.
Xiao Lihua felt warmth in her heart. Usually, they only boiled two eggs at home for the children without any for the adults. Today Xie Youshun also made one for her; perhaps it was to make up for what happened yesterday. She peeled the egg and placed it into Xie Youshun's bowl.
Xie Youshun immediately picked the egg out of the porridge and placed it into Xiao Lihua's bowl.
"You eat it; what does a big man like me need an egg for?"
Xie Youshun said as he picked up the bowl, not allowing Xiao Lihua to return the egg.
Shitou handed the egg in his hand to Xie Youshun and said, "Dad, here’s an egg for you."
Little Wood also offered his egg. Since they had separated their households, they hadn't sold any eggs; they had been eating them at home. The two children could almost have an egg every day, no longer drooling over a raw egg like before. Although they felt a bit reluctant to give it away, they were still happy to offer it to their father.
Xie Youshun told them to eat; he didn’t want it.
Xiao Lihua carefully split the egg in her bowl in half, giving one half to Xie Youshun, then turned to her sons and said, "Alright, now your dad has some too, hurry and eat."
Only then did Shitou and Wood start eating. Xiao Lihua told Xie Youshun not to save that portion for himself. Xie Youshun smiled and agreed, eating the egg in his bowl, feeling as sweet as if he had eaten sugar. He thought that his current life was exactly what he had always dreamed of: a gentle and considerate wife, obedient and sensible sons, and no worries about money. If there was one regret, it was that their home still lacked a little girl—a soft and lovely daughter like his wife.
"Why are you staring at me?" Xiao Lihua noticed Xie Youshun looking at her with bright eyes.
"Wife, if you’re going to have another child, let’s have a daughter. With these two boys, we still need a little girl."
"What are you saying in front of the kids!"
Xiao Lihua's face flushed as she saw Shitou and Wood looking at her. She felt annoyed at Xie Youshun for bringing this up but secretly wished for another child. In her previous life, she hadn’t given birth; in this life, she had sons but they were all from someone else. She had never experienced the happiness of carrying a child for ten months. She thought it would be nice to experience that at least once; she wasn’t afraid of being tired or in pain. Now that they had two sons, having a little daughter would be even better.
Xiao Lihua imagined dressing her little girl up like a doll, making her the happiest little girl.
"Mom, I want a sister," Shitou said, seeing others with sisters made him want one too.
When Little Wood heard his brother say he wanted a sister, he also called out for one.
Xiao Lihua shot Xie Youshun a glare and told her sons, "You need to behave. Only when your sister sees that you are good enough and capable enough will she come to be your sister."
Stone and Wood immediately nodded, saying they would be very obedient and become very capable.
Xiao Lihua watched her two sons eagerly express their determination and thought to herself that if she hadn't given birth to a daughter and had another son, these two little guys might be disappointed. It seemed that for their sake, she should have a daughter.
Xie Youshun heard Xiao Lihua say this and knew she was willing to have more children, which made him even happier. When she gave birth to their two sons, she wasn't very pleased and didn't even want to nurse the children. He understood that only a woman who truly wanted to stay in a home would be willing to have children for a man. As his wife continued to improve, he found himself wanting to keep her more and more. In the past, if his wife had left, he might have felt a sense of relief; now, he no longer thought that way.
After dinner, Xie Youshun went to find the village chief. Repairing the bridge was a major matter, so it naturally needed to be done together with the village chief, and they also needed to involve everyone in the village who could help.
Yesterday, when Xie Youshun mentioned money, the villagers were overjoyed. Everyone felt it was unreasonable not to contribute anything, so they ultimately decided they would pitch in as well. The meals for the bridge builders would also be provided by them, and the villagers would offer accommodation.
Xiao Lihua was busy at home. After feeding the cattle, sheep, and chickens, she took a stroll around the vegetable garden and found everything tidied up nicely. She sat down on the kang (a traditional heated bed) and decided to make clothes since it was quite hot. She wanted to make some small clothes for her two children. Just after she started working on it for a while, Yumiang came looking for her, and after a while, Zhang Lianxiang also arrived.
The three of them chatted while working. Xie Qingfeng and Wang Dashan had gone to help discuss the bridge repairs as it had become the top priority for the village; naturally, they talked most about this matter.
“Li Hua, do you think once the bridge is repaired, they will let the people from Shangqiao Village cross?” Yumiang asked.
“No way! How did they force us back then? They drove all our village's girls back home just to pressure us into paying for the bridge repairs! What a ruthless plan they came up with! Now that our village is repairing the bridge, they shouldn't even think about crossing; let them calculate their own Ruyi!”
Zhang Lianxiang said angrily while making shoe soles, her movements becoming more vigorous.
Yumiang nodded; she actually thought the same way in her heart.
Xiao Lihua said, “No way! I already told Stone's father that this time we are going to repair the bridge at our village's entrance. The people from Shangqiao Village won’t have such good fortune. Besides, didn’t they already have an escape route? Isn’t that Village Chief's Son engaged to a girl from Wheat Village? Let them go pursue that! No girl from our village is marrying into their family.”
Xiao Lihua didn't have a good relationship with Ruyi, but since Ruyi was Xie Youshun's sister and had been rejected in marriage, it was like slapping the Xie Family's face—essentially slapping Xie Youshun's face. As his wife, she had to help restore that face.
When Zhang Lianxiang and Yumiang heard this, they thought that Shangqiao Village really shouldn’t expect to cross this bridge anymore. Imagining the dark faces of Shangqiao Village’s people made both of them feel delighted in their hearts.
Xiaqiao Village was bustling with plans to build a bridge, and Shangqiao Village quickly found out because the two villages shared adjacent fields. They would often encounter each other while farming, and ever since the bridge collapse incident, the people from both villages had been tense around each other. Now, however, the people of Xiaqiao Village wore smiles, especially when looking at those from Shangqiao Village, thinking about how fortunes change; they had once been the ones laughing at others, and now it was their turn to enjoy the joke.
To provoke Shangqiao Village, the people of Xiaqiao Village naturally talked about their bridge construction plans, which was no secret. They wanted to see Shangqiao Village get upset.
The people of Shangqiao Village were furious upon hearing this news. Some went to Xiaqiao Village to check it out, and indeed, they found that materials were already prepared and that bridge builders were discussing what kind of bridge to construct. The people of Xiaqiao Village saw them and chased them away, telling them not to come back and that they shouldn't even think about using the new bridge. When the people of Shangqiao Village returned and shared what they had seen, many felt disheartened.
Originally, the people of Shangqiao Village thought they could use another bridge. Although it would take longer to reach the town, at least they could still go there, which seemed more convenient than going through Xiaqiao Village. They felt fortunate. Now that Xiaqiao Village was building a new bridge that would allow direct access to the main road leading to town without detours, they immediately felt a sense of imbalance. They all went to complain to the village chief.
The village chief of Shangqiao Village was also frustrated. Over the years, he had always felt superior compared to Xiaqiao Village, knowing full well that Shangqiao Village was wealthier. Yet this time, he felt slapped in the face by Xiaqiao Village. His authority felt undermined. However, he was curious where Xiaqiao Village had gotten the funds for this bridge; it was impossible for them to build one on their own. He immediately sent someone to investigate, specifically asking a daughter-in-law from Xiaqiao Village to gather information.
When those daughters-in-law returned and shared what they had learned, the village chief's eyes turned red with anger. He wondered why no one in his village was willing to contribute to building a bridge! What made him even more envious was that the family willing to invest money was actually his former daughter-in-law's brother's family!
Upon hearing this news, Village Chief's Son immediately darkened his expression. People could hear shouting coming from the village chief's house; it was clear that Village Chief's Son was causing a scene.
The author has something to say: Four thousand words; there won't be many updates, and it's so late for an update—covering my face. I'll add updates slowly.
Thanks to Jimo Ru Xue for the support.
Thanks for the support from Lin Si.
Some readers have mentioned that there are too many extreme characters; I will try to write more heartwarming content in the future while still addressing those extreme characters.
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