Chapter 9. Is Comrade Lu... impotent?

That night, Jiang Suining slept soundly without any dreams.

Lu Ye felt utterly tormented. The sweet fragrance of his daughter lingered in his nostrils, and his soft, delicate wife lay beside him, clinging to him like an octopus. Normally, any man would do something, especially on their wedding night, but there were three rules between them! He couldn't!

His body was restless and he could only endure it. He was afraid of disturbing his mother-in-law and brother-in-law's sleep, so he didn't dare to go to the yard to take a shower to cool down. He was about to explode, but he was afraid of disturbing Jiang Suining's sleep, so he didn't dare to move. He just lay there stiffly, sweating profusely, until he finally fell into a light sleep when it was almost dawn.

When Lu Ye woke up in the morning, he had two big dark circles under his eyes. Jiang's mother was startled when she saw him, thinking that the young couple had been out too late last night. But when she saw her daughter's radiant appearance, she couldn't help but worry. Normally, young ladies can't handle this kind of thing, so why does her son-in-law seem to be in such poor condition? What should she do? Is her daughter going to live a life of widowhood?

Jiang's mother, being the mother-in-law, couldn't very well ask her son-in-law about such matters, so she pulled Jiang Suining into the house to whisper to him.

Seeing her mother acting mysteriously, Jiang Suining couldn't help but ask curiously, "Mom, what's wrong? What happened?"

Jiang's mother kept pursing her lips, hesitating several times before finally asking, "Um, last night, were you two alright? What time did you go to sleep?" when Jiang Suining grew impatient and was about to leave.

She asked cryptically, and Jiang Suining didn't think much of it, only catching the literal meaning: "She's fine. She went to bed early and slept soundly until dawn, without even having a dream."

Jiang's mother looked unwell and was restless. Jiang Suining was puzzled when she saw this: "Mother, what's wrong with you? Are you reluctant to let me go to the island? Oh, don't be sad. I promise you, I will come back to see you often."

"Didn't you consummate your marriage last night?" Jiang's mother asked.

"Sui Sui, tell your mother the truth, Comrade Lu, he..." As expected, Jiang's mother's heart sank to the bottom. She took a deep breath and, with great effort, managed to say, "Is it not possible!"

"No? What's wrong?" Jiang Suining immediately realized what she meant and was both amused and exasperated. "Mom, it's not that serious. We were just too tired last night, so we went to bed early without doing anything."

Jiang's mother refused to believe it, thinking it was just an excuse from the two of them. She felt a chill in her heart, thinking to herself, "As expected, he's no good. Oh dear, this old man, how could he have found such a useless man for his daughter? He's making her live like a widow."

“Sui Sui, listen to your mother, don’t go to the island,” Jiang’s mother grabbed Jiang Sui Ning’s wrist. “I’m going to tell Comrade Xiao Lu that you two should get a divorce!”

"Mother, what are you saying? We just got married yesterday." Jiang Suining was very curious. What did Lu Ye do to make her mother misunderstand like this? Could it be that her mother overheard her last night? "Mother, Lu Ye is really fine. He was just being considerate of me last night and didn't consummate the marriage because he saw that I was too tired."

"How do you know if he has a problem if they haven't consummated their marriage? Don't try to cover for him." Her daughter is a renowned beauty in the surrounding area. If Lu Ye is healthy and full of vigor, how could he not have done anything last night? Jiang's mother didn't believe it at all.

"Really?" Jiang's mother was skeptical.

"Really, really, more real than real gold." Jiang Suining clung to her mother's arm and said sweetly, "Mom, don't worry, do you think your daughter would be someone who suffers a loss?"

Jiang's mother recalled how Lu Ye looked when he first woke up that morning, and suddenly realized, she murmured, "Could it be that he didn't sleep well all night?"

"Mom, what did you say? What's bothering you?" Jiang Suining didn't hear clearly.

"You brat! Last night, on your wedding night, you didn't consummate your marriage with Xiao Lu! You're going to die!" Jiang's mother was furious. "Go back and consummate your marriage with Xiao Lu right now!"

"Oh, I see," Jiang Suining replied reluctantly, and followed her mother out of the inner room.

Inside the main room, Lu Ye was setting out the bowls and chopsticks when Jiang's mother called out, "Little Lu, come here, I have something to tell you."

"Mother, what are you going to say?" Jiang Suining immediately became alert. Was she going to bring up what happened last night with Lu Ye? That would be too embarrassing. "Mother, please don't say anything reckless."

"Hurry up and serve the rice." Jiang's mother nudged Jiang Suining and beckoned Lu Ye into the inner room.

"Little Lu," Jiang's mother said, her eyes welling up with tears, "thank you, Mother."

Lu Ye was completely bewildered: "Mother, why are you suddenly thanking me?"

"It's alright," Jiang's mother said. After all, he was her son-in-law, and there was a distance between them, so she couldn't talk about it like she would with her daughter. "I just want to thank you for being so accommodating to Sui Sui. She's been spoiled by us since she was little and can't handle hardship. Please bear with her."

"Don't worry, Mother. Sui Sui is my wife now, so it's only right that I accommodate her," Lu Ye said, thinking that Jiang's mother was worried that Jiang Sui Ning would suffer if she went to the island with him. He quickly assured her, "Don't worry, I will definitely not let her suffer."

"Okay, good child," Jiang's mother thought for a moment, but couldn't help but say, "However, there are some things we can't be too accommodating with. We still have to do what needs to be done. Mother is waiting to help you take care of your children."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ye immediately thought of what happened last night and became uneasy. Seeing this, Jiang's mother quickly smoothed things over, saying, "Alright, alright, you two can discuss your own affairs. I, this old woman, won't interfere. Come on, let's go eat."

After breakfast, the group carried their luggage to the brigade headquarters. Jiang Fengnian had already inquired about it yesterday, and today the brigade's tractor was going to the commune to pick up fertilizer, so Jiang Suining and Lu Ye could hitch a ride.

Lu Ye didn't have much luggage. The bag he brought contained gifts for the Jiang family, but it was half empty after he took it out. Now it contained Jiang Suining's things. Jiang Suining also brought a handbag, which was now in Lu Ye's hands.

Jiang's mother and Jiang Fengnian wanted to send the two to the commune, but Jiang Suining refused. Firstly, it was busy with farming and the work in the fields couldn't be delayed. Secondly, she didn't like seeing people off, and she disliked being seen off even more. Jiang's mother also couldn't bear the scene of parting, so she simply didn't go.

Jiang's mother refused to go, and Jiang Fengnian had no choice but to stay behind due to Jiang Suining's insistence. The two of them escorted the young couple to the village entrance and only returned home when the tractor was out of sight.

After riding the tractor, Jiang Suining realized that the bumpy ride on the bicycle yesterday was nothing compared to what she had experienced today. She was so shaken that she threw up and turned pale when she arrived at the commune.

Lu Ye couldn't help but worry. Given Jiang Suining's physical condition, she might get seasick if she went to the island by ship. So he took her to the clinic to get seasickness medicine and bought some oranges.

The two arrived at the dock, but it was already past the time they had agreed upon with Zhang Hongjuan, and she was nowhere to be seen. Lu Ye found a place for Jiang Suining to sit down, and then searched everywhere, but still couldn't find her.

“Sister Hongjuan might be tied up with something.” Jiang Suining’s worst fears came true. “Let’s go to Sister Hongjuan’s house to find her.”

"How are you feeling? Can you still hold on?" Lu Ye asked worriedly when he saw her pale face.

"I'm fine, I just threw up all my breakfast on the way. Can you buy me a meat bun? I'm hungry."

"There are steamed buns for sale at the entrance of the dock. Let's go buy some." Lu Ye carried two luggage bags in one hand and helped Jiang Suining out of the dock with the other.

"Boss, two meat buns, one meat and one vegetable." The bun stall was doing good business, and Lu Ye waited in line for a while.

The buns were bigger than the palm of her hand, and one was enough to fill her up. Jiang Suining looked at the two plump white buns and reached for the meat-filled one without hesitation, but Lu Ye quickly stopped her: "Meat buns are hard to digest. You just threw up. Eat the vegetarian bun first to line your stomach before you eat the meat one."

Jiang Suining was in a dilemma: "I might not even be able to finish one, let alone two."

"It's okay if you can't finish it. Eat half of the vegetarian one first, and I'll eat the rest." Lu Ye broke open the vegetarian bun and handed her half of it.

The cabbage and vermicelli filling, coated in a dark brown sauce, is steaming hot and has an irresistible aroma that makes your mouth water.

Jiang Suining took the bun and immediately took a bite. The bun skin was fluffy, and after chewing it slowly, the wheat aroma was sweet and refreshing, the cabbage was sweet and crisp, and the vermicelli, which had absorbed the sauce, was soft and chewy, with a savory and mellow flavor.

"It's delicious!" Jiang Suining exclaimed. "You should eat some too, I can't finish it all."

"Hmm." Lu Ye's gaze moved from her swollen cheeks, stuffed with food, to her small, full lips, rosy and bright red after being coated with grease. His throat bobbed, and the heat that had tormented him all night returned.

Lu Ye quickly averted his gaze, inwardly cursing himself for his lack of self-control. He turned to the side, took a big bite of the bun, chewed it hastily, and swallowed it, choking and straightening his neck.

"Drink some water quickly." Jiang Suining saw this and quickly unscrewed the lid of the canteen and handed it to him.

Lu Ye drank a few sips of water, swallowed the bun, and calmed himself down. He felt incredibly embarrassed and wanted to disappear into the ground.

“Slow down, no one’s going to take it from you.” Jiang Suining patted his back. “Eating too fast is bad for your stomach. Unless you’re in a hurry, you should chew your food slowly and carefully.”

“Mm,” Lu Ye saw the worry in her eyes and felt a warmth in his heart, his embarrassment vanishing. “I’ll remember.”

After eating the steamed buns, the two inquired their way to Xiangyang Hutong, where Zhang Hongjuan lived. Upon finding the gate, they heard crying and cursing coming from the courtyard.