A three-person bed is really too crowded.
Li Xiuman sensed the somber tone in Zhang Chunfeng's voice, so he stopped moving and let himself be held.
In the past, Li Xiuman always felt that the distance from his home to the Zhang family's home was quite far, but today he felt that time flew by. Indeed, it was only from the east side of the village to the west side, and with four sedan chair bearers, it really wouldn't take long.
"Spring Breeze," Lee Soo-man said thoughtfully, "We still need to be careful at home..."
Li Xiuman hesitated, truly unsure how to face Zhang Chuntian. If Zhang Chuntian weren't mentally challenged, the marriage could simply be called off. But Zhang Chuntian was mentally challenged, and he felt utterly wicked for having wronged her.
Because he didn't know how to face the situation, Lee Soo-man wanted to take his time and see how to handle it.
Zhang Chunfeng chuckled softly as he listened to Li Xiuman's words.
"Sister-in-law, there's no need to explain. It's just an affair, right? I'll be discreet about it."
She stated so blatantly that two people were having an affair, and Lee Soo-man quickly pursed his lips and stopped talking.
After arriving home, Zhang Chunfeng quietly opened the door, and the two went back to their respective rooms to rest.
After lying down on his slightly softer bed, Lee Soo-man realized how much pain he was in. The Shen family's bed was just a single plank; the two of them hadn't noticed it while enjoying themselves, but now, looking at it, Lee Soo-man felt his back and knees were covered in scrapes and bruises. His chest was also covered in bite marks, and his back was especially sore.
Helpless, he took out the ointment that Aunt Liu had given him and applied it little by little.
Holding the ointment, he was lost in thought. When Aunt Liu gave him those instructions, he thought it was a fantasy, that it was impossible for him and Zhang Chunfeng to do it. But things are unpredictable, and just a few days later he actually did it with Zhang Chunfeng.
After applying the medicine, Lee Soo-man fell asleep with a troubled mind.
He was still thinking about getting up to make breakfast for Li Shi, and the clothes of Li Shi and Zhang Chuntian and his sister were also waiting for him to wash in the basket. Li Xiuman only slept for a while, and when it was completely light, he hurriedly got up.
Despite applying the medicine, he still felt pain if he walked even a little faster or took larger steps. To avoid letting Li Shi notice the problem, he only walked with small, quick steps.
Mr. Li had a keen eye; he was already so careful when serving breakfast in the morning.
But Li still asked, "Man'er, what's wrong with your legs?"
Lee Soo-man froze, his mind racing.
"It's nothing. My aunt had a high fever again last night, and I was so anxious that I prayed to Buddha. I knelt on the ground for too long," Li Xiuman said, feeling extremely ashamed. She had actually learned to lie like this! How utterly despicable!
Li nodded. "How is Aunt Liu? Shall I go and see her?"
Li Xiuman shook his head, "Auntie has gone to stay at her daughter's house, there's no need to see her."
Aunt Liu stays at her daughter's house for ten days every month, and if you count the days, it just happens to be these few days, so Li Xiuman isn't exactly lying.
Li was relieved, but then noticed that Zhang Chunfeng had not yet gotten up.
"When did you get back? It's a bit late."
"Yes, I don't know when it was, it must have been past midnight."
“No wonder Chunfeng is still sleeping. Never mind, let’s eat first, we don’t need to wait for her,” said Li.
Zhang Chunfeng slept until noon before getting up. She lazily got out of bed and went outside to see Li Xiuman hanging up clothes. Seeing that no one was in the yard, she immediately went over and grabbed Li Xiuman's hand.
The warm palms carefully caressed Lee Soo-man's rootless, cool fingers. With just this touch, Zhang Chunfeng's eyes were already flushed with desire.
"I miss my wife," Zhang Chunfeng said in a low voice.
Li Xiuman hurriedly broke free from Zhang Chunfeng's hand. "Mother is inside," he whispered, then nervously turned to the other side to hang up his clothes.
“It’s always inconvenient to stay at home. Why don’t I take my sister-in-law to the city and we can find an inn?” Zhang Chunfeng suggested again.
Li Xiuman was helpless; he was even uncomfortable walking now, so Zhang Chunfeng thought of this again.
"Spring Breeze, you are still young. It's not good to be so infatuated with such things."
Zhang Chunfeng hadn't expected Li Xiuman to speak to him in such an elder-like manner. Saying he was too young? How ridiculous! Who was it that cried and cried last night because of someone younger?
"When Dazhu was the same age as me, he was already a father."
People in the village tend to marry young, and sixteen is not exactly young; it's just the right age for marriage.
Lee Soo-man, having been refuted, offered another excuse: "We agreed that you would do that after you pass the imperial examination."
"Don't worry, sister-in-law, fame and fortune are within my grasp," Zhang Chunfeng said nonchalantly.
"But you still need to read and study, so you should go and study."
Zhang Chunfeng frowned. "Why is my sister-in-law making such a fuss?" At her age, she has boundless energy. She reads, writes, rides horses, and shoots arrows every day, so she never feels tired. Last night was just an appetizer for Zhang Chunfeng; she didn't get to fully enjoy herself.
Lee Soo-man pursed his lips and could only honestly say, "I'm in a lot of pain, and I'm afraid I can't make it for the next few days."
Zhang Chunfeng had no idea that this would cause Li Xiuman pain, nor did she have any experience with it; she simply assumed that Li Xiuman would feel the same way she did. Now, thinking back, she remembered that at the beginning, Li Xiuman's face was indeed pale, and her forehead was covered in sweat.
"Why didn't you tell me? I could have slowed down then. Did I hurt you?" Zhang Chunfeng asked hurriedly.
"I've already applied the medicine, but I need to rest for a few days," Li Xiuman said. Then she urged Zhang Chunfeng to stay away from her. Even if it was just the two sisters-in-law talking, it wouldn't be good if Li Shi saw them sitting so close together.
Helpless, Zhang Chunfeng could only step back a few paces. "I'll go into the city to find you some medicine."
She left in a hurry after saying that.
Days passed, and after seven days, Li Xiuman felt almost fully recovered. That night, Zhang Chunfeng again pestered her, and, incredibly bold, she sneaked into Li Xiuman's room in the dark.
On Lee Soo-man's bed, there was still an embroidered image of newlywed mandarin ducks. Before her husband could even lie down, the harmonious mandarin ducks had been crumpled and rolled into a ball by the two of them.
The bed creaked and groaned, and Lee Soo-man kept quiet, not daring to make a sound. Actually, the main room of the Lee family was quite a distance away from the east and west rooms, so the noise was unlikely to be heard.
Li Xiuman was afraid that Li Shi might hear him, that Zhang Chuntian might get up to use the toilet in the middle of the night, that someone passing by might knock on the door, or that a neighbor might need to see Li Shi.
Thousands upon thousands of "what ifs" swirled in Li Xiuman's mind. He could only clutch the bedding tightly, biting down on the embroidered mandarin ducks on the bed curtains until his face turned red and tears streamed down his face.
But whenever this happened, Zhang Chunfeng always seemed to have boundless energy. Li Xiuman had thought it would only drag on until midnight at most, and he could just bear it. He truly didn't know that Zhang Chunfeng, who had been running around all day, still had such energy at night. Even though Zhang Chunfeng didn't look particularly strong, his hands were surprisingly powerful.
"Spring breeze, spring breeze, I'm in a bit of pain." Lee Soo-man felt his chest being rubbed raw again, and he endured his desperate pleas.
"Good sister-in-law, it's my fault." Zhang Chunfeng apologized, but Li Xiuman blushed with embarrassment.
"You, don't call me sister-in-law at this time."
“But my sister-in-law doesn’t call me husband, and I can’t bring myself to call her wife,” Zhang Chunfeng said mischievously, and several more intimate encounters almost made Li Xiuman bite her tongue.
Lee Soo-man didn't respond; he simply couldn't bring himself to call him "husband." That face was ten years younger than his own, and calling someone so young "husband" felt like Lee Soo-man's mouth was glued shut; words came out haltingly, but he couldn't utter the word.
As night deepened and the bedding became soaked, Zhang Chunfeng took out the medicine he had recently obtained and carefully applied it to Li Xiuman's lips. Li Xiuman thought it was finally over, but then he felt Zhang Chunfeng kiss his lips.
"This is the last time, my wife." Zhang Chunfeng smiled, not giving Li Xiuman a chance to catch his breath, and immediately forced her to go to Wushan together.
After this, Lee Soo-man would need another seven days of rest to barely recover. Each seven-day break meant seven days of endurance for Zhang Chunfeng, and the more she endured, the more intense the Lee Soo-man's ministrations would become. This cycle repeated itself, leaving both of them increasingly anxious.
Seven days had finally passed. Zhang Chunfeng calculated that Li Xiuman's health should be fine tonight. But during dinner, Li said, "Judging from the days, Man'er's mother has also passed the 21st day after her death. Why don't we let Chuntian move back to live with Man'er?"
Both Li Xiuman and Zhang Chunfeng were taken aback, surprised that it had happened so quickly.
Lee Soo-man hesitated, secretly glancing at Zhang Chunfeng out of the corner of his eye.
“What’s the rush? Even after the 37th day after the mourning period, it’s not over yet. Others observe a 3-year mourning period after their mother dies. Sister-in-law, this is too fast.” Zhang Chunfeng said, then looked at Zhang Chuntian.
"Besides, my brother doesn't really like sharing a room with me."
Zhang Chuntian nodded immediately, "Sleeping with my sister is good." After he finished speaking, he looked at Li Xiuman, "Sleeping with my wife is also good." Then he looked at Li Shi, "Sleeping with my mother is also good."
They're still just kids; they shouldn't sleep alone.
Li shook her head. "It's gotten colder these past few days. You don't feel it during the day, but it's always cold sleeping on the ground at night. No matter how robust Chuntian is, she can't sleep on the ground all the time. It's better to let Chuntian and Xiuman sleep together."
As she spoke, Madam Li asked Li Xiuman, "Man'er, what do you think?"
Just as Li Xiuman was about to answer, he suddenly felt an itch on his foot. He glanced at it out of the corner of his eye, pretending not to care, and saw Zhang Chunfeng's foot brazenly placed between his two feet, the blue embroidered bird boots slowly rubbing against his ankle.
Realizing that Lee Soo-man was watching, Jang Chun-feng immediately crossed his legs, the toe of his boot slithering down his calf like a nimble green snake to his knee, then hurriedly moving up to his thigh.
Li Xiuman's ears turned red instantly. He moved his foot slightly, signaling Zhang Chunfeng to leave him quickly.
This was a family meal, and Li was sitting between the two men.
"I will obey Mother's orders," Li Xiuman replied obediently.
He had barely finished speaking when he felt Zhang Chunfeng rub against his thigh. She seemed a little angry and deliberately rubbed against the back of Li Xiuman's leg. Li Xiuman had a lot of ticklish flesh, and the rubbing made him feel itchy and tingly, but he didn't dare to move.
The table was so small, and there was so little space around it. He was terrified that if he moved, he might bump into Li or Zhang Chuntian again.
“Since that’s the case, then so be it. Spring, you will sleep with Man’er tonight,” said Madam Li.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chuntian immediately clapped his hands with joy, "Sleep with my wife! Sleep with my wife!" He excitedly twisted back and forth, accidentally bumping into the chopsticks on the bowl, which clattered to the ground.
"Look at you moving around like that, hurry up and pick it up!" Li shouted.
Zhang Chuntian bent down to pick it up, and Li Xiuman's ears burned. She hurriedly pulled her feet back, but Zhang Chunfeng was completely unaware and continued to rub against her.
"Don't pick them up!" Zhang Chunfeng said. "They've all fallen on the ground and are covered in dirt. Go get another pair from the stove."
“It’s just a little dirt, your brother doesn’t care.” Li said matter-of-factly.
“Even though he’s strong, he can’t be so careless. Go get another pair.” Zhang Chunfeng emphasized. Zhang Chuntian always listened to Zhang Chunfeng more, so he didn’t pick them up and went straight to the stove.
As soon as Zhang Chuntian left, Zhang Chunfeng gave Li Xiuman a flirtatious wink, and under the table, he domineeringly hooked Li Xiuman's leg and continued to rub against him.
Lee Soo-man's ears turned red, and he couldn't help but blush.
Li, with her sharp eyes, noticed it just then. "Man'er, why is your face so red all of a sudden? Do you have a fever?"
Lee Soo-man shook his head in a panic, "No, it's just that the soup is hot and it gets a little hot after drinking it for a while."
There was indeed piping hot fish soup on the table, which Li had specially asked Zhang Chuntian to catch for Zhang Chunfeng to nourish his body. Li calculated that Zhang Chunfeng would be setting off for the capital in two months, so she had Li Xiuman prepare various dishes for him.
Every day, countless tasks were done, making life comfortable for Zhang Chunfeng but arduous for Li Xiuman. She did laundry and cooked, made winter quilts and clothes for Zhang Chunfeng, embroidered shoe soles, and accompanied him to the fields daily to work, because Li said she needed more money for Zhang Chunfeng's travel expenses.
Exhausted during the day, and every seven days he still has to endure Zhang Chunfeng's torment at night.
Life was much better than before, and Lee Soo-man hadn't gained any weight.
"Drink slowly," Li Shi said, offering a few words of comfort. After finishing her meal, she still left a mountain of work for Li Xiuman. In these days, Li Xiuman had truly realized that Li Shi was not an easy person to get along with.
Although she was good at talking, she wasn't really good to him in practice. Li Xiuman later realized that Li Shi was very calculating, having spent only twenty copper coins to buy him and make him Zhang Chuntian's male wife.
Before Li Xiuman could finish tidying up, Zhang Chuntian carried the bedding to Li Xiuman's room herself. After putting her things away, Zhang Chuntian came to find Li Xiuman again.
"Wife, wash your hair," he called out.
Lee Soo-man raised an eyebrow slightly, just in time to see Zhang Chunfeng standing beside the two of them. In fact, from his perspective, he didn't see anything wrong with washing Zhang Chunfeng's hair or body.
Once Zhang Chunfeng found out, she refused to let Li Xiuman wash Zhang Chuntian anymore. She wanted Li Xiuman to verbally instruct Zhang Chuntian to wash herself and absolutely forbade Li Xiuman to stand next to the naked Zhang Chuntian.
"Wash it yourself," Zhang Chunfeng ordered.
Zhang Chuntian immediately pouted, "I want my wife to wash it for me."
“I’ll say it again, go wash it yourself. I’ve taught you many times, you should be able to wash it yourself by now.” Zhang Chunfeng’s attitude was firm.
Zhang Chuntian pouted, her face clearly showing her displeasure.
Seeing his sister staring at his face, Zhang Chuntian still dragged his feet and went to wash himself. He never dared to disobey Zhang Chunfeng. Although he was mentally challenged, Zhang Chuntian dared to talk back to Li Shi when he was throwing a tantrum, which made Li Shi so angry that she picked up a broom and hit him.
But once she met Zhang Chunfeng, no matter what the matter was, Zhang Chuntian never threw a tantrum.
After sending Zhang Chuntian away, Zhang Chunfeng went into the kitchen, rolled up his sleeves, and prepared to help Li Xiuman.
Li Xiuman panicked and hurriedly stopped him, "Don't you dare! Get out of here! If Mother sees this, she'll skin me alive!"
He was exaggerating, so naturally Li wouldn't hit him. Li's methods were deadly and insidious, far more terrifying than a simple beating.
Before Zhang Chunfeng could even offer any help, Li Xiuman pushed him out.
Seeing Li Xiuman's fair hands doing so much work every day, Zhang Chunfeng felt frustrated. But out of respect for Li Shi, she had no choice. The only way out was for her to pass the imperial examination and then have servants at home who wouldn't let her sister-in-law do these things anymore.
Even though his wife didn't help him wash his hair, Zhang Chuntian was still very happy to sleep with Li Xiuman. He didn't go out tonight, washed his hair and feet early, dried them with a coarse cloth, and obediently sat in the yard waiting for Li Xiuman to finish her work.
After her hair was completely dried by the wind, Zhang Chuntian immediately ran into the house.
He lay happily in bed, and when Lee Soo-man arrived a little while later, he lay down on the side of the bed.
When Lee Soo-man wasn't lying next to Jang Chun-lun, he didn't feel the bed was small. Now that Jang Chun-lun lay down on the other side, the remaining space on the bed was just enough for him to sleep on.
He seemed about to fall off even if he just turned over.
Lee Soo-man looked at Jang Chun-chun again. Jang Chun-chun was completely unaware that she had taken up too much space and was lying there leisurely in a half-grown position.
Lee Soo-man sighed softly, thinking that Zhang Chuntian was still a child at heart, so he decided to let it go.
When Zhang Chuntian saw Li Xiuman lie down, he immediately turned around and looked at Li Xiuman with bright eyes.
"Wife, wife," Zhang Chuntian called out, moving closer to Li Xiuman.
Lee Soo-man couldn't back away; half his body was already on the edge of the bed, so he could only let Lee Soo-man lean against him.
“It’s hot at night in spring, don’t sit so close to me,” Li Xiuman said honestly, not because of Zhang Chunfeng. They slept in a creaking bed at night, not actually touching each other much. Even if they occasionally slept for half an hour, Zhang Chunfeng, being of moderate build, wasn’t that hot. Zhang Chunfeng, on the other hand, was tall and large, and just lying next to him made Li Xiuman feel a surge of heat.
Zhang Chuntian refused to comply and insisted on staying close to Li Xiuman.
"Wife, hold me while I sleep," Zhang Chuntian suddenly said, startling Li Xiuman. Why would he say such a thing?
Seeing that Li Xiuman didn't move, Zhang Chuntian started to mutter again, "Mother said that once I get married, my wife can do everything that I used to do. Mother always holds me while I sleep, so you can hold me while I sleep too, wife."
Zhang Chuntian clung tightly to Li Xiuman again. "My sister won't hold me while I sleep, and she won't let Mom hold me while I sleep either. Wife, you hold me while I sleep."
Li Xiu understood perfectly. Zhang Chuntian was really childlike; she not only needed someone to sleep with her, but also needed someone to hold and coax her to sleep.
He had the heart of a child, but his body was certainly not. Lee Soo-man looked at him for a long time, not knowing how to hold Zhang Chuntian. In the end, he could only stretch out one arm and place it on Zhang Chuntian's stomach, imitating how he coaxed a child, gently patting her while softly saying, "Sleep, sleep."
Zhang Chuntian finally whimpered and fell asleep.
To everyone's surprise, Zhang Chuntian fell asleep, but her sleeping posture was even worse. One moment she was sprawled out, her arms and legs pressing down on Li Xiuman's shoulders and legs. The next moment she kept squeezing towards Li Xiuman, whose entire body was on the bed frame, causing her back to ache. Li Xiuman thought back to when she was ten years old, she was also a mischievous age and her sleeping posture was not good either, so she decided not to argue with Zhang Chuntian.
It was tough on him; he didn't get a single good night's sleep.
In the middle of the night, he suddenly heard the door open. Then a fragrance wafted into his nose, and before he could react, his lips were touched by something soft.
A long, lingering kiss enveloped him. He knew Zhang Chunfeng had arrived. He thought Zhang Chunfeng was bold, but before he could say anything, he felt Zhang Chunfeng's knees were already on the bed, and he was lying on top of him.
Li Xiuman suddenly realized that Zhang Chunfeng had truly gone mad, and hurriedly pushed away the person who was pressing down on him.
"Chunfeng, you're too bold!" Lee Soo-man looked at Zhang Chuntian, who was still sleeping beside him. Before, they were on the bed and on the floor, but now the three of them were all squeezed into one bed!
Lee Soo-man shook his head repeatedly, "Not tonight, you should go back to sleep."
"It's been seven days, and I really miss you, sister-in-law." Zhang Chunfeng's peach blossom eyes were full of deep affection. When their eyes met, Li Xiuman almost drowned in Zhang Chunfeng's gaze.
A part of his heart softened; no one had ever looked at him like that before in his entire life.
Can. . .
Lee Soo-man shook his head again, "You should go back now. We'll find a time tomorrow to..."
Adultery.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
