Apologize to my sister-in-law
“My mother is biased. Everything Zhang Chuntian owns is mine, so naturally, sister-in-law, you are mine too.” Zhang Chunfeng sneered, grabbing Li Xiuman’s wrist with one hand and placing the other hand on the back of Li Xiuman’s head, pressing and gently kissing the back of her head.
Li Xiuman's mind went completely blank.
Suddenly, there was a knocking sound at the door. "Wife!" Zhang Chuntian called out in a rough voice.
Li Xiuman suddenly realized that just a stick of incense had burned, he had already completed the wedding ceremony with Zhang Chuntian, and now he was kissing his sister-in-law.
If this is discovered, wouldn't I be struck by lightning and sent to the deepest hell?
The panic and fear in his heart gave him great strength. Li Xiuman pushed Zhang Chunfeng away violently and hurriedly straightened his disheveled clothes. When he sat up on the bed, he realized that Zhang Chunfeng's hand had once again reached into his clothes.
Just like in the cave, Zhang Chunfeng rubbed the skin on his chest until it turned red. She didn't hold back her strength, causing his entire chest to ache and swell.
"Are you crazy, Chunfeng? Get out of here. I'll let this go as if it never happened because you're young," Li Xiuman said, digging her fingers into her palms, trying to appear calm.
Zhang Chunfeng wiped his lips.
"Wife! Wife!" Zhang Chuntian was still banging on the door, her voice growing more and more impatient.
"Sister-in-law, this tastes really good." Zhang Chunfeng smiled, and just as Li Xiuman was about to blush with embarrassment, she turned around and opened the door.
Zhang Chuntian immediately jumped into the house.
"Sister." He was very happy to see his sister and wife.
Li followed behind Zhang Chuntian.
When Li Xiuman saw Li Shi, he quickly lowered his head and gave a slight bow.
Li gave Zhang Chunfeng a strange look. "Chunfeng, what are you doing here?"
Zhang Chunfeng didn't answer, but instead asked, "Does Mother know that my sister-in-law just lost Mother?"
Li's expression changed slightly. "That person is Man'er's adoptive mother. She's alright."
Zhang Chunfeng was surprised by Li Xiuman's complicated background. "Although she was his adoptive mother, she also raised him. If you count the days, the deceased's seven-day mourning period hasn't even passed yet, and you still married him."
Upon hearing this, Lee Soo-man felt a pang of sympathy.
Logically, after a mother's death, there should be a three-year mourning period, and the adoptive mother should at least observe a one-year mourning period as well.
However, after his adoptive mother, Madam Shen, died, it happened that the weather had cleared up after a few days of rain and had been hot for several days. In such weather, if the body was to be kept in the mourning hall for three days, a crystal coffin was required.
He didn't even have enough money to buy a straw mat, let alone a crystal coffin. Sadly, he was buried after only one day.
After the burial, Aunt Liu next door said that today was the best day to get married, because if it wasn't today, it would be several months later, and since he had already taken the money, he would be at the mercy of others. Therefore, before the seventh day after his death, the adoptive mother and Zhang Chuntian had already held their wedding ceremony.
Zhang Chuntian had no idea what was happening in the room. He only noticed that Li Xiuman looked stunning in her red dress. He looked at Li Xiuman and then at Zhang Chunfeng, thinking that his wife was just as beautiful as his sister. So he rubbed against Li Xiuman again.
"Wife, go to sleep. I have a wife to sleep with too." He said with a grin, but these were just words he had heard from villagers in their idle chatter, and he didn't understand their meaning at all.
But Zhang Chunfeng glared at him and said, "No way."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chuntian pouted, clearly unhappy, and for the first time defied, saying, "I want to sleep with my wife! They all sleep with their wives, so I'll sleep with my wife too!"
Zhang Chuntian shouted and went to tug at Li Xiuman's sleeve.
Lee Soo-man lowered his head, looking at Jang Chun-chun's foolish behavior, and felt a pang of sympathy, wanting to comfort him.
"Marrying before the seventh day after death is already an offense against the ancestors, and now you want to consummate the marriage?" Zhang Chunfeng pulled Zhang Chuntian aside.
“I think it’s best to let my sister-in-law sleep here alone, and my brother can share a room with me for the time being.”
Both Li Shi and Li Xiuman were taken aback.
Li hesitated, "But the fortune teller said that if we get married on this day, we will be together for a hundred years and never be separated." She believed the fortune teller halfway, but also felt that it was disrespectful to her ancestors to get married before the seventh day after her adoptive mother's death.
Zhang Chunfeng snorted coldly, casually grabbed a few copper coins scattered on the table, clasped them together, shook them six times, and laid them out in a row on the table.
"The upper trigram is Gen (艮), and the lower trigram is Dui (兑). The original hexagram is Mountain over Lake (损). The changing lines, the third, fourth, and fifth lines, are all old yin changing into old yang. I see no sign of a harmonious marriage that lasts a hundred years and will never be separated. Instead, it seems like a sign of marital discord, early separation, and the death of one of the spouses."
Upon hearing this, Li took two steps back, muttering, "One of them is dead?"
Zhang Chunfeng took out a handkerchief he always carried to wipe his hands and calmly explained, "However, the divination results will vary. After the 31st day after my sister-in-law's mother's death, it is not too late for my sister-in-law to share a bed with my brother."
Li Xiuman's face turned pale, and she hurriedly nodded, "Yes, I should be observing mourning for my mother. My sister-in-law is well-educated, so I will listen to her in everything."
Zhang Chuntian pouted, still trying to make a fuss, but then felt a sweet taste in his mouth. Zhang Chunfeng had dropped a candy into his mouth.
He was just a child and didn't want to sleep alone. He had always slept with Li Shi before. As Zhang Chunfeng grew up, he felt this was inappropriate and insisted that Zhang Chuntian sleep alone in the room.
Now that her younger sister said she could sleep with her, Zhang Chuntian immediately ignored Li Xiuman, and her anger vanished without a trace.
“Sleeping with my sister, good, good,” Zhang Chuntian said excitedly, then looked at Li Xiuman.
"I'll sleep with my wife tomorrow," he added.
Zhang Chunfeng didn't say anything more.
He led Zhang Chuntian out of the house, saying, "It's late, I'll take my brother back first."
After the two left, Li sat and talked with Li Xiuman for a while, then served him some food before turning off their lights and going to sleep.
Although Zhang Chunfeng said he wanted his brother to sleep with him, he didn't actually intend to sleep with Zhang Chuntian.
Logically speaking, Zhang Chuntian is clearly the mental age of a ten-year-old child, and ten-year-old children rarely wet the bed. However, Zhang Chuntian will wet the bed whenever he drinks too much water at night.
Zhang Chunfeng had taken Zhang Chuntian to see a doctor once. The doctor who treated this disease was extremely expensive. After all, she did not have a proper official title or position and had little money, so she could only afford to see a doctor that one time.
Zhang Chunfeng asked at the time, "Logically speaking, a ten-year-old child shouldn't be that stupid, so why does my brother sometimes act like a three- or four-year-old child?"
The doctor said that Zhang Chuntian seemed to have something wrong with his brain, and he was afraid that he would become more and more mentally impaired each year. As a result, he would wet the bed and soil his pants quite often.
Zhang Chunfeng spread a quilt on the floor. Her own bed was low, so Zhang Chuntian slept on the floor while she slept on the bed; the two were still relatively close.
Zhang Chuntian had no objection as long as they were close, especially since Li usually watched him wash his hands, face, and feet, but today it was his sister accompanying him.
Zhang Chuntian lay down happily.
"The blanket is soft, little sister." Zhang Chuntian laughed even more happily, rolling around on the floor like a child.
If he were a child, this behavior would be truly adorable, but given his current age and physique, he truly seems foolish.
Zhang Chunfeng sighed, then looked at his elder brother, his eyes bright and his mouth full of smiles.
If his elder brother weren't mentally challenged, he would be a handsome man. Zhang Chunfeng thought to himself.
"Are you so happy today?" Zhang Chunfeng asked.
Zhang Chuntian laughed even more heartily, "So happy, so happy! Dazhu always said I didn't have a wife, but now I do! I have a wife, a younger sister, and a mother!"
His simple words tugged at Zhang Chunfeng's heartstrings.
Even if the elder brother doesn't understand the significance of a wife, Li Xiuman is still his wife.
Zhang Chunfeng immediately felt a pang of regret.
How could I have lost control? Lee Soo-man really has nothing to do with me!
At first, she was just having leg pain and needed help. She then took advantage of her lust and touched him a couple of times. Although it was immoral, nothing of real importance came of it.
The two had no romantic feelings for each other, nor did they pledge their lives to one another. Lee Soo-man could marry whomever she wanted, even her brother.
"Wife, wife, wife," Zhang Chuntian kept chanting with her eyes closed.
Zhang Chunfeng felt even more remorseful. There were so many men in the world, and just in the Drunken Immortal Pavilion in the city alone, there were countless handsome men.
Why should she take her brother's wife? Madam Li is biased. Ever since Zhang Chunfeng can remember, everything in the house has belonged to Zhang Chunfeng. Her brother has nothing to begin with. Now he has spent twenty copper coins to buy a wife, and she is going to fight with her brother for her.
Zhang Chunfeng let out a long sigh, then remembered that he would be going to the capital to take the imperial examination in a few months, which would probably take more than three or four months.
She hardly needed to make any other plans. She was certain to pass the imperial examination this time. If she stayed in the capital to serve as an official in the future, it would be fine if her family was willing to go. However, if the Li family was attached to their homeland, she was afraid that she would be the only one in the family in the capital, far away from her home.
If you can't give Lee Soo-man a future, why bother fighting for the present?
Zhang Chunfeng kept thinking about it in his mind, but the more he thought about it, the more confused he became. How could he have been so foolish back then?
Her eyes were fixed on Lee Soo-man's bright red lips, so red that it was as if a peeled pomegranate had been placed into her mouth for her to taste.
She acted impulsively out of necessity.
After thinking it over, Zhang Chunfeng decided to apologize to Li Xiuman the next day. Now that she was his sister-in-law, if he treated Zhang Chuntian sincerely, they would be family from now on.
The next day, when Zhang Chunfeng woke up, Zhang Chuntian was still lying on the ground, fast asleep.
With blurry eyes, Zhang Chunfeng kicked Zhang Chuntian, who was lying on the ground, intending to wake his brother.
Unexpectedly, I suddenly felt myself stepping on something.
To be honest, Zhang Chunfeng wasn't as obedient and gentle as she appeared. She had drunk a lot of Shaoxing wine at Zuixianlou, seen many girls there, and even the tavern owners would affectionately call her "Sister Chunfeng." She had done many things that were considered erotic and romantic.
I already knew about matters between men and women, and I immediately realized that I had accidentally touched something I shouldn't have.
She was startled and quickly sat up.
Even if Zhang Chuntian is mentally unstable, his body is undeniably tall and strong, a fully grown male physique.
She suddenly realized that Zhang Chuntian was indeed incapable of sexual intercourse, but it was, after all, a basic human instinct. What if one day he actually fell asleep holding Li Xiuman and felt this joy? Would he have innately developed this ability?
Or perhaps, if he won't, will Lee Soo-man offer to help him...?
Zhang Chunfeng dared not even think about this idea for a moment longer; the slightest thought filled him with displeasure.
She slammed her fist on the bed, thinking to herself, why should she care so much? Her brother had never tasted joy in his life, so if they really became a family, what business was it of hers?
Concern leads to confusion. I'm meddling in so much.
She got out of bed, kicked Zhang Chuntian, and woke him up.
When the two got up and washed up, Lee Soo-man was already standing by the stove cooking porridge.
Normally, Li Shi would cook the meals, but now that Li Xiuman was here, Li Shi was sitting in a rocking chair with her eyes half-closed, waiting for Li Xiuman to bring the food.
“Mother certainly knows how to enjoy life,” Zhang Chunfeng said, glancing at Li Xiuman before adding, “Sister-in-law is also truly diligent.”
Lee Soo-man didn't reply; his eyes were dark and swollen, clearly indicating he hadn't slept well.
After what happened last night, he naturally couldn't sleep well.
One moment she felt she shouldn't have gotten married on the seventh day after her husband's death, the next she felt she had betrayed her husband by getting together with her sister-in-law, then she felt she had truly let down her mother and husband, and then she remembered what Zhang Chunfeng had said and those kisses.
A jumble of thoughts nearly consumed him. He was restless and anxious, and in the middle of the night he got up and knelt before the Guanyin image pasted on the wall of his room, begging God to forgive his sins.
After serving breakfast, Li Xiuman noticed that Zhang Chunfeng was seated in the main seat of the family. Not only was she seated in the main seat, but she also had her own set of mahogany bowls and chopsticks.
After everyone sat down at the table, Madam Li asked with great care, "Did Man'er sleep well last night? I had someone make that bed for her, and I embroidered the quilt myself, just so Man'er wouldn't feel uncomfortable."
Lee Soo-man thanked him repeatedly, but he understood what was going on in his heart.
Zhang Chuntian didn't even have a bed before! She slept on the floor? She only got a bed after marrying him!
"I have a bed now! Mom! Bed!" Zhang Chuntian shouted with a coarse flour bun stuffed in his mouth.
“Yes, my dear child, I not only made you a bed, but also a table and chairs.” Li Shi patted Zhang Chuntian’s head, then turned to Li Xiuman to explain, “Before, this family was poor, and Chunfeng had to study, so we always made him suffer a little. Now that you’ve come into the family, I will naturally treat everyone equally.”
Lee Soo-man nodded slightly, but remained silent.
He knew in his heart that it was impossible to treat everyone equally.
One is a mentally challenged son who does farm work at home, and the other is a daughter of a scholar who is about to go to the capital to take the imperial examination. How can they possibly treat each other equally?
Last night, while kneeling on the ground, he discovered that there were many dark marks on the walls of Zhang Chuntian's house. It was clear that he had been piling up a lot of miscellaneous items in his house, which had been leaning against the walls and floor for a long time, leaving indelible marks.
"After dinner, Chunfeng, show your sister-in-law the way," Li said again.
Newlywed brides are usually taken around to meet the members of the local clan. This is not something that parents usually do, and Zhang Chuntian is naturally not capable of doing it either, so Li Shi handed it over to Zhang Chunfeng.
To everyone's surprise, Zhang Chunfeng didn't even lift his eyelids, saying, "Busy, no time."
The tone was so cold that it made Li Xiuman's heart skip a beat. He didn't know why Zhang Chunfeng spoke in such a tone. Was she angry? Or what? After all, she was his sister-in-law, and her tone was full of disdain for him.
Just then, Zhou Zhengdu's sedan chair, which was there to pick up Zhang Chunfeng, arrived at the door.
Seeing that Zhang Chunfeng was about to go to the county magistrate's residence again, Li immediately stopped him and took over the task of introducing Li Xiuman to the people.
After everyone had eaten breakfast, while Li Xiuman was washing dishes at the stove, Zhang Chunfeng, who had changed into a more expensive outfit, quietly slipped into the stove area.
Lee Soo-man lowered his eyes, pretending not to care, "In a place like this, the spring breeze might dirty your clothes."
"About last night..." Zhang Chunfeng began, and Li Xiuman's hand slipped, almost dropping a bowl.
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