Chapter 37 [VIP]
Once inside, Li pulled Lin Qiu and Lin Sui closer to examine them. "When I came back last time, Sui'er was only this tall. Now she's grown into such a beautiful young woman."
"Qingyun, do you remember your two cousins?"
"I remember, my cousin Qiu took me to pick persimmons."
Lin Qiu smiled shyly, while Lin Sui, who was more lively, asked, "Does Sister Yun still remember me?"
"Yeah, you fought with me over a persimmon."
Li and Chen Rong couldn't help but laugh; they were only eight or nine years old then. Three years have passed in the blink of an eye. It was during Chen's father's death that Chen Rong brought her two children back for the funeral.
Chen Rong asked, "Where is Qingsong?"
"I went out to play, I'll be back in a little while."
Upon hearing this, Chen Qingyan's face darkened. "I've been away from home these past few days, he must have gone wild."
Qingyun quickly explained for her younger brother, "No, no, he studies diligently every day, and only went out to play for a while today."
Madam Li beckoned to her maid: "Go tell the kitchen staff that Third Aunt and her two children have returned, and ask them to prepare more food."
Chen Rong quickly replied, "No need for that trouble."
“I’m genuinely happy that you’re back. I’m just an old woman at home, and I have nothing to do all day. From now on, we can keep each other company.”
"Why."
In front of the child, Li didn't want to ask what had happened, so she just chatted with her about everyday things, saying, "Ying'er has opened a fresh vegetable shop, so we can have whatever vegetables she wants to eat at home from now on."
“I know, this child is really capable. She dares to do things on her own at such a young age. We didn’t have this kind of courage when we were her age.”
“Who can argue with that! I don’t have to worry about anything with this family. He arranges everything perfectly. I’ve been feeling out of sorts without him around these days.”
Wang Ying blushed as she was praised. "Mom, please stop praising me. If you praise me any more, I'll feel like I'm floating on air."
Everyone burst into laughter.
The food was served quickly. Each person received a large bowl of meat broth with flatbread. The meat was stewed until tender and flavorful, and the flatbread was made from finely ground flour, making it easy to eat. In addition to the meat broth, there was also a stewed chicken, a stir-fried dish of chives and eggs, and a cold braised meat salad.
My aunt and her two children hadn't had such a decent meal in a long time, and they couldn't resist eating more than they should.
In recent years, in order to pay off Lin Changbin's debts, the family has been frugal, eating meat less than once a month. Each time, they would only buy a narrow strip of meat to stew a pot of vegetables, and the children's stomachs were lacking in oil and fat.
Wang Ying and Chen Qingyan also ate quite a bit. The food at the roadside inns wasn't as good as what they had at home, and both of them had lost weight from hunger.
"It's still more comfortable at home." Wang Ying leaned back in her chair and let out a burp.
Li said, "You must have had a tough journey, enduring wind and rain while sleeping in the open."
"It's alright, but the inn was so dirty that we almost passed out from the stench after staying there for one night."
Chen Qingyan empathized, "Next time I leave the hospital, I must bring my own luggage. I feel really uncomfortable using the bedding at the inn."
Chen Rong said, "It's a little better in the summer. The inn will wash the bedding every few days. But in the winter, the bedding doesn't dry easily after washing, so it's not washed even once a month."
Li waved her hand, "Stop talking, it's making me itchy. I'll have someone boil some water later, so you can all take a good bath after you finish eating and get clean."
After dinner, Li arranged accommodations for them. "Third sister, you will sleep with me tonight. Let Qiu'er and Sui'er stay in Qingyun's courtyard for the night. She has several empty rooms there. Tomorrow, we will have someone clean up the west courtyard so that they can stay there permanently."
The West Courtyard was where Chen Rong lived before her marriage. Hearing this, she felt a surge of comfort, knowing that her sister-in-law genuinely welcomed her back.
"You don't need to stay here with me. You must be tired from the long journey. Go back and rest."
Qingyun took her two cousins to her courtyard. Young men and women did not adhere to the strict separation of men and women.
Wang Ying and Chen Qingyan also got up to say goodbye. They were indeed exhausted, having been traveling for so many days and not getting much rest during their stay at the Lin family's house.
After everyone had left, Madam Li pulled Chen Rong back to the inner room and sat her down: "What exactly happened?"
"I have divorced Lin Changbin."
"Divorce? For what reason?"
Chen Rong recounted the events of the past few days to her sister-in-law, one by one. Li Shi gritted her teeth as she listened, exclaiming, "That beast! How could he do such a despicable thing!"
“I never expected him to do this. I’ve always turned a blind eye to his previous erratic behavior; everyone has their disagreements. But this time he’s gone too far. He’s even ruining my Qiu’er for that bastard child! Luckily, Qingyan and Ying’er came. Without their help, I… I don’t know what to do…”
Madam Li took out a handkerchief to wipe away her tears, "Don't think about it anymore. He was wrong to do this. It's good that you divorced him. Don't rush Qiu'er's marriage. I'll keep an eye out for suitable people. It's not too late to talk about it when someone is suitable."
"Thank you for your trouble, sister-in-law."
"You don't need to be so polite with me, we're family."
"well."
Chen Rongping calmed down and said, "It's not appropriate for us to stay here any longer after the divorce. I'm thinking of buying a house outside after the New Year. I wonder what the house prices are like in town?"
Upon hearing this, Li immediately became angry, "Why move out? Aren't there enough rooms in the house?"
The Chen family's old house is a large three-courtyard house, built when the old patriarch was still alive. It was originally intended to accommodate all three of his sons when they got married, and the house was very spacious, enough to house ten more people without feeling crowded.
However, as the children grew up, there were too many conflicts when they lived together. Before leaving, the family decided to divide the property among them, leaving the ancestral house to the eldest son.
"Sister-in-law, don't be angry, let me finish what I have to say." Chen Rong paused. "It's fine to stay here, but food, drink, and everything else cost money. There's no such thing as eating and drinking for free. If this goes on, it will damage our relationship."
“How much can you three eat? Besides, Qiu’er and Sui’er are both boys. I’m not at ease letting them go out to live without a man by their side!”
Unlike in modern times, in ancient times, if there were no men in the family, they would be bullied. There were even shameless people who would climb over the wall at night and rape them. Such things did happen.
Chen Rong was also a little apprehensive. "Then we'll pay two hundred coins a month for food. Don't refuse this money. If you refuse again, I won't stay here anymore."
Li couldn't persuade her otherwise, and patted her hand with a pang of heartache, "Why do you do this? If your elder brother knew, he would definitely curse me in his dreams for being greedy for money."
Chen Rong's nose tingled and her eyes reddened. "It's his fault for leaving so early. He can't control me now."
"Let's not talk about these upsetting things. Tomorrow is market day, so let's take the two kids to town and buy them some new clothes. Although town isn't as lively as the county seat, there are at least a few shops, so I, as their aunt, can do my part."
Chen Rong didn't refuse again; she also planned to buy some things for her nephew and nephew-in-law.
"Qingyan has been married for half a year now, why is there still no news?"
Li Shi gets a headache just thinking about it. "Don't even mention it, because I almost got into trouble because of it. A while ago, I noticed that the two children weren't showing any signs of life, so I thought I'd give them a little push. When the Qiu family celebrated their baby's one-month birthday, they happened to get a piece of venison, so I cooked it for them as soon as I got back. Who would have thought that venison was so potent? Yan'er had only recently recovered, and he was too weak to handle the tonic, so he was burned unconscious."
"Good heavens, what happened next?"
"Summon the doctor and have the young couple relieve themselves a few times."
Chen Rong burst out laughing. Li Shi slapped her and couldn't help but laugh along. The two of them laughed so hard they were doubled over, tears streaming down their faces.
"Alright, you've done me a favor."
"You could argue that it isn't!"
*
When Wang Ying and Chen Qingyan returned to the backyard, the first thing they did was take a shower. Wang Ying suspected she might have caught lice; she had been unbearably itchy for the past few days. Chen Qingyan was the same, constantly scratching his hair and body.
The two took clean clothes to the bathroom, where the water in the pot had already boiled.
"You wash first, and I'll help you scrub your back later."
Chen Qingyan said, "You should wash first, and then go and rest. You have dark circles under your eyes."
"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony." Wang Ying took off her coat and went into the inner room. The bathhouse was divided into two rooms, one inside with a heated wall, so it wasn't cold at all when it was burning, and the other outside with a low couch for resting, where one could drink tea and read.
Chen Qingyan sat outside waiting. After a while, a voice suddenly came from inside, "Qingyan, come and rub my back."
"Huh? Okay, okay..." He rolled up his sleeves and walked in, his face flushed.
The room was filled with heat, making it difficult to see clearly. Wang Ying sat in the bathtub with her back to him, her skin shining white.
"There's some pig pancreas over there, could you help me rub some on?"
Chen Qingyan swallowed hard and replied in a hoarse voice, "Okay."
He picked up the soap and gently applied it to Wang Ying's shoulders and back, then rubbed it with a cloth. Her snow-white skin turned pink after a few rubs. Chen Qingyan held his breath, feeling his heart race and his face burning hot.
Although the two had been intimate in bed, they had never seen his body so directly before; the visual impact made their blood rush downwards.
"Are you scratching an itch? Rub it harder." At this point, Wang Ying hadn't realized the seriousness of the situation.
As the breathing behind her grew heavier, Wang Ying turned around in confusion, only to be lifted by the back of her neck and kissed.
Young people are full of vigor and greed, and they've been craving it for so long.
Wang Ying wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. While he was engrossed in the kiss, she pulled him into the bathtub with a sudden movement.
"Um, I haven't taken my clothes off yet..."
"It's okay, we'll have to shower soon anyway." The two embraced and kissed passionately, their swollen desires already uncontrollable, rubbing against each other through their clothes.
Chen Qingyan nibbled at the pregnancy mole on his neck. Perhaps it was because of the boy, but this spot was particularly sensitive. Every time he sucked on it, Wang Ying would tremble with pleasure and lose all his strength.
"Qingyan...ha...stop biting..."
Chen Qingyan raised his head and kissed his lips again. This kiss was full of passion. His tongue explored his mouth and swept around, kissing Wang Ying as she whimpered.
The rapid sound of water echoed in the bathroom. At the moment of release, Wang Ying clung to his shoulders and almost fainted from pleasure.
The two of them fussed around for quite a while, and the water in the bathtub was almost cold, so they quickly got out, changed the water, washed themselves clean, and returned to the bedroom.
Chen Qingsong was already waiting for the two of them inside. "Brother, sister-in-law, you're finally back! I've been waiting for you for ages!"
"Where did you go having so much fun?"
"Several students I met at the private school invited me to a poetry gathering, and I even met a scholar! He's about your age, incredibly knowledgeable—a single conversation with him is worth more than ten years of study!"
Chen Qingyan was amused by him, "Then you should learn from others and put all your energy into studying."
"Alas, studying requires talent. I am so much worse than others, it is too difficult for me to pass the imperial examination and become a scholar."
"Don't talk nonsense. If you save the time you spend playing and put it into studying, you'll definitely do well on the exam."
Seeing that he was about to lecture him again, Chen Qingsong quickly got up and ran outside, "I know, brother and sister-in-law, you should rest now, I'm going to study!"
After his younger brother left, Chen Qingyan belatedly realized who he might be talking about, and his face instantly turned pale.
A note from the author:
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
