W Chapter 33
by VolareLing Xing wasn’t a pure ancient person, and he didn’t have a strong sense of identity with his current gender and the meaning of the pregnancy mole.
He didn’t think that if the pregnancy mole was seen, it would be some catastrophic event.
But he was still a little nervous now.
He wasn’t afraid of anything else, he was afraid that Shen Hui would be embarrassed.
With his mouth covered, Ling Xing couldn’t speak.
He looked at Shen Hui, seeing his brows furrowed, his handsome face without extra expression, his whole person cold and unreadable.
Ling Xing couldn’t figure out what Shen Hui was thinking, and shrank back, withdrawing his face from Shen Hui’s palm.
“Second Brother, did you… see it?”
Ling Xing’s mouth was still a little painful, so he could only ask in a low voice.
Hearing this, Shen Hui recalled the scene he had just seen.
The tip of the tongue, bumped by the teeth, was very red and bright, protruding slightly, and the pregnancy mole under the tongue root was faintly visible.
Shen Hui realized something was wrong at the root of the tongue, and subconsciously raised his hand to cover it. That was not something he could see.
“Brother-husband, don’t worry, I didn’t see clearly.”
After saying that, he repeated what he had seen, “The teeth in the mouth are intact, the tip of the tongue is a little red, it should have been bumped.”
Knowing that there was nothing wrong with his mouth, Ling Xing was relieved.
He got up and said, “Then let’s go.”
Under the pretext of finding a branch, Shen Hui walked a little to the side.
With his back to Ling Xing, he lowered his head and glanced at his right hand that had covered Ling Xing’s mouth before.
There was a little bit of water in the palm, which was Ling Xing’s tears that he couldn’t control due to the pain.
Shen Hui’s eyelids drooped slightly, he quickly clenched his palm, dark eyes churning with emotion, which were all suppressed when he turned around.
*
The weather was excellent this afternoon, the sun was big and full of warmth.
Cao Manyue and Xu Youfang bathed the two children, and then took a bath themselves.
Whoever was bathing inside, the other watched the door outside the kitchen. In case someone who didn’t know mistakenly went in.
Bathing in the kitchen was also for the convenience of fetching water.
After washing, the door opened, the ground was directly facing the outside, and the water stains could dry faster.
Ling Xing used a dry cloth to wipe the hair of the three children, and then took the primer copybook sent by Wang Juan to teach them to read.
The ground was scribbled with tree branches, which were the calligraphy masterpieces of the three children.
Only the characters “one” and “big” could be vaguely identified from within.
In fact, this was the character “sky.”
After the three of them learned to draw the Shen character crookedly, it was Ling Xing’s turn to bathe.
Although Ge’ers and women were the same in that they could have children, there were still some differences after all.
Although it wouldn’t be as strict as with men, there was still a bit of avoidance.
According to what Xu Youfang said yesterday, when Ling Xing bathed, the fifth son, who was also a Ge’er, watched the door.
Cao Manyue packed her clothes and went to the river to wash them. There were a lot of clothes, and Xiao Chun and Xiao Xia followed her to help.
Xu Youfang sat in the yard making shoes.
Her embroidery was finished and could be sent to be exchanged for new ones to do tomorrow.
Xu Youfang hadn’t forgotten her promise to make cloth shoes for Cao Manyue and her two children. She found the accumulated scraps of cloth and started working on them.
Making shoe soles required a bradawl, which was made of iron and was a bit expensive. Only three families in the village had bradawls.
The Shen family didn’t have one. Shoes were only made once every two or three years, and they were borrowed from people who had bradawls when they were needed.
“Xiao Lai, Mom is going to the village chief’s house to borrow a bradawl. Watch the door carefully and don’t run around, understand?”
Shen Lai had no one to play with and was bored, picking at the small stones on the ground with his hands, “Got it, Mom.”
Shen Hui, who had been plowing the land at the foot of the mountain for a long time, rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, revealing his thick and sturdy arms.
He went to the yard to fetch water to take to the foot of the mountain for Shen Gui and Shen Chengshan to drink.
Shen Gui was serious about plowing more land to grow vegetables and then sell them in town.
Even Shen Hui was begged by him with coquettishness to help. Shen Hui couldn’t stand such a big person like Shen Gui holding his hand and babbling “Second Brother”, so he could only nod in agreement.
Just as he arrived in the yard, Shen Lai ran over clutching his stomach.
“Second Brother! Second Brother! My stomach hurts, I need to go to the outhouse. Brother-husband is bathing in the kitchen, can you help me watch it? I’ll be back soon!”
Shen Lai really couldn’t hold it in, and without waiting for Shen Hui to respond, he ran towards the back of the house.
At the door of the kitchen, Shen Hui leaned against the dirt wall on the side.
His hearing was excellent, and he could hear the sound of rushing water inside.
Shen Hui looked up at the blue sky and floating clouds, but he couldn’t hear any sound other than the water.
“Second Brother, are you going to agree or not?”
Shen Lai’s stomach hurt quickly, and going to the outhouse was also quick.
Thinking that his mother had told him to keep an eye on the kitchen, but he ran to the outhouse in the middle, Shen Lai wasn’t sure if his mother would beat him for this, so he simply begged his second brother not to tell his mother about it.
Who knew that his second brother was like a wooden stake, not paying attention to him after he said it twice.
Shen Lai could only tug at the corner of Shen Hui’s clothes, “Second Brother, why aren’t you paying attention to me?”
“Huh?” Shen Hui finally lowered his head to look at Shen Lai, “What did you say?”
“I said don’t tell Mom that I went to the outhouse and asked Second Brother to help me watch the kitchen door.”
Shen Lai’s voice was a little weak, and his second brother’s expression was a bit scary, like he was going to eat someone.
Was he angry with him?
“Okay.”
Shen Lai was stunned, he thought he would be rejected, but he didn’t expect his second brother to agree?
Watching Shen Hui’s leaving figure, Shen Lai hopped a few times in place, and then sat obediently on the small stool to watch the door.
Ling Xing’s bath took a bit long, and when he came out, his head was a little dizzy due to lack of oxygen.
His skin was fair, and with the hot air, his cheeks were rosy. His long hair dripped water, and his appearance with red lips and white teeth was lovely and endearing.
Xu Youfang poked the shoe sole with the bradawl, and raised her eyes when she heard the movement. She couldn’t help laughing, “Our Xing Ge’er looks really good.”
He was still thin at the moment, but one could already see his good looks. Not to mention when he gained some weight and had some meat on him, how handsome he would be.
Ling Xing was a little embarrassed by the praise, and his face became even more rosy.
“Mom, I’ll wipe my hair first, and pour the water later.”
Xu Youfang’s movements of making shoe soles didn’t stop, “Okay, I know. Wipe it dry a bit, don’t rush, and don’t catch a cold.”
Catching a cold and having a fever could be deadly now, and there were no medicines to quickly bring down the fever.
It was a bit windy outside at the moment, and Ling Xing was also very careful, not wiping his hair outside, but going inside the house.
He only went out after wiping most of his hair dry.
When he was about to go to the kitchen to pour water, Xu Youfang said, “Second Son, help pour the water, and put the bucket away in the shed. Xing Ge’er, wipe your hair a bit more, it’s still dripping.”
Ling Xing turned his head, just in time to see Shen Hui coming out of the shed.
The Shen family’s shed was very small, used to store farm tools. The wooden bucket was relatively large, and there was no place to put it inside the house, so it could only be placed in the shed.
Usually, the wooden bucket would also contain sundries, which would be cleaned out and washed clean when needed.
Ling Xing smiled at Shen Hui, “Thank you, Second Brother!”
Xu Youfang’s hand that was making shoe soles paused.
She raised her head to look at Ling Xing first, and seeing that Ling Xing’s expression was normal, she looked at Shen Hui again.
Shen Hui’s expression was calm, and facing Xu Youfang’s gaze, she couldn’t see a trace of emotion.
The second son of the family had been steady since he was a child, and rarely showed his emotions. Xu Youfang knew this, and many times she sighed that it was fortunate that the second son was stable, which saved her a lot of worry.
But at the moment, she hoped to see something on the second son’s face.
It’s no wonder she was thinking too much, Xing Ge’er had a good personality, was lively and capable. His appearance was also not bad, that is, he was a little thin now.
The two of them had been going to the stalls together every day these days, Xing Ge’er might not have that intention, but she wasn’t sure if the second son did.
The wedding was held by the second son on his behalf.
She had never heard the second son say that he had a favorite girl or Ge’er, this child had deep thoughts, what if he thought the wrong way?
Xu Youfang didn’t dare to publicize her thoughts, and lowered her head to continue making shoe soles. She still had to ask.
After dinner in the evening, Xu Youfang called Shen Hui into the room, saying that she wanted to give him the embroidery, so as not to be in a hurry and forget it tomorrow morning.
In the room, Xu Youfang sat on the edge of the bed, and the embroidered pieces were neatly placed by her hand.
Shen Hui was tall, and when he stood there, the space seemed much narrower.
Xu Youfang was also a little nervous in her heart, she was afraid of hearing what she didn’t want to hear.
“Second Son, Mom wants to ask you something.”
These words were difficult to say, but after making a start, it wasn’t so difficult to say later.
“Do you have any thoughts about your brother-husband?”
Shen Hui lowered his eyes, and at the moment of looking at Xu Youfang, he was also concealing the emotions in his eyes.
“I have no thoughts.”
Xu Youfang felt that her throat was a little hoarse, she looked at her second son’s cold and calm face, trying to see something on his face.
But she failed.
“Then why doesn’t Xing Ge’er call you Second Brother properly, but calls you Second Son? He would have called it from the beginning if he wanted to, did you tell him to change his mouth?”
Shen Hui said calmly, “I am much older than my brother-husband, and I always feel awkward being called younger brother. That’s why I asked my brother-husband to change his mouth and call me Second Son.”
Xu Youfang gave a dry laugh, so she was thinking too much.
Fortunately, she was thinking too much.
“It’s Mom’s fault, I’ve encountered such a thing before, and I’m very afraid in my heart. I misunderstood you.”
She took the embroidered piece and got up, stuffing it into Shen Hui’s hand, “You’re not too young anymore, and the family was too poor in the past to find you a wife. Now that you can see it, does Second Son like girls or Ge’ers?”
Shen Hui took the embroidered piece and turned around, simply and neatly saying, “I don’t like either.”
Xu Youfang sighed helplessly, guessing that she had misunderstood this child just now, and now he was having a tantrum with her.
It was the first time she saw it, which was quite novel.
At night, the kitchen was quiet.
In the small room that had been partitioned off, there was a suppressed groan.
On the simple wooden bed, a tall and strong man, his forehead was sweating, and his handsome face was flushed slightly.
His usual cold appearance was dyed with lust.
It’s just that his dark eyes were tightly closed, unable to see the storm that was brewing inside.
In the mountain path.
“Open your mouth.”
Shen Hui’s rough fingertips pressed on Ling Xing’s red and moist lips, probing inward.
“Let me see if your teeth are injured.”
Ling Xing’s mouth was pried open by his fingertips, his teeth were unintentionally rubbed by the knuckles of his fingers, and his tongue would scrape Shen Hui’s fingertips from time to time.
He wanted to open his mouth to speak, to tell Shen Hui not to look anymore.
But because of the action of opening his mouth, the person’s fingertips probed in more.
In the next moment, Ling Xing’s tongue root was pressed down, and thin calluses pressed on the pregnancy mole, both rough and painful.
“What is this?”
Shen Hui squinted his eyes, staring at Ling Xing’s reddish eye sockets, moist eyes, slightly trembling eyelashes, and soft lip flesh.
“Don’t touch, you can’t touch, Second Son, you, you take it away quickly.”
Being touched on the pregnancy mole, Ling Xing blushed. He forgot the pain, with a pleading meaning, only wanting that hand to get out quickly, he didn’t want to be examined anymore.
But obviously Shen Hui was unwilling to let him go, pressing his fingertips heavily, hooking his lips with a smile.
“Open it and show me, and I’ll let go.”
Cannot see.
Thinking like this, Ling Xing opened his mouth and bit Shen Hui’s finger hard.
When he opened his eyes, it was dark.
Shen Hui sat up, ignoring the hard-as-iron thing, with a cold handsome face, and slapped himself a few times, but found it was useless.
So he opened his eyes and sat there dryly, not daring to fall asleep again, until Xu Youfang came to the kitchen to cook.
At dinner, Ling Xing looked at Shen Hui several times.
For no other reason, the wound on the corner of Shen Hui’s mouth was too eye-catching.
“What is brother-husband looking at?”
Shen Hui put down his bowl and looked straight at Ling Xing.
“Here.” Ling Xing pointed to the position of his own corner of the mouth, “How did you get hurt here?”
Before Shen Hui could speak, Xu Youfang heard the sound and said with a smile, “A worm crawled on his face while he was sleeping, and he didn’t hold back, he slapped himself.”
The kitchen was near the foot of the mountain, so there would be more insects and snakes.
There was nothing in winter, but once the weather warmed up a bit, there would be more insects.
Ling Xing thought about the scene described by Xu Youfang, and smiled lightly.
After coming back from setting up the stall, Ling Xing brought the specially reserved buns,mántou, steamed buns and fā gāo, steamed rice cake, and went to Xie Qingya’s place.
“Qing Brother, can that snake repellent powder also repel insects?”
“Yes, I was just thinking of sending you some. Your house is near the mountain, and it’s estimated that some insects have started to crawl at this time. Is five packs enough for you first?”
Ling Xing nodded, “Enough, enough.”
Xie Qingya gave the prepared snake repellent powder to Ling Xing, and told him that he had given Ling Yue’s portrait to the shopkeeper of the bookstore.
The other party promised that he would give the portrait to the shopkeeper in the county when he went to the county in five days, and then make a detour to Moon Bay Town when he came back.
It costs the most favor to ask for help from others. Ling Xing said, “I can’t take out any valuable things to thank you, Qing Brother. What do you say, is it okay for me to make some fā gāo, steamed rice cake to send to that shopkeeper?”
“Sure, the fā gāo, steamed rice cake you make is so delicious, how could it not be okay?”
Taking the snake repellent powder home, Ling Xing kept two packs for himself, and gave the remaining three packs to Shen Hui.
“Second Brother, Qing Brother said that this can also repel insects. Sprinkle it on the side of the bed and windows when you sleep at night.”
Ling Xing couldn’t help but stare at the wound on the corner of Shen Hui’s mouth and cheeks, frowning slightly. He felt his face hurt just by looking at it, “Your hand strength is too strong.”
“Okay.”
After Shen Hui responded, he took the snake repellent powder and went into the house.
He played with the medicinal powder that he got from Ling Xing because of his own lie.
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, still with pain.
But it could also dilute some of his unspeakable thoughts.
With Xie Qingya’s affirmation, Ling Xing specially bought more sugar and flour the next day, and made five pounds of fā gāo, steamed rice cake to send to the stall owners around Tangfang Street.
He asked them to pay attention to children who were about the same age as Ling Yue.
Each stall owner had four buns and four mántou, steamed buns, warm, soft and delicious.
They were also happy to help, anyway, it was just paying a little attention, and there was nothing to it.
The business of the bun stall was on the right track, because the stall was fixed, there were fixed diners.
Before, Ling Xing also wanted to go to the market when there was axiāng jí, country fair to set up a stall, but he didn’t make it in the end.
The stall fee for axiāng jí, country fair was a day’s worth, and the price of buns and mántou, steamed buns couldn’t be lowered any further. Ling Xing was still a little afraid that he wouldn’t be able to earn the money back in the end, so he didn’t go.
He still went to the town to set up a stall steadily.
As the weather warmed up, Shen Hui became more and more busy.
He set up the stall in the morning, went home to eat something at noon, and then went into the mountains.
He didn’t come back until the family dinner was almost finished.
Ling Xing was afraid that his body couldn’t bear it. In addition to packing extra meat buns for Shen Hui in the morning, he also had to leave some buns, mántou, steamed buns and fā gāo, steamed rice cake to take to the mountains to eat.
The number of times he went to Xie Qingya’s to exchange for snake repellent powder increased.
Xie Qingya laughed at him, saying that Shen Hui was going to be marinated with snake repellent powder.
Ling Xing laughed along with the teasing, “Just in case.”
It has to be said that Shen Hui was very good at hunting. He could get prey every two days, and sell it in town on the way in the morning.
Ling Xing thought that when he first crossed over, the big leather jacket he would wear to keep out the cold was the prey hunted by Shen Hui, and the fur was pieced together.
*
I don’t know if it was because of running around and working hard all day, but when Ling Xing and Shen Hui set up the stall in the morning, he felt that Shen Hui was getting more and more silent.
He used to take the initiative to speak, and would laugh from time to time, joking and laughing.
Now, only when he opened his mouth, Shen Hui would reply.
Ling Xing looked at the dark circles under Shen Hui’s eyes, and could understand his tiredness.
He was thinking about whether to hire someone to help.
March 11th was Shen Lai’s birthday.
After Ling Xing finished setting up the stall, he bought sugar and flour.
There was also pork belly bought from the meat market in the morning in the back basket, with fat and lean alternating, ready to make meat for Shen Lai to eat.
In the morning, Shen Lai had already eaten the noodles he had been thinking about.
Ling Xing specially reserved good flour, the noodles tasted strong and smooth, and Xu Youfang also put fresh wild vegetables in it, and exchanged two eggs to put on the noodles.
Shen Lai’s eyes were red when he ate it, he thought he wouldn’t have noodles to eat this year.
As a result, not only did he have them to eat, but there were also eggs in it.
What surprised him even more was yet to come. In the evening, Shen Lai received big whitemántou, steamed buns, and when he bit into them, there was sweet syrup inside.
So sweet! So soft!
Ling Xing wrapped a total of six sugar-filledmántou, steamed buns, two for each of the three children.
He also made braised pork, sweet.
The meat pieces were cut very large, stewed until soft and rotten, the fatty meat melted in the mouth, sweet but not greasy.
Shen Lai was going to love braised pork to death, he didn’t even let go of the soup, holding a whitemántou, steamed buns to dip it and eat, almost stuffing himself.
After eating, Shen Lai felt that he had already had a lot of happiness today, it was the best birthday he had ever had.
Unexpectedly, his brother-husband took out a beautiful light blue hairband.
“Xiao Lai, didn’t you say that your hairband is gray and not good-looking? Do you like this? A birthday present for you.”
Shen Lai didn’t take the hairband, and with a “wuwu” sound, his eyes were red, and he threw himself directly on Ling Xing.
Crying while hugging Ling Xing.
“Brother-husband, you are so good! I want you to be my brother-husband for the rest of my life!”
In Shen Lai’s opinion, if Ling Xing was his brother-husband, he would be good to him. He wanted a brother-husband, wanted the goodness of being cared for and thought about, so he naturally said this sentence.
Children say whatever they want, and rarely think too much.
Hearing Shen Lai’s words, Xu Youfang was startled.
She was afraid that Ling Xing would think that the Shen family wanted to keep him, and would not let him remarry, so she was about to pull Shen Lai and explain to Ling Xing.
Before she could act, she saw Ling Xing touching Shen Lai’s head and smiling gently, “Okay.”
He liked the Shen family very much, and it wasn’t impossible to live like this all the time.
As for what Xu Youfang thought, Ling Xing had never thought about it in that way.
Hearing this, the Shen family members all looked at Ling Xing, and then quickly retracted their gazes.
Shen Chengshan and Xu Youfang’s noses were sour, uncontrollably missing the person who had left.
It would have been great if Big Son was still here, the husband was so good, it was a pity for both of them.
After looking at Ling Xing, Shen Hui, who was not far away, was slightly unstable, and quietly turned around and returned to the room.