Peach Blossom Land On Longyin Island Chapter 11
byMeasuring the Wedding Attire
In a moment, the boat gradually stabilized. An Le finally breathed a sigh of relief and opened his eyes. He first saw An Linmian’s small boat sailing alongside theirs, barely an arm’s length away. An Le looked up and saw An Linmian sitting in her boat, watching him with a strange, half-smiling expression.
“I almost forgot, half a year ago you were still an idiot who couldn’t swim. Can you still not swim now?” An Linmian asked in an odd tone.
“Yes,” An Le said, feeling guilty, and gave an awkward smile. “I’m an idiot, my brain isn’t normal, so don’t hold it against me. What happened just now, I really didn’t mean it.”
“Didn’t mean it? Then how do you explain this? An Le, you have to give me an explanation. Now Su Su won’t talk to me. Whenever I speak to her, she says I’m the bad woman who stole her brother’s wife. Before the day is out, the whole village will be saying I’m the bad woman who stole your wife!”
An explanation? How could he explain this? He couldn’t exactly say they were fake-married. An Le felt a deep headache coming on and simply tossed the problem away.
“An Xiaoyu, this is all your fault, you go explain it!” An Le said, turning to look for An Xiaoyu. The two of them had been sitting facing each other, but when An Le looked up, he didn’t see anyone opposite him. Just as he was wondering, he suddenly heard a voice behind him say, “We only just confirmed our relationship, we didn’t intend to tease Miss An.”
“Heh heh heh, you couldn’t confirm it earlier or later, you had to pick this exact moment? What a coincidence?” An Linmian had been rejected by An Xiaoyu over a dozen times, and her anger hadn’t subsided, so she spoke sarcastically.
“It is,” An Xiaoyu’s tone was completely flat. “Thanks to Miss An, I realized my true feelings.”
“…….” An Le covered his face with his hand, unable to listen further, wishing he hadn’t let An Xiaoyu speak.
After a long while, An Le didn’t hear An Linmian’s voice. He turned his head to look and saw An Linmian watching the two of them with that half-smile.
“So you two are real? Not just trying to reject me?” Seeing An Le look at her, An Linmian asked.
“No.” An Le forced himself to lie.
“Fine,” An Linmian suddenly chuckled, placed her hands on the paddle, turned her boat around, glanced at the two of them, and said, “In that case, I won’t disturb your courtship.” With that, An Linmian quickly paddled her small boat away.
It was solved that easily? An Le couldn’t help but feel confused, but the question vanished quickly. He was naturally happy to resolve the matter smoothly without having to fall into the sea.
The boat rocked gently, and the sea breeze brushed his face, lifting his spirits. Feeling relaxed, An Le leaned back lazily, squinting his eyes and enjoying the cool breeze over the sea.
He didn’t know how much time passed. There were fewer and fewer boats on the sea, and the villagers on the shore gradually left. Sleepiness crept in, and An Le yawned.
“Do you want to go back to sleep?” While he was drowsy and deep in thought, he heard An Xiaoyu’s voice almost right above his head. An Le immediately woke up, sat up abruptly, and turned his head blankly.
Sure enough, no wonder it felt so comfortable—he wasn’t leaning on the boat, he was leaning on a person! An Le closed his eyes deeply again.
“Or should we play a little longer?” An Xiaoyu looked down, gazing at An Le.
“No, let’s go back.” An Le decisively refused. If they played any longer, who knew what else might happen.
When An Le and An Xiaoyu came ashore, there weren’t many people left on the beach, but Father An, Mother An, and Su Su were all there, seemingly waiting for them.
An Le said sheepishly, “Dad, Mom, were you waiting for me? Why didn’t you go back to sleep first?”
Mother An looked at the two of them with a beaming smile and said, “We were discussing your wedding with your uncles and elders. We just finished, and seeing that you were about to return, we waited to go home together.”
“Ah, the wedding.” Remembering the matter, An Le said, “By the way, Dad, Mom, can the wedding be postponed for a few days?”
Father An and Mother An looked puzzled and asked, “What’s wrong? You don’t want to marry Xiaoyu anymore?”
An Le stammered, “No, it’s just that, getting married in seven days, isn’t that a bit too rushed? I still don’t want to move out and live separately from you.”
“Oh, so that’s all it is. Mom thought you were going to let Xiaoyu down,” Mother An smiled again. “I also don’t want you to live too far away. Fortunately, we just discussed it with your uncles. The empty courtyard next to our house was originally prepared for your cousin’s wedding last year, but before the wedding, your cousin and Ying Ying had a fight, and they haven’t made up since. The wedding date has been pushed back repeatedly, with no definite news. Your cousin said you two could live in that courtyard. It’s close to our house, just a few steps away.”
“Ha, haha, is that so,” An Le chuckled dryly a few times and said, “Cousin, that’s really thoughtful.”
“Thank you, Auntie,” An Xiaoyu smiled obediently.
“Sister-in-law Xiaoyu~” Su Su held An Xiaoyu’s hand, looked up, and smiled sweetly. “Now that you and Brother are getting married, you should call Mother ‘Mom.’”
“You’re full of ideas,” An Le squatted down, picking up Su Su with a helpless but doting expression. “Next time you fake cry, Brother won’t comfort you.”
“Hehe,” Su Su hugged An Le’s neck and acted spoiled. “Brother is the best.”
Father An laughed heartily. “If it weren’t for Su Su, Dad wouldn’t have realized you two were serious. Su Su is clever.”
An Le said helplessly, “Dad, you just spoil her.”
Mother An smiled. “I said Xiaoyu and Le Le’s relationship wasn’t ordinary. Sure enough, she’s going to be our daughter-in-law. Come on, let’s go home and sleep. Seven days is a bit rushed to prepare for a wedding, so tomorrow will be busy. Fortunately, the village has all the necessary items for the wedding, but the wedding attire needs to be rushed…”
The five of them talked, laughed, and walked. By the time they reached the door of their house, Su Su was already asleep in An Xiaoyu’s arms. Father An took Su Su and said to the two of them, “You two go rest quickly. Tomorrow morning, Aunt Hui will bring people to measure you for your wedding clothes. Don’t wake up too late and keep them waiting.”
This instruction was clearly meant for An Le, as he was the latest riser in the family. An Le could only nod obediently. “Got it, Dad. I’ll definitely get up early tomorrow morning and won’t keep Aunt Hui waiting.”
An Le had been sleepy on the boat. After washing up and lying down on the bed, the sleepiness intensified. He remembered Father An’s instruction, but there were no clocks in the village, and he always slept soundly. It was probably impossible for him to wake up early on his own. So, before falling asleep, he instructed An Xiaoyu, “An Xiaoyu, remember to wake me up tomorrow morning.”
The next morning, An Le was awakened by the loud voice of the tailor, An Hui. An Le was already awake before An Xiaoyu came in. There was no time for breakfast. An Le sat on the bed, yawning, and questioned An Xiaoyu about why he hadn’t been woken up.
An Xiaoyu spread his hands innocently. “I was just about to come and wake you up, but when I came in, I saw you were already awake.”
An Le was speechless. “You only come to wake me up when people are already at the doorstep?”
“You didn’t say what time to wake you up last night,” An Xiaoyu defended himself.
“……..” An Le was silent, unable to refute. After a moment, he said, “Fine, it’s my fault for not being clear. Let’s go, time to get measured.”
Aunt Hui’s full name was An Hui, the village tailor. Although almost every woman in the village knew how to weave and sew clothes, the village had a dedicated team of women who specialized in making clothes. Their main job was to sew costumes for village celebrations or help villagers who couldn’t tailor their own clothes. If a family needed wedding attire sewn but lacked the skill or time, they could ask the village tailors for help. An Le’s family fell into both categories.
Mother An was skilled in medicine. Although she could do needlework, it wasn’t enough for complex and delicate work like wedding attire. Therefore, they hired the village tailoring team to sew the couple’s wedding clothes, with Mother An assisting. The cloth in Longyin Village was spun and dyed by the villagers themselves, distributed to each household based on the number of people. When someone in the village got married, the newcomers would be provided with several bolts of red cloth for making clothes and bedding. Although Longyin Village was secluded, self-sufficient items like grain, cotton, hemp, and coarse cloth were especially abundant, and they took great care with important events.
“Oh my, Xiaoyu has such a good figure, Ah Ye, look, look at your daughter-in-law. Broad shoulders, a slender waist, and tall. The muscles are firm too. I think his figure is even better than those in the hunting team,” An Hui praised loudly, holding the tape measure and measuring An Xiaoyu.
An Xiaoyu was embarrassed by the praise, his ear tips turning red, and he looked away without speaking.
“Oh, really? Let me feel.” An Le was being measured by another young tailor nearby. Hearing this, he walked over, curiously pressed An Xiaoyu’s abs, and nodded in evaluation. “Hmm, not bad, really firm.”
“Oh my, Le Le, you haven’t felt them before?” An Hui teased, the crow’s feet around her eyes crinkling with laughter. “Your mother said you two sleep together every day, I thought you two were…”
“Sister Hui,” Seeing that An Xiaoyu was blushing all the way down to his neck, Mother An quickly interrupted An Hui with a smile. “The children are still young.”
“Haha, yes, yes, still young, still young.” An Hui laughed heartily, her eyes still full of teasing. She whispered to An Le, “It’s alright, Le Le, you’ll be married in a few days. Feel him properly, don’t be shy. For a harmonious marriage, you need to be bold.”
“Ha, ha, yes, yes.” An Le was too embarrassed to listen further. He responded with awkward laughter a few times and retreated to his original spot, letting the young tailor measure him.
The younger tailor, named An Moli, was An Hui’s daughter-in-law. She was only a few years older than An Le and An Xiaoyu but had been married to An Hui’s son for five or six years.
An Moli smiled slightly. “My mother-in-law is just like that, don’t mind her.”
“Not at all, not at all,” An Le said.
“But what Mother-in-law said is true,” An Moli’s voice was gentle. She lowered her voice so only the two of them could hear. She hesitated and asked, “Le Le, you… your illness just recovered. Do you know what to do?”
An Le, who understood the implication of An Moli’s words, instantly flushed red. He scratched his head and ears, becoming incoherent. “Ah, this… this, Sister Moli…”
What to do… He hadn’t experienced it in his previous life but knew a little. But if she really asked him how to do it, how would he know?! He wasn’t gay! He hadn’t even dated, how would he know what two men do?!
Oh, wait! That’s not right! They didn’t need to know what to do! They were fake-married! Even if they bowed in the hall, their relationship was just lying in the same bed chatting under the covers!
An Moli saw An Le’s distress and quickly smoothed things over. “It’s alright, it’s alright, I was just asking casually, you don’t need to say.”
“Say what?” An Hui had finished measuring An Xiaoyu and moved over, asking when she heard them.
“Oh, nothing,” An Moli smiled. “I was just asking Le Le if he was nervous.”
“How could he not be nervous?” An Hui laughed. “Before Xiao Tong married you, he was so nervous he couldn’t sleep well for a month. He’d get up before dawn to chop wood, disturbing everyone in the family. During that time, I couldn’t wait for you two to get married and kick him out.”
After An Hui finished speaking, she laughed heartily again. An Moli’s face was crimson, and she lowered her head, smiling without answering.
An Le couldn’t help but sigh. “Sister Moli and Brother Tong have such a good relationship.”
“Of course,” An Hui smiled for a while before continuing. “You wouldn’t believe it, when Xiao Tong was seven, he ran to me and said he would marry little Moli when he grew up. I thought he was just playing. But after that, he ran to Moli’s house every day, neglecting his own chores to fetch water and chop wood for Moli’s family. Right after his sixteenth birthday, he urged me to propose. I told him Moli was only fifteen, would her mother agree? I said I’d go next year, but the boy stubbornly refused, insisting I set the wedding date first, terrified that Moli would be snatched away by someone else.”
Mother An chimed in with a smile. “Moli and Xiao Tong have been married for so many years, and they are still as loving as when they first married. Everyone in the village envies them.”
An Hui said, “It’s only because our Moli has a good personality that she can tolerate that boy. He’s clumsy all day long, it’s annoying just watching him.”
An Moli blushed and whispered, “Mom, Ah Tong is very good.”
“Yes, yes, he’s good. I won’t speak ill of him.” An Hui smiled again for a while. “Are you done measuring? Time is tight, we need to start working quickly.”
“That’s it.” An Moli took the final measurement of An Le’s waist and recorded it. “Done, Mom. Le Le is just a bit too thin.”
Mother An suddenly sighed, looking worried. “After he recovered from his illness, his appetite changed. He doesn’t eat much of anything, and he’s lost a lot of weight in just half a year. You’re the best cook in the village. His father and I were just talking about coming to you to learn how to cook, but we haven’t had the time.”
“No need, Mom, it’s not that I don’t like your cooking,” An Le quickly interjected. He just wasn’t used to the food here, which lacked seasoning. It was bland, truly too bland. In Longyin Village, there was hardly any seasoning besides salt.
An Moli smiled gently. “Then I’ll make extra lunch and send it over. We can see what flavors Le Le likes, and when Sister-in-law is free, I’ll teach her.”
An Le was about to say that it wasn’t necessary to go to so much trouble, but he saw An Xiaoyu jump in first and say, “I have time, I’ll go learn. Thank you, Sister Moli.”
“…” Fine, if An Xiaoyu learned, it wouldn’t be too much trouble.
An Moli paused slightly, then smiled sweetly at An Xiaoyu. “Alright.”
“Okay, let’s go.” An Hui packed up the tape measure and other tools, saying to An Moli and Mother An, “Let’s go to the warehouse first and pick out some good bolts of cloth and thread. Le Le and Xiaoyu are both beautiful children, and they will look stunning in their wedding clothes. I must be very careful making these.”
Mother An smiled. “Thank you for your trouble, Sister Hui.”
“Hey, we’re all in the same village, don’t be so polite…” The three of them walked away, their laughter and conversation fading.
An Le looked around, realizing that although it was his wedding, there was actually nothing for him to do. After a moment of confusion, he asked An Xiaoyu, “Hey, what are you doing today? Are you still looking for the map?”
An Xiaoyu shook his head. “Let’s not look today. I promised to teach you how to make a fire starter yesterday.”
“Oh, right. Then teach me this afternoon.”
“This afternoon? Do you have something to do this morning?” An Xiaoyu asked curiously.
“Yes, I’m going to visit Grandpa An Mu.”
“Oh,” An Xiaoyu responded, and then added, “Go after you eat breakfast. I’ll go make food.”