Chapter 051
Author: Feast of Masks
Raws: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3185016
Translated by Pill Bug
Edited by Gumihou
The warm yellow glow of the lamp was mellow in the quiet room.
Even so, it felt as though there was a spark surging in their air, ready to ignite at any moment and scorch everything in its path. Their faces were very close. So close that they could feel each other’s breaths.
Zhao’er knew that they could not behave this way, but her face was blushing so hot that it felt as though she had smeared it with chilli water.
If she had known earlier, she would not have used so many chillies when cooking that night. Now look what happened!
Her eyes darted around nervously, unwilling to meet his gaze. She said evasively, “You have always been the only man in this house.”
She pretended to reach for her chopsticks, her movement just happening to push his too-close face away from herself. As she reached for the food on the table, Xue Tingxiang seized her wrist in one swift motion.
“You still have not answered my question.”
“Answer what question?”
“Are you finally willing to admit that I am your man?”
“Weren’t you already the only man in this house?” She said, keeping her gaze lowered, refusing to look at him.
“That is not the same. Being the man of the house and being your man are two different things.”
“What’s the difference?” Zhao’er asked reflexively. The moment the words left her mouth, she wanted to slap herself.
As expected, Xue Tingxiang let out a short laugh at her answer before leveraging a solemn look at her. “A man of the house could be an elder or a brother. However, your man would share the same bed as you and do things that Zhao Jinrui did with Little Aunt.”
Zhao’er immediately bristled. She pushed up on her knees and shook his hand away with a glare. “Gou’er, you’ve clearly learned some bad things. Be honest and tell Elder Sis. Who’s been teaching you these bad things? Did you hear it from those men in the village telling their dirty jokes to each other? Or did you make a bad friend at school and learn bad things from them?”
Her reaction was so unexpected that Xue Tingxiang froze for a moment.
Taking advantage of his stunned silence, Zhao’er passionately declared, “You’re still young so don’t think about that nonsense! Your priority is to study hard and prove that the years of hard work you’ve put into your studies were worth it. Marrying and getting a wife should be something you think about in the future. For now, you must think of your studies! Don’t forget Father’s last wish or Mother’s worry at her deathbed. Our parents’ greatest wish was for you to surpass Xue Juncai. Right now you should spend all your energy on your studies, pass your exams and become the most promising person in the Xue family. Don’t put the cart before the horse.”
Her words were certainly eloquent and persuasive. If Xue Tingxiang had not experienced that lifetime of a dream and heard even more eloquent speeches from actual politicians, he might have been persuaded by her. After all, as a youth, he really should be spending all his time studying and not dwelling on matters of the heart.
However, he was someone who had experienced that dream. Because of this, he knew that this woman was a cunning one. She liked to play dumb, pretending to be a country rube to get out of tough situations. Therefore, unless he cornered her properly, she would not give an inch.
Even so, he did not wish to force her.
Still, that did not mean he was out of options. Just because he could not force her, did not mean he did not have other methods. For a moment, Xue Tingxiang just stared at her. Then, his face visibly fell and he said sadly, “Zhao’er, do you not want to be my wife?”
The change was so sudden that Zhao’er was caught off-guard.
She stared blankly at the youth who was staring up at her with sad, baleful eyes.
His light pink lips were set in a stubborn line, even as his youthful cheeks puffed up in anger. His little nostrils flared as he huffed with annoyance. It was the look of someone who was wronged. He looked just like that time when he was a little child. A little child who clearly wanted her to take him out to play, but was just too stubborn to say it out loud, forcing her to guess his intentions.
It was the same look back when their parents passed away. When she had shed bitter tears at their passing, he had that same stubborn look on his face as he gripped her hand, refusing to shed a tear as he said, ‘It’s only the two of us now, Zhao’er.’
She smiled down at him out of habit.
No matter how difficult things become, she would always face him with a smile.
“That’s impossible. Don’t think too much about it.”
“I still feel like you don’t want to be my wife. Do you not want to be with me forever?” Xue Tingxiang sidled close to wrap his arms around Zhao’er’s waist as he tucked his face into her shoulder. His entire demeanour is utterly sweet and vulnerable.
Although Zhao’er could not see this face, his muffled voice spoke into her shoulder, “I know that… that Elder Brother Jiang Wu likes you. He wants to marry you and make you his wife. That’s why I don’t like him. I hate him. Will you become Elder Brother Jiang’s wife and leave the Xue family? They say that only the wife can be together with her husband forever. Only husband and wife can sleep on the same kang and share the same blanket. I don’t you to share a blanket with anyone but me.”
By now, Zhao’er’s mind had already been ground to a paste at his little speech. Her mind worked and she clutched desperately at one key point. “H-how did you know all this? You even know that Brother Jiang Wu likes me? Did he tell you?”
“Elder Brother Jiang Wu said that you are not really my wife. He said that you only agreed because our parents made you. He said that I should find you a man who knows how to cherish you and that I made you suffer by forcing you to support my studies…”
He smirked to himself as he continued speak out of her line of sight, his voice plaintive and wavering, “Zhao’er… I promise to cherish you, so please don’t leave me…”
Zhao’er pressed her lips tightly, her chest rising and falling with emotion as she said in a stiff voice, “Don’t you overthink things again. I’m not going anywhere.”
Here, she had been wondering why her little man had suddenly changed so much. Her little man had always been sensitive and reserved. Although he had technically grown up quite a bit, to Zhao’er, he would always be the little boy she had known. Although he had grown a little taller and became more mature, her treatment must have caused him to feel insecure. This must be why he had been saying all these strange things lately.
“Then, are you still my wife?”
“Of course!”
“We will be together forever, and never be apart?.”
“Yes!!”
Xue Tingxiang thought: Although I had adjusted the words a bit, Jiang Wu did say all of those things. I did not resort to a single lie. However, now that you have promised me, you can never go back on your word.
“That’s a relief.”
It was a minor episode between them, but because of this, Zhao’er stopped avoiding Xue Tingxiang.
Because he got this win by acting childish, Xue Tingxiang knew that this essentially sent their relationship back to the beginning where she still viewed him as a little child. Still, Zhao’er not viewing him as a proper man yet was better than him forcing her into a relationship.
After experiencing that dream, he no longer wished to pressure her. It was better to take his time and approach the matter indirectly.
Naturally, it was not like he made no progress at all. At the very least, he could now openly ask to share a bed with Zhao’er without making up various excuses. He only needed to ask and blink watery eyes at her, and she would cave to whatever requests he made.
If she showed even the slightest hint of hesitation at couple-related requests, all he had to do was ask in that plaintive voice ‘Do you no longer want to be my wife’ and she would immediately yield.
It was thoroughly shameless of him, but even so, he found himself getting addicted to acting cute around her.
In fact, it was so addictive that by the end of this break, he found himself reluctant to return to the academy.
“As for that matter, don’t worry about it. You cannot rush it. If someone else buys the land, so be it. If a surname Xue person buys it, I fear that Zheng Lizheng would use the excuse to make things difficult for us. Don’t worry, I will get someone to help us with this matter. You just have to do it according to my instructions and find someone to act on it first. We will deal with the situation as it unfolds.”
Zhao’er nodded. She handed his book bag to him and collected the bundle and a small basket from the kang bed.
The bundle contained the necessary clothes Xue Tingxiang would need during his 10-day stay at the academy, while the basket contained food. There were two jars of Zhao’er’s handmade pickled vegetables and a jar of tofu in spicy oil. Both were perfect as side dishes with rice or noodles.
At first, Zhao’er had given her little man a small serving in hopes of adding a little more variety to his diet. Unexpectedly, the pickles were a hit with his dorm mates. Mao Badou had latched onto one of the jars and refused to let go. What started out as a jar every 10 days quickly turned into four jars every 10 days and even these felt like a drop in the desert.
The pickles were all made by Zhao’er last fall and there was not much left at home. However, she also knew that her little man did not have many friends and wanted to help him foster a closer relationship with them. Since these friends enjoyed eating her pickles, she did not mind sending more, but Xue Tingxiang was too stingy and limited the pickles to only 4 jars.
Xue Tingxiang took the small basket from her hands. She did not want him to carry the basket, but he just grabbed it from her.
However, after taking the basket from her, he did not leave. He just stood there and stared at her.
Zhao’er stared back in confusion. “What is it now? Shengzi (Gao Sheng) is waiting outside, you know?”
“I do not want to go.” That was the honest truth.
“Why not? Don’t you like studying best?”
“I want to sleep with you. Once I’m at the academy, I have to sleep alone…”
“Shut up!” Zhao’er flashed a quick look at the door before glaring at him. “What was it you promised me? You can’t just talk about things like this in the open.”
He looked up innocently and said, “I am only talking about this with you here. There is no one else. Also, since you are my wife, it is only natural for us to sleep together.”
“We’re not married yet, so you absolutely can’t say things like that! Go on quickly now. You’ll be late if you don’t leave soon. Didn’t you promise me to study properly and not think about all this nonsense anymore?”
This time, Xue Tingxiang did not talk back. He nodded obediently and said, “Don’t worry. I will definitely do well and pass the exam to become a Xiu Cai so that you can become the wife of a Xiu Cai.”
A short pause after that, he said, “Will you marry me when I become a Xiu Cai?”
“We’ll talk about it after you pass,” she said exasperatedly.
“Then, it’s a promise.”
It was only after she had seen Xue Tingxiang off that Zhao’er finally let out a sigh of relief.
Her little man was getting harder and harder to deal with. He used to be withdrawn and sensitive, something which she had always hoped would change. Now that he had changed… well, instead of feeling relief, his overly intimate actions were even more headache-inducing.
Most of the time, he was mature and composed, but then there were times when he acted childish and clingy. His mind must have been full of strange thoughts.
Zhao’er thought back to everything that had happened over the past two days and felt she must have been possessed by a ghost to agree to all his various demands.
After cracking her head over the mystery of her little man for a while, Zhao’er gave up thinking without being able to make sense of him. She thought: Let’s just not think about it anymore. My little man will be back in 10 days, so I still have time to think about the matter slowly.
Having straightened out her thoughts, Zhao’er turned around to lock the door and stepped outside.
When he reached the outer gate, she suddenly changed her mind and turned her steps towards the fourth branch’s house instead.
“Fourth Aunt, I need to talk to you about something.”
[Gumihou: Oho, what will you talk about?]
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