21 – Brother Qin, I really like you
As for Chen Dashan’s various misfortunes over the past two days, Taohua had only learned about them while washing clothes by the river, listening to the village women chatter.
Before that, Taohua had been completely unaware.
Sun Xiao Lan and Aunt Tao didn’t believe her at first.
Aunt Tao wondered, “How could you not know, Taohua? All the men in the village saw it. We only found out because our own husbands told us. Didn’t your man mention it when he came home at night?”
Taohua shook her head, looking utterly sincere. “He didn’t say anything. I only just learned about it from you.”
“Ah???” Sun Xiao Lan immediately leaned in, grinning mischievously. “Were you two too busy making babies at night to even chat? Otherwise, how could he not tell you something so important? Doesn’t he know you have a grudge against Chen Dashan? Hehe.”
“No!” In front of Aunt Tao, Taohua wished she could find a needle to sew Sun Xiao Lan’s mouth shut. “How can you say such shameless things?”
“What’s the big deal? We’ve all been through it. Tell us!” Sun Xiao Lan nudged Taohua’s arm. “Have you had any good luck these past two days?”
“Really, no!” Taohua replied, scrubbing clothes as she spoke. “He’s been working outside these past two days, and I’ve been busy tidying up the house. We’ve both been exhausted, falling asleep almost as soon as our heads hit the pillow at night.”
“Well, that makes sense,” Sun Xiao Lan pouted. “Mine’s the same—snoring as soon as he gets into bed, ignoring me no matter how much I call him.”
“Listen, girl,” Aunt Tao chimed in, unable to hold back a laugh. “You’re still young. You should take it easy, or you won’t have any fun left when you’re older.”
“Hahaha, Auntie, you really are experienced! Don’t hold back—tell us both everything we should know.”
“You really want to hear?”
“Yes, I want to learn as much as I can.”
“Alright then. If you’re willing, you can give your man raw eggs to eat…”
While Aunt Tao and Sun Xiao Lan chatted away happily, Taohua didn’t listen to a single word.
Because she found the whole thing a bit strange.
That evening, when Qin Feng returned home, Taohua couldn’t help but ask, “Brother Qin, I heard Chen Dashan ran into some strange trouble these past two days. Is it true?”
“Hmm, so you’ve already heard. Did you go out today?”
Taohua nodded. “I went to the river to wash clothes. If I hadn’t gone out, I wouldn’t have known about it. I wanted to ask you… was all this… your doing?”
Qin Feng didn’t admit to it. “Why would I have the time for that? It must be Chen Dashan’s own karma catching up to him.”
“Really?” Taohua stared intently into Qin Feng’s eyes. “Why do I find that hard to believe? I asked Xiao Lan and Aunt Tao. They said that on the night Chen Dashan got lost in the mountains, their husbands came home before it was fully dark, but you didn’t return until it was pitch black outside. Why did you come back so late? Didn’t everyone finish work at the same time? Or did you go off to do something else?”
Qin Feng gave Taohua a thoughtful look, thinking to himself that this little wife of his wasn’t easy to fool.
But he also knew in his heart that she was a woman with a strong mind.
Just like the day he went to the Chen family to propose marriage—when he offered fifteen taels of silver to take her away, she had insisted on having a written agreement drawn up with Chen Dashan.
Chen Dashan refused on the grounds that there were no writing materials at home. Little did he know that the young wife had anticipated this and had already asked her friend to fetch ink, brush, paper, and inkstone from home.
With such meticulous thinking, it was no surprise she could guess that Chen Dashan’s troubles were his doing.
Thinking of this, Qin Feng couldn’t help but feel curious. “Taohua, did you study when you were young? You must know how to read, right?”
“I learned a bit from my father and recognized a few characters. But after he passed away, I never touched a book again. I’ve forgotten most of the characters I learned back then. But Brother Qin…” Taohua frowned, “I haven’t gotten an answer to the question I just asked you. How come it’s your turn to ask me now?”
Seeing the young wife pouting with clear dissatisfaction, Qin Feng let out a soft sigh.
“What if it was me? What if it wasn’t?”
“If it was you, I’d be happy. I know you did it because you care for me. But I’d also worry for you. I’m afraid you might have gone too hard. What if someone had died? Someone like Chen Dashan isn’t worth risking our own lives for. But thinking about it carefully, hearing that he got taught a lesson still feels pretty satisfying.”
“Isn’t that enough then?” Qin Feng chuckled softly and pulled the young wife into his arms. “Don’t overthink it. Chen Dashan is just a bully who preys on the weak and fears the strong. He isn’t afraid of you and your mother, but he’s scared of me. Look, from the incident until now, time and again, he’s never dared to mention my name in public. I doubt he’ll ever dare to come to our house again. You can visit your mother often. If you see any signs of him hitting her, just tell me, and I’ll teach him a lesson for both of you.”
“Really?” Taohua nestled tightly against Qin Feng’s warm chest, her voice sweet and soft. “Brother Qin, you’re so good to me. I… I really like you!”
Although they had already been intimate as husband and wife, this was the first time Taohua had openly confessed her feelings to Qin Feng. She was so embarrassed that her entire face flushed red.
Feeling the heat radiating from the young wife’s cheeks, Qin Feng couldn’t help but lower his head and capture her lips. The young wife responded passionately, her soft arms winding around his neck like snakes. Her pale legs wrapped around his waist.
Taohua surrendered to the moment, filled with joy. When her strength gave out, her legs could no longer hold on, and she had to rely on the man’s large hands to support her…
Taohua felt that Brother Qin was wonderful today too.
But she had just confessed her feelings and hadn’t heard his response.
Yet he must like her too, right?
Otherwise, why would he be so gentle when she cried out in pain?
The next morning, although Qin Feng had told Taohua to sleep in, she still got up with him. In the village, other men had wives who made breakfast for them before they went to work each day. Taohua didn’t want her husband to be the one without a wife to care for him.
However, because she had woken up too early and had been exhausted from the previous night’s activities, Taohua began to feel drowsy after lunch. Thinking that the household chores were mostly done, she decided to return to the room and slip under the covers.
She fell asleep quickly and soon began to dream.
She dreamed that she and Brother Qin were doing that kind of thing in the room, and the feeling was so real it made her feel both ecstasy and agony.
But suddenly, her dream changed!
She dreamed that the county’s chief clerk insisted that Qin Feng and the others go into the river to move a large rock.
Then a strange wind blew, and a whirlpool suddenly formed in the river. Her Brother Qin and the other villagers were instantly swept into it, vanishing without a trace!
No matter how desperately she called out, no one responded.
“Brother Qin, Brother Qin!!!” Taohua screamed frantically, jolting upright in bed!
Only after sitting up did she realize it was just a dream.
But the dream felt so incredibly real!
Even after waking up, her heart was still pounding with fear.
Unable to bear the torment any longer, she got out of bed, put on her shoes, and rushed outside.