“Are you two about to kiss?”
Zang Yunyang raised both his hands, turning his head to look at the two adults sitting close together. At his age, he was the most mischievous and didn’t care about anything else, his face full of “I knew it.”
He had seen it many times at home, his parents sneaking kisses, and he always caught them.
“What?” Yu Huishui looked puzzled, instinctively raising his head, only to see Zang Liujiang’s head leaning over, his eyes reflecting the warm orange glow of the stove fire, stubbornly including him in his gaze.
Yu Huishui felt the hairs on his arms stand on end. The two were so close that it was too late to push him away. Helpless, Yu Huishui was forced to stand up abruptly!
The sudden movement startled Zang Liujiang, who had no time to dodge, and Yu Huishui’s head slammed heavily into his face. With a thud, Zang Liujiang fell backward, landing on the ground with a thump.
The noise was quite loud, and Qin Xiaoyuan and Zang Dashu, who were secretly having a private conversation in the room, heard it and quickly supported each other out of the room, heading straight for the kitchen.
Zang Yunyang reacted the fastest, slipping out from under the door curtain and running away, shouting as he ran, “Uncle Liu and Auntie are kissing inside! I saw it!”
Hearing this, Qin Xiaoyuan immediately grabbed Zang Dashu, patting his shoulder twice, and the two of them turned around swiftly, slipping back into their room.
It’s perfectly normal for newlyweds to be sweet and affectionate, so they didn’t want to ruin their moment.
Almost getting a nosebleed from Yu Huishui’s ‘sweetness,’ Zang Liujiang touched his nose with lingering fear, repeatedly confirming that his face wasn’t damaged before loudly proclaiming his innocence.
“It’s all that kid Yunyang’s nonsense, talking about kissing and all. Am I the type to take advantage of others?”
Thinking carefully, he realized he had indeed taken advantage of others quite a bit. Feeling guilty, Zang Liujiang quickly pushed Yu Huishui out of the kitchen before he could react, not caring that his sleeves and pants were still wet.
Finally, amidst the commotion, they sat down at the dining table, a northern-style heated bed. On the table were dishes, and under the table were several jars of wine, prepared by Zang Dashu early in the morning.
Zang Liujiang and Zang Dashu shouted about drinking to their heart’s content, drinking cup after cup. By the time they finished eating, the sun had shifted westward, and Zang Dashu was slumped to the side.
It wasn’t that Zang Dashu had a poor drinking capacity; it was just that Zang Liujiang’s drinking capacity was too good. After downing two jars of strong, warming liquor, Zang Liujiang’s face wasn’t red, nor was he out of breath, as if he hadn’t drunk at all, while Zang Dashu was already drunk.
His burly body leaned against Qin Xiaoyuan, unwilling to get up, his hands constantly gesturing in front of her belly. Although he was already slurring his words, he still maintained a respectful distance, occasionally touching her gently.
He mumbled, “Why hasn’t it come out yet… You’re making your mother, hic… unable to eat…”
Zang Liujiang sat cross-legged on the edge of the heated bed, looking as if nothing had happened. If it weren’t for the two large wine jars beside him, you wouldn’t be able to tell he had been drinking.
At this moment, he was cracking open roasted peanuts, rubbing off the dry red skin in his palm, and handing them to Yu Huishui, who was sitting inside.
Yu Huishui still had half a bowl of white rice in front of him, with a chicken leg he had taken a few bites of. This was already the result of his effort to eat. Glancing at the peanuts in Zang Liujiang’s palm, Yu Huishui picked a few plump ones and popped them into his mouth.
When Yu Huishui refused to eat any more, Zang Liujiang tossed the remaining peanuts into his own mouth, patted his clothes, and got up to help Zang Dashu to the side room to sleep for a while, so he wouldn’t press on his sister-in-law’s belly.
Qin Xiaoyuan just smiled, watching Zang Dashu being dragged to the side room by Zang Liujiang, listening to the sounds for a while before turning back to look at Yu Huishui.
“Liujiang has the best drinking capacity. Every time the five brothers compete in drinking, Liujiang is the last one standing.”
Yu Huishui also smiled but didn’t know how to respond, and the atmosphere fell into silence.
Qin Xiaoyuan slowly patted her belly, probing as she spoke to Yu Huishui, “You… are a young master, aren’t you?”
Qin Xiaoyuan, being a woman, although Yu Huishui appeared slender and weak at first glance, upon closer interaction, he was different from ordinary women. Zang Dashu, being rough and careless, couldn’t see it, but she vaguely sensed something.
Yu Huishui was stunned, momentarily panicked. He glanced at the direction where Zang Liujiang had disappeared, then nodded apologetically, “Sorry, there’s a reason for this…”
Qin Xiaoyuan got her answer, swaying as she pondered something. After a moment of silence, she finally spoke again, “No need to apologize. Whether male or female, as long as Liujiang likes you, it’s fine.”
Her gentle gaze fell on the table, where Zang Yunyang was busy feeding his swaddled sister. Occasionally, from the side room, came Zang Dashu’s calls of “wife, wife.” The more thrilling it was when Zang Dashu proposed to her back then, the more harmonious their life was now.
She murmured, as if drifting back to those days, “No matter what, as long as you like each other, it’s fine.”
Zang Liujiang soon returned, quickly tidying up the mess in the room, then went outside to check the sky before coming back to bid farewell to Qin Xiaoyuan.
“Why are you leaving? It’s getting dark. Stay the night.”
Zang Liujiang noticed Yu Huishui’s unease. Even though Qin Xiaoyuan tried to persuade them to stay, he insisted on leaving. After exchanging some casual family talk, they left Zang Dashu’s house, leading the big black horse.
“Zang Liujiang…”
Riding on the big black horse, Yu Huishui swayed with his head down.
He felt a bit guilty. He had agreed to pretend to be Zang Liujiang’s wife, but he was seen through by Qin Xiaoyuan after just one meeting. How could he continue in the future?
“What’s wrong, wife?” Zang Liujiang, leading the big black horse, noticed Yu Huishui’s low spirits and leaned in to check if he was crying. “Why do you look unhappy?”
“Your sister-in-law saw through it…”
Yu Huishui’s voice was as small as a mosquito’s buzz, clearly feeling extremely guilty.
Saw through it?
Zang Liujiang was taken aback, only then realizing what Yu Huishui meant by being seen through.
Rubbing his chin, Zang Liujiang thought his brother was a bit dull, but his sister-in-law was indeed smart.
Zang Liujiang never intended to hide it forever. If Yu Huishui had agreed to grow old with him from the start, regardless of being male or female, Zang Liujiang would have announced it long ago.
This act was just to keep Yu Huishui around.
However, Zang Liujiang didn’t want to miss the opportunity to tease his wife. He pretended to cough, sighed heavily, and walked forward with his hands behind his back, shoulders slumped, looking worried.
The big black horse cooperated with its owner, lowering its head, looking very dejected.
The cold wind swept through the empty street, making Yu Huishui feel even colder inside.
Yu Huishui thought Zang Liujiang was angry, feeling at a loss as he stared at his back. Normally, Zang Liujiang would turn around with a cheeky grin, but now he refused to look back at him.
After a long while, Zang Liujiang felt a gentle tug on his sleeve. He glanced back slightly, seeing Yu Huishui holding onto his sleeve, his fair little face showing obvious concern, observing his expression with those round eyes.
What a rascal. Zang Liujiang cursed himself inwardly. But what bandit isn’t a rascal? This was just following the rules.
“Ahem.”
Zang Liujiang, afraid he couldn’t hold back his laughter, coughed heavily, furrowing his brows and looking at Yu Huishui, “This isn’t what we agreed on at the start…”
“It was my carelessness.” Yu Huishui reflected deeply, recalling his actions today. Indeed, he hadn’t fulfilled his duties. What couple would be as distant as they were?
“From now on, whatever you say, I’ll do it.” Yu Huishui reflected, blurting out this promise.
Zang Liujiang found it amusing, leaning in slightly to repeat, “Do everything?”
Yu Huishui realized the ambiguity, quickly correcting, “The reasonable parts! I’ll do all the reasonable parts!”
“Which parts are reasonable?”
Zang Liujiang pressed on, stopping the big black horse, one hand on the saddle, the other holding the reins, gently swaying Yu Huishui, who was sitting on the horse.
In the distance, the sky was tinged with red clouds, while here, light snow was falling, the snowflakes landing in Zang Liujiang’s hair, looking particularly eye-catching. Yu Huishui’s woolen sweater was buttoned up to his neck, and being stared at by Zang Liujiang like this, he couldn’t help but shrink his neck, hiding his chin in the wool collar.
This atmosphere inexplicably made him feel breathless.
Zang Liujiang, seeing Yu Huishui silent, wondered if he was pushing too hard. Just as he was about to make a joke to change the topic, Yu Huishui raised his hand to gently brush away the snowflakes from his hair, the tips of his fingers slightly red from the cold, stopping in front of his eyes, very eye-catching.
“Next time, just kiss if you want.”
The wind swept the light snow past the county office entrance, where Fu family’s servant was being roughly thrown out by several yamen officers. The Fu family had never been treated so harshly in the Central Plains. The servant, unwilling to give up, wanted to beat the drum, but the fierce-looking yamen officer gave him a hard shove, flipping him to the ground.
“We’re here to file a complaint! How can you be so unreasonable!”
The weaker servant, after being shoved by the yamen officer, rolled several times. The servant beside him quickly stepped in to stop the aggressive officer, raising his voice in protest.
“Damn it, still dare to talk nonsense!?”
The yamen officer glared, pointing inside the gate, his nose in the air, “Our county magistrate governs well, praised by the emperor year after year, never heard of any bandits!”
“My young master was kidnapped by bandits on the mountain! We saw it with our own eyes!”
The servant wouldn’t give up, arguing with the yamen officer.
“Get lost, get lost! If you keep causing trouble, I’ll have you beaten with thirty lashes and thrown in jail!”
Seeing the chaos at the yamen gate, Fu Cong couldn’t sit still. He lifted the carriage curtain and got off the carriage, heading straight into the crowd. Fu Ming couldn’t stop him in time, so he followed him off the carriage.
“Brother! Brother, don’t be impulsive!”
Fu Ming, seeing Fu Cong about to make a move, quickly stepped forward to hold him back. Fu Cong’s eyes were red with urgency, his arm tense as he was held by Fu Ming, “Huishui has been kidnapped for three days! How can I not be anxious!”
Seeing Fu Cong’s state, Fu Ming sighed inwardly. Huishui’s decision to stay was indeed the wisest. If it were Fu Cong or him in the bandits’ hands now, given their temperament, they might not have survived.
“In my opinion, this county office isn’t unaware of the bandits’ misdeeds.”
Fu Ming, pulling Fu Cong aside, whispered, “They probably have some dealings with the bandits, secretly covering for them.”
“You mean they’re colluding with the bandits?” Fu Cong frowned, his teeth grinding audibly, “Is there no law?!”
“A strong dragon can’t suppress a local snake. Brother, we need to plan this carefully.”
Fu Ming, seeing he had calmed Fu Cong, led him through the crowd, heading straight for the other yamen officers watching the commotion at the gate.
“Hey! You can’t go in!”
The yamen officer raised a board to block them, but Fu Ming pressed down on the board, slipping a piece of silver into the officer’s hand as he did.
“My servants are clumsy and said the wrong thing in a hurry. My third brother got lost in the mountains, and we’re anxious to find him. Please go in and pass the message.”