Chapter 12: Shyness – The Shy, Frail Sister-in-Law’s Everyday Life in the Big Courtyard

Chapter 12: Shyness - The Shy, Frail Sister-in-Law's Everyday Life in the Big Courtyard

Jiang Yang stepped out of his room and spotted a figure in red entering the main house, though he didn’t recognize her from their brief encounter.

It was said that they had just gotten married. He thought of Lin Shu and sighed. When would he get to enjoy married life with a loving wife by his side?

After returning to their room, Cen Xi and Lin Qing found themselves momentarily at a loss for words.

Cen Xi broke the silence first, “Qing Qing, let’s sit down and have a good chat, alright?”

Cen Xi wanted to break the ice with his wife. From deciding to get married to moving in together, they hadn’t spent much time alone, so it was normal to feel unaccustomed to each other.

Lin Qing understood that now that she was married, she should focus on building a good life together. At the very least, she needed to have the right attitude.

She was human, just like everyone else. Treating others coldly would eventually make her feel isolated too.

So, when Cen Xi suggested having a good chat, she quietly sat down beside him.

Cen Xi didn’t know what to say at first and started talking about his plans for the next day.

“The factory gave me three days of marriage leave. Today is the first day, and there are two more days left. Tomorrow, let’s go to the hospital for a check-up, and the day after tomorrow, we’ll return to your family home. How does that sound?”

Lin Qing wrinkled her nose and asked, “A hospital check-up? Is it really necessary?” She had disliked hospitals ever since she was a child.

She always felt like she lost half her life every time she entered a hospital, so she usually avoided going as much as possible.

“Yes, we’re going. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to see a traditional Chinese doctor, not a Western one. I believe traditional Chinese medicine is more useful for regulating the body. Let’s go see a Chinese doctor tomorrow.”

Recognizing the firmness in Cen Xi’s voice, Lin Qing knew there was no point in arguing. Still, she understood that it was for her own good. “Alright!”

“I…”

Before Cen Xi could continue, a loud voice came from the neighboring room.

“Where’s the meat? I asked you, where’s the meat you just bought?” Father Zhou questioned loudly, looking at the dishes on the table.

Cen Xi and Lin Qing pricked up their ears and moved closer to the wall adjoining the neighbor’s house.

“Meat? It’s right there on the plate! Isn’t that meat?” Zhou Qin pointed to a dish and said.

“You call that meat? Those are just a few measly strips!” Father Zhou picked out a few strips of meat from the dish and showed them to him.

“Meat strips are still meat!” Zhou Qin said stubbornly.

“Hmph! Did you give the meat to that widow’s family again? Ah? Did you?” Father Zhou’s voice grew even louder.

“Sister Lian is having such a hard time. What’s wrong with helping her?” Zhou Qin hated seeing his kind-hearted Sister Lian upset.

“Why are you so cheap? What’s so good about that widow? She won’t even let you touch her. All she does is hold out her hand and ask you for things. What good is liking her? When are you going to settle down and start a family? Tell me, when?

You’re chasing after a widow who’s never going to marry you or give birth to your son. How am I supposed to get grandchildren? Tell me, how?”

Zhou Qin was rendered speechless by his father’s words.

Cen Xi and Lin Qing felt like they had stumbled upon some juicy gossip.

"A widow, huh?" Lin Qing thought about the woman they had seen before and recalled what Mother Li had mentioned about the courtyard, "Could that woman be Su Jia's daughter-in-law? I remember from what Mother Li told us, there seems to be only one young widow in our courtyard."

"Hmm, it should be her."

"Didn't see that coming—our neighbor has a thing for the widow!"

"Didn't you ask earlier if that woman was going to buy meat? It looks like she went to get it for free instead."

"The Zhou family next door sure has a deadbeat son. Just when they could finally eat meat, he gave it away to someone else. How pitiful!"

Cen Xi couldn't help but chuckle at her comment.

"I have a feeling that our courtyard is going to be quite lively in the future," Lin Qing said thoughtfully.

"Hmm, I have the same premonition," Cen Xi nodded in agreement.

The two of them looked at each other and suddenly laughed together.

Cen Xi gently touched Lin Qing's hair, "It's getting late; why don't you go take a bath? The water should be warm by now."

"Okay!" Lin Qing felt her face turning red again.

By the time Cen Xi and Lin Qing finished their baths, it was already around 8 or 9 PM.

The closed door still allowed some sounds of children playing outside to filter through.

Back in the room, Cen Xi and Lin Qing were already in bed. Lin Qing felt a little nervous, not knowing what to do, so she simply turned her back to Cen Xi, lying on the inner side of the bed.

Cen Xi was not a saint. With the person he loved lying right beside him, he couldn't hold back any longer. He reached out and pulled the person in his arms, who had her back facing him.

"Qingqing."

The sound near her ear made her feel her ears heat up, and then he kissed her.

"Mmm~"

Cen Xi turned her to face him and kissed Lin Qing's lips, which were reddened from nervousness.

What followed came naturally, though Cen Xi stopped short of the final step.

Cen Xi had once heard a saying that a woman's body is easier to nurture before she has been 'broken'. So, on this wedding night, he restrained his desires and did not go all the way.

However, even without completing the final step, Lin Qing still felt exhausted.

Lin Qing had no idea what Cen Xi was thinking. She figured the wedding night was over since she was so exhausted. It must have happened, right?

——

The next morning, Cen Xi got up first and went to the communal tap to fetch water. He took it to the kitchen to boil because the thermos had run out of hot water the night before. He didn't want to wake up and have to wash with cold water.

After that, he took the chamber pot from the room and went to the communal toilet outside to empty it.

But there was already a long line at the communal toilet early in the morning, and he had to wait his turn.

When Cen Xi got to the toilet, his presence drew a lot of attention.

"You new here? What courtyard are you from?"

Cen Xi wasn’t the type to dislike communicating with others. Since he had decided to live well here, he knew he had to integrate. Chatting with others was a good way to blend in.

"Yes, I'm new here. I'm from No. 4 Courtyard. My name is Cen Xi, the 'Xi' like in 'analysis.'"

"So you're Engineer Cen! Your surname is pretty unusual, huh!" he teased.

Then he introduced himself, "I'm Da Qiang, from the factory’s security team."

"Hello, hello!"

"I heard new people were moving into your courtyard, two new couples. I didn’t expect you to arrive so soon."

"My wife and I got here late. The other couple arrived a day before us."

"I know, I know. The other couple is Xiao Yu from the publicity department and his wife."

"So it’s the publicity department!"

"Wow, I didn’t expect Engineer Cen to be so down-to-earth. I thought someone as well-educated as you wouldn’t be too keen to chat with us."

"How could that be? I still know how to talk," Cen Xi joked.

In fact, Da Qiang was just trying to compliment him. He knew other engineers usually had a bit of arrogance and weren’t too keen to interact with them "mud-leggers."

Meeting an engineer like Cen Xi, who was so approachable, was quite a surprise.

Soon it was Cen Xi’s turn, and after using the toilet and emptying the chamber pot, he said goodbye to Da Qiang.

The stove was still on at home, so he needed to hurry back to check on it!

"I have to go back first."

"Alright, you go ahead and get busy."

"Yeah, let’s chat again when you’re free!"

……

When Cen Xi returned home, Lin Qing was still buried in the quilt, showing no signs of waking up.

Not wanting to wake her yet, he headed to the kitchen to start breakfast since it was still early.

He took out the dough he had prepared the night before and made a steamer of steamed buns. He also prepared some pickles to go with them.

When he returned to the bedroom, Lin Qing’s eyes were just starting to open.

Cen Xi leaned closer and could still see the soft peach fuzz on his wife’s face.

"Awake?"

"Mmm~" Lin Qing blushed and pulled the quilt over her head, her mind replaying the intimate moments from last night.

"Haha! Don’t hide under there!"

"Come on, get up and wash up! The buns will be ready soon."

Lin Qing hummed in response, "Mmm."

"I’ve topped off the thermos. Use that hot water to wash up. Cold water’s by the door. Just mix it with some hot water from the thermos when you’re ready."

"Okay!" Lin Qing listened carefully to his instructions, feeling a sweetness in her heart.