Chapter 29 Zhao Pin

Chapter 29 Zhao Pin

Li Jinrong was puzzled, "If you want me to treat him, just tell him directly. Why beat around the bush?"

Li Jintong shook his head, "We're married, meant to spend our lives together. Logically, there shouldn't be anything we can't discuss. It's just that I'm afraid..."

Li Jinrong, disliking indecisiveness, asked impatiently, "Afraid of what?"

Li Jintong sighed, "I'm afraid of giving him hope only to let him down, which would make him feel even worse later on. And I'm also afraid... afraid he might think I look down on him."

Li Jinrong thought for a moment and said, "He's more straightforward than you. He doesn't seem like the type to overthink things."

"Indeed, he isn't," Li Jintong said with a bitter smile. "It's me who is."

Li Jinrong had never seen him like this and couldn't help but look at him in surprise. However, seeing that her younger brother had no intention of explaining further, she lost interest and went back to studying the pills on the small dish.

Seeing this, Li Jintong didn't disturb her, said goodbye, and left.

Some things were hard to talk about. He knew that even if Second Sister found out, she wouldn't tell anyone else, but it still felt too personal to share.

From the moment Li Jintong learned that Jian Ru had refused Second Sister's offer to treat his facial scars, he understood that his husband didn't rely on him and might not fully trust him either.

Actually, he'd already gotten a sense of this during the recent incident with Sun Yushuang. At the time, he had expected that, given Jian Ru's temperament, he would likely make a big scene or even drag him to their mother to settle things. To his surprise, after a simple explanation, Jian Ru had calmly accepted it without any further questions.

He didn't blame Jian Ru for not opening up to him. After all, they hadn't been together for long, and given how young Jian Ru was and everything he'd already been through, it was natural for him to find it difficult to trust others.

Still, Li Jintong couldn't help feeling a little sad, even regretting that the way he'd worded the marriage proposal to Jian Ru had been too indirect and formal.

In Jian Ru's heart, he might only be seen as someone to share a life with out of convenience.

Although many couples, whether husband and wife or husband and husband, married due to parental arrangements or through a matchmaker and might never share more than a few heartfelt words in their entire lives, outsiders might still see them as respectful and harmonious, praising them for a harmonious family. When Li Jintong first proposed marriage, he, too, had thought that would be fine.

But now, Li Jintong realized that wasn't what he wanted. He would rather Jian Ru argue and quarrel with him than have his young husband treat him like a stranger.

Especially after the time they had spent together since marrying, he'd become greedy and no longer wanted things to be this way.

Still, the comforting thought was that they had a lifetime ahead of them to spend together, with plenty of time to grow closer.

It was also a relief that Jian Ru didn't dislike him and even seemed to like his looks.

The new clothes made before the New Year were stylish but a bit too fancy and impractical for everyday wear, so he had never worn them.

Li Jintong thought to himself that he should go back to his room and rummage through the wardrobe. It was about time he started wearing them on the right occasions.

...

After the fifth day of the New Year, some shops had already reopened to earn some extra money. There were also several temple fairs during these days. Unlike the bigger shops, the vendors couldn't afford to stay closed, so they had long since set up their stalls, making the streets lively and bustling. After staying home for so long, everyone was eager to go out and enjoy themselves.

The children were the happiest during this time. Dressed in new clothes and with lucky money in their pockets, they followed their parents, eating, drinking, watching shadow plays, and buying fun trinkets. After returning home, they would proudly show off their treasures to everyone, their delight beyond description.

Qiao Zhi and Xian Yu spent three consecutive days running around without ever growing tired, though their outings left their mother so exhausted she collapsed into bed as soon as they returned home.

Zhao Pin, after tending to the children, had to look after his wife.

Earlier on the street, there had been a stall selling alcohol, with several rows of jars labeled with names like Daughter's Red, Bamboo Leaf Green, Tusu Wine, and Peach Blossom Delight. The moment Li Jinhui saw it, she was rooted to the spot.

At home, she had always been her mother's favorite. While her father was alive, she had also been the one he doted on most. After all, she was the first child, and it wasn't until she was three that her mother gave birth to Jin Feng. Those first three years, it had just been the three of them.

Later, when she studied medicine under her father, some medicinal ingredients required processing with alcohol. The wine smelled so good that she occasionally sneaked a taste. When her father eventually caught her, he didn't scold her but merely advised her to drink in moderation.

Old Dr. Li was a free-spirited man. After a long day's work, he would often enjoy a small drink during dinner. Madam Li never drank; she used to practice martial arts and feared alcohol might affect her bones and muscles.

By the time Jin Hui was thirteen or fourteen, Jin Feng was only ten and still a clueless child. Jin Tong hadn't been born yet, and Jin Rong and Jin He were still very young. Only Jin Hui kept her father company with a few sips of wine.

Father and daughter would often sit at the dinner table, sipping away at their wine contentedly. Whenever Madam Li saw this, she would tap Jin Hui on the head and say, "Look at you, turning into a little drunkard. Who would dare marry you in the future?"

The father and daughter would just laugh and drink even more merrily.

Her words nearly came true, though not because of the drinking. If not for meeting Zhao Pin, Jin Hui might have indeed become another major worry for Madam Li, just like Jin Rong.

Earlier on the street, the moment Jin Hui saw the wine stall, she was rooted to the spot. Zhao Pin reined in the two children, who were eager to rush toward the fun stalls, and called out, "Wait."

Qiao Zhi turned around and rolled her eyes.

Xian Yu complained even more reluctantly, "Why does Mom want to drink again?"

Zhao Pin lightly tapped Xian Yu on the head. "With Grandmother keeping an eye on her, how many times a year does your mother get to drink properly?"

Xian Yu said, "Then you come with us, Dad, and let Mom drink here by herself."

Zhao Pin disagreed. "What if she drinks too much and there's no one to look after her?"

The two children had no choice but to stand there and wait.

By then, Jin Hui had already asked the stall owner for cups and was sampling the wines one by one. Her alcohol tolerance was actually quite low, but she loved savoring different wines. Before she could taste them all, she was already feeling a bit dizzy, clapping her hands and laughing, "Good wine, good wine!"

The moment Zhao Pin noticed her dazed look, he quickly took the cup from her hand, pointed to two jars, and said to the stall owner, "One pound of this osmanthus wine, and one pound of that Daughter's Red over there."

He had been watching carefully while Jin Hui sampled the wines and noticed she clearly liked these two the most.

Once the wine was measured and paid for, he supported his drunken, mumbling wife, dragged his two reluctant children along, and got into the carriage to head home. On the way, he had to make an unscheduled stop to buy two tumbler toys as compensation because Xian Yu was crying, throwing a tantrum, and rolling around in the carriage.

But when he returned after buying the toys, he found that Jin Hui had somehow gotten out of the carriage and was trying to climb onto the harnessed horse. The horse was agitated, stomping and snorting, while the two children, tears streaming down their faces, tugged at her clothes and cried, "Mom, no! Mom, don't!"

The coachman stood by helplessly.

Zhao Pin hurried over. As he got closer, he heard Jin Hui mumbling as she climbed, "Children, your mother is going to wander the world! Be good and listen to your father at home!"

Zhao Pin asked anxiously, "Where are you planning to go?"

Jin Hui said, "I'm going to the security agency run by my maternal grandfather. Why won't they let me join the escort missions? Why do they say I’m small-minded and nitpicky? Zhao Pin, tell me, am I small-minded? Am I nitpicky?"

Zhao Pin quickly replied, "Not small-minded, not nitpicky!"

Jin Hui wasn't entirely satisfied and stared at him. Zhao Pin pointed at the sky and tentatively suggested, "Look, it's already late today, and we’re not prepared. It wouldn’t be polite to show up at your grandfather’s empty-handed. How about we set out tomorrow instead?"

Jin Hui thought for a moment. "Alright then."

Zhao Pin breathed a sigh of relief, quickly helped her back into the carriage, used his sleeve to wipe the tears and snot from the two children’s faces, bundled them into the carriage, and climbed in himself. Ignoring Xian Yu’s cries of "Ouch, Dad, you’re squishing me! Dad..." and Qiao Zhi’s yelling of "So noisy, so noisy!", he stood up, bent over, and casually patted the children’s round heads to soothe them before telling the coachman, "Quick, get us home, fast!" worried that Jin Hui might change her mind and insist on leaving immediately.

By the time they got home, Jin Hui’s drunkenness had somewhat subsided.

She lay in bed watching Zhao Pin busily tending to the children—taking off their heavy coats, washing their dirty hands, handing them the toys he’d bought, placing a package of pastries on the table for them to eat—before quickly grabbing a basin to get hot water from the outer room.

After preparing the hot water, Zhao Pin brought a towel to the bedside, sat on the edge, and gently wiped Jin Hui’s face and hands.

Once he finished, he went to pour her a cup of tea, helped her drink it, and then had her lie back down.

Jin Hui had been watching him the whole time and suddenly said, "You haven’t called me ‘sister’ in a long time."

Zhao Pin's ears instantly turned red. He quickly glanced behind him and whispered, "The children are here."

Jin Hui said, "I don't care. If you don't call me that now, I'll go to my grandfather's house. Where's the horse? Get my horse ready!"

Zhao Pin hurriedly stopped Jin Hui from getting up. She stared at him, neither rising nor lying back down.

Zhao Pin knew there was no way out. He leaned in close, bringing his mouth to Jin Hui's ear, and called out as softly as possible, "Hui-jie."

After saying it, Zhao Pin's neck flushed red too. Jin Hui chuckled and reached up to pat his cheek. "Good."

The couple gazed at each other for a while.

Behind them, the two children started arguing once again, for some reason, howling and trying to out-shout each other. Zhao Pin quickly went over, cleared away the snacks they had messed with, and pinched each of their cheeks in turn. "Alright, alright, both of you go back to your rooms and rest. After you've rested, each of you write a page of big characters and show them to me."

Qiao Zhi pouted unhappily, while Xian Yu opened his mouth and wailed. Zhao Pin grabbed one with each hand and ushered them back to their own room. By the time he returned, the person on the bed was already spread-eagled, fast asleep.

Alcohol often makes one feel hot. Zhao Pin fetched a light blanket from the cabinet and covered her with it.

Just as he got her settled, someone outside the courtyard called, "Is the son-in-law of the Li household home?"

Afraid the noise would disturb Jin Hui, Zhao Pin hurried out to open the gate.

An old man stood outside. The moment Zhao Pin saw him, his face darkened. The man, however, smiled ingratiatingly, bowing and scraping obsequiously as he pulled a folded piece of paper from his robe and handed it over.

Zhao Pin took it. Seeing that Zhao Pin remained silent, the man wasn't offended; he gave a sheepish grin and left.

Zhao Pin went back to the outer room, opened the letter, quickly read it, then tossed it into the stove, watching until it was completely burnt to ashes.

He stood grieving and numb before the stove until he heard the sound of someone turning over in the inner room. He quickly opened the door and went in.

Jin Hui, overheated from sleep, was restlessly tossing and turning. Zhao Pin promptly pushed the quilt aside, rinsed a cloth, and carefully wiped the sweat from her brow.

Feeling more comfortable, Jin Hui stilled and gradually sank back into deep sleep.

Zhao Pin brushed aside the strands of hair stuck to her cheek, gazed at her blankly for a while, then stooped down, covered his face with his hands, and didn't move for a long time.