Chapter 16 A Marriage Contract!

Chapter 16: A Marriage Certificate!

Not far from the edge of Yongning City stood a Guanyin Temple. When the plague first began to spread, the local authorities established a sick ward there, moving infected patients to be cared for. They also ordered doctors from several medical establishments within the city to take turns on duty, diagnosing and treating the sick. When Lei Ding and Wu Qiu returned to the clinic, Lei Xun and Lei Li had already gone to the sick ward, where they would stay overnight to attend to patients. Only Cui Nanshan and Lei Tan remained at home to treat patients who came seeking medical help.

By the time the two returned, dusk had fallen. Liu Niangzi and Yang Shu had already prepared the meal, but there were still several patients at the clinic who hadn't left. Lei Ding told Cui Nanshan and Lei Tan to go rest first, while he continued to treat the remaining people.

He assumed Wu Qiu had already gone to eat with the others, but then Wu Qiu lifted the side curtain and came in. He had already washed his hands and was now pouring hot water, preparing to get the long-waiting patients seated and offer them some water. Lei Ding quickly urged him to go eat, but Wu Qiu shook his head upon hearing this: "I'll stay with you, so there's someone to lend a hand. We'll eat together later."

Lei Ding smiled, didn't argue further, and turned his full attention to the consultations.

Wu Qiu stood right beside him. He didn't understand medicine and couldn't help with diagnosis, but he could help out with small tasks. While Lei Ding took someone's pulse, he used the time to grind ink and arrange the prescription paper neatly by Lei Ding's hand. When Lei Ding went to the back to prepare the medicine, he stayed in the front to see to the patients. His eyes hardly ever left Lei Ding's face, watching as Lei Ding concentrated on taking a patient's pulse, sometimes frowning slightly, other times his expression relaxing, becoming less stern—

Lei Ding happened to look up and saw Wu Qiu standing beside him, staring blankly at him, as if mesmerized. This absorbed expression made Lei Ding's heart soften involuntarily, and when he spoke again, his voice couldn't help but become gentle: "Qiu Er, could you trouble you to go and sterilize my silver needles in the flame for me?"

Only then did Wu Qiu come back to himself, feeling a bit embarrassed. He hurriedly got up and went. Lei Ding cherished his set of acupuncture needles greatly; before use, they had to be flamed, and after use, sterilized again, then wrapped carefully in special green cloth and tied tightly with silk thread. Usually, he didn't let anyone else handle them. But he had long ago taught Wu Qiu this method, so now he asked Wu Qiu to do it.

Oddly, though this wasn't the first time Wu Qiu had been by his side helping, perhaps because they had just made their feelings known to each other, Lei Ding felt everything was different now. He had always been quite focused during consultations, never letting his mind wander to other matters. Yet now, while wiping the area to be needled on a patient with medicinal decoction, he couldn't help but recall how Wu Qiu's eyes had been filled with him just moments before.

For the first time, he felt that a person's eyes could be like two deep, bottomless pools, making one feel as if they were drowning in them.

This momentary distraction was quickly noticed by Lei Ding himself. He silently scolded himself for being so unfocused, and thought it was no wonder people often said love's trials were hard to pass—it seemed he himself had already changed.

The last patient's home was not far from the clinic, and they were quite familiar with the Lei family. The patient remarked to Lei Ding: "I haven't seen such a handsome young gentleman at the clinic before."

Lei Ding didn't want to reveal their relationship to outsiders just yet, so he replied lightly, "He's a relative of ours. He didn't originally live in Yongning City."

Wu Qiu returned with the needle roll, and the person didn't ask further. Lei Ding didn't elaborate either, picking up a needle to perform acupuncture on the patient. However, after finishing the treatment, he pondered the words "relative." Although he had said it himself, and it was indeed just to avoid being too conspicuous before everything was settled, he still felt a subtle reluctance.

After seeing the patient out, Wu Qiu's stomach growled quietly. Lei Ding heard it, and his mood inexplicably improved. He reached out and gave Wu Qiu's cheek a pinch, smiling, "You've worked hard, Qiu Er. Let's go eat."

Wu Qiu patted his hand: "Don't you laugh."

At this time, everyone else was in the backyard, leaving only Lei Ding and Wu Qiu in the front. Lei Ding's smile didn't diminish at all as he stared at Wu Qiu's face, making Wu Qiu's cheeks burn. Wu Qiu softened his voice to complain: "What are you still looking at? You'll have a lifetime to look in the future. Better look less now, before you get tired of the sight of me."

Lei Ding remained seated in the chair, not getting up. He pushed with his heels against the floor and reached out to grab Wu Qiu's sleeve: "Come closer."

Wu Qiu glanced nervously toward the backyard: "The family is all there..."

Lei Ding coaxed him: "Just one hug, alright? Father and the others are all in the back. Even if they come over, I'll hear them and let you up in advance."

Wu Qiu lowered his head, his face red, and settled himself astride Lei Ding's lap, being tightly embraced. Warmth emanated from Lei Ding's body, melting into Wu Qiu's. Sitting on Lei Ding's leg, he was now slightly taller. Lei Ding tilted his face up, pressing the back of Wu Qiu's head to make him lean down, and kissed those thin lips, then couldn't help but gently suck on the swell of his lower lip. Lei Ding's movements were always very gentle, never giving a sense of urgency. This instead soothed Wu Qiu's nervousness, letting him gradually find enjoyment too. As soon as they parted, Wu Qiu leaned forward to lick the corner of Lei Ding's mouth with his tongue, drawing him into another kiss.

They didn't do anything else for the remaining time, just quietly held each other. Lei Ding occasionally kissed Wu Qiu's face and neck a couple of times, but never too forcefully, his movements extremely light, filled with tenderness.

Lei Ding tightened his arm around Wu Qiu's waist: "How could I ever get tired of looking? I wouldn't mind looking for a lifetime."

Wu Qiu nuzzled against his shoulder and whispered, "Smooth talker—but I really do find it strange. Today I keep thinking about this too, feeling like it's all a dream. In the future... you'll really be my husband?"

Lei Ding took two deep breaths before stroking his head and saying, "Good Qiu Er, call me that again."

Wu Qiu's heart was beating extremely fast. He squirmed out of Lei Ding's arms: "We're not married yet, I won't say it, I won't say it. I'm going to eat."

Lei Ding also got up and followed behind. It seemed the matter of the formal marriage proposal needed to be handled sooner rather than later.

Cui Nanshan, Yang Shu, and the others all wanted to ask Lei Ding about their situation in the mountains. So the whole family didn't go to their rooms but accompanied Lei Ding and Wu Qiu for the meal. After dinner, they talked for quite a while longer before heading off. Wu Qiu accompanied Yang Shu back to her room, and only then did Yang Shu ask him in detail if he'd been well-fed and warm in the mountains, and if he had bumped or hurt himself anywhere. Wu Qiu smiled and replied, "Mother, it was only two days, and we didn't go too deep into the mountains. Besides, Brother Lei took good care of me. Nothing happened."

He wanted to first speak well of Lei Ding in front of Yang Shu and then gauge her reaction.

But Yang Shu didn't notice the implication in his words. She just sighed and said, "We mustn't be careless about this. People say there's a Mountain God in the mountains. If he's displeased, be you ever so skilled, anyone entering will suffer some misfortune before they can escape. You must be extremely careful. Look at An'er—"

She suddenly cut herself off, then let out a long sigh: "Let's not talk about that. Qiu Er, next time you go out, you mustn't be careless. You must be even more careful."

Her son, Wu Qiu's original husband, Xue An, had lost his footing while gathering firewood in the mountains, injured himself, and passed away at a young age. That's why Yang Shu was especially anxious about Wu Qiu going into the mountains. When Wu Qiu first said he wanted to go into the mountains to gather herbs together, Yang Shu was reluctant to let him go, always feeling uneasy. But since this was a matter concerning people's lives, she ultimately couldn't bring herself to say "no." She just worried day and night, and these two days felt like two months of torment. So even though he had returned safely now, she still had to impress it upon him.

Though unintentional on the speaker's part, the listener took it to heart.

Wu Qiu was well aware that Yang Shu was just overly worried about him and spoke a bit more. But these words undoubtedly reminded Wu Qiu that the deepest pain in Yang Shu's heart was Xue An.

He had originally intended to use this conversation to hint at his relationship with Lei Ding, to get a sense of Yang Shu's attitude. But after Yang Shu said this, he also felt sad and didn't bring up his own matter again.

It was getting late. Wu Qiu helped Yang Shu get ready for bed and then went out into the moonlight. He saw the light on in the study outside and knew Lei Ding was waiting for him, so he pushed the door open and entered. Lei Ding was indeed inside, sitting at the desk writing something. Hearing Wu Qiu enter, he laid down his brush and turned around: "Qiu Er, you're here. Come sit."

Wu Qiu didn't sit on a chair to the side but directly sat on Lei Ding's lap.

Lei Ding frowned slightly and gently patted Wu Qiu's back: "What is it? What's the matter?"

Wu Qiu hadn't planned to hide it from Lei Ding anyway. He shook his head: "Not exactly. My mind is in turmoil. I feel a bit sad and also a bit scared. Just hold me for a while."

Lei Ding thought for a moment, then kissed Wu Qiu's forehead: "Don't be afraid, Qiu Er. I'm here. Did you talk to Madam Yang about our matter?"

Wu Qiu closed his eyes, looking somewhat tired: "No. But just now, while talking with my mother, she remembered... remembered Brother Xue An. She was sad, so I didn't bring up anything else."

As if afraid Lei Ding would mind him mentioning Xue An, he opened his eyes again and carefully looked at Lei Ding's expression. Seeing Lei Ding's face was as usual, his eyes only filled with concern, without any trace of disgust, he continued: "I can't quite put it into words... I want to marry you, but my mother... Of course, she might not necessarily disagree. I've said before, she's urged me to remarry several times. It's just..."

He bit his lower lip hard: "I don't even know what I'm afraid of."

Lei Ding nodded: "I remember when Qiu Er first arrived, you would often keep your troubles to yourself, unwilling to tell me. A couple of times, I saw your eyes swollen in the morning, knowing you had cried during the night, but I couldn't help, just feeling anxious and heartbroken for nothing. Now that Qiu Er is willing to discuss things with me, that's very good."

Wu Qiu gave a weak smile, nestled in Lei Ding's arms, and closed his eyes again to listen to him speak.

Lei Ding continued: "Although I never met Brother Xue An, judging by Madam Yang's character, I know he must have been a kind, honest, and good man. Madam Yang and he depended on each other, their mother-son bond deep. It's only natural for Madam Yang to miss her child."

Wu Qiu nodded in his embrace, so Lei Ding went on: "If you marry me, she will be my mother-in-law. I will treat her as my own parents, so Qiu Er needn't worry."

Lei Ding kissed his eyes again, making Wu Qiu smile, then continued: "Even if we get married, Madam Yang will still miss Brother Xue An. He was her child; she will never forget him in her lifetime. But Qiu Er, she will also be happy for you. In her eyes, you are no longer just the widowed husband of the Xue family. Madam Yang is afraid you'll be a widow for life, afraid you won't have a proper family, which is why she urges you to remarry. She already sees you as her own flesh and blood. She wants you to be happy too, wants you to do what you wish to do."

He reached out and picked up something from the desk. Only then did Wu Qiu notice what Lei Ding had been writing. It was a large sheet of red paper sprinkled with gold, cut extremely neatly and squarely. On it were written neat small regular script characters. Even the ink had gold powder added, making the characters seem to shimmer under the lamp. A blank space was left in the lower corner, as if it wasn't finished yet.

Wu Qiu's attention was drawn to it. He asked, "What is this? Why is it made so beautifully?"

Lei Ding smiled: "This is—a marriage certificate."

Author's Note:

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Yang Shu didn't intentionally keep bringing up the late Xue An in front of Wu Qiu. She simply never reduced her longing for her child, and it just happened that the matter of going into the mountains was a coincidental topic, so she mentioned it while chattering.

His special status and experiences make Qiu Bao easily insecure, but he will take the initiative to communicate properly!