Chapter 33

Chapter 33

The red candles in the bedroom flickered all night long.

Of the three boxes of ointment Pei Mu had bought, he used an entire box the first time. Afraid of hurting Zhong Yizhu, he slathered it on like it cost nothing, until the sheets and bedding were all stained.

But it wasn't just the ointment.

Zhong Yizhu's voice had gone hoarse. Everything that happened was far beyond his imagination; his embarrassment flushed the corners of his eyes crimson. His body was beyond his control, and he tried to hold back his moans, but Pei Mu wouldn't let him.

The air within the bed curtains mixed with the faint scent of pear blossoms, everything was in disarray.

The world before his eyes swayed as if illusory, the passage of time becoming impossible to measure. Zhong Yizhu lost count of how many times he said stop, yet each time Pei Mu would hold him down firmly and coax him gently.

In the end, Zhong Yizhu was sobbing so hard he couldn't stop before it all finally subsided.

Pei Mu, still unsatisfied, wrapped his arms around him. Zhong Yizhu sobbed, but not from grievance. When Pei Mu leaned in to kiss him, he bit him right on the nose.

He didn’t even have the strength to bite hard—like a puppy gnawing briefly before letting go. Pei Mu rubbed their noses together, and when he looked up, Zhong Yizhu had already fallen asleep, exhausted.

The sky outside was faintly lighting with dawn. Pei Mu hadn’t slept all night, but he felt refreshed. He regretted missing out on so much time, but was glad he had asked the right person, so he wouldn’t cause him pain.

The person in his arms still whimpered softly in his sleep, utterly endearing. Knowing he valued cleanliness, Pei Mu got up, put on his undershirt, fetched water to clean up, and changed all the sheets and bedding.

A pouch hung from a bedpost, swaying slightly as Pei Mu changed the bedding.

It was a pair of lover’s knots they had tied together the night before, at the height of passion. They had taken a lock of hair from each, bound it with red string, and braided it into knots.

Both knots were crooked—Pei Mu’s because he was clumsy, and Zhong Yizhu’s because his hands were trembling.

The embroidered pouch, decorated with a pair of mandarin ducks, held a pair of lover’s knots, each ugly in its own way.

They swayed together on the bedpost all night.

Bound by hair, hearts united till old age.

...

Some time had passed since the news about the Zhong family spread. The villagers had discussed it fervently for days, turning it over and over until there was nothing new to say. But since it was the juicy scandal of a wealthy family in town, unlike the usual village gossip, people still brought it up with relish.

By the shallow bank west of the village, many women and married men were washing clothes, chattering ceaselessly about the goings-on in their neighbors’ homes.

Having talked about the two ungrateful brother and sister of the Zhong family who had been scared off by ghosts, they sighed over how pitiful the Zhong family’s young man was—his uncle schemed to ruin his life in town and then married him off to Pei Mu, that jinx, wondering if he'd be cursed or beaten to death any day.

Now everyone knew how things had gone sour between the Zhong family and Zhong Yizhu. The Zhong family would certainly no longer care about him. Without that restraint, Pei Mu would likely be even more reckless in abusing him.

Tsk, the young man must have been out of his mind to choose such a marriage. Truly pitiful.

Then someone argued, how did anyone know if Zhong Yizhu had only said that because Pei Mu threatened him? Others said that if Zhong Yizhu were being bullied by Pei Mu, Zhong Er Ye would surely not let Pei Mu off. Yet another chimed in that Pei Mu was fated to be a jinx, and Zhong Er Ye might not be able to overpower him...

They were chattering away when—bang!—a heavy wooden basin slammed down on a rock by the shore. Someone turned to look and immediately fell silent.

An auntie who had been about to continue gossiping about Pei’s household was nudged by her neighbor. Confused, she turned and followed the other’s gesture with her chin. The words on her lips turned into a forced chuckle. Why was the jinx here at the riverbank?

At first, everyone was startled, thinking he'd heard them gossiping about him. The timid ones wrung out their clothes and fled, afraid he'd come to pick a fight. But when they saw Pei Mu start to lather soapwort and begin washing clothes, curiosity and surprise gradually took over their fear.

In the village, no man with a spouse would ever do the laundry—women’s work or work for married men.

Only women and married men came to the riverbank to wash. Bachelors who couldn’t find a partner either left their clothes dirty and stinking or washed in secret to avoid ridicule. No one had ever seen a man like Pei Mu come to the riverbank in broad daylight, boldly carrying a basin and striding to the riverbank.

No one dared to stare openly at Pei Mu, only stealing glances from the corners of their eyes. They saw that his basin held not just men’s clothes, but also garments they had seen Zhong Yizhu wear, plus sheets and bedding—more than one set...

An eerie silence fell over the riverbank. Even the sound of beating clothes stopped as everyone exchanged astonished looks. Finally, an older auntie gathered her courage and called out, “Pei Mu, why are you washing clothes? Where’s Zhu Ge’er?”

This auntie’s household rented land from Zhong Yizhu. They were grateful for his kindness in charging low rent and had often defended him in village gossip. Seeing Pei Mu do the laundry, she couldn’t help worrying that Zhu Ge’er might be too sore to get out of bed from a beating. Despite her fear of Pei Mu, she asked.

Pei Mu paused in his scrubbing, answering in a cold voice.

“It’s cold out; he can’t handle the cold.”

Everyone looked up at the blazing sun. Sure, the river water was turning chilly in autumn, but how could washing under this big sun be connected to catching a chill?

The auntie who had spoken was even more convinced he was lying, and grew more worried.

As for the others, many shared her suspicion. But even if he had beaten the young man, why would he wash the clothes himself? It truly seemed like seeing a ghost.

Pei Mu was anxious about Zhong Yizhu, who was still sleeping at home. Strong and quick, he finished washing quickly and left with his basin.

Only after his figure had completely disappeared did the crowd by the river burst into chattering clamor.

No way! That jinx has lost his mind!

Zhong Yizhu slept until the sun slanted westward. When he woke, golden sunset light spilled across the floor. He blinked, disoriented, feeling too lazy to even move.

But the deep ache and fatigue in his body quickly pulled him back to reality. As he cleared his throat, all the memories of the night before flooded back, instantly boiling him with embarrassment.

He couldn’t fathom how something could be so mortifying, nor could he describe his feelings. He had no idea how to face Pei Mu.

Hearing the door creak, he instinctively pulled the quilt over his head, but the movement wrenched his sore body.

The quilt was yanked down. With nowhere to hide, Zhong Yizhu was half-lifted by Pei Mu and fed water. Pei Mu showed no sign of embarrassment. As Zhong Yizhu held the bowl to his lips, he thought back to Pei Mu’s techniques from the night before, and his mind wandered down a different path.

In the throes of tender affection, Zhong Yizhu couldn’t hide his thoughts. He voiced the question: “Pei Mu, have you... before... had...?”

Though his throat was now moistened, his voice was still hoarse and low, with a hint of grievance. Pei Mu was momentarily stunned before realizing what he meant. He denied it immediately: “Never!”

Afraid Zhong Yizhu would misunderstand, Pei Mu explained everything from the beginning. But when Zhong Yizhu heard that Pei Mu had gone to ask the groomsman, he was too embarrassed to listen further. He tried to cover Pei Mu’s mouth, but was too late.

Pei Mu’s lips brushed his palm, his voice somewhat muffled but clear: “I’ve only ever been like this with you.”

Even when Pei Mu brought congee to feed him, Zhong Yizhu’s neck was still flushed pink. After having been so intimate, as shy as he was, he still wanted to cling to him.

He nestled obediently in Pei Mu’s arms, opening his mouth to swallow the congee. After a day of hunger, his stomach finally had food, and he felt much better.

After the congee, Pei Mu held Zhong Yizhu and gently massaged the places that ached.

Zhong Yizhu lay limp in Pei Mu’s arms, too exhausted to move. His rear end was on fire, and this position was the only one that offered some comfort. He rested his head on Pei Mu’s shoulder, breathing in the faint scent of soapwort on him. He was about to say something when his gaze caught the large patch of laundry drying in the yard.

Zhong Yizhu’s eyes widened as he looked out the window. Two familiar quilt covers billowed slightly in the breeze. Beyond them, on the clothesline, hung a bedsheet and the outer robe he had taken off yesterday, with the rest hidden behind the window frame.

They lived by the upper stream. The villagers observed the custom of washing only at the eastern riverbank. Since the foot of the mountain was closer for drawing water and the riverbank farther, after marrying Pei Mu, Zhong Yizhu had washed at home. Pei Mu would fill the water vat so he could use the water from it.

But that was for everyday clothes. Washing large items like sheets and quilt covers was troublesome and used a lot of water, so it was more convenient to wash at the river.

When Zhong Yizhu had woken, he found himself in a dry, fresh bed, dressed in clean underclothes. He had preferred not to think about where the soiled items had gone, but now he had to face it.

The memory of those two quilt covers was terribly awkward. Zhong Yizhu flushed and turned his eyes away. Then he asked Pei Mu in a small voice, “Where did you wash the clothes and bedding?”

“By the riverbank.”

Getting the expected answer, Zhong Yizhu felt steam coming out of his ears. At that moment, he almost wished Pei Mu hadn’t been so industrious.

He could already imagine how the villagers would react upon seeing Pei Mu washing clothes.

“What’s wrong?” Hearing the strange tone in Zhong Yizhu’s voice, Pei Mu turned his head to look at him and rubbed his cheek against his hot ear.

Pei Mu truly didn’t see anything wrong with it. He didn’t care how the villagers viewed him. If Zhong Yizhu could do these tasks, so could he. Besides, Zhong Yizhu was sensitive to the cold and not very strong, so it was only natural for Pei Mu to handle such chores.

Zhong Yizhu looked at Pei Mu’s calm face and, at this point, even felt a flicker of relief. Given the villagers’ mindset, they probably wouldn’t focus too much on what exactly Pei Mu was washing—they would just be shocked by the mere act of him doing laundry.

Even so, Zhong Yizhu couldn’t help blushing.

He stammered, “Next time… don’t do this again. Always washing the sheets and quilts—it doesn’t look right.”

Pei Mu paused, then replied with a simple “Okay.”

Next time.

…

Zhong Yizhu stayed in bed for an entire day and night, only getting up on the morning of the second day.

Pei Mu was heading into the mountains, but Zhong Yizhu wasn’t in a rush to make the incense pellets. The big market day in Songyun County was still some time away, so he planned to start the work in a few days.

After getting up, Zhong Yizhu first went to check on the vegetable plot in the backyard. The seeds he had planted had all sprouted, and some were even growing leaves! This was his first time planting vegetables, and he found it fascinating. He visited almost every day, taking good care of them just as Chen Xiaorong had instructed.

At this rate, at the very earliest, in a month, they would be able to eat the tender greens he had grown.

After watering the plants in a flurry, Zhong Yizhu’s waist ached so badly he could barely stand it. He went back to the front yard and lay down on the reclining chair, letting out a sigh of relief.

The chair had a pillow placed under his waist, and an old cotton jacket of Pei Mu’s was cushioned underneath. Pei Mu had set it up the night before and told him to rest if he felt uncomfortable and to leave any chores for him to do when he returned.

When Sun Yuniang stepped into the yard, the first thing she saw was Zhong Yizhu lying comfortably in the rocking chair.

She couldn’t help but smile, remembering how, as a child, Zhong Yizhu had refused to sleep in his bed, insisting on the reclining chair instead. That came to an end when he woke up crying in the middle of the night, shouting for help because he dreamed he had fallen into a river. After that, he never wanted to sleep in the chair again.

“Mother!” Zhong Yizhu spotted Sun Yuniang and quickly got up with a smile to greet her. Noticing his movements were a bit slow, she asked, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Zhong Yizhu pursed his lips sheepishly and said he had strained his waist while watering the vegetable plot. Sun Yuniang was both exasperated and amused. She pulled him close to look him over, then sighed and got to the reason for her visit.

Yesterday, with so many people by the riverbank, the news of Pei Mu washing clothes had spread quickly.

Many villagers believed that Zhong Yizhu had been beaten by Pei Mu so badly he couldn’t get out of bed. The rest thought Pei Mu was possessed. None of it was good.

Even the aunt who worried about Zhong Yizhu went to Sun Yuniang to tell her about it. Though puzzled, Sun Yuniang thanked her for the heads-up.

Having been through enough herself, she understood the situation clearly. She didn’t need to verify anything to know these rumors were baseless.

But gossip like this could still harm them, so she came to find Zhong Yizhu today, suggesting he take a walk with her. They couldn’t do much about the superstitious rumors, but at least they could dispel the rumor that Pei Mu had beaten him.

Zhong Yizhu hadn’t expected the villagers to make up such outlandish stories. True, no one had paid attention to why Pei Mu suddenly went to wash the bedding, but hearing Pei Mu being slandered like this still made him uncomfortable.

After tidying up the house, Zhong Yizhu left with his mother.

As they passed the Wang family’s house, they saw the door tightly shut—perhaps the family had gone to town or was out on other business.

When they passed through the village, the people they met couldn’t hide their curiosity. Zhong Yizhu felt that saying too much would only seem like he was covering something up, so he stayed quiet. Instead, over the next few days, he made a point to go out for a stroll every so often.

He rarely went for aimless walks like this before. After a few days, he hadn’t gotten anything else out of it, but he did pick up some gossip.

Word had it that on the Pei side, Pei Mu’s father had yielded to the pressure and agreed to Pei Jin’s marriage. A matchmaker had visited two days ago to propose, and the girl’s family had agreed. Now they were waiting for the engagement and to discuss the wedding date.

That family—sucking Pei Mu dry and trampling on his ruined reputation—was actually going ahead with their own happy event.

How could that be right?

They didn’t dare provoke Pei Mu now, nor had they come asking for money as Chen Xiaorong had feared, but it was too late. Zhong Yizhu thought that now it was his turn to settle accounts.

Since this marriage had already driven a wedge between Pei Song, Tian Shi, and Pei Jin, he would add more fuel to the fire, making their household even more “festive” and chaotic.

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Author’s note: Thanks for the nutrient solution and lightning bolts, everyone!