Chapter 60: Some Rejoice, Some Worry

Chapter 60: Some Rejoice, Others Grieve

The magistrate's clerk had already written up the statements from Butcher Wang and Li Qiaozhen and presented them. After reviewing them, the county magistrate banged the gavel: "Li Qiaozhen and Zhao Shoutian broke into a private residence—one committed intentional assault, the other seized the chance to steal Widow Sun's silver and jewelry. According to the law, each shall receive thirty strokes of the cane. Wen Liu, though he did not strike anyone, knowingly accompanied them and failed to dissuade them—he shall receive ten lashes."

After speaking, he glanced at the people kneeling below: "Are you satisfied with this ruling?"

Before the county magistrate, Zhao Shoutian dared not play tricks. He banged his head on the ground repeatedly, keeping muttering, "We accept, we accept..."

Just as the magistrate was about to adjourn the court, Wen Liu, who had been kneeling silently the whole time, suddenly raised his head and said, "I don't accept this."

The magistrate asked him, "What do you have to say?"

Wen Liu knelt up straight and said, "Widow Sun had an affair with my father, swindled him out of his silver, and bore his bastard child. My mother and I were furious and went to reason with her—that's only natural. Even if we shouldn't have barged into her home and hit her, she did shameless things first. Why does she get off scot-free?"

"Mm-hm." Li Qiaozhen mumbled in agreement, her face swollen. Though the wounds at the corners of her mouth pulled painfully, she still nodded with effort.

The magistrate set the gavel back on the desk and said to the two of them, "Under the laws of this dynasty, a married woman who commits adultery is punished with eighty cane strokes. But there is no prohibition against a widow remarrying or having private dealings with others. Widow Sun is a widow—as long as there's no force, no trafficking, and no loss of life, she may associate with whomever she pleases, and the authorities have no business interfering. As for your claim that she swindled your father out of his silver, then have your father write a petition and file a lawsuit himself. With a written complaint, I will accept the case. What's the deal with you mother and son taking the law into your own hands?"

Wen Liu's face went pale. He had only known that widows could remarry—he hadn't realized they could also have affairs. What kind of reasoning was that?

"I'm taking into account that you acted with cause and that this is your first offense, so I've already been lenient. If I were to apply the law strictly, it would not be so simple. Do you accept or not?"

Before Wen Liu could speak, Zhao Shoutian was already dragging him down to kowtow: "We accept, accept, accept! Your Honor, we truly accept!"

Seeing the magistrate still waiting for his reply, Wen Liu finally squeezed out through clenched teeth: "I accept."

Hearing his acceptance, the magistrate jerked his chin toward the attendants and said, "Take them out for punishment."

Wen Liu received the lash—the board much smaller than the one used for caning. It didn't hurt too badly when it landed. Compared to the burning pain in his lower back, what he felt more was embarrassment and humiliation.

A gē'er like him, pressed onto a bench in front of the whole courtroom, enduring such punishment—how could he not feel resentment and rage?

But who should he blame for all this? He wanted to blame all the faults on Wen Xi like before, but Wen Xi was now so far removed from their lives that they might as well have been strangers.

Zhao Shoutian and Li Qiaozhen beside him were far more miserable. At first, when the board landed, Zhao Shoutian could still open his mouth and yell loudly, but after a dozen or so strokes, he was in so much pain he was nearly unconscious, without even the strength to moan.

He was filled with regret. He shouldn't have come wading into this mess. Let Wen Shishan have affairs with whoever he pleased—what did it have to do with him?

After thirty strokes, he lay sprawled on the bench like a pile of mud, unable to move at all. Two attendants each took one arm and dragged him off.

Li Qiaozhen suffered even more. The blood at the corners of her mouth hadn't fully dried before she got thirty more strokes. When Wen Liu helped her off the bench, he felt she couldn't even gasp.

Li Qiaozhen lay with her eyes closed, her face swollen red like a pig's head, occasionally letting out whimpers from her bloodied mouth, in too much pain even to cry.

With two severely injured people, Wen Liu couldn't possibly get them home alone. He swallowed his pride and begged the attendants several times, even handing over the few coins of silver he had on him, before he managed to get a donkey cart to carry them back to Daoxiang Village.

The mountain road was bumpy, and the cart's constant jolting tore at Zhao Shoutian's and Li Qiaozhen's wounds. One passed out completely, the other screamed in agony the whole way.

Wen Liu sat silently at the back of the cart, his eyes dull, staring blankly ahead, not knowing what he was thinking. Only when the cart entered the village did his expression change a little.

It was the time when the sun was setting in the west and villagers were finishing work and going home. The road gradually got busier. At first, some just did a double take. Then some stopped by the roadside, pointing at the cart and gossiping, "Hey, isn't that Liu Ge'er? Who are those two people lying on the cart?"

"Looks like his mother and his man."

"What happened? His mother and man are usually so tough in our village—how did they get beaten like this?"

"No idea. Look at all the blood on them—did they maybe commit some crime and get caned?"

Hearing these remarks, Wen Liu wished he could cover himself with something. He was so proud and cared so much about face—now he had lost all face and dignity.

When he was being beaten at the courthouse, he didn't feel regret. It wasn't until now, with so many villagers gossiping about him, that he regretted being so impulsive and losing so much face.

When the donkey cart reached the Wen family gate, Wen Shishan happened to be coming out of the courtyard. He was holding a bowl of cold water. Seeing Wen Liu jump down from the cart, he was stunned at first, then his face darkened: "Where's your mother? Where the hell did she go? I bust my back earning money, and I can't even get a hot meal when I come home..."

Before he finished speaking, he saw the two people lying on the cart bed. Li Qiaozhen's face was so swollen you couldn't recognize her. Zhao Shoutian lay beside her, his trousers stained with dark red marks. Wen Shishan nearly dropped the bowl in his hand, exclaiming, "What happened? What did you go do?"

Seeing Wen Liu staring at him without speaking, Wen Shishan cursed again, "I'm asking you a question! Why aren't you answering? Cat got your tongue?"

Wen Liu had been thinking about who to blame for ending up in this situation. Seeing Wen Shishan, he understood—all of this was caused by the man before him.

If he hadn't had an affair outside, if he hadn't married Wen Liu off to Zhao Shoutian against his will, none of this would have happened today.

It was all his fault!

...

The village was the worst place for keeping secrets. When the donkey cart returned to town, the driver was stopped and questioned, and with the Zhao household in an uproar over the matter, within two days the news that Wen Shishan had a mistress in town and that Wen Liu and the others had been caned spread throughout the entire village.

The villagers had been watching these two families' embarrassments since the start of the year. Who would have thought there'd be new entertainment after so long? They got together and had a good gossip.

"Did you hear? That Liu Ge'er from the Wen family went to town to cause trouble with his mother, and his father's mistress reported them to the county magistrate's office. Both of them got caned."

"Serves them right. Not a single one in that family knows how to behave."

"Zhao Shoutian also took thirty strokes and has been lying in bed for days. Liu Jinhua keeps shouting that Liu Ge'er is a curse and saying she wants to divorce him."

"He really is a curse. What other gē'er ruins his own husband like that?"

"What's Wen Shishan thinking? He had a good life and had to go keep a mistress outside."

"Who knows? Probably has too much silver and wants to imitate those gentlemen in the city."

When Wen Xi had heard earlier that Wen Shishan was marrying Wen Liu off in a hurry, he'd had a suspicion. At the time, he thought he was wrong, but it turned out to be exactly that.

Hearing these things now, he only found it absurd and laughable, with an indescribable sense of vindication.

If only his father would get his comeuppance someday too.

The Yan family had no interest in the Wen family's love-hate drama. Besides being busy with their own affairs, there was another reason: Li Wan was pregnant.

She had been married into the Yan family for nearly eight years and had only given birth to Tiezhu. Before, when Yan Fengan was studying in the city and expenses were too high, she and Yan Wangchun hadn't planned to have another.

Now that the family's circumstances were gradually improving, the couple discussed having another child while they were still relatively young.

This was the first time Wen Xi had been this close to a pregnant woman. Looking at Li Wan's belly, still flat beneath her thin clothes, he couldn't help but reach out and gently touch it, asking curiously, "Can... can it move yet?"

Everyone who heard this couldn't help but laugh. Li Wan chuckled, "It won't be that fast! Usually you don't feel anything until four or five months." He Jin also laughed, "You'll understand once you have your own."

On the topic of pregnancy, no one was shy around Wen Xi. Chen Lanfang and Yan Shichang had never pressured him about it either.

For one thing, gē'er weren't as easily impregnated as women. For another, he and Yan Fengan—one at home, one at the academy—were rarely together. How could it be easy to conceive?

Wen Xi wasn't anxious himself. A few days earlier, when the herbal doctor came to check Li Wan's pulse, he'd had a look as well.

The doctor said his body was in much better condition than before, and the pregnancy mole between his brows was growing brighter and more vivid. It was only a matter of time before he conceived.

All he needed to do now was eat more nourishing foods and build up his constitution, so that when the time came for pregnancy and childbirth, he wouldn't suffer too much.

Chen Lanfang took some free time to go to town and bought over a dozen chicks. She said that once they grew up, they could lay eggs and be stewed into soup—nothing was more nourishing for a pregnant woman.

The few chickens at home certainly won't be enough, so she'll check with the neighbors later to make sure Li Wan can have chicken soup every few days.

Now that she's pregnant, Wen Xi doesn't dare let her do any work. Li Wan doesn't take it too seriously: "You don't need to make such a fuss over a second pregnancy. I'll just do some light chores that don't strain my eyes—it's no big deal. If you make me sit around doing nothing all day, I'll go stir-crazy."

Since she put it that way, Wen Xi let her do as she pleased.

He Jin said, "Once I finish this batch, I'll sew a few little outfits for the baby."

Wen Xi thought for a moment and added, "Then I'll go buy some nice soft fabric and embroider two belly bands for him."

Li Wan waved that off: "No need to go to so much trouble. I've kept Tiezhu and Tao'er's old clothes instead of throwing them away. When the time comes, I'll just wash them and he can wear those."

That's how it was around here—in big families, clothes got passed down from the older kids to the younger ones, saving a lot of money.

"No way!" He Jin said while sewing what was in his hands. "You still need to get the child some new clothes, or when he grows up, he'll blame you for playing favorites."

They're all her own children—how could there be any favoritism? Li Wan laughed and said, "Fine, fine, I'll do what you say."

The batch of goods from Lady Lu was made of precious fabric and didn't have a tight deadline, so Wen Xi worked more slowly and carefully than usual. As the Qiqiao Festival drew near, neither he nor He Jin had finished their embroidery.

Just as he was thinking about picking up the pace to finish the border stitching on the embroidered screen, Lin Zhaozhao had someone deliver two letters.

One letter was for Wen Xi, and the other was for the Yan family.

Chen Lanfang thought it was odd when she got the letter, but after opening and reading it, her expression softened, and she couldn't help but smile. She then handed Wen Xi his letter.

He Jin was about to take the letter from his mother-in-law to have a look, but Chen Lanfang folded it and tucked it into her bosom: "Nothing worth reading. It's just that young Master Lin from the Lin family wants to invite Xiaoxi into town for some fun on Qiqiao Festival day, and hopes we'll allow it."

Wen Xi opened his letter and read it as well, saying, "Mine says the same."

He Jin replied, "Staying home embroidering boring stuff all day—it's good to get out and get some fresh air. You go ahead, and I'll take a break too. We'll both have a day off."

Although Wen Xi didn't particularly want to deal with Lady Lin, Lin Zhaozhao was warm and genuine, and hanging out with him was pretty pleasant. Besides, since He Jin had said that, Wen Xi said, "Alright, we'll both take the day off."

On Qiqiao Festival day, Wen Xi put on the light pink short jacket he had bought with Yan Fengan last time. When choosing accessories, he hesitated between the silver bracelet Yan Fengan had given him and the jade bracelet from Lin Zhaozhao. Thinking that since Lin Zhaozhao had invited him out this time, wearing his gift would probably make him happy.

Once he was ready, Wen Xi headed into town and arrived at Lin's Silk Shop at the time Lin Zhaozhao had set.

The shop assistant was even more polite than last time when he saw him: "You're here, Master Yan's husband? Our young master said that since it's hot, you should rest at the ice dessert shop next door first. Once you've cooled off, I'll arrange a carriage to take you there."

At this time of year, the sun was already beating down from morning. Even though Wen Xi had come by ox cart, there was no cover, so the sun beat down on his face, leaving him wilted. His sweat-soaked clothes clung uncomfortably to his back.

He decided to take the assistant's advice and went to the ice dessert shop.

The shop had all kinds of cold drinks to beat the heat. Last time Wen Xi had tried the iced sweet dumplings at the Lu residence; this time he ordered a bowl of perilla drink to cool down and clear dampness.

After finishing the fragrant, slightly sweet-and-sour perilla drink, Wen Xi felt the oppressive heat ease considerably.

The shop assistant had already paid for his drink in advance. After he finished, the assistant brought him back to the silk shop and picked up a tray holding a peach-pink short jacket: "Change into this, and you can head out."

Wen Xi thought it was a bit strange—letting him have a cold drink to cool off made sense, but why change clothes?

The assistant saw his hesitation and added, "Our young master said the place you're going to is pretty special, so please make sure to change into these new clothes."

Wen Xi had no idea what Lin Zhaozhao was up to, but since he'd gone to all that trouble, Wen Xi changed into the peach-pink jacket anyway.

After he changed, a carriage was already waiting outside the silk shop.

Wen Xi felt a little nervous. Once in the carriage, he kept lifting the curtain to peek out.

The carriage wound through several busy streets and alleys before finally stopping in front of a small courtyard with its gate tightly shut, located in the eastern part of town.

After Wen Xi got off, the driver said, "Our young master is inside. Just knock and head in."

With that, he drove off without looking back.

Wen Xi had the urge to chase after him and leave, but after hesitating a moment, he steeled himself and knocked.

After knocking, he stepped back a few steps, thinking that if anything seemed wrong, it'd be easier to make a run for it.

Just as he was thinking that, the courtyard gate suddenly swung open. The person who opened it saw Wen Xi and immediately grabbed his hand, saying happily, "Xiaoxi, you're here!"

Wen Xi was startled for a second, then smiled and took Shen Yun's hand: "Xiaoyun, what are you doing here?"

Shen Yun leaned in close and said with a smile, "Not just me—there are lots of people inside."

Then he looked Wen Xi up and down and said in a low voice, "You look so pretty today."

Wen Xi glanced down at himself, blushing as he smiled back, "You don't look so bad yourself. So what's going on?"

"Go inside and you'll see." Shen Yun teased, taking Wen Xi's hand and leading him into the courtyard.