Xiao Dan's Tenderness

Alright, it was nothing. Li Yang softly comforted her a few times, and Xiao Dan boldly started livening up again. Like a bridesmaid, she stopped following Li Yang around and happily entertained herself. After the rituals at home were finished, the whole group headed grandly to the hotel. Li Yang had been instructed by his mother to stay behind and lock up the house, so he was the last to leave. Xiao Dan had long since run off to the hotel with the bride's group.

His father had also been dressed up smartly today. Over the years, he had gradually become somewhat senile, but perhaps because he was happy about his son's wedding, he was unusually lucid today and got along quite easily with everyone.

As Li Yang watched the part where both sets of parents drank tea onstage, a different scene seemed to appear in his mind—the not-too-distant future, when he and Yue Xiaodan would stand on a wedding stage together. Before he knew it, his eyes had filled with tears. He had become too immersed in it.

Just as he was feeling emotional, a fragrant breeze pressed against his back. Playful Yue Xiaodan ignored the looks of the people around them and clung to Li Yang's back, whining that she was exhausted. Her forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat.

Li Yang tenderly wiped her forehead with his hand. "Rest for a while. Stop running around. The banquet will start soon." Li Yang pretended to scold her, then returned to his usual calmness.

"Hubby, I want to get married too," Xiao Dan secretly murmured into Li Yang's ear.

"Sure. Another day, I'll go to your house and ask for your hand. Will a hundred yuan be enough?" Li Yang teased with a smile.

"No money needed. Just feed and house me," Xiao Dan said cheekily, sticking out her tongue.

After a while, the banquet began. Xiao Dan sat at the same table as Li Yang and his parents, and they ate together, chatting happily from time to time.

"Xiao Dan, have Li Yang visit your home someday and meet your parents," his mother said happily to Xiao Dan.

"Okay, Auntie. We've already agreed that he'll come home with me when he's free." Xiao Dan kept putting all kinds of meat onto Li Yang's plate while barely eating anything herself, making his mother unable to resist nagging.

"You child, how can you be so thoughtless? Why don't you put some food on Xiao Dan's plate?" Li Yang was eating with his mouth full of grease and replied indistinctly, "You don't know, Mom. She eats less in a whole day than I do in one meal. Even if I gave her more, she couldn't finish it."

Xiao Dan blushed and playfully gave Li Yang a light kick under the table with her bare foot. But the moment her little foot slipped out of her shoe, Li Yang grabbed it. Fortunately, the tablecloth hid what was happening underneath, so no one noticed the amusing scene. A while later, Li Yang secretly let go, and Xiao Dan hurriedly hooked her shoe with her toes and carefully put it back on.

Before they knew it, they had happily finished the Water Banquet. The crowd in the hotel gradually dispersed, and the place suddenly became incredibly empty.

Li Yang helped see the guests off, then finally went home with his parents. Some aunts and uncles who lived nearby also returned to the house, and the lively atmosphere continued as people played cards, chatted, and drank tea.

Li Yang had Xiao Dan stay home to look after the guests while he and a cousin who could drive took his sister-in-law's family back to their village in batches.

"Girl, how long have you been seeing Li Yang?" Li Yang's eldest aunt asked leisurely as she cracked sunflower seeds, watching Yue Xiaodan serve tea and pour water.

"Auntie, we've been together for more than half a year," Xiao Dan replied with an obedient smile. She grabbed a handful of candies for her aunt as well, then sat down beside her with a smile.

"Oh my, what a sensible girl, and so pretty too. My nephew is truly lucky. When you two get married, I'll give you a big wedding gift."

"Thank you, Auntie. Li Yang and I will try to get married soon." Xiao Dan felt delighted inside.

"By the way, girl, are you from Luoning?" his aunt asked curiously.

"Yes, Auntie. My home is just past Yiyang, not far from here," Xiao Dan explained seriously.

"Oh, then is the bride price high where you live?" As an elder, his aunt was quite concerned about such matters.

In fact, Li Yang's aunt knew perfectly well. She simply could not say it too plainly in front of Xiao Dan. She knew that bride prices in Luoning were exceptionally high, and she was worried whether Li Yang would be able to solve that problem when the time came.

"The bride price where I'm from is indeed a bit higher than here," Xiao Dan said honestly. "But Li Yang and I truly love each other. The amount of the bride price isn't important."

His aunt nodded approvingly. Just then, Li Yang returned. Seeing everyone chatting so happily, he came over as well.

"Li Yang, you need to work harder and bring Xiao Dan home sooner," his aunt said with a smile. "By the way, when are you planning to get married?"

Li Yang looked at Xiao Dan, and the two exchanged smiles. "We want to wait until our jobs are more stable and we've saved enough money before getting married."

"Mm, it's good for young people to have their own plans," his aunt said. "But you can't put off such an important matter as marriage for too long. You two need to discuss it properly."

Li Yang and Xiao Dan both nodded. They knew the road ahead was still long, but as long as they supported each other, they would surely be able to go farther.

That afternoon, Li Yang took Xiao Dan to the home of his old classmate, Wang Liang. They had been classmates since middle school, and after graduating high school, they had entered the working world together. Wang Liang was somewhat odd, and few people at school associated with him. Only Li Yang was close to him, so even after graduation, the two still met up occasionally.

Li Yang rode his bicycle with Xiao Dan to Wang Liang's home in Xin Dian Village.

"Li Yang, come in!" A young man with a crew cut greeted them. He was extremely thin and shorter than Li Yang, not even one meter seventy.

"Why weren't you at work today?" Li Yang asked with a smile after parking his bicycle.

"Don't even mention it. My cousin introduced me to a blind date, so I asked the class monitor for leave this afternoon."

"And this is?" Wang Liang asked curiously as he answered, looking toward Xiao Dan.

"Oh, let me introduce you. This is my girlfriend, Yue Xiaodan. She's a girl from Luoning," Li Yang casually said nonsense. The two were close, so there was no need for formalities.

"Holy shit, I didn't expect you to get ahead of me. Don't forget to treat me to drinks when the time comes," Wang Liang teased.

"That's no problem. What does your blind date do for work?" Li Yang asked as he sat down.

Wang Liang busied himself taking out beer, then dug out a bag of spicy peanuts and another bag of sunflower seeds from a drawer. The two started drinking casually.

Xiao Dan sat off to the side, feeling rather restrained and unsure what to do. Li Yang casually got up and turned on the television, handing Xiao Dan the remote so she could switch through dramas.

"She works as a sales clerk selling curtains at Shanghai Market. She's pretty, but a little cold. She barely said anything to me. We added each other's contact information, and then I came back."

Wang Liang took a sip of beer, looking disappointed. "Don't you think girls these days are all pretty picky?" he said casually.

"It depends on fate. My wife and I fell in love at first sight, right, honey?" Li Yang answered with a smile, looking at Xiao Dan.

"Get lost. You tricked me into being with you," Xiao Dan said coyly, her face flushed.

Li Yang burst out laughing. "Alright, alright, say whatever you want. Anyway, I tricked you into it. There's no way you're getting away now!"

Wang Liang said seriously, "Have your wife introduce me to a girl from Luoning too. When you go visit relatives, I'll drive you there." Wang Liang had just gotten his driver's license this year and could not resist showing off.

"Sure. Honey, see if you've got anyone suitable to introduce to my buddy," Li Yang said, pulling Xiao Dan over.

"Okay, we'll talk when there's someone suitable. There isn't anyone for now." Xiao Dan casually replied to Li Yang, her skirted legs loosely crossed together. Wang Liang could not help sneaking a few glances. They really were quite fair.

After watching for a while, Xiao Dan casually picked up Li Yang's beer bottle and took a sip, then grabbed some sunflower seeds to eat. The three sat there until around six in the evening, when Li Yang's mother called and told him to come home for dinner. The two said goodbye to Wang Liang and headed out.

"I'll come find you at Shanghai Market another day!" Wang Liang called with a grin from the gate as Li Yang got on his bike.

"Got it. Just call," Li Yang said, then rode Xiao Dan slowly home.

"Hubby, are we staying at home tonight?" Xiao Dan asked gently, wrapping her arms around Li Yang's waist.

"At home. It's not often that I come back, and it's pretty lively. There'll be drinking at home tonight too." Li Yang felt that such a major life event was important, especially since it was his own older brother's wedding. It would not be right if he did not stay until the end.

After the two got home, they went straight to his brother's house. Sure enough, Li Yang had been right. There were two or three tables set up. His brother's coworkers and associates took up two tables, while the remaining table was for family members and relatives from the village.

Xiao Dan sensibly went into the kitchen to bring out dishes and soup, helping Li Yang's mother tend to the guests' needs. Li Yang drank with several cousins, and the room was incredibly lively. The large red double-happiness decorations made the place feel especially festive.

After Xiao Dan had been busy for a while, Li Yang's mother told her to go eat with Li Yang. Xiao Dan then pulled Li Yang into the kitchen and had a little food with him.

"Don't drink too much, understand?" Xiao Dan reminded Li Yang with a pout.

"Got it. Don't worry, honey. I guarantee I'll satisfy you." Li Yang kissed Xiao Dan and replied with a chuckle.

"You're awful. Who wants to do that with you? I don't," Xiao Dan said, turning her head away and rolling her eyes at Li Yang, refusing to pay him any more attention.

"My wife's leaving. Enjoy your meal slowly." Before leaving, Li Yang mischievously groped Xiao Dan's soft spot, then turned and ran.

"Li Yang, you bastard!" Xiao Dan giggled nonstop, but inside she was delighted beyond measure. With the wedding's good fortune rubbing off on them today, next year would surely bring great luck and wealth.

Just then, the phone in Xiao Dan's bag beside her rang. She quickly put down her chopsticks and took out her phone. It was the shop manager calling, so she answered and asked, "What's wrong, Zhang Jie?"

"Xiao Dan, we received notice today that we need to send a few people to support a newly opened shop in Yiyang County for several days. I want you to go and get some experience. You have a good chance of being promoted to Assistant Shop Manager next year. Do you have any objections?"

Xiao Dan thought for a moment, then casually smiled and said, "I'm fine, Sis. It's not far, and it's the same wherever I go. When are we leaving?" Xiao Dan glanced outside toward Li Yang as she asked.

"You have to go tomorrow. I'll tell you the location. Just get there before nine. Bring some toiletries. You'll be staying in a hotel at night. They haven't said exactly how many days yet, so we'll see!"

"Alright, Zhang Jie. I'll go straight there tomorrow. Just send me the location later tonight."

"Oh, right, Xiao Dan. You're leading the team this time. I'll have you assign tasks to the others. Handle it as you see fit. Call me if anything comes up. I won't disturb your rest any longer. Go to bed early!"

"Okay, Zhang Jie. Bye, then. I'll remember. Don't worry." With that, she hung up.

Before they knew it, it was finally time for the gathering to end. Li Yang was thoroughly drunk, and Xiao Dan slowly helped him home while his mother stayed behind to clean up the mess.

After getting home, Xiao Dan helped Li Yang into the room and sat him down.

"Honey, let's take a bath," Li Yang said in broken phrases, reeking of alcohol.

"Look at you, acting all foolish." Xiao Dan complained unhappily. "Can you even manage to bathe, hubby?"

"Hehe, even making love with you would be fine. If you don't believe me, you'll see whether I can do it later." As he spoke, he forcibly pulled Xiao Dan off to take a bath. Xiao Dan giggled and let him have his way.

Xiao Dan carefully dried Li Yang off, then took a quick bath herself. The two returned to their room afterward.

Li Yang was naked, while Xiao Dan took their changed underwear and Li Yang's clothes outside to wash them. After hanging them on the line in the courtyard, she returned to the room.

Li Yang slept like a log with his butt in the air. Xiao Dan could not resist kicking his butt with her bare foot, but he did not react at all. She gritted her teeth and glared at him before climbing into bed herself.

She did not know what time it was in the middle of the night when Xiao Dan was awakened by an intensely powerful sensation unlike anything she had ever felt before. She groggily opened her eyes and looked—well now, Li Yang had somehow woken up, and he was kissing her...

He actually knows how to take care of me too. Xiao Dan felt so blissful that she could not help closing her eyes, her breathing gradually becoming hurried...

The two carried on like that for nearly an hour. Then she tightly embraced Li Yang and fell asleep from exhaustion.

The next day, Xiao Dan woke up first. The wonderful feeling from last night had given her a taste of sweetness for the first time, leaving her far more relaxed. Looking at Li Yang again, he really did love her. He had even been willing to set aside his pride and do that for her, hadn't he?

Thinking that she would not be able to sleep in Li Yang's arms for the next few nights, Xiao Dan could not resist teasing Li Yang again.

In the end, she took the initiative to throw herself into his arms, and the two lovingly made out once more. Fortunately, it was still early, so they lingered together sweetly like honey and syrup...

"Honey, what's gotten into you today? You're so passionate," Li Yang asked curiously, panting as he lay there while Xiao Dan lay in his arms.

"Hubby, I'm going on a business trip to Yiyang County for a few days. I won't be able to stay home with you, so I wanted to do it properly with you once. I'm afraid I'll miss you so much at night that I won't be able to sleep."

Xiao Dan murmured weakly. She had been exhausted just now, while Li Yang had barely needed to exert any effort.

"Hey, it's fine, honey. You'll only be gone for a few days. When you come back, we'll do it for a whole day and night without sleeping. Consider it my compensation for the days we're apart."

Xiao Dan burst out laughing. "You're awful. All you know is how to sweet-talk. If you were really that capable, would you still be human? You'd turn into a monster." As she spoke, she unwillingly started leaving hickeys on Li Yang's chest again.

After a round of busy work, Xiao Dan had covered Li Yang with all sorts of marks of love. From a distance, he looked as though he had undergone cupping therapy. Looking at her painstaking handiwork, Xiao Dan could not help laughing. "How is it, hubby? Do you like it?"

Li Yang smiled helplessly inside. This silly wife of his only knew this one trick, as if she were announcing to the whole world that he was taken and warning others not to set their sights on him.

"Alright, honey, time to get up. I'll take you to the bus station." With that, the two got up and went to wash up together.