Chapter 22

"That idea of yours is dangerous." Zhou Jinian fetched his money pouch, fished Ninglang's hand out of the water, and placed the pouch in it. Through gritted teeth, he said in a low voice, "From now on, you'll manage all the money in this household. Your husband will provide for you."

Holding the money pouch, Xie Ning stared blankly at Zhou Jinian. He had no idea how control of the household finances had ended up in his hands.

Zhou Jinian could not swallow his frustration. He cupped his little husband's face, bent down, and kissed his lips...

Xie Ning blinked twice. His husband's tongue was so hot, and the sucking made his mouth so numb.

Zhou Jinian kissed his little husband fiercely, then rested his forehead against Ninglang's and said forcefully, "Be good and let your husband provide for you. Understand?"

Xie Ning's attention was entirely on his mouth. He pressed his lips together, feeling that warm numbness...

Zhou Jinian gave his lips another light peck. Looking at his little husband, who had instantly become obedient after being kissed, he finally let out a breath. "Go to sleep."

Back in bed, Zhou Jinian lay with his eyes open, looking at the roof beams. For the first time in two lifetimes, he desperately wanted to have someone for himself, and that someone was Ninglang.

After Ninglang ate fish and shrimp, his health improved visibly, so Zhou Jinian planned to start looking into fish farming once they moved to town, feeding his little husband big fish and shrimp at every meal.

With the family newly divided, each household cooked its own meals. Lin Jin stayed out of the bustle in the kitchen, content to stew fish soup and boil shrimp in the little courtyard.

The eldest son's household and the sixth son's household could argue for half a day over who got to use the stove first, with both sides coming off worse in the end. Of course, it could not really have been over something as trivial as the stove. It was all because Zhou's Sixth Daughter-in-Law was still angry about the scholars' banquet and was picking fights.

Zhou's Sixth Daughter-in-Law stirred up trouble all day, only to fill herself with anger. Her husband never took care of anything, either, and her days grew increasingly unpleasant. Then, when she thought of how her nephew Zhou Jinian had even managed to read his way into a little business for his family, she began pulling a long face whenever she waited on her husband, Zhou Liufeng.

Every day, Zhou Liufeng simply held out his arms to be dressed and opened his mouth to be fed. After eating and drinking his fill, he would retreat to his study and read in peace, only for his wife to keep coming in, flipping through a book, and asking, "What's this book about?"

He answered, "The Classic of Filial Piety."

"And this one?"

Zhou Liufeng's lips moved. Looking at the title, The Secret History of Second Sister-in-Law Yang, he said, "Oh, enough, enough. Why are you disturbing my peace?"

"With all these books, haven't you ever read any recipes?" Zhou's Sixth Daughter-in-Law kept rummaging. The trouble was that she could not read, so she asked about every book she picked up, pestering Zhou Liufeng until he was thoroughly irritated.

"A gentleman keeps his distance from the kitchen, and the imperial examinations don't test recipes. You ignorant woman!" Zhou Liufeng growled impatiently. "That was a skill his husband brought into the marriage! What do you have to compare with him?"

Zhou's Sixth Daughter-in-Law was nothing like a gentle, virtuous wife. She immediately flung the book in her hand at her husband and began wailing, lamenting her bitter lot and airing her grievances!

Zhou Liufeng impatiently dragged her out of the study. His wife sat crying in the doorway while he shut the door, went back inside, and carried on reading.

Lin Guihua came over to sew winter clothes with Lin Jin and mentioned the commotion in the sixth son's household as they chatted. Lin Guihua laughed so hard that Lin Jin was amused into smiling too.

Zhou Jinian happened to overhear, but showed no particular expression. They were relatives, after all. As long as they did not provoke him, he was not one to say much.

Having heard nothing from Ninglang for quite a while, he turned his head to look for him. Ninglang was sitting quietly, practicing his writing. He was so absorbed that he pressed his lips together hard enough to puff his cheeks out slightly.

Zhou Jinian set down his brush and went around behind Ninglang. Lately, he had been teaching Xie Ning to write whenever he had a little spare time, and Xie Ning could now write both his own name and Zhou Jinian's.

Xie Ning finished the last stroke in the sand tray and leaned back, relaxing. The back of his head rested against his husband's abdomen, and he tilted his face up to look at him. When he saw Zhou Jinian looking down at him too, he smiled with his lips pressed together.

Zhou Jinian could not resist reaching out to stroke his Adam's apple. With a slight pressure of his forefinger, he tipped his little husband's chin up, then lowered his head and took Ninglang's lips between his own...

This kiss was gentler than last night's, yet just as it had last night, it left Xie Ning's lips numb, his heart tingling, and his bones soft...

Chapter 22

On moving day, the Zhou family's fourth son, Xie Ning's father, and his elder brother all came to help. Zhou Jinian hired two ox carts and moved everything in one trip.

Most of it was bedding, pots and basins, tables and chairs, and the like. Their beds were built-in heated platforms, so those did not need moving.

With the oxen pulling such heavy loads, they naturally could not carry people too. Someone also had to watch from behind so that nothing fell onto the road, so the group walked along the yellow dirt road.

Zhou Jinian and his parents followed the cart in front, while Xie Ning was kept at his elder brother's side, listening to his father and brother's concerned questions.

Seeing his second son gulping water from a waterskin, his hands fair and smooth, Xie Dashu said, "If I'd known marriage could cure your illness, I'd have married you off last year. Do you still get fevers often?"

Xie Ning put away the waterskin and steadied himself on a table leg lying crosswise on the ox cart. He answered frankly, "That wouldn't do. What if I hadn't been promised to Jinian? If Jinian hadn't bought me a bathtub and held me..."

"Oh, stop, stop!" Xie Dashu slapped his second son's arm, his weathered face once again scrunching up until all his features twisted together. "I asked whether you still get fevers. How can a little ger like you keep talking about the wedding bed every time you open your mouth?"

His elder brother, Xie Yao, gave a muffled cough. So embarrassed that he clasped his hands behind his back, he flexed his fingers at empty air.

Xie Ning pouted and rubbed his arm. "I don't get fevers anymore! It wasn't getting married that made me better. It was clearly because Jinian..." Afraid that he would say the wrong thing and get hit again, Xie Ning shut his mouth and organized his words in his head.

After feeling embarrassed on his son's behalf for a while, Xie Dashu finally said, "Since my good son-in-law's, well, that can cure your illness, you two should consummate your marriage more often. Get yourself healthy and strong, and give his Zhou family a grandson."

What was "that"? Ningning was puzzled.

"Consummate our marriage more often? How do we do that?" Xie Ning looked at his father as he walked and asked.

"Tsk..." Xie Yao finally could not stand it anymore. "Go ask Zhou Jinian. What you and he do in bed... is that something you should be asking Father about?"

Consummate our marriage? Xie Ning first scratched the back of his head. Give them a grandson? Then he covered his belly.

Walking and resting along the way, they took a full extra two hours to reach Upper North Alley. Once the courtyard gate was open, Lin Jin was the first to carry the grains inside.