Chapter 30: The Day After the Wedding

Xie’s mother smiled at Lin Xiangyi, put on her straw hat, picked up her hoe, and went out to work with Xie’s father.

Lin Xiangyi watched their backs disappear, then went back to get her toiletries. She filled a bowl with water from the water tank and started brushing her teeth. While brushing, she looked around Xie’s courtyard.

Xie’s courtyard was a half-quadrangle courtyard. Houses were built on the north, west, and south sides. The north house had three rooms, with the middle one being the main hall and the two sides being bedrooms. The right room was where Xie’s father and mother lived, and the left room was empty, filled with miscellaneous items. It was said that Xie Wenjing and Xie Wenqi, the two sisters, used to live there.

The east side also had two rooms, one for Xie’s older brother and sister-in-law. Although they had settled down in the county, they still had a room at home and would come back to stay during holidays.

The west side only had one room, which was where Xie Qingxiao and Lin Xiangyi lived. Behind their room was a simple shower room, and there was a pile of firewood under the eaves.

The courtyard in the middle was neither big nor small, about fifty square meters. It was surrounded by a fence, and you could see outside by standing on your toes.

It was a very down-to-earth courtyard.

After washing up, Xie Qingxiao came out with breakfast. It was a bowl of meat porridge, two sweet potatoes, and two eggs, which he placed on the eight-legged table in the main hall.

“Eat,” he said.

“Thank you,” Lin Xiangyi said, sitting down and taking a sip of the meat porridge. It was good, very fresh and fragrant.

While she was eating porridge, Xie Qingxiao also sat down and took an egg from the table, cracking the shell slowly and peeling it.

Lin Xiangyi had a few sips of porridge and was about to take another egg when a peeled egg was handed to her.

She looked at Xie Qingxiao and took the egg, saying, “So nice?”

“Your hand is sore, isn’t it?” Xie Qingxiao said calmly, peeling another egg, “To apologize.”

Lin Xiangyi broke the egg in half and ate it, almost choked by Xie Qingxiao.

Last night, at the beginning, she was very cooperative. After all, it was a husband’s duty.

But later, her hand was so sore that she became impatient. He held her left hand tightly, so she hit him with her right hand and kicked him, grumbling and complaining.

But no matter how she resisted, he didn’t get angry or let go. He kissed and coaxed her, very patient.

Lin Xiangyi glared at Xie Qingxiao, once again gaining a new understanding of his thick-skinned nature.

Didn’t they say that people in this era were very reserved? Why was this dog Xie Qingxiao so thick-skinned?

Lin Xiangyi finished the remaining piece of egg white and stuffed the yolk into Xie Qingxiao’s mouth, saying angrily, “If only there was something to shut your mouth!”

Xie Qingxiao opened his mouth and bit the yolk, but his eyes were fixed on her lips, with a hint of meaning, “There is.”

Lin Xiangyi understood immediately. This time, she was really embarrassed and angry, and she scolded, “Xie Qingxiao, it’s broad daylight, can you be normal?”

Xie Qingxiao stopped when he saw that he had gone too far, and made a gesture of closing his mouth.

After breakfast, Lin Xiangyi had nothing to do and asked Xie Qingxiao, “What should we do?”

“Nothing to do,” Xie Qingxiao said, “Or do you want to do something?”

“I’m not familiar with this place, so I don’t want to do anything,” Lin Xiangyi said inexplicably.

“Then if you’re bored, I’ll take you around the village to get familiar with it?” Xie Qingxiao said.

Lin Xiangyi thought it sounded good, so she said, “Then wait for me, I’ll go change my clothes.”

She changed into a skirt, a blazi, which she had bought in the city that day. Blazi was very popular in the 1950s and 1960s, but disappeared for a while in the 1970s. After the reform and opening up, it became popular again.

In Lin Xiangyi’s opinion, the “braid” was a bit rustic, but it was much more fashionable and beautiful than what she usually wore.

Clothes can enhance a person, and people can also enhance clothes.

Lin Xiangyi was thin and couldn’t take advantage of the “braid” to show off her figure, but she was tall, with fair skin and beautiful features. Wearing the “braid” made her look even more youthful and radiant.

Xie Qingxiao had already been amazed by her red dress yesterday, and today he was amazed again by her “braid”.

His straightforward gaze was a silent compliment, and the corners of Lin Xiangyi’s lips unconsciously curled up.

“What are you staring at? Do you have pockets in your pants? Put all these candies in your pockets,” Lin Xiangyi said with a smile, holding two handfuls of fruit candies.

Xie Qingxiao came back to his senses and touched his pants.

He was wearing a pair of long pants with two deep pockets, which could hold a lot of things.

Lin Xiangyi put the candies in his pockets.

“Do you like to eat candy?” Xie Qingxiao asked. He brought so many candies after going out, could he finish them all?

“These candies are not for us to eat,” Lin Xiangyi said, “We just got married, and when we go out and meet children or familiar people, we can give them one or two candies as a gesture.”

Yesterday, she had made a scene at the Lu family, and it seemed like she was in the right and had the upper hand.

But people are gossipy, and there might be rumors that are not good for her.

Although it was nothing serious, Lin Xiangyi had married into this village and would likely live here for a long time. It was naturally best to have a good relationship with the villagers.

Going out for a walk now was a good opportunity to restore her reputation, and she wouldn’t miss it.

Xie Qingxiao understood what Lin Xiangyi meant and gave her a look of approval.

Lin Xiangyi put the fruit candies in Xie Qingxiao’s pocket and then took out two  (Dabai Tu) milk candies, which were for their own consumption.

One for Xie Qingxiao, and one for her.

The rich milky flavor filled their mouths, sweet and fragrant.

Xie Qingxiao didn’t like sweets, but seeing her eat it, he also ate it.

“Delicious, right?” Lin Xiangyi asked.

“It’s better than fruit candy,” Xie Qingxiao said.

“There’s a reason why it’s expensive,” Lin Xiangyi said. In the current era, (Dabai Tu) milk candy was considered a high-end candy.

The two chatted and laughed and walked out the door, just as they encountered Lu Dingyuan and Lin Huihui coming out of the house.

To be precise, Lu Dingyuan was pulling Lin Huihui out.

They didn’t notice Xie Qingxiao and Lin Xiangyi.

Lin Huihui was wearing an apron, her face looked tired, and she staggered behind Lu Dingyuan: “Dingyuan, why are you pulling me out? My mother asked me to clean the chicken coop…”

“Huihui, you don’t need to do those dirty and tiring jobs,” Lu Dingyuan said helplessly, “You just got married yesterday, and you got up early to make breakfast and wash clothes for the whole family. Why are you so diligent? My mother and sister-in-law will do those jobs!”

“But my mother said it’s the village custom. She said new brides usually have to work on the second day. The other sisters-in-law used to do it, and my mother did it when she first married my father. If I make an exception, it won’t look good,” Lin Huihui said.

“Huihui, how can you be so silly?” Lu Dingyuan felt sorry for her.

“Dingyuan, I know you feel sorry for me, but it’s okay if I’m tired. As long as I can have a good life with you, that’s all that matters,” Lin Huihui said softly and sweetly.

“Alright then, Huihui, just bear with it for three more days. After three days, we’ll go back to the county to work and won’t live at home, so you won’t have to do so much work.”

Lin Huihui: “Okay, okay.”

“Clap, clap, clap!” Lin Xiangyi suddenly clapped her hands.

Lu Dingyuan and Lin Huihui turned their heads at the same time. After seeing Xie Qingxiao and Lin Xiangyi, their faces both showed a flash of gloominess.