Chapter 9

On their wedding night, Wang Xing, being a perfectly normal man, couldn’t wait to enter the bridal chamber.

But Xia Xue insisted on waiting until midnight, when everything was quiet, and even demanded that no kerosene lamp be lit.

They were sleeping on the clay kang bed; her waist and hips ached all over, and she felt completely uncomfortable. On top of that, Wang Xing told her, “Honey, tomorrow you need to get up at 5 a.m. to help Mom make breakfast!”

“Why? Back home I never get up before eight! And I’ve never done housework in my life—let alone cooking!”

“Honey, please, just help out. We’re only staying here for a few days, then we’ll head back to the city to find a place to live, okay?”

Wang Xing coaxed and teased her, both with sweet words and wandering hands, making Xia Xue giggle and finally agree to give it a try. In truth, she really didn’t know how to do any of it—she’d be lucky not to make things worse.

When midnight came—the prime time for animal mating—they were no exception. Things quickly got to the point. Xia Xue put up some token resistance, half pushing him away, half going along.

Wang Xing unleashed his “beastly” side, and after a round of stormy passion, he felt something odd. He didn’t say it out loud, but he minded it: “This… isn’t…”

Xia Xue, feeling guilty, pretended to be asleep.

She was always cautious—she had never confided in Lin Wanting about her love life, while Lin Wanting told her everything without holding back.

Wang Xing couldn’t sleep all night—after all, he was basically living off a woman now.

The next day, Lin Haifeng once again hadn’t come home all night. For several days in a row, he’d only return the next morning, take a short rest in his study, and then go about his business.

Qiao Yilan had decided to put up with it, but Lin Wanting wanted answers. Why bother having this grand family estate if he was never home?

She went to the study door and knocked. Lin Haifeng never allowed anyone inside, but today she was determined to go in openly.

“Who is it? I told you—if I haven’t said you can enter, no one is to come in!”

“Dad, it’s me—Wanting. Mom and I haven’t had a meal with you in ages. Can you stay for lunch today?”

“Mm. Once I’m done with my work.”

But Lin Wanting kept going—she pushed the door open and walked right in. Qiao Yilan had no idea she was going to the study; if she had, she would have stopped her for sure, afraid of angering Lin Haifeng.

“Dad, what exactly are you working on?” Lin Wanting’s sudden entrance surprised him—more because his daughter had dared to defy his orders than anything else.

“Get out!”

“Dad, I’m not leaving. I want to know why you’ve been holed up in here every day, barely talking to me or Mom. You never used to be like this!”

Of course, Lin Wanting already knew the reason—she just wanted to see if he would tell her himself, or how he would react to her barging in.

“I don’t need to explain myself to you. I said I’d have lunch with you—now you can go.”

But Lin Wanting came right over, startling him. He hadn’t been doing anything suspicious, but her sudden action caught him off guard.

“Wanting, what are you doing?”

She took his hand and pulled him straight out of the study. For some reason, he didn’t resist and couldn’t even get angry—he just let her lead him away.

“Mom, come here a second.”

At that moment, Lin Wanting still hoped to play peacemaker between her parents—thinking she might be able to change the situation.

Meanwhile, that morning Wang Xing was already in a bad mood, though he kept it to himself. In his mind, Lin Wanting probably hadn’t even been touched by a man before marriage—so why wasn’t Xia Xue the same?

Xia Xue hadn’t been any help in the morning, either. She just wanted to head back to the city as soon as possible—she couldn’t stand another minute here. The kang bed had made her throat dry and body sore.

Wang Xing nudged her foot, hinting that she should help clear the dishes.

Xia Xue swallowed her irritation, but then Wang Xing’s mother made a request: “Xia Xue, you can learn cooking and housework slowly. But having children is the main thing right now. My idea is—two grandchildren within three years.”

Having kids was nowhere in Xia Xue’s plans for the next two years. She flatly refused: “Mom, that can’t be rushed. Wang Xing and I will let it happen naturally.”

She had her own reasons—if she had a child and things went wrong later, it would be much harder to leave. Her mother-in-law, on the other hand, feared her pretty daughter-in-law might be “too hard to keep in line,” and thought a baby would tie her down.

“What? Wang Xing never told me that!” The older woman grew anxious and left Xia Xue alone to wash the dishes, heading out to find her son.

“Wang Xing, this won’t do…”

She rattled off her concerns. Wang Xing didn’t want kids right away either, but since they weren’t taking any precautions, wasn’t that the same as trying?

“Mom, don’t worry—you’ll definitely get a grandson.”

“The sooner the better! Ideally she’d get pregnant this month so I can hold my grandson next year!”

Xia Xue didn’t need to overhear to guess what was being said outside. She had never realized how different rural thinking could be from hers. She thought moving to the city would solve all of it.

When Wang Xing came back, he told her, “Why did you contradict my mom? You could’ve just agreed, and we’d take our time. Now she’s even more worried.”

Xia Xue didn’t sense anything off—she really believed him.

“Fine, I’ll apologize to her later. Let’s hurry up and find a place in the city. Think about what you want to do—we’ll make a good life for ourselves!”

Wang Xing nodded on the surface, but in reality, he had no plans—just waiting to be fed.

At lunch, the three sat in silence. Qiao Yilan didn’t feel like making small talk either.

Lin Wanting finally broke the silence: “Dad, I want some money.”

Lin Haifeng kept eating without replying. Qiao Yilan wondered what her daughter needed money for.

“What do you want to do?” she asked.

“I want to buy some gifts for an old teacher, and maybe get help finding a job.”

“Alright,” Lin Haifeng agreed.

But Qiao Yilan disagreed: “Your father makes good money, and our family has business—why bother working outside?”

She wanted to raise her daughter in comfort and saw no need for her to experience hardship.

“Mom, I just want to experience life!”

“It’d be better if you got married soon, so you wouldn’t be asking me for money all the time,” Lin Haifeng said. He just wanted her married off, leaving Qiao Yilan home alone.

Seeing that he’d agreed, Lin Wanting watched to see where he would get the money from—since he never carried any.

He hadn’t expected her to be so observant, but didn’t mind: “I’ll give it to you tomorrow when I get back.”

“Dad, you’re not staying home tonight either?”

His silence was answer enough. Qiao Yilan understood her daughter’s thoughts, but didn’t think it mattered—as long as the family’s money stayed in the house.

Lin Wanting was instantly furious. Talking to her own father was such a struggle—he always kept his distance, never smiling.

“I’m going back to my room!” she snapped, leaving the two of them sitting in awkward silence. Qiao Yilan couldn’t even remember the last time they’d had a real, warm conversation.