Chapter 52: A Disobedient Husband, But He’s Teachable

At dawn, as the rooster’s crow broke the silence of daybreak, Yu Tingwan stepped out of her room early in the morning.

Wei Zhao trailed behind her, his eyelids heavy with drowsiness.

She walked ahead, her voice light and casual. “Lying around all day isn’t good for your health. You should get out and walk more.”

“When spring comes and the river ice melts, the village will release water. Every household will send people to the river – some to cast nets, others to fish. All the caught fish will be thrown to the shore, then divided among the families, each getting a couple. It’ll be quite lively. It’s not even that far, I’ll take you to see it.”

Though she spoke with enthusiasm, in truth, she had only witnessed it once herself—when she first arrived in Xilin Village.

Wei Zhao: …

Not interested. Too many people.

Besides, he wouldn’t live that long anyway.

Yu Tingwan turned to him. “Husband, don’t you want to see it?”

Wei Zhao opened his mouth, but before he could speak—

Yu Tingwan interrupted, “Oh, so you do want to see it.”

Wei Zhao: …

She led him to the corner where the chickens were kept.

“We killed one yesterday. Mother wants to keep another for the New Year feast—it wouldn’t be proper without meat.” Her voice carried a hint of reluctance. “But they’re still laying eggs.”

“I’ll go around and see if anyone has an old hen that’s stopped laying. We can buy one of those.”

Wei Zhao: …

Would she stop talking to him if he caught a wild one from the mountain to replace it??

Next, she pulled him to the persimmon tree on the western side of the courtyard.

The young woman looked up at the large, red persimmons. She had been eyeing them longingly ever since she lived next door.

Though not fully ripe yet, the persimmons would soften nicely after a few days if picked now.

“Husband.”

Wei Zhao remained listless.

Yu Tingwan gave his shoe a gentle kick.

Wei Zhao: “…Mm.”

She smiled at him, her dimples appearing faintly. “Since you got up promptly today, I’ve decided to reward you with a persimmon.”

This was how village women coaxed their children.

Yu Tingwan, never having been married before, didn’t know how couples should interact to foster affection.

But seeing how delicate and helpless Wei Zhao was, she figured this approach might work on him too.

Without hesitation, she circled the tree, searching for the lowest-hanging fruit.

Wei Zhao turned to leave.

The snow had fallen heavily through the night, laying thick on the ground.

Lacking strength to lift his feet properly, he could only shuffle forward slowly.

From the corner of his eye, he watched as she reached up but failed to grasp the fruit. Undaunted, she rose on tiptoes, her face flushing with effort, fingertips barely brushing the bare branches.

Wei Zhao stopped walking.

He stood there, just watching.

The young woman jumped and managed to touch it but couldn’t get enough grip to pick it.

Just as Yu Tingwan prepared for another attempt—

Wei Zhao let out a soft “Ha.”

Yu Tingwan: ???

She spun around abruptly.

Their eyes met.

In Wei Zhao’s eyes, she caught the faintest trace of amusement—so slight it was almost imperceptible.

Yu Tingwan pressed her lips together. “Am I funny, or did something else amuse you?”

“You’re funny.”

Well! At least he didn’t hesitate with that answer!

Yu Tingwan took a deep breath. “Well, if you’re so capable, why don’t you do it!”

She tried to maintain her composure, but couldn’t hide the vitality radiating from her.

That was something… Wei Zhao clearly lacked.

Perhaps moved by some inexplicable impulse, he turned back.

He stood beside her.

The man was sickly, his face unnaturally pale, his lips bloodless, his movements restricted, his frame appearing particularly thin.

Yet his height remained impressive.

With his height and long arms, he easily reached up and picked the persimmon.

Yu Tingwan snatched it before he could react.

Wei Zhao stared at his empty palm, seemingly unbothered.

Then, to his surprise, she placed it back in his hand. Even with all his scholarly knowledge, Wei Zhao couldn’t fathom her thinking.

She quickly explained her gesture.

Yu Tingwan announced magnanimously: “It’s yours.”

Wei Zhao: ??

Look at yourself, does this make any sense!

Anyone watching would think you picked it yourself.

Indeed, Yu Tingwan placed great importance on proper procedure and ceremony.

When she reached the kitchen, Hui Niang had already cooked the glutinous rice, and Wei Shouzhong was pounding it in the stone mortar.

Yu Tingwan hurried over. “Are we making rice cakes today?”

In Xilin Village, every household prepared rice cakes for the New Year. But glutinous rice was precious, so they only made a small batch—just enough for the family to taste.

Hui Niang smiled. “Yes. We should have done it earlier, but we’ve been too busy.”

“We didn’t even make Laba porridge this year. I thought we’d make both today and have a proper New Year celebration.”

The rice, red beans, jujubes, and peanuts had been soaked overnight.

Yu Tingwan’s eyes sparkled with delight as she joined in to help peel the dried longan.

The pounding of rice cakes filled the kitchen with noise. Hui Niang hadn’t heard the exchange between the newlyweds outside. “Is Ah lang awake? Doctor Qian will come later to check his pulse.”

Yu Tingwan: “He’s up.”

Though he wouldn’t have risen on his own—after a little persuasion, he had behaved.

He might be disobedient, but at least he was teachable!

She wondered if he would throw away the persimmon.

Though plenty hung on the tree, wasting food wasn’t right.

If he tossed it, she’d just look for it on the ground next door later.

Hui Niang’s surprise quickly turned to satisfaction.

Indeed, marriage had made him more stable and sensible.

“We invited Doctor Qian to the wedding feast yesterday. If not for him, Ah lang might not have… but you know his temperament. He refused, saying he disliked noisy gatherings.”

“Though he’s elderly, he’s quite perceptive.”

“I suspect that was just an excuse. When someone who had a son thanks to his remedy invited him to drink, he went.”

Though he hadn’t spoken during that visit—just ate with his head down and left immediately after.

“He’s our village’s only barefoot doctor. These past few days, he’s been busy tending to that Silly young lady who lost her child. The villagers are superstitious, and with us hosting a wedding, it wouldn’t have been appropriate for him to come.”

Hui Niang hadn’t pressed the issue, having Wei Shouzhong deliver a bowl of food to him instead.

Hearing this, Yu Tingwan paused her work and asked, “How is Silly Gu doing?”

Hui Niang’s expression darkened. “She’s awake, but traumatized. Her mother must stay with her at night. She keeps crying about pain, speaks nonsense, and seems confused about everything. The poor young lady has suffered terribly.”

“What about the man who took her?”

“Granny Li told me privately that he’s nothing but a scoundrel! He’s been in prison, couldn’t find a wife after being released, so he spent his time in brothels.”

“That day, even as she lay bleeding, he still… When caught in the act, he had the audacity to grin and claim she had seduced him. He even declared it was consensual and that not even the village head could interfere. He demanded to be released.”

His arrogance knew no bounds.

Remote villages bred such villains, and there was no shortage of such scum.

But did he really think the village head would bow to his demands?

A young lady from their own village, violated by an outsider—how could they not act?

“Worse still, he even said…”

Hui Niang found it difficult to continue.

Yu Tingwan had already guessed, disgust flashing in her eyes as she completed the thought.

“He said she had already been defiled by countless men, so one more wouldn’t matter. That she already had a child and didn’t even know whose it was—that she was shameless.”