Zhuang Yan went out again early the next morning. At noon, he had a quick bowl of noodles, then he hurriedly went to market. After going around the market, not only he knew the prices of most things and had a general understanding of the prices of this place, but also learned something that overturned all his previous world’s knowledge/ perceptions.

In the market today, he unexpectedly saw two men with big bellies. When he saw the first one, he was quite sympathetic, thinking that the man was suffering from some strange disease, but when he saw the second one, he thought it was strange how there was another one, and because he was really curious, he looked at it a few more times, and because of those few glances, he almost got beaten up!

Another man jumped out next to the man with the big belly, pointed his nose at him and called him shameless, and then tried to hit him. If not for the fact that he hadn’t apologized quickly and sincerely, he would take a beating. 

But more than the beating, what he couldn’t take was the lecture he was given around him.

What do you mean by ‘don’t stare at other people’s husbands as you wish,’,’Be careful of being beaten by other people’s husbands.’ ‘My belly is already so big, you don’t have a chance, don’t think about it! ‘ ‘Find yourself a husband to have children’ and so on and so forth, kept running into his ears, and after half a day of digesting, he finally confirmed a fact.

Not only was this no longer his original or previous world, but it was also a world that had never existed in his knowledge, and men here could actually give birth ah! Ah, that’s not right! It was not that men here could give birth, but that there were men here who could give birth, the kind of men who were called Ger.

Ger, who can give birth to children…

After knowing this fact, the first thing that came to Zhuang Yan’s mind was what those men said in the Wan family that day.

One man said that Tianning, a young Ger, picked up a man and took him home. He didn’t know how to restrain himself.

So to be said….Tianning, he was also a Ger ah! That’s why that man said Tianning like that, because they were living together now. This was in ancient times, a place where ideas were solidified and backward, this situation he was in now was equivalent to living with an unmarried ‘young girl’!

“No wonder ah!” Zhuang Yan thought back to the time when they first met, Tianning had run for his life as soon as he saw him undress, and refused to sleep in the same bed with him afterwards, but … even if he was clear that there was no overstepping behavior between them, since they were living under one roof now, moreover Tianning didn’t have a spare room at home yet, so from the outside point of view it looked like they were sleeping together, right?

He was completely ruining Tianning’s good reputation wasn’t he? Doesn’t that mean he needs to be responsible for him?

After he left the market in an out-of-body and muddle headed state, Zhuang Yan became a heartless moving machine, going back and forth between the warehouse and the big ship, and only when he was reminded by the steward to settle the money at the end of the day of working hour did he come back to his senses.

“Oh, thank you, steward.” Zhuang Yan was still a bit dazed, and it was only when he was halfway there that he remembered that he had forgotten to buy food again for Tianning today!

Yesterday was too late, but today his entire body was dumb. How could he think of anything else? He didn’t even know how much money he got today.

Thinking of today’s wages, Zhuang Yan hurriedly took it out and counted it. He didn’t think he unexpectedly had earned 60 wens today, no wonder some people looked at him like he was a monster, maybe they hadn’t seen such a working beast like him in the dock yet; as if he didn’t know how to get tired, he worked the whole day without stopping.

Zhuang Yan came back a little late today, Wan TianNing had already gone to the village entrance several times to look for it, when Zhuang Yan went back, before he reached home, he saw him in the distance looking at the scene from an elevated position anxiously.

Zhuang Yan’s parents had left because of an accident when he was ten years old, and he hadn’t felt what it was like to have people waiting for him and expecting him to come home for many years.

He tidied up his thoughts and decisions while he walked along the way, and since Zhuang Yan knew Wan Tianning’s status and knew that not just a teenager, he would not pretend that he didn’t know.

They had to come clean about this matter, so that he could feel at ease, and Tianning too. 

Zhuang Yan had made money today, and Wan Tianning had also had a good day, no one came to disturb his house, he had cut the cloth he bought that day into the right size, there were about thirty sheets in total, if all these handkerchiefs were embroidered, they could be sold for a lot of silver.

“Hn, Hn hn!” As soon as he saw Zhuang Yan, Wan Tianning hurriedly waved and even went forward to fetch him. When Zhuang Yan saw the person going out of the door to fetch him, he quickened his steps and hurriedly went back to the house with the person, after which he closed the dilapidated front door and immediately said to the person, “I’m sorry.”

“Tianning, I’m sorry, I forgot to buy you something delicious today, I’ll definitely remember tomorrow.” When Zhuang Yan apologized, he didn’t look at Wan Tianning’s face, so he didn’t see that with his short sentence, Wan Tianning’s face had changed several times. After he finished his words, the expression on Wan Tianning’s face was fixed in a smile with a happy feeling, and he hurriedly waved his hand at him, indicating that it was okay.

Zhuang Yan reached out to take out the silver money. When he did this yesterday, he did not feel anything, but today, knowing Wan Tianning’s identity, he always felt that he was behaving like a husband who went to work and handed over his salary to his wife when he got home.

“Tianning, this is today’s money, I’ve already taken out the money for my meal tomorrow.” Although he felt a bit awkward, Zhuang Yan still handed over all his hard-earned money for the day.

Noticing that the silver money in his hand was heavier than yesterday’s, Wan Tianning incredulously found Zhuang Yan’s small bag from the grass wall, then squatted to the ground and dropped the copper coins into it one by one.

The more Wan Tianning counted the copper coins, the more smiles there were on his face, more than fifty coins were dropped in, the more it was in, the two of them seemed to have finished listening to a tinkling musical song, and both of them had smiles on their faces.

After counting the money and hiding the small bag, which was also their money bag, once again, Wan Tianning also took out the results of his hard day’s work.

He had not only cut out the embroidery pattern, but also made the embroidery frame and had even embroidered a half-finished product, which had now become a handkerchief without any design.

He waved the handkerchief in front of Zhuang Yan’s eyes. Zhuang Yan wasn’t dazzled by the handkerchief but rather, he was dazzled by the expression on Wan Tianning’s face. He hadn’t seen such a happy, pleased and moving people’s soul expression on Wan Tianning’s face before. 

“Tianning, you’re amazing, you can embroider ah.” Zhuang Yan complimented him genuinely, and because of the handkerchief in front of him, he also thought of the main matter he was about to say.

Taking a deep breath, Zhuang Yan stole a glance at Wan Tianning, who was still in excitement, and called out the person’s name very solemnly. “Tianning.”

Perhaps it was because Zhuang Yan’s voice was a little off, or perhaps it was because the expression on his face suddenly became serious, when Wan Tianning saw him like that, the smile on his face slowly disappeared, and after that some caution appeared on his face.

Zhuang Yan didn’t want people to think wildly, so he simply told them what he had seen today and what was on his mind.

“Tianning, before it was Big Brother Zhuang who didn’t know the truth, so he was at ease by staying at your house, but Big Brother Zhuang didn’t do it on purpose, there are no such people as ‘little Ger’ in Big Brother Zhuang’s hometown, only men and women. Some men may fall in love with men, but most men marry women. Men and men live under the same roof, most men don’t have too many worries (misgivings) about it. Big Brother Zhuang didn’t expect you to be different, I’m sorry I caused you trouble as well as worries.”

After the same person explained and apologized, Zhuang Yan only saw the person in front of him change his face quickly and even took two steps backwards slightly.

Zhuang Yan knew that in a place like this, reputation should be very important to a girl, or a Ger like Tian Ning, and he could see from Tian Ning’s face that he was flustered and scared!

In order not to give people the wrong impression, Zhuang Yan even grabbed both of his hands and looked straight at his eyes, adding: “But Tianning, Big Brother Zhuang is willing to accept all your decisions, we can give each other some time, after we get along, if you trust me and feel that I am the one you can spend your life with, we will get married and I will be your husband. If you feel that Big Brother Zhuang might be more suitable as a brother, or if you have someone you like and want to marry, then Big Brother Zhuang will be your brother, the biological elder brother kind of brother and I will take care of you for the rest of your life, and I will not let anyone, including your future husband, bully you.”

“Like this, is that okay?” Zhuang Yan grabbed the person’s arms, and very intuitively felt how much the arms he was holding were trembling at the moment.

The person in front of him, his lips was trembling, as if he was finally going to say something, but he couldn’t open his mouth until Zhuang Yan was about to give up. That night, that familiar voice rang out in his ears again. 

“Okay.”

Just one word, even one word, was enough to excite Zhuang Yan, who even picked up the person in front of him and spun him around several times! Tianning had spoken, Tianning, he unexpectedly had spoken!

“Tianning! That’s great! That’s great! You can finally speak!” Does this mean that the past that had been piling up in his heart is really in the past and he has completely let go of the knot (emotional entanglement) once and for all?

“TianNing you’re great!” He directly gave a thumbs up to the man. TianNiang was embarrassed by Zhuang Yan’s reaction.

He didn’t expect that Zhuang Yan would not ask him anything about him, open his mouth and talk but only treat him like a toddler learning to speak, only praising him and being happy that he had opened his mouth.

Zhuang Yan naturally wanted to know why Wan Tianning was not willing to speak up, but letting the person tell him the reasons would inevitably open up his past scars so Zhuang Yan hesitated, wondering whether they should just let the matter go or face the scars and let him heal completely.

Zhuang Yan’s torn and hesitated look caught the eye of Wan Tianning, who took the initiative to reveal the reason. 

“Hit me, if I say something, hit me.” The tears fell out together with the words from his mouth.The bean-sized tear drops kept hitting Wan Tianning’s chest and the back of his hand. Zhuang Yan suddenly felt like he couldn’t catch his breath and couldn’t even speak, “What did you say?” 

Hitting him? You want to hit him for saying something? Did TianNing mean that the villagers would beat him if he spoke? He had to keep his mouth shut so he wouldn’t be beaten, and then after a while, he then really considered himself a mute?