FMT 22

Chapter 22 Purse

After they got home, Chen Shuangning helped Liandan take off his outer clothes, poured hot water to wipe his face and hands, and supported him to lie down before preparing to leave.

But Liandan could not stay calm. His face was pale, his eyes full of fright like a small animal. When Chen Shuangning was about to go, he grabbed his sleeve and asked in panic, “Where are you going?”

With just a light pull, Chen Shuangning could have easily freed his sleeve, but he did not.

He squatted down, leveled his gaze with the thin, terrified husband on the bed, and said softly, “I’m going to bring Xiaodan back.”

“Xiaodan…,” Liandan’s lips moved, murmuring. Only then did his eyes show a trace of spirit. “Right, Xiaodan is still at Aunt Wu’s place…”

Chen Shuangning lifted his hand and tucked the quilt for him, looking into his eyes. He said, “I’ll be back soon.”

Only then did Liandan let go of his sleeve and turn to lie back on the bed.

Even so, Chen Shuangning could still feel that Liandan’s gaze followed him until the door shut and blocked it.

….

By evening, Liandan had finally eased a little, but even so, he was especially afraid of being alone in the room. His eyes always followed the other figure inside.

After Xiaodan drank his milk, he fell asleep, arms and legs sprawled out, sleeping comfortably.

The room was warm from the fire. He had kicked the little blanket to the bottom of his feet. Liandan pulled the blanket up, covering the child’s small belly with one corner, then tugged his sleeves and trouser legs into place, making sure he would not catch a chill before he felt at ease.

Once he finished with the child, he turned back and saw that the wooden basin filled with water and a cloth had already been set by the bed. Liandan looked up, said thank you, and began to wash.

After he was done and ready to lie down, Chen Shuangning still had not taken the basin away.

Liandan looked up at him. Chen Shuangning was standing by the bed, also looking down at him. Their eyes met.

“You were that scared. Why did you still protect me?” Chen Shuangning asked again. He seemed fixated on the answer to this question.

“Because…,” under the oil lamp light, Liandan’s already pale cheeks slowly turned red, “because you are my husband.”

“If I hadn’t stopped Liu Wang in time, if you had been hurt, even died, then what?” Chen Shuangning’s tone was calm, but his voice was hoarser and stranger than usual.

Liandan looked at him, blinked, and said, “I didn’t think that much. At that moment, there wasn’t time to think.”

Chen Shuangning lowered his eyes and quietly looked at him for a while. Then he moved his lips and said, “It’s late. Rest.”

Tonight, Chen Shuangning was different from usual.

After Liandan lay down, he bent over, pulled the quilt for him, then blew out the oil lamp. But instead of leaving, he said softly, “Sleep. If something happens at night, call me.”

After saying that, he left the bedside and went to the window.

Liandan watched his back. He bit his lip lightly. Several times he wanted to speak, but shyness blocked him, and no matter what, the words would not come out.

When he saw that Chen Shuangning had already sat on the chair by the bed and taken the posture to meditate, the courage he had barely gathered all scattered, and he could not say anything even more.

….

The next day, news of what happened at Chen Wang’s house spread through the village. Liu ge’er told everyone that the son who returned to the Chen family was a vicious ghost.

But the fact that he was a ghost, who in the ten li around did not already know?

Besides, the Chen family’s small property had caused many quarrels before. Everyone knew what kind of person Liu ge’er was. When they heard that Chen Wang had been so frightened by Chen Shuangning that he wet his pants and had to lie on the kang for days unable to get up, many had the look of watching a good show.

The villagers said, “Why fuss with a dead ghost? In the end, aren’t you the one who suffers the loss?”

Liu ge’er was angry and afraid, he regretted that his greed had harmed his own husband.

A few days later, when Chen Wang was able to get up, though he had always been known in the village as fierce and vicious, this time he did not make a sound and slunk back to town. The matter passed without causing waves.

But from that day on, between the Chen family’s newly returned son and the husband at home, there was a subtle change.

On the surface, they got along the same as before. Only sometimes when Liandan looked up, he would see Chen Shuangning staring straight at him, much like when he had just returned, yet also different in a way hard to describe.

When Liandan noticed, in the past, Chen Shuangning never dodged or avoided. It was always Liandan who could not bear it and looked away first.

But these recent days, whenever Liandan met his gaze, Chen Shuangning would quickly look away.

And also, when the father took the child from his hands so that he could eat properly, their fingers would touch. Somehow, they did not separate, though it was unclear whose fault it was.

When Liandan drew his fingers back, the place where he had been touched tingled strangely, and his face flushed uncontrollably.

Such little things happened often, but they left no clear trace, like wind passing by, without any definite change.

….

That year, on the ninth day of the ninth month, the weather was fine.

The healthy elders in the village would gather on that day to climb hills and look at the scenery. Old Madam Chen used to go join the fun with others her age, but this year she could not.

That morning, very early, Liandan went to her room to see her, he wanted to wake her to eat something. But Old Madam Chen had no response.

This time she had been unconscious for two days. Her flesh had grown thin and dry, her breathing was weak, her face ashen. It looked like she was close to the end.

He had gone to call the old doctor. Stroking his beard, the man shook his head again and again, saying, “If the old lady wakes and wants to eat something, make it for her. Don’t hold back. If she has last words to explain, let her explain them early, otherwise she may not get the chance to say them.”

Seeing that she still did not wake today, Liandan sighed and left the room.

By almost noon, someone from Old Madam Chen’s maiden family arrived. It was the eldest son of her elder brother, named Zhang Xing.

He came carrying things. When he saw his aunt in such a state, he sighed repeatedly.

Back when Chen Shuangning had just been recognized back into the family, Zhang Xing had come once. At that time he had said that with his nephew back, maybe his sister’s illness would slowly get better. He had not expected it to worsen like this.

These days, Chen Shuangning’s cough had improved, so he went to town to look for work and would not be back until evening.

With a grown man inside, it was inconvenient for Liandan to stay in the room. He left him alone in there to speak with the unconscious mother-in-law, while he carried Xiaodan around the yard.

After a while, Zhang Xing came out wiping his eyes. He said to Liandan, “These days you’ve worked hard taking care of Aunt. I don’t have much money on hand to help, but here are fifty coins. Take them, use them for seeing the doctor and buying medicine for Aunt.”

Liandan shook his head and would not take it. He was always nervous with both sides of Chen family relatives. Stammering, he said, “No need… the… the family has enough money.”

Seeing that he refused no matter what, Zhang Xing did not insist. He put the money back into his sleeve.

Liandan carried the child and walked him to the gate. Zhang Xing looked at Xiaodan’s face for a while. His eyes seemed a little strange, but quickly turned away.

Liandan stood at the door and watched him leave. After walking some distance, Zhang Xing turned back to look again.

By then the distance was already far. Liandan could not see his expression clearly.

Zhang Xing waved at him, then quickly walked away until he disappeared.

….

Another two days passed, and the weather turned colder.

Early in the morning, when Liandan went out, he saw that frost had fallen the night before. A layer of white covered the yard walls and tree branches.

During the day, Tang Hua came by. He carried his little daughter in one arm and a basket in the other.

When Liandan saw him, he hurried forward to take the basket.

Tang Hua told him to open it. When Liandan lifted the cloth cover, he was surprised and delighted to find a bowl of red groundcherries inside.

Before the frost, these tasted bitter and could only be used as medicine.

But once frost touched them, they miraculously turned sweet and sour, with a rich flavor, delicious to eat.

“They grew in my back garden. I picked some for you to try,” Tang Hua said with a smile.

Liandan quickly thanked him.

He washed his hands, peeled one, crushed it with a spoon, and fed it to Xiaodan sitting in the chair. As soon as it went in, Xiaodan scrunched up his whole little face, but still opened his mouth for more, making both Liandan and Tang Hua laugh.

They placed both children on the bed to play. The two adults sat at the table by the bed, doing needlework and talking.

Tang Hua was making a purse. The mandarin duck pattern on it was nearly done, delicate and pretty.

Liandan, while sewing little cotton trousers for the child, could not help glancing at the purse. Seeing this, Tang Hua smiled and said, “I have enough fabric and thread to make another one. Why don’t you sew one for your family too?”

Liandan felt embarrassed. “My embroidery isn’t as good as yours. Besides, these things aren’t cheap. How could I take it for free?”

Hearing this, Tang Hua cheerfully pointed to the bundle of cotton on the table and said, “I see you’ve got plenty of cotton ready. Give me a couple handfuls later, that’ll do!”

Only then did Liandan agree.

When he was at home, since childhood he had learned embroidery from his mother together with his elder sister, but no matter how he embroidered, it was never as good as hers.

But he had no problem for common patterns like lotuses and lotus leaves.

One pair of Xiaodan’s cotton trousers was already finished. The one in his hand was not urgent, so he joined Tang Hua in making purses instead.

In the following days, whenever Xiaodan slept, he took it out to sew. After three or four days, he finished it.

Liandan hid the purse in the quilt pile for two days, until Tang Hua came visiting and asked if he had given it yet.

Liandan, face red, shook his head. Tang Hua leaned closer to see his expression. Liandan lowered his head and kept dodging.

Tang Hua laughed and tickled him, saying, “Look at you. If I were a man, I’d surely like you too.”

Liandan’s face turned crimson, almost dripping blood. He softly scolded, “Don’t talk nonsense.”

Tang Hua, who had more experience, saw him like this and his eyes turned. He whispered, “You two… since he came back, you haven’t done that, have you?”

Liandan blankly asked without thinking, “Done what?” Only after asking did he realize what the other meant, and at once he blushed so hard he was close to tears.

Tang Hua chuckled, winked, and leaned close to his ear to whisper two words. Liandan had not expected him to be so blunt. His mouth opened wide, he nearly fainted.

Tang Hua wrapped his arms around his waist, rubbed his head against Liandan’s soft cheek, then looked up seriously and said, “Liandan, don’t blame me for being nosy. A husband and wife living together isn’t just about rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea. That matter is necessary.”

Liandan lowered his head and said, “How could I blame you for telling me what’s in your heart.”

Tang Hua smiled, shook him gently, and went on, “At his age, his blood is at its strongest. He’s a scholar, one of the best-looking in the village. If you keep putting him off, aren’t you afraid someone else will start thinking about him?”

Liandan had never thought about such things. Hearing this, he looked at Tang Hua, flustered.

Tang Hua leaned closer to his ear, lowered his voice further, and said, “Give him this purse, say some affectionate words. Scholars are the best at understanding feelings. He’ll surely know your meaning. If he has the heart, then that matter will follow naturally.”

Liandan’s face was red, his eyes watery, so ashamed he almost burned.

….

That night, Chen Shuangning noticed that Liandan was acting strange.

He kept sneaking glances at him, his face red. The blush stayed the whole night without fading.

After practicing characters in the evening, they washed up and prepared to sleep.

As usual, Chen Shuangning meditated by the window.

The chaotic inner strength in his body surged and crashed, his meridians aching from the impact. He had to regularly regulate it to ease the pain.

He had just closed his eyes when he felt that the person already lying on the bed had gotten up quietly, taken something from the bed, and walked over.

Chen Shuangning waited a moment. The person standing before him never spoke. He was about to open his eyes when he heard the person retreat quietly, climb back onto the bed, and lie down.

“Ha.”

The person on the bed sighed softly, turned over a few times, and gradually fell asleep.

Chen Shuangning opened his eyes, gazing at the thin figure lying on the bed, his eyes showing rare confusion.