Yu Nian hadn’t slept peacefully in a very long time. Ever since his family’s tragedy and his own misfortune, he had been constantly on the move, destitute and homeless.
But as soon as he woke, he heard Tian Yao’s loud voice from outside, uttering such utterly shameless words!
He choked on his own saliva, coughing. Tian Yao heard the commotion inside and rushed to the room. As he walked, he said: “Just sit for a bit.”
Liu Zhi just waved him off, helping him take care of the remaining tasks.
Tian Yao ran to the bedside. “You’re awake?”
Yu Nian merely stared at him coldly, making Tian Yao’s scalp prickle. Only then did he remember what he’d just said. He gave an awkward smile. “Just joking around, wasn’t I?” He gave another dry laugh. “I’ll fetch water so you can wash up.”
Watching his retreating back, Yu Nian’s face remained expressionless, more convinced of those rumors.
Liu Zhi said he came to help, but it was actually an excuse to deliver money. So, seeing Tian Yao head to the kitchen, he told Tian Yao he was going home.
Tian Yao brought the steamed buns and chopped salted vegetables to the bedside. “Eat breakfast.”
The buns mixed with cornmeal were rather coarse, not as soft and fluffy as pure wheat buns—even a bit hard to swallow. But Tian Yao still ate with relish, quickly finishing two.
Yu Nian tore the bun into small pieces and ate slowly. Tian Yao, seeing this, felt a little guilty and went to pour him a bowl of water. “In the future, I’ll make you buns from pure flour. Just make do for now.”
Yu Nian didn’t mind. He had already eaten far worse things.
Though their wedding would be simple, in the afternoon, many Aunties and Ame from the village still came to help.
One household brought a table, another brought chairs. This one sent some greens, that one offered some tofu. All in all, they managed to scrape together a few tables’ worth of a wedding feast.
By dusk, Tian Yao’s normally quiet courtyard was bustling. Because Yu Nian’s legs were disabled, he only needed to wait for the ceremony, bow, and then go rest.
The matter had been so rushed they had no new clothes and could only pin two pieces of red cloth onto some passably clean and neat clothes to serve as wedding attire.
When the Village Chief arrived, he brought a red lantern as his wedding gift to the pair.
Seeing everyone had arrived, the Chief set down his tobacco pipe and cleared his throat. “Then let’s begin.”
Yu Nian couldn’t stand, so Tian Dazhuang and Liu Zhi’s husband, Chen Xu, supported him on the left and right, helping him barely stand upright.
First bow: to Heaven and Earth. At this moment, a bright moon hung high in the night sky.
Second bow: to the ancestors. Before the hall, the Spirit Tablets of Tian Yao’s parents cast long, dancing shadows in the flickering candlelight.
Third bow: husband and wife bow to each other. Tian Yao saw Yu Nian’s face, still gaunt. There was not a trace of joy on it. He was probably lamenting the capriciousness of fate in his heart.
After the three bows, the ceremony was complete. Tian Yao didn’t let the others move him; he carried Yu Nian into the room himself.
Watching their backs as they left, the neighbors who had come gossiped in hushed tones.
“Looks like Yao Ge’er is the real man here.”
“Well, isn’t it because his legs are disabled?”
“Yao Ge’er finally got married off. Old Man Tian can rest easy now.”
On the other side of the banquet area, a small table was set up. Two men with fierce, sinister looks sat there, listening to their chatter.
“Do you think we can go report back to the Young Master now?” One of them watched Tian Yao, who was among the men drinking. “The mission is complete, right?”
They had inquired around here for a long time and finally heard a rumor: a Ger in Huailing Village was immensely strong, able to beat ten men single-handedly, was extremely ugly, his family dirt poor, and there were even rumors of men entering his room at night.
The Young Master said to humiliate Yu Nian, to make him the Live-in Son-in-law of such a Ger—it should meet the Young Master’s requirements. They had seen the person. Only his looks were very different from the rumors. Everything else was more or less the same.
“Let’s observe a bit more tonight.”
The other man was puzzled. What was there to observe tonight? After thinking hard for a long time, he finally got it. His expression turned lecherous. “Watch them… consummate the marriage?”
The first man shot him a glare and waited for the banquet to end.
After seeing all the neighbors off, Tian Yao helped return the tables, chairs, and stools. Then, reeking of alcohol, he returned to the room.
The room had been decorated a little. The red bedsheet spread over the bed now was also a gift from a villager.
Tian Yao’s alcohol tolerance wasn’t bad; that wine couldn’t make him drunk. He tidied up the courtyard, heated water, and returned to the room to soak and massage Yu Nian’s feet.
After finishing this, Tian Yao washed up himself and sat down on the bed.
He was somewhat tired, lying on the bed and groaning. Yu Nian lifted his eyes to look at him. But in the next instant, he saw Tian Yao spring up like a hunting leopard, pressing his entire body weight down on Yu Nian.
Yu Nian’s hand braced against his chest, his breathing somewhat unsteady. His voice rose a pitch as he scolded him in a low voice: “What are you doing?”
Tian Yao’s voice wasn’t as soft as before; it sounded deliberately amplified. “Consummating the marriage, of course.”
As he spoke, he began tugging at Yu Nian’s clothes. The sound of ripping fabric rang out. Yu Nian truly couldn’t handle him.
But in the next second, he heard Tian Yao, sprawled against his chest, making some blush-inducing sounds with a strained voice. Yu Nian’s ears turned red, yet Tian Yao was completely oblivious.
He climbed off Yu Nian, then sat up, but the sounds from his mouth didn’t stop.
Expressionless, Yu Nian rolled over, refusing to look at him. A while later, Tian Yao finally stopped. To be so practiced at making those sounds, who knows… Yu Nian didn’t dwell on it. What did it matter to him? They were merely using each other, that was all.
Actually, Tian Yao was somewhat embarrassed himself. After a while, he said: “There were people outside just now. Probably your enemies.”
Tian Yao wasn’t stupid. He had noticed the strangers at his home today and knew they must be Yu Nian’s enemies. Naturally, he also understood why those people wanted to push Yu Nian onto him—precisely because his own reputation was so poor, making them think this was a good way to humiliate Yu Nian.
Anyway, he conducted himself uprightly. Gossip and rumors never bothered him; others’ opinions were never his concern.
“They should leave by tomorrow.” Tian Yao hopped off the bed and found the sewing basket set aside. He took off the outer robe Yu Nian was wearing—his Father’s clothes—it pained him to see it torn.
But his needlework was poor. He pricked his finger every two stitches. The room, besides the autumn cicadas, was filled with the sound of Tian Yao hissing in pain.
After much difficulty, he managed to mend the garment crookedly. He yawned and returned to bed.
He counted his fingers, dotted with several needle pricks, chattering away: “Liu Zhi lent me half a string of cash. Aunt Zhang sent ten eggs. Butcher Zhang sent three catties of meat. Others sent vegetables, brought wine, and this bedsheet… Calculating it all, I owe them a total of…”
Tian Yao thought for a while before giving a figure. “Three taels of silver.”
He lay on the bed, eyes open, but his vision was hazy. “Tomorrow, I’ll go out and earn money.”
Tian Yao patted Yu Nian’s hand. As sleepiness hit him, his hand just rested against Yu Nian’s as he fell asleep.
Moonlight flooded the room tonight, shining through the window. He saw the outline of Tian Yao’s hand. It wasn’t slender and long; it was short and small, covered with many old wounds that had now faded into scars of varying depth.
Still, without any emotion, he pushed Tian Yao’s hand away and closed his own eyes.
Tian Yao had drunk a bit too much the day before, so he woke up a little later than usual. But only a sliver of light had seeped through the window.
When he woke, his head was very close to Yu Nian’s, their breaths intertwining. Tian Yao gently raised his head and leaned in to look at him. His breathing was very steady, his eyelashes long, his face still a bit thin.
He watched for a long while before slowly getting dressed and rising. As he dressed, he thought about what to do next. Winter was about to arrive; the weather would soon turn cold. He hadn’t prepared any reserves for winter.
He didn’t know if Yu Nian’s legs could withstand the bitter cold of winter.
Thinking of this, he once again regretted the money he had paid out. If it were still in his hands, he could have built a Kang this winter. Burning it warmly would be beneficial for the recovery of Yu Nian’s legs.
Yesterday’s feast had been very meager, so there hadn’t been much left over when he cleaned up in the evening. But quite a few cornbreads remained, plus the two eggs he’d secretly hidden away. Tian Yao beat the eggs and steamed an egg custard for Yu Nian.
He wrapped up a few cornbreads and put them into his bamboo basket. He heated water, took a salted turnip from the jar, and chopped it up.
The cornbread and egg custard were kept warm over the hot water, the salted vegetable placed to the side, and everything was carried into the room.
Yu Nian’s sleeping posture was rigid; he seemed not to have moved all night. Tian Yao watched him for another moment, then put on his shoes and headed up the mountain under the moonlight.
It wasn’t until broad daylight that Yu Nian woke. When he woke, he didn’t even know where he was for a moment. Seeing the steamed buns at the bedside, he remembered—he had changed residences last night. This was his new home.
The cornbread had already gone a bit cold. Hot water cools quickly in autumn; a tough skin had formed on the bread.
He sat up with some effort, reached for the cornbread, and some salted vegetables presumably meant to go with it. To his surprise, there was also a bowl of egg custard.
Yu Nian held the bowl of egg custard; a trace of warmth still lingered. Tian Yao must have added some lard when steaming it. Yu Nian scooped a spoonful from the edge. It went down smoothly, rich and tender. This was the best thing he’d eaten in a long time.
His eyes grew a little hot. He took a sip of the nearly cold water, barely managing to suppress the sharp ache in his heart.
Tian Yao’s home was deep within Huailing Village, close to Mount Huailing. It was very quiet here, only the sounds of insects and birdsong.
Yu Nian remembered Tian Yao saying he’d go up the mountain today. A Ger, heading up the mountain to hunt before dawn?
The wilderness was dangerous. He didn’t know how a Ger could protect himself and still bring back prey. Yu Nian recalled the rumors he’d heard about Tian Yao and understood it was very difficult for a Ger to survive alone. So doing certain things wasn’t incomprehensible, after all, it was all to survive.
Thinking this, he felt the bowl of egg custard in his hand weighed a thousand catties. In the end, he couldn’t eat more than that very first spoonful of the custard.
