Einfacher Congee-Roman

Kapitel 61

"How can a wife who has defiled countless virgins be worthy of a husband who has only been defiled by others and has never defiled anyone?"

This sentence successfully extinguished the scholar's arrogance, leaving him completely deflated. The previous lecture, besides leaving him sexually frustrated and wishing for death, had at least one benefit: he now knew that a woman's first time was different from a man's, and that his wife's bleeding on their wedding night wasn't because her "skin was delicate and easily injured"...

It was his fault, his ignorance. Even his only premarital experience was done with his eyes closed the entire time because it wasn't consensual, and given the passage of time, the details are impossible to verify... If only he had known this would happen, wouldn't it have been better if he had learned some medicine from the Elder? What's most despicable are those vivid rumors and anecdotes, malicious slander! Fabricated out of thin air! Calling a deer a horse!

"Just because people say I've slept with countless virgins doesn't mean I'm a veteran of countless battles! They also call you a sorcerer, are you one?!"

The sharp cry was accompanied by the sound of a stack of books slamming against the door. The scholar was startled, realizing he had inadvertently blurted out his thoughts. He stammered, "Well... ever since I suffered from the Gu poison, I did indeed study witchcraft for a while... but how did the people of the capital know about it when no one in the martial arts world knows? Hmm, the capital is indeed full of hidden talents..."

The study was quiet for a moment, then a loud bang was heard, and the door shook violently as it was slammed shut.

The scholar dodged the falling tiles and layers of dust from the eaves with a swift movement, then stared at the door, which was teetering on the brink of collapse without him lifting a finger, and muttered to himself: Could it be that they moved the bookshelf to smash the door down...? My wife is truly unusually fierce... Wait a minute!

"My wife! I haven't read those books by the bookshelf yet, they can't be destroyed!"

He waited anxiously for a reply, only to receive a single, forceful, and resounding word: "Get out!"

And so, on the very day they were supposed to be separated, the couple separated again. The scholar, who had just deduced from "my wife didn't deflower countless virgins" that "my wife didn't prefer virgins," was soon disheartened to deduce from "my wife was a virgin before marriage" that "my wife still disliked him for not being a virgin before marriage." And then, nothing more. He was plunged into despair, moving away heavily with a heavy heart.

Huh? I think I heard something? It doesn't matter anymore. He needs to go back to his room, reflect on his actions, and think carefully about how to win back his wife's heart…

The scholar drifted back to his room like a ghost, leaving Fan Bing, completely ignored at the study door, in tears. His empty eyes silently cried out: "Do you know how hard I've worked?! My master thought I was in the way and moved me out of the study. And that fellow scholar is even worse, pretending not to see me! Why! Why does everyone who applied pressure points to me forget to release them?"

Clearly, he remembered the day his master got married, when he was immobilized by pressure points for a whole day and night.

The lessons of the past are still fresh in our minds; how swiftly we would repeat them! How tragic, yet how heroic!

But who is Fan Bing? He's notoriously protective of his master, xenophobic, often eccentric, vindictive, and petty! After suffering for the scholar both indirectly and directly, could he possibly refrain from retaliating? Impossible!

Although the family rules forbid fighting, poisoning, and treachery, as the saying goes, where there's a will, there's a way. It's common knowledge that he's responsible for all the household chores in both the Shu and Fan families, such as cooking. He certainly wouldn't stoop to such low-brow tactics as poisoning, but spitting on things and adding extra spices like chili peppers and scallions—foods he and his master could eat but the scholar couldn't—would still be quite amusing.

Hmph, with that guy surnamed Shu's tendency to get hungry if he doesn't eat, I'll make sure he gets what's coming to him!

Thus, in the days that followed, the scholar found himself in dire straits. During the day, he had to endure the torment of food, while Fan Qingbo treated him with utmost respect and harmony. However, every night, he was subjected to inhumane and inhumane sex lessons. Because of his guilt, he dared not force himself on the subject and could only grit his teeth and endure the pain, suffering immensely.

Before we knew it, it was the Ghost Festival (July 15th of the lunar calendar). The customs and traditions of this time and place were quite similar to those of ancient China. However, the Feng Dynasty had always revered Taoism and suppressed Buddhism, so the common people basically celebrated the Ghost Festival (Zhongyuan Festival), and there was no such thing as the Ullambana Festival.

On this day, the sky was overcast and the air was somewhat damp. Every household prepared offerings for the sacrifice, but the scholar's house remained quiet and serene.

Fan Qingbo was afraid of ghosts. If her fear in her previous life was merely a vague, unfounded one, then in this life, after witnessing the "aesthetically distorted" and "unkempt" ghosts of the underworld, her fear had reached its peak. This was because she knew very well that July was indeed the month when the gates of hell were wide open, the fifteenth of the seventh lunar month was indeed the day with the heaviest yin energy, and ghosts were indeed all very frightening to look at.

On this day in previous years, while others prepared to welcome their ancestors and enjoy human food, Fan Qingbo would usually paste yellow talismans to ward off evil spirits all over the house, and then play chess all night with the energetic Fan Bing. This year, with a scholar in the family, her opinion naturally had to be considered. She thought that his pedantic and rule-abiding nature would lead him to insist on following the proper rituals, since ancestor worship was considered a major ceremony. To her surprise, he agreed to do it her way.

She assumed he had only yielded because of her coercion, and even offered to help prepare things if he wanted to pay respects to his parents. He, however, comforted her, saying he wasn't familiar with his parents and didn't know what they liked to eat, so forcing him to prepare things might backfire. Fan Qingbo, who had initially hoped to impress him, suddenly felt powerless. It turned out he wasn't flexible; his thought process was just too peculiar.

She then recalled the two things she had found in the study: her marriage certificate with the scholar and a stack of unopened books, and a strange smile crept onto her lips.

"My lord, I'm going out for a while. Is there anything you need me to bring back?"

Seeing her suddenly softened expression and hearing her gentle words, the scholar was flattered, yet a chill still reflexively ran down his spine. "No, no need. My lady, please be careful on your journey. Go early and come back early. The road is slippery; would you like to put on another layer of clothing…?"

Behind him, Fan Bing, who had repeatedly opened his mouth only to have all his lines stolen, said with a dark face, "They've been gone for a long time."

The scholar turned back sheepishly, and Fan Bing snorted and walked away. The scholar paused, touched his nose, and continued to attend class absentmindedly.

It was a special day, so the class, which was originally scheduled to end at 5:45 PM, ended at 3:45 PM. After announcing the end of get out of class and reminding everyone to go home early and not wander around, the scholar rested his chin on his hand and fell into deep thought.

"Hey, do you think the teacher has been acting strangely these past few days?" a child asked the person next to him while tidying up his books.

"Yes, the teacher looks terrible. Is he about to die?" These children never stopped imagining that their teacher was dead.

"Idiot!" Pidan crossed his arms and looked at the child who spoke with disdain.

The child retorted, "Then what do you suggest?"

Pidan glanced enigmatically at the teacher who was lost in thought, then scanned the crowd, pleased to see everyone's attention on him. He then took a few steps with his hands behind his back like a little adult before smugly saying, "Teacher, your face is dark; you're probably having trouble with your sex life!"

"Wow!" A group of children shouted excitedly, but the scholar was lost in thought and didn't notice.

Pidan, head held high, was basking in the adoring gazes of the crowd when suddenly a voice rang out, "What is sex?"

He looked down and saw the little girl tugging at his clothes. He also noticed the other children had the same puzzled look on their faces. He then realized that their "wow" wasn't because they admired his extensive knowledge, but because he had said a word they didn't recognize.

"You don't even know this? You guys are so useless!" Pidan curled his lip. "It's what your parents do when they're locked in their room!"

The little girl nodded as if she understood, then asked, "How did Pidan know that?"

Pidan tugged at her braid, "Silly! My mother always has this face when she's having trouble in bed, how could I not know!"

The little girl was even more confused, "But Pidan, don't you... don't you have a father?"

Pidan's eyes widened, and he pulled even harder on her braids, tearing off all the hair ornaments. He yelled, "You're so stupid! How could I possibly play with someone as stupid as you! Hmph! Don't ever say you're hanging out with me again!"

"Waaah!" The little girl was so frightened that she started to cry.

The scholar finally heard the sound, as if waking from a dream. He walked over from the podium, looking helplessly at the little girl who was crying and hiccuping, his mind still a bit fuzzy. What was going on? Hadn't get out of class ended a long time ago?

"Ahem." Someone finally couldn't help but come out.

When Fan Qingbo returned, she heard the children in the yard having a lively discussion. Finding it interesting, she didn't plan to come out. Later, Xiao Ya mentioned that Pi Dan didn't have a father, and her heart tightened. She was afraid that her unintentional words would hurt Pi Dan. Just as she was hesitating whether to intervene, she heard Xiao Ya's loud crying.

—She really underestimated Fifth Sister's child.

"Don't cry, little one, come here, let me hold you." She knelt down and hugged the little girl, then heard a soft gasp above her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the scholar's slightly open mouth and envious expression. Oh, this is against the rules! My husband can't be this cute!

Fan Qingbo suppressed the urge to laugh, multitasking to soothe the little girl. Admittedly, she was initially angry with this simpleton and wanted to punish him, but over the past few days, her anger had long since dissipated. Plus, her most important goal—tricking the scholar into signing the family rules—had already been achieved. The rest was purely driven by her mischievousness. Who could resist his adorable expressions, whether he was half-heartedly resisting, burning with desire, or forcefully suppressing it? She couldn't help but tease him repeatedly.

She always thought she liked strong people, but after meeting the scholar, she discovered that she could be so proactive.