Mi esposa se sube al muro

Capítulo 14

In the darkness, Xu Shirong heard Yang Huan repeating the same words over and over again, so she could only hum in agreement and whisper, "I know..."

"Jiaoniang, do you know? Heh, do you know what I'm thinking right now?"

What are you thinking about?

Yang Huan rolled over, but his hand still gripped hers tightly. He mumbled, "I wish my father were here too, so he could see what happened today. How wonderful that would be..."

Xu Shirong paused for a moment while fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan, then resumed fanning, and said softly, "He will know."

“I’ve never liked studying since I was little, and he would scold me with a stern face. Over the years, all he does when he sees me is yell at me. I can’t remember ever smiling at me once… He even said I’m not as good as that Dong Ge… But the people outside are different. They’re all terrified of me, and the young women all try to smile at me… If he knew what happened today, he probably wouldn’t yell at me anymore…”

Xu Shirong heard him muttering incoherently, the voice growing softer and softer until it finally stopped, followed by a soft, even snore. He had fallen asleep. Feeling her hand sticky with sweat from his grip, she tried to pull it away, but he mumbled something more and leaned closer. Xu Shirong didn't dare move, letting him hold her hand. She shifted slightly away, fanning herself with a palm leaf fan, and finally yawned before slowly drifting off to sleep.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Birds perched on the old sycamore tree in the courtyard chirped in the morning light, waking Xu Shirong. Opening her eyes, she saw Yang Huan sleeping beside her. It took her a while to come to her senses, remembering how he had come to her last night, tugged at her hand, and murmured something to her, and then… the two of them had fallen asleep like that.

Feeling a heaviness on her, Xu Shirong glanced down and realized that he had released her hand at some point, but instead placed it on her waist, his legs spread wide, pressing down on her calves. She moved slightly, only to find it numb. She cursed his sleeping posture inwardly, about to kick him away, but then turned her head and saw his still-sleeping face, perfectly peaceful, lacking his usual slickness, and actually quite pleasing to the eye. She restrained herself, gently moving his hand away and pulling her leg free. Once it felt more comfortable, she lifted the bed curtains and got out of bed. When she returned after washing up, she found the bed curtains drawn. Yang Huan had woken up sometime earlier, but was still sitting cross-legged, his head slightly lowered, seemingly lost in thought. Seeing her, he suddenly raised his head and asked, "I...slept with you last night?"

Xu Shirong didn't even look at him. She simply went over and opened the window, saying indifferently, "You came here drunk last night wanting to sleep, so I gave up my room and let you sleep in another room."

Upon hearing this, Yang Huan gave an "oh," a hint of disappointment appearing between his brows. However, he quickly jumped up and said with a grin, "Jiao Niang, I went to the seawall yesterday and saw something interesting. But it was too crowded yesterday, so you'll accompany me there quietly today. I guarantee it will be interesting."

Xu Shirong glanced at him before saying, "Didn't you go to inspect the dike yesterday? What interesting things happened then?"

Yang Huan chuckled, said "You wait," and quickly ran out of the house, leaving her alone, bewildered and wondering what he was up to.

Before long, Yang Huan swept over like a gust of wind, but his attire startled her: he wore a straw hat, a half-new and half-old gray cross-collar short shirt and straight trousers, and a pair of old cloth shoes. If you didn't see his face, you would think he was a farmer going to work in the fields.

Seeing Xu Shirong's surprised expression, Yang Huan smiled smugly, threw a pile of clothes at her, and kept urging her, "Quick, quick, you should change too."

Xu Shirong grabbed the clothes he threw at her, and seeing that they were also a set of women's coarse cloth short clothes, she frowned and said, "What exactly are you planning?"

Seeing that she was standing still, Yang Huan rolled up his sleeves and came over to take off her outer garment, saying, "You'll see when you get there. If you don't change, do you want me to take it off for you?"

Xu Shirong pushed his hand away and shoved him outside the door before changing into the clothes. After opening the door, Yang Huan put another straw hat on her head, then looked her up and down and said with a smile, "You still look so good in these clothes. We look like a married couple. Let's sneak out now."

Xu Shirong saw that he already had a bag of steamed buns in his hand, which must be for breakfast, so she had no choice but to follow him out. Instead of going through the main gate, she went to the side gate. After a few steps, she ran into Xiao Que and the others. When they saw the two of them dressed, they were all dumbfounded and stood there speechless.

"What are you looking at? I'm going to observe the people's conditions!" Yang Huan said without changing his expression, casually pulling the still hesitant Xu Shirong along and quickly going around to the county government office. Once outside, no one recognized him. Although Xu Shirong was full of doubts, since he had already been dragged out, he had no choice but to reluctantly follow him.

The two walked eastward, and soon after leaving the county town, the population gradually thinned out, and the wind grew stronger, carrying a faint fishy smell—the sea was near. Every now and then, several people dressed similarly to them passed by, all with dark complexions, men and women, and children laughing and playing as they walked, carrying bamboo baskets or hampers, unlike the two who were traveling empty-handed.

Not far along, a long dike came into view in the distance. As it drew closer, the dike was indeed dilapidated, with collapses visible everywhere. Huge stones, pebbles, and rotten bamboo structures were exposed beneath the black mud. Standing on the dike, the sea wind howled, and before me stretched a vast expanse of muddy seawater, a hazy gray, while the sky, a clear blue, merged into a line on the horizon—blue and gray, desolate yet striking. The distant cries of wild cranes echoed in my ears, instantly broadening my horizons and making even my breathing seem easier.

As Xu Shirong was looking around, Yang Huan suddenly tugged at her sleeve and pointed ahead, saying, "Look, look!" Following his gesture, she saw that the seawater below the dam seemed to be receding. Slowly, the areas that had been covered by the seawater were revealed, turning out to be a mudflat with some fish that hadn't had time to go down with the tide.

"Well, haven't you ever seen anything like this before?" Yang Huan glanced at Xu Shirong, noticing her eyes were fixed on the receding seawater, and continued, "I heard yesterday that there are daily tides here. When the tide goes out, this mudflat is exposed, and there are beachcombers who go down to collect shellfish and crabs during the off-season. I specifically asked, and they said that today is the sixth day of the lunar month, with high tide at the end of Yin hour and the beginning of Shen hour, and low tide at the end of Si hour and the beginning of Hai hour. We're currently experiencing low tide. Yesterday, I saw those beachcombers rummaging through the mudflats, and it looked quite interesting, so I called you here. We'll go down and rummage together later."

Xu Shirong looked at his smug face and said with a wry smile, "Magistrate, they went down to collect snails for a living. Do you think they all went down there for fun like you? You dragged me all this way just for this? Go back now and stop fooling around!"

As she spoke, the adults and children around her who were going to the beach had already taken off their shoes and left them on the dike before going down into the mud. Yang Huan, his eyes fixed on the muddy area in front of him, couldn't hear anything. He kicked off his shoes and pulled Xu Shirong, insisting on going down as well.

Although Xu Shirong grew up in the north, she had only seen locals going to the beach to work when she visited relatives and friends in Zhoushan on the coast with her parents when she was young. Unlike Yang Huan, who had lived inland in Tokyo since childhood, he had never actually seen such a sight. Seeing his eager and impatient expression, she couldn't help but sigh and say, "Why didn't you say you wanted to go down to the mudflats? You came empty-handed, and I was going to pick up something and put it in your clothes? Look at those people who went down; they all carried dry food and water bottles. Do you think walking on the mudflats is so easy?"

Hearing her tone soften, Yang Huan glanced around and saw several bamboo baskets on the embankment ahead. He went over to pick one up. Before he could even touch it, a barefoot boy of about seven or eight years old darted out from the side. His bare upper body was tanned dark by the sun. He pointed at Yang Huan and shouted, "Stealing my bamboo baskets in broad daylight! If I tell the magistrate, he'll give you a good beating!"

Yang Huan chuckled and said, "I just forgot to bring it, so I borrowed it from your family. How is that stealing? It's not a free loan. I know the county magistrate. You can go to the county office tomorrow to collect it, and I'll give you the money."

The boy hesitated for a moment, then spat and said, "Look at your eyes darting around, you're no good! How could the magistrate possibly know someone like you! Put it down now!"

Yang Huan glanced at Xu Shirong standing there, arms crossed as if mocking him. Feeling humiliated, Yang Huan's teeth clenched, and he pointed at the child, saying, "Hey, you little rascal..."

"Loach, since they're asking to borrow it, just lend it to them. It's just a bamboo basket, why make such a fuss?"

Before Yang Huan could finish speaking, a voice came from behind him. He turned around and saw a middle-aged woman in her forties, quite robust, also dressed in short clothes. She must be the child's mother.

The boy called Loach reluctantly handed a bamboo basket to Yang Huan, who took it, returned to Xu Shirong's side, and said with a grin, "See, we have one."

The woman saw the two of them, sized them up, and walked over with a smile, saying, "You two look unfamiliar, and with your delicate skin, you don't seem to be in this line of work. Is this your first time here?"

Seeing that she was talkative and kind, Xu Shirong quickly replied with a smile, "Indeed. I've come to visit some relatives. Thank you for lending me the bamboo basket, sister-in-law."

The woman glanced at her again and laughed, "It will get very hot in the mud when the sun is high. Look at you two, you didn't bring a water jug. You'll definitely be thirsty later. If you don't mind, I have an extra one here. You can carry it over."

Xu Shirong hurriedly accepted the basket and thanked her profusely. The woman shook her head and said, "It's nothing. I just heard your husband mention the county magistrate. Are you perhaps a relative of his? I heard that the county magistrate wants to build this dike, which is truly a great thing for the people. Since you are relatives of his, you are merely borrowing a basket. There's no need for thanks."

Xu Shirong glanced at Yang Huan and saw him standing there scratching his head and chuckling foolishly, which looked rather ridiculous. She couldn't help but shake her head.

The woman was very kind. She pointed out a good place to collect mud snails and sand crabs, told them the tide time, and told them not to go too far into the mudflats. She also reminded them that there were oyster shells in the shallows along the shore, and they should be careful not to cut their feet. Only then did she take the loaches and go down herself. Xu Shirong thanked her profusely.

Yang Huan carried the basket and water, and dragged Xu Shirong along as they stepped into the pit. Following the instructions of the muddy woman, the two followed the path others had taken, wading into the muddy ground. With each step, the mud reached their ankles; the deeper they went, the more difficult it became to pull their feet out. Yang Huan, however, was very happy, wading back and forth, attracting the attention of several people nearby. They looked over, and Yang Huan restrained himself slightly, bending down to imitate the others and feeling around for things.

The mudflats were teeming with snails, sand crabs, mudskippers, and other fish that hadn't made it back with the tide and were still stuck in the puddles. Snails were the most numerous, lying one after another on the surface of the mud. After picking them up for a while, Yang Huan got bored and set his sights on the mudskippers. However, the fish were very slippery. He tried to catch them for a long time but only managed to catch a few. His feet sank into the mud and he couldn't pull them out for a moment. Instead, he fell face-first into the mud, instantly becoming covered in mud, even his head and face were splattered with mud.

Xu Shirong saw him raise his face, spitting out mud from his mouth, his entire face a black mess, only his eyes remaining somewhat black and white after a few movements. He looked even stranger than a circus clown, and she laughed so hard she almost couldn't stand up straight. Just as she was laughing, Yang Huan's hand suddenly smeared mud on her face. She couldn't dodge in time, and he smeared mud all over her face as well. She was so angry that she wanted to kick him, but her leg was stuck in the mud and she couldn't pull it out.

Seeing that her face was also covered in mud, Yang Huan chuckled, put his hands on his hips, and said smugly, "A husband and wife should follow each other, that's the truth of the world, haven't you heard? I'm all covered in mud, how can you still be so clean?"

Xu Shirong glared at him, wiped her face with her sleeve, and bent down to pick up nearby snails, ignoring him. A moment later, she heard Yang Huan cry out again, "Ouch, my goodness, you pinched my hand!"

Xu Shirong looked up and saw that one of his hands was being gripped by the pincers of a blue-legged sand crab. He was struggling to shake it off, but the crab's pincers held on very firmly. No matter how many times he shook it, it wouldn't fall off. Xu Shirong hurriedly shouted, "Put it on the ground!" Yang Huan lowered his hand as instructed, and the crab released its grip and disappeared into a water hole.

"Jiaoniang, my finger hurts, please blow on it for me!"

The sand crab wasn't very strong; it pinched her hand, causing some pain but no bleeding. Yet Yang Huan, like a proud child, stuck his finger to her lips, grimacing and complaining. Xu Shirong noticed several women nearby watching and whispering, fearing he might be shameless and continue to pester her, so she simply blew on it haphazardly. Only then did Yang Huan smile and withdraw his finger, wiping it on his clothes.