Mi esposa se sube al muro

Capítulo 39

"Jiaoniang..."

Yang Huan kept calling her name softly, trying to separate her tightly closed legs, but he couldn't find a way. He was aroused, and although he felt her resistance, he couldn't hold back any longer. He turned his hand to enter from behind, but Xu Shirong grabbed his hand and stopped him.

"Jiaoniang, what's wrong? Don't you like it...? I'll make you feel very comfortable..."

Yang Huan was somewhat puzzled. Although he stopped holding her, he still held her tightly.

Xu Shirong stopped his hand, a reaction that came almost instinctively. Hearing his soft, gentle questioning voice, she was momentarily at a loss for words. After a long pause, she murmured, "No… I… I just…"

She stopped mid-sentence, unable to continue. How could she explain to him? That she wasn't the same Xu Jiaoniang she once was, that she wasn't ready to be his true wife? With a sigh, she said nothing, burying her face in his chest.

If he really wants it, then so be it. After all, he is the husband of this body she now has. Before, she could kick him out of bed with a clear conscience, but now, she simply cannot bring herself to do such a thing.

She released her grip on his wrist, relaxed her body as much as possible, and lay down in his arms with her eyes closed. Somewhat unexpectedly, Yang Huan didn't immediately pounce on her. Instead, he released her, lifted the bed curtains, got out of bed, lit the candlestick on the table, and sat back down on the edge of the bed. He gently lifted her face from the pillow, examined her carefully, and then cautiously asked, "Jiaoniang, are you feeling unwell? I feel you're a little different than usual."

Xu Shirong opened her eyes. She saw him staring at her intently, his eyes filled with concern, completely unlike his usual playful and slick manner. A pang of sadness struck her, and for some reason, her eyes suddenly welled up with tears.

Yang Huan was startled to see her eyes suddenly redden and brimming with tears. He quickly knelt down beside her, intending to wipe away her tears, but then abruptly pulled his hand back halfway. He said to himself with self-pity, "It's all my fault. You've never liked me touching you. I forgot for a moment. Don't be sad, I really won't touch you again."

Xu Shirong sniffed, sat up, and pulled her clothes back up from her shoulders before whispering, "I have a bad temper, and I'm not good to you either. Don't you really resent me?"

Yang Huan said blankly, "I have a bad temper and often make you angry. You should be the one resenting me."

Xu Shirong was taken aback by his words and lowered her head, saying, "It's my fault, I've wronged you..."

Before she could finish speaking, Yang Huan grasped her hand and said, "My wife, you are wonderful, truly. I, Yang Huan, have lived for over twenty years and have never felt so happy. Every day, when I'm out and about, knowing that you'll be waiting for me at home fills my heart with joy. Truly."

Xu Shirong looked up at him and saw his sincere gaze. A warm feeling welled up in her heart. Just as she was about to speak, her nose tingled and she sneezed.

Yang Huan then noticed that her hands were a little cold, so he quickly helped her lie down, pulled the blanket up to her chin, and wrapped her up tightly, saying, "Look how foolish I was. It's chilly at night, and you're only dressed lightly. You might catch a cold. Go to sleep now." After saying that, he leaned out, blew out the lamp with a "poof," and lay down himself.

The room grew dark again. Xu Shirong's mind replayed Yang Huan's words, unable to fall asleep for a long time. Just as she was starting to feel sleepy, she suddenly felt Yang Huan, who was lying to her left, move slightly, followed by a soft rustling sound. Curious, she was about to turn over to see what was happening when she heard a suppressed, low sound from his throat, followed by a long sigh. She froze for a moment, then suddenly understood. Her heart pounded. Afraid of being discovered and embarrassed, she shrank back, not daring to move. Then, she felt him get up stealthily, as if tossing something under the footstool by the bed, before gently lying back down, seemingly also afraid of waking her.

A short while later, Xu Shirong heard him snoring softly and evenly, indicating that he had fallen asleep. She finally breathed a long sigh of relief and moved her limbs slightly. A wave of sweetness, bitterness, and guilt washed over her, and she stayed up until almost four in the morning before finally closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep. Just as dawn was breaking, she woke up abruptly. Seeing him still sprawled out, fast asleep, she suddenly remembered what he had thrown under the bed the night before. She quickly crept out of bed, bent down beside him, and looked down. Sure enough, she saw a crumpled handkerchief-like object. She picked it up, carefully unfolded it, and her face flushed bright red.

On a snow-white handkerchief stained with something slippery, the four characters "谁宜为貌" (Who shall adorn herself with this) were embroidered in the corner. This was the origin of her name; her grandfather had named her after the line "岂无膏沐，谁宜为貌" (How can there be no ointment or shampoo? Who shall adorn herself with this?) from the *Book of Songs*, specifically the *Wei Feng* section. Last night, when asked about it, Yang Huan said without batting an eye that he had lost it, and she believed him. Little did she know he had secretly used it for this purpose! If not for this coincidence, she would probably still be completely unaware.

Xu Shirong felt both amused and annoyed. She glanced at the person who was still fast asleep, and finally couldn't help but smile slightly. She pulled the blanket that had slipped down a bit, dressed herself, and then tucked the soiled handkerchief into her sleeve. She went to the well in the back courtyard, drew some water, and slowly washed the handkerchief in it.

Xu Shirong washed the handkerchief and hung it to dry on the bamboo rack where Xiao Que and Xiang'er usually dried their clothes. Looking up, she saw the first glimmer of sunset in the eastern sky. Just as she was about to go back, she saw Xiang'er yawning and carrying a basin of clothes to wash. Seeing Xu Shirong there, she paused, then noticed the handkerchief hanging on the rack behind her and hurriedly said, "Madam, your handkerchief is dirty. Just tell me to wash it; why do it yourself!"

Xu Shirong laughed and said, "It's just a handkerchief, you can wash it yourself."

Xiang'er chuckled and said, "Madam is so kind. You and Lord Yang are a match made in heaven."

Xu Shirong smiled, patted her head, and turned to go into the house.

As she entered, she saw Yang Huan lying on the floor peering under the bed, seemingly searching for something. A sudden realization dawned on her, and she coughed.

Forty-seven

Yang Huan woke up groggily, instinctively reaching for her side, only to find it empty. Opening her eyes, she realized she was alone on the bed. She lost all desire to sleep, staring blankly at the top of the bed curtains for a long while. Suddenly, she remembered the handkerchief she had secretly slipped under the bed the night before. Taking advantage of her absence, she decided to tidy it up, so she rolled out of bed and peered under the bed to retrieve it. But there was nothing there. She was somewhat incredulous. She clearly remembered using it last night and, fearing she would find it in the morning, slipping it under the footstool as usual, intending to retrieve it today and secretly wash it.

Yang Huan looked again, even feeling under the bed, but still nothing. Just as he was wondering, he heard a cough behind him. Knowing she had entered the room, he quickly got up from the floor, dusted off his hands, turned around, and said with a grin, "My lady, you're up so early today. Why didn't you sleep a little longer?"

Seeing his nonchalant expression, Xu Shirong suddenly felt like teasing him. She feigned surprise and said, "As soon as I came in, I saw you lying on the floor looking under the bed, as if you were looking for something. Could it be that you've been hiding some gold or silver treasure from me?"

Yang Huan opened his eyes wide and exclaimed, "There are no gold or silver treasures here. I just heard a noise down there. I was afraid that insects or rats had crawled in. If you were alone in the house and they crawled out, wouldn't that scare you? That's why I crawled down to check."

Xu Shirong suppressed a laugh, said "Oh," and walked towards the bed, saying, "Let me take a look too." She bent down and pretended to look, then suddenly exclaimed, "What is that white blob? It looks like a handkerchief."

Yang Huan was shocked and hurriedly grabbed Xu Shirong from behind, putting her down on the bed. He then quickly bent down to look again, but there was nothing there. He was relieved and looked up at Xu Shirong, saying, "Where did this white wad of cloth come from? You must have been seeing things."

Xu Shirong peered through his eyes and shook his head, saying, "My eyesight has been a bit poor lately, and it's pitch black under the bed. Even if I'm seeing things, it's probably just a trick of my eye."

Yang Huan hummed twice, just about to breathe a sigh of relief, when she suddenly heard her say again, "You mentioned earlier that there were insects and rats making noises under the bed. I'm glad you reminded me. From now on, I need to keep my shoes, handkerchiefs, and other such items out of reach. If they really fall under the bed, they'll probably be carried away by rats. I once lost a handkerchief and couldn't find it anywhere. Later, when I moved the bed out at the end of the year and was cleaning and dusting, I discovered that rats had carried it into a hole in the corner of the wall and made it their nest. It had long since been chewed to pieces."

Yang Huan stared at her suspiciously for a long time, initially harboring some doubts. But seeing her speak so seriously, and remembering her usual somewhat unsmiling demeanor, his doubts dissipated. Then he thought, could it be that the handkerchief really had been carried into a mouse hole, as she claimed? He made up his mind to sneak in and find out for himself while she was away.

Seeing that he was initially flustered, then looked doubtful, and then seemed to believe her words, Xu Shirong was afraid that she would burst out laughing on the spot. She quickly stood up and said as she went out, "You have important things to do today. I'll go see what breakfast has been prepared."

Seeing her walk out, Yang Huan glanced at the area under the bed again before following her, his mind preoccupied. After washing up as usual, the two ate breakfast together and discussed the seawall repair. Yang Huan, preoccupied with the matter of spreading bran, quickly forgot about the earlier issue. Xu Shirong saw him off at the yamen, and only after watching him and Magistrate Mu and a few others ride away on horseback did she return to her own office.

When Yang Huan presented his idea to the group, everyone's eyes lit up. One of the saltworks supervisors said with heartfelt admiration, "I have been boiling salt here for many years and have never thought of such a brilliant method. Lord Yang's ingenious plan is truly admirable." The others also nodded in agreement.

Seeing that the people who had been arguing heatedly yesterday were now unanimously praising this method, Yang Huan couldn't help but want to boast about his wife's cleverness. However, remembering her instructions, he managed to restrain himself, though he was already beaming with joy.

With the method for establishing the foundation settled, the people discussed it and sent two people to the neighboring county to report the method. They also ordered notices to be posted in prominent places throughout the county, and gongs were sounded in each village to announce the news. Upon hearing the news, the people, without further ado, all took their own pig feed bran and scattered it along the coast. When the great tide came in and receded, a winding line of bran was indeed left behind.

On this bright and sunny day, countless people from Qingmen County, young and old, flocked to the seaside. It turned out that today was the auspicious day for the commencement of seawall construction. At the auspicious hour, after a string of firecrackers, Yang Huan led all the county officials and thousands of laborers in lighting incense and worshipping the Dragon God, scattering various offerings into the sea to pray for smooth progress. A gong sounded, and piles were driven along the sugar line, thus finalizing the seawall's location. Xu Shirong, dressed in a coarse blue cloth shirt with small white floral patterns and a straw hat, stood in the crowd. From afar, Yang Huan, in his formal attire, led the people in worshipping the Heavenly God and the Dragon God. His tanned face and solemn expression made him look like a respectable adult, a far cry from his usual carefree and flamboyant self. He stood out conspicuously in the crowd.

"Hey, aren't you the young lady we met on the mudflats the other day?"

Xu Shirong was looking at Yang Huan when she suddenly heard someone speaking to her. She turned her head and saw a sturdy middle-aged woman who looked somewhat familiar. She paused for a moment, then smiled and replied, "You must be Mudfish's mother? How is Mudfish?"

The woman smiled and said, "Good, good. The seawall construction starts today, and Mudskipper's father is also a laborer. My Mudskipper, though small, kept insisting on helping out, and I couldn't stop him. Now, I don't know where he's run off to." After chatting with Xu Shirong for a while, she suddenly remembered something and added, "Oh dear, I was so engrossed in talking to you that I almost forgot about the important matter. The county government issued a notice saying that straw bags are urgently needed to transport mud and sand, and every household is required to weave a few. Although we women can't lift stones, we can still use them to weave straw bags. We'd better hurry and gather some hemp straw, or they'll all be gone." After saying this, she gave a shout and went off with seven or eight other women, laughing and joking.

Xu Shirong watched them leave, and seeing that the sacrificial ceremony was over and the crowd was gradually dispersing, she was about to call Xiao Que back when she couldn't find her anywhere. After searching for a while, she finally found her; she had squeezed into a group of laborers busy driving piles and digging foundations. Xu Shirong went over to call her back. As she got closer, she suddenly saw Xiao Que shove a handkerchief into the hand of a laborer, say something, and then turn and run back in the direction she had been. Xiao Que looked flustered and flushed; Xu Shirong had been standing right there, and Xiao Que hadn't even seen her, running past her like a gust of wind.

The bag contained a stack of flatbreads. Xu Shirong had seen her secretly pack them when she left home that morning, assuming she was too plump to eat much, so she packed them to take with her. She hadn't expected her to give them away. Feeling a little strange, she glanced at the laborer and was surprised to see that it was Shi An, holding the bag of flatbreads and standing there somewhat dazed. Suddenly noticing Xu Shirong beside him, his face flushed slightly. After hesitating for a moment, he approached her and whispered, "Madam… just now, Miss Xiao Que gave me this bag… handed it to me and ran off… please return it to her, and tell her I appreciate it…"

Xu Shirong smiled slightly and said, "There are just a few pancakes inside. The cook made extra this morning, so I brought a few with me. Building the dike is hard work, and I admire your willingness to come. You can keep them; they'll help you when you're hungry."

Shi Anben was somewhat embarrassed, but upon hearing her words, he immediately became serious and said, "Repairing the seawall is a great thing that benefits the local people. I may not be able to do anything else, but it is only right that I contribute. Thank you for your kind words, Madam."

Xu Shirong nodded with a smile. Just as she was about to take her leave, she suddenly heard a voice behind her say, "What are you two talking about?" It sounded a little sour. Turning around, she saw that Yang Huan had arrived at some point and was standing behind her, glancing sideways at Shi An.

Upon seeing that it was Magistrate Yang, Shi An hurriedly greeted him. Yang Huan merely gave a slight hum in return.

Xu Shirong nodded to Shi An before turning and leaving. Yang Huan abandoned Shi An and hurriedly followed, but after a few steps he asked in a low voice, "What were you two talking about just now? I saw something wrapped in a handkerchief in his hand. Did you give it to him?"