Chapter 200
The villagers had thought that playing with these things for a day or two would be the end of it. Although adults hadn't played with them before, seeing the children holding them—whether they were firecrackers or scratch firecrackers—they looked quite big. Though Fang Zichen had come back from Yuanzhou carrying a large bundle, with all this setting off, even if the bundle had been filled entirely with these things, they should have been used up by now. But as it turned out, today was the third day, and they still weren't finished.
Fang Zichen didn't dare give the large firecrackers to Guaizai to play with, but he did give them to Xiao Feng and Yang Mingyi.
These two little gers were also incredibly bold and fearless. They could even light firecrackers single-handedly, acting as wild as boys, not a bit like proper ger. They stuffed the firecrackers into mud, into mouse holes, bamboo tubes, and tree hollows. That was one thing, but at home, they had some cabbages growing. Zhao Ger had painstakingly cared for them—catching insects and watering them—nurturing them until they were plump and hearty, nicely wrapped up, intended for the New Year feast. When Fang Zichen came back at night, for some unknown reason, he stuffed a firecracker into one of the cabbages and blew it to pieces. That night, Zhao Ger lectured him thoroughly, and he earnestly reflected on his actions, admitting he had wasted food, that waste was shameful, and he would remember the lesson and not dare do it again. Only then did Zhao Ger let him off.
Li-shi and Sun-shi had often bullied Guaizai in the past. Over the last two days, Guaizai had called on Xiao Feng and Yang Mingyi, and together they lay in ambush by the river. When others came to wash clothes, they didn't make a fuss. But when Li-shi and Sun-shi came, Guaizai had them light firecrackers and throw them into the river. The splashing water drenched Li-shi and Sun-shi, making them look like drowned rats. The river water was icy; putting hands in it was one thing, but being splashed all over was freezing cold. They didn't dare curse, and even less dared to hit anyone. Looking at Guaizai's grinning, provoking expression, they were practically furious.
...
The mouse, driven into a panic, darted right to Yang Mingyi's feet. Yang Mingyi frowned slightly, his expression unchanged. He lifted his leg, then brought it down with a stomp. The mouse immediately stopped moving.
Yang Mutao swallowed hard, pointing at the tallest young ger whose clothes were somewhat dirty and messy. He turned his head and asked, "Xiao Haozi, is that my family's Yi Ger?"
Xiao Haozi, though finding it a bit hard to believe, still nodded. "Master, that should indeed be the young master."
Yang Mutao choked up.
His refined, cool, and aloof little ger, who always wore neat and tidy fine silks—who would have thought that after just two days in the village, he too had turned into a little monkey.
Xiao Haozi, seeing his expression wasn't right, tentatively asked, "Master, should this servant go and bring the young master back?"
Yang Mingyi had stepped on the mouse to death. Several children gathered around him, full of admiration. The corner of Yang Mingyi's mouth lifted slightly. Though he didn't laugh heartily, it was clear he was happy.
Yang Mutao had never seen him smile before. He used to often sigh that his family's ger didn't act like a child. Now, however, he finally had the demeanor of a child.
Xiao Feng pulled him. "Yi, Yi Ger." He pointed to the side. It turned out someone had found another mouse hole.
The children followed along playing. Zhao Ger wasn't stingy either, giving each of them several boxes of scratch firecrackers and bang snaps. These things were also fun to play with, but they couldn't blow up mouse holes.
Yang Mingyi pushed aside the grass at the entrance of the hole, observed for a moment, wrapped a layer of ash around the incense stick, blew on it twice, then lit the firecracker and threw it into the hole.
Yang Mutao watched him cover his ears and dash away. There was a brightness in his eyes that he had never seen before.
"Forget it," Yang Mutao said. "Let him play. It's rare to see him so happy."
Xiao Haozi stood with him, watching the children play.
In the evening, when Fang Zichen returned from work, he saw a carriage parked outside his courtyard and wondered about it. Hearing from Zhao Ger that Yang Mutao had come and brought many gifts, his face immediately blossomed into a smile.
Fang Zichen looked at the mountain of gifts and said cheerfully, "This handsome uncle sure knows how to handle things properly."
Zhao Ger: "..."
Getting so many gifts was certainly a joy, but having nothing of equal value to offer in return made Zhao Ger feel somewhat uneasy—it felt impolite to only receive and not give.
That evening, Zhao Ger prepared a full table of delicious dishes. Yang Mutao returned, holding Guaizai's hand, with the two little gers following closely behind.
Having eaten at noon and then running around outside all afternoon, the children were starving. They went straight to devouring their food at the table. Yang Mutao put two servings of vegetables into Yang Mingyi's bowl. Seeing Guaizai holding his bowl and shoveling food in fiercely, he feared he might choke and couldn't help but say, "Slow down, slow down."
"Cannot slow down yo!" Guaizai lifted his face from the bowl, ran to his side, and put a serving of vegetables into his bowl. "Too yummy! Grandpa, you eat fast too! Don't be shy, yo! Treat it like your own home!"
Yang Mutao found this both funny and exasperating.
There were six dishes: marinated meats, sour and spicy fish, old hen soup, cold mixed vegetables, sweet and sour pork ribs, and roast duck. Nothing fancy, all homely dishes, but all very delicious, with both vegetables and meat. Yang Mutao was in the food business, and having traveled north and south over the years, he had eaten many varied dishes. But tasting today's meal, it still made his eyes light up.
The kitchen was packed full. The stove was kept warm with fire, making it cozy. Though it was a bit crowded, it was warm and full of warmth, much more comfortable than the large, empty courtyards where just two people ate their meals, feeling lonely and desolate.
Seeing that Yang Mutao really liked the marinated duck intestines, after the meal, Zhao Ger packed some for him, along with a whole duck for him to take back.
Yang Mingyi saw him to the door.
Just before getting into the carriage, Yang Mutao asked, "Yi Ger, are you really not coming with Father to Yuanzhou?"
Yang Mingyi glanced back. Xiao Feng and Guaizai quickly ducked their heads back inside, sneaking around like thieves. He shook his head. "I don't want to go. I want to stay with Brother Fang..."
"That's fine too," Yang Mutao looked at him deeply. "Do you lack anything? I'll have someone send it over." Seeing Yang Mingyi shake his head, he added, "I'll set off the day after tomorrow, probably won't be back until the eighth. If you need anything, tell your Brother Fang or Brother Zhao first."
Living in the village, food and drink were provided. There weren't any shops in the village, but after thinking it over, Yang Mutao still gave him twenty taels, just in case he wanted to buy something but felt too embarrassed to ask Fang Zichen for money.
The carriage rumbled away, disappearing at the village entrance into the night.
Having been together every day before, this parting wasn't for several years. Yang Mingyi didn't feel much sadness about the separation. Hearing no more movement, Guaizai dashed outside, grabbed his hand, and tugged him back into the house.
The three children started playing again.
First were sparklers, then skyrockets.
Fang Zichen had made many firecrackers. He hadn't initially thought the children would play so much, and for several days in a row at that, without getting bored. On the contrary, they seemed to be getting somewhat addicted.
He glanced at Zhao Ger, who was waving sparklers in circles along with the children, sighed silently to himself, and turned back to the room.
After the sparkler in his hand burned out, Zhao Ger entered the room and saw Fang Zichen making firecrackers again. He immediately smiled.
He planted a kiss on Fang Zichen's cheek. "Husband, I love you the most."
Fang Zichen, who had been slowly grinding phosphorus powder, now seemed to have had some incredible switch pressed. His movements became slick and fast, almost flying.
"You little seductress," he said. "You really have me wrapped around your finger."
The children played until youshi (5-7 PM) before Zhao Ger finally called them in to wash up.
Normally, they would go to bed as soon as night fell. But today, having played late and run around all afternoon, the two gers were so tired that they nearly fell asleep the moment their heads touched the pillow.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Zhao Ger waited for a reply before entering, holding Guaizai in his arms.
"Brother Zhao, what's the matter?" Yang Mingyi asked.
Zhao Ger was somewhat helpless. "This kid insists on sleeping with you two."
"Yo! Daddy, that’s not right, not right!" Guaizai climbed onto the bed by himself. "Guaizai is here to protect them, di!"
Earlier, Physician Xu had said that Fang Zichen’s inner qi and blood were still weak, not suitable for marital relations. But after all, he was a young man in his prime. Having his soft little fulang lying beside him at night, able to look but not eat—damn, it was truly unbearable!
Fang Zichen went to Jishi Medical Hall every couple of days. He didn't do anything else, just asked the old physician to take his pulse and asked if he could undertake the "big task" now? He felt he couldn’t hold on much longer. If the intimate life between husband and wife remained unsatisfying, their marriage itself might suffer. He pleaded with the physician to take pity on him and save his family!
Physician Xu was thoroughly irritated by his constant visits. Fang Zichen’s constitution was fundamentally strong. While he still couldn’t stop taking his medicine, engaging in marital relations was now considered acceptable.
Once he got the word, how could Fang Zichen hold back? He came back that night and started trying to coax his son.
Before, when Xiao Feng wasn’t staying over, they could still slip into the side room to "settle matters." But now, with nowhere else to go, doing it on the bed in the middle of winter—the shifting and moving would let cold air under the quilt. What if their son caught a chill? Even if he didn't, with the child sleeping right beside them, Zhao Ger wouldn’t dare make a sound, as stiff as a board. Seeing him suffer in silence broke Fang Zichen’s heart.
Under normal circumstances, Guaizai definitely wouldn't be willing to leave the two of them. But this kid had a chivalrous spirit and sense of justice. Fang Zichen sighed and remarked how pitiful Yang Mingyi and Xiao Feng were.
Guaizai immediately frowned and asked, "Yang Pig and Brother Xiao Feng—how are they pitiful?"
Fang Zichen said ghosts liked to go to places with strong yin energy. Men belonged to yang, while girls and gers belonged to yin. Why did girls and gers have to marry when they grew up? It was precisely because they had heavy yin energy and needed to find a man for the union of yin and yang, so-called positive and negative canceling to zero. That way, ghosts wouldn't smell their yin energy. Ghosts didn't dare come out during the day because they feared yang energy. Now, Xiao Feng and Yang Mingyi were sleeping alone, without a man to accompany them. Who knew when they might attract those unclean things? These two gers were probably afraid to sleep at night. Pitiable, truly too pitiable.
[阴气 (yīn qì): lit. yin energy fig. feminine energy, negative spiritual energy, or the energy associated with darkness, cold, and stillness]
[阳气 (yáng qì): lit. yang energy; fig. masculine energy, positive spiritual energy, or the energy associated with light, warmth, and activity]
There was nothing wrong with this statement. The girls and gers in the village did indeed marry when they grew up. The little auntie who used to live next to the Ma family had indeed married, moved far away from home, and he hadn't seen her for a long time. He hadn't understood before why the little auntie had to marry, but now he finally understood.
So it was because they were afraid of ghosts and needed a man to suppress them.
Guaizai’s little brow furrowed tightly. He felt that Yang Mingyi and Xiao Feng desperately needed his protection right away.
Father is an adult and can't just sleep with little gers. Father has to protect Daddy. So, protecting Yang Pig and Brother Xiao Feng will be my duty.
Just as Zhao Ger—still damp from his bath—pushed the door open, Guaizai, clutching his pillow and standing on the quilt, urgently announced that he wanted to go next door and sleep with his Yang Pig and Brother Xiao Feng.
The bed in the other room wasn’t as large as the one in the main chamber. But Yang Mingyi and Xiao Feng were still young, their frames not fully developed, so they didn’t take up much space. With Guaizai added in, it was just about right.
Yang Mingyi let him sleep in the middle. Guaizai glanced at one, then the other. It was his first time sharing a bed with others. He felt a little nervous, a little excited, tucked between two soft, sweet-smelling gers. A sense of pure bliss washed over him, as if he were about to float away.
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