I Am A Husband Curser, And You Are A Wife Curser. - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: The Wedding Night

Even though his elder brother had sneakily diluted the wine with water beforehand, Yang Tongchuan couldn’t withstand the sheer volume. Colleagues, relatives, friends, and neighbors—everyone wanted to toast him. Moreover, the diluted liquor tasted terrible, making his stomach churn uncomfortably.

It wasn’t until the last guest was seen off and his sister-in-law, along with the maid and temporary help, began clearing the remains of the banquet that Yang Tongchuan was finally able to return to the bridal chamber.

Standing at the door, he gave himself a mental pep talk. He told himself that this time was different; Xiangxi was not like that other woman. He slowly pushed the door open.

It was exactly the scene he had imagined: Xiangxi sat obediently by the bedside, waiting for him under the red bridal veil. Remembering the drawings he had made, Yang Tongchuan felt his blood boil, his strength gathering in one place.

He lifted the veil and looked at the face he had thought about day and night. “I’ve finally brought you home.”

Yang Tongchuan reeked of alcohol, the scent hitting Xiangxi directly.

“Sister-in-law sent some sobering soup; I’ll go get it for you.” Xiangxi tried to use this as an excuse to escape, but Yang Tongchuan saw right through him.

“Don’t run. You have to face this sooner or later; what’s the use in hiding?” With that, he pressed Xiangxi back down onto the new bed. He reached over to pick up the cups of ceremonial wine from the low stool. He hadn’t had the chance to drink this last time; this time, he wouldn’t miss it.

As if afraid Xiangxi would regret it, he took the boy’s hand and downed the ceremonial wine in one go. Being his first time drinking, Xiangxi choked and coughed, his face turning bright red.

Yang Tongchuan gave him no time to catch his breath. He immediately began tugging at Xiangxi’s clothes.

“Don’t be in such a hurry, I’ll do it myself,” Xiangxi whispered, afraid Yang’s strength would tear the fine fabric. Remembering his sister-in-law’s advice—If he wants it, give it to him—Xiangxi had long since abandoned the idea of resisting.

Yang Tongchuan hadn’t expected this reaction. He had thought that with Xiangxi’s “quail-like” shy personality, he would have to use force tonight to get his “meat.” Seeing Xiangxi tremblingly undo the first button, a layer of sweat broke out on Yang’s forehead. He wanted to urge him to hurry, yet he didn’t want to ruin the beautiful view.

Fortunately, Xiangxi didn’t make him wait long. After removing the outer robe, he was left in only a thin inner garment. Seeing Yang Tongchuan staring at him motionless, Xiangxi thought the man was waiting to be served. He gathered his courage, leaned in close, and reached up to help undo Yang’s clothes.

A warm, fragrant heat drew near him. Yang Tongchuan was so shocked he couldn’t speak. The only reason he hadn’t torn into Xiangxi yet was that he was eagerly anticipating the boy’s next move. He didn’t know how the Xiang sister-in-law had taught him the “affairs of the bedroom,” but clearly, Xiangxi was a good student.

However, after helping Yang out of his robes, Xiangxi hit a wall. His sister-in-law’s original words were: Just lie there, the man will do the rest. But was that true? Xiangxi was uncertain because what she said didn’t quite match the drawings in the book. The book showed the ger taking the lead, even sitting on top of the man.

Yang Tongchuan waited, wondering what other surprises his new husband had for him, but Xiangxi remained still.

“What are you thinking about?” Yang asked, his voice low so as not to startle the quail.

“The next step… I don’t know how,” Xiangxi lowered his head in shame. The actions in the album were far too difficult for him.

Well then, the appetizers are over. Why waste any more time? Yang Tongchuan scooped Xiangxi up and tossed him onto the bed. Xiangxi let out a startled cry at the roughness, then immediately covered his mouth, afraid the others in the house would hear.

When the reality of the situation appeared before him, Xiangxi felt he might not see the sun tomorrow. It was nothing like the drawings; it was as thick as little Bao’er’s forearm. I’m really going to die, he thought. He felt like a soup bone fresh out of the pot, his meager “meat” about to be devoured by this hungry wolf.

Xiangxi felt miserable and instinctively tried to push Yang away, but his slight strength was ignored as mere “playfulness.”

“Wait—wait a moment.” Just as Yang Tongchuan was about to “storm the city gates,” Xiangxi called for a halt. The shout nearly made Yang lose his composure at the very threshold.

“What is it?” Yang asked, suppressing his internal fire and lingering at the gate with the last of his reason.

“Put this on.” Xiangxi pulled out the bottle his sister-in-law had prepared from under the pillow and handed it over. He thought: Sister-in-law wouldn’t hurt me; maybe it really won’t hurt with this.

Yang Tongchuan took the bottle and knew immediately what it was. He blamed himself; a ger was different from a woman, and he had forgotten. The Xiang sister-in-law had been quite extravagant, buying a floral-scented oil that had a warming, aphrodisiac effect.

Inside the bed curtains, Yang Tongchuan finally succeeded, letting out an excited low growl while firmly pinning down the Xiangxi who wanted to flee at the last second. Xiangxi’s tears fell like broken pearls, soaking the pillow. Sister-in-law lied, he thought. She said it would be just a moment, so why isn’t it over? It hurts so much.

The carved wooden bed, built with traditional mortise and tenon joints, fulfilled its duty faithfully. The precise fit of the “tenon” (protrusion) and “mortise” (depression) ensured the structure remained stable and inseparable regardless of external force.

The noise from the west wing drifted slightly to the east wing where the eldest brother lived. It made him feel restless, wanting to hold his own wife. But Ming Le was exhausted from the wedding preparations and had fallen into a deep sleep. As soon as the eldest brother’s hand began to wander, his wife ruthlessly slapped it away.

“Go to sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow to host the return visit.” Left with no choice, the eldest brother stuffed cotton into his ears and went back to sleep.

The commotion in the west wing lasted, on and off, throughout the night.

At some unknown hour, Xiangxi felt a warm cloth wiping his body in a daze. He wanted to get up and clean himself, but his limbs wouldn’t obey him.

“Just lie there, I’ll do it.” Yang Tongchuan had fetched the hot water kept in the kitchen. He wiped Xiangxi clean, then opened the dowry chest to find a fresh inner garment.

Mother Yang had been right; the dowry chest contained nothing but two quilts, the gifts from the betrothal, and a few old clothes. Fortunately, the Yang family had anticipated this; Mother Yang had already made several new outfits for Xiangxi and placed them in Yang Tongchuan’s wardrobe. Otherwise, if Xiangxi had nothing decent to wear to meet people, it would be the Yang family that would be laughed at.