I Am A Husband Curser, And You Are A Wife Curser. - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: The Doctor’s Visit

“Do you like it?” Yang Tongchuan asked, already knowing the answer.

“It’s very fragrant.” Xiangxi genuinely liked it. He had only ever seen a high-born ger wearing something like this at the temple fair.

“Then we’ll take this one. No need to wrap it; my husband will wear it immediately.” Yang Tongchuan paid briskly. No one on this street dared to overcharge a constable, so he was given a fair price.

Xiangxi held the string of sandalwood beads, unable to put them down. “Smell it, it really is so fragrant.”

“Let me see.” Yang Tongchuan, the big rogue, leaned down—but instead of smelling the beads, he took a deep sniff of Xiangxi’s hand. “It is indeed fragrant. Are you happy? If you’re happy, what should you call me?”

This was something Yang Tongchuan had spent all of last night “teaching” Xiangxi.

“Thank you… Husband.” Thinking of his boldness the night before, Xiangxi’s face turned beet red.

Last night, while Yang Tongchuan was being mischievous, he kept asking: What should you call me? Xiangxi had gotten it wrong several times, leading to quite a “punishment” from Yang. Eventually, he learned his lesson—whenever he couldn’t take it anymore, he had to call him Husband. It had practically become their bedroom safe word.

“Good boy.” Yang Tongchuan was satisfied.

The two strolled all the way home. On the way, Yang bought Xiangxi a rabbit-fur neck warmer. This time he chose white; paired with the deep blue vest, it made Xiangxi look even more delicate and lovely.

After returning and greeting the parents, Yang Tongchuan took Xiangxi back to their room to rest. It was still early for dinner, so Yang held Xiangxi as they caught up on some sleep.

It was then that Xiangxi felt his stomach was a bit uncomfortable, but it wasn’t severe. He assumed it was just because Yang Tongchuan had been too rough the night before. He didn’t pay it much mind.

At dinner, Xiangxi didn’t eat much, only drinking a bit of fish soup.

For a man who has just “tasted meat,” his hunger is like that of a dog that can never be filled. As soon as the candles were extinguished, Yang Tongchuan pulled Xiangxi toward the bed.

The beads on Xiangxi’s wrist didn’t even have time to be taken off properly before Yang, finding them in the way, tugged them off and tossed them by the pillow. Yang wasn’t due back at the yamen until the day after tomorrow, so he wasn’t afraid of staying up late tonight.

Xiangxi was shaken until he felt dizzy. His fingers accidentally brushed against the sandalwood string. The beads were rubbed and pressed in his hand, and the sound of them clicking against each other stimulated his fragile, near-overwhelmed nerves.

“Husband… I don’t feel well.”

“Not well?” Yang Tongchuan stopped. He knew Xiangxi had a high pain tolerance; even when he’d been wild the night before, Xiangxi had only shed tears without saying a word. Why was he uncomfortable now?

“Husband, my stomach hurts.”

Hearing this, Yang Tongchuan hurriedly lit a candle. What he saw startled him—Xiangxi’s small face was deathly pale. This wasn’t a pretense; he had only called for a stop because he truly couldn’t endure it.

“Where does it hurt? Let me see.” Yang pulled back the quilt and found Xiangxi curled up like a large shrimp.

“My stomach hurts so much…” Xiangxi was trembling from the pain.

“I’ll go get a doctor. Wait for me.” Yang Tongchuan threw on his clothes to run out.

“Wait—don’t go yet. Help me get my clothes first.” Xiangxi was still conscious enough to realize he couldn’t see a doctor while undressed.

The commotion in the west wing finally alerted the elders and the elder brother’s couple.

“What’s happening?” Mother Yang came out to check, and the eldest brother rose as well.

“Xiangxi’s stomach hurts. Mother, help me watch him, I’m going for the doctor!” Yang Tongchuan didn’t have time to explain; he vanished in a flash.

“He was fine, why the sudden stomach ache?” Mother Yang panicked. He’d been perfectly fine that morning; how could he fall ill so suddenly?

It wasn’t appropriate for the eldest brother to enter his sibling’s bedroom, so the eldest sister-in-law dressed and followed Mother Yang into the west wing. Seeing that Xiangxi was truly in distress, the mother-in-law sent the sister-in-law to prepare a hot water bottle for his stomach.

The doctor arrived quickly. By then, Xiangxi was drifting in and out of consciousness from the pain. The doctor asked carefully about his diet and when the discomfort started.

Seeing no outsiders in the room, Yang Tongchuan spoke the truth: it was discovered during “marital intimacy.” Mother Yang was so angry she gave him a sharp thump. “Xixi has such thin arms and legs, how could you have the heart to work him to death like that?”

The sister-in-law brought in the hot water bottle and tucked it under the quilt. Fortunately, the doctor concluded it wasn’t a major disaster.

The issue was that Xiangxi’s previous diet had been too meager. Suddenly eating rich meat and fish for a whole day was more than his internal organs could handle. The doctor used acupuncture to relieve the pain and prescribed two doses of medicine.

“His diet must be light from now on,” the doctor noted. “This young ger’s spleen and stomach are very weak, likely due to years of deprivation. He needs to be nurtured slowly.”

Relieved that it wasn’t serious, Mother Yang finally relaxed. Her second son’s marriage couldn’t afford any more setbacks. She arranged for Yanzi to fetch the medicine in the morning, had the eldest brother escort the doctor home, and retired to rest.

Yang Tongchuan was left to tend to Xiangxi by the bedside.

When Xiangxi woke again, the sun was high in the sky. He was being held protectively in Yang Tongchuan’s arms; a large hand rested on his stomach, and his feet were tucked between Yang’s warm thighs.

“Husband?” Xiangxi whispered tentatively.

Yang Tongchuan had been too scared to sleep all night. He had only closed his eyes after dawn when he saw some color return to Xiangxi’s face.

“You’re awake? Does it still hurt?” Yang’s voice was thick with sleep, but his hand was already moving, gently rubbing Xiangxi’s stomach.

“It doesn’t hurt. Husband… did I cause trouble?” Xiangxi vaguely remembered the night before. A newlywed ger causing such a scene in the middle of the night—the thought terrified him.

“No, you didn’t. The doctor said you just ate too much. You just need to digest,” Yang Tongchuan said, simplifying the doctor’s words.

This made Xiangxi feel even more humiliated. What kind of ger eats so much on his second day of marriage that he needs a doctor?

Yang Tongchuan had wanted to sleep a bit longer, but then he heard Xiangxi sobbing.

“Why are you crying? I didn’t bully you this time!”

Xiangxi didn’t speak, he just wept. It made Yang’s scalp tingle. Why just cry and not say anything? Yang shifted his position, lying flat on the bed and pulling Xiangxi up to lie on his chest, stroking his back and coaxing him softly.

“My little ancestor, if you keep crying, Mother is going to come hit me again. Tell me what’s wrong, be good.”

“It’s… it’s too embarrassing,” Xiangxi’s sob was muffled, sounding like a kitten abandoned on the roadside.

“What?”

“I said it’s too embarrassing! I just married in, and I ate so much I had to see a doctor in the middle of the night!”