I Am A Husband Curser, And You Are A Wife Curser. - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Poor Little Bao’er

Yang Tongchuan was on duty today patrolling the streets. He made a special point to circle back to Xiang Qiang’s stall to see if any blind fools were causing trouble for his brother-in-law.

While eating, Yang Tongchuan noticed a long rope near the stall. A small toddler was tied to it, playing with a fallen branch in the dirt. On closer inspection, it was actually Bao’er.

When Xiangxi was at home, Bao’er was always kept clean, looking like a little doll from a New Year’s painting. Now, his little face was so filthy with a mixture of snot and drool that it was smeared all over.

Xiang Qiang had no other choice but to bring Bao’er to the stall. His wife’s back pain had been so severe lately she could barely turn over in bed. The doctor said it was an ailment from a poorly managed postpartum recovery and that she needed rest. To lighten his wife’s load, Xiang Qiang had to bring the boy with him. Fearing the docks weren’t safe, he used a rope to tether Bao’er to the stall. It looked cruel, but it gave him peace of mind.

“I’m sorry you have to see this. His mother is ill, and he’s far too mischievous to be left alone at home, so I brought him out,” Xiang Qiang said, feeling embarrassed as he saw Yang Tongchuan staring at the boy. He took advantage of a lull in customers to scoop Bao’er up and carefully wipe his little face.

“Xiangxi doesn’t have much to do at home during the day. How about I take Bao’er to our house for a few days? Once Sister-in-law feels better, you can pick him up.”

“I couldn’t possibly! It’ll be better in a few days.” Xiang Qiang didn’t dare trouble Xiangxi with such a burden. In his mind, once Xiangxi married into the Yang family, he belonged to them. Bringing a child from his original home to be cared for there felt against the rules.

Yang Tongchuan didn’t push it further. But he knew Bao’er had basically been raised by Xiangxi; if Xiangxi saw the child in this state, his heart would break.

That evening at home, Yang Tongchuan brought it up with Mother Yang. “I was just thinking that since Xixi is free during the day, he could bring the child over for a few days to dote on him.”

“That’s no problem. Everyone hits a rough patch. A toddler who’s barely grown his teeth isn’t going to eat us out of house and home. You and Xixi decide,” Mother Yang agreed. She felt the house was a bit too quiet during the day anyway; having a child around to liven things up would be nice.

Yang Tongchuan returned to his room and told Xiangxi about what he saw.

“Did Mother agree?”

“She did. We’ll keep him until your sister-in-law is stronger.”

“Good! Then I’ll go fetch him tomorrow after breakfast.” Xiangxi remembered how much weight Bao’er had lost the last time he saw him and felt a sharp pang of sympathy.

Yang Tongchuan took some copper coins from the bedside box and put them into Xiangxi’s purse. “Take some money when you go out. Buy the boy whatever he likes. And pick up some skin cream for him—his face looked all chapped.”

“Thank you, Husband. Do you… do you like children that much?” Xiangxi asked happily, jumping into Yang Tongchuan’s arms.

“I like the children you give me. When are you going to give me a whole litter?” Yang Tongchuan felt the more children, the better. He’d teach the boys martial arts and riding, and he’d pamper the girls and gers, never letting them suffer a single hardship—unlike Xiangxi, whose health was so fragile from past deprivation that he couldn’t even digest rich food.

“A litter?” Xiangxi had never heard of humans having “litters.” Even a sow couldn’t manage that!

“Well, with how hard I’m working every day, a litter is only a matter of time.” Yang Tongchuan pressed his hand against Xiangxi’s stomach. He knew gers had a harder time conceiving, but he believed diligence could overcome lack of talent. As long as he “plowed the fields” often, Xiangxi would surely conceive.

The next morning, Xiangxi consulted Mother Yang again. “The courtyard is indeed a bit quiet. It’ll be good to have a child here for a few days. Go ahead, but make sure Yanzi goes with you so you don’t exhaust yourself.”

Xiangxi returned to the Xiang house and heard crying immediately—not from Bao’er, but from the infant, Gui’er.

“What happened?” Xiangxi asked softly.

“Xixi? Why are you back?” The sister-in-law came out of the kitchen, appearing to be boiling water for diapers. Gui’er was strapped to her back. The baby was growing fast and already starting to look like his father. Xiangxi gave her the gifts he had prepared and explained his plan.

“You want to take Bao’er back to the Yang house?” The sister-in-law asked while soothing the baby.

“Husband mentioned Sister-in-law was ill. I’ll take Bao’er for a few days so you can rest and recover.” Previously, Xiangxi did the work of several people. Now that the couple had to manage two children and a stall alone, they were understandably overwhelmed.

“Is that… appropriate?” She hadn’t heard of a married ger taking his brother’s child to his in-laws’ home.

“I’ve already asked my mother-in-law and husband. They are very welcoming.”

“Alright then, thank you for the trouble.” Her back was so painful it felt like needles every time she bent over; even washing diapers was a struggle.

They packed a few of Bao’er’s clothes. Xiangxi noticed they were the same ones from before he married; he wondered if they even fit the fast-growing boy anymore. After saying goodbye, Xiangxi headed to the docks.

“Big Brother!”

“Xixi?” It wasn’t mealtime yet, so the stall wasn’t busy. Xiang Qiang was holding Bao’er, teaching him to count.

The neighboring vendors stared, unable to believe their eyes—especially the young girls and gers who worked the stalls with their parents. They almost didn’t recognize Xiangxi. Prosperity truly transforms a person. The once dusty, reed-thin ger now had healthy color in his cheeks. His clothes were high-quality cotton, and the silver bracelet on his wrist was too bright to ignore. More impressively, he was followed by a maid—only wealthy families could afford a maid.

Bao’er saw Xiangxi and lunged for him, but the rope tethering him jerked him back. He tumbled to the ground and burst into tears. Xiangxi’s heart broke. He quickly untied the rope and explained his intention.

“Your mother-in-law really agreed?” Xiang Qiang looked years older from the recent stress.

“Truly. Use these days to catch your breath and let Sister-in-law recover.” Xiangxi used his handkerchief to clean Bao’er’s face. The boy clung to him tightly, terrified that if he let go, Xiangxi would vanish.

“Fine. but if he causes any trouble, bring him back immediately. Don’t make things difficult for yourself,” Xiang Qiang said, filled with gratitude toward the Yang family.