I Am A Husband Curser, And You Are A Wife Curser. - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Good News

Xiang Qiang packed about a dozen flatbreads for Xiangxi, telling him to take them back for everyone in the Yang family to enjoy. Xiangxi didn’t refuse and had Yanzi carry them. The freshly made flatbreads were steaming hot, carrying a rich aroma of toasted sesame that made Yanzi’s mouth water. Since the docks were crowded and full of prying eyes, Xiangxi bid his brother farewell, picked up Bao’er, and left.

On the way back, he bought Bao’er a pellet drum and some skin cream.

The Yang family didn’t have any grandchildren yet, so Bao’er’s arrival brought a light, cheerful atmosphere to the courtyard. The happiest person was the eldest sister-in-law, Ming Le; seeing Xiangxi return with a child, she doted on the boy endlessly. At lunch, Mother Yang specifically had Yanzi steam an egg custard, and Ming Le held the child in her arms to feed him. Bao’er was a star; he wasn’t shy at all and let anyone hold him.

“This afternoon, bring out the small cot the boys used when they were little. Wipe it down so he can use it in your room tonight,” Mother Yang instructed Xiangxi.

Throughout the afternoon, Bao’er was like a precious treasure, passed from Mother Yang to Ming Le, and then to Xiangxi. He laughed at everyone he saw; whoever coaxed him, he beamed at them. Children have boundless energy, but once it’s spent, they fall asleep quickly. After the family finished dinner, Bao’er drifted off early.

That night, there was a gathering for colleagues at the yamen, so Yang Tongchuan returned late. When he opened the door to the west wing, he saw Xiangxi already asleep on the large bed with Bao’er in his arms. The empty cot stood ready beside them.

Yang Tongchuan washed up quietly in the outer room. When he returned to the inner chamber, he intended to move Bao’er to the cot so the boy could sleep on his own. However, the moment he touched Bao’er, Xiangxi woke up.

“You’re back?” Xiangxi was dazed, thinking Bao’er needed to use the restroom, only to realize it was his husband.

“Yeah. Go back to sleep, I’ll move him over.”

Being moved from a warm quilt to a strange cot made Bao’er whimper a few times. Yang Tongchuan patiently coaxed him, patting him and humming a nursery rhyme his mother used to sing to him. Soon, Bao’er fell back into a deep sleep.

“Husband, if we ever have a child, you’ll surely be the best father,” Xiangxi said, resting his chin on Yang Tongchuan’s shoulder and hugging him from behind.

“Then you’d better work hard and get pregnant for me soon.” Yang Tongchuan had drunk quite a bit of wine tonight, but knowing Xiangxi disliked the smell, he had scrubbed himself clean before coming in.

“Okay. I’ll do whatever you say.”

Bao’er stayed at the Yang house for seven or eight days. Eventually, Xiang Qiang arrived with pork and wine, offering a thousand thanks before taking the boy home. Bao’er had arrived with only a few clothes, but he left with three or four bundles of various sizes. Most contained clothes Ming Le had sewn or pastries Bao’er had enjoyed during his stay. Ming Le had prepared even more than Xiangxi.

With Bao’er gone, the courtyard felt suddenly quiet. Mother Yang went out to visit neighbors, and Ming Le stayed in her room to rest. Only Xiangxi and Yanzi remained in the yard peeling bamboo shoots. Mother Yang had bought them at the morning market, saying spring shoots were the freshest. They had to peel the whole basket: one portion for tonight’s stew, and another to be made into sweet and sour shoots to pair with porridge in the morning.

The weather had turned warm. Sitting in the yard for a long time under the sun made Xiangxi feel a bit lightheaded. I’m getting more delicate by the day, he mocked himself silently.

The peeled shoots needed to be rinsed. As Xiangxi stood up with the wicker tray, he moved too quickly. The world suddenly spun, his vision went black, and he collapsed. By the time he woke up, he was lying in his room. Mother Yang stood by the bed, her smile nearly reaching her ears.

“My dear Xixi, you’re pregnant!”

Just moments before, Mother Yang had been chatting at a neighbor’s house when Yanzi frantically called her back, only explaining on the way that Xiangxi had fainted. Ming Le had already gone to fetch the doctor. Mother Yang had been startled—why is he unwell again? We haven’t been overeating lately.

When the doctor arrived and took his pulse, it turned out to be wonderful news. Xiangxi was pregnant; it hadn’t been long, less than a month, so there was no morning sickness yet, and even Xiangxi hadn’t noticed. Calculating the days, it must have happened when Yang Tongchuan returned from the out-of-town case.

According to folk customs, it isn’t wise to announce a pregnancy before three months. Mother Yang gave the doctor some silver and asked him to keep it quiet. Being familiar with the Yang family, he naturally agreed.

“Pregnant so soon! Heaven has blessed the Yang family to flourish!” Mother Yang prayed fervently to the heavens, momentarily forgetting Ming Le standing nearby. Since it was early, there were no complications and no need for tonics; just a careful diet would do. They would check in with the doctor again in a while.

Having such big news but being unable to tell the world made Mother Yang restless. She even forgot to send word to Yang Tongchuan until Ming Le reminded her.

“Right, right! Yanzi! Yanzi!”

“Yanzi is escorting the doctor back. I could go to the yamen myself,” Ming Le suggested.

“Forget it, it can wait a bit. You…” Mother Yang finally realized that Ming Le must be feeling heartache. Xiangxi was a ger, yet he’d conceived almost immediately after marrying in, while Ming Le’s path to motherhood had been so grueling. Not knowing what to say, Mother Yang made an excuse to check on Xiangxi and left. Suddenly, in the large courtyard, Ming Le was left standing all alone.

“I’m pregnant?”

Xiangxi’s first reaction wasn’t shock, but pure joy. After all, this was the child he and Yang Tongchuan had longed for. When Yang Tongchuan came home from duty and heard the news, he was immediately dissatisfied.

“Why didn’t you send Yanzi to tell me at the yamen?”

“It’s not yet three months; we shouldn’t spread it around. It wasn’t too late to tell you when you got home. Go see Xixi quickly.”

Mother Yang had just told Father Yang the news when the second son burst in. He ran to the bedroom and found Xiangxi opening a chest to look for fabric.

“Is it true?” Yang Tongchuan couldn’t believe his own prowess.

“The doctor saw me. It should be right, but it’s very early. I have to go back to the clinic in a few days,” Xiangxi repeated the doctor’s words.

“Good, good! I’ll take leave to go with you. My Xixi, you are the great hero of our family! This is the first grandchild of our generation!” Yang Tongchuan was so excited he was almost incoherent.

“What if… it’s not a grandson? What if it’s a girl or a little ger?” Xiangxi remembered a neighbor back in the alley. Because she had six children and not a single boy, she was despised by her in-laws her whole life. Eventually, she was driven to hang herself. That night, Xiangxi had held Bao’er, too scared to sleep while the wind howled like a ghost. Even now, he didn’t understand why that auntie had to die.

“It doesn’t matter what it is! As long as it’s the child you gave me, even if it were a leg of pork, I’d strap it to my belt and show it off whenever I go out!”

For the first time, Xiangxi looked at Yang Tongchuan with an expression of pure “disgust.”

You’re the one who’s going to give birth to a leg of pork!