I Am A Husband Curser, And You Are A Wife Curser. - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: You Are a Good Official

For dinner, the four members of the Xiang family had only a bit of watery porridge and a few bites of salted pickles.

The sister-in-law drank another bowl of medicine to prevent miscarriage. She had no idea how much medicine she had consumed over the years; it felt as if the bitter taste in her mouth had never once ceased.

Xiang Xi, take Bao’er to sleep early tonight. Tomorrow morning, once the docks are accessible, the two of us will go tidy up the stall and see if we can still set up business, the sister-in-law instructed Xiang Xi while drinking her medicine.

Xiang Xi and I will go. You stay home and lie down tomorrow, Xiang Qiang said, pained for his wife. He wanted her to rest while he did the labor.

No, you should be the one lying down while I go. You lost so much blood today; who knows how long it will take to recover?

The sister-in-law’s heart ached for Xiang Qiang. She comforted herself with the thought that if the child in her belly couldn’t be saved this time, then it was simply Heaven’s will that she wasn’t meant to give birth.

Brother, Sister-in-law, I’ll go to the docks by myself first thing tomorrow morning to check the situation. If it can be tidied up, I’ll do it myself. If not, I’ll come back and get you. How does that sound?

Xiang Xi was not the kind of Ger raised in a secluded boudoir. He had been accustomed to showing his face in public since he was a child and had long ago learned to work as hard as any boy.

After discussing for a while, it seemed there was no better way, so they agreed to the plan.

Once matters were settled, Xiang Xi took Bao’er to the west room to sleep. The brother and sister-in-law stayed in the east room.

That night, after the candles were extinguished, the sister-in-law lay in bed and whispered to Xiang Qiang, “Xiang Xi is eighteen this year. The business with the Cheng family happened so long ago; we really ought to find him a husband’s family. Otherwise, what will he do in the future?”

I’ve thought about it too. It’s just that the Cheng family said such nasty things back then. I’m afraid it won’t be easy to find a match for Xiang Xi.” Xiang Qiang wasn’t unconcerned; he was afraid—afraid of finding another unreliable husband for his brother.

A matchmaker named Chen just moved in at the end of our alley, didn’t she? I’ll go ask her to keep an eye out,” the sister-in-law added, though she had her own selfish reasons.

Xiang Xi was already eighteen—an “old Ger.” If he didn’t marry now, it would only get harder later. Moreover, there were more mouths to feed at home, and Bao’er would gradually grow up. The house only had these two rooms; if Xiang Xi never married, there wouldn’t be enough space for everyone.

However, the matter with the Cheng family years ago truly hadn’t been handled well. This time, they absolutely could not repeat the same mistake.

Xiang Xi had been betrothed once before. The other party was the son of a pig butcher from a small town under Changxing County’s jurisdiction.

The Cheng family was well-off, but their son was quite ugly. Having reached his twenties without finding a wife, he settled for second best, thinking a Ger would suffice. While Gers weren’t as fertile as women, they were stronger and could do more labor; usually, only poor families who couldn’t afford a bride would marry a Ger.

At the time, the Cheng family was willing to offer ten taels of silver as a bride price.

One must understand that money was hard to earn. The bride price for a town girl was usually ten to fifteen taels, while for a Ger, it was five to ten. By offering ten taels, the Cheng family had given the Xiang family a great deal of “face.”

Furthermore, although the eldest Cheng son was ugly, the family had solid assets; Xiang Xi certainly wouldn’t suffer after moving there. The sister-in-law had agreed. Since the two families weren’t far apart, it wasn’t considered “marrying far away.” Xiang Qiang also felt that being close was good for future visits.

Unexpectedly, shortly after the betrothal gifts were delivered, the eldest Cheng son injured his hand while butchering a pig. It was a small cut, so no one paid it any mind.

However, the next day, he developed a persistent high fever and passed away not long after.

The Cheng family insisted that Xiang Xi—this Ger without father or mother—had “cursed” their precious son to death. They brought people to the Xiang house to cause trouble several times. It was only after the Xiang family returned the bride price and paid some compensation that the other party finally ceased.

But Xiang Xi’s reputation for “cursing his father, his mother, and his husband” had already spread. To this day, no one dared to come to the Xiang house to propose marriage.

The next morning, before the sky was fully light and after the rooster had crowed only once, Xiang Xi hurriedly dressed and rushed to the docks.

Perhaps because he arrived so early, the constables hadn’t started their work yet. Xiang Xi seized the time to run to the flatbread stall.

As expected, the flatbreads were all gone—stolen by someone—leaving only an empty stall. Xiang Xi began to gather their things, retrieving whatever tables, chairs, and stools he could find.

This stall space was rented to Xiang Qiang by Uncle Chen, with payments made every three months.

Who’s there?

The sun hadn’t fully risen yet. In the pitch-black docks, such a voice suddenly rang out.

Xiang Xi recalled the dead bodies he had seen lying on the docks the day before. Terrified, he fell backward onto his bottom.

You’re the little Ger from the flatbread family. As several figures drew near, Xiang Xi realized it wasn’t a ghost, but the constable from before—the one with the surname Yang.

Yang Tongchuan had brought his brothers to patrol the docks early in the morning. They wanted to see if everything was fine; if so, the docks would open for business today. Otherwise, with so much cargo stuck on the ships, everyone would suffer significant daily losses. The shipping merchants had already petitioned the yamen. The County Lieutenant’s intent was also to restore normal operations as quickly as possible.

What are you doing here, acting all sneaky? Yang Tongchuan had seen a dark shadow from a distance and thought it was some short-sighted thief trying to steal things from the docks.

Sir, I came to tidy the stall and see if we can sell flatbreads today, Xiang Xi lowered his head in fear, not daring to look the constables in the eye.

Yang Tongchuan looked at this thin, weak Ger. In such cold weather, he wasn’t even wearing thick clothes. His thin garments were very old but washed clean; the boy himself didn’t look slovenly. His small face was lowered so much it was almost buried in his chest.

Looking down at him from above, he seemed quite pitiful.

Yang Tongchuan was tired from leading the patrol to this point, so he sat down on one of the stall’s chairs.

Is there anything to eat? Yang Tongchuan had been out all morning and had swallowed a bellyful of cold wind; he figured he’d rest here.

No, yesterday’s flatbreads were all stolen,” Xiang Xi replied, thinking they were there for a free meal.

Is there any hot tea then? Yang Tongchuan looked up at the Ger, thinking that this fellow was quite bold. Someone had died here just yesterday, yet he dared to run here alone today.

The tea leaves were stolen too. How about… I boil some hot water for you sirs to drink? Xiang Xi had checked earlier; there really was nothing left at the stall.

“Fine, be quick about it.”

Yang Tongchuan urged him. They needed to rest their feet before returning to the yamen to report.

Xiang Xi didn’t dare delay. Fortunately, there was still fresh water and firewood. He hurried to light the small stove to boil water.

The other constables were discussing the brawl from yesterday. Xiang Xi pricked up his ears to listen.

Brother Yang, you’ve rendered a great service this time. It’s lucky you caught those few who slipped through the net yesterday evening; otherwise, we brothers would have suffered for days. The one speaking was also a constable. As soon as he spoke, the others joined in with compliments.

Xiang Xi poured the boiled water for the constables one by one, then hid on the other side of the stall, pretending to be busy. Even though social customs had become more open and women and Gers were allowed on the streets, it still wasn’t quite right for a Ger to be alone with so many men.

Only after they finished their water, rested enough, and left did Xiang Xi dare to come forward to clear the cups.

He immediately saw three wen left on the table. It was the “hot water money” left by that Constable Yang.

Xiang Xi thought to himself: Any official who pays for what they drink must be a good official.