I Am A Husband Curser, And You Are A Wife Curser. - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: The River God Temple

On the night of the day Captain Xiao and his men departed, someone broke into the Yang family courtyard.

Yang Tongchuan, who hadn’t yet fallen into a deep sleep, was the first to notice. Upon hearing the noise, he immediately grabbed his blade and rushed out, only to see a dark shadow leap over the courtyard wall and vanish without a trace.

His eldest brother, Yang Tongshan, rushed out shortly after.

“Is it them again?”

“Brother, look.”

Yang Tongchuan pointed to a coin pouch that had suddenly appeared on the table in the main hall. The brothers opened it and found it filled with broken pieces of silver. Yang Tongshan weighed it in his hand and estimated it to be a full twenty taels.

“This kind of broken silver circulates frequently. Unlike official government silver, it’s impossible to trace the source.” As someone who worked at a pawnshop, Tongshan was all too familiar with this common currency.

“Is this… hush money?” Tongshan felt the silver in his hand was particularly stinging.

“Whatever it means, this matter ends here.” Yang Tongchuan stared at the courtyard gate, sinking into deep thought.

Hearing the commotion, Father and Mother Yang also got up. Yang Tongchuan divided the silver into two portions, giving half to his mother for household expenses. He cautioned her to keep the silver stored away for a while. Later, he would have his brother take it to the pawnshop to exchange it for standard silver ingots along with other household scraps.

Yang Tongchuan kept the other half for himself, intending not to touch it for the time being. However, Mother Yang refused to take it, insisting he keep it all for himself since Xiang Xi was nearing his due date and the second branch would have many expenses.

Back in the room, Xiang Xi hurriedly asked about the situation.

“It’s nothing, everything is settled. Don’t worry.”

Yang Tongchuan placed the silver at the very bottom of his money chest. He returned to bed and lay down with Xiang Xi, though both knew the other was wide awake.

“Do you think… I’m useless?” Yang Tongchuan spoke first. “Not like the heroes in books who solve cases like gods, upholding justice and ridding the people of evil?”

“No. I know Husband did it for this family, to keep us all safe.” As a child, Xiang Xi had seen the truest purgatory on earth.

When the plague became uncontrollable, the fires in the city never stopped. Those with a breath of life left were thrown into the flames along with the corpses. Thick, choking black smoke shrouded the entire town. Xiang Xi could no longer remember his father’s face, nor exactly how his mother had led the two brothers out. He only remembered his mother’s repeated plea before she was led away by the human trafficker: Live. No matter what happens, you must live.

To live, and for the whole family to be well—that was Xiang Xi’s greatest wish.

“Xiang Xi, I once thought this world was black and white, and that all were equal before the law. But it’s not like that. I’m just a low-ranking constable with no real power; there are many things I am helpless to change. Please don’t look down on me.”

Yang Tongchuan buried his head in Xiang Xi’s embrace. For the past few nights, he had been plagued by nightmares. Every time he fell into a deep sleep, he dreamt of that rotting head whispering in his ear: Coward, useless…

“I understand, I truly do. Husband, you are the best husband. I believe in you.” Heartaching for him, Xiang Xi held him tight, soothing him over and over, kissing the top of his head until Yang Tongchuan finally drifted off.

The next day, it happened to be Yang Tongchuan’s day off. Xiang Xi suggested they go for a walk to clear his mind. Seeing the fine weather, Mother Yang also urged them to go out.

The two strolled to the River God Temple outside the county walls. The people of Changxing County loved to pray here for safety, so the temple’s incense was particularly flourishing.

Because Xiang Xi was pregnant and it was inconvenient for him to enter the temple to worship, he handed Yang Tongchuan one ten-tael ingot and two five-tael ingots—twenty taels in total—asking him to go in and donate for incense.

“Take this and donate it.”

“Where did you get so much silver?”

“Fifteen taels were from the betrothal gift you gave me, and five taels were secretly tucked into my things by my brother when I married. Take it all. Whether it’s to pray for safety or for peace of mind, consider it buying some incense for that poor, nameless soul. I’ll wait for you outside.”

“Xiang Xi…”

“You don’t need to say anything. I understand. Go.”

After a moment of hesitation, Yang Tongchuan found a pavilion for Xiang Xi to sit in. He entered the temple and found the temple warden, an elder of nearly seventy who held great prestige in the town.

He used ten taels to request a small ritual for the nameless female victim found at the docks. The other ten taels were a request for a favor: once the heat of the case died down, he wanted the warden to find a reason to give the head currently sitting in the mortuary a proper burial.

The warden was visibly stunned. A twenty-tael order was a massive sum; many families couldn’t earn that much in a year. The warden wasn’t a meddlesome man; there was no reason to refuse an act of merit and charity, nor any reason to ask too many questions. After finalizing the details, he accepted the money.

Mindful of Xiang Xi waiting outside, Yang Tongchuan left immediately after finishing the business.

“That was fast,” Xiang Xi remarked.

“Yes, it’s all arranged. Let’s go home.”

Once home, Yang Tongchuan took two ten-tael ingots from the bottom of his chest and replenished Xiang Xi’s dowry. A decent man does not covet his wife’s dowry.

“I have no use for money. Didn’t you say this money had a great purpose?” Xiang Xi simply felt that between husband and wife, there was no need to calculate so strictly.

“If I give it to you, just take it.” Yang Tongchuan helped him put the silver away. “I have something else to discuss: hiring a wet nurse.”

“Mother mentioned this to me. I don’t think it’s necessary. We can buy a mother goat, and I can raise the child myself.”

“It’s too exhausting. We should hire one.”

“Don’t forget, I raised Bao’er. I know how to handle children. Besides, Mother and Sister-in-law are here to help, plus you. There’s really no need.”

“Don’t worry about the money…”

“I am worrying about the money. Spending it on something unnecessary is a waste. You work hard for it.” Xiang Xi meant every word.

“Let me think about it more.”

“Alright, the days are long, think slowly.” Xiang Xi looked forward to the child’s arrival and the chance to raise them with his own hands.

That afternoon, Father Yang pulled Tongchuan aside.

“During the day, neither you nor your brother are home. If anything happens, we won’t hear a thing. I was thinking… ask around the yamen if anyone knows where to get a good dog. We’ll buy one to guard the courtyard. Mainly, if anything happens, it can make some noise.”

“Alright, I’ll talk it over with Big Brother.”