I Am A Husband Curser, And You Are A Wife Curser. - Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Sour for a Boy, Spicy for a Girl

The sweltering summer heat was unbearable.

Xiang Xi now spent most of his day indoors. Aside from meals, he only ventured out briefly during the cool of the early morning or late evening to stroll around and stretch his limbs. Being cooped up in the room for too long was stifling.

Although Yang Tongchuan had brought back some picture books for him, flipping through them revealed the same repetitive romance stories; they grew tedious after a while.

“Just hold on for a few more days. It’ll cool down once the Start of Autumn arrives,” Yang Tongchuan said, looking at Xiang Xi in his thin summer clothes. He didn’t dare harbor a single improper thought, contenting himself with honestly fanning his spouse.

“Growing up, I never dreamed I’d live a life like this—having food and clothes provided without lifting a finger, just idling away at home,” Xiang Xi sighed, lying on the bamboo mat Yang Tongchuan had specifically bought for him.

Before he was married, he had nothing but a tattered straw mat to use during the summer.

“Ouch!” Xiang Xi suddenly cried out.

“What’s wrong? A cramp? Or does your stomach hurt? Should I go fetch the doctor?” Yang Tongchuan dropped the fan, ready to bolt out the door.

“It’s nothing, nothing, come back. He kicked me. Here, feel it.”

Xiang Xi had been feeling fetal movements frequently lately and was used to it. However, Yang Tongchuan had been so busy recently and spent so little time at home that he hadn’t caught it once.

Yang Tongchuan skeptically placed his hand on the belly. He felt around for a long while, but there was no reaction.

“No rush. Mother says he’ll move more frequently later on. You’ll have plenty of chances to feel it.”

That night as they slept, Xiang Xi could feel a large hand occasionally reaching over to stroke his belly, as if searching for something.

The next morning, Yang Tongchuan unusually did not wake up early, staying in bed to lounge with Xiang Xi for a while. The two eventually got up slowly to have breakfast.

In the main hall, everyone else was ready to eat.

“Er-lang has been so busy lately, he’s grown thin from exhaustion.” Mother Yang had heard that high-ranking officials had arrived in the county a few days ago to arrest scholars everywhere. Yang Tongchuan had been leaving early and returning late to assist with the cases.

“I haven’t thinned, just tanned a bit.” Yang Tongchuan hadn’t had breakfast at home for days and truly missed the taste of the family’s savory flour soup (Tianmo).

Xiang Xi took a hard-boiled egg, peeled it, and placed it in Yang Tongchuan’s bowl. Yang Tongchuan didn’t decline and ate it in one bite.

He knew Xiang Xi didn’t lack eggs right now. His mother had specifically ordered a batch of goose eggs from the countryside to be delivered to the house, insisting Xiang Xi eat one every other day. She claimed goose eggs “cleared fetal toxins” so the baby would be born with fair skin.

One goose egg cost as much as four chicken eggs. Although Xiang Xi was tired of them, he appreciated his mother-in-law’s kindness and diligently finished every goose egg—each nearly the size of his fist.

After breakfast, Yang Tongchuan left the house leading Zhenlaifu.

A colleague at the yamen had heard that the Yang family had a fine “Five-Black Dog” and wanted to borrow him to stud with his own dog. Today was the agreed date. They would bring the dog to the yamen and let the mating happen during their downtime.

By evening, Yang Tongchuan returned with Zhenlaifu in one hand and a live chicken in the other.

“Why did you suddenly buy a chicken?” Mother Yang asked.

Yang Tongchuan explained with a smile. When he took Zhenlaifu for the stud session, he had started with one female. Soon, other people took a liking to the Five-Black Dog and brought their own female dogs over to see if they could match. One colleague was studding for his father-in-law, who raised and sold poultry, so he gave Yang Tongchuan a chicken as a gesture of thanks.

“Oh! Then we have Laifu to thank for the stir-fried chicken tonight!” Mother Yang laughed heartily.

Zhenlaifu seemed to understand they were talking about food and jumped around excitedly, amusing the whole family.

The chicken was originally intended for soup, but Xiang Xi made a bold suggestion: could they stir-fry it with chili peppers? He had a sudden craving for something spicy.

“Fine. It’s hot out; spicy food helps the rice go down. Everyone eat your fill,” Mother Yang instructed the servant, Yanzi, to slaughter the chicken.

As the saying goes: “Sour for a boy, spicy for a girl.” Xiang Xi had been craving spicy food for days but had held his tongue. Seeing the chicken today, he simply couldn’t resist.

However, he regretted it immediately after speaking. He felt he was getting too comfortable, actually daring to make random demands.

Fortunately, Mother Yang didn’t care about such superstitions anymore. Even if Xiang Xi gave birth to a girl or a Ger, she would be happy. As long as the child was born safe and healthy, it was enough. The Yang family had waited for a child for far too long.

Xiang Xi’s appetite was exceptionally good that night. With the spicy stir-fried chicken, he finished a whole bowl of rice. Afterward, Yang Tongchuan accompanied him for a walk in the courtyard to aid digestion.

“If you wanted spicy food, why didn’t you say so earlier? You stifled yourself for nothing.”

“It wasn’t that bad, I just got a sudden craving.”

“In the future, if there’s anything you want to eat or have, just tell me. I’m a blunt man, not as perceptive as Big Brother. If you don’t speak up and expect me to guess, I’ll never figure it out in a hundred years.”

When it came to reading his spouse’s mind, Yang Tongchuan admitted he was nowhere near his brother. One look from the eldest sister-in-law and his brother knew exactly what she wanted. Yang Tongchuan admired this immensely. He had once asked his brother how he did it, and his brother thought for a long time before offering two words: “Natural talent.”

Pah!

The following afternoon, Yang Tongchuan took a detour to the market to see if there were any spicy snacks he could bring back for Xiang Xi. He happened to pass by Xiang Qiang’s Xiang Xi’s brother stall and asked if he knew who sold spicy snacks.

Hearing that Xiang Xi wanted spicy food, Xiang Qiang’s face stiffened slightly. Fortunately, Yang Tongchuan’s expression remained normal.

“I heard the jerky shop opened by those outsiders has spicy items. You could check there,” Xiang Qiang pointed out a direction.

“Alright, I’ll head over.” Yang Tongchuan turned to leave but was uncharacteristically called back by Xiang Qiang.

Xiang Qiang actually wanted to tell Yang Tongchuan that the “spicy for a girl” omen wasn’t accurate and that he shouldn’t mind it, but he didn’t know how to start.

“Is there something else?” Yang Tongchuan looked at Xiang Qiang’s hesitance and thought he might be in trouble and needed help.

“It’s nothing. I just wanted to ask how Xiang Xi’s appetite has been. Do you want me to bake some more pancakes for you to take back?” The eldest sister-in-law pushed Xiang Qiang aside and smoothed things over. She had guessed exactly what her “blockhead” husband was thinking.

“No need to trouble yourself, Sister-in-law. We only finished the last batch after two days. I’ll go buy the jerky now.” Yang Tongchuan was eager to get home, and his pace quickened.

Once Yang Tongchuan was out of earshot, the sister-in-law swatted her husband.

“Were you about to tell him that even if this one isn’t a boy, they’ll have one eventually, so he shouldn’t be disappointed? Is your brain filled with wonton soup? Or have your eyes been blinded by charcoal smoke? Can’t you see how much Yang Tongchuan dotes on Xiang Xi? Why would you say such annoying things now? If you can’t speak properly, just keep your mouth shut!”

Xiang Qiang was good in many ways, but his mind was too rigid and he easily offended people when he spoke. She could only hope their son, Gui-er, wouldn’t inherit his father’s “wooden” brain.