I Am A Husband Curser, And You Are A Wife Curser. - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Autumn Harvest

In the dried meat shop, Yang Tongchuan actually managed to find two varieties of spicy pork jerky. The shopkeeper’s spouse was from out of town and explained that these flavors were specialties from his hometown. One was sweet-spicy, and the other was numb-spicy. They didn’t sell much usually; he only made them when his spouse had a craving.

Yang Tongchuan bought half a catty of each to let Xiangxi try. Fearing that too much jerky might be hard to digest, he stopped by the neighboring dried fruit shop and bought several kinds of nuts and dried fruits so Xiangxi could have something to snack on and “play with” during the day. Of course, he didn’t forget his mother and elder brother, bringing back treats for them as well.

Upon returning home, he left the meat in Xiangxi’s room and took some dried fruit to Mother Yang. His mother kept him for a moment to discuss the search for a wet nurse.

“Even though Xiangxi told me it wasn’t necessary, I’ve still gone to look at a few candidates. I found a decent one; she’s raised two children already, and her due date is a bit earlier than Xiangxi’s, so the timing works. However…” Mother Yang looked troubled. “She has some distant ties to your former in-laws. One of her relatives is a guard at that same escort agency. I’m afraid Xiangxi might mind.”

Mother Yang was in a difficult position. Xiangxi was due in the first lunar month, a time when most people were unwilling to leave home for work.

“Mother, Xiangxi is sensitive and tends to overthink things. Let’s try our best not to get involved with that family. Please keep looking. If we truly can’t find anyone else, I’ll discuss it with him then.”

“Alright, I’ll keep searching,” Mother Yang agreed, taking her son’s advice.

Returning to the west wing, Yang saw Xiangxi reclining by the bed, munching on jerky while reading a picture book.

“You’re back! Try this,” Xiangxi said, holding a piece of jerky to Yang Tongchuan’s lips.

So spicy.

“Don’t you find it too hot?”

“It’s a bit spicy, but it’s delicious.”

“If you like it, eat it, but don’t overdo it, or you’ll get an upset stomach,” Yang Tongchuan coaxed him dotingly, his hand instinctively stroking Xiangxi’s belly. Suddenly, there was a movement beneath his palm; he felt a firm, energetic kick.

“Feel that?” Xiangxi laughed at the silly, stunned look on Yang’s face.

Yang Tongchuan stared at his hand; the sensation was magical. But then, his expression shifted, and he promptly took the snacks away.

“You should eat less chili. The baby is doing somersaults in there from the heat,” he said, putting the rest away. Xiangxi had already eaten quite a bit tonight; eating more hard-to-digest meat might lead to a stomachache. Xiangxi had satisfied his craving, so he didn’t protest.

In the following days, Yang Tongchuan took Xiangxi for a routine check-up, and both of them were scolded by the old doctor. During this period, Xiangxi had done nothing but eat and sleep, and his face had grown quite round.

“Aren’t you two just making trouble? If he keeps getting fat like this, the fetus will be too large, and your spouse will suffer terribly during labor!”

Xiangxi’s face turned beet red with embarrassment. “I don’t think he’s fat,” Yang Tongchuan tried to defend him. “He was too thin before; he’s just right now.”

“Am I the doctor or are you? If you don’t listen, you’ll be the one crying later,” the doctor barked, scaring them both.

Previously, Xiangxi would stroll through the streets after a clinic visit, but now he skipped the walk and dragged Yang Tongchuan straight home. Mother Yang was waiting for them. Seeing Yang’s long face, she feared something was wrong with the baby. She only relaxed when she heard the doctor was worried about Xiangxi gaining weight too quickly.

“It’s alright. When the weather cools down, I’ll have Xiangxi move around the courtyard more. I’ll tell Yanzi to keep dinner light; the weight will come under control,” Mother Yang said. She had no idea Xiangxi was eating jerky in his room every night and cracking nuts all day.

Fortunately, there was still time to adjust. Xiangxi quit the snacks and started eating more vegetables and less rice at night. When it wasn’t too hot, he helped Yanzi with light chores, like feeding Zhen Laifu or refilling his water. Mother Yang wouldn’t let him do anything heavier, like laundry or cooking.

As autumn arrived and the temperature dropped, Xiangxi’s weight finally stabilized within a reasonable range.

One day, Father and Mother Yang planned to go to the countryside with Yang Tongshan to check on the harvest of the land they rented out to tenants. Their agreement was a sharecrop—splitting the actual yield 50/50. After taxes, the Yangs and the tenants each took half the grain. A few days prior, the tenant had come by the house during market day to deliver some autumn vegetables and inform them that the rice had been moved to the threshing floor and would be ready for inspection soon.

Usually, the Yang family would go first to pick out the “prime grain”—the plumpest kernels without impurities—and then transport their half away. This year, Tongshan wanted to take Ming Le along to clear her head; if she liked it there, they’d stay for a few days and perhaps go up into the mountains. Mother Yang thought it was a great idea.

The only issue was that Xiangxi was too far along in his pregnancy for a bumpy carriage ride. Mother Yang didn’t feel right leaving him home alone, so she arranged for Yang Tongchuan to take a few days off to stay with him.

“I’ll leave Yanzi here to serve you. You just focus on taking care of Xiangxi,” Mother Yang said, worried about whether her son knew how to look after someone.

“No need, Mother. Take Yanzi with you. In the countryside, there might be things you aren’t used to; it’s more convenient to have someone there to wait on you. Xiangxi and I can manage a few simple meals at home,” Yang Tongchuan replied. He secretly wished everyone would leave—even Zhen Laifu. With just the two of them at home, imagine how free they would be!

Mother Yang, thinking her son was simply being filial and considerate, was deeply moved.

After seeing the group off, the courtyard became wonderfully quiet. Xiangxi decided to process the autumn vegetables the tenant had sent, slicing them to dry for easier storage. When Yang Tongchuan came out of the room, he saw Xiangxi sitting in the yard with a knife, cutting radish strips. These would be dried and later turned into savory pickled radishes.

“Are you tired? Does your back ache?”

“A little. Why don’t you cut them, and I’ll rest?” Xiangxi yielded his seat. He wasn’t afraid of Yang Tongchuan at all anymore and had become quite adept at ordering him around.

The two worked in harmony—Yang cutting and Xiangxi spreading them out to dry. Soon, the courtyard was filled with the distinct, crisp scent of green radishes. Xiangxi loved the smell.

“If the weather holds, they’ll be dry in three days. Tomorrow, we’ll bring out the cabbage and green onions to air out the moisture so they don’t rot when stored.”

“Sure. Whatever you say, I’ll do. No rush, we’ll take it slow.”

At lunch, with just the two of them, Xiangxi didn’t want anything too elaborate. He peeled and shredded two potatoes to make potato pancakes and boiled a pot of cornmeal mush. He made an extra large portion of the mush for Zhen Laifu. Fearing the dog wouldn’t be full, Yang Tongchuan tossed two sweet potatoes into the stove embers to roast as an extra treat for the guard dog.