The Comments Section Said She Was My Wife - Chapter 17

◎ “This is Chu Tang, my wife.” ◎

“Rum-rumble”—the sound of thunder echoed through the mountains. With the arrival of an autumn rain, the weather turned suddenly crisp and cool.

Fortunately, the rain had come late and hadn’t disrupted much, the persimmons Xia Shi had brought back were already dried and stored away as persimmon cakes, and the rice harvested from the village fields below had already been dried and tucked into storehouses.

Xia Shi had even found time to make a trip down to the village to buy the grain they had reserved and to bring back the chicken she had promised from Tian Er’s family.

For now, all necessary tasks were complete. Xia Shi, awakened by the thunder in the middle of the night, had only opened her eyes briefly to glimpse the flashes of lightning illuminating the room before closing them again, drifting back into a sweet, deep sleep.

When she woke the next morning, the rain had stopped. The only lingering trace was the sudden drop in temperature. Xia Shi awoke to find a soft body huddled against her, Chu Tang had been so chilled by the plummeting temperature in the middle of the night that she had instinctively curled into Xia Shi’s embrace. If that wasn’t proof of how sharp the cold had become, she didn’t know what was. Xia Shi couldn’t help but feel a small, secret thrill at the realization.

Unfortunately, although Chu Tang blushed upon waking, she quickly detached herself from Xia Shi’s arms, pretending that nothing at all had happened.

Xia Shi pouted, feeling a bit regretful, but kept her thoughts to herself. She was the first to throw off the covers and get out of bed. Only after standing in her undergarments did she realize how chilly the morning air truly was, and she hurried to the wardrobe to dig out some heavier clothing.

She didn’t lack for clothes. First, she was a skilled hunter, so life was comfortable, and second, she was notoriously hard on her garments and didn’t know how to mend them, so she simply bought new ones whenever she ruined a piece. Over time, she had accumulated quite a stash. She had no shortage of thick autumn wear, so she picked out a set for herself and then grabbed a thicker piece for Chu Tang.

As she handed the clothes over, it belatedly dawned on her: Chu Tang had been at her house for so long, and she had been wearing Xia Shi’s oversized clothes the entire time. Xia Shi had completely neglected to buy her wife a new set of clothes!

Thinking of it was one thing, but now that she realized her oversight, she felt it was a priority. Xia Shi thought for a moment and said, “The weather is turning cold, and winter is coming soon. Let’s find a time to go into town and buy you some new clothes. You can make do with my autumn shirts, but when winter hits, clothes that don’t fit won’t keep you warm. We need to prepare ahead of time.”

Their figures were naturally quite different; Chu Tang was slender and delicate, while Xia Shi was tall and athletic. Xia Shi was significantly taller, so while Chu Tang could wear her clothes, they were baggy. Baggy winter clothes would only let the freezing wind right in.

Chu Tang didn’t mind either way; she knew she would never return to the fine silks of her past, and new clothes wouldn’t necessarily be as soft as the worn-in old ones.

She looked out the window and answered casually, “Let’s wait until the weather is better. Rainy days make the paths muddy, and the mountain road isn’t easy to walk.” After a pause, she added, “I don’t want you to carry me. Since I live here, I naturally need to get used to walking that mountain road myself.”

Xia Shi could only nod helplessly. Fortunately, it was just an autumn rain; even if the weather cooled, it wouldn’t be snowing just yet. When she opened the door to check outside, she beamed—the storm last night had been fierce, but it left little trace.

The courtyard wasn’t too muddy, as the rainwater had already drained off into the corner gutters. She looked up at the sky; the morning air after the rain looked as if it had been scrubbed clean, a wide expanse of azure. It didn’t look like it would rain again. Perhaps the path would be bone-dry by tomorrow.

Chu Tang followed her out, sniffing the crisp, rain-washed air, her brow finally relaxing.

Xia Shi’s estimation proved correct. The rain hadn’t lasted long, and the sun had come out early, drying the road by midday.

Xia Shi was a woman of action. She hadn’t thought of it before, but once she decided to take her wife to town for clothes, she couldn’t wait a second longer. After checking the state of the road, she ran back excitedly, “The path is dry! We can go down now.”

Chu Tang wasn’t in such a rush, but seeing Xia Shi’s enthusiasm, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

The two packed simple necessities and headed down.

Chu Tang wasn’t just talking big. Having gained a clear understanding of the mountain path, she walked cautiously and steadily, truly not needing Xia Shi to carry her. It took them twice as long, guided by Xia Shi’s hand, but they arrived at the foot of the mountain safe and sound.

Xia Shi couldn’t help but praise her, “Impressive! You walked so steadily on your second descent, you won’t find it difficult to come and go on your own from now on.”

Chu Tang was left feeling both amused and frustrated by the praise. She wasn’t a three-year-old child; was being able to leave the house on her own really such a remarkable feat? She pushed Xia Shi playfully, “Alright, stop with the excessive praise. It’s getting late, and we need to hurry to the county town.”

True enough. At this hour, they wouldn’t even be able to catch an ox cart.

It was already afternoon by the time they reached the county town.

Usually, when Xia Shi came to town to sell game, despite the heavy load, her pace was so brisk that she could make it from Shitian Village to town in less than an hour. Traveling with Chu Tang was a different matter.

Her attention was entirely focused on her wife, circling around her, chatting incessantly. They had reached town before she even realized it, but when she checked the time, she realized it had taken half an hour longer than usual, and they had missed the lunch hour.

Fortunately, there was no shortage of food in the city. As soon as they entered, Xia Shi’s stomach gave a loud rumble. She turned to Chu Tang, “It’s already past noon. Are you hungry? What would you like to eat?”

Chu Tang glanced around the unfamiliar county town and shook her head, “I don’t have a preference, whatever you want is fine.”

Xia Shi didn’t stand on ceremony. She took Chu Tang’s hand and led her familiarly to a wonton stall at the end of the street. She said to the owner, “Uncle Wu, two bowls of fresh meat wontons. Please, extra broth!”

The owner agreed without even looking up, then realized the voice sounded familiar. He turned around and realized it was indeed Xia Shi, but for the first time, she wasn’t alone. He was both surprised and delighted. “Ah Shi, you haven’t been here in ages. And this is the first time you’ve brought someone with you. Who is this young lady?”

Xia Shi pressed Chu Tang into a seat at the table with one hand, lifting her chin with a proud, rare brightness in her expression: “This is Chu Tang, my wife.”

The owner was stunned for a second, then laughed. “Wonderful, wonderful! The wontons are on the house today, Uncle Wu’s treat.”

Xia Shi didn’t refuse, she just laughed and agreed, waiting for the owner to go back to his work before leaning toward Chu Tang to explain, “Uncle Wu used to live in Shitian Village. My father saved him when he was young, so they’ve always had a good relationship. Whenever my father brought me to town, we always ate wontons here.”

After her father passed, Uncle Wu still treated her like a junior, and they were closer than she was with most of the people in Shitian Village.

Chu Tang nodded in understanding. Xia Shi told her to wait, and a moment later, she returned with two paper packets—snacks from nearby stalls for Chu Tang to try, knowing that anything she couldn’t finish, Xia Shi would gladly handle.

Uncle Wu soon brought over the wontons, smiling warmly and telling them to eat while they were hot.

The fresh, savory scent hit their noses the moment the bowls touched the table. Just as Chu Tang picked up her spoon and lifted a wonton to blow on it, a familiar voice drifted from behind them: “Oh? Xiao Xia, Xiao Chu? You’ve come to town too?”

They turned to look. It was Tian Er’s wife, approaching with a group of familiar village women.