Chapter 76: 谈房事
[Talking about sexual intercourse]
Chun Niang was sitting in the front shop, listless, with deep dark circles under her eyes.
In recent days, her husband’s body is getting worse and worse, coughing up blood at night, tossing and turning in the middle of the night, she can’t sleep well, she just wants to be by his side to accompany him, afraid that he will suddenly leave her behind and pass away.
Husband and wife for many years, the feelings are too deep, once together with the sweet and the bitter,they share life’s joys and sorrows, it is not easy to have improvement, her man collapses again.
Li Haitang said to look for medicinal herbs, already for a few days; there is still no news, Chun Niang pondered, she is afraid that this matter could not be done.
In the surrounding city, all the famous doctors have been searched, but Chun Niang just does not give up, unwilling to accept the reality.
Why did she feel pain? She sympathized, sometimes she even thought, why not drink some arsenic, husband and wife die together, but hope that the next life will start over, again as a couple.
“Chun Niang, I’m back!”
Li Haitang saw the cloth shop open the door, strutting in the door. The dress she was wearing was the one that Chun Niang gave and measured the size; she didn’t have time to embroider the flowers, but it was quite comfortable to wear.
“Meizi! (Little Sister)”
Chun Niang looked up sharply and hurriedly came out from behind the counter, pulling Li Haitang’s hand.
These hands were moist and cold, Li Haitang clasped them back and patted the back of her hand again, “I’ve brought the medicine, I’ll boil it after the meal, I reckon brother-in-law will be able to have a good night’s sleep tonight.”
“Go, follow me home!”
Chun Niang greeted her mate to close the shop, not interested in doing business, to her, her husband’s body is more important than money, she worked hard to earn silver, but also for him to see a doctor, afraid that one day, if there is really hope, the family can afford to buy medicinal herbs.
“The herbs didn’t cost much silver.”
Xiao Lingchuan stopped the carriage, and went to buy several kinds of food and drink. He expected Chun Niang to be anxious, probably not wanting to cook, but he could not starve his wife, so he went into the kitchen.
“What did you say? You’re putting on a play (play a minor part) for Little Peach Red?”
Chun Niang’s eyes lit up, praising Li Haitang’s good fortune, not mention the silver, having the opportunity to see Little Peach Blossom up close and personal, that’s really rare.
“This….”
Li Haitang was depressed, everyone else felt that she had struck lucky, she really didn’t have the face to say that she had gone to play the role as a corpse, she only had to swallow back the latter half of her sentence.
After the meal, Li Haitang instructed Chun Niang to boil the medicine. The smell of the herbs was awful, but after He Fang drank it, he slept peacefully at night.
“It’s good that you didn’t cough up blood.”
Getting hope, Chun Niang was in a good mood, she and Li Haitang shared the same bed, thinking that the young couple was newly married, she intervened in the middle and had to share the bed between the two of them, it was not generous.
“Haitang Meizi, have you and he consummate the marriage yet?”
Chun Niang was old enough to be Li Haitang’s mother, there were no taboos in saying this, on the contrary, Chun Niang felt that some things had to be said.
Li Haitang’s mother left in a hurry, many things were not handed over to her in time, she herself, as a big sister, must bear the responsibility.
Between husband and wife, intercourse is very beautiful thing. Looking at Xiao Lingchuan who is tall and big, he is afraid that he is an inexperienced rash and will make his sister get hurt.
If there is not a good start, the woman is resistant to the room affairs, there is a shadow, I am afraid that it is not conducive to the couple’s relationship.
Men are greedy for flowers, but if they can get a person of their heart and live to a ripe old age, it is also an extremely lucky thing.
Chun Niang and her husband He Fang are from the bitter times, and then the family has conditions, He Fang is still single-minded, not to mention concubinage, he has never had a drinking party with female entertainers.
“Circumstances forced me to get married in full mourning, I always feel sorry for my mother.”
Li Haitang shook her head, she is still in full mourning, keeping filial piety for three years is too long, unless the age is still small, not in a hurry to get married.
“Did you read the pamphlet?”
Chun Niang nodded. Indeed, however Li Haitang also had to think about Xiao Lingchuan, over twenty years old, hugging a refined as a precious jade wife every day, how can he hold back.
Enduring, for the man, is a kind of pain. In the long run, she is afraid of the sequelae, in case of impotent, could not be patient and rush, for Li Haitang is also harmful.
Since they are already married between husband and wife, they can not be too shy in the room. Each other tells each other what they want, don’t hide it.
“Is this good?”
Li Haitang was startled by Chun Niang’s notion, even for modern couples, it was rare for them to communicate together, mainly because they couldn’t wipe their faces.
“Haitang, you are still young.”
Chun Niang sighed, the reason she started working back then was not just by bartering with barbarians.
At first there was no capital, she could only get credit at small shops and then take the fabrics to the flower houses to sell them.
In the prostitution’s area, women would go as far as possible because she is afraid her reputation would be tainted. She is a married woman, and is not a girl, give up feeling, only to earn the first bucket of gold (the initial profits from an economic endeavour).
He Fang was in the house, and those who sell their bodies, Chun Niang, are also familiar and know some rules.
“Your husband is tall and has long legs, I’m afraid that substance can’t be small.”
Chun Niang shook her head, seeing that Li Haitang was still too delicate. The first time she said she couldn’t help but get hurt, that’s why she gave a small booklet.
“Chun Niang …”
Li Haitang blushed likened to boiled shrimp, being a doctor, what has not seen, no more, there are all kinds of action films, she has not seen him there, but inadvertently touched.
Therefore, Li Haitang goaded, she only dared to hug and kiss, but did not dare to take the last step, at least to delay until after the year, her body to mature some more.
At night, the two people’s voices are very small, but everything can not be hidden from Xiao Lingchuan’s ears. He raised his head,he could only resign himself to taking a cold shower.
His wife is mourning for her parents, he does not want to force, anyway, more than twenty years are alone, and then waiting more is not a big deal.
Overnight, Li Haitang was confused. She had a spring dream, dreaming of and her own husband. The dream was too real, make her get up from dream, but also blushed for a long time.
Around 7-9 am (in the system of two-hour subdivisions used in former times), Li Haitang appeared at the Fuxiang Teahouse, she was guided by the mate into the courtyard of the back hall of the teahouse.
“You are Li Haitang.”
The class master of Dequan class was very polite to Li Haitang and had the mate serve tea and pour water. Little Peach Blossom was Dequanban’s cash cow (legendary tree that sheds coins when shaken), and as the class master, he was actually an errand boy and handyman.
“Class Master, I am the one who is the luckiest to receive the embroidered ball.”
Li Haitang smiled, but in her heart, she was complaining. This play was different from the past, it was made up by Little Red Peach.
“Can you read or write? If you can’t read, I’ll introduce you to the vernacular folk stories book.”
Little Red Peach didn’t show up, only the leader of a theatrical troupe received Li Haitang, the rest of the people went about their business, only at the very beginning, looking at her for a few moments.
“I can read.”
Li Haitang was puzzled, did she still have to read the prompt-books used by popular storytellers? Wasn’t it agreed that she would play the corpse, then she herself would be a prop at best, just lying on top of it.
“This, you don’t understand.”
Seeing that she was an amateur, the head of a theatrical troupe boasted, “Our De Quan class is on fire all over Capital, what exactly do we rely on?” Opera artists have their own qualities, they don’t just sing casually, every detail, from props to costumes to accessories, including the safety of building the stage, must be perfected.