After the incident during the Dragon Boat Festival, Qiao Ruifeng returned to Xiahe Village with a dark expression. Qin Yu had never seen him so angry before and could only silently follow by his side. They first sent Qiao Suiman home, then went straight to Li Da’s house.
The surroundings were crowded with villagers. Some helped fetch the yayi, while others had just stood by to watch the spectacle. Qin Yu felt a chill in his heart toward them. Qiao Ruifeng often helped their families in the past. If Qiao Suiman didn’t stubbornly hold on and avoided being taken away, and if Lu Dongqing didn’t arrived in time…
Qin Yu shuddered at the thought.
When they reached Li Da’s house, the courtyard gate was tightly shut. Qiao Ruifeng kicked it open with one blow. Inside, they found Li Da sitting in the main room, looking terrified, while his mother wore a haughty expression, saying, “We were just passing on a message. It didn’t even work out. They wouldn’t dare come here to cause trouble…”
Before she could finish, she watched in shock as Qiao Ruifeng kicked over their table. Li Da’s mother screamed and rushed forward to hit him.
Qin Yu seized her arms, twisted them behind her back, and kicked the back of her knees, sending her sprawling to the ground.
Li Da also suffered a bad fate. Qiao Ruifeng landed several heavy punches on his face and head, and he was immediately bleeding.
Li Da’s mother shrieked loudly, but the villagers watching nearby dared not say a word. Not only Li Da’s actions utterly despicable, but Qiao Ruifeng’s face which looked like he would beat anyone who dared to approach him, made them dare not speak.
Finally, someone was afraid that someone would be beaten to death, so they ran to call Yu Ping over. At that time, Li Da was already beaten until his face was swollen like a pig’s head, and his body was covered with footprints. Yu Ping shouted a few perfunctory words but did nothing more.
Seeing that Li Da was beaten enough to keep him bedridden for months, Qin Yu released Li Da’s mother and gently pulled Qiao Ruifeng away from the one-sided fight.
Though it was called a fight, Li Da was no match for Qiao Ruifeng’s strength. He was pinned to the ground by Qiao Ruifeng, and it took him a long time to return a punch.
Qiao Ruifeng was burning with rage. He thought it was Yu Ping pulling him and tried to shake him off. But when he glanced to the side and saw it was Qin Yu, his fury was silenced in an instant. “A-Yu.”
Qiao Ruifeng didn’t say a word the entire way there. Qin Yu knew he was deeply troubled and felt a pang in his heart. He turned away, delivered a fierce kick to Li Da’s stomach, and said to Qiao Ruifeng, “Let’s go. Don’t dirty your hands.”
Only then did Qiao Ruifeng stand up and walk out. Behind them, Li Da’s mother threw herself over her son, crying and cursing nonstop. But the onlookers not only refused to speak up for them but even cleared a path for Qiao Ruifeng as he approached. It is a truly frightening sight.
There was blood on his hands, and although it wasn’t his own, it was still upsettling to look at. When they got home, Qiao Ruifeng fetched water and thoroughly washed his hands and face. Qin Yu then carefully checked him and found that he was not injured, so he felt relieved.
Qiao Suiman stood nearby and unsure what to do. The palm print left by Lin Shanhua’s slap still hadn’t faded from his face. Qin Yu’s heart ached. He pulled Qiao Suiman into an embrace and whispered, “Xiao Man, it’s alright now.”
“Mn, Qin Yu-ge, I’m fine.”
Qiao Suiman then said to Qiao Ruifeng, “Da-ge, there’s no way they could’ve taken me. With so many people around, I could’ve grabbed any one of the villagers and someone would’ve stepped in.”
However, Lu Dongqing’s appearance was indeed timely.
Qiao Ruifeng nodded. “We’re all tired. Let’s eat first.”
Qiao Suiman had already steamed some steamed buns. After a simple meal, Qiao Ruifeng listened to their casual chatter. When they brought up Lu Dongqing, Qiao Suiman turned shy and stammered, then he slightly smiled.
After washing up, Qin Yu turned on his side and placed a hand on Qiao Ruifeng’s chest. He whispered, “Don’t overthink it. It’s all in the past now.”
Qiao Ruifeng held Qin Yu tightly, burying his face in the crook of his neck. His voice was muffled and still carried a trace of fear. “I’m really useless. I can never seem to protect you all.”
Qin Yu hugged him back firmly. “Who says that? If you hadn’t taken me away from that family back then, who knows what kind of life I’d be living now?”
“Xiao Man has grown up so well, all thanks to you raising him since he was young,” Qin Yu said softly. “Ruifeng, don’t think like that. It pains me to hear it. In my heart, you are a man who can hold up the sky[mfn]顶天立地 Dǐngtiānlìdì (lit. stand upright on one’s two legs between heaven and earth) – Idiom meaning a man who is a pillar of strength; someone upright and dependable, capable of handling significant responsibilities[/mfn]. I don’t know how I got so lucky to become your fulang.”
Qiao Ruifeng still looked a little down, so Qin Yu chuckled and changed the subject. “Today, I saw that Dongqing-xiaozi really does seem like a good one. Like you, he can fight and won’t let Xiao Man be bullied.”
Qiao Ruifeng nodded. In the village, nothing else mattered as much as strength. Lu Dongqing is tall, imposing, and has a fierce presence when fighting. Unless someone is blind, no one would dare provoke him.
“Then we’ll wait and see when he comes to propose.”
“And we should start preparing the dowry. We just got a few taels of silver today, just right in time,” Qin Yu said.
“Mn. We can’t let others look down on us. Whatever others have, Xiao Man must have too,” Qiao Ruifeng said quietly.
“Of course.”
They talked a while longer before Qiao Ruifeng finally emerged from his self-reproach. They had to go to the county yamen the next day, so they didn’t stay up too late.
When they returned from the county yamen, everyone was in high spirits. Watching those bastards being punished, they wished they could go up and beat them with a stick themselves.
Time passed quickly after that. The Lu family’s son came to propose. On Qixi Festival, Qin Yu didn’t let Qiao Suiman accompany them as usual but instead strolled through the flower street with Qiao Ruifeng.
Over the past few months, selling drinks and working at the dock had earned them a considerable sum. Qiao Ruifeng saw an old man selling sugar paintings[mfn]糖畫 tánghuà – a traditional Chinese folk art using hot, liquid sugar to create figures[/mfn] and pulled Qin Yu over.
“A-Yu, spin one. It’s been a long time since I bought you one,” Qiao Ruifeng whispered in Qin Yu’s ear.
“We’re too old for this.”
Qin Yu smiled but still stepped forward to spin.[mfn]Children will usually spin the arrow on a wheel to choose a random design. It can be dragons, fish, birds, or flowers, etc.[/mfn] The pointer landed on a phoenix design, and he laughed. “Last time it was this pattern too. What a coincidence.”
Qiao Ruifeng grinned, paid the uncle four wen, and turned to Qin Yu. “Isn’t it? We’ll try again next time.”
“Who eats sugar all the time?” Qin Yu took the sugar painting, happily licked it once, then held it up to Qiao Ruifeng’s mouth, beaming. “So sweet. Have a bite.”
Qiao Ruifeng’s smile widened as he took a bite right where Qin Yu had licked. He chuckled and said, “It’s very sweet.”
Qin Yu’s cheeks flushed slightly. “Shameless.”
Qiao Ruifeng didn’t deny it. With his fulang, who needed to be so proper?
Qin Yu felt an arm wrap around his waist as he leaned against Qiao Ruifeng. They walked from one end of the street to the other amidst the crowd, waiting for the fireworks to light up the sky.
This was their fourth Qixi Festival together. In previous years, family matters had always kept them busy. This was the first time they could truly relax.
Under the glow of the fireworks, Qin Yu’s eyes sparkled with reflected light. Even though they’ve been together day and night for several years, Qiao Ruifeng found himself momentarily dazed by the sight. While everyone was looking up at the fireworks, he quickly stole a kiss from Qin Yu’s lips.
Qin Yu turned to look at Qiao Ruifeng, smiling with eyes full of warmth.
“Ruifeng, go get the swaddling bands.”
Qin Yu fed the baby in the walker while directing Qiao Ruifeng to work.
“Alright.” Qiao Ruifeng agreed. Three swaddling bands hung on the clothesline, which were from Tuanzi’s achievements from the previous day. Passing by them, he crouched down and nuzzled Tuanzi’s cheek several times.
“Stop it, he’s drinking milk.”
Qin Yu lightly swatted Qiao Ruifeng but smiled and pushed him away when he saw Tuanzi giggling without any sign of crying.
“Tuanzi is the best. You love playing with Father, right?” Qiao Ruifeng stood up, looking down tenderly at Tuanzi.
They had been married for several years before they had this child. Qiao Ruifeng treated him like a precious jewel, afraid he would fall if held too loosely, afraid he would melt if held too close. Sometimes, he spoiled Tuanzi so much that even Qin Yu found it excessive.
“Da-da, ah.”
Tuanzi recently started trying to talk. Though not accurate, they had figured it out: “Da-da” meant Father[mfn]爹爹 diē die – father[/mfn], and “Mo-mo” meant A-mu.
Qiao Ruifeng laughed and replied, “Father’s here. Tuanzi, be good and drink your milk. Father will feed the chickens and ducks, then come play with Tuanzi.”
Qin Yu scooped up a spoon of goat milk just in time to draw Tuanzi’s attention back.
They have many chickens and ducks at home which provides a stable income. They can collect seventy to eighty eggs a day, and every three days, they’ll go to town to sell them. They had established relationships with several wealthy families, ensuring they sold out every time.
Over the past year or so, combined with earnings from selling vegetables and previously selling drinks with Qiao Suiman, they had saved several dozen taels of silver, making them one of the wealthier households in the village.
Life gradually improved, and there was no shortage of chicken and duck eggs. Qin Yu alternated between steamed eggs, scrambled eggs, and boiled eggs daily. His complexion glowed, and many villagers envied him.
People used to laugh at him for not having a child, but now he has a fair and chubby Tuanzi. Everyone who sees him says he looks like the little golden boy in the New Year paintings. Qiao Ruifeng accommodated his every wish, which makes many people jealous.
After feeding Tuanzi, Qin Yu set him down in the courtyard. His little legs are strong, and he toddled forward energetically. Qin Yu laughed. “Don’t run too far.”
“Eh ah.” Tuanzi understood. Seeing Qin Yu weeding the vegetable patch, he waddled over and called out, “Mo, mo-mo.”
“Hey,” Qin Yu smiled tenderly. “A-mu is pulling weeds. Tuanzi, watch A-mu here, okay?”
Tuanzi is very obedient. Knowing his Father and A-mu were busy, he quietly played with his fingers by himself. The little one’s face and hands are all chubby, and Qin Yu’s heart melts whenever he looked at him.
So adorable.
Every time Qiao Ruifeng goes to town, he brings back small toys. Combined with those made by Lu Dongqing from time to time, Tuanzi’s toys filled half a small wooden chest.
After Qin Yu coaxed Tuanzi to sleep, he finally had time to cook.
Qiao Ruifeng fed the chickens and ducks, collected several dozen eggs, washed his hands, and returned to the main room. “Is he asleep?”
Without waiting for Qin Yu’s reply, he went to check himself. Tuanzi’s cheeks are rosy as he slept soundly. Qiao Ruifeng smiled, then closed the door and went out.
“Tomorrow morning, I’ll buy an extra bowl of goat milk for you to drink too,” Qiao Ruifeng said.
“Alright,” Qin Yu responded with a smile. Qiao Suiman had taught him how to make milk tea, and he occasionally made some for himself. He didn’t add much sugar when making it himself, just a hint of tea flavor made it quite delicious.
“The longevity lock should be ready. Remember to pick it up tomorrow. Tangyuan’s full moon is in a few days,” Qin Yu reminded him.
“I know. I’ll stop by on the way to the Liu family’s house to get it.”
Thinking of Tangyuan, Qin Yu smiled again. “Tangyuan is so adorable. His little hands are so strong. The other day, when I helped feed him, he finished drinking and still clung to my clothes and wouldn’t let go.”
“Little fellows should be strong,” Qiao Ruifeng said, also happy thinking of his little nephew. “Our family is growing.”
“Yes,” Qin Yu sighed. “After Xiao Man married, I thought it would be lonely just being the two of us. Now Tuanzi is here, and we often spend time with Guo’er, Songzi, and the others. Time passed without us realizing, and there are more and more children.”
Upon hearing this, Qiao Ruifeng put down the steamed bun in his hand, reached out to touch Qin Yu’s belly, and chuckled, “Who knows, there might be more.”
Qin Yu laughed and scolded, “It took us years to get Tuanzi. How could it happen so soon?”
“That’s not necessarily true. Our Tuanzi is blessed. Perhaps he’ll soon bring a little brother or sister.”
“You wish.”
Three months later, Qin Yu walked out of Physician Liu’s place in a daze. Qiao Ruifeng laughed. “See, I was right. There’s another one on the way.”
Tuanzi, sensing his father’s joy, grinned. “De da, ya ah.”
Qin Yu’s eyes curved into smiles. He nodded. “Let’s go. Xiao Man and the others are coming back tomorrow. We’ll invite them over for a meal.”
“Alright.”
Qiao Ruifeng carried Tuanzi in one arm and held Qin Yu’s hand with the other. The three of them happily headed home.
Soon, there would be another little one.
Author [陳皮皮梅]: That’s all for the older brother and brother-in-law. Starting tomorrow, it’ll be Guo’er and Xuesong, and then a few happy ending extras~
If you enjoy my translations, consider buying me a milk tea 🥛🍵
