Chapter 2 Wedding Night

This time, she couldn’t afford to be foolish again.

Xue Ling pursed her lips and softened her tone.

“Just now, I was confused, and I spoke too harshly. We’ve already registered and had the ceremony; we are officially married. Tonight is our wedding night. If you sleep outside, it will sound bad to others!”

Cheng Tianyuan’s cold eyes narrowed, and he snorted, “Are you worried about losing face? You made a scene earlier, and even if you had any face left, you’ve already lost it yourself!”

Xue Ling knew she had gone too far before, and she knew he wouldn’t forgive her immediately.

She lowered her voice, “Once something is lost, can’t you make an effort to get it back? My face has already been lost. Do you want to lose yours too by sleeping outside tonight?”

Cheng Tianyuan hesitated for a moment, not saying anything, but deep down, he had to admit she made sense.

Everyone in Cheng’s village knew that he had married a girl from the capital city. According to local customs, after the wedding ceremony, the newlyweds were supposed to enter the bridal chamber. The next morning, relatives and friends from the village would come to visit the bride and ask for sweets.

If someone sharp-eyed found him sleeping in the woodshed on their wedding night, the entire village would probably hear about it, and that would be embarrassing.

He really couldn’t afford to lose face in this situation.

Xue Ling had been a company executive for twenty or thirty years in her previous life, and she had developed a keen sense of observation.

Seeing that he was starting to yield, she quickly offered him an olive branch.

“Anyway, the bed is big enough. You sleep on one side, and I’ll sleep on the other.”

Cheng Tianyuan still looked disdainful. He said in a calm voice, “Since you’ve already decided to divorce, there’s no need for too much entanglement. I’ll sleep on that wooden sofa over there.”

She didn’t respect herself, didn’t want to live with him, and he would find an opportunity to divorce her.

After all, they had only met once before, and they were childhood neighbors. He couldn’t afford to have an unclear relationship with her, and in the future, when she found her own happiness, he didn’t want her to look down on him.

After hearing his words, Xue Ling’s eyes dimmed, but deep down, she couldn’t help but feel moved.

They said not to bully the young and poor. In her previous life, she had looked down on him for being poor and lacking foresight, which was why she had escaped from Cheng’s house under her cousin’s persuasion.

It wasn’t until decades later that she realized this man was responsible and even forgave her, taking care of her until she passed away.

At this time, it was not like the later years when the world was full of temptations, especially in rural areas, where a woman’s chastity was still highly valued.

Even if she took the initiative, he still wanted to draw a clear line to avoid tarnishing her purity, so that she could remarry someone else in the future.

This man was steady, reserved, kind-hearted, and responsible – a true man.

She looked at the man preparing the wooden sofa and secretly made up her mind.

Cheng Tianyuan, don’t think about it. This lifetime, I’m going to rely on you!

The night was dark, and the only hanging lamp in the earthen house cast a dim yellow light.

The newlyweds were separated, each in a different room. One slept on the bed, and the other on the sofa.

Xue Ling had spent several days on a bumpy journey by car, and after washing up, she fell asleep as soon as she touched the pillow.

Cheng Tianyuan, on the other hand, had trouble sleeping on the wooden sofa. He was thinking about the future livelihood of his family, worrying about the situation where they might not have enough to eat, and his mind was in chaos.

This time, his father had been seriously ill, and the doctors in the county hospital had even issued a critical condition notice. Fortunately, timely treatment had saved his father’s life.

He had already spent his salary for the first half of the year on medical expenses, and any relatives or friends who could lend them money his mother had borrowed from them. Adding to the previous debts, they now owed over a thousand yuan.

For this wedding, they had borrowed another hundred yuan, with eighty-eight yuan as the betrothal gift and ten yuan for the marriage certificate. They couldn’t come up with the rest, so they had to talk to Xue’s father.

Fortunately, his father-in-law was understanding and told them to take care of the bride first, and the rest could wait.

Now, their home was in dire straits, and he needed to find some money quickly to support his family so that he could work in the country with peace of mind.

These days, he has to figure out how to settle things down at home…

The night was quiet, and the woman in bed was breathing evenly. Unknowingly, he had fallen asleep as well.

…

Early the next morning, the sound of chopping wood came from outside.

Cheng Tianyuan opened his eyes and quickly got up to dress. He tidied the wooden sofa and then went to the kitchen to brush his teeth and wash his face.

When he came back, Xue Ling was still not awake.

Cheng Tianyuan didn’t want to bother her, but he thought that relatives and friends would come to visit the bride soon, so he walked to the big bed.

“Xue Ling! Xue Ling! Get up quickly!”

Xue Ling was still half asleep on the bed, and when she heard his voice, she mumbled, “Isn’t it still dark outside?”

Cheng Tianyuan said in a deep voice, “It’s already light outside. Get up! A lot of people will come to ask for sweets soon. Do you know what to do?”

Xue Ling finally woke up a bit more and quickly sat up.

“What should I do?”

She was wearing a thin nightgown with the collar open, revealing a large section of fair neck and shoulders. Her hair was slightly messy, her apricot eyes were drowsy, her cherry lips were pursed, and she no longer had the aggressiveness and fierceness of yesterday. Instead, she appeared more delicate and cute.

Cheng Tianyuan glanced at her and was momentarily stunned.

Xue Ling rubbed her eyes and, thinking he wasn’t going to answer, explained in a soft tone, “I don’t understand the wedding customs here. Can you tell me what to do?”

Cheng Tianyuan quickly regained his composure and averted his gaze, not looking at her anymore.

“It’s not complicated. The bride only needs to carry the sweets and serve tea. The elders receive a cup of tea, and others get two pieces of candy each.”

Xue Ling nodded and got out of bed decisively.

“Alright, I understand!”

She quickly got out of bed, put on her outer clothes, straightened the bedding, put on her shoes, and hurried to wash up.

Cheng Tianyuan couldn’t help but be a little surprised.

Before, her father-in-law had said that she was pampered and had many quirks, especially her habit of staying in bed. Sometimes, it would take her half an hour or more to get up, and he had to urge her not to let her in-laws see the joke.

He had never expected that Xue Ling had already undergone a transformation. Her busy and high-intensity life in her previous life had instilled in her the habit of not wasting any time.

Brushing her teeth, washing her face, changing clothes, and combing her hair, she was neat and tidy in just five minutes. Then, she walked out quickly.

At that moment, the sky was still dimly lit. Cheng Tianyuan was chopping wood in the yard, and there was a fire in the kitchen, but no one else was around.

Xue Ling walked over, efficiently picked up firewood, bundled it up, and carried it to the kitchen.

Seeing the fire in the stove was about to go out, she quickly added more firewood and blew on it.

The flames in the stove leaped up. The autumn firewood was dry, and it quickly burned vigorously.

She walked out of the kitchen and raised her voice, “Tianyuan, the water is almost boiling. What do you need it for?”

Cheng Tianyuan’s back stiffened for a moment, and he replied, “… My father needs it to apply to his arm. Go tell my mother to bring it over.”

In his childhood, at the entrance of the big alley, she used to call him “Tianyuan.” She liked to cling to him, act spoiled, and ask him to take her out to play. Hearing it again after so many years, it was both familiar and strange.

“Alright!” She walked briskly towards the other earthen house.