Living like a widow? My rough neighbor is coaxing me to have a baby every night.

Chapter 84 A Moment of Spring Night Worth Gold

Da Zhuang, standing nearby, nudged Tie Zhu with his elbow, grinning lewdly, "You blockhead! I think you're all bark and no bite! Brother Shan is just worried about his wife! The first night of their wedding is a priceless auspicious day. As the saying goes, a moment of bliss on the wedding night is worth a thousand pieces of gold. If she gets drunk and becomes a complete mess, how will she get through her wedding night?"

Dazhuang, who was already married, was naturally very clear about this kind of thing.

As soon as these words were spoken, the people at the table erupted in laughter, doubled over with mirth.

"Oh—!" Tie Zhu suddenly realized, slapped his forehead, and grinned lewdly. "I get it, I get it! Brother Shan is saving his energy for the big project! I was so clueless!"

"That's a huge project!"

Er Gou, adding fuel to the fire, waved his chopsticks, "Won't Brother Shan, that old ox, be thoroughly exhausted tonight?"

"Hahaha! Er Gou, you have such a nasty mouth!"

The table was filled with vulgar talk, making Li Xianglian restless.

She felt her ears burning, as those obscure words drilled into her mind, making her feel terrified, ashamed, and embarrassed.

She instinctively tried to pull her hand away, but Qin Rushan gripped it even tighter.

Qin Rushan was not angry at all; on the contrary, he laughed heartily along with his brothers.

He turned to the side, his breath, reeking of alcohol, brushing against Li Xianglian's red earlobe. His voice was loud and unabashed: "Did you hear that? The brothers are all watching. If this happens tonight... I won't know where to put my face tomorrow. You'd better cooperate later, don't let me embarrass the Qin family."

"You...you've had too much to drink!" Li Xianglian was so ashamed she wanted to crawl under the table. She nudged him hard with her elbow, her voice barely audible, "You're so unseemly!"

"This is nothing."

Qin Rushan took the opportunity to put his arm around her waist, and his large hand, through her clothes, gave her soft flesh a meaningful squeeze. The force was neither too light nor too heavy, but it made half of her body go weak.

"I'm perfectly clear-headed. More clear-headed than ever before."

Although Aunt Guiying was an experienced woman, she couldn't stand the young men's unrestrained manner. She tapped each of them on the head with her chopsticks: "Alright, alright! You're getting more and more outrageous! Can't you see Xianglian is shy? Hurry up and eat! Once you're done, get out of here! Don't delay the couple from doing their business!"

The meal was eaten in a flash.

Er Gou devoured the entire large pot of braised pork, even the broth, by dipping steamed buns in it, and the wine bottle was also empty.

"belch--!"

Tie Zhu let out a thunderous burp, then swayed as he stood up: "Alright! We've eaten and drunk our fill, time to make room! Brother Shan, well... I wish you a successful night, and that you plant this red flag on the hilltop! We'll hear the good news tomorrow morning!"

"Get lost!" Qin Rushan laughed and kicked him, then got up and shooed his brothers out.

After seeing off the group of lively children, Aunt Guiying cleaned up the dishes, wiped her hands on her apron, and before leaving, pulled Li Xianglian aside and mysteriously slipped a small cloth bag into her hand.

"Girl, take this."

Aunt Guiying lowered her voice, her expression suggestive, "If that rascal doesn't know his own strength and hurts you, put some of this on. We're all women, Auntie understands."

Li Xianglian held the small cloth bag, feeling both touched and shy, and nodded: "Thank you, Auntie."

The courtyard finally became quiet.

The moonlight, like water, spilled into the empty courtyard, casting long shadows of the two people that eventually overlapped.

Qin Rushan stood at the gate of the courtyard, watching Er Gou and the others walk away arm in arm, and then slammed the heavy wooden door shut with a bang.

With a "click" as the thick bolt locked the door, it felt as if the whole world had been shut out.

In this small space, only he and Li Xianglian remained.

As the bolt fell, the wick of the kerosene lamp covered with red paper inside the room flickered twice, and the light and shadow swayed accordingly.

Qin Rushan turned around, not rushing to the edge of the kang (heated brick bed), but instead rolled up the sleeves of his military uniform, revealing a section of his bronze forearm with prominent veins, giving him a fierce look.

"Sit still, I'm going to get some water."

His voice was still hoarse from drinking, and sounded somewhat muffled.

Li Xianglian sat on the edge of the bed, twisting the hem of her red satin jacket in her hands, her heart pounding like a rabbit.

Although it was just the two of them in the room, the heat was even stronger than when the room was full of burly men drinking.

A short while later, Qin Rushan came in carrying an enamel basin.

Several patches of paint had chipped off the rim of the basin, revealing the black base underneath, and the water inside was steaming hot.

He placed the basin on the wooden shelf, wrung out a hot towel, and turned to smear it on Li Xianglian's face.

"No... I'll do it myself." Li Xianglian had never been served like this before, and she was so frightened that she reached out to take it.

Back in the Zhao family, let alone having someone bring her water to wash her face, if she used even a little too much hot water, that old hag from the Zhao family would stand in the yard and scold her for half an hour, saying that she was wasting firewood.

Qin Rushan shifted his body slightly, avoiding her hand, but his large, calloused hands steadily supported her chin.

"What are you hiding for?" He raised an eyebrow. "You're the boss today. My wife, Qin Rushan's wife, is meant to be cherished, not treated like a servant. Stay put."

The warm towel pressed against her face forced back the tears that Li Xianglian had been holding back.

Although the towel was rough and a bit harsh on her face, the warmth seeped into her pores, soothing her heart.

Qin Rushan's movements may appear rough, but they are actually quite meticulous.

He gently brushed his fingers across her forehead and the tip of her nose, not even missing the soft flesh behind her ears.

After wiping his face, he squatted down again.

Before Li Xianglian could react, he grabbed her ankle.

"Ah!" she exclaimed, instinctively trying to shrink back. "What...what are you doing?"

"Wash your feet."

Qin Rushan didn't even look up, and he could easily grasp both of her ankles in one hand. "After running around all day, and getting annoyed by those gossipy people, a foot soak will make me feel better."

"No way! This won't do!"

Li Xianglian was so anxious she almost stood up. "A man's knees are worth gold, how can he wash a woman's feet? If word gets out, people will laugh at us..."

In the countryside during that era, men were considered the pillars of the family, the pillars of the household. Washing a woman's feet was seen as a sign of weakness and would earn one scorn.

Qin Rushan snorted coldly, looked up and glared at her, his eyes fierce but without any murderous intent.

"We don't have those ridiculous rules here. Once the door's closed, who's going to know? And even if they did, so what? It's only natural for me to wash my daughter-in-law's feet! I'd like to see who dares to gossip or have a death wish!"