radicalducati Chapter 280 Spring
Chapter 280 Spring
On the wedding day, Banggeng wore a blue cloth jacket with a big red flower on his chest, and was encouraged by his brothers to drink three cups of liquor. Maya wore a red cotton jacket with a red hairband tied on her braids, and was surrounded by the girls in the village to whisper. Captain Li drank until his face was red, and patted Banggeng on the shoulder and kept calling him "good son-in-law".
During the wedding night, Banggeng was urged to carry his wife on his back. He squatted down, and Maya climbed up carefully. Banggeng took a deep breath and stood up - wow, it was heavier than carrying 100 kilograms of grain! Amid the laughter of the crowd, he staggered and carried the bride on his back into the bridal chamber.
The Li family secretly built the new house in the winter. Although it only had two rooms, the walls were painted white and the kang was heated. When Banggen put Maya on the kang, he found that there was newly fluffed cotton under the kang mat - this was the most luxurious thing in their village.
"My mother said..." Ma Ya lowered her head, her voice as thin as a mosquito's, "You are not in good health, sleep softly..."
Banggeng's nose felt sore. He recalled the scene when Qin Huairu sewed a quilt for him before he went to the countryside. The quilt he brought from home was in a state of disrepair after a year of abuse. Now that he saw the new quilt, Banggeng felt that it was great to have a home.
As the night deepened, the people who were making a fuss in the bridal chamber gradually dispersed. Banggeng and Maya sat side by side on the edge of the kang, with enough space between them for another person to sit. Outside the window, the last group of children who were watching the fun were also dragged away by their ears by their parents.
"Go to sleep." Banggeng blew out the oil lamp, "We have to get up early to work tomorrow."
After the oil lamp went out, the only light in the room was the faint moonlight coming in from the window. Banggen sat stiffly on the edge of the kang, feeling Maya's body leaning slightly towards him, then quickly shrinking back.
"Great..." Maya's voice trembled in the darkness, "Do you...do you dislike me?"
His Adam's apple rolled. He smelled the starched smell of Maya's new cotton-padded jacket, mixed with a faint smell of chilblain cream. This smell suddenly reminded him of the scent of frozen pear cream on Chunyan's hair, and he felt irritated.
“Don’t think too much.” He said dryly, “I’m just… I’m just tired.”
Maya didn't say anything, but Banggeng heard her sobbing. The sound was like a needle, piercing his conscience. He remembered that in the past six months, Maya always saved the best food for him, remembered every cough he made, and even stayed by the kang all night to wipe his body with white wine when he had a high fever...
"I'm going to sleep in the outer room." Banggeng suddenly stood up, almost knocking over the table with his violent movements, "You...you should go to bed early."
The firewood room outside was freezing cold. Banggen curled up on the haystack, staring at the dark beams. He took out the family photo from his pocket, but didn't dare to take it out to look at it - as if Qin Huairu in the photo was staring at him with disappointment.
Suppressed sobbing came from the inner room, like a blunt knife cutting Bang Geng's eardrum. He turned over irritably, and the straw stalks pricked his face. The pain suddenly made him sober: When did Jia Geng become so indecisive? When fighting and scheming against people in the capital, he never showed mercy.
At daybreak, Banggeng was awakened by a rustling sound. He squinted his eyes and saw Maya tiptoeing towards the stove. The girl's eyes were swollen like peaches, but she had already tied an apron and started kneading dough. Banggeng saw her beat two eggs into the dough - these were precious things in the village.
"Are you awake?" Maya found that he was awake and hurriedly wiped his face with her sleeves, "I, I'll make you an omelet..."
Bang Geng suddenly rushed over and grabbed the basin: "Are you stupid? I'm saving the eggs to exchange for salt!"
Maya shuddered at his yelling, twisting her fingers around the edge of her apron: "But... you didn't eat well yesterday..."
The morning light shone through the window paper onto Maya's face, and the uneven pockmarks were clearly visible. Banggeng suddenly discovered that there was a shallow scar on her right cheek - it was caused by children hitting her with stones when she was a child. This discovery was like a blow to his chest, causing him pain.
"...I'll go fetch some water." Banggeng threw down the basin, picked up the bucket and walked out as if escaping.
By the well, old Zhao, who had gotten up early, was smoking his pipe: "Hey, why is the groom here so early?"
Banggeng didn't say anything, just kept fetching water. But Old Zhao came over and whispered in a cigarette smell: "Boy, Maya is the best girl in our village." He looked at Banggeng meaningfully.
Banggeng was stunned, and felt a scar on his neck. He thought it was scratched when he slept in the haystack last night. He wanted to explain, but Old Zhao had already walked away, saying, "Remember to come get medicine at noon. Your wife came to me before dawn to ask for loquat leaves."
The bucket slammed into the well with a thud, and the splashing water soaked Banggeng's trouser legs. He looked at his swaying reflection in the water and suddenly couldn't recognize himself. How did the devil who called the shots in the capital become this indecisive waste?
When we got home, the aroma of egg pancakes filled the yard. Banggeng stood at the door and saw Maya standing on tiptoe to hang strings of peppers on the beams - that was the "prosperous day" that the Northeast bride would prepare for the groom. She staggered and Banggeng subconsciously rushed over to hold her waist.
"Ah!" Maya was so shocked that she almost dropped the pepper. She turned around and saw that it was the stalk of the stick. Her eyes turned red again. "The cake, the cake is in the pot..."
Bang Geng didn't let go. He smelled a scent of soap on Maya's hair, mixed with the smell of fireworks, which made him feel at ease. This realization made him furious - how could he, Jia Geng, be controlled by a country girl?
"Tonight..." He whispered viciously into Maya's ear, "Wait for me."
The string of peppers in Maya's hand fell to the ground with a "clatter", and the bright red peppers rolled all over the ground, like firecrackers scattered all over the ground. Banggeng looked at her ears that turned red instantly, and suddenly found the feeling of being domineering in the past.
The spring sunshine sprinkled in the courtyard. He Yushui stood by the faucet washing clothes, humming softly. She was twenty-four or twenty-five years old this year. In Sha Zhu's previous dreams, she was already married and had children. In reality, because her work address was a bit remote, and she had been in a mess in the past few years, Sha Zhu had no time to take care of her, so she was not married yet. The sun shone on her fair skin, and two black braids hung on her chest, swaying gently as she washed the clothes.
Yu Li came out of the house holding Little Peony. Seeing He Yushui's look, she couldn't help but joked, "Hey, Yushui, you seem to be in a good mood lately? Is there something good going on?"
He Yushui blushed, paused, lowered her head and smiled, "Sister-in-law, what are you talking about..."
Yu Li's eyes turned, she moved closer to her, and lowered her voice: "I heard that there is always a young man waiting for you at the entrance of the alley recently, right?"
The tips of He Yushui's ears turned red. She shook off the water droplets on her hands and pretended to be calm: "It's just... just ordinary friends."
Yu Li smiled without saying anything, but she knew clearly in her heart - He Yushui looked like she was in love.