Back to the Countryside

Chapter 17: Scheme (算计) 

The room where He Ling live, had not been occupied for half a month and had gathered some dust.He had to clean up a bit before going to sleep. After thinking about it, he left the room and fetched a basin of water from the stove room, fortunately everyone stay in their room at the middle of night so he didn't meet anyone.

    He took the water basin and return to the room, found a piece of his old clothes, tore it off,washed it in the water, and tried to wipe down the windowsill and bedside.

        Before he could do so, he heard the door of the room being pushed open, He Ling was shocked, afraid that his elder aunt and others would come looking for trouble. When he turned around, he saw his Big cousin sister-in-law Liu carrying a bedding in.

He was slightly relieved in his heart, he didn't have many encounters with his two sisters-in-law, although their attitudes were neither cold nor hot*  (不冷不热) and they were not very polite to him, compared to Qian and He Zhen, they were still much better, 

"Eldest cousin sister-in-law, it's so late, Is there something wrong?" 

[ 不冷不热 :tepid / be neither hot nor cold / neither hostile nor friendly / take a lukewarm attitude]

"You haven't lived in this house for half a month. I thought you must be uncomfortable with the bedding, so I brought you a clean bed!" Liu lifted the bedding in her hand to show him.

 "This ......" He Ling didn't know if he should take it or not, the other party had never treated him so kindly before. 

As if she could see what he was thinking, Liu said, "Don't think too much about it, after all, we have lived together for so many years, there is still some affection in it. The elders usually do things, I ,as a daughter-in-law can't say anything, don't take it too much to heart!"

        "Then, thank you, sister-in-law!" The words had come to this point, so it would seem pretentious for him to refuse.

        Seeing that he had accepted, Liu's face was brought to a smile, since he had to clean the house, she stayed behind to help. The two of them removed all the dirty quilts and bedding, wiped up any dusty areas before putting the clean bedding Liu had brought on the bed.

    The two of them work very quickly, without any delay. Liu pushed the hair that had fallen to her cheeks behind her ears and said with a smile, "I'm thirsty from all the work we've been doing, I'll go to the kitchen and boil some water." 

 "I'll go!" He Ling stood up.

 "It's alright, you did it all by yourself at home earlier, tomorrow you'll be married, so let me do it!" Liu waved her hand at him and went out of the room.

 He Ling sat on the freshly made bed, in a bit of a trance, from tomorrow he would completely leave this small room he had lived in for over ten years to become someone else's husband (Fu Lang) . And that person ...... thinking of Qi Yue's gentle face, he bowed his head and smiled lightly, that person treated him extremely well, he was a rare man in the world!

    When Liu came back again, with two bowls of water in her hand, she handed one of them to him, "Be careful, it's hot, I've put sugar in it!!"

  He Ling took it in his hand and whispered his thanks to her. 

Liu sat down beside him, took the bowl in her hand, blew on it, took a sip and said, "The sugar water is delicious!"

He Ling smiled but he did not say anything. When he was living in the He family, it was not his turn to drink such thing as sugar water. When he was at Lin's house, every time Xiao hu noisily asking to drink sugar water, Wu Yulan would also make him a bowl. The taste was really sweet and warm, it was extremely delicious!

Seeing him holding a bowl in a daze, Liu said, "What are you thinking about? You don't like sweets?"

    He Ling regained consciousness , shook his head, "No, just remember something."

  "Oh." Liu looked up and down at his clothes then said with some envy, "Your clothes are made of such good material, did that Qi Yue buy it for you?"

  Hearing her mention Qi Yue, He Ling's face reddened a little, he nodded haphazardly before bowing his head and drinking water to hide his burning cheeks. 

Liu's eyes flickered as she watched him drink the water, and her mouth said, "He's so good to you!" 

He Ling sipped the sweet sugar water and his heart was sweet too, that man was indeed very good to him, so good that he always felt like he was dreaming.

 "It's late too, I won't bother you to sleep. You have to get up early to dress up tomorrow!" Liu stood up holding the bowl, and hurried away without waiting for him to say anything.

He Ling didn't notice her abnormality and put the unfinished water on the window sill. He was about to take off his outer shirt and rest, but just as his hands touched the buttons, he felt a dizziness in his head, his body also lost it strength. He fell violently onto the bed, could not even lift his fingers.

 The door was pushed open again. He Zhen and Qian came in, He Gui followed behind them.

He Zhen glanced at the bowl on the window sill as soon as he entered the door, looked at him smugly, "He Ling, is the sugar water good?" 

He Ling's eyes widened, but he didn't even have the strength to speak, they ask Liu to drug him, why?

 He Zhen took a few steps closer to looked at him condescendingly, "He Ling, tomorrow I will replace you and become Qi Yue's husband, as for you, there will be a better home for you!"

The ritual of marriage for both ger and girl is basically the same, both have to cover their heads. Although he and He Ling are different in body shape, they are not too obvious when they wear large wedding gowns. When he was welcomed into Qi Yue's home, Qi Yue could not regret it, after all, the cover would not be removed until the bridal chamber. At that time, they had already paid their respect (it mean, ritual of kneeling to heaven and earth by bride and groom in a old-fashioned wedding ceremony) and married. As for the future, after day and night of counterpart, Qi Yue would fall in love with him. 

He Ling couldn't believe that she had such an idea that Qian insisted on letting him marry from here, so that He Zhen could replace him!

"Agui, take him to the place I told you!" Qian stretched out his hand and patted He Gui's arm.

 "Hey!" He Gui answered and went forward to carry He Ling on his shoulders with one hand. 

He Ling's heart was full of horror. He didn't know where He Gui was going to take him. He wanted to struggle, but he couldn't use any strength at all. 

    He Gui carried him along the village, picking some small roads. There was no sound in the quiet night. He was terrified, but he couldn't even ask for help. He could only slumped helplessly on He Gui's shoulders. 

        He felt they already walking for a long time and then stop at a place where he heard a knock at the door.

        "Aiyoo, brother He Gui, you're finally here, I've been waiting for a long time!"

        After the sound of door opened , it was the voice of a man talking, and He Ling recognized this voice!

        The people in the village called him Luo Laizi, he was particularly annoying, his family only had two mu of land, but he didn't cultivate it properly, he went to other people's houses all the time to dawdle with food and drink, he was almost thirty and hadn't gotten a wife, he always like to molest the girls and gers in the village, in the past, when He Ling saw him, he would always go around (to avoid him). 

    Now Qian asked He Gui to bring him to Luo Laizi's house, what did he want to do? !

    "Didn't I come here now!" He Gui said as he walked around again. 

Not long after, they enter a room, his person also was thrown on a hard bed.

 He Ling was lying on the side of the bed and seeing He Gui pointing at him and saying to Luo Laizi, "This is your husband from now on!" 

Luo Laizi's little eyes immediately lit up, and he grinned happily, revealing a mouthful of big yellow teeth, and diligently escorted He Gui out the door. 

He Ling felt like the sky was about to collapse, tears rolled down the corners of his eyes. Falling on the bedsheets, it wasn't enough that they let He Zhen replace him to marry, but they send him to Luo Laizi?

After sending the man away, Luo Laizi soon returned.He closed the door behind him and rubbed his hands together, staring at He Ling with a salivating face, "Ling Ge er, my little beauty, every time I see you in the village, my heart itches, I didn't think I'd get to taste you today!"

        He said as he walk over to the bed and, in He Ling's horrified eyes, he stretched out his hand to the buttons of his clothes ......

××××××

        A crunching sound, Qi Yue just got his hands on the teacups and shattered them on the floor, he looked at the fragments for a moment before squatting down and picking them up piece by piece, but in his heart he always felt stuffy, he had a bad feeling.

        Could it be that he was nervous about the wedding tomorrow? He shook his head and laughed, when did he get such a lot of worries and thoughts?

        After collecting the pieces and throwing them in the waste basket in the courtyard, Qi Yue looked up at the full moon and thought to himself,he wonder if He Ling has slept? Would he sleep well? Was he bullied by the family?"

Tomorrow he will marry him, then he will be able to keep him within his sight from time to time. and he won’t think as much as he does now!

Qi Yue looked at the moon as if he were looking at He Ling's smiling face. He wonder if he is thinking of himself at this moment? 

*****

He Ling gasped sharply, his eyes full of fear as he looked at Luo Laizi who had fallen to the ground, his heart pounding"pu tong pu tong" so violently! 

Before Luo Laizi could touch him. It took all his strength to sprinkle the medicine he was holding in his hand. The medicine Qi Yue had given him worked so well that Luo Laizi collapsed as soon as he got his hands on the powder! 

He Ling squeezed the empty bottle tightly in his hand, his palms covered in cold sweat! If Qi Yue hadn't given him the bottle in advance, he wouldn't have believed what would have happened next! Even though he was not with him, Qi Yue had saved him once again.

He struggled for a while and wanted to get up and leave, but he could not move at all. The movement he made just now had exhausted all his strength.

        He Ling did not know how long this bottle of medicine given to him by Qi Yue would last, nor did he know how long the effect of the medicine in his body would last.He could only hope that Luo Laizi would sleep longer, and he could recover faster so that he could leave this nightmare house earlier.

         There is also He Zhen, if he couldn't make it in time, Qi Yue would have to marry He Zhen back!

        He closed his eyes to hide his panic and wait in agony for this painful time to pass,hoping that everything it's not too late.

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Translator is puzzled? 

I wonder if the quality or accuracy of the translation is good enough? This one is kind of rush? I don't want to lost the quality yet I want it done quickly too. 

He Ling O... He Ling... Why are you so naive?