Chapter 8: No Crossing the Boundary
On the morning of the second day, Guo Ye and Wu Xiuxiu woke up to the sound of Xiaoman knocking on the door. After a brief wash-up, they came out to greet their parents and then had breakfast.
How outrageous! I must deal with you properly tonight
Guo Liushi let out a sound of acknowledgment, then fell into a deep sleep, emitting faint snoring sounds
As he was savoring the meaning of Wu Xiuxiu's words, Wu Xiuxiu had already made the bed, setting the quilt aside for her own use, and then placed a bowl of cold water in the middle of the bed as a boundary to prevent Guo Ye from taking advantage of the situation
A man must act, whether he is capable or not; even if he truly cannot, he must create the conditions to make it happen
After coughing for quite a while, Old Guo finally stopped. He sighed softly and said, "You silly woman, do you think I want to cough? Look, today my son brought his wife back home, and there was a feast of fish and meat, along with wild game from the mountains. We even bought new quilts and mattresses from the Xu family at the village entrance, spending nearly two and a half taels of silver. Next year, we need to build a new house; how can we afford all this? Where is there any spare money to go to the city for medicine?"
Upon hearing these words, Guo Ye felt a surge of confidence within himself. What does it mean to be able to endure?
As soon as I arrived, I heard my mother saying while pounding Guo Laohan's back: "You old fool, didn't the Wu family give us twenty taels of silver? Can't you spare a few taels to go to the county town and buy some medicine? With that kind of cough, you'll cough yourself to death sooner or later"
The maid Chunxiang and the coachman from the Wu family were arranged by Old Guo Han to stay overnight at a neighboring household.
That's enough, I will tolerate you this time, damn it
Looking at the faintly visible Guo family's fenced courtyard, watching his younger sister still running on the road, and gazing at his parents outside the courtyard waving their hands towards him, Guo Ye felt a lump in his throat. However, he resolutely suppressed it, while secretly vowing to himself, Father, Mother, and little sister, wait for me, I will ensure that you live a life of great wealth and comfort.
The sound of Guo Lao Han's midnight cough came from another room outside, whether intentional or unintentional, and yet it calmed Guo Ye down.
Guo Ye casually picked up a towel, wiping his face while stealthily making his way over, crouching down at the corner of the wall
Creak!
As expected, my younger sister Guo Xiaoman caught up, her cheeks flushed as she clutched a small cloth bag the size of a fist, and breathlessly said to Guo Ye: "Brother, this is what Father asked me to give you"
Wu Xiuxiu, upon seeing this, glared at Guo Ye and reproached, "Can't you be a little quieter?"
Stop!
Guo Ye tightly held the small cloth bag containing ten taels of silver in his arms. Although ten taels of silver felt light in his hand, in Guo Ye's heart, it weighed more than a thousand pounds
As he spoke, he made a move to step out of the room to bring in some hay to lay on the ground.
It is often said that women are made of water, changing from one form to another in an instant
Guo Ye sat down heavily on the bed made of wooden planks, producing a sound of the boards swaying and colliding.
Under the condition of reflex, he suddenly stood up and then grabbed the bowl of water, directly splashing it onto Guo Ye's face
Then, with the assistance of the maid Chunxiang, she entered the mule cart
Wu Xiuxiu listened to the sound, her heart tightened, and she immediately opened her eyes to look at Guo Ye. She found that the other party had not made any outrageous moves, and she couldn't help but mutter to herself, feeling a bit on edge.
After finishing breakfast, Wu Xiuxiu and Guo Ye prepared to set off back to Dongliu Township
... ...
The sound of splashing
Wu Xiuxiu saw Guo Ye starting to speak coarsely again, and she could not be bothered to pay him any mind. She gently closed her eyes and emitted a faint sound of light slumber. However, Guo Ye noticed that the rhythm was somewhat disordered and uneven, as if Wu Xiuxiu's heart was fluttering like a startled deer.
Moreover, sharing a bed with the beautiful Wu, inhaling her delightful fragrance, is undoubtedly a wonderful experience
Upon seeing this, Wu Xiuxiu realized that she had been somewhat overly sensitive. Not knowing how to explain herself, she thought that since the damage was done, what further explanation could there be
After saying this, she stuffed it into Guo Ye's arms, then turned around and ran back, shouting as she ran: "Brother, there are ten taels of silver inside. Father said that you are a man, destined for great things, and when you are out in the world, you cannot be without silver in your pocket"
I www.hetushucom.com, Guo Ye was momentarily stunned by Wu Xiuxiu's words. What does it mean to have no scissors in hand but scissors in mind?
At this point, the oil lamp in the room suddenly dimmed, evidently extinguished by Old Guo Han's breath
After sleeping for a while, Guo Ye felt a slight itch on his back. He turned over and scratched it with his arm, but this time, the wooden bed began to protest like it was in spring.
Well, sleeping on a bed is certainly more comfortable than enduring the dampness of the ground at midnight
The slightly drowsy beauty Wu Da was immediately awakened by a drop of icy well water that fell on her.
With a grand gesture, I stood up directly and said to Wu Xiuxiu: "Rest assured, I, Guo Ye, am not the kind of person who lacks discretion. As I mentioned today, if I owe you a favor, then I owe you a favor. Tonight, I will sleep on the floor and will not come within half a step of you; you can sleep peacefully."
Guo Ye observed that the beautiful Wu Da also had her moments of playing tricks, damn it, she actually pretended to be sleepwalking with me
Suddenly, Wu Xiuxiu called out to him, her brow furrowed in thought as if she had made a significant decision, and she resolutely said: "You should sleep in the same bed tonight."
The sound had faded, and the person had already run far away, almost reaching their doorstep.
He patted the brand new quilt and mattress, and, trying to make conversation with the reserved Wu Xiuxiu standing in the room, said: "Hehe, they are indeed newly bought, very clean. You can sleep soundly without worry."
You ... ...
Observing her understanding of the bigger picture today, Guo Ye had no intention of making things difficult for her. He said, "Rest assured, tonight you will sleep in the bed. I will go out later and spread some hay on the ground; that will suffice for the night. After all, with the doors and windows tightly shut, no one will see, and my parents will not know what is going on between us"
Thus, without removing any clothing, he directly took off his shoes and socks and sat down heavily on the bed, causing the wooden bed to creak loudly.
Guo Ye slowly lay down on the bed, carefully distancing himself from the bowl of water, and sighed with closed eyes: "There’s no way around it, my backside is as big as a grinding wheel, I can’t help but make noise."
Clap, clap... ...
Upon hearing the conversation between the two elders, Guo Ye tightly gripped the towel in his hand, his palm trembling slightly
Although m.hetushu.com has a haunting presence, there remains a faint sense of familiarity in my mind
He did not delay, immediately lifted the curtain, and then instructed the coachman to stop.
After listening, I sighed softly and said, "Indeed, the Wu family is a prominent household. We can't let our daughter-in-law eat nothing but coarse food on her first visit, can we? Let's endure a little longer until the five acres of good land provided by the Wu family yield some crops. You can take some to the city to sell, and then find a good doctor to get some medicine. The child's father, you are the pillar of this family, you must not collapse!"
At this moment, he continued to wipe the moisture from his cheeks with a towel, yet he could no longer distinguish whether the towel contained the well water from earlier or the tears that had streamed down his face.
This tickling was a bit too much fun, the amplitude was excessive, causing a little bit of water from that bowl to spill out, just splashing onto Wu Xiuxiu's arm
Who would have thought that Old Guo would be met with a round of scolding, saying: "What a load of nonsense! I, Old Guo, still have several decades to live, and I want to see my son achieve success. This boy Guo Ye is smart, but he ended up with a useless father like me. If I didn't want him to succeed in the future, do you think I would willingly let him marry into the Wu family? If the Wu family can support him, and he becomes successful, I would die with my eyes closed, content.
Creak ... ... creak creak ... ...
Unfortunately, before Guo Ye could start dreaming happily, Wu Xiuxiu directly burst his bubble of dreams. Wu Xiuxiu said, "You and I will sleep fully clothed, the blanket belongs to me, so you can make do with your coat for the night. Guo Ye, I must warn you, if you dare to take advantage of me even a little, I may not have scissors in hand today, but I have a sharp mind."
After speaking, my voice seemed to choke up a little
The noise is somewhat loud, and the creaking wooden bed begins to protest against the disturbance
Cough cough ... ... cough cough cough ... ...
Guo Ye exchanged a few simple words of farewell with his parents, reminding them to take good care of their health. After that, he quietly concealed all the things he wanted to say deep in his heart and climbed into the mule cart.
What is it?
Upon closer inspection of the bed, it seems that my father indeed did not blindfold himself. The color of the comforter and mattress cover appears to be new, suggesting they were purchased today. Could it be that my father was called out mysteriously by my mother and younger sister just to buy bedding? It turns out there are stores in this village that sell comforters and mattress covers.
After speaking, go out to the yard to find a towel or something to properly wipe your face and the collar that has been soaked with well water
When Guo Ye arrived in the yard to look for something, he noticed that the oil lamp in the thatched cottage where his parents lived was still lit. The light was somewhat dim, and there were sounds of conversation, as if his parents were talking to each other
Upon hearing the words "sleep now," Wu Xiuxiu's body involuntarily trembled, and she bit her lip, rendered speechless, stubbornly shaking her head.
Seeing Wu Xiuxiu sleeping fully clothed, tightly wrapped in her quilt, her body still trembling slightly like a sieve, Guo Ye undoubtedly felt a twinge of pity in his heart. Well, being a benevolent person like Liu Xia Hui is not shameful.
Guo Ye could not help but recall a classic joke from later generations, a joke about beasts and those worse than beasts
Guo Ye's legs trembled, and he almost lost his balance. Could this be the legendary explosion of good fortune, with a beautiful woman falling into his arms?
Creak ... ... creak. ... ... ... creak creak ...
Wu Xiuxiu truly accomplished her commitment from beginning to end. When she boarded the carriage, she even exchanged pleasantries in a low voice with her parents-in-law, inviting them to visit the Wu family in Dongliu Township for a short stay whenever they had the time
The icy, bone-chilling well water, combined with the chilly autumn wind in the late hours of the night, caused Guo Ye to immediately jump up and roll out of bed, while wiping his sleeve and angrily shouting: "Wu Xiuxiu, are you out of your mind? What kind of madness is this in the middle of the night?"
Guo Ye listened to the hushed whispers of his parents, feeling an indescribable sorrow in his heart; these are indeed his parents.
The coachman of the Wu family cracked his whip, and the mule cart, tethered to a small donkey, moved slowly towards the village exit
Guo Ye looked around Xiaoman's room. This small house was originally where Guo Ye lived, but later, after marrying into the Wu family, it was given to his younger sister, Xiaoman
As I was about to roll up my sleeves and pull Wu Xiuxiu up, suddenly ... ...
In the empty room, apart from a bed, there were only the bare walls and the pervasive scent of dry straw.
At a loss for what to do, Wu and * Tu * Shuxiu simply fell silent, directly placing the empty bowl on the bed, and then pretended to be completely unaware as they continued to wrap themselves tightly in the quilt and lie down to sleep
Thinking of that joke, and then looking at myself tonight, damn, it's simply identical
Immediately after, Old Guo gently said to Guo Liushi: "Sleep, sleep, we have to get up early tomorrow to make breakfast for the child and daughter-in-law. You, old woman, I must warn you, do not make that worthless sweet potato porridge for the young couple. Make some rice porridge instead; that sweet potato porridge is not suitable for someone as precious as the daughter-in-law. It doesn't fill you up, and eating too much of it causes flatulence."
As night gradually descends, the crescent moon has passed the tips of the willows. The autumn wind rustles, stirring a few calls from the nightingale, reminiscent of thoughts of spring.
As expected, upon hearing Guo Ye voluntarily offer to sleep on the floor, the reserved Wu Xiuxiu felt somewhat guilty and softly asked, "It gets quite cold at night; can you endure it?"
... ...
I may not have a sword in hand, but I possess a sword in my heart. With the Little Li Flying Dagger, I never miss my mark
Before reaching the village entrance, Guo Ye, filled with thoughts, seemed to hear someone outside the vehicle calling out, as if it were his younger sister's voice
The two of them, in this manner, you close your eyes while I feign sleep, neither of them paying attention to the other, nor infringing upon each other.
Wu Xiuxiu and Guo Ye were pushed by Guo Liushi and Guo Xiaoman into another thatched cottage. Then, Guo Xiaoman, with her mischievous demeanor, playfully flashed a big smile at her brother Guo Ye before firmly shutting the door.
It seems that tonight the young man is also going to become something worse than a beast, thinking of this makes me laugh involuntarily, I gently turned my body and let out a hearty laugh.
Wu Xiuxiu is cautious and vigilant to such an extent that Guo Ye cannot help but lament that his character is indeed quite poor in Wu Xiuxiu's eyes
The bed in the middle shook incessantly that night, creating ripples as if it were about to spill over.
Today's breakfast consists of small pickles, steamed corn buns, and a pot full of thick rice porridge, which is so dense that when Guo Ye tried it, the chopsticks stood upright without falling over
Guo Ye observed that Wu Xiuxiu no longer possessed the previous imposing demeanor she had at the Wu family; on the contrary, she appeared somewhat anxious, understanding what concerns weighed on her mind