Chapter 2: Wedding Night in the Bridal Chamber

Chapter 2: The Wedding Night

Yan Fengan's head was splitting with pain, countless fragmented images flashing through his head. His bleary eyes stared for a good while at the young man sobbing his heart out in front of him before he finally spoke, his voice slow: "You're... Xi Geer?"

Wen Xi couldn't figure out what was going on with Yan Fengan, or whether he was in his right mind. He just sat there, dumbstruck, not knowing whether to answer.

Under the flickering red candlelight, his whole body was trembling, his eyes swollen like walnuts, two streaks of hot tears still clinging to his tear-stained face.

He really did look pitiful.

Yan Fengan let out a ragged breath, using the bridal veil to wipe the tears from Wen Xi's cheeks. Just as Wen Xi didn't even dare to breathe, Yan Fengan suddenly let out a wail and pounded his head with both hands, his body writhing on the bed like he was being bitten by ten thousand bugs.

Wen Xi had never seen him in such a state. His lips trembled as he tried to yell for help, but Yan Fengan grabbed hold of his wrist: "Don't yell..."

This was a truly terrifying sight. Wen Xi's head was buzzing, completely at a loss for what to do. He just shoved the man away on pure instinct.

Unexpectedly, Yan Fengan was like paper—a gentle push and he passed out.

Wen Xi was shaking all over, his small face as pale as a ghost. He frantically reached out to check if Yan Fengan was still breathing.

Thank God, thank God... he was still breathing!

This marriage of his was basically a ritual to ward off death. If anything happened to Yan Fengan on his account, the Yan family would never let him off the hook.

One thing after another had made Wen Xi jumpy as a cat. He stared at Yan Fengan for a long time, and only when he saw that the man really wasn't reacting did Wen Xi finally dare to move.

With the veil off, the smell of the food on the table hit his nose.

The Wen family had been keeping him alive on wild greens porridge these past few days—enough to leave him too weak to run, but not enough to let him starve to death. Now his stomach was completely empty, and just smelling the food made his mouth water uncontrollably.

He was genuinely scared, and genuinely hungry.

After hesitating for a moment, he still couldn't resist the lure of the food. He stood up and walked to the table.

Not only had the Yan family's eldest sister-in-law brought meat soup, she'd also thoughtfully thrown a chicken leg in the bowl.

Wen Xi had never had such good food at home. With no one watching, he dropped all pretense of restraint, grabbed his chopsticks, and wolfed down the food like a starving man.

He choked a few times from eating too fast, took a couple of gulps of soup to settle himself, then dove back into the food.

The portions were huge. Wen Xi's stomach was about to burst, but he gritted his teeth and cleaned the plate anyway.

This might be the best meal he'd ever get in his life. If he didn't make the most of it, he might never eat like this again.

Outside, the sky had gone completely dark, and the sounds of the celebration slowly died down. This was supposed to be their wedding night, but Wen Xi's new husband was lying there dead to the world.

Yan Fengan's bed looked soft and comfy, but Wen Xi didn't dare share it with him. He was afraid Yan Fengan might snap in the middle of the night and strangle him in his sleep. Dying like that would be so unfair.

Wen Xi was a coward, but he valued his life. He changed out of his wedding clothes, dug his dowry bedding out of the small trunk with his trousseau, and curled up in a corner as far from the bed as possible, making do for the night.

His wounds still hurt, and he'd spent the whole day scared and anxious about marrying Yan Fengan. In such a dangerous, unfamiliar place, Wen Xi figured he wouldn't sleep a wink—but no sooner had he closed his eyes than his eyelids got heavy.

He didn't wake up until the rooster in the backyard started crowing the next morning. Feeling his own warm body, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

How great—he'd made it through another day!

He felt a little lightheaded when he stood up, but he didn't think much of it. He folded up his bedding and crept out of the side room.

The courtyard was dead silent, not a single voice to be heard, with only wisps of smoke rising from the kitchen roof.

Wen Xi stood at the side room's door for a bit, then headed for the kitchen.

He Jin, hearing the noise, poked his head out of the kitchen. It was his turn to cook today, and since nobody in the family would be up this early, he wasn't surprised to see Wen Xi.

He pretended not to see Wen Xi's puffy eyes and asked, "It's still early. Third Brother's husband, why don't you get a bit more sleep?"

Hearing this form of address, Wen Xi was dazed for a moment. Overnight, he'd gone from an innocent young man to somebody's husband.

Compared to last night, Wen Xi had calmed down a bit. He said quietly to He Jin, "I always get up at this hour at home. I'm used to it."

He Jin said, "I just boiled some hot water. Come wash your face first. Once Father and Mother are up, you'll need to serve them tea as the new husband."

Wen Xi gave a soft "mm" and walked into the kitchen with his head down.

The washcloth and wooden basin were both new. Wen Xi figured the Yan family had gotten them ready for Wen Liu, but in the end, they'd gone to him instead.

He Jin scooped two ladles of hot water into the basin. While Wen Xi washed his face, he pointed at his own eyes and said, "Press the hot cloth on them for a bit. It should help."

Without a bronze mirror, Wen Xi had no idea what he looked like right then. After crying so hard last night, he figured he didn't look too great.

Wen Xi's cheeks turned red, and he obediently pressed the warm cloth over his eyes.

Before he left home, his parents hadn't taught him a thing. Wen Xi didn't know what he was supposed to do in someone else's house, nor did he know how the Yan family felt about him.

Sensing He Jin's kindness, Wen Xi felt like he'd found something to hold onto. After washing his face, he blurted out, "I... I'll cook with you."

He Jin could see how nervous and uneasy he was. His tone was gentle as he said, "That'd be great. I was just saying I couldn't manage on my own."

Morning meals were the simplest—a bit of porridge and pickled veggies did the trick. He Jin didn't actually need help; he was just giving Wen Xi an out.

"But you don't look so good. Are you feeling okay? Why don't you go back and rest for a while?"

Wen Xi's wounds ached dully, and his head was spinning. He really wasn't feeling well. But he was used to such discomfort and didn't think he needed to rest at all.

Besides, Yan Fengan was still lying in that room. Who knew when he'd wake up? Wen Xi didn't dare go back in there.

He shook his head, so He Jin had him sit in front of the stove to feed the fire.

By the time the food was almost done, Yan Fengan's parents were up too.

The tea ceremony was supposed to be done by the newlyweds together, but given Yan Fengan's condition, Wen Xi had to do it alone.

At home, Wen Shishan and Li Qiaozhen had beaten the fear into him, and he was terrified of people that age.

Yan Shichang was even more imposing than Wen Shishan, and Chen Lanfang was known for picking fights over nothing. Though Wen Xi had barely interacted with them, he'd heard others talk about them.

According to those people, the couple wasn't kind or easy to get along with, and their house had a ton of rules. Wen Xi wondered if they'd go out of their way to make things hard for him.

He Jin was still busy in the kitchen and hadn't come over. With no one to lean on in this unfamiliar place, Wen Xi was nothing but nervous and scared. As soon as he entered the main hall, he dropped to his knees in a panic in front of the two elders, shaking like a thief caught red-handed.

Chen Lanfang frowned at the sight. He was, after all, a properly married husband for their family—such cowardice and cowering was simply improper.

Seeing her mother-in-law's displeasure, Li Wan quickly picked up the teacup from the table and shoved it into Wen Xi's hands, saying with a smile, "Third Brother's husband, if you want the red envelope, kowtowing alone won't cut it. You need to serve tea and call them Father and Mother."

Li Wan's timely intervention lightened the heavy atmosphere quite a bit. Wen Xi wasn't stupid—with someone showing him the way, he immediately got what he needed to do. Gratefully, he took the teacup from Li Wan, held it with both hands, and raised it in turn to Yan Shichang and Chen Lanfang.

"Father... Mother... please drink some tea."

The old couple's attitude wasn't overly warm, but neither did they deliberately make things difficult as Wen Xi had feared. They responded with a faint acknowledgment and took a sip from the teacups.

After drinking the tea, Yan Shichang said, "Alright, no need to kneel anymore. Get up."

Wen Xi did exactly as they said. When he stood up, Chen Lanfang and Yan Shichang each pulled out a red envelope from their sleeves. "This is your 'address-change' money. Take it."

Wen Xi had brushed off Li Wan's words as a joke, never expecting his in-laws to actually give him money.

Seeing Wen Xi standing there frozen, Li Wan had to quietly remind him, "What are you standing there for? Take them!"

Wen Xi's hands moved faster than his brain, and he quickly took the red envelopes and clutched them in his hands.

The two red envelopes stacked together had a decent weight to them. Even at this moment, he could hardly believe it, murmuring involuntarily, "Is this really for me?"

Chen Lanfang found it amusing: "You're the new groom in this family. If not for you, then who? What, you think it's too little and you don't want it?"

Wen Xi was afraid of being misunderstood, so he shook his head repeatedly and explained, "No, it's not that I think it's too little. It's just that I..."

Wen Xi wanted to say that a mere 'luck-bringer' groom like him didn't deserve this, but he stopped himself just in time.

Some things everyone knew in their hearts, but saying them out loud would certainly make people uncomfortable.

Having grown up in a household like the Wen family's, Wen Xi wasn't so oblivious as to speak inappropriately regardless of the occasion.

He might be timid, but at least he wasn't a fool. Chen Lanfang observed him for a moment and said, "Since you've already married into this household, there are some things we need to make clear in advance."

Wen Xi lowered his head. "Please speak."

"Your marrying here in place of Wen Liu was agreed upon by both our families. Now that you've performed the wedding bows, you and Fengan are a real married couple. As long as you're honest and dutiful and take good care of him, the Yan family will treat you well too. But if you dare to have any other ideas..."

Chen Lanfang didn't finish the rest, but it was enough to intimidate Wen Xi.

What other ideas could he have? He just wanted to live a decent life.

Knowing full well he had no other choice, Wen Xi nodded and softly agreed, "I'll take good care of Scholar Yan."

With everything said, Chen Lanfang waved her hand. "Clean up and get ready to eat. Afterward, have Wan Niang and Jin Geer show you around the place so you can get familiar with our household."

Before eating, Wen Xi first returned to the room to put away the red envelopes.

Yan Fengan was still fast asleep on the bed. With no one else in the room, Wen Xi finally gave in to his curiosity and opened the red envelopes, taking out the copper coins strung with red thread and counting them carefully.

The count really surprised him. Each red envelope contained twenty coins, and together the two made forty—far more than the private savings Wen Shishan had swiped from him. The Yan family was truly generous.

It'd be a lie to say he wasn't happy, but that happiness was like a puff of smoke—gone with a single sneeze.

After all, he and Yan Fengan weren't a normal married couple. Wen Xi knew full well that neither he nor the Yan family had truly accepted each other.

He appreciated the old couple's kindness, but he didn't dare spend the forty coins himself. After mulling it over, he tucked the red envelopes into the drawer of Yan Fengan's desk.

---

Chen Lanfang and Yan Shichang had three sons, and all three sons lived with them without splitting up the family.

Counting the eldest son's boy Tiezhu and the second son's girl Tao'er, the Yan family had nine members in total.

With Wen Xi married in, the household now had ten mouths to feed.

At mealtime, one table couldn't seat everyone, so Li Wan had long since picked out food for the two children and moved them to small stools nearby.

Kids didn't care about that kind of stuff, and they ate with gusto on their little stools.

When Wen Xi sat down at the table, the two children, while chewing their food, looked at him curiously and called out in unison, "Hello, Uncle Xiao Xi."

Their little voices were sweet and adorable, and the two children were so well-behaved that the knot in Wen Xi's stomach loosened a bit.

Yan Fengan's two older brothers weren't big talkers either. They just nodded at Wen Xi to acknowledge him as their little brother's husband.

This was the first time Wen Xi had ever sat at a table to eat. In the Wen family, he could only wait until his parents were done eating and then hide in the kitchen to scarf down their leftovers.

Even so, Li Qiaozhen had scolded him for being a starving ghost reincarnated and told everyone he was a pig.

Maybe he really was a pig, 'cause how else could he still be hungry after a bowl of porridge?

Wen Xi was afraid of making a bad impression as a pig on his first day in the Yan family, so after scraping his bowl clean, he sensibly refrained from getting more food.

Kitchen duty in the Yan household was rotated among the women and the younger men. Today it was He Jin's turn. After everyone left the table, he alone cleaned up the dishes and tables, while Wen Xi followed Li Wan to learn the other chores around the house.

As a newly married husband, Li Wan normally wouldn't have asked him to work, but Wen Xi simply couldn't sit still. The Yan family was large, yet he felt like he was in the way no matter where he stood. If he didn't find something to do, he feared the family would find him a nuisance.

After feeding the chickens, Wen Xi went to the woodshed to split firewood. These were tasks he was accustomed to from his natal home, and he did them without much effort. It was just that, for some reason, his head seemed to be spinning terribly today.

Wen Xi set down the axe to catch his breath and was about to go to the kitchen for a drink of water when, as he stood up, the world seemed to spin around him. In no time, he collapsed to the ground like a cooked noodle, losing consciousness.