"Asleep?"
After Chen Yang cleaned up the food and washed the dishes and pots, he entered the room to find Shen Xue gently patting the baby's back.
The little one, nestled in her arms, had already closed his eyes.
"Shush!"
"Go wash up quickly."
"Wash clean, or you're not allowed on the bed."
Shen Xue looked at the excited Chen Yang and felt an inexplicable warmth in her heart.
This fellow was so impatient. Her period had only just arrived a few days ago, and he had never seemed this excited before.
But the tingling sensation, as if an electric current had surged through her body when Chen Yang massaged her earlier, still lingered in her heart. Shen Xue felt somewhat intoxicated.
She didn't know what had gotten into her.
On impulse, she had coaxed the little one to sleep. Usually, the baby didn't sleep this early.
Could it be that she was also looking forward to this?
As soon as this thought crossed her mind, Shen Xue felt her face flush. It definitely wasn't that. It was just Yan Yan who was sleepy, it had absolutely nothing to do with her deliberately lulling him to sleep.
"Okay, I'll go wash right now. I promise there won't be any smell at all."
Hearing Shen Xue's words, Chen Yang was ecstatic.
He had abstained from women for decades in his previous life and had long since lost feeling for them. He never expected to have this kind of drive again in this life.
Especially since she was his wife!
The thought made Chen Yang feel like his blood was about to boil.
He couldn't be bothered to heat water. He drew several buckets of cold water from the well and unceremoniously washed himself in the courtyard.
The water was icy cold, but he was burning with heat.
When Chen Yang came back in, Shen Xue had already placed the baby in the small bed in the next room. It was only separated by a curtain, and she didn't dare to let the little one sleep in a room by himself.
After all, the little one was only a little over two years old, and she couldn't bring herself to let the baby sleep alone.
"Is he asleep?"
Chen Yang looked at Shen Xue, who was leaning against the pillow, reclining like a mermaid, and his heart burned with desire.
"He's asleep."
"But no funny business, don't blame me if you wake him up later."
Shen Xue looked at the restless Chen Yang and felt amused for no reason.
Her children were already this old, yet it felt like their wedding night.
"Wife, don't worry, I definitely won't do anything naughty."
"Wherever you want me to exert my strength, I'll exert it there. I won't go off track."
Chen Yang said earnestly, and Shen Xue's face instantly turned red.
"Slap!"
Before Chen Yang could react, Shen Xue blew out the kerosene lamp, plunging the room into darkness.
Chen Yang felt a pang of regret. Now he couldn't clearly see his perfect wife's figure.
But it was only for a moment before his regret was replaced by a surge of excitement.
"What are you waiting for? It'll be dawn soon."
Hearing Shen Xue's words, Chen Yang felt a rush of heat and immediately dove into the covers.
That night.
Their harmony was like the plucking of strings and the singing of birds.
The joy of that moment was an experience Chen Yang had never had in two lifetimes.
As a result, for the first time since his rebirth, he didn't get up to collect fish in the morning.
When Chen Yang woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky. In the courtyard, Zheng Weiguo and Liu Maosheng were helping his father-in-law load ten large barrels of fish onto the donkey cart.
Seeing Chen Yang stir, Shen Xue couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed.
This scoundrel had tossed and turned her all night yesterday, and this morning, when the wives of the villagers who had come to deliver fish saw her, they teased her, saying she must have had a full meal last night to still be blushing this morning.
These married women were naturally uninhibited, and as experienced women, they could tell at a glance that Shen Xue looked radiant after being "nourished" that morning. Their teasing had made Shen Xue extremely shy.
Chen Yang, on the other hand, had slept until the sun was high in the sky. She was already so embarrassed, how could she be in a good mood with Chen Yang?
"Sleeping like a pig. It's already eight o'clock. If you sleep any longer, the fish will go bad."
Shen Xue shot Chen Yang a fierce glare, but she wasn't truly angry. It was just that she was embarrassed by the village women, which made her a bit vexed. If she were truly angry, she wouldn't have let him sleep in until now out of concern, she would have kicked him out long ago.
"I'll wash my face and go to the city with Dad."
Chen Yang was still a bit confused. Had his performance last night been subpar, making his wife unhappy?
But he clearly remembered Shen Xue repeatedly begging him to stop for fear of waking the child. Had his memory gone hazy yesterday?
Chen Yang had no idea what had happened. Shen Futang, on the other hand, was puffing on his rolled cigarette and glancing at his son-in-law, who had just woken up, with a sense of unease.
He had been woken up by his wife long ago to help his son-in-law collect fish, but Chen Yang, the main party involved, was being doted on by his eldest daughter to the point where she wouldn't wake him.
It truly was infuriating to compare oneself to others.
"Hurry up and wash your face and eat. Do you expect me to feed you?"
Shen Futang snorted impatiently and, with his hands behind his back, continued to measure the building site. They were going to build a tiled house, so the area needed to be calculated accurately to negotiate with the brick factory for the right amount of bricks, neither too many nor too few.
Seeing that his father-in-law was also angry with him, Chen Yang became even more perplexed. What had he done last night? He had been fine before going to sleep.
After a night's sleep, he was no longer cherished by his father-in-law or loved by his wife.
"Daddy, eat meat."
"Yanyan saved some meat for Daddy."
Fortunately, the little one toddled over with her small bowl and, with her own little spoon, fed Chen Yang a piece of braised pork.
"It's still my little wine jar who knows how to care for me."
At least his beloved daughter's love for him hadn't changed, otherwise Chen Yang would have started questioning his existence.
"Your second uncle will have his eldest brother-in-law come to measure the land later. Today, we'll discuss ordering bricks from the brick factory."
"Your second uncle has a good heart and has been running around for this matter. It doesn't matter if you don't engage with your second aunt. Don't embarrass our own family."
After Chen Yang washed up and finished breakfast, Shen Futang quietly pulled him aside.
Building a house in the countryside was a major undertaking. The entire family, siblings included, would help, and they would also ask the un-fifth-generation brothers to lend a hand.
Unlike later generations when everything was hired out for money, building a house in those days relied on favors and connections. Only masons, those who didn't have the fifth generation, would be asked to be hired.
Chen Yang was an outsider, so Shen Futang naturally had to handle things. He was also afraid that Chen Yang would still be holding a grudge against Shen Guangfu from before, which would make things awkward in front of relatives.
"Dad, don't worry, I'm not that petty."
"It was because second aunt spoke too harshly before. I didn't care if she scolded me, but she couldn't scold Xue'er. I'm a man, if I can't even protect my wife, what kind of man am I?"
"Second uncle is afraid of his wife, but his heart is with our family. Otherwise, he wouldn't have borrowed money for me behind his wife's back back then. I'm very clear about this. Otherwise, I wouldn't have accepted Mei Yatou's fish."
Chen Yang waved his hand. He just couldn't stand his second aunt, Cui Xiufang. His second uncle, Shen Guangfu, and his children were actually quite good. In his previous life, Shen Mei had even helped his own little girl buy a house. He clearly distinguished between grudges and favors.
"It's good that you know."
"It's been hard on you. It's Xue Yatou's good fortune to marry you."
Hearing Chen Yang's words, Shen Futang felt a warmth in his heart. This son-in-law was sensible and understood the bigger picture!
Upon hearing Shen Futang's praise, Chen Yang's heart was even more shaken. After living two lifetimes, he had finally gained his father-in-law's approval.
Just those few words made him feel as if he had a hot water bottle in his heart, warming him completely.