I bring bad luck to my husband, you bring bad luck to your wife.

After changing into his undergarments, Yang Tongchuan used the remaining water to wash himself, added a few pieces of charcoal to the brazier, and then crawled into bed.

Holding the exhausted Xiangxi in his arms, Yang Tongchuan, having eaten his fill, fell asleep contentedly.

Xiangxi felt as if he had just closed his eyes when it was already dawn.

My biological clock, shaped by years of taking care of children and getting up early to work, has become so ingrained that I can't even sleep in when I want to.

There was a slight commotion in the yard, as if the swallows were preparing breakfast.

Xiangxi, not wanting to be lazy, immediately got up to help.

The moment she moved, Yang Tongchuan hugged her.

Yang Tongchuan woke up when Xiangxi opened his eyes, but he was also tired last night and really didn't want to move.

"Take a nap a little longer, no rush." ​​Yang Tongchuan tucked Xiangxi deeper into the blanket.

"I can't keep my in-laws waiting." Xiangxi was afraid of wasting time and upsetting her in-laws.

"It's alright, when it's time, Yanzi will come to call everyone, you can get up then." Yang Tongchuan remembered that his elder brother and sister-in-law didn't get up early on the first day they served tea to their parents-in-law.

"That's not a good idea."

"If you're not sleepy, let's do it again. I'm feeling really unwell." Yang Tongchuan started to get restless while holding Xiangxi's hand.

Men in the morning are easily aroused; their bodies change like rehydrated sea cucumbers.

Xiangxi was so frightened that she immediately closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.

"coward."

Yang Tongchuan scoffed. He decided that from now on, he would no longer call it Xiangxi Quail, but Quail Egg.

After all, where can you find such a white quail? With its feathers plucked, it looks so tender it practically glows in the dim moonlight.

Just thinking about it now makes my mouth water.

"Second Master, it's time to get up." Yanzi dutifully placed the hot water for washing up at the door.

"understood."

Yang Tongchuan lazily got up.

Xiangxi also got up. His legs felt weak and his calves were powerless, but he still forced himself to get up and wanted to help Yang Tongchuan change his clothes.

"No need, I can do it myself. You put on your clothes first, it's cold in the morning."

Yang Tongchuan took the new clothes he had prepared for Xiangxi from his wardrobe and threw them onto the bed, then put on his own clothes first.

Xiangxi looked at the bed full of new clothes, along with a matching thick vest.

My heart feels soft and bittersweet.

"What's wrong? Do you need my help?" Yang Tongchuan had already washed his face when he saw Xiangxi still sitting on the bed, lost in thought, holding that thick vest.

"No need, I can manage."

The outer garment was made of light blue cotton, thickly padded, and paired with a dark vest embroidered with colorful threads.

Xiangxi realized for the first time that her back didn't have to be cold in winter.

After getting dressed, Xiangxi quickly washed up and went to pour water.

"No need, just leave it there. Yanzi will come and clean it up when we eat." Yang Tongchuan was already used to being waited on, and Xiangxi would have to get used to it too.

"Okay." Xiangxi followed Yang Tongchuan to the main hall.

My parents-in-law, elder brother, and sister-in-law have already arrived.

Following the instructions given by the wedding officiant, Xiangxi knelt down properly and offered tea to the elders.

He wasn't feeling well and had some difficulty getting up. Yang Tongchuan quietly helped him up.

The mother-in-law gave Xiangxi a hairpin that a young boy could wear; it was made of pure silver and felt heavy.

The elder sister-in-law gave Xiangxi several bolts of fabric that suited him very well.

Put the things aside for now, and the family sits down together to eat breakfast.

The Yang family had few rules; Mother Yang neither spoiled the younger generation nor set any specific rules.

The atmosphere during the meal was very harmonious.

Xiangxi dared not touch her chopsticks and only dared to eat what was in front of her.

Yang Tongchuan didn't care about any of that. He had a banquet yesterday, and there were still some chickens, ducks, and fish that he hadn't used.

It's February already, and they'll be sitting for a while longer; we need to eat them quickly.

Yang Tongchuan stretched out his arm and picked up a duck leg, placing it in Xiangxi's bowl.

"Eat quickly, we'll be going back to our parents' home later."

A duck has only two legs. The older brother picked one up for his wife, and the other one is in the congratulatory bowl.

Xiangxi was so frightened that she didn't dare to eat.

"What, you don't like duck? How about shrimp?" Yang Tongchuan picked up another large shrimp for Xiangxi.

In the eastern part of the city, the Yang family's circumstances were that of an ordinary family. Although they couldn't afford to eat such lavish meals every day, the Yang family members were not lacking in anything.

"No, I just love to eat." Xiangxi lowered her head and gnawed on a duck leg.

Xiangxi didn't have a big appetite to begin with, and after finishing one duck leg, she couldn't eat much more.

Mr. and Mrs. Yang are old and don't like greasy food. Seeing their two sons doing well is better than eating any number of duck legs.

After the meal, the eldest sister-in-law directed the two main laborers in the family to load the gifts for the bride's return visit onto the donkey cart.

"Second brother, this is the gift list for the homecoming. Please double-check it." Ming Le was very reliable in his work.

"I trust my sister-in-law to handle things; there's no need to check."

Yang Tongchuan returned the borrowed horse and carriage yesterday.

Today, the cart used for the family visit was a rented donkey cart, a common tool used by ordinary people.

"Your sister-in-law started preparing these two weeks in advance, checking them every day. I wanted to grab a handful of dried fruit from them, but she wouldn't let me."

The eldest brother, Yang Tongshan, joked as he carried the last basket of things onto the car, sweating profusely from the effort.

"I'm going to the shop now, I'll be going first. Brother, have a safe journey." The elder brother was in a hurry to get to work at the pawnshop and couldn't stay any longer.

Yang Tongchuan took Xiangxi and drove the donkey cart back to the Xiang family.

There's a lot of stuff, so Xiangqiang has to make several trips to carry it home.

The curious neighbors in the alley all came out to see what was going on.

Everyone was praising Xiangxi for marrying well.

Xiang Qiang listened, and his smile deepened.

We had lunch at the Xiang family's house, and it was quite a feast. Xiangxi was so full of food that he almost choked.

After the meal, the older brother loaded the eggs, longans, and dates he had prepared in advance onto the donkey cart as return gifts.

Xiangxi's sister-in-law gave her a small silver pendant. It looked quite old, not heavy, and hollow, but it must have been something her sister-in-law kept to herself. At least, Xiangxi had never seen her sister-in-law wear it when they were at home.

"Live well, Officer Yang is a good man," his sister-in-law told Xiangxi.

On the way back, Yang Tongchuan ran into his colleagues who were patrolling the streets. He asked them to help him drive the donkey cart home, got off the cart, and took Xiangxi for a walk in the streets to digest their food before going back.

Aside from setting up a stall to earn money, Xiangxi rarely comes to the market.

Yang Tongchuan took Xiangxi to the street where fabrics and jewelry were sold. They strolled from the west end of the street to the east end.

Yang Tongchuan ordered several sets of clothes for Xiangxi, not only cotton-padded winter clothes, but also light clothes to wear in the spring.

This time, even shoes in the same color were matched.

After taking your measurements, just wait for the food to be prepared and delivered to your home.

They then went to a jewelry store that Yang Tongchuan had frequented, where the silver bracelet in the betrothal gifts for Xiangxi was purchased.

Before leaving home today, Yang Tongchuan specifically asked Xiangxi to find it and bring it with him.

"Since you don't have to work anymore, you can keep wearing this bracelet." Yang Tongchuan saw that everyone else had it and hoped that Xiangxi could have it too.

The jewelry store owner greeted his regular customer warmly.

Xiangxi rarely wears jewelry, and even if Yang Tongchuan asked him to choose, he wouldn't.

After walking around, my attention was drawn to a string of wine-red wooden beads on the table.

"Young master, you have excellent taste! These are sandalwood beads that our shop just received, a total of 108 beads, corresponding to the 108 kinds of afflictions in Buddhism. Smell this fragrance; carrying it with you can calm your mind and soothe your spirit. You can wear it around your neck or on your wrist." The shopkeeper's incessant recommendations didn't really register with Xiangxi; he just thought the beads had a nice fragrance and would be nice to carry around.

The beads are smaller than soybeans, so they're not heavy to wear.