Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

At midnight, in a luxuriously decorated bedroom, a woman in a silk nightgown vigorously shook Lao Chengxi's arm, "Chengxi, Chengxi! Wake up! Wake up!"

Even with someone shouting loudly beside him, Lao Chengxi on the Simmons mattress remained asleep. The veins on his neck bulged, a beast-like growl rumbled in his throat, and his teeth clenched so tightly they clicked. The bedside lamp illuminated his taut, distorted face, making him look as if a demon was choking him.

"Master!"

Knowing that her husband was being haunted by nightmares, Zhou Xiangyi no longer hesitated. She dipped her fingertips in water and gently wiped it on Lao Chengxi's forehead.

The method taught by the old Taoist priest of Shuangling worked as expected. At this moment, Lao Chengxi suddenly sat up, panting heavily, and said, "Water...quick, give me some water..."

Zhou Xiangyi picked up the glass of water from the bedside table and handed it to her husband. "Honey, did you dream about Dad again?"

"Hmm..." Lao Chengxi squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth, his eyes fixed on the ceiling, "This time he was holding a broken bottle, his face almost touching my nose... Did you smell it? That rotten sweet potato stench!"

As he spoke, Lao Chengxi's eyes became vacant, as if he were recalling the tragic incident from his youth:

More than ten years ago, on the frosty morning of the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, young Lao Chengxi, wrapped in a thick cotton-padded coat, rushed out of the courtyard. In order to get the longest "icicle", he stepped on the crunching snow and hurried to the corner of the tiled house.

Icicles hanging from the eaves pierced the snowdrifts, their crystal-clear appearance reflecting a rainbow of colors in the morning light.

The boy's lips curled up into a bright smile. He stood on tiptoe to reach the thickest one, but suddenly his foot slipped, and his front teeth hit a black bump on the ground.

"Which bastard is throwing things around!" The boy cursed as he got up, raising his leg to kick, but the next second, he froze—the frozen "black lump" was none other than his father, Lao Yongfu, curled up like a shrimp!

His eyes were tightly closed, his face and lips were dark purple, but he was clutching that half-bottle of cheap liquor tightly in his arms.

"what!"

A piercing scream shattered the morning sky, but what about the boy? He collapsed to the ground, his body trembling like a leaf.

Just as the boy was filled with fear and terror, a pregnant woman came along. Like the boy, when she saw her husband's old face covered in frost, she collapsed onto the snow...

Zhou Xiangyi sat cross-legged on the bed, the man's head resting against the groin of her thigh. She used her sleeve to wipe the fine beads of sweat from her husband's forehead and gently massaged his throbbing temples with her thumb.

"It's alright. Take some time to go back to your hometown and burn some more gold ingots for your father. Maybe he's just asking you in a dream because he doesn't have money to buy wine."

Zhou Xiangyi spoke softly, as if soothing an anxious baby. Who would have thought that the domineering business star would lie so tenderly in a woman's arms?

"His eyes were flashing with blue flames as he approached me step by step. I tried to dodge, but I couldn't. It was like... like being nailed to the wall by an icicle." The fear in the man's eyes had not yet dissipated. He opened his mouth slightly and told his wife about the terrifying scene in his dream.

"Old west, turn over, I'll rub your back." With that, Zhou Xiangyi's knuckles were already pressing against the man's spine.

After a few rubbing motions, the man let out a few muffled groans of pleasure, and his tense shoulders gradually relaxed.

"I'm really envious of the second son. He's always been able to eat and sleep well since he was little, and he never has nightmares!" Lao Chengxi sighed, squinting his eyes. "Even so, our mother always protects him. She always makes me do all the dirty and tiring work, and when there's a good meal, she always gives it to him first..."

"When our father passed away, our second son wasn't even born yet. He didn't even know what our father looked like, so it's normal that he doesn't dream about him. You're the eldest, so if someone were to appear in a dream, they'd come to you first, right?"

Zhou Xiangyi was always attentive to her husband's emotions, hoping that he would talk to her more about his feelings so that she could get out of the shadows as soon as possible.

"You always say that, who knows if it's really just our father appearing in a dream!" Lao Chengxi said with a displeased expression.

"What? You think I'm lying to you?" Zhou Xiangyi pinched the man's lower back hard. "Because of this, Mom and I specifically went to Master Ding to have your fortune told. He said it's a mental illness, and you'll have to find a cure yourself!"

"Where to? Xiling Temple?" Lao Chengxi asked, then suddenly sniffed, "Where's that sandalwood scent coming from? Did you burn incense at home?"

Zhou Xiangyi paused, then reached into her collar with her slender hand, revealing a string of lustrous wooden beads to the man.

Lao Chengxi sniffed it, then picked it up and played with it in his hand. "Hmm, it really is small-leaf sandalwood. It seems your incense money wasn't wasted."

"Oh! Don't talk nonsense! This has been blessed by Master Ding! It can ward off evil spirits and bring good fortune... and it can also..." As she said this, Zhou Xiangyi's cheeks flushed red, and even her breathing became rapid.

After being married for many years, Lao Chengxi quickly noticed the subtle changes in his wife. He sat up and stared at the beautiful young woman in front of him, who had an excellent temperament and was gentle and charming. He was suddenly filled with excitement.

"Tell me, what else could it be?" Lao Chengxi retorted, his large hands already slipping inside his wife's silk pajamas, roaming over her sensitive areas.

"Nourish the uterus...stimulate that..." The young woman gasped as she leaned back, the strap of her nightgown slipping down one shoulder.

The man placed the string of beads on his wife's belly, rubbed it for a while, and then rolled over and pinned her down, as if to strike her head-on.

Zhou Xiangyi cooperated fully, helping her husband undress while whispering, "Chengxi... let's have a child soon..."

As a traditional woman, Zhou Xiangyi understood all too well the importance of bearing children, as it concerned her status in the Lao family. During this time, she sought medical help everywhere and tried all sorts of folk remedies, but her belly remained flat. So, she went to Xiling Temple with her mother-in-law and obtained a string of beads from the old Taoist priest at Shuangling, which she wore day and night from then on.

At this moment, Lao Chengxi grabbed the woman's waist and pressed her into the mattress. He didn't care whether or not he could create a baby; he just wanted to vent all that filth at this moment.

"Be gentle..." Zhou Xiangyi's words were interrupted by the bump. Beads swayed against her sweaty chest, and the scent of sandalwood mixed with the fragrance of photinia filled the room.

Judging from her husband's condition tonight, the bead really worked. Zhou Xiangyi secretly remembered the old Taoist priest's contribution and began to plan the gift to repay the vow.

Suddenly, the man's movements became more vigorous, and the vaginal fluid suddenly pressed painfully against his chest. However, he couldn't care less. He was like a dragon entering the sea, or fire returning to its source. Amidst the ebb and flow of climax, a subtle fragrance wafted through the air. It seemed that this was about to be another enchanting night...