Chapter 43.4

Translated by Aviana

“Tiezhu, how’s the injury?” Yang laoyezi’s complexion was quite poor. Having not seen him for about 10 days, he seemed to have lost quite a bit of weight, with dark circles formed under his eyes. Compared to before, he also seemed to be a bit older. There were also scars on the face. Apparently, he didn’t have any fewer fights with He-shi in the past few days. However, He-shi also seemed to be rather fierce this time. Usually, she seldom left a scar on Yang laoyezi’s face. But this time, she didn’t seem to have been lenient on him.

Yang Tiezhu glanced at his father but remained silent, not knowing what to say. This time, after surviving by the skin of teeth, he felt unusually strange upon seeing Yang laoyezi.

Laoyezi: an appellation used to address the elderly male

Lin Qingwan pulled the corners of her mouth, unconsciously wanting to smile; nevertheless, it was quite hard for her to muster. After a few days of adjusting, although she wasn’t as angry as she was at the beginning, she still couldn’t give them a good face.

“He didn’t die but injured his shoulder and arms. The doctor had asked to properly rest and avoid heavy work.”

Her tone wasn’t good, but it was also understandable. Yang Tiezhu went into the mountains for family, but when he came back injured, not only did they not take care of him, they didn’t even come to visit him. Under such a situation, no one would have a good tone.

If after getting injured, Yang Tiezhu forgot to bring back the game, and if she still didn’t have some private savings….

Then when Yang Tiezhu got injured this time, wouldn’t they have been in deadlock? The family didn’t take out any silver; the medical center would also not treat patients for free of charge; in such case, what would Yang Tiezhu’s situation have been….

Lin Qingwan didn’t even dare to fathom… When these thoughts arose, she felt cold chill her from top to bottom. Her hatred for the group of people increased all the more.

Yang laoyezi silently nodded, “It’s good that you have returned…. Properly take rest…” After speaking, with his waist bent, he walked out of the door.

He could see that his son and daughter-in-law don’t want to see him at the moment, truly didn’t want to see him. In their place, if there was someone else, they would also be like this….

After Yang laoyezi left, Yang Tiegen also followed left after him, leaving space for young couple.

Lin Qingwan tucked Yang Tiezhu in the quilt before turning around and getting busy.

After taking a look at the cubicle, she went to the courtyard to draw water. It’s been quite a long time since she and Yang Tiezhu had taken a bath. Also, Yang Tiezhu had too many bloodstains on him. In the hospital, she had just wiped them. She wanted to take a hot water bath and also wipe Yang Tiezhu’s body.

Wang-shi was basking in the sun in the yard while He-shi was sitting by the main room’s door. But both of them didn’t dare to speak with her.

Lin Qingwan also continued to draw water, disregarding both of them as if they didn’t exist.

The water in the water tub in their cubicle was always filled by Yang Tiezhu. He knew that his wife wasn’t strong enough; she could only carry half a bucket of water every time. He also couldn’t see his wife get tired, so he took the initiative to fill the water tub every time before even Lin Qingwan asked.

But now that Yang Tiezhu was bedridden with injuries, Lin Qinhwan had to do it by herself.

She also didn’t think about this much. If she couldn’t fill the bucket to full, she just took half a bucket of water at a time. With a few more trips, the water tub would be filled to the brim.

When Yang Tiezhu saw Lin Qingwan carrying half a bucket every time into the room, his eyes became red with distress, and he couldn’t help but loathe his current powerlessness.

After filling the water vat, she put it on the stove to boil them. Then Lin Qingwan went and sat on the kang while wiping her sweat.

“Wife, you have worked hard.” Lin Qingwan gave him a careless smile and looked at him in askance, “Is it hard to get a bit of water? I am not that delicate, alright?”

But Yang Tiezhu just felt that his wife had worked hard, his face creased into a crumpled ball in distress.

Looking at his silly appearance, Lin Qingwan’s smile became even brighter and softly said: “Alright, in a while, I will go take a bath and then wipe your body. Your injury hasn’t healed yet; you can’t get it wet.”

Once the water was ready, Lin Qingwan went into the cubicle to take a bath. Upon hearing the sound of water from the cubicle and imagining the charming appearance of his wife when taking a bath, Yang Tiezhu couldn’t help but become a bit irritable.

He fiercely glanced at his left shoulder, lamenting when it would heal and when he would be able to have ‘happy’ days yet again!

After Lin Qingwan had a bath, she came out with a basin of hot water.

First, she helped Yang Tiezhu take off his shirt and began to wipe his torso and arms with hot water. As, when in the medical center, she had frequently done this, Lin Qingwan wasn’t that startled when doing such intimate things with Yang Tiezhu at the moment.

Looking at his wife’s small face, which had become red from the steam, looking at her only in underclothes and underpants, and further looking at the faintly visible chest through aqua blue duduo…. Yang Tiezhu couldn’t help but gulp….

dùdōu: undergarment covering the chest and abdomen

After looking, again and again, his hand couldn’t help but secretly go up.

Lin Qingwan slapped his hand away as she glared at him, displeased. It hadn’t been long, already this dishonest!

As he looked at her, Yang Tiezhu’s appearance was a mixture of both suffering and pleading, just like a cat on a hot tin roof.

热锅上的蚂蚁 (règuōshangdemǎyǐ): a cat on a hot tin roof / anxious/agitated

Lin Qingwan’s face couldn’t help but redden.

“Wifey…” Yang Tiezhu whispered Lin Qingwan’s ear, feeling aroused.

Lin Qingwan knew what he was thinking.

At that time, in the medical center also it was the same. When she helped him draw water and wipe his body, he was also extremely excited. Until midnight, till she changed turns with Yao-shi, he hadn’t fallen asleep, and pulled her hand, insisting on helping him, even disregarding his pale complexion and illness.

Yang Tiezhu, seeing that his wife remained unmoved, Yang Tiezhu blew another breath in her ear.

“Wife, I miss you… I really miss you…” The hot breath by her ear coupled with his hoarse voice stimulated Lin Qingwan’s nerve endings, making her head go blank suddenly.

Once Lin Qingwan responded, Yang Tiezhu held her hand and began to get busy ……

Lin Qingwan’s face became even redder, and her brain exploded at once and became blank. She could only woodenly sit there and let him continue…

The last time also, he did the same….

Just when Lin Qingwan was about to collapse from embarrassment, Yang Tiezhu quickly resolved the matter.

He was aware that his wife was thin-skinned, and if played for long, she would surely fly into a rage out of embarrassment. Thus, he hastily sped up the matter.

Yang Tiezhu shamelessly wiped his wife’s hands with the cloth his wife was previously wiping his body. While wiping his wife’s small hand with his one hand, he showed a satiated smile.

Lin Qingwan was simply dumbfounded, also not knowing what to say. She quickly ran to the cubicle to rinse the cloth.

It took her a while to come out. Even after coming out, she was still blushing and didn’t continue wiping Yang Tiezhu’s body anymore. Yang Tiezhu hurriedly covered himself up with a quilt and closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep. Lin Qingwan was once again embarrassed yet furious as she cursed at him in her heart. She had just sat down to calm herself when Yao-shi’s voice came from outside, calling her for lunch. She replied back and hurriedly dashed out.

Seeing Lin Qingwan walk in, all the people sitting in the main room for lunch had peculiar expressions on their faces, and everyone became silent. Even the children became silent, seeing that the atmosphere in the room wasn’t right, too afraid to speak anything.

Ignoring everyone’s expressions, Lin Qingwan took two bowls of rice, added few vegetables on top of it, turned around, and left.

He-shi’s lips trembled with anger, unable to speak for a while. Finally, she spatted, “Does this old lady owes her something or what? Who is she giving that look for? Yang laoyezi sighed and glared at her, “ Laoer and her wife are feeling uncomfortable in their hearts. You let them be and let them pass this difficult time.” He-shi’s face deflated, not making a sound. Yang Xuezhang expressionlessly picked his rice. Yang Tieshuan was still languid and careless as always. Wang-shi smirked as she thought – if it were her, she would have fought them as her life depended on it! But she nevertheless didn’t dare to speak these words out, fearing to be targeted by the multitude of arrows.

众矢之的 (zhòngshǐzhīdì): lit. target of a multitude of arrows (idiom); the butt of public criticism / attacked on all sides

While Yang Tiegen and Yao-shi, this husband and wife, continued to eat with their heads down as if nothing has happened.

Lin Qingwan went back to the room with the rice to eat, making Yang Tiegen a bit surprised. But soon, the surprise dissipated and became calm. He could understand his wife’s thoughts. If it was him, he would also be unable to eat with those people.

Lin Qingwan took a bowl of rice and first fed Yang Tiezhu while pondering over a certain issue on the other hand.

Seeing his wife was unhappy, Yang Tiezhu also didn’t dare to say anything as he silently ate what his wife fed him.

Waiting till Yang Tiezhu finished eating, Lin Qingwan opened her mouth: “This won’t do, you have to nourish your body. How could you possibly eat this kind of food every day?”

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