ABPUBALC - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: The Wedding

In the days that followed, Gu Qiming occasionally went up the mountain to hunt. Every time he returned, he would surely catch a certain someone to kiss for a good long while, under the beautiful pretext of soothing his lonely soul.

After spending so much time together, Lin Xing had grown accustomed to his occasional shamelessness, knowing full well resistance was futile. Unfortunately, every time he ended up with weak knees, nowhere near as effortlessly composed as Gu Qiming.

Disc0v3r exc1us1v3 c0ntent and s\/pp0rt creat0rs 0n the or1g1n@l site: https://rottentledits.blogspot.com/

After half a month, their little family had accumulated quite a few wild creatures, which were kept in the backyard along with the chickens and ducks.

Most of the prey were pheasants and wild rabbits. Gu Qiming had set many traps on the mountain, catching most of the wild rabbits through them. Lin Xing, on his own, had crafted rabbit cages to rear these rabbits, feeding them with wild grass he collected daily. Now, there were about a dozen of them.

The wedding clothes were already prepared, so there was no need for him to go to town. These past few days, he had collected quite a bit of wood and personally crafted new furniture for their home.

They had agreed that once they were married, Gu Qiming would move into his room. The wardrobe in the room was rather small, so by then, one wardrobe would definitely not be enough.

Gu Qiming not only hunted game to keep at home, but also specifically went to the butcher to buy half a pig the day before his wedding, so it could be used for the banquet.

An event that happens only once in a lifetime, although there’s no need to fuss over complex formalities, he didn’t want to deal with it carelessly either.

Everyone in the village knew that Lin Xing and Gu Qiming were going to get married. Moreover, Gu Qiming had announced that when the time came, anyone willing to help by bringing some vegetables from their home could join the wedding feast.

How could anyone be unhappy about this? After all, the cost of vegetables is trivial. Here we have Gu Qiming, both hunting and purchasing pigs; everyone knows he has spared no expense this time. Consequently, quite a few people came over to help the day before.

Seizing the opportunity, Gu Qiming and Lin Xing went from door to door borrowing bowls and dishes. Their own home was short on utensils, and this time, no one turned them down.

In the courtyard, a large pot was set up, and the women from the village who had come to help were sitting in pairs and threes, picking vegetables. This way, as soon as the head chef arrives tomorrow, everything would be ready for use.

“See that half pig over there? This Gu Qiming really went all out, putting on such a grand display!”

“Exactly, take a look at those prey already prepared for slaughter; they are all for tomorrow’s use!”

“Lin Xing finally made it through, marrying a good husband. From now on, he won’t have to suffer under the Lin family’s oppression anymore...”

As the saying goes, one who accepts another’s favors is expected to return them. Today, Lin Xing, who invited them over to help, treated them to quite a feast and was very kind to everyone, addressing each one affectionately as “Auntie.” Now, everyone is speaking in his favor.

On the third day of August, the two of them rose early to tidy up.

Gu Qiming helped Lin Xing comb his hair and asked softly, “Are you nervous? Today is the day we will have our wedding ceremony.”

Lin Xing watched in the bronze mirror as Gu Qiming combed his hair, stroke by stroke. He had thought he would feel nervous, but upon waking up that morning, he found his heart filled with nothing but anticipation.

He reached out and covered Gu Qiming’s hand with his own, gently squeezing it.

By the afternoon, the courtyard had already become quite lively. Aunt Zhang had specifically come in to help Lin Xing with the preparations. There was no need for the Shuang’er to put on makeup; after all, he was naturally good-looking. Aunt Zhang mentioned that if he were a man, countless people would wish to marry him.

The wedding clothes were complex, and Gu Qiming had no one to help him, so he fumbled around in the room for a long time before he could put them on. His hair had been combed by Lin Xing in the morning, with the sides cut short to be tucked behind his ears, and a red rope tied loosely at the back. It was a simple but handsome look.

Once the hour of You (5-7pm) arrived, Gu Qiming and Lin Xing walked out holding the red silk[e/n: red silk could be the veil Lin Xing isn’t wearing ... info link / likely refers to a piece of red cloth traditionally used in Chinese weddings to symbolize happiness, prosperity, and good luck. It’s often held or draped by the couple during the wedding ceremony or used in various rituals and decorations.]. Lin Xing didn’t wear a wedding veil, so he could clearly see the corners of Gu Qiming’s mouth turn up. Both of them were having a hard time containing their joy.

The two of them had no relatives, and thus, there weren’t many formalities to observe. They simply conducted the marriage ceremony at home, inviting an elder from the village to serve as a witness. With this, the marriage rites were considered complete.

Disc0v3r exc1us1v3 c0ntent and s\/pp0rt creat0rs 0n the or1g1n@l site: https://rottentledits.blogspot.com/

The banquet had a total of fifteen tables, every table was full, packed with people. Adults brought their children, and in all, almost half the village had come.

There were eight dishes and two bowls of soup served at each table. All served in large bowls, four of the dishes were meat-based, including the large bowls of braised pork, stewed chicken, and stewed pork. There was also a spicy stir-fried rabbit that could not be found anywhere else. Once the dishes were served, no one put down their chopsticks.

The banquets in the village are like this: not a single dish remains unclean, and the soup is always drunk to the last drop.

The attendants hadn’t come empty-handed. Most had brought food supplies from their homes to share, which would keep. Others had picked fruits and vegetables from their own gardens. Before long, the kitchen cabinets were so full they could barely close.

As Lin Xing entered the bridal chamber, Gu Qiming emerged to greet the guests.

Da Niu and Er Niu yelled out to Gu Qiming, inviting him to drink wedding wine. In his mother’s arms, little Lin Fu sat, gleefully munching on snacks.

Er Niu stood up and had a drink with Gu Qiming. Er Niu could not drink much, so after one drink, he felt a little dizzy and slurred, “Brother Gu, I’ve known Lin Xing since he was young, so I’m very relieved to entrust him to you...”

Er Niu’s wife felt that he was embarrassing, so she dragged him down to sit. A guest is a guest. Gu Qiming held up a cup of wine and offered many toasts, then he specially went to greet the elder before entering the wedding chamber.

The room had been decorated by the two of them together, red paper was pasted everywhere, and the bedding was new, embroidered with mandarin ducks with intertwining necks. On the table was a pair of dragon and phoenix candles.

When Gu Qiming entered the room, Lin Xing was almost leaning against the bed frame, half asleep. He was covered in the strong scent of alcohol, and Lin Xing, assuming he had gotten drunk, quickly poured him a cup of tea to help him sober up.

Gu Qiming had a high alcohol tolerance. After drinking this much, he felt slightly heavy-headed, but he was not drunk.

Disc0v3r exc1us1v3 c0ntent and s\/pp0rt creat0rs 0n the or1g1n@l site: https://rottentledits.blogspot.com/

He took a sip of tea and said to Lin Xing, “There’s not much food left outside. We had agreed that Da Niu would help manage things, so I’m not going out anymore.”

Finishing his words, he raised an arm to sniff his sleeve. Indeed, the odor of alcohol was strong on it. Decisively, he removed his outer robe, leaving him only in his underclothes.

Lin Xing helped him hang up his clothes, then asked softly, “Would you still like to drink from the wedding cups with me?”

Lin Xing couldn’t drink alcohol and Gu Qiming didn’t like it much either, so they used tea as their ceremonial[e/n: Jiaobeijiu (Chinese: 交杯酒; lit. ‘cross-cupped wine’) Jiaobeijiu is a traditional Chinese nuptial ceremonial rite where newlywed couples interlink their arms to sip jiu (wine) together. It is also known as Hejin, which literally means “to join nuptial wine cup”. This ritual is a significant part of Chinese wedding customs, symbolizing the union and unity of the couple.] cup of wine.

Arms crossed and intertwined as they drank, Lin Xing’s round cat eyes were filled with Gu Qiming’s appearance. Seeing this, Gu Qiming’s heart warmed and he immediately scooped the person up into his arms and sat him on his lap. Lowering his head, he kissed Lin Xing.

As their breaths intertwined, the very air seemed to whisper with a sensual undercurrent.

Gu Qiming’s movements were quick yet gentle, circling the other’s tongue, until he had his fill, before lingering over his soft lips, which he nibbled on.

Lin Xing responded to this deep kiss by hugging his neck, his bright cat eyes full of tears.

Gu Qiming felt his response and could no longer hold back. He reached into his robe and began to caress his smooth skin.

Gu Qiming began to sway unsteadily, and Lin Xing felt as though the places Gu Qiming had touched him were burning as if they had been set aflame. Unable to withstand it any longer, he struggled to get away.

When he’d kissed him enough, Gu Qiming released his lips. He gazed at the young man’s lips, kissed swollen and red, and his misty, watery eyes watching him. His heart was filled to the brim as he spoke in a husky voice, “A’Xing, hold me.”

Having said this, he directly picked the person up horizontally and turned to walk towards the large bed.

The banquet outside had mostly dispersed, and knowing that Lin Xing’s household didn’t have many people, everyone took their own bowls back home, sparing them any further hustle.

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Da Niu and Er Niu helped see off the guests. It wasn’t until everyone had completely left that the two of them returned home.

The rain began to pour in the latter part of the night, and the chicks in the backyard huddled together, shivering. The wind blew the window open, and faintly, one could hear ambiguous pleas coming from within the bed curtains.

Lying in bed, Lin Xing’s chest was continuously dotted with beads of sweat trickling down.

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Since the sun had set, there hadn’t been much of a pause, and Lin Xing felt as if his bones were about to fall apart.

It’s too hot…

The relentless rain battered against the windowsill, knocking with a persistent clang, yet inside the room, the atmosphere grew increasingly heated.

In the end, Lin Xing couldn’t take it anymore. He was both tired and sleepy, tilting his head and drifting off into a daze.

Gu Qiming went to the kitchen to boil water, then carried the person to a bath tub for a thorough clean-up. Afterwards, he changed the bedding before finally cuddling with his wife under the covers.

Gazing down at Lin Xing’s lips, chafed and broken, he gently massaged them with the pad of his finger.

Today, he was a bit too excited and left quite a few marks on the person. It’s uncertain when they will fade away.

Ever since his grandfather passed away and he was sent to the orphanage, he had always been alone. His friends around him had all married, leaving him the only single one. Gu Qiming never thought that he could like someone this much, to the point where he never wanted to let go, moment by moment.

Since arriving here, life had become much harder than before. He spends his days hunting in the mountains without a moment of rest, and also has to tend to the chores in the fields. Yet, he embraced it all with pleasure, discovering the simple joys in the day-to-day life of firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea.

August skies were still warm, but rain had fallen today, leaving the latter half of the night slightly cool. Lin Xing, in a daze, snuggled closer to the person next to him, using Gu Qiming’s arm as a pillow as he drifted into a deep sleep.

The rain fell heavily during the night, leaving the village shrouded in a misty haze come morning. The green vegetables in the yard had been battered by the rain, appearing somewhat wilted, and a good number of grapes had been knocked off the trellis, with green and purple fruits scattered all over the ground.

Gu Qiming carefully picked up the inner garment beside him and quietly got out of bed.

Lin Xing had been exhausted both physically and mentally last night, and was still asleep.

Gu Qiming opened the door and took a deep breath. The accumulated water on the eaves kept dripping to the ground, and the wind that blew carried a hint of coolness with it. Outside, the sky was overcast, seemingly promising more rain to come.

He tidied up the courtyard and then went to the backyard to feed the chickens before finally entering the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

There were still two chickens, already slaughtered, in the kitchen. Gu Qiming took them down and put them into an earthenware pot, preparing to stew a chicken soup. He also took out some eggs and prepared four plain boiled eggs.

The eggs were brought over from the village the day before yesterday. Quite a few were brought over, enough to last them for a good while.

“The chicken soup needs to simmer for a longer time,” Gu Qiming muttered to himself, as he placed two pieces of charcoal beneath the clay pot to stew it slowly.

By the time he returned to the room with the meal, Lin Xing had already woken up, leisurely putting on his robe. Gu Qiming wasn’t completely heartless; at the very least, he had helped put on his undergarments before going to sleep.

“I’ve boiled some plain eggs, come and have one in a bit.” Gu Qiming poured a cup of hot water and placed it on the table, then walked over to the bed and sat down to help Lin Xing with his clothes.

Lin Xing nodded and said, “Alright...”

As soon as they finished speaking, both men were taken aback. Lin Xing’s voice was hoarse and the feeling of talking was unbearable. His throat ached every time he spoke, and he felt increasingly ashamed. He lowered his head, not daring to look at the other man.

Gu Qiming bent over to pick him up and carried him to the round table, giving him some water to drink. Only then did he start to feel better.

“Judging by the weather, it looks like it’s going to keep raining. We won’t go out today. Let’s rest at home. I simmered some chicken soup. I’ll bring it to you later.” Gu Qiming handed the peeled egg to Lin Xing before beginning his own meal.

Lin Xing glanced at the accumulated water in the courtyard. It had rained quite heavily the previous night. He took a bite of his egg and quietly asked Gu Qiming: “How is the backyard? Did the chickens and ducks get drenched?”

“Don’t worry, they are all huddled under the shelter, and they were all fed this morning.”

Only then did Lin Xing feel relieved. Observing the wet yet tidily cleaned-up yard, he felt as if the aches and pains in his body had significantly subsided.

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______e/n________ |Next Chapter Title: Chapter 17: Slacking Off
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