Chapter 65

Li Sanye and the others saw Cheng Duo and Young master Xie chatting happily and didn't want to interrupt, so they politely toasted each other in groups of three to avoid awkwardness.

Unexpectedly, after a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere was lively, but then they heard Yong Ge put down his chopsticks and say such a sentence.

Li Sanye inwardly cursed. Originally, Cheng Duo doted on Yong Ge, and it would have been fine if they celebrated the happy day without covering the groom's head or letting him sit alone in the new house. He, an outsider and elder, had no right to intervene.

But Yong Ge shouldn't have said such words at the banquet, relying on his husband's favor, which embarrassed Cheng Duo.

Ding Tou, who was trying to please the Xie family's steward, frowned even more. He was a typical peasant man. He had skills, formed a labor team outside, and when he returned home, he became the head of the family and made the final decisions.

Seeing Young master Xie looking embarrassed, he wanted to lecture the new groom. In his view, when men talk at the dining table, the husband should obediently serve them, and they shouldn't have a say.

However, as he was planning the wording in his mind, he was a step too slow.

It was precisely because of this slight delay that before he could speak, Cheng Duo suddenly burst into laughter and said, "My husband is right. If we don't eat the dishes soon, they'll get cold. Young master Xie, you should focus on eating, it's not good for your stomach to eat and talk at the same time."

As he spoke, he picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks and fed Yong Ge a bite, then fed himself one, saying, "Don't be angry, I'm eating now, right?"

"Uh…" Yong Ge nodded, obediently picked up the chopsticks again, but even though the stewed fish was originally savory, when he put it in his mouth, it tasted sweet.

Yong Ge secretly smiled, every time he felt Cheng Duo couldn't be any better, he would use practical actions to show him that he could still be better…

Xie Yuan and the others: "…"

Xie Yuan twitched his mouth, should he be surprised or not?

When they first met, it was because of Cheng Duo, a big, tall man, who was controlled repeatedly by a little guy. Now, it seemed that his small husband's position in his heart was even higher than Xie Yuan initially estimated…

Comparing himself to Xie Yuan, Ding Tou was sweating coldly. Fortunately, he was afraid of offending Cheng Duo, so he held back the words that were on the tip of his tongue and carefully weighed them in his mouth. Otherwise, his flattery might have backfired!

Speaking of which, this Cheng master doesn't seem like someone who can't find a bride, but rather like a lonely old bachelor who just got married for the first time… This is too unconventional!

Just as he was thinking this, Young master Xie also stepped forward to mediate, "Right, right, let's eat, eat first, and chat later. Don't just drink, eat some dishes too!"

Sure enough, Ding Tou's hand shook, and the wine glass he was holding spilled half of its contents. He reluctantly put down the good wine in his hand and immersed himself in eating with the steward.

Their table was competing for dishes like they were fighting over them. While other tables were still toasting and exchanging cups, they had already finished their meal ahead of time.

After the meal, Xie Yuan finally managed to pull Cheng Duo into the main room to talk, of course, with Yong Ge by his side. Cheng Duo intentionally trained Yong Ge, so he didn't hide anything from him. If Yong Ge didn't understand, Cheng Duo would knead it open and explain it to him in detail.

However, Cheng Duo didn't want to go to Twenty li Slope right now, so even though Xie Yuan wanted to discuss cooperation, Cheng Duo still sent him away.

Jokingly, he had just gotten married, and the most important thing now was to build a good relationship with his wife. How could he bear to be away from him day and night… What's the point of keeping so many outsiders at home when they couldn't even accommodate themselves!

Of course, under Xie Yuan's coaxing, Cheng Duo still gave him a list of ingredients and arranged for Xie Yuan to come with the items fifteen days later. He would personally cook it for him and taste it before discussing further cooperation.

Xie Yuan was speechless, "Why can't you go to twenty li Slope?"

It wasn't easy for him to bring things all the way here!

Cheng Duo glanced at him, "Right now, you are the one discussing cooperation with me. Whether you want to come or not is up to you…"

Xie Yuan was exasperated, "I see, you just got married and are unwilling to move!"

"If you want to think that way, you're not entirely wrong." Cheng Duo nodded seriously. On such a hot day, he didn't want to go all the way to twenty li Slope, tiring Yong Ge.

Xie Yuan could run around more, after all, there were many servants in his house, and others could take care of things.

Yong Ge listened with a flushed face, and he couldn't stop smiling as Xie Yuan lost the argument. Although Cheng Duo seemed to have a penchant for teasing people, who asked him to help relatives but not others? So even if Xie Yuan tried to instigate Cheng Duo and then tried to persuade Yong Ge, he firmly refused to go.

"You guys think there's nothing good about that little village. I invite you to play there, and you don't want to go!" Xie Yuan was so annoyed. Cheng Duo didn't want to go, which was understandable, but Yong Ge, despite him offering to let them stay in the estate and use everything without charge, this stingy guy still refused!

Little did Xie Yuan know that although Yong Ge was stingy, he wasn't someone who took advantage. Besides, even if he took advantage, it would be Cheng Duo who repaid on his behalf. In his heart, nothing could compare to Cheng Duo's importance, so how could Xie Yuan's enticement move him?

Helpless, Xie Yuan could only coax with another bottle of wine and leave a box of silver behind, full of regret as he departed. Since he started getting involved in the Xie family business, he considered himself a smooth talker with a silver tongue, but it was the first time he failed to sway someone. And he encountered two such people in a row!

Indeed, they were not the same family, so they couldn't enter the same door!

Xie Yuan was the first to leave, and Ding Tou naturally bid farewell with his people. After that, the remaining Li Sanye, Third Madam, Aunt Qian, and other villagers helped Cheng Duo clean up the tables and chairs before leaving too.

In the spacious courtyard, only Cheng Duo, Yong Ge, and the lingering aroma of food and wine remained. Yong Ge glanced at the sun, which had not yet set, and listened to the crickets chirping early and hiding in the grass, feeling very uncomfortable.

What should he do? He almost didn't dare to talk to Cheng Duo anymore…

Cheng Duo also felt a bit awkward, but he quickly found a topic, "Third Madam left hot water on the stove, go wash up first, and I'll show you something after you're done."

"Oh…" Yong Ge didn't dare to ask what it was and fetched a bucket of hot water, adding some cold water before heading to the outhouse next to Cheng Duo's house. After washing up, he diligently fetched another bucket of water and then called Cheng Duo in.

Looking at the clothes Yong Ge took out, even though Cheng Duo's own self-sewn, ugly underwear was hidden inside, he still saw a corner.

Yong Ge also seemed to notice, Yong Ge's already rosy cheeks now resembled ripe red apples: "Um… Just make do with these clothes for now, and I'll find time to make a few more for you."

He had already guessed that the two pairs of inner pants in the wardrobe were sewn by Cheng Duo himself, probably because he was embarrassed to ask for help. He knew it all along, but he wouldn't have helped him sew them even if he knew!

Yong Ge was clearly nervous to the point of breathlessness. Cheng Duo didn't dare to tease him and nodded calmly, "I happen to have bought two pieces of breathable fabric. You can make a few more when the time comes, and we'll both change into them."

Having a wife was indeed a good thing. He would never have to secretly mend his underwear under the oil lamp again!

Cheng Duo came out of the bathroom, casually draping his outer robe over himself due to the hot weather, without fastening it. Both he and Yong Ge were wearing ready-made clothes he had bought in twenty li Slope last time – stone blue color with ink vine patterns, which was clearly a matching set.

Cheng Duo moved the box that Xie Yuan left to the square table in the bedroom and motioned for Yong Ge to take a look. Under the swaying oil lamp, as soon as Yong Ge peeked inside, he was dazzled by the silver: "This… Is Xie Yuan giving the wrong amount? How much is this, so many taels?!"

"That's right, I sold those wines for two thousand taels per bottle." Yong Ge took a sharp breath, "Two thousand taels?"

"Yes." Cheng Duo said, taking out his own silver storage box from the space. "I sold two bottles before and also sold two glass jars. Our family's money is all here. Apart from over one thousand eight hundred taels of silver, there are also two hundred taels of gold, and if you count the silver bills, there are also one thousand six hundred taels. Um, let's find a chance to exchange these silver bills for gold and silver, it's safer that way."

As Cheng Duo mentioned "one thousand eight hundred taels of silver here, two hundred taels of gold there," Yong Ge's head spun, and he swayed a bit. Just as he was about to reach out and steady himself on the table, Cheng Duo scooped him into his arms.

"Be careful."

Yong Ge felt his legs going weak and leaned against Cheng Duo's body. "You should put away the silver quickly; I'm feeling a bit flustered."

Aside from feeling flustered, he was also quite fearful, his heart pounding erratically. One moment he thought of the Niujia Village massacre by the Lord Niu, and the next moment, he remembered the bandits who hadn't come to rob them in a long time… Nothing was as surprising as Cheng Duo had imagined.

Cheng Duo put away the silver and finally understood what Yong Ge was thinking. He couldn't help but laugh and cry, "You forgot what I used to do in the past? A dozen or twenty bandits can't move a hair on me. And I have the space; if they want to rob me, I can rob them back."

Yong Ge also thought about it, and the feeling of panic eased slightly. He grabbed Cheng Duo's hand and said, "This silver is enough for us for several lifetimes. Let's not sell the remaining wine, okay?"

"Alright, we won't sell it; we'll keep it as a family heirloom for our son." Cheng Duo readily agreed. What he didn't tell Yong Ge was that even if they didn't sell anything from the space, the silver would only increase.

Yong Ge realized something and blushed suddenly, "What son? There's no… no sign of it yet."

"Since that's the case, let's give him a nose and eyes." Cheng Duo extended his large hand towards Yong Ge's waist and lifted him up, turning and placing him on the wedding bed.

Contrary to Cheng Duo's expectations, Yong Ge, who was usually very cooperative, pushed him away today. Cheng Duo caught the hand on his chest and asked, "What's wrong?"

Could it be that he's afraid? He hasn't even started yet!

Yong Ge stammered, "You let me get down, I'll get a book…"

"What book?" Cheng Duo was taken aback for a moment, then realized that there might be something similar among the items he had just bought. He was about to straighten up and get it from the cabinet when Yong Ge slipped out from under his arm.

Cheng Duo looked at him amusedly but didn't rush him. He just said in a consultative tone, "Shall we have the wedding wine first?"

"Okay." Yong Ge nodded. He heard that alcohol could strengthen courage, and drinking some should alleviate his fear.

Cheng Duo poured a cup and handed it to Yong Ge. Since he was much taller than Yong Ge, in order to cooperate with his wife, he had to bend down awkwardly to drink the cup of wedding wine.

Yong Ge had hardly drunk any alcohol before, especially not this strong white wine. He gulped it down like water, and the spiciness made him stick out his tongue. "So spicy—"

Before he could say anything else, Cheng Duo blocked his mouth with his…

(T/N: Again with the disappointment it hits… ಥ_ಥ)

To be fair, Cheng Duo was very satisfied with their wedding night, but when it came to the real action, a slightly drunk Yong Ge insisted on trying the first pose from the illustrated book.

Cheng Duo had no choice but to reason with him, "Yong Ge, it's our first time, and this difficult pose might hurt you…"

"No, the book depicts it this way, and we must follow it!" Yong Ge stubbornly insisted, his cheeks flushed. When he saw Cheng Duo's disagreement, his slightly tipsy eyes looked like they were about to cry.

Cheng Duo was both amused and amazed. How come he didn't know that Yong Ge was so bold?

Thankfully, he had foreseen this and bought some ointment, so it shouldn't be a big problem…

Initially, Cheng Duo thought Yong Ge might be like this because he was drunk, but during their second round, when Yong Ge was already sober, he struggled to flip to the second page…

Cheng Duo: "…" With his waist twisted like that, would Yong Ge's waist be okay tomorrow morning?

Nevertheless, his wife was so enthusiastic and cooperative, so Cheng Duo wiped his face, determined to accompany his spouse even if it meant risking his life!