Fortunate Wife

CHAPTER 204: Settling The Account

Li Man panicked without a reason as her heart jumped and screamed silently. She fidgeted and hesitatingly wanted to just run and go inside her room.

At this moment of hesitation, a deep footstep finally fell behind her. Her body turned stiff and she finally decided to just bolt out and run away, when Li Yan's voice sounded in her ears, "Is your butt hurting?"

"What?" his words didn'tconnect to Li Man's brain for a long time as she stared blankly, notunderstanding what he meant.

But in a blink of an eye,Li Yan had already walked over to her. His gaze slowly went down from herawkward face, until he suspiciously staring at her hips.

"Is it? Looking at yousitting weirdly like this."

"Your butt's hurting!" LiYan suddenly understood, and in her anger and embarrassment, she hurriedlyjumped up, giving him a death glare, while suppressing the flush that crept outher face without words.

"Oh, how do you know?" LiYan's lips slyly smirked. He tilted his head slightly while approaching her earand asked slowly in a deep voice, "Did you take a peek?"

"You…" Li Man trembled inanger. She suddenly pushed him away while gnashing her teeth, "Get away, yourogue!" she screamed as she turned back and ran to the West Room. She slammedthe door and firmly closed it.

Li Yan twitched as helooked at the trembling thin door panel, unconsciously furrowed his eyebrowsand shook his head, "The door will be broken sooner or later."

"Second Brother?" LittleFive couldn't help but frowned after seeing this scene.

Li Yan lowered his headand looked at him, "Go and study your writing."

"Second Brother, youshouldn't be like this. Sister would only think that you're bullying her."Little Five earnestly admonished his brother.

Li Yan instead laughed,"So you already understand this kind of thing?"

Little Five looked at himwith a stunned expression, "Of course. Otherwise, Second Brother, who do youthink is sister's favorite in this house?"

"It's not me?" Li Yanstroked his chin and acted like he's earnestly pondering.

This smelly brother, Little Five gave him anannoyed glare, "If you haven't noticed, sister has always been the mostcomfortable when she's with me. And you? Second Brother, you always bully herevery day so she's always trying to hide herself from you, how can she likeyou?"

"I know, Little Five isthe best, the most attractive one here." Li Yan reached out his hand, smackedLittle Five's head twice and smiled, "Writing for all noon will make you tired.When I on my way home just now, I saw HuZi and the others are playing near thevillage's entrance gate."

"Really?" Little Five'spair of eyes suddenly got bright, "Why haven't they come and call me out?"

"They let me tell you togo over there. Go and play, you can continue studying in the afternoon." Li Yantook the sand plate from his hand and put it on the small tool nearby.

"Hehe, Second Brother,then I'll go and play a bit. I'll come home later." After hastily saying a fewwords, he bolted out of the house.

Li Yan bent his lips andsmiled amusedly. He looked at the four lines of words written on the sandplate, a total of 20 characters were written, but he couldn't recognize around10 of them, and another 2 that he couldn't be sure of. His eyebrowsunconsciously formed a crease, Little Five really want to be better than him?

His line of sight movedto the West Room. The doors and windows were all closed tightly, but he knewthat girl was sitting at the kang bed, staring dazedly while being angry.

Li Yan took a deep breathand went to the well, taking a bit of water to wash his hands. He turned andreached the front of West Room's door, and like a gentleman, he knocked twice.

Li Man was sitting on thekang bed while hugging her legs inside the room when she heard the knockingsounds. She ferociously gave a glare towards the door, because at this time,there wouldn't be anyone else except for Li Yan.

However, the knockingonly sounded for that two times and ceased to exist, she sighed in relief,thinking that he was only being his usual self, teasing her to death.

Who knew that at the nextsecond, the window panel was pushed wide open, raising a lot of dust.

"What are you doing?" LiMan yelled as she hurriedly jumped over to block his entrance, but it was alltoo late as Li Yan had already used one hand to pushed the window panel whilehis entire body hoped inside the room. Then he closed the window tightly,making his presence looming over Li Man.

"Li Yan, what do you wantto do?" Is it because I berated him and called him a rogue, so he chases mehere to settle some accounts?

Li Yan looked at herstrained angry face, although she didn't know that her expression was quitefunny and cute in his eyes, "What are you afraid of? Do you think that I'll eatyou in this bright daytime?"

Could it be that wheneverhe opens his mouth, he would only let out this kind of words? Li Man's heart firmlydespised him, but her lips was pursed tightly, didn't dare to speak a word.This man's really easy to bear grudges, whatever I say will have no meaning.

Li Yan felt annoyedlooking at her guarding herself away from him in this way, and he then juststared at her with anger for a moment when suddenly his long arm was stretchedout as he grabbed her wrist forcefully.

Like a frightened rabbit,Li Man jumped up and struggled, while her other hand kept on beating him, "Letgo, let me go!"

"Li Man." Li Yan was soangry that his face turned blue, and with a slight force from him, he pushedher whole body on the bed and firmly pressed her down.

Li Man was just like a hookedfish, struggling for dear life.

On the other hand, Li Yanonly pressed her body down, while looking with a cold and rigid expression onher face, "Li Man, what are you afraid of?"

"Eh?" when Li Man lookedat his stern and incomparably deep eyes, she was shocked and blankly said, "I…"

"Are you afraid becauseyou're guilty of something?" She couldn't move after hearing the gentleness andhurt inside his voice.

"I—" Li Man felt heavy inher heart and closed her eyes in a panic. That's right, it wasn't because she'safraid of what Li Yan would do to her, but it was because she really didsomething intimate with Li Mo, and thus she daren't look at Li Yan's eyes.

Li Yan pulled her up,wrapped his arms around her, and hugged her in a tight embrace. His chin restedon her shoulder, "I already know, don't be afraid anymore."

"What do you know?" shefelt that the pit of her stomach was sinking and asked in a flurry.

Li Yan's mouth hooked ina sneer, but Li Man couldn't see his expression and only heard his low voicesaid, "You and Big Brother. You both came back like that yesterday, do youthink that I'm a fool who can't see anything clearly?"

He already knew? Li Man suddenly felt acold sweat dripping from her face, she didn't know what to respond him with. Healso didn't open his mouth anymore, only embracing her tightly.

The atmosphere all of asudden stopped rigidly.

"Li Yan…" She wanted tosay something as a reply, but her dried up tongue couldn't find even a word.

Unexpectedly, Li Yan wasthe first to ask her gloomily, "Is it still hurting?"

"En?" Li Man's facebecame red in a realization as she bit into her lips, "Li Yan, this thing, I…"

"This." Li Yan suddenlylet go of her and interrupted her words. He took out a small box from hisbosom, "I took this from the Old Doctor's place this morning. He said that itcan reduce swelling and pain, do you want to try it out?"

"Ah?" Li Man was shockedand paused, looking at the opened box in front of her, revealing a milky whitecream and a whiff of herbal fragrance.

It's just, reducingswelling and pain? That's to be applied externally, while mine is… inside…

"No need, I'm not hurtingand swelling that much." Li Man dryly laughed and kept insisting not to use it.Surely, he didn't mean anything else.

However, Li Yan brazenlyset his line of sight on one part underneath her waist, "Nothing's wrong? Thentake off your clothes and let me see."

Li Man drew back and tooka deep cold air, Good, really good, this hooligan just really said that.For a moment, she felt anger and shame that she fiercely turned her head awayand ignored him, only saying with a cold expression, "Li Yan, don't cross theline."

"Come again." Li Yandeliberately sat down, tilting his body and glance towards her, "This deadgirl, what kind of brain do you have? You already did all the deed with BigBrother, why can't I look? Aren't you my wife?"

Li Man was choked withanger and chose to remain silent. What kind of rubbish reasoning does hespout?

"If you're not taking itoff, then I'll come to you myself."

Li Yan disliked herdawdling appearance, so he put down the ointment and reached his hand outtowards the waist of her trousers.

Li Man was shocked andscreamed, she tried to shrink herself and hide inside the corner of the wall,"Li Yan, you're crazy! Little Five is still inside the house!"

"He went outside toplay." After taking her trouser off, he then climbed the kang bed, blocking herway out.

Little Five isn't athome? An alarm bell wasringing out inside Li Man's mind as her body kept shrinking to the corner but shestill couldn't find any way out, so she pretended to be calm and talk to him,"Li Yan, I'm fine, I don't need the medicine."

"Really?" Li Yan's handswere already firmly placed on both sides of her legs, fixing his sight on herwith suspicion, while her pair of eyes glimmered with peculiar radiance, "So itmeans that we can round the room already?"

"…" Li Man was sostartled until all the colors on her face was completely gone, is he doingthis intentionally?

"Don't worry, I'll begentle to you." Li Yan faced her rigid body sitting in the corner. His slenderfingers started to unbuckle the sash on his own pants leisurely.

Li Man's eyes were openedwide, he's really shameless! Deceiving Little Five to leave the house,trapping her inside the room, all of that just for doing this to her?

"What are you dazingblankly for? Are you still not taking off your clothes?" Li Yan took off hisshirt very quickly, showing off his strong upper body. Although his musclesweren't as sturdy as Li Mo's mountain-like muscles, but one look at his bodywould reveal those blood vessels spurting out in a grand display.

And in a blink of an eye,his fingers already pulling on the straps of his pants while his eyes gave a teasinglook at Li Man, "Are you waiting for me to help you take it off?"

"D-don't take offanymore." Seeing him in the midst of taking his pants off, Li Man wascompletely dumbfounded. She abruptly covered her eyes and reaching her hand outto stop what he's doing. This shameless man already broke her bottom line!

"Hah." Li Yan immediatelytook advantage and grabbed her reaching out hand, pulling her towards hisbosom, while both of her big palms accurately rubbed and kneaded her two softbunnies. A pair of burning hot lips glued themselves with her red-blood earlobedyed with shyness, and then with a low husky voice he whispered, "Then, let mehelp you take them off, alright?"

Li Yan wanted to cry butwas without tears, her fingernails ruthlessly pinched the back of his hand. Sheshouted with a stern voice, "Li Yan, stop your hands."

Unexpectedly, Li Yan wasreally obedient this time. He stopped what he's doing, and took off his handaway from her body.

This obedient him shockedLi Man with bewilderment.

"Hah, you really loatheme this much." Li Yan hung his head down, the messy hair in front of his headobstructed his face from her. She couldn't see his expression, but she couldhear his dejected and lonely voice,

Li Man grabbed her openedclothes tightly and watched him with precaution, who knows what tricks he'splaying now?

"But what should I dothen? Man Er, you're my wife, I can only marry you in this life time. You can'tnot let me touch you forever ah." Li Yan suddenly looked up, his deep eyes werefull with seriousness and sincerity, and also a bit of misery.

The corner of Li Man'smouth was pulled downwards. This… this situation wasn't caused by me, I'malso a victim here…

Li Yan dejectedly sighed,"Actually, I have been fawning on you all the time, even going as far asbullying you. All of what I've done was just to make your sight linger on me abit, staying even for just a while longer."

Is that so? Li Man was still a bitconfused. She never heard of a man bullying a woman because he loves her,they're not children anymore.

"I don't have BigBrother's dignity, I don't have Fourth Brother's outstanding learning, I don'teven have Little Five's joyfulness. And, as a Second, I can't behaveunscrupulously like Third Brother. How can you take notice on this kind of me?"

He can speak thispitifully? Li Man felt suspicious.

"Man Er." His deep eyeswere lathered with hurt, she couldn't help softening a bit towards him, "LiYan, I don't actually really hate you, as long as you don't…"

Li Yan bitterly laughed,"You don't understand. It was really difficult for me when I saw you inside BigBrother's embrace yesterday. I clearly love you; I also want you, but, he's BigBrother—"

Li Man felt embarrassedbecause she was actually willing to do that with Li Mo.

"Do you know how hurt Ifelt when I see you walking like that this morning?" He suddenly grabbed herhands, looking at her with absolute tenderness.

Li Man's ears were bothred like its dripping blood. Li Mo was too intense and fierce yesterday; shealso didn't expect that she could be that useless.

"Be good, let's apply themedicine, let me take a look at you first." Li Yan leaned towards her body ashe said this.

Li Man was startled, shesuddenly understood his pitiful act just now, she immediately pushed him away,"Li Yan, you're really…hateful."

"Stupid, if I'm reallythat detestable, I would've done what I want with you a long time ago." Li Yanstared at her helplessly.

Li Man really didn't knowwhich one is true and which one is fake, she's only afraid that he will comenear her so she made a compromise, "Leave he medicine there, I'll put itmyself."

"I already washed myhands clean." Li Yan suddenly reached his hands out while feeling wronged.

Li Man choked and herface flushed red, "Go out."

Li Yan's face abruptlychanged. He gloomily grabbed her hand and pulled her towards his arms, but thenhe turned her over with her face facing downwards. His big palms suddenly gavea few slaps, pa pa pa, towards the plump buttocks sticking out of her.

"No matter what I do orsay, you just have to act like this, do you still not understand anything?"

He was really mad thistime, thus he let out a big force slapping her buttocks. The slapping soundedvery crisp and clear, Li Man felt her rear bottoms ache so much, and it wasreally embarrassing too. It's only after a long time that the stinging painstarted to fade, she twisted her body on top of his and yelled, "Li Yan, you'rea madman, you're abnormal, you hit me…"

"If I don't hit you, do Ihave to leave you?" Li Yan angrily gave her two more slaps on the bottom, butthis time he clearly used less force.

"We're all your husbands,but why when you have already done everything with Big Brother and I can't eventouch you a little bit? How can you bully people this way?"

"Who's bullying who inthe end? You madman… ouch, Li Yan, you scoundrel. A! You, I don't want youanymore… a…" In the end, Li Man didn't say anything more, because when she saidone word, he would give her two slaps, his strength wasn't weak either so hewas sure her soft bottom would hurt a lot.

Li Man swore and cursedfor a while, although her mouth felt happy, but her buttocks felt really hurt.That hooligan was really hateful, his palm was so big, one slap from him wouldalready make her buttocks red.

At the end, she didn'tswear anymore, but the tears inside her glimmering eyes started to swirl, andfinally, drop by drop fell on the kang bed.

"Why aren't you swearinganymore?" Li Yan slightly hung his headdown, wanting to see her expression, but seeing at her stubbornly biting herlips with drops of tears falling down her flushed face, his heart suddenly wentsoft and blamed himself for being so ruthless. But her attitude towards himreally made him exasperated.

He couldn't be clearerabout his Big Brother's personality. If this girl isn't willing, he wouldsurely couldn't force her. Therefore, she would rather give herself to BigBrother, but on the other hand, she wouldn't bother to give him even a slightsmile and good words.

She really wants to angerme to death, right?

But even in anger, whenhe saw Li Man's trying to suppress her sobs and cried in silence stubbornly, hewould rather drop the subject. Li Yan's temper eventually ceased, and with aweak and soft voice he coaxed her, "What are you crying for? I didn't evenreally hit you that hard."

But Li Man not onlydidn't appreciate his coaxing, her tears even turned worse and fell like a brokendam, although she still stubbornly kept sobbing in silence, but her body softlytrembled like a new-born fawn.

"Is it really hurting?I'll help you rub it, don't cry anymore, okay?" Li Yan's heart was in a mess,his panicked hands gently rubbed her delicate buttocks.

Li Man suddenly lookedlike a rabbit that was stabbed with a needle, she abruptly turned her bodyusing her foot as she stepped on him forcefully.

"Aa." Li Yan groaned in pain while rubbing his stomach, strugglingto see Li Man leaning against the corner of the wall, eyes brimming with tearsfull of pity and indignance, he then forcefully let out a laugh, "Alright, Ihit you and you also kicked me, we're fair now, so don't cry again, okay?"

With such beautiful eyes, if you cry again, when Big Brother andThird Brother return, they would surely skin me alive.

"Alright, alright, it's my fault, I shouldn't have hit you, butyour kick this time isn't light either, ugh, it's painful." Li Yan used somestrength to rubbed under his stomach for a while.

Li Man stared at him coldly, looking at the sweat forming on hisforehead. She thought, she really did kick him hard. But he deserved it.

"Don't glare at me like that, wipe your tears away, wouldn'tLittle Five misunderstand and think that I did something to you?" Li Yan went down the kang bed withdifficulty, giving the ointment to her, "You're my wife. If you're hurt, Iwouldn't feel happy either."

After saying this, he stooped his waist over and shifting step bystep towards the door. His appearance was really pitiful.

Looking at him struggling out, even exerting strength to pull thedoor open, Li Man unexpectedly couldn't suppress popping out a laugh.

Actually, this hateful guy was both annoying and ridiculous. Whydid he do that abominable thing when afterwards he would endure her kick andstill offer an apology?

Thinking about it, she took the ointment and thought about thewords he said before he left; he said that he was hurt by her words andattitude towards him, and now her heart was filled with complex feelings.

However, this ointment, although she's too embarrassed to use it,but because she didn't want to hurt his feelings anymore, she decided to justshove it under the pillow.

—

Li Yan cooked a plain lunch consisting of white rice and a plateof stir-fried vegetables, then he went out without even touching the food hecooked.

Li Man didn't understand if he has a stomach problem or not. Shethought that the strength of his steps was quite heavy, but he still couldprepare lunch so his wounds most probably wasn't really serious, right?

In the afternoon, Li Mo and Li Shu finally came back from themarket, but even one catty of the wild garlic wasn't sold out.

"Wife." When they just came home, Li Shu immediately went to theWest Room and complained with grievance, "We already stood for half a day, butthe passersby all asked about you and not even one buy anything."

"Ah?" Li Man was shocked, "Asked about me?" she looked at his backbut found no one, "How about your Big Brother?"

"Big Brother, ah, at the middle of the way, he insisted on goingto a dilapidated shack and told other villagers to carry a broken door plankback home, he's now rubbing the ash outside." Li Shu couldn't approve of whathe's doing.

"Ah." When Li Man heard this, her face couldn't help flushed redand her heart jumped wildly, how could he bring that thing back home?

"Wife." Li Shu then said again, "how about I go with you tomorrow?When fourth brother stood there in the past, there were a lot of big and smallladies that came over. This time, Fourth Brother isn't there so you should goinstead, Big Brother said that people all went to you to buy wild garlicyesterday."

"Oh." Li Man just muddled a reply with a hum and walked towardsthe outside. She already developed a special feeling towards Li Mo after thatincident, so after not seeing him for half a day she really missed and wantedto see him. Seeing his warm eyes and that steady and honest face of his madeher feel at ease.

She found him under the peach tree when she just strode outsidethe door, holding a bunch of dried straw and strongly rubbing the dust on thedoor plank. She didn't know how red her face was, but she still hesitatinglywalked over.

"Big Brother." She softly called him from behind.

Li Mo paused and turned his head to see her. His face suddenlypainted with joy, but quickly turned to one of awkwardness, "This…"

"What is this?" Li Mo glanced at the door plank and intentionallyfeigned ignorance.

Li Mo's handsome face showed a happy but embarrassed smile. Afterseeing Li Shu going inside the kitchen, he hung his head and replied in a lowwhisper, "There's wife's most precious thing on this plank, I want to keep itsafe."

"My most precious thing?" Li Man was a bit dumbfounded. She lookedat the place where Li Mo's finger pointed to and found a really faint dark-redmark and an understanding suddenly dawned on her.

Facing Li Mo's fiery red face, Li Man's heart felt shy and sweet. She hung down her head and smiled with a closed lip, "If you want to do it, then just do as you please." Li Mo found her smile looked just like a blooming flower and the part on his lower abdomen suddenly became tight, he anxiously turned around and continued with what he's doing.

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TL NOTE

My heart goes to Li Yan in this chapter. Teenage angst is real, yo~ But I appreciate him for not forcing himself on Li Man despite his temperament.

This is just my rant so you can skip this part: I hate that my internet goes on and off these past few days, but at least I learned something new while translating without internet, and that is, Chinese idioms and classic poems are haarddsstthhzsf, especially without the almighty google translate-sama. Lucky me my phone have Pleco. And as always, my translation isn’t edited. Lol. Viva laziness. Anyway, happy 1st October! ‘Tis the time when many horror movies crawl out from the damnation that is called hell’s womb. My fav! I recently watched Midsommar, and my side hurt so much from excessive laughing.

Comments and corrections are appreciated! 안녕~

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