The two of them had reached an amicable agreement. In the evening, Bai Jiu announced the good news to the family. Everyone was overjoyed for her.
Xiang Gaoli was happy, but a little reluctant to see her go. "Jiu, will you ever come back after moving to Beijing City?"
"Of course. This is my home, so naturally I’ll come back," Bai Jiu replied. As long as her family still considered her kin, this place would always be her home.
"This will always be your home," Father Bai and Bai Xingguo said in unison.
Watching their warm and intimate interaction from the side, Gao Zhijun felt a pang of envy. He had never experienced this kind of familial affection before.
"You child, don’t say such things in the future. It breaks my heart." Mother Bai glared at Bai Jiu and patted her chest. "You’re digging out my heart. Whether it’s the past, present, or future, this will always be your home. There will always be a place for you here."
Mother Bai’s words were a bit heavy, though it was unclear who she was subtly warning. Xiang Gaoli knew she had misspoken and awkwardly took a bite of food. But she had never thought for a second that this wasn’t Bai Jiu’s home. She knew that the Bai family used to be wealthy, and she was well aware that their true foundations ran far deeper than what was visible now. Xingguo had told her all of this. She hadn’t overthought it; she had just asked in passing. She didn’t expect Mother Bai to get angry.
Xiang Gaoli looked apologetically at Bai Jiu, wanting to convey that she truly didn’t mean anything else by it. Bai Jiu gave her a reassuring look.
"Mother, what nonsense are you saying? We are all one family. One family." It wasn’t good to keep arguing about this kind of thing. "Oh, right, Mother. If we go to Beijing City, you and Father can come stay with us for a while. You could help me look after the kids," Bai Jiu said comfortingly.
"Yes, Mother. Once we move over, Bai Jiu will be assigned a job by her work unit. She definitely won’t have much time to take care of the kids then. Why don’t you come with us?" Gao Zhijun chimed in. Work units assigning jobs to spouses did happen, but there were a lot of people nowadays, and he didn’t know if there would be an opening for her this time. Still, he mentioned it to set everyone’s minds at ease. At worst, he could just pull some strings when the time came.
"There’s such a good thing?" Mother Bai finally smiled, letting go of the previous issue.
Bai Jiu actually felt a bit embarrassed. It was her own slip of the tongue that had caused her mother to misunderstand Xiang Gaoli.
"I’m sorry, Xiang Gaoli. Mother is just too sensitive," Bai Jiu whispered into Xiang Gaoli’s ear after seeing Mother Bai engaged in conversation with Gao Zhijun.
"It’s fine, I’m fine." Hearing Bai Jiu say this, Xiang Gaoli genuinely felt much better. However, she also envied Bai Jiu. Of course, she wasn’t dissatisfied with Bai Xingguo; it was just pure envy. Everyone had their own fate, and she was very satisfied with her current life.
Such a momentous occasion naturally called for a celebration. That night, all the men in the family got roaring drunk. Even so, none of the women were impatient; they happily tended to the men.
"Are you really drunk or just faking it?" Bai Jiu couldn’t help but ask as she supported Gao Zhijun back to their room. He was just too heavy. She felt like he was intentionally leaning his entire weight on her.
Gao Zhijun didn’t answer. His eyes were squeezed shut, making him look like he was genuinely dead to the world. After getting no response for a long time, Bai Jiu had no choice but to drag him into the room. She unceremoniously dumped him onto the kang bed with a loud THUD. It sounded painful just listening to it.
"You weigh a ton," Bai Jiu grumbled in disgust. Despite her complaints, she still helped him take off his shoes, socks, and coat, positioned him comfortably on the kang, and tucked him in with a quilt. By the time she finished the whole routine, she was covered in sweat. "Next time you get drunk, you can sleep on the floor."
What Bai Jiu didn’t know was that people like him always maintained a degree of alertness, even when drunk. He felt all her movements and heard all her words, especially her grumbling resentment. He secretly rejoiced in his heart. Her words were harsh, but her actions toward him were still very gentle. Except for that loud thud, of course.
After settling him in, Bai Jiu went out again to help deal with the others. With all the men in the house drunk, it was quite an ordeal for the women.
"Mother, let’s not buy any more liquor for Father and the others from now on," Bai Jiu said. It was just too exhausting.
"Hmph, there won’t be a next time. They’re dreaming! None of them can hold their liquor. What’s the point of drinking? They wouldn’t even know it if someone sold them," Mother Bai ranted, also full of grievances as she cleaned up.
Xiang Gaoli was pregnant, so they hadn’t let her do the heavy lifting, but she was clearing the bowls and chopsticks. "Mother, should I boil some water for them to wash up?" Xiang Gaoli shouted from the kitchen.
"No need. Just wash yourself and don’t worry about them." They didn’t deserve it.
By the time they finished cleaning up the mess, the stars were already out. Bai Jiu took the two children back to their room to sleep. This day had been more exhausting than a full day of field labor.
"Mommy, is Daddy going to throw up?" Xiuxiu asked. Smelling the stench of alcohol as soon as she entered the room, she immediately covered her mouth and nose with her small hands. Zhengyang also waved his little hand in front of his nose to fan away the smell.
"If he dares to throw up, I’ll toss him out," Bai Jiu threatened fiercely.
Finally lying on the kang, Bai Jiu drifted into a sleepy daze right after coaxing the two children to sleep. Before she knew it, she felt a pair of hands roaming over her body.
Mumbling in her sleep, Bai Jiu said, "Stop fussing and let Mommy sleep a bit longer." She was truly exhausted.
But the hands were very disobedient. After a brief pause, they began causing trouble again. When a hand finally stopped on a sensitive part of her body, a deep male voice whispered in her ear, "Can we, wife?"
Bai Jiu jolted awake instantly. "What... what are you doing?" she asked, fearfully pushing away the man half-pressing down on her.
A clear sense of disappointment flashed in Gao Zhijun’s eyes. "Wife," he called out again in that low voice. In truth, he was merely using liquid courage as an excuse to try and bridge the gap between them. He had been back for so long, and he wasn’t stupid. How could he not notice her aversion toward him?
"I’m telling you, don’t try anything funny. I’ll scream for help," she warned. She truly wasn’t mentally prepared for this kind of thing.
But a drunk man intent on indulging himself was hardly going to be deterred by such a flimsy threat. Besides, intimacy between husband and wife was perfectly normal.
"Wife, you’re still blaming me," Gao Zhijun said, a hint of grievance in his voice. "It’s my fault. I will never leave you again." With that, he leaned his entire body in. Before Bai Jiu could object, he silenced the mouth that might utter hurtful words.
No matter how much Bai Jiu swatted at him, he refused to let go. He only released her when her body finally went soft against his.
Bai Jiu herself didn’t even know how things escalated to that point. Afterward, she was entirely consumed by regret. Why was this man so... impossible to fend off? She mentally whimpered for mercy. But she had to admit, a man like him was just so damn tempting.
The next day, by the time Bai Jiu woke up, the sun was already hanging high in the sky. She felt too ashamed to face anyone. How did they just...
But she couldn’t deny that, deep down, she had accepted him. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have... indulged him at the time. Furthermore, she genuinely hadn’t figured out where they stood, but their marriage still had to continue.
This kind of thing wasn’t some insurmountable hurdle in her mind. People paid good money for that kind of fun, let alone getting it with such a high-quality man. You couldn’t even buy a man like him with money. If things didn’t work out between them in the future, at worst, she could just treat it as if she were keeping a gigolo.
Having consoled herself, Bai Jiu stopped dwelling on it. She climbed down from the kang. Suddenly, her legs gave out. "Damn man," she cursed. "If I ever trust you again, I’m a dog."
After staying overnight at the Bai family’s home, Bai Jiu’s family returned to the village. This time, Bai Jiu didn’t bother going to work in the fields. She was already preparing to leave, so there was no point. She didn’t care about those few work points anyway. She might as well spend her time properly tying up loose ends.