BYBOTE Chapter 16: The Peach Blossom Tree

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Xi Yanqing eventually picked up the veil, dusted it off, and placed it back over Luo Fei’s head. He didn’t want anyone else to see Luo Fei’s appearance today.

As the familiar sound of firecrackers echoed once again, Luo Fei could only faintly glimpse the sparkling fireworks through the veil, making everything feel like a dream. He was helped off the horse by Xi Yanqing, and they walked together, hand in hand, as the crowd cheered them on.

A group of children, laughing and playing, ran around them, scattering flower seeds—a local wedding custom symbolizing a happy and prosperous married life filled with many children.

Luo Fei would later learn that Xi Yanqing had specifically instructed the children to scatter extra seeds.

"Thank you, Grandpa Lin," Xi Yanqing said, addressing the village chief of Huaping Village. The elderly man, over seventy years old, had a head full of white hair but still sharp eyes and an upright demeanor. He was highly respected, and most young couples chose him to officiate their weddings.

"It’s my pleasure. I’ve watched you youngsters grow up, and now that you’re all starting your own families, I couldn’t be happier," Village Chief Lin replied, patting Xi Yanqing on the shoulder. "Go on, it’s time."

Luo Fei, eager to eat, quickly stood in place as instructed. Han Xu, who acted as a sort of bridesmaid, assisted him.

"First bow to the heavens and earth~~~" Village Chief Lin’s voice rang out, drawing out the last syllable.

"Second bow to the parents~~~"

"Bow to each other as husband and wife~~~"

"Ceremony complete~~~ Escort them to the bridal chamber~~~"

The guests cheered, but Luo Fei stood frozen in place.

"Luo Fei, what are you doing? Go to the bridal chamber!" Han Xu reminded him in a hushed voice. For some reason, Luo Fei seemed momentarily lost in thought.

"Wait a moment," Xi Yanqing whispered to Luo Fei. "There’s a cabinet on the kang bed, and the food is inside."

"Got it." Right! There was food inside! Why was he overthinking things? They had already come this far—he might as well fill his stomach first!

Now, Luo Fei was full of enthusiasm. Han Xu helped him into the room, and once he confirmed no one else was inside, he quickly shut the door and tossed the veil aside.

Kang bed! Small cabinet!

Luo Fei scanned the room, pinpointed the cabinet, and opened it to find a food box. The box wasn’t fancy, but the aroma wafting out of it was heavenly. Inside were a bowl of braised pork with eggs and—rice! A whole bowl of rice!

Rice!!!

"You… you’re actually eating?" Han Xu was speechless.

"Aren’t you hungry? Want some?" Luo Fei, staring at the steaming white rice grains, felt reluctant to share. But Han Xu was his sworn brother—of course, he had to share. Damn! This rice looked so adorable! It completely won him over!

"This is obviously something your dear Xi prepared just for you. I wouldn’t dare touch it," Han Xu chuckled. "I’ll keep watch outside for you. Eat up, but don’t rush."

"Good brother!" Luo Fei immediately picked up the chopsticks and dug in. As for the guests outside, exclaiming over how delicious the food was? They could eat whatever they wanted! No matter how good it was, it was still just mantou and porridge. Nothing compared to rice!

The long-missed texture of rice, combined with his extreme hunger, made him finish the bowl in no time. He even sipped some tea to cleanse his palate before carefully hiding the empty food box back in the cabinet.

With his hunger sated, Luo Fei finally took a good look at the room.

When he first came to Xi’s house, he had noticed how clean the place was. But he hadn’t expected Xi Yanqing to keep it this neat.

The house had two rooms, with a central area that served as a living room, which was connected to the kitchen and dining area—basically like a modern two-bedroom, two-living-room layout, albeit with traditional earthen walls instead of concrete.

Luo Fei was now sitting in the master bedroom, where half of the space was taken up by the kang bed. The bed was covered with a tightly woven bamboo mat, smooth and even. Along the western side of the bed were two cabinets, clearly old from their worn edges.

That wasn’t surprising. What was surprising was the presence of a dressing mirror on the floor, likely a recent purchase. As for when it had been bought, Luo Fei had no clue.

The quilt he had made before was neatly placed on top of the cabinet. Luo Fei looked around in satisfaction before sitting back on the kang bed, lost in thought about how much this wedding must have cost.

Initially, he assumed Xi Yanqing was as poor as he was—after all, Xi had once joked about counting on Luo Fei’s dowry to keep them fed. But after seeing the betrothal gifts and the silver Xi had given him, Luo Fei started suspecting that Xi wasn’t that poor.

Now, he wasn’t sure at all.

Did Xi Yanqing have money or not?!

He couldn’t be broke. But was he just a little well-off, or was he actually loaded?!

They even rode horses to the wedding! Horses in this era were expensive—just a basic one cost dozens of taels of silver, and good ones could be worth over a hundred. Even someone like Luo Fei, who knew nothing about horses, could tell that the one they rode was in excellent condition. It definitely wasn’t cheap!

So… where did Xi Yanqing’s horse come from?!

To be honest, Luo Fei was starting to think that following Xi Yanqing might not be such a bad thing after all.

As luck would have it, just as Luo Fei was thinking about Xi Yanqing, Xi Yanqing was also thinking about him.

Xi Yanqing finally understood why most ancient people got married at dusk—it was clearly so that after the ceremony and banquet, they could enter the bridal chamber and have a few bites. Even though he wasn’t at the point of "biting" Luo Fei just yet, if they went in now, at least he could feast his eyes in advance, right? In broad daylight, it was hard to find a reason to go inside early.

He also wanted to know if Luo Fei had eaten his fill, but the villagers just kept talking, one after another, endlessly.

The villagers, having had their fill, were too embarrassed to leave immediately, so they stayed to say a few more kind words. But since Xi Yanqing was eager to enjoy more alone time with Luo Fei, he felt the time was dragging unbearably.

"I finally understand why you insisted on getting married so early in the day." As the sun was setting, the last guest finally left. Han Yang, seeing Xi Yanqing frequently glancing toward the bridal chamber, laughed and said, "Turns out, you just wanted to enter the bridal chamber as soon as possible."

"Ahem, yeah, I did." Xi Yanqing actually admitted it.

"Hahaha, you rascal!" Han Yang laughed heartily. "Alright, we’ll clean up out here. You go inside and see your new bride!"

"No, no, no, let’s clean up together. It’ll be faster that way." There were still people outside—what could he even do if he went in? Besides, Luo Fei had been quiet for so long that he was probably asleep. Thinking about it, Xi Yanqing figured it was better to finish tidying up quickly.

In the countryside, not much was left after a banquet. The fish and meat were taken by the cooks who had helped, as a token of appreciation. The sunflower seeds and peanuts were given to the children, leaving almost nothing behind. Now, all that remained was to wash the used dishes, wipe down the tables, return them to their owners, and sweep the yard.

Instead of fighting Li Yuehua for dishwashing duties, Xi Yanqing wiped down the tables and arranged them in a stack. After a while, Luo Ji, who was in charge of collecting the chairs, came over and pointed to the small pile of tables and chairs in front of the house. "Xi Di, I’ve put your tables and chairs here. The rest, Han Yang and I will return for you. You should rest early tonight."

Xi Yanqing hesitated. "I can’t just leave all the work to you two. Let’s return them together—it’ll be faster."

Han Yang clapped Xi Yanqing on the shoulder with a hearty laugh. "Come on, what kind of groom returns tables and chairs? Don’t be so polite with us—we’re all family."

Xi Yanqing thought about it and realized it wasn’t right to leave Luo Fei alone at home. He nodded. "Then I’ll trouble you guys with it."

Han Yang fetched an ox cart so they wouldn’t have to make multiple trips. Luo Yi, Luo Ru, and Han Xu also helped.

Before long, Luo Tian and Li Yuehua were preparing to leave as well. Luo Tian said, "Yanqing, Erbao still has a lot to learn. You’re older, so please be patient with him. If you ever need help, come find me and your mother. We’re family—don’t hesitate to ask."

Li Yuehua nodded. "One of these days, we should have Erbao learn some cooking skills from Sanbao so you won’t go hungry."

Xi Yanqing chuckled. "Don’t worry, Dad, Mom. Erbao and I will live well together."

Li Yuehua had been holding back, but hearing those words made her tear up again. Perhaps, in the ancient mindset, once a daughter (or son) was married, they belonged to another family. Even though their houses were close, she still felt emotional.

Xi Yanqing didn’t fully understand these sentiments, but he comforted the two elders nonetheless, watching them disappear into the distance.

When he finally shut the front gate, he let out a long sigh.

Finally, it was just him and Luo Fei!

This wedding had cost him at least three pounds of weight. He had to pin Luo Fei down and steal a few good kisses!

With this decision made, Xi Yanqing gently opened the door—only to find Luo Fei sound asleep.

Luo Fei had actually woken up while Xi Yanqing was talking to his parents. Because they mentioned "Erbao," he had become sensitive. However, he suddenly realized a very serious problem, so he chose to keep his eyes closed and pretend to sleep.

If—just if—Xi Yanqing really liked him as he suspected, then wouldn’t that mean… he might want to consummate the marriage? Like, the full-on wedding night… that kind of thing?!

He had heard people say that when a man likes someone, he just wants to "do" them.

He completely agreed with that theory. But he wasn’t mentally prepared for this at all! Besides, even if Xi Yanqing liked him, he didn’t like Xi Yanqing.

After thinking it through, Luo Fei decided that pretending to sleep was the best option—at least until tomorrow!

So when Xi Yanqing’s fingers lightly brushed across his cheek, Luo Fei was completely dumbfounded.

What the heck was happening?!

Maybe Luo Fei’s acting skills were too good, because Xi Yanqing didn’t notice he was faking. After stroking Luo Fei’s cheek, he couldn’t resist lightly kissing his lips—until a knock at the door interrupted him.

At that moment, Luo Fei’s mind was filled with a stampede of wild horses. When he heard Xi Yanqing step outside, he shot up in bed! If he didn’t sit up now, it wouldn’t just be a stolen kiss—who knew what else might happen!

Damn it! His first kiss was gone just like that!

Luo Fei touched his lips, glaring at the door. Something felt off. He quickly slipped on his shoes and tiptoed outside.

The moment he stepped out, he saw a tall woman in a black cloak standing at the entrance. She was almost as tall as Xi Yanqing’s ears. Her face was obscured, and she clasped her fists in greeting. "Brother Xi, I’m taking Zhui Feng with me. Farewell!"

Xi Yanqing returned the gesture and patted the horse he had ridden earlier. "Go on."

The horse affectionately nuzzled Xi Yanqing before following the mysterious woman away. Xi Yanqing stood there, watching for a long time.

Seeing this, Luo Fei immediately scurried behind the largest peach tree in the yard.

"What are you hiding for?" Xi Yanqing, ever sharp, shut the gate and turned toward the peach tree.

"I-I wasn’t hiding!" Luo Fei’s heart skipped a beat. Damn it! Why hadn’t he noticed before how thin this tree trunk was?!

"Oh, I see what you mean now." Xi Yanqing chuckled and approached the tree, where budding peach blossoms were beginning to bloom. "You told me to ‘be a man and not get into bed tonight,’ so… does that mean—" He dragged out his words and suddenly pinned Luo Fei against the tree trunk. "—you want to do it here instead?"

"W-what do you mean, do it here?!"

"Fulfilling your marital duties, of course…" Xi Yanqing leaned in and inhaled Luo Fei’s scent. "My dear wife."

"W-w-wife… Damn it! Xi Yanqing, that’s not what I meant!" Luo Fei’s entire body bristled. He pushed against Xi Yanqing. "W-wait, just wait! Maybe I’m still asleep. Give me a second! Just a second! I need to go back to sleep and think this through!"

Luo Fei carefully pried Xi Yanqing’s hands off his shoulders, placing them on the tree instead. Then, like a crab, he scuttled sideways and bolted back into the house!

Bang! The door slammed shut.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk…" Xi Yanqing watched the fleeing figure and chuckled deeply. "Xi Yanqing, weren’t you supposed to take it slow? Now you’ve gone and scared him off."

—

Tl Notes:

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