"Giggle… giggle…"
Hearing his little sister's laughter, Li Xiaohai curiously poked his head out. Seeing her having so much fun, he couldn't resist getting up and walking over, plopping down right on his father's stomach.
"I wanna play ride the horse too!"
Li Xiangdong let out a muffled grunt. "Li Xiaohai, 'cough cough', you could at least warn me!"
His stomach took the full brunt of Li Xiaohai's weight, causing acid reflux and a wave of alcohol fumes that made him cough uncontrollably.
"You okay?"
Zhou Yuqin, hearing the commotion from the courtyard, came back inside and saw Li Xiangdong covering his mouth, coughing, unable to speak, his face flushed red.
She set down the washbasin and foot cloth she was holding and hurried over, shooing the two kids off him.
She gave Li Xiaohai's bottom two hard smacks. "Look at what you've done to your father! Why are you so naughty?"
"What about little sister? Mother, you can't just hit me!"
"Hit… horsey…"
Seeing her brother yelp and make a fuss, Li Xiaozhu joined in the chaos.
"Look at the time! Get to bed, both of you!"
Zhou Yuqin urged the kids to sleep while patting Li Xiangdong's back to help him catch his breath.
"Mother… play…"
"Mother, I can't sleep. I wanna play with little sister."
"Play what? Anyone who doesn't listen gets a spanking."
Seeing Zhou Yuqin's stern look, the two kids obediently lay down and closed their eyes.
Once Li Xiangdong seemed better, Zhou Yuqin went over to tuck the kids in with a small blanket. Noticing her daughter staring at her with big eyes, she tapped her forehead lightly.
"What are you staring at? Go to sleep, or you're getting a spanking."
"Giggle… giggle…"
"Let's see who's not sleeping! If you don't behave, you're getting a shot!"
Li Xiangdong, having recovered from his coughing, knew his daughter was scared of needles and teased her.
"…Mother… hug…"
Hearing about shots, Li Xiaozhu shook her head in fear, reaching out for a hug.
"Don't scare her like that."
Zhou Yuqin climbed onto the kang bed, gently patting her daughter. "Don't be afraid. If you sleep nicely, no shots."
"Mother, I'm hot."
Li Xiaohai restlessly kicked off the blanket.
"Got it."
Zhou Yuqin didn't get annoyed. She got up, grabbed a palm-leaf fan, and lay back down on her side, propping her head with one hand while fanning the kids gently with the other.
She turned to Li Xiangdong beside her. "Turn off the light."
'Click.'
Li Xiangdong pulled the string tied to the head of the kang, and the room went pitch black.
The kang was large enough for their family of four to sleep comfortably. Their son slept against the wall, then their daughter, then Zhou Yuqin, with Li Xiangdong on the outermost edge.
"Mother, I can't sleep."
"Close your eyes, and you'll fall asleep soon."
Li Xiaohai made a condition. "Mother, sing 'Little Swallow.' If you sing it, I'll sleep. Sister Xiaomei sings it so well."
Seeing her daughter's eyes open again, Zhou Yuqin set down the fan, gently closed her daughter's eyes, and began to hum softly, "Little swallow, in your floral dress, every spring you come here…"
Li Xiangdong lay close to his wife, the familiar, comforting scent of her filling his nose. Slowly, his eyelids grew heavy.
Just as he was about to drift off, Zhou Yuqin patted him. Half-asleep, he mumbled, "What?"
Zhou Yuqin turned to him. "Don't sleep yet. You've got something to tell me."
"What?"
"You know what."
Li Xiangdong, now fully awake, caught her meaning.
"You mean the furniture? The table's old rosewood from the Ming Dynasty. The stool I brought back matches our table. They're good stuff, heirlooms."
"Are they really treasures? How much are they worth? Should we sell them?"
Zhou Yuqin's voice carried excitement.
"No, they're not worth much."
Li Xiangdong hated to burst her bubble.
"Not worth much? Then why bother with them? You're so idle all day, talking about heirlooms. Who wants your junk?"
Zhou Yuqin had thought they were valuable, but hearing they weren't, her mood sank. Annoyed, she swatted Li Xiangdong twice.
"Why're you hitting me? They're not worth much now, but that doesn't mean they won't be later. Don't worry, I'm not stupid. Would I go through all this trouble for junk?"
Li Xiangdong grabbed her hand, rubbing it and refusing to let go.
"Fine, if they're not junk, keep them. I'm done with it."
In the dark, Zhou Yuqin couldn't see his eyes but heard his quickening breath. She yanked her hand free, turned away, and ignored him.
"What's wrong? Sleepy? Let's chat a bit more."
Li Xiangdong scooted closer, wrapping his arms around her, his hands wandering.
No way was he backing down now! She was his wife—nothing to be shy about.
"What are you doing? I'm tired. Talk tomorrow."
Having had two kids, Zhou Yuqin knew exactly what he was after. But she had to keep some composure, right?
Li Xiangdong turned her to face him, grinning as he leaned in. "What do you think I'm doing?"
"Be gentle, the kids are asleep."
"I know they're asleep, that's why I'm doing this. Would I do this if they were awake?"
"I'm getting the contraceptive."
Zhou Yuqin, flustered by his kisses and touches, reached under the sheet for the contraceptive. But just then, she felt Li Xiangdong, still on top of her, tremble.
She flicked on the light, staring in shock at Li Xiangdong, whose pants were still on. "What's wrong with you?"
"Damn it!"
Li Xiangdong muttered under his breath, got off her, and angrily yanked off his shorts, tossing them to the floor.
Zhou Yuqin couldn't quite hear his grumbling, but she wasn't clueless—she knew what had happened.
"What's that look? It's because I drank too much tonight, okay?"
Li Xiangdong was mortified. Why'd he have to get so worked up? Now he'd made a fool of himself in front of his wife!