Fei was being taken care of by her gentle husband. He helped her dress up and even clumsily made her hair with a serious frown etched on his handsome face.
He made her wear a tea green dress with a paired up green veil. It was really beautiful and it made her wonder how her husband got them arranged in such a short time.
She giggled when he made her wear the jade bangles as if he was dealing with a porcelain doll.
He's so silly sometimes.
Yang's gentleness showed how truly regretful he was after hurting her fragile self.
The man raised his eyebrows while listening to her giggle and shot her a look quizzically as if he meant to ask 'What? Something on my face, wife?'
Fei just shook her head in a response, feeling happy and blessed. When she forgives someone, she means it by her heart and removes the grimaces in her heart without a second thought.
"Husband." She let him cover her head with the veil and smiled when he kissed her veiled forehead.
He'd done this before.
"Yes, wife?" Yang gazed at her veiled face and pulled her small body in his arms as he patted her back before he pulled back to look at her.
"I've found a punishment for you," she said out of nowhere, rendering him bewildered for a moment.
Hadn't she already forgiven him? But nevertheless he got curious to know what she had come up with as he stared at her veiled face with curiosity.
Under the veil, Fei's eyes were filled with mischief. Didn't he want her to punish him for his mistake before? Now, she wanted to tease him.
"Come closer." She hooked her index finger out and beckoned him closer and he obliged, waiting in anticipation like a masochist.
The pair of husband and wife were seated on the bed, facing each other intimately.
Fei gripped the corner ends of her veil and covered both of their heads under it, curtaining themselves inside the green cloth.
Yang subconsciously gulped as he stared into her mischief-filled eyes and his hands slowly made their way onto her tiny waist to pull her closer.
The man was thinking that his little wife was planning to kiss him, hence he closed his eyes when she ever so slightly brushed her lips against the corner of his mouth.
Is this a punishment or a reward? He thought to himself with his eyes still closed while waiting for her to initiate it.
Whatever it is, he is going to savor it well.
But the kiss he expected never came, instead he felt a sting on his nose and his eyes snapped open at the slight pain.
She bit his nose.
"You little.." He chuckled and before she could pull back, he pinned her on the bed, causing her veil to come off her beautiful grinning face.
The hands on her waist groped her body teasingly, tickling her into a fits of giggle as she squirmed and whined.
"No no..please?"
"It didn't hurt at all." The man adoringly smiled down at her and caressed her forehead, removing those silky tresses away from her face. "And you call that a punishment?"
He slowly bowed his head and kissed her sweet mouth, murmuring in a soft and gentle voice. "My foolish girl."
"Don't make fun of me, husband. Or I'll get angry.. for real." She coyly avoided his kiss and touched her own lips. They were numb and she could barely feel them.
"Oh?" Yang raised his eyebrows in amusement and continued to tease the poor little thing. "What would you do then? Punish me?"
"Yes!" She whimpered and whined when he tickled her again. "N-No!"
"Choose one, dumb girl."
"You're the dummy!" She bit her tongue when she realized that she'd a slip of tongue just now and peered at him fearfully. He didn't look angry, so she relaxed herself.
"Dummy? So now you're getting into this bad habit, huh?" He asked and continued to caress the crown of her head.
"Disrespecting me like that," he muttered under his breath while bowing his head and trailed his tall nose on her squishy cheeks in a feverish manner. "For now, I'll let you off but no..next time, hmm?"
His words scared her and she pouted, not wanting to add more punishments on her punishments list.
He never lets her off, it's totally rare if he does. His study room was her punishment room and his office desk was..
"Hump!" Her face flushed and she huffed, earning herself his stern stare.
Oh! Another punishment was added.
She was being docile when her husband made her sit up and helped her get off the bed.
When they went out of the room, Yang pulled her body under the robe he was wearing and she obediently leaned against his chest, cherishing the warmth of his body as they both went out walking together, sticked close to each other with his black robe covering her body away from the spectators.
While they moved out, Fei finally got to take a good look at this beautiful place and she smiled in awe.
"Where are we going, husband?"
"To pay respect to my ancestors, wife."
Oh! She totally forgot about it.
...
When they were coming back after paying their respects to his ancestors, Fei's eyes caught on a small stall. She wasn't expecting a stall here.
Curious, she tugged on his husband's clothes, gaining his attention on her and the next moment, the veil on her face was removed by him.
"What is that stall for, husband?"
Yang followed the direction where she was pointing and frowned upon seeing an old frail woman's stall.
She was still here.
This old woman had been in this place for as long as Yang could remember. Apparently, this old woman was blind and had been known for having a foresight.
Though he didn't believe in such things, Jain-Mang was known for being a land of miracles.
"Husband?"
He was pulled out of his thoughts and he answered her,"It's an amulet stall, wife. That old woman sells stones and charms for a living."
"Oh! Should we get one then?" Fei got excited and she chirped out her thoughts. "For your health and for the longevity of our marriage?"
"There would be no need for that," he brushed off the idea and helplessly shook his head when she tugged on his clothes harder. It was her way of conveying that she won't budge unless she gets what she wants.
"Okay." He agreed before heaving a soft sigh. This little wife of his is only interested in the things which he deemed as irrelevant in his life; first temple and now this.
She is too worried about their marriage and his well-being to care about her own self in the end.
"Husband treats me so well."
"So, now you've got sugar in your mouth, huh?" He chuckled and took her toward the stall's direction. Nobody was there, only this pair of couples.
"How are you, ma'am?" Yang greeted the old woman and noticed the peaceful smile on her old wrinkly face.
She always has this smile on her face. In the past, he'd tried to help her financially but she has always refused his help.
He didn't mind it because she'd never agreed to receive any help from his late father in the same manner.
"Yang," the old woman's eyebrows twisted and a look of surprise appeared on her face. "You've brought someone with you?"
Fei was shocked to find the old woman's strange white eyes. She'd never seen a blind person, so she was startled.
"She's my wife," Yang answered her politely. "She wishes to have one of your amulets."
"I see.." The old lady laughed and nodded. "Give me her hand, child."
Yang gave a look to his wife and she quickly forwarded her hand into her direction, watching curiously as the old lady turned silent all of a sudden when she touched her hand and gripped it firmly while chanting something inside her breath, sutras to be exact.
She seemed really engrossed and serious, causing Fei to grow anxious as she stood stiff in nervousness.
The smile on the old lady's face disappeared and she frowned, looking bothered about something.
"What is your name, child?" She asked, appearing serious all of a sudden.
"My n-name is Fei, granny." Fei stuttered out.
The old lady sighed and suddenly touched Fei's face with her wrinkly hand. "Poor child." She mumbled in pity and sighed,"Her womb is weak and.."
She paused in her sentence and took a deep breath, not completing her original sentence and changed her words. "I'll make an amulet for her."
Fei's heart dropped when she heard her words and her body trembled. Weak womb?
"W-Weak womb?" Fei's lips wobbled. Does that mean she won't be able to conceive?
Yang had a serious look on his face when he heard the old woman's words and he pulled his scared woman back in his arms and shushed her. "Shh.. it's nothing to be worried about."
He turned toward the old woman and calmly said,"Don't scare my wife for your business, ma'am."
However, the old lady seemed lost in her own world as she chanted something under her breath and started writing something on a piece of paper. She was making an amulet.
Yang sighed and turned toward his wife, reading her worries by the look on her face. "Foolish girl, having a weak womb doesn't mean you can't conceive and.." Then he pointed at the old woman, continuing. "-do you actually believe in her words?"
"Yes," his little wife naively responded and he chuckled before poking her bare forehead. "Don't trust her words, she's lying to you."
"B-But why would she lie to me, husband?" Fei was dumbfounded and she stared at her husband, unaware that he was lying to comfort her.
"She's got a business to run, wife." The man heartlessly continued to ridicule the old lady's provision without sparing her any glance. "She'll be starved to death if she fails to deceive people for her business."
"Oh." Fei nodded.
So that's how it is.
"Hmm." Yang hummed.
Seems like he'd succeeded in diverting her mind.
"Here.." The old lady was done as she outstretched the wrapped up amulet with careful hands. "May the divine bless you, my children," she said kindly.
"Thank you, granny." Fei sweetly smiled and took the amulet in her hand before inspecting it curiously.
She'll treasure it.
Yang was about to pay her but the old lady refused to take it, saying that is a marriage gift from her side.
"Meow~"
Fei gasped when she spotted a black cat stretching its body. It seemed to have just woken up.
"Go pet it," the man said and draped the veil over her head, relieved that now her attention was fully diverted and smiled, watching her play with the cat as she crouched down.
The cat was scared, seeing a veiled woman and started running away but Fei was more enthusiastic to pet it as she too crawled away on the floor, following the cat as she pulled on its tail like a child.
"..." Yang.
Okay?
Seeing that she was now fully focused on the cat, the man turned toward the old woman and said in a calm voice,"You shouldn't have told her that, ma'am."
The old woman nodded, looking remorseful and she responded. "Forgive me, child."
"You were about to say something. What is it?" Yang narrowed his eyes on her. He was sharp at picking any suspicious behavior.
The old woman knew that he had read her thoughts and thus, without any protest, she answered weakly. "Since her very birth she has brought a bad omen with herself. Your-"
"That's it, you can stop," Yang interrupted her and coldly averted his eyes, not wanting to listen any further.
The old woman grew silent and started praying to the divine for the pair of husband and wife as she chanted the words over and over again.
Divine? The God he never believed in? The God who gave him nothing but pain throughout his life. No, he didn't believe in any God nor any divine being who could lessen his sufferings.
"Meow~♡ Meoww~♡"
Yang's eyes softened while watching his adorable wife as she imitated the cat and started meowing to get closer to the cat.
He'll protect her with his life.
Bad omen? He didn't believe in such bullshit.
...