Chapter 78 — A Scandalous Scene • Be My Godson
The sun was slanting toward the western hills, and the whole land seemed draped in a crimson cloak, red as fresh blood. Farmers returning from a long day’s labor gathered in twos and threes, shouldering their hoes and other tools as they trudged home one after another.
Since only the land along the Ling River basin was suitable for cultivation, nearly all the village fields lay in the same direction. Because of that, everyone usually ended up walking back along the same narrow country path.
Along the way, the village women who loved gossip chattered endlessly about the biggest happenings in the village lately. There was talk of the new round of military conscription, the scholar family’s second son, Ling Chenglong, striking out to establish his own household, and—freshest news of all—the village’s notorious troublemaker Ling Jingxuan buying land, cattle, and even a horse cart. The old clan chief’s wife had even invited a matchmaker to propose a marriage on his behalf, only for the attempt to fail miserably and end in humiliation. Each story became yet another topic for the women to chew over again and again.
“Mmm… ngh.”
“Huh?”
“What was that sound?”
“Did you hear that? Sounds kinda strange…”
“What’s going on?”
“Feels like something’s back there… keeps making weird noises.”
Anyone heading home had to pass by the threshing ground at the eastern end of the village. Just as the villagers were walking past, a few sharp-eared people suddenly heard strange sounds coming from behind the neatly stacked haystacks—something like the rasping cry of a wild beast, yet also somewhat like a person groaning in pain.
The more timid women shrank back in fear and hurried to hide behind their husbands, while a few bolder villagers gripped their hoes and cautiously crept closer.
“Ah—! Mm…”
Smack! Smack! Smack!
Suddenly, a woman’s cry rang out—painful, yet laced with unmistakable pleasure. The villagers who had been approaching recoiled in fright almost in unison. But a moment later came sounds everyone was far too familiar with: the rhythmic slap of flesh against flesh, and the breathless noises of a man and woman tangled together in heated passion.
At once, even the rough, broad-shouldered men who spent their days bent over the fields—faces toward the yellow earth and backs toward the sky—couldn’t help blushing. No one had expected that someone would dare sneak behind the haystacks at the threshing ground to couple like animals in the open.
“Who’s that bold? Aren’t they ruining the reputation of our village?”
“Exactly! Let’s see who it is. How can they do that kind of thing in a place like this? What if some young maiden happened to pass by? Even if they’ve got no shame, there ought to be a limit!”
“Right! Let’s go take a look—let’s see who it is!”
After the initial embarrassment faded, it was quickly replaced by naked outrage. No one knew who started it, but quite a few villagers began shouting heatedly—some truly angry, others simply taking the chance to stir things up. More and more people gathered to watch, and urged on by the crowd, the few men at the very front gripped their hoes and stepped forward.
Crash.
“Ah—mm?”
“Heavens, this is simply too shameful!”
The moment the haystack was pushed over, the naked, entwined pair appeared clearly in everyone’s line of sight. The slender woman, her clothes in disarray, sat astride the man; her smooth, firm breasts and snow-white thighs were exposed bare to the open air. The man beneath her was in no better state—completely naked, his eyes bloodshot, his hands firmly gripping the woman’s slender waist as he thrust up and down against her body. Even though the haystack had collapsed, their movements didn’t falter for a second. The woman’s passionate screams and the man’s heavy, low growls rose and fell in unison.
Many of the village women turned away with flushed faces, while most of the men stared wide-eyed and unblinking at the woman’s fair, supple body, their trousers tenting prominently between their legs.
“Isn’t that Ling Chenghua from the scholar’s family—and Ling Jingwei from the main branch? Good heavens… they’re aunt and nephew! What a disgrace—”
“No way… it really is Ling Chenghua and Ling Jingwei! Heaven should punish them. An aunt and nephew having sex in broad daylight—how shameless! If word gets out, who would dare marry a girl from our village? And who’d still send their daughters here?”
“Adulterers! Incestuous aunt and nephew—shame on them! They should be thrown into a pig cage!”
“Shameless!”
The moment the villagers realized who the two were, all embarrassment vanished. Pointing at the still-entwined pair, they began shouting curses. Yet as if oblivious to the growing crowd, the sound of flesh slapping against flesh didn’t stop.
“Chenghua? Jingwei! My goodness—”
“Damn it, why aren’t you two separating?!”
“Quick, pull them apart!”
The moment Ling Chengcai and the others, having heard the commotion, squeezed into the crowd, they were completely stunned. It took a long moment before, spurred by Ling Li-shi’s screams, they finally rushed forward. The Ling family scrambled in panic, trying to pull them apart—but the aunt and nephew clung to each other as if bewitched, lost entirely in their frenzy of desire.
The onlookers, both embarrassed and furious, wished they could just slap them senseless.
“Ah, Jingwei, what are you doing?!”
“Chenghua, have you gone mad?”
“Jingwei, Chenghua, what’s wrong with you two? Wake up!”
“Ah?? Ling Chenghua, shameless woman, who told you to rub yourself against my husband?!”
“Ahh! Father, save me!”
“Ling Jingwei, are you trying to get yourself killed? Let go of my wife already!”
What shocked and enraged everyone even more was that, once forcibly separated, the two still lunged at whoever was nearby. One shamelessly pressed against a man, rubbing back and forth, while the other grabbed any woman she could reach, thrusting and writhing against her.
The entire threshing ground descended into chaos: screams and growls rang out incessantly, and curses never ceased for a single moment. That day was destined to be anything but calm.
And through it all, it seemed to have nothing to do with Ling Jingxuan and his household. Since mid-afternoon, all the men of the family, from top to bottom, had gone to Old Wang’s kiln to help hauling the goods, returning only after dark when the roads were no longer visible. They went home laughing and joking. Of course, the scandal of Ling Chenghua and Ling Jingwei’s incest had already spread—they had heard about it. Except for Ling Chenglong, who remained silent, the others treated it as karmic justice, a story to joke about lightly before moving on.
That evening, after deliberately leaving Zhao Dalong’s family of three at home to eat, Ling Jingxuan asked Song Yang-shi to bring out the clothes he had specially bought for them, along with a piece of deep blue fabric.
“Brother Zhao, Brother Han, you may still be troubled with us for a while. Today, while I was out shopping, I happened to see some clothes and fabric that might suit you. Though they’re just cheap cotton, I hope you won’t mind.”
“How could we take them? Jingxuan, compared to all the help you’ve given us, what we’ve done for you isn’t even a tenth of that. There’s no way we can take your things. Keep them for yourself—your household has grown, and you need them more. Let Sister Song use the fabric to make a couple of extra outfits for Xiao Wen and the others instead.”
As always, Han Fei didn’t even hesitate to refuse. Who wouldn’t want new clothes? But they had just received twenty taels of silver from him yesterday—there was no way they could accept more.
“Hehe… we all have our reasons, Brother Han. Don’t be so quick to refuse me. Listen—I met Mister Chu in town today. He isn’t a private tutor for children, but he’s exceptionally talented, young, and promising. I’ve already arranged for him to see the children tomorrow. If he likes them, he might take a few under his wing. Tiewazi will need a few new outfits, won’t he? Even if not for yourselves, think of the children. We may not have much money, but we can’t let the children suffer, right? Besides, these aren’t anything fancy—just consider them as room fees for Jinghan and the others staying with you.”
Pressing his hand lightly, Ling Jingxuan smiled. Since he had bought the clothes, he would find a way to make them accept them. Money, everyone loves; some even go mad over it. But to him, no amount of silver could match genuine sincerity. Zhao and Han treated him with true goodwill, so he was willing to spend freely on them. With the old Ling family, even a single coin would make him wince.
“What room fees, what room fees? Fine, we’ll take Tiewazi’s clothes. The fabric and the two sets for Dalong and me—forget it, you keep them.”
Han Fei thought for a moment, then decisively picked up the two light-blue outfits for the children and pushed the rest back.
“Brother Han, don’t argue with me. If you keep this up, I’ll never dare ask for your help again.”
Seeing this, Ling Jingxuan deliberately wiped the smile off his face and put on a stern look. Han Fei and Zhao Dalong were momentarily stunned, unsure what to do. The three buns, guided by Song Xiaohu, looked on curiously. Ever sensible, Ling Wen suddenly pulled Tiewazi over:
“Uncle Han, just take them. These are Dad’s wishes. If you don’t, he’ll be so upset tonight he won’t sleep. What if it delays going to see the teacher tomorrow?”
“Ah?”
Mentioning the teacher made Han Fei even more anxious. In their minds, a teacher’s position was highly respected. Tiewazi finally had a chance to study—they didn’t want anything to ruin it.
“Hehe, yes, Uncle Han! We also want to see you in new clothes. Tomorrow we’ll all wear our new outfits to meet the teacher. Isn’t that great?”
Little Ling Wen’s eyes spun mischievously, and he eagerly joined in. Tiewazi, caught in the middle, glanced at them, then tugged at Han Fei’s shirt, blushing as he whispered, “Daddy, I want to wear new clothes with you too.”
“This child, why is he so headstrong?”
“All right, Brother Han, don’t scold Tiewazi. I still want to take him as my godson.”
Han Fei was at a loss for words, half laughing and half exasperated. Before he could reply, Ling Jingxuan interrupted, scooping up Tiewazi onto his lap and teasingly pinching his cheeks:
“Tiewazi, want to be Uncle Ling’s son too?”
“Yes! Yes! That’s great!”
Before Tiewazi could respond, Xiao Baozi clapped enthusiastically and nodded. The adults couldn’t help but laugh. Tiewazi, however, tilted his head, looked at him, then at his fathers, and quietly twisted his fingers together:
“I can’t be Uncle Ling’s son. I’m Daddy’s son.”
“Ha ha.”
Hearing what he said, Ling Jingxuan laughed with delight, while Han Fei and Zhao Dalong wore expressions of quiet satisfaction. Their son may be little, but he was thoughtful and considerate—worth all the love and care they had poured into him.
“Little fool,” Ling Jingxuan said, smiling, “even if you become Uncle Ling’s son, you can still be your father’s son. And from now on, you’ll have three fathers to care for you. Isn’t that wonderful?”
“Really?”
Eyes sparkling with excitement, Tiewazi looked up. Could he really be both his fathers’ son and Uncle Ling’s son? Would his father be unhappy? At that thought, his little head turned to Han Fei and Zhao Dalong. They both nodded, smiling, and his face instantly lit up with a brilliant smile:
“What I said before doesn’t count. I want to be Uncle Ling’s son too.”
“Ha ha.”
Hearing his innocent words, the entire room erupted with laughter. From that day on, Ling Jingxuan gained a son. No matter what gifts he gave to the two little buns in the future, Tiewazi was never left out. Many years later, when Yan Shengrui arranged a title for his own son, he also granted one to Tiewazi—a child raised in the countryside, suddenly elevated to a young duke. He became one of the ideals for all the impoverished scholars and humble families in the land, a symbol of hope and aspiration for generations to come.
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Translator: LazyHermitGal
Author: LazyHermitGal
A Lazy Hermit Gal wondering in the void and falling into the translation abyss.
