Xue Dongting nuzzled against him and said cutely, “It didn"t hurt at all. Pinch me again.”

“Mm,” Song Yuming said, and he reached for her waist and gave her a light pinch, causing her to twist around to get away from him. “Not there,” she laughed. “It tickles!”

The man smiled calmly. “Alright, I won"t touch there, I"ll touch somewhere else.”

That night, of course, they made love, all night long until the sixteen-year-old new bride continually pleaded for mercy, then he finally let her rest.

Early the next morning came the explosions of firecrackers, ringing in the new year atmosphere with the black powder from strings of firecrackers wafting into their house. Xue Dongting turned over, changing her position in her husband"s arms, snoring lightly, her hair all disheveled.

Song Yuming was already awake. He pulled the quilt over her ears, afraid the noise from the firecrackers would disturb her. He, however, was very much in the mood to study her, counting her long eyelashes.

It was cold in the little room, but the bed was nice and toasty.

After the time it takes for three incense sticks to burn, a loud bang of firecrackers crackled for a long time and Xue Dongting"s eyelashes fluttered and she slowly opened her eyes, those seductive eyes, still drowsy.

Song Yuming said in a low voice, “Such a long string of firecrackers, must be from Old Zhang"s wife"s place.”

“Mm,” Xue Dongting murmured, and she buried her head in his chest and mumbled, “My legs are sore.”

“I"ll ma.s.sage them for you.”

And his big hands went probing for her legs and gently kneaded them.

After a while she said, “Is your martial arts good?”

“… It"s alright.”

“What do you mean it"s alright? If it"s good it"s good.”

He couldn"t help laughing. “It"s not that great, because there are many great masters among the jianghu.”

“Oh… Then why did you want to leave the capital? Wouldn"t the throne be pretty easy for you to obtain?”

He thought about it, but didn"t give an answer. Instead, he asked, “So then do you want me to return to the capital?”

She put her arm around his neck and said softly, “No!”

Song Yuming sighed, his eyes drifting to the light filtering through the window paper. “Obtaining the throne and keeping it are neither easy. Person like me, who likes to wander around nature to my heart"s content, I don"t want to give proclamations from the dragon throne, and I don"t want to get involved with endless schemes and intrigues.”

There was much weariness and turbulence in his voice.

Xue Dongting nodded. She knew that feeling, she felt it deeply. The man before her was just like her, once at the center of power and authority, but dazed and wearied by it. They had each left the capital and come out here to the peaceful countryside.

“Yuming, don"t go. I"m not going either. Let"s just spend the rest of our days here, okay?”

An odd look flashed through Song Yuming"s eyes, but he said nothing.

Xue Dongting was slighting taken aback and she held him tight. In hear heart of hearts she was afraid, afraid this man would ultimately leave, afraid that eventually he would return to vie for the glory of his former days.

“His Majesty already knows I"m here. I don"t want to contend with him, but he just won"t let me off… Ah Dong, wait till spring and we"ll take a trip out to sea.”

She pondered this, then asked, “And we won"t come back?”

“We"ll wait it out a while, then we"ll come back.”

“Alright. Wherever you go, I"ll go too.”

“It"s just that the sea can be stormy and treacherous. I"m afraid to put you in danger.”

“Your glory is my glory, your loss my loss.” Xue Dongting looked at him and kissed him on the lips. “I will be with you always,” she said softly.

Song Yuming smiled and put his arm around her head. “Alright. Then we"ll take some provisions and go to an island and built a house there. I"ll cultivate the land and fish, and you, you can cook and raise some animals. We"ll be the most ordinary of couples. Then in half a year or so we"ll come back.”

“Even if I"m with you on a deserted island to the end of my days, I"ll be happy… I still want to give you a child.” She rubbed her belly. “Big Sis is pregnant, I want a baby too. How come I still feel no kicking?”

Song Yuming laughed. “Then I"ll work harder and give you a child.”

“Ugh! Pervert!”

“Only toward you. Have you ever seen me act bad toward any other woman?”

Xue Dongting rolled her eyes. “Who knows!”

“I really haven"t!” He was about to swear by Heaven, but she put her hand over his mouth. “Who asked you to swear! Anyway, later when we go to the island I"ll be the only woman there. Let"s see who you treat badly then!”

“Only you, Ah Dong, only you.” He pulled her into his arms and he kissed her deeply, leaving them both a bit out of breath at the end.

She could see where this was going and put a stop to it, pleading, “I can"t take anymore… Go… Go paste up the Spring Festival couplets.”

He laughed. “I"ll let you off for now.” He got up and got dressed. She sat up too and Song Yuming eyed her inner robe and laughed amusingly. “That robe looks really good.”

She blushed and grumbled, “Looks good my a.s.s, you pervert!”

They both changed and got up and went to the kitchen. They boiled water and washed their faces, and Dongting cooked some noodles and stir-fried a mess of salty greens and they ate the noodles. They boiled up some paste and tore down the old couplets from last year and Xue Dongting took the paste and brushed it on the door with a pine branch. Song Yuming then took the fresh new red strips and affixed them neatly in place.

They were busy with this for close to two hours, going from the inner rooms to the outer ones, and the little house suddenly took on a festive feeling.

They went inside and Song Yuming took Xue Dongting"s hands in his and blew on them, laughing. “Your hands are so long and slender, you shouldn"t be doing this kind of work.”

“You have so many calluses on your palm and the crook of your thumb, must be from all that time holding a weapon.” She looked up at the roof beam. “Do you keep your weapons up there?”

“A sword, called Plum Green.”

Plum Green, when killing someone the green turns purple. No one knew that this famous sword that made the entire imperial court tremble was hidden away on the roof beam of this tiny little thatched cottage, just sitting there collecting dust.

Dust covering a bunch of memories, dust covering a lot of glory.

Xue Dongting gave a short nod and laughed. “What do you want to eat? I"ll make whatever you want.”

“Mm, fry up a hunk of that smoked pork, and some dumplings, and three ounces of wine and that will be perfect.”

Xue Dongting laughed. “You want to drink wine?”

“Wine with dumplings, the more you drink the better.”

“Alright then. Today is New Year"s Eve, so I"ll overlook it this once. What kind of wine do you want to drink?”

Song Yuming leapt lightly and pulled down “Plum Green” from the roof beam and went to a corner of the enclosing wall and crouched down and dug at the ground with the tip of the sword for a while, then took out of the hole he"d dug a jar of wine and carried it back inside.

Xue Dongting took a good long whiff of it and said in amazement, “Plum wine.”

Song Yuming nodded and broke the seal on the jar. A wonderful aroma wafted out. He inhaled deeply, and said happily, “Plum wine, fermented for five years. I buried it myself when I first came here.”

“Plum Green to obtain plum wine, good thing you thought of it!”