"Niu Zai, have you ever thought of sleeping with your Sister in law Xiuying?" Chen Huasheng asked.
"No," Luo Yang shook his head.
Chen Huasheng had married a wife as beautiful as a fairy, He Xiuying, which was the envy of the villagers. They had been married for several years but had no children.
Usually, Chen Huasheng seldom shared his cigarettes with others, but now he took out a pack of soft Double Happiness cigarettes from his pocket, handed one to Luo Yang, and lit it for him. The two squatted in the Ju Garden at Luo Yang's house and smoked.
Seeing Chen Huasheng silently smoking and lost in thought, Luo Yang felt curious, "Brother Sheng, what's bothering you?"
Chen Huasheng's eyebrows were knotted, clearly showing he was troubled. He exhaled a plume of smoke and looked utterly dejected, "Niu Zai, I need to ask a favor of you."
"What favor?" Luo Yang asked.
After throwing away his cigarette butt, Chen Huasheng took a deep breath as if preparing himself to speak. He opened his mouth, showing his blackened teeth from smoking, smacking his lips, "Niu Zai, the favor I'm asking for is very special, you must swear not to tell anyone else first."
Luo Yang nodded heavily, saying solemnly, "Brother Sheng, I won't reveal your secret."
Chen Huasheng lit another cigarette and took a drag, as if this would help him speak more fluently, "You know, I've been married for 5 years. A normal family would have at least one child by now, but my family does not have any."
Speaking of Chen Huasheng, people in the Hongyun Brigade envied him. Although his family was not well-off, he had such a beautiful wife.
Having no experience in romance, Luo Yang didn't know how to comfort Chen Huasheng. All he could think of were some cliché comforting words, "Brother Sheng, take it slow, you'll have children eventually."
Desperately rubbing his chin, Chen Huasheng's brow furrowed even tighter, "You don't know the situation in my family. Your sister in law Xiuying has no issues, it's mainly my problem, otherwise, we would have had children by now, alas!"
With no experience in comforting others, Luo Yang struggled to find the words and blurted out lamely, "Brother Sheng, the future is bright but the road is rough, as long as you persevere, you should have children."
Chen Huasheng laughed self-deprecatingly and sighed deeply, "Niu Zai, you don't understand these things. The issue now isn't about time, it's a problem with my health, do you understand?"
Luo Yang didn't understand, but he nodded to show he did.
"Niu Zai, let me tell you, a family without children doesn't feel like a family at all. Every day, it's just Xiuying and me sitting by the dining table, all quiet and empty," Chen Huasheng lit another cigarette, puffing heavily on it, relying on the nicotine to keep him alert, "Initially, Xiuying was fine, but lately, she has also started to grow cold towards me."
"Oh, is that so?"
"If this continues, she will definitely want a divorce from me."
Upon hearing this news abruptly, Luo Yang couldn't think of what to say and only listened as Chen Huasheng paced back and forth, visibly distressed. A few seconds later, he looked up determinedly at Luo Yang and said, "Niu Zai, you absolutely have to help me!"
Luo Yang was startled, unsure of how he could help, and asked, "Brother Sheng, how do you want me to help you?"
Chen Huasheng moved his lips several times without speaking and appeared nervous. His eyes flickered, seemingly still undecided, until he threw down and forcefully crushed his cigarette butt with his foot. Gathering his courage in one go, he finally dared to speak out, "Niu Zai, I need you to sleep with your sister in law Xiuying..."
As he spoke, his voice seemed to falter, trailing off weakly.
"Brother Sheng, this..." Luo Yang grimaced awkwardly and laughed.
In the Hongyun Brigade, countless men desired Chen Huasheng's wife. Watching He Xiuying with her classically elegant face, her angrily protruding bust, graceful waist, rounded hips, and long, shapely legs, the men couldn't help but let their fantasies run wild.
Normally, when Luo Yang saw He Xiuying, he also found her attractive.
Seeing Luo Yang blush, Chen Huasheng said seriously, "Niu Zai, I'm not joking."
Making eye contact with Chen Huasheng, Luo Yang felt awkward; he hadn't expected to be asked for this kind of help and laughed, "Brother Sheng, Sister in law Xiuying won't agree."
The thought of sleeping with He Xiuying sent an excited shiver through Luo Yang.
Clasping Luo Yang's shoulders, Chen Huasheng slowly said, "Niu Zai, since we're so close, I'll just speak plainly; I want to borrow your seed. Just as long as Xiuying gets pregnant, she won't divorce me. To save our marriage, I must do this."
Luo Yang grinned and said, "Brother Sheng, you know I've never done that sort of thing, I don't know how."
"What do you need to know how for? Come here, I'll teach you."
Then Chen Huasheng broke off a thin branch from the orange tree, and on the dirt, he sketched the figure of a woman. Having drawn the instructional figure, Chen Huasheng played "teacher," imparting the knowledge of intimate relations to Luo Yang, the "student."
For Luo Yang, this was a significant thing in his life, he laughed, "Brother Sheng, if Sister in law Xiuying finds out, she might kill me, this thing..."
Cutting off Luo Yang, Chen Huasheng confidently said, "How could she possibly know? I won't tell, you won't tell, that settles it, right? Niu Zai, I'm just asking you, are you willing to help me?"
Since he was indeed quite close with Chen Huasheng and didn't want to see him get divorced, Luo Yang nodded and said, "Brother Sheng, honestly, I am willing to help you, but this is a big deal…"
Wiping his face, Chen Huasheng looked somewhat exhausted and said, "Niu Zai, it took me so much effort to marry a beautiful wife, yet I can't get her pregnant. You can say I'm as frustrated as frustrated can be. Sometimes, I think of just killing myself. If Xiuying wants to divorce me, what am I supposed to do then?"
Feeling both sympathetic and puzzled, Luo Yang asked, "Brother Sheng, how can you make Sister in law Xiuying's belly grow bigger?"
Chen Huasheng instructed, "Just one shot should do it. Come on, it's almost time for lunch, let's eat at my house. I have a way to make Xiuying sleep for a few hours. You can do your thing then. Tonight I have to go out to work. I won't be back until the end of the year."
At Chen Huasheng's invitation, Luo Yang had to set aside his weeding chores and head to Chen Huasheng's house.
Thinking about the huge favor he was about to do for Chen Huasheng, Luo Yang was both excited and nervous.
Seeing Luo Yang's uneasy expression, Chen Huasheng advised, "Niu Zai, relax. After it's done, just act like nothing happened."
Luo Yang said anxiously, "Brother Sheng, what if Sister in law Xiuying suddenly wakes up?"
If He Xiuying opened her eyes while he was on the job, Luo Yang felt it would be utterly embarrassing.
With a confident tone, Chen Huasheng said, "Don't worry about it. She definitely won't wake up within two hours. Just relax, there's nothing to be nervous about."
As they talked, they could already see Chen Huasheng's house.
Luo Yang tried to calm himself, but he couldn't shake off the anxiety; his palms were sweating.