Chapter 143
Knowing that someone else had been invited to the county yamen, Chen Yu was infuriated and had a big argument with Zhang Wensheng, which made Little Jiuliang cry uncontrollably on the side.
Feeling upset, Chen Yu found everything at home unbearable, so he picked up the child and came to Qingyan’s place. However, Zhang Wensheng, with a cheerful face, followed closely behind him.
Chen Yu hadn’t intended to vent his anger at someone else’s home, but Zhang Wensheng unexpectedly started drinking and celebrating, which was like rubbing salt on his wounds. He was truly enraged.
Zhang Wensheng got up and walked over, squatting in front of Chen Yu. He picked up the toy that Chen Yu had thrown to the ground.
His face lost its previous cheerfulness and instead showed a gentle and appeasing expression.
“Don’t be angry. It’s my fault. Next time, I’ll listen to you.”
Chen Yu snatched the toy from his hand and turned away without saying a word to him.
Zhang Wensheng scratched his head, then returned to sit at the table.
Qingyan glanced back and forth, took the hands of the two children, and said to Chen Yu, “Let’s go inside. It’s time to feed the little white rabbit. Xiao Jiuliang and Jindou can feed the rabbit together.”
Only then did Chen Yu turn his head, stood up, and followed them into the house.
Once Chen Yu left, Zhang Wensheng breathed a sigh of relief.
He smiled awkwardly at Qiu Henian and said, “Ah Yu is more ambitious than me. It’s a pity he’s a ge’er; otherwise, he would definitely achieve more than me.”
“Writing documents might be within my capabilities, but I can’t stand the ways of the officialdom. Ah Yu doesn’t know about the county yamen…”
Zhang Wensheng cautiously closed his mouth, sighed, and said, “Forget it, let’s not talk about it. Come, Brother Henian, let’s have a drink!”
Qiu Henian raised his glass and clinked it with him, and they both emptied their glasses.
Qiu Henian poured him another glass of wine.
As he sat down, he said slowly, “Nian Sheng said you’re a good gentleman.”
At these words, Zhang Wensheng was taken aback, then his eyes reddened slightly. He lowered his head to wipe his eyes and when he looked up again, his face was filled with a happy smile. “I’m happy today. Let’s have another drink!”
After Qiu Henian had another drink with him and set down his glass, he added more wine. This time, when Zhang Wensheng raised his glass again, Qiu Henian refused to clink glasses with him.
“Have some food, drink the wine slowly. This braised pig elbow is Qingyan’s specialty. It tastes good. Try it,” Qiu Henian said.
After two glasses of wine, Zhang Wensheng’s face turned red. He picked up his chopsticks, picked up a piece of meat, chewed it, and nodded.
“Indeed delicious, fatty but not greasy, savory and chewy.”
Qiu Henian said, “I’ll have him take some back for your family later.”
Zhang Wensheng laughed heartily, “Thank you very much.”
The two of them ate for a while, dispelling the earlier effects of the alcohol.
Zhang Wensheng put down his chopsticks, pointed with his chin toward the inner room that was closed off, and asked in a lowered voice, “Does your wife also forbid you from drinking?”
Qiu Henian chuckled and said with his head down, “I promised him I wouldn’t drink too much.”
Zhang Wensheng patted Qiu Henian’s shoulder twice, looking like a pair of close brothers.
He said, “Us men from Liuxi Village, hardly any of us are afraid of our wives. It’s okay. We won’t lose face!”
…
Inside the house, Jindou and Xiao Jiuliang took cabbage leaves to feed the small white rabbits in the cage. The rabbits’ lips were plump and moved cutely as they ate, making delightful crunching sounds.
The two children were extremely happy feeding them.
By the window, Qingyan brought over melon seeds and peanuts, brewed tea, and sat with Chen Yu, each sipping tea.
Qingyan advised, “Since it’s come to this, arguing won’t help. You might as well relax, lest you make yourself sick with anger.”
Chen Yu said stubbornly, “I’m just upset. Who wouldn’t be mad? How can someone like him, who has such an opportunity, not seize it with all he’s got?!”
Qingyan said, “Mr. Zhang’s aspirations lie elsewhere. Forcing him into the county yamen might lead to him feeling unhappy in the long run. By then, won’t you be heartbroken seeing him like that?”
Gritting his teeth, Chen Yu said, “I just want to live better than others. What’s wrong with wanting others to envy me?”
Qingyan shook his head.
“It’s not the same. Mr. Zhang educates and nurtures students. In this village, every family with children treats him with respect. Moreover, literate people are rare here, and those who can draw and write are even rarer. Whenever there’s something going on in the village, everyone asks Mr. Zhang for help with writing or drawing.”
Chen Yu’s expression softened a bit, but he still kept a stern face.
“What good does that do? It doesn’t bring much benefit.”
Qingyan chuckled, “If you think long-term, Mr. Zhang’s students who pass the provincial or county exams at such a young age, and perhaps become scholars or officials in the future, may even be ennobled.”
“In the future, Mr. Zhang’s students will be spreading his reputation far and wide. By then, you and Mr. Zhang will need a sedan chair just to attend his students’ thanksgiving feasts. You won’t be able to finish the banquet in this village, let alone the town or county. Who in the village, or even the town or county, could match your family?”
Hearing this, Chen Yu couldn’t help but lift the corners of his mouth, but he forced himself to straighten them back.
Joy was evident in his eyes, though he said reluctantly, “You really have a way with words. No wonder your business is thriving.”
Qingyan smiled and winked, “If you go out and inquire, you’ll see that I conduct business honestly and straightforwardly. If it’s good, it’s good; if it’s not, it’s not. I never tell lies.”
He patted Chen Yu’s back of the hand.
“You trust me. Mr. Zhang will definitely not let you down in the future.”
Chen Yu couldn’t resist any longer and finally smiled.
The two of them cracked melon seeds and drank tea for a while.
Chen Yu looked at Qingyan’s robe and said, “Is this from your shop? It looks quite nice.”
Qingyan stood up and said, “This was from last year’s collection, but it’s still in style this year. If you like it, I’ll bring one from the shop for you tomorrow.”
Chen Yu said, “I can’t take it for free.”
Qingyan smiled, “I didn’t intend to give it to you for free. There are only a few robes left from last year’s collection. They’re older styles, so I’ll sell them to you at cost, with a 20% discount. If you think it’s appropriate, I’ll bring it back for you tomorrow.”
Chen Yu calculated in his heart for a moment, liking it more the longer he looked, but remained silent.
Seeing him constantly looking at the robe on himself, Qingyan stood up and said, “Why don’t you try wearing this one first? There’s a bronze mirror here, so you can roughly see how it looks.”
Chen Yu finally smiled and pursed his lips.
“Alright, then I’ll give it a try.”
Qingyan untied the string of the outer robe, took it off, and handed it to him.
After putting it on, Chen Yu held the round mirror and looked at himself several times, quite satisfied, and said, “Then bring it back for me tomorrow.”
Qingyan agreed.
When Chen Yu took off the robe, he accidentally knocked over the peanut basket on the table, and some peanuts fell to the ground with a clatter.
Chen Yu exclaimed, “Oops!”
Qingyan immediately realized what happened, bent over, and started picking them up.
The inner garment on him was made of silk, soft and smooth. When he bent over, the back of the garment slipped down, revealing a section of fair and tender waist.
The shape of his buttocks was rounded and appealing, featuring two indented curves at the waist-hip area, even drawing his attention, who was a ge’er.
After watching for a while, Chen Yu felt a bit sour in his heart and muttered softly, “This blacksmith is quite lucky!”
Qingyan finished picking up the peanuts, straightened up and turned around to look at him, asking, “Hmm? What did you just say?”
“Nothing,” Chen Yu replied with a frown, handing the robe back to him, then turned and walked away towards the two children.
Qingyan didn’t understand why he suddenly became cold after being fine just now, but he was used to Chen Yu’s temperament and didn’t think much of it.
He placed the peanuts on the table, put on and tied up the robe, and then went to play with the children.
After feeding the rabbits and playing with them for a while, Jindou and Jiuliang put on cotton clothes and went to the yard shed to feed the jujubes and sheep.
The two big ones had been fed so much that they couldn’t eat anymore. Jindou rubbed his stomach and said, “I also want to eat something delicious.”
He also asked Jiuliang, “Brother, do you want to eat?”
Jiuliang looked at his dad with his big eyes, and when he saw Chen Yu nodding to him, he said, “Jiuliang wants to eat.”
The two adults took the two children back into the house, took off their cotton robes, washed their hands, and sat down with the children. One of them took a chicken claw and started gnawing on it.
At the table, the two men already stopped drinking wine, leaving them chatting.
Seeing Chen Yu’s face much better, Zhang Wensheng also started talking to him, instantly beaming with joy.
Qingyan quietly went to look at the wine jar beside the table. Qiu Henian had been keeping an eye on him, naturally noticing it.
He pulled Qingyan’s hand and whispered while looking up, “I didn’t drink much.”
Qingyan turned back and pinched his fingertip with a smile before walking away.
After Jindou finished gnawing on a chicken claw, he went to grab two pieces of pork elbow meat and ate them, his mouth full of oil but delicious.
Jiuliang ate in a refined manner, but after a long time, he hadn’t finished a chicken claw.
Chen Yu sat beside them, looking a bit unhappy again.
Jindou was clearly younger than Jiuliang, but he was almost the same height as him and chubby.
Looking at his own Jiuliang, although he was also fair-skinned, he couldn’t eat as strongly as other children, so he couldn’t grow up, remaining thin and small.
Chen Yu’s heart started to feel sour again. He couldn’t sit still, poking the man next to him with his elbow. Zhang Wensheng looked over and immediately understood.
He stood up with a smile and said, “It’s getting late. Let’s not delay your family’s rest. We should go back.”
Qiu Henian also stood up and exchanged polite words with him. Qingyan took oil paper and left a few pieces of pork elbow in the plate for Jindou, packed up the rest, and stuffed it into Chen Yu’s hands.
Chen Yu made a gesture to refuse a few times but eventually accepted it, his face showing a smile again.
Qingyan was accustomed to Chen Yu’s mood swings, so he wasn’t surprised. Together with Qiu Henian, they carried Jindou and sent them to the door.
Zhang Wensheng took his two plates and turned back, saying to them, “Don’t come out again. The child might catch a cold.”
Qiu Henian nodded in agreement. He watched them out of the courtyard gate before returning to the house.
With the guests gone, Qiu Henian cleaned up the table, washed the dishes and chopsticks, while Qingyan played with Jindou for a while to help him digest.
When Qiu Henian returned to the room, Jindou was also tired. Qingyan helped him wash up, took off his clothes, and put him to bed.
Qingyan also took off his outer robe, leaving only his soft and smooth silk inner garment. He knelt on the edge of the bed to tidy up the bedding and the quilt.
Qiu Henian held Jindou, who was sleepy, waiting by the bedside.
After a while, Jindou suddenly said, “Father, why have you been staring at Daddy’s waist?”
This remark made Qingyan pause in his movements of arranging the bedding.
Qiu Henian coughed lightly and said, “The bed is ready. Jindou, go to sleep.”
Jindou rubbed his eyes, murmured an “okay,” and quickly forgot about the topic.
Qingyan got off the bed, let Qiu Henian put Jindou down, and the child was so easy to deal with. Without needing any coaxing, he turned over by himself, closed his big doe eyes, and was about to fall asleep.
The couple sat quietly by the bedside, Qingyan pulled a corner of the quilt to cover the child’s belly.
Afterwards, he looked up at the man next to him.
Qiu Henian’s gaze also happened to turn towards him. Qingyan smiled and silently asked with his lips, “What were you just looking at?”
Then, he watched as the man across from him calmly lowered his eyes, but his ears gradually turned red.
Qingyan couldn’t help but laugh. Qiu Henian awkwardly raised his hand to pinch his chin, then leaned his forehead against the man’s broad shoulder, hiding his smile.
……
Meanwhile, on the muddy riverbank north of Liuxi Village, a sturdy young man was panting heavily as he dragged a thin and weak-looking person out of the river.
The person still had some breath left, but on such a bitterly cold day, having been immersed in water that had just thawed from ice, it was uncertain how much longer they would survive.
The soaked clothes weighed the person down heavily. After pulling him up, Xiao Zhuang took a few deep breaths, then grabbed the person by the collar, flipped him over, and vigorously patted his back.
After a few pats, the person coughed up some water, finally regaining some breath.
Xiao Zhuang flipped the person back over, slammed him on the ground, and angrily said, “It’s better to be alive than dead! As long as you can still breathe, there might be a way out in the future. How can you, at such a young age, give up so easily?!”
The person lay on the ground, barely conscious. He was the young man who had come to find Xiao Zhuang in the evening.
“I have no way out,” the young man suddenly spoke up.
“What?” Xiao Zhuang asked in surprise.
The young man’s voice was weak, “Tomorrow, he’s going to sell me to the kiln in town.”
Xiao Zhuang was stunned.
He heard the young man continue, “You’re a good person. I shouldn’t burden you. Please go.”
With that, he struggled to stand up.
Xiao Zhuang’s voice trembled slightly, “What are you going to do?”
The young man looked up at him and said, “I’m going back.”
Xiao Zhuang was shocked again.
He watched as the young man, dripping wet and unsteady, walked off towards the neighboring village.
