Chapter 18: Exposed?
Qingyan heard footsteps beside him, followed by a young man’s voice saying, “Brother, it’s me, Qingxi.”
Unable to hide any longer, Qingyan gritted his teeth, dropped the quilt, and saw Yu Qingxi standing at the rear of the cart, staring at him fixedly.
Qingyan awkwardly laughed twice and said, “It’s unusually cold today. I was warming up under the quilt.”
Seeing him smile, Yu Qingxi smiled too, but his expression was obviously stiff.
He lowered his head, showing a lonely look, and said, “The day you left, I thought you would come back. I even hid some delicious food for you…”
Qingyan wanted to roll his eyes, thinking, “Why didn’t I go back that day? It’s all because of you!”
With a mild smile on his face, he politely asked, “How did you do in this year’s county exam?”
However, Yu Qingxi shook his head and said, “I didn’t participate in the county exam. Father said it would be a waste of money and food this year. It’s better to prepare for another year and go with a solid foundation.”
Qingyan had long suspected that even this excuse for going to the county exam was false. He understood everything, but to clarify would be unseemly.
At this, Qingyan almost wanted to hit this troublesome younger brother. He quickly turned to look at Qiu Henian’s face at the head of the cart, and sure enough, the other’s brow furrowed.
However, Yu Qingxi hadn’t finished yet. He continued speaking like pouring beans from a bamboo tube, “Father lied to you. He just doesn’t want you to come back with that person…”
“How can you say such things!”
Qingyan scolded sharply, his expression stern.
“Who’s that person? He’s your brother-in-law! Just now, I wanted to say that you’ve buried your head in books. You don’t even know how to address people!”
Yu Qingxi looked at Qingyan in shock and said, “Brother, you’ve changed!”
Qingyan’s heart sank at once, almost thinking that this kid was going to say “You’re not my brother. I’m going to hang you from a tree and burn you.”
But Yu Qingxi’s eyes turned red, and he said with tears in his eyes, “You didn’t use to say that. When Mother mentioned this marriage, you secretly told me that you’d rather die…”
“Yu Qingxi!”
Qingyan shouted sternly, attracting the attention of passersby, making Yu Qingxi visibly afraid of their gazes. He closed his mouth tightly and covered his cheek with his hand.
Qingyan’s chest heaved, lowering his voice, “Do you have anything else to say?”
Yu Qingxi looked up at him, opened his mouth but hesitated, then closed it again.
Suddenly, tears streamed down his face as he said, “I’m just useless. I’m not cut out for studying at all. Father is obsessed with making me learn, and Mother wants me to be better than you. If you had gone to the academy this year, you would have definitely passed.”
Qingyan looked at him silently as he cried.
When he quickly wiped away his tears with his sleeve due to the eyes of passersby, Qingyan said coldly, “Everything you do is at the behest of others. Since you don’t want to go and you think I should go, have you tried to persuade your parents?”
This question left Yu Qingxi stunned, instantly at a loss for words.
Yu Qingxi was nothing but a despicable beneficiary. He felt guilty for seeing his elder brother being treated unfairly, but he was unwilling to give up the benefits he already had.
As for the incident where the original owner was plotted against by his mother, Qingyan didn’t believe that he didn’t know anything about it.
If he had secretly reminded him, the original owner wouldn’t have taken the path of actively seeking death.
Qingyan couldn’t be bothered with him. After spending so much time together, this kid hadn’t noticed how different he was from his old brother.
People who lived together every day could ignore things like this. He felt there was nothing more to say.
Qingyan turned around in the cart, no longer looking at the person behind the cart.
He smiled sweetly at Qiu Henian and said, “Husband, let’s go.”
Due the disturbance caused by Yu Qingxi, the good mood for shopping vanished.
On the way, Qingyan occasionally glanced at Qiu Henian’s expression, but he rarely showed his emotions.
He looked no different from usual, but Qingyan still felt uneasy. Although he interrupted that kid’s words, Qiu Henian was sharp-minded and might have heard more than Qingyan realized.
They almost finished buying everything they needed. When passing by a stall selling jade and hairpins, Qiu Henian suddenly stopped and picked up a hairpin made of jade.
The stall wouldn’t sell anything too expensive. Although the jade hairpin had uneven light green color, it had decent water quality and craftsmanship. Its luster was good, sparkling in the sunlight with a hint of transparency.
Qiu Henian took the hairpin and showed it to Qingyan, asking, “Do you like it?”
Qingyan was stunned. His uneasy feeling suddenly dissipated.
He nodded happily.
Qiu Henian asked the enthusiastic stall owner about the price.
The stall owner smiled at Qingyan and said, “Young man has a good eye. This is the best hairpin on my stall. If you like it, take it for ten taels.”
Upon hearing this, Qingyan took the hairpin from Qiu Henian’s hand and put it back on the stall without saying a word, then turned around and left.
The stall owner quickly called out, “Eight taels would be enough, eight taels!”
Slapping his thigh, the stall owner said, “Six taels, I can’t go any lower!”
In the end, Qingyan only spent three taels of silver to successfully buy the hairpin.
Qiu Henian helped him put the hairpin into his hair bun.
The vivid green color complemented Qingyan’s clear and delicate cheeks, making it hard to distinguish which was finer and more translucent, his flesh or the jade.
Qiu Henian stared at Qingyan for a while, looking at the fair skin until it turned slightly red, then looked away.
Their last stop for shopping was the bookstore. Qingyan picked out the old books he wanted, while Qiu Henian started loading large red paper bundles onto the cart.
Qingyan wondered, asking, “Why are we buying so much red paper? Isn’t one or two couplets enough?”
Qiu Henian replied, “It’s for backup.”
He didn’t explain further, and Qingyan’s curiosity wasn’t satisfied until the next morning.
After dinner that night, they were both tired and went to bed early.
The previous night, Qingyan had soaked the dried beans given by Liu Liehu. In the morning, he used the soaked dried beans to cook noodles, adding a few pieces of shaved wild boar meat bones.
When the pot boiled, it emitted a fragrant aroma with a sprinkle of minced garlic—it was delicious.
Qingyan ate a large bowl and half a bowl more. He couldn’t finish the rest, so Qiu Henian took it and ate it all.
After cleaning up the bowls and utensils and tidying up the house and yard, Qiu Henian went to Wang the blacksmith’s house while Qingyan helped him grind ink.
Qiu Henian mixed ink with gold powder and started writing couplets.
He wrote the couplets for their own home first. Qiu Henian asked Qingyan what he wanted to write.
Qingyan thought for a moment and said, “I just want both of us to eat well, sleep well, stay healthy, and have prosperous days ahead.”
He actually wanted to say their relationship would get better and better, but he didn’t have the courage to say it.
Qiu Henian pondered for a moment and then wrote on the prepared red paper.
It was the first time Qingyan had seen him write. His calligraphy didn’t resemble that of a blacksmith at all; instead, it looked like that of a well-read scholar or even a master calligrapher.
The strokes were vigorous and bold, elegant and beautiful—it was incredibly pleasing to the eye. Qingyan felt ashamed of his own handwriting.
After finishing the couplets, Qingyan read them aloud, “Heaven blesses us with happiness, harmony lasts long. Good fortune in all seasons, health and peace in all festivals.”
“Very good,” Qingyan praised.
Afterward, Qiu Henian wrote several more pairs of couplets for Aunt Li, Wang San Yao’s family, and Old Liu.
Qingyan asked, “Did you write couplets for these families every year?”
Qiu Henian shook his head, “Mr. Zhang from next door used to write for the villagers. He went to the county recently and might come back before the New Year. So, I wrote them this year.”
Once the couplets dried, they were delivered to each household.
In the afternoon, people started coming one after another to ask Qiu Henian to write couplets.
There were specialists in writing couplets in the town and shops selling ready-made ones, but it wasn’t convenient or cheap.
Moreover, Aunt Li and the others had taken the couplets out to show off, which looked much better than those sold in town.
As more people came, Qiu Henian moved the desk to the yard and wrote the couplets in the order they arrived.
Since they felt embarrassed coming empty-handed, some brought eggs, dried fruits, or sugar cubes, while others simply gave money.
Qingyan didn’t ask for their offerings; each couplet cost fifty wen, which was basically the cost of paper, ink, and gold powder.
The blacksmith’s shop was located in the village, and many people looked on with envy. Moreover, Qiu Henian was an outsider, slightly different from the villagers.
Qingyan understood his thoughts. He didn’t expect to make money from this but wanted to build good relationships.
Some came with their children, and a few kids played in the yard. Qingyan gave each child a handful of candy, which pleased their parents.
One person came empty-handed and grumbled when asked for money, “Mr. Zhang only charged thirty wen for couplets last year. He’s from our village, why does he want to make money from his own people?”
Without Qingyan needing to respond, someone retorted, “Go ask around yourself. Do you know how expensive paper is this year? In town, a couplet costs at least one hundred wen, and if it’s as beautifully written as these, they sell for two hundred wen.”
“Isn’t it better for him to write and sell them in town than writing for us? It’s good enough that he’s willing to write for you!”
Others echoed in agreement.
The person fell silent, perhaps feeling embarrassed, and left after a while.
Qingyan also noticed the old folks who had gossiped when fetching water before. When they came, they smiled awkwardly at Qingyan but didn’t say much.
After paying and receiving their couplets, they quickly left.
Next door, Mrs. Chen came out several times, looking sour. Previously, such events had been held at her own home, where everyone would praise her.
Now, it had become someone else’s, which naturally left her feeling displeased. But her husband had to work until the New Year, so she couldn’t say anything even if someone else did her job.
Seeing someone greet him from behind the fence, he said, “I heard the county office’s clerk is sick, and Mr. Zhang was asked to serve as a substitute?”
Mrs. Chen nodded somewhat proudly, and the person complimented, “Mr. Zhang is exceptionally talented. Perhaps he’ll become an official in the county office after this temporary job.”
Mrs. Chen smiled at the thought, saying, “It’s still uncertain. Let’s wait and see.”
She glanced at Qingyan, full of pride.
Qingyan didn’t pay attention to Mrs. Chen at all. It seemed he hadn’t heard what she had just said.
Mrs. Chen’s face immediately darkened.
Qingyan had no time to think about Mrs. Chen’s feelings. He was in trouble. Too many people had come, and they all knew he was a scholar.
Some couldn’t wait and suggested bringing another table for Qingyan to write.
His mind was in chaos, and he couldn’t say a word.
Just when he was anxious, a deep voice behind him said at the right time, “It’s getting late. Tell me what you want to write, and I’ll write them tonight. You can come pick them up tomorrow.”
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at the sky. Although it was still early, it was almost time to prepare dinner. They all agreed and left one after another.
Calligraphy isn’t something you can master overnight. Since coming here, Qingyan had practiced every day, and although he had made progress, he was still far from being able to write couplets.
He had just dodged a bullet this time, and Qingyan patted his chest in relief.
With everyone gone, Qingyan and Qiu Henian packed up together and returned to the house.
It wasn’t until he started stewing the vegetables in the pot that Qingyan realized something was wrong.
Qiu Henian’s suggestion had come at just the right time, making Qingyan feel as though he had already known everything and intentionally helped him.
Qingyan tried hard to recall. He had been careful not to touch the brushes in front of Qiu Henian, only listening and not asking questions while studying. He shouldn’t have been exposed.
Sitting on a low stool, Qingyan pumped the bellows while sneakily looking at the man next to him, who was adding firewood to the stove.
In the flickering firelight, his profile was deep and restrained. In his lake-like eyes, it seemed there were endless secrets.
Qingyan suddenly remembered that a few days ago, they had cleaned up for the New Year, and Qiu Henian was responsible for cleaning the heavier cabinets and such.
Oh no, he remembered now.
He forgot to put away the calligraphy paper hidden in the wardrobe!!
Spoiler for the Next Chapter:
“Now that this young man has married a wife, things are different from before. In the past, he was like a lone wolf, keeping his distance from everyone. It took a long time for him to get close to anyone, even me and San’s family who lives in front.”
