TAB Chapter 075

After the arrival of a big boss in Liangshui Village, the village chief beamed with joy every day, and he even took the initiative to ask the village secretary to make a list of agricultural and sideline products for their village, in preparation for introducing them to the big boss one by one.

The rumored big boss never showed up, but the big boss’s assistant, Assistant Qu, came, he was really carefully reviewing agricultural and sideline products, and he also brought an expert with him, as for the real big boss, he has always been behind the scenes, the village chief understands that the rich big boss in the city has a different approach, and he may need others to cast a brick to attract jade¹拋磚引玉 (pāo zhuān yǐn yù): lit. throw out a brick and get jade thrown back (idiom); to toss a brick to attract the jade; cast a brick to attract jade; fig. to attract others’ interest or suggestions by putting forward one’s own modest ideas to get the ball rolling; throw a brick to allure a gem—(a polite expression, self-deprecatory) to offer one’s own relatively worthless words, opinions, or services in order to attract others’ more valuable contributions; (original meaning, rare) to achieve success by goading one’s opponent; One of the Thirty-Six Strategems, originally in reference to tossing brickbats at one’s enemy to get an (exploitable) reaction or win a greater prize..

After the village chief met Assistant Qu, he received them in the village’s spare guest house, Shan Qihuan officially stayed in the village in the name of inspection.

Everything is led by Assistant Qu, the village secretary, and the village head all call Assistant Qu Boss Qu, while the real big boss uses binoculars to look at the place where the archaeological team members live every day, watching them coming in and out, as if he was like a national leader inspecting the work, but he was determined not to disturb their work, and would not move forward no matter what.

The establishment of their archaeological team was relatively hasty, although it is a national team, its funds are limited, and cannot be compared with large companies, in certain matters, it has always been about increasing revenue and reducing expenditure²開源節流 (kāi yuán jié liú): lit. to open a water source and reduce outflow (idiom); to increase income and save on spending; to broaden the sources of income and economize on expenditure; tap new sources of supply and reduce consumption., saving as much as possible, therefore, in the eyes of outsiders, the archaeological team is really very poor, however, in Shan Qihuan’s eyes, the archaeological team was not only poor, but also hardworking, it was even worse than the 996 in his modern Internet company, he hadn’t seen these people take a break for so many days.

His wife’s cheeks have become thinner, how can he eat instant noodles every day, he finally managed to gain some meat some time ago.

But both of them still need to calm down now.

The person in charge of the Western Han Tomb, Supervisor Liang, took the time to find Assistant Qu, even though she thought Assistant Qu was the boss who really sent them the supplies, it was not until Assistant Qu said no that this misunderstanding ended, and then Supervisor Liang met Shan Qihuan, who was heating up on the electric stove and holding a tissue in his hand and pressing it to his nose, alone in the guest house.

She thought that this big boss who had always been behind the scenes would be very arrogant, but she didn’t expect that he was quite warm to her and very friendly to the people, moreover, she specifically checked and found out that this person was not just a big boss.

“Supervisor Liang, hello. Are you cold or not, come in and sit down!” Shan Qihuan has never been so enthusiastic to anyone in his life, as if he has met his own mother, no, his own mother has never enjoyed this treatment.

Supervisor Liang is also flattered, Shan Qihuan is young and handsome, if she were twenty years younger, she would be shy.

She reached out and shook hands with Shan Qihuan: “Chief Shan, hello.”

“Supervisor Liang, just call me Xiao Shan.” Shan Qihuan took the initiative to get closer to Supervisor Liang.

Supervisor Liang follows good advice as naturally as a river follows its course: “That’s fine.”

Shan Qihuan set up the meeting room in the guest house as his own personal office, which was quite exquisite, the kettle was steaming, and he made a cup of tea for Supervisor Liang.

“I brought the tea leaves myself, please try it.”

Supervisor Liang tasted it: “It’s very fragrant.”

Shan Qihuan said: “If you like it, you can take some back later.”

Supervisor Liang smiled: “No, why would I take your things, our archaeology team has recently accepted the materials you donated, if I take any more, I will be reprimanded.”

When it comes to this, Shan Qihuan became even more energetic: “Those are actually not worth mentioning, it’s so hard for you to work in such a cold place, it even rained yesterday, I’m just helping out as much as I can³力所能及 (lì suǒ néng jí): as far as one’s capabilities extend (idiom); to the best of one’s ability; within one’s power; within one’s ability; to the best of one’s ability..”

Supervisor Liang is not foolish either, before she came, she asked Director Fang about Shan Qihuan’s situation, matters such as receiving supplies still needed to be reported to the superiors, and donations from members of society could be accepted, it was only before she came that she found out about Shan Qihuan’s relationship with Shen Yuhan, this Xiao Shen was in and out with them every day, and she never heard him mention it either, Xiao Shen doesn’t usually have the temperament of a young master, everyone just thought his family was a bit wealthier than ordinary people, but they didn’t expect that he still has this kind of background.

Supervisor Liang smiled and said: “You are doing it for Xiao Shen, right?”

His purpose was exposed, Shan Qihuan was not embarrassed either, instead, he smiled and said: “He ran over after telling me, he doesn’t usually travel far, so I don’t feel reassured.”

Supervisor Liang said in her heart, he didn’t meet Xiao Shen even after he arrived, she was also an experienced person, so she smiled and said: “Is it a young couple quarrel? You came here yesterday, but I didn’t see him asking for leave to come find you.”

“You’ve seen it all, Supervisor Liang, to tell you the truth⁴實不相瞞 (shí bù xiāng mán): to tell you the truth; to tell you honestly; to be frank/honest with you., we did have a little conflict, but it won’t affect your work.” Shan Qihuan quickly spoke for Shen Yuhan.

“That’s not what I meant, even upright officials find it hard to settle family quarrels⁵清官難斷家務事 (qīng guān nán duàn jiā wù shì): even an honest and upright official will have difficulty resolving a family dispute (proverb); even upright officials find it hard to settle family quarrels; even a just official finds it hard to settle family quarrels/disputes., it’s better for you, young people to talk things over.” Supervisor Liang was not familiar with Shan Qihuan, so it was difficult to say more, but Shen Yuhan seemed to be well-behaved and polite, he was responsible and conscientious every day, and he was able to endure hardships and stand hard work⁶吃苦耐勞 (chī kǔ nài láo): hardworking and enduring hardships (idiom); to endure hardships and work hard; bear hardships and stand hard work; be hard-working and able to endure hardships; be hardy/laborious/tough/resilient., he never complained about hardship either, his arrival added a bit of immortal energy to the archaeological team, and she liked it quite a lot, so she just said a few words.

Shan Qihuan took out an envelope from his documents: “Can you please go back and hand it over to him later?”

Supervisor Liang didn’t expect that she would accept a supply of material, and still have to help with matchmaking⁷牽線搭橋 (qiān xiàn dā qiáo): matchmaking; act as go-between/middleman; bring sb. into contact with sb.; act as a pimp; serve as a link; introducing and matching parties who want to establish a certain relationship., actually waiting for her here: “Fine, I only help you to hand in the letter, I don’t care about anything else.”

The supplies cannot be taken back, her members praised the big boss for being generous yesterday and today, which made her feel that the benefits provided by the country were really poor.

“Then thank you, Supervisor Liang.” Shan Qihuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Supervisor Liang didn’t sit for long before leaving his temporary luxury office, thinking that young people nowadays can really play a lot of tricks, obviously, everyone has a mobile phone, but they are still engaging in this set of writing letters, isn’t it just a two-step distance, can’t he deliver it himself?

It had to be said that Supervisor Liang thinks it’s quite romantic for Shan Qihuan to write a letter to Shen Yuhan.

Tsk, tsk, the young people nowadays are different.

–

Shen Yuhan is helping to look at the engraving on an ornament today, it’s too thin, he uses a magnifying glass to study it for a long time, and his eyes get a little sore before he puts down the magnifying glass, and when he looks up, Supervisor Liang was looking at him with a smile.

He was a little surprised, Supervisor Liang is usually very busy, so why did she come over today: “Supervisor Liang, why are you here?”

Supervisor Liang said: “You have been working here these days, I have never asked you if it was hard for you, it is my negligence.”

Shen Yuhan waved his hands hurriedly and said: “It’s not hard, it’s much harder for you to blow the wind outside than it is for me, it’s not cold for me here, there’s also Xiao Li and Brother Yan to help here.”

Supervisor Liang smiled and said: “It doesn’t matter if the progress is a little slower, but don’t tire your body.”

Shen Yuhan heard from others that Supervisor Liang was usually quite serious, he didn’t expect her to be quite gentle to him, and it wasn’t that bad.

“I will.” Shen Yuhan nodded, “Is there anything else, Supervisor Liang?” Wasn’t she usually very busy, how come she is standing here chatting with him now?

Supervisor Liang then cut to the chase: “That big boss out there is your partner, right?”

Shen Yuhan blushed slightly and half lowered his head, his hair had grown longer recently, and a few strands of hair fell down with his movements, making them look a bit elegant.

“Yes, is he causing trouble for our archaeological team?” Shen Yuhan looked at Supervisor Liang nervously, “Supervisor, he doesn’t mean any harm.”

“Look at how nervous you are, I didn’t say he had any malicious intentions, I can’t even thank him enough, he asked me to deliver a letter to you on his behalf.” Supervisor Liang finally took out the letter from Shan Qihuan, and handed it to Shen Yuhan, “You young people.”

Shen Yuhan was really blushing at this moment, did Supervisor Liang also know about their quarrel, his husband really, not only did he sends materials with great fanfare⁸大張旗鼓 (dà zhāng qí gǔ): on a grand scale; in a big way; with great fanfare., he even asked Supervisor Liang to deliver the letter for him, for a while, he didn’t know what to say.

“Thank you, Supervisor Liang.” Shen Yuhan still accepted the letter.

There is a break after lunch, he usually doesn’t take much rest, he just wants to find the burial objects next to his brothers as soon as possible, however, the progress so far has been very slow, and there are too many burial objects, the descendants of their Shen family are indeed very rich, it may be the wealth accumulated by the Shen family for generations.

In fact, there is one thing he did not understand, does this Shen family’s ger don’t need to get married anymore? According to the thickness of the wealth, it should be the accumulation of several generations, the Shen family cultivated him as their heir.

Perhaps this is to protect gers? Treat them as sons, and they don’t need to get married from now on, teach them to be independent⁹獨立自主 (dú lì zì zhǔ): independent and autonomous (idiom); self-determination; to be independent and one’s own master; to act independently; to maintain control over one’s own affairs; maintain independence and keep the initiative in one’s own hands; be up on one’s own feet; be one’s own master; stand on one’s own; to pursue a foreign policy of peaceful development, autonomy and self-reliance., get out of the inner courtyard, and strive to protect the secret of the ‘gers’.

The notebook that Shen Yuhan saw last time was just the tip of the iceberg in the life of this ‘Shen Ge’er’, in recent days, he also looked at a lot of burial objects, all of which reflect his varied and colorful¹⁰多姿多彩 (duō zī duō cǎi): varied and colorful; splendid; diversity (of forms and colors); elegant and graceful posture; very charming and colourful; describe various colors and forms. life, he has many friends, he also traveled with them, he also managed the family property in a vivid and dramatic¹¹有聲有色 (yǒu shēng yǒu sè): having sound and color (idiom); vivid; dazzling; full of sound and colour―vivid and dramatic; describe a speech or performance that is wonderful and vivid. manner, in order to protect ‘gers’ identity, he has never been married, but no one criticized him, from all the little things, it can be seen how much his family protects him.

If he hadn’t experienced the openness and freedom of modern people, Shen Yuhan would also immediately thought that this kind of child-rearing was a bit rebellious¹²離經叛道 (lí jīng pàn dào): to deviate from the Confucian classics or the orthodoxy; to deviate from the mainstream thought or norms; to rebel against orthodoxy; to depart from established practices., but he no longer thinks so, on the contrary, he envies this Shen family’s ger, who was born in such an environment, he lives a leisurely and carefree life, unrestrained¹³無拘無束 (wú jū wú shù): free and unconstrained (idiom); unfettered; without care or worries; unrestrained; unconstrained; free and easy; uninhibited; without restraint/constraint., not having to be confined in the inner courtyard, and not having to get married.

Shen Yuhan looked at some of Shen Jiyu’s burial objects and small objects related to his life, and his thoughts also quietly changed.

The older brothers retreated in order to protect gers, so they also hope that he can live well, and don’t want him to get married.

In the words left behind by Shen Jiyu, it is indeed recorded that the Shen family chose to withdraw from the court because of his death.

Over the past few days, Shen Yuhan’s mind has actually been quietly changing, he really came here to find the answer, and his brothers also told him clearly that Shen Ji’s natural and unrestrained life is their expectation.

He found the direction of the answer.

Xiao Li and Brother Yan would rest on the folding bed inside at noon, Shen Yuhan couldn’t sleep anywhere like them, so he took Shan Qihuan’s letter and walked to the tree outside.

He gently tore open the opening of the envelope, there was only one page inside, a light blue letter paper with a perfume smell.

The words were like the person he was.

Shan Qihuan’s temperament is displayed in his words, which is majestic, and extraordinary, Shen Yuhan’s heart beats wildly when he looks at his words, counting the days since they were separated, it has also been five or six days, in the past, when they were separated, they would video chat and WeChat every day, but now they only had one message a day, after seeing this letter, Shen Yuhan realized that his longing for him surged out like a tide.

His fingers tightened slightly as he held the letter, and his eyes were filled with tears, only after wiping it off did he see the words on the letter clearly.

–

Wife:

I’ve always called you that in my heart, you are my wife, and you will be my only wife. Perhaps it’s because we have never really been separated from each other since we got married, I miss you more than ever. In recent days, I have been thinking over and over again about what we have done in the past six months or so that we have been together.

I just want to tell you, that these six months or so have been the most important in my life, it was also the happiest days, I have experienced the warmth of family, and also the feeling of being loved.

You said that our marriage was an arranged marriage, I don’t deny this, however, as I got to know you, gradually I no longer felt that this was an arranged marriage, I only thought that we were joined together because of love, apart from the matter of obtaining the certificate, everything after that is based on my personal wishes.

I have never told you seriously, that I am attracted to your every move every day, when you laugh, I will feel happy, in my heart, I will be happier than you when you laugh, and I will be sad when you cry, and I will be more uncomfortable than the crying you.

Not to mention the shortcomings brought by my original family, I have also reflected on myself and recognized myself more clearly, I am indeed not very good at expressing my feelings, I just think that giving you material things will make you happier, but obviously, I am very wrong, I think I don’t know you well enough, and I don’t care enough about you.

Thank you for always tolerating my various shortcomings, I don’t know what kind of answer you are looking for, and I don’t know what kind of things you are hiding in your heart either, if you are willing to talk, I am willing to listen, if you are not willing to talk, I can also accept it. I never thought that my partner would change, there would be no one more suitable to be my lover than you, don’t sell yourself short, you are the best here for me, no one is better than you.

In my eyes, everything about you is good, and I’m the only one with shortcomings.

Your husband hopes you can come home soon, don’t suffer outside, I will feel distressed.

Your husband, Shan Qihuan

–

This is a letter full of sticky words in every line, Shen Yuhan also saw that modern people’s direct expression, was really not subtle at all, but Shen Yuhan felt warm in his heart.

During the few days he stayed with the archaeological team, he regularly reported to Shan Qihuan that he was safe, while Shan Qihuan would also reply with ‘I understand’, he once thought that Shan Qihuan had become more indifferent to him, but seeing him appear in Liangshui Village, his mood had improved since yesterday.

It’s because he misunderstood, and can’t figure it out.

His husband had no intention of separating from him.

After reading the letter, Shen Yuhang rubbed his slightly cold hands and asked into the air: “Is the bodyguard here?”

A voice came from behind the tree, and a tall body appeared in front of Shen Yuhan: “Here, what are your orders, Mr. Shen?”

Shen Yuhan knew that his husband would definitely send people around to protect him: “You can deliver a letter to Shan Qihuan for me later.”

He turned around and went back to the house, looking for paper and a pen to start writing.

He has been using a modern pen for the past few days, he has gotten used to it, but he still prefers to use writing brushes.

Never mind, let’s do this for now.

He wrote a line of words on the paper, folded it, and put it into the envelope Shan Qihuan gave him, the letter inside had been taken out by him and stuffed into his pocket.

After the bodyguard left with the letter, he went back to work, finishing early so he could go home early.

He can’t go to Shan Qihuan now, because he’s afraid that he won’t be able to help but want to go home with him right away.

–

Shan Qihuan received a reply from Shen Yuhan, which contained only a few words: Husband, I have received the letter.

He turned over the paper again and again, there’s nothing more? Is there nothing else he wants to say to him?

Could it be that there is a hidden trick, he almost wanted to give the paper a little spray of water, reason made him stop this idea.

It seemed that his wife still wanted to remain separated from him!

Maybe his letter is not sincere enough, then make persistent efforts¹⁴再接再厲 (zài jiē zài lì): to continue the struggle (idiom); to persist; unremitting efforts; to make persistent efforts; to redouble one’s efforts; to keep up one’s good work; redouble/intensify one’s efforts; work ceaselessly and unremittingly., and continue to write!

Shan Qihuan began to write love letters to his wife with his most serious attitude, and the content of the letters became more and more explicit.

With ‘love’ as the main theme, and ‘affection’ as the supplement, he wrote a thousand words eloquently¹⁵洋洋灑灑 (yáng yáng sǎ sǎ): (of writing) at great length; voluminous; flowing (of speeches, articles etc) (idiom); write copiously and fluently; describe an article or conversation that is rich, lively, and continuous..

The bodyguard had to act as a messenger again, which was an easy job.

–

The exchange of letters between the two became more and more frequent, Shen Yuhan’s living standard in the archaeological team getting higher and higher with the arrival of his husband, every day’s meals were specially prepared, the entire archaeological team knew that the big boss is his partner!

Now Shen Yuhan is teased every day when he sees his colleagues: “Xiao Shen, what did you eat today?”

Shen Yuhan almost died of shame and anger, his husband was really too high-profile!

On this day, Shen Yuhan was still working in the temporary work area, when it suddenly started to rain heavily outside.

When it was time to get off work, he followed the archaeological team’s car down the mountain, it rained heavily, and as soon as he got in the car, his trouser legs were wet.

There are many thunderstorms in the south in spring, the mountains are foggy and visibility is very low, the drivers are experienced drivers who go to the mountains every day.

They took the archaeological team’s car back to Liangshui Village every day, and the trip up and down the mountain actually only took fifteen to twenty minutes.

Sitting in the car are Shen Yuhan, Xiao Li, Brother Yan, Brother Lin, and other people, they have been here for some time, and are used to the spring rain in the south, but no one expected that after the car moved forward for ten minutes, everyone in the car heard a loud bang!

At the same time, Shan Qihuan is looking forward to his wife returning to the village after work, he has made up his mind, he must have dinner with his wife today, and also sleep in the same bed, they haven’t spoken to each other for almost half a month.

But after waiting for a long time, he still didn’t see the archaeological team’s car coming down the mountain.

Later, he heard someone say that the village was organizing personnel to go to the mountain for rescue, it turned out that the archaeological team’s car going down the mountain encountered a landslide, and was crushed by a falling tree.

Shan Qihuan became flustered when he heard this, and immediately called Shen Yuhan with trembling hands, but the other party’s mobile phone could not be connected!

Shen Yuhan, answer the phone!

The author has something to say:

Continue with the small red envelope~~

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me between 2021-04-26 12:05:15~2021-04-27 12:07:04 or irrigated me with nutrients!

Thanks to the little angels who threw the landmine: [T/N: Lots and lots of usernames]; Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!

• 1
  拋磚引玉 (pāo zhuān yǐn yù): lit. throw out a brick and get jade thrown back (idiom); to toss a brick to attract the jade; cast a brick to attract jade; fig. to attract others’ interest or suggestions by putting forward one’s own modest ideas to get the ball rolling; throw a brick to allure a gem—(a polite expression, self-deprecatory) to offer one’s own relatively worthless words, opinions, or services in order to attract others’ more valuable contributions; (original meaning, rare) to achieve success by goading one’s opponent; One of the Thirty-Six Strategems, originally in reference to tossing brickbats at one’s enemy to get an (exploitable) reaction or win a greater prize.
• 2
  開源節流 (kāi yuán jié liú): lit. to open a water source and reduce outflow (idiom); to increase income and save on spending; to broaden the sources of income and economize on expenditure; tap new sources of supply and reduce consumption.
• 3
  力所能及 (lì suǒ néng jí): as far as one’s capabilities extend (idiom); to the best of one’s ability; within one’s power; within one’s ability; to the best of one’s ability.
• 4
  實不相瞞 (shí bù xiāng mán): to tell you the truth; to tell you honestly; to be frank/honest with you.
• 5
  清官難斷家務事 (qīng guān nán duàn jiā wù shì): even an honest and upright official will have difficulty resolving a family dispute (proverb); even upright officials find it hard to settle family quarrels; even a just official finds it hard to settle family quarrels/disputes.
• 6
  吃苦耐勞 (chī kǔ nài láo): hardworking and enduring hardships (idiom); to endure hardships and work hard; bear hardships and stand hard work; be hard-working and able to endure hardships; be hardy/laborious/tough/resilient.
• 7
  牽線搭橋 (qiān xiàn dā qiáo): matchmaking; act as go-between/middleman; bring sb. into contact with sb.; act as a pimp; serve as a link; introducing and matching parties who want to establish a certain relationship.
• 8
  大張旗鼓 (dà zhāng qí gǔ): on a grand scale; in a big way; with great fanfare.
• 9
  獨立自主 (dú lì zì zhǔ): independent and autonomous (idiom); self-determination; to be independent and one’s own master; to act independently; to maintain control over one’s own affairs; maintain independence and keep the initiative in one’s own hands; be up on one’s own feet; be one’s own master; stand on one’s own; to pursue a foreign policy of peaceful development, autonomy and self-reliance.
• 10
  多姿多彩 (duō zī duō cǎi): varied and colorful; splendid; diversity (of forms and colors); elegant and graceful posture; very charming and colourful; describe various colors and forms.
• 11
  有聲有色 (yǒu shēng yǒu sè): having sound and color (idiom); vivid; dazzling; full of sound and colour―vivid and dramatic; describe a speech or performance that is wonderful and vivid.
• 12
  離經叛道 (lí jīng pàn dào): to deviate from the Confucian classics or the orthodoxy; to deviate from the mainstream thought or norms; to rebel against orthodoxy; to depart from established practices.
• 13
  無拘無束 (wú jū wú shù): free and unconstrained (idiom); unfettered; without care or worries; unrestrained; unconstrained; free and easy; uninhibited; without restraint/constraint.
• 14
  再接再厲 (zài jiē zài lì): to continue the struggle (idiom); to persist; unremitting efforts; to make persistent efforts; to redouble one’s efforts; to keep up one’s good work; redouble/intensify one’s efforts; work ceaselessly and unremittingly.
• 15
  洋洋灑灑 (yáng yáng sǎ sǎ): (of writing) at great length; voluminous; flowing (of speeches, articles etc) (idiom); write copiously and fluently; describe an article or conversation that is rich, lively, and continuous.