LW chapter 58

 

After counting the money, packing up the empty cart, and paying the rent, they returned to the village together.

Meng Qi was a little excited along the way. He drove the cart and chattered, “Brother, let’s do this again. This really makes money.”

Zhou Yuan tapped his head. “I already told you, too much isn’t fresh anymore.”

Meng Qi held his head, not quite understanding these twists and turns. But it didn’t matter. He was obedient and did whatever Zhou Yuan said.

At the entrance of the village, Zhou Yuan handed Meng Qi the remaining goods, along with some silver.

Meng Qi almost jumped. “Hey, what is this for?”

“This means letting you try something new.” Zhou Yuan said as he placed the items in Meng Qi’s hand.

“It’s fine to try something new, but why give me money?” Meng Qi held the fruit. “I was just helping you weigh it. That wasn’t important work.”

Zhou Yuan hid his unconditional trust in Meng Qi, but truthfully, he felt a little stressed. He had initially planned to take them along, but he was delayed for so long because he had to go to Yunxi City to treat his godmother’s illness.

“Oh, you don’t have to feel burdened. While you were away for a month, Shuanzi and I went out to earn money, and I could spend more time with my wife at home.”

Zhou Yuan didn’t continue talking and threw the goods at Meng Qi. “You and Shuanzi split it evenly. We’re going home first.”

After saying that, he ignored him and took Chen Qing home.

Back home, Zhou Yuan spread all the family savings on the bed. He didn’t touch the two hundred taels of silver notes that he had brought back from the capital. Their daily expenses came from previous earnings and money earned at the military camp.

With the money earned today, their family was now much better off.

Chen Qing had no concept of money. No matter how much Zhou Yuan had, Chen Qing only kept his own small pouch. Everything else depended on Zhou Yuan.

They came back just in time for the autumn harvest. Although they had rented out their own land, Aunt Sun’s land was still planted. Zhou Yuan decided to help his mother harvest the corn and then pick up Li Xin and the others in Yunxi City.

The plot of land on the mountain was still the same, but the number of people working there had increased from two to three. Chen Qing still clung tightly to his arm and neck, and this year he could almost keep up with Aunt Sun in terms of work.

Zhou Yuan helped them shell the corn for a while. After the corn was piled up, he began carrying it down the mountain.

Seeing Zhou Yuan leave, Aunt Sun smiled and said, “Last year, I never imagined life would be like this a year later.”

Last year, they were worried about transporting the corn from the field back home, but now they worked with ease.

Chen Qing and Aunt Sun worked very efficiently. After harvesting all the corn, they cut the stalks, which could be used as firewood after drying.

There was plenty of sunlight on the mountain, so the corn matured a little earlier than that in the fields below. After harvesting the corn on the mountain, the fields below would need to wait two more days.

Chen Qing followed Aunt Sun to pick corn at home and prepare it for drying. Zhou Yuan had something to do and left again.

Aunt Sun looked at Chen Qing. “Where did Zhou Yuan go?”

Chen Qing shook his head. “I don’t know. He said he was going to the county town.”

“I don’t know. He said it was for business.” Someone came to see Zhou Yuan yesterday. Chen Qing hadn’t heard what they said. Zhou Yuan told him at night that he would go to the county town today.

When he left, he took the silver notes he had brought back from the capital and the money they had earned beforehand.

“You should also care about him.” Aunt Sun felt a little helpless. “Don’t you ask what your husband does?”

Chen Qing shook his head, but his hands didn’t stop. “I don’t understand.”

Fortunately, Zhou Yuan knew Chen Qing’s character, otherwise, there would be problems between them.

Chen Qing only smiled foolishly. In fact, since marrying Zhou Yuan, his temperament had become much cheerier. Now, when he met someone in the village, he would stop and nod. He was no longer as nervous as before and would run away immediately.

“What are your plans for the future?” Aunt Sun asked.

Chen Qing looked up blankly. What are your plans for the future? Isn’t living a good life with Zhou Yuan enough?

Aunt Sun stood up and stroked his hair. “It’s good like this. Aqing used to work so hard, but now he can live more easily.”

When Zhou Yuan came back, Chen Qing was already cooking. At night, a wave of heat still blew with the wind. After helping Aunt Sun peel the corn husks, Chen Qing returned home. He sat in the lounge chair in the courtyard and waved the fan in his hand.

Zhou Yuan bought this lounge chair from a carpenter after they got married because he noticed that Chen Qing always liked sitting in a lounge chair.

When the chair was first brought home, however, Zhou Yuan moved it back into the room instead of placing it in the yard. For a while, Chen Qing didn’t want to look at the chair. As time passed, he was willing to lie down on it.

As the sky gradually darkened, Zhou Yuan still hadn’t returned. After sunset, it finally cooled down. Chen Qing’s hand waving the fan slowed, and his breathing became smoother.

Zhou Yuan came home and tied up the oxen first. Seeing Chen Qing sleeping through the wall, he walked very quietly into the courtyard.

Chen Qing leaned back in the lounge chair. It was so hot outside that his shirt wasn’t buttoned all the way up, revealing his smooth neck.

A palm-leaf fan partially covered his nose.

Someone squatted beside Chen Qing’s lounge chair and stared at him for a long time. His direct, passionate gaze made Chen Qing feel danger even in his sleep. He slowly opened his eyes. As he did, Zhou Yuan kissed him through the fan.

Chen Qing smiled. “You’re back?”

Zhou Yuan helped him up. “Why did you fall asleep? Were you tired?”

When Chen Qing put his hand on Zhou Yuan’s arm, Zhou Yuan hissed. He immediately became more alert. He opened his eyes and saw a small amount of blood at the corner of Zhou Yuan’s mouth. Regardless of the bright daylight, he pulled at his clothes and found that he was also injured.

As he leaned closer, Chen Qing could smell the alcohol on him.

“Where did you go? Why are you injured?” Chen Qing was nervous and flustered. He tried to get medicine, but he tripped on his left foot and almost fell.

Zhou Yuan was quick and caught him. “Listen to me. It’s just surface wounds. Nothing serious.”

The memory of his father being killed by thieves made Chen Qing anxious, and his hands trembled. “What happened?”

“I didn’t want to be an escort, but it’s difficult to start my own agency. Just then, the Zhenwei Escort Agency in this area wanted to take action. The county magistrate stepped in and said that I could take over the agency.”

Actually, it had been delayed for a long time. It should have been taken over more than a month ago, but something came up, so they hadn’t been able to respond to the county magistrate.

Chen Qing leaned against his chest and listened.

“Besides the two leaders, there were five other escorts at the Zhenwei Escort Agency. Since the two leaders split up, they had to sell the agency. I’m new here, and although I have the county magistrate’s support, I can’t help but feel uncertain.”

Chen Qing raised his head. “So what?”

“When men solve problems, fists speak louder than words.” Zhou Yuan lifted his hand. “I fought with five escort leaders.”

Chen Qing’s face twisted in anger. “Five of them beat you up?”

“Of course not. They came one by one. Don’t worry, they’re more injured than I am.” Zhou Yuan stroked Chen Qing’s hair and kissed his cheek again. “Don’t worry. I’m fine.”

He also explained the smell of alcohol on his body: “I went out to eat after the fight, so I came back a little late.”

Chen Qing said, “Then drink some porridge and take a bath. I’ll apply some medicine to your wounds later.”

Chen Qing accompanied him as he ate porridge. In the summer, Chen Qing’s appetite was small. They left some cucumbers for themselves. Chen Qing smashed them and added vinegar. He ate the cucumbers until he was full.

After eating, Zhou Yuan washed the dishes and boiled water while Chen Qing found medicine for his wounds in the room. After Zhou Yuan finished bathing, he returned to the room shirtless, sat by the bed, and waited for Chen Qing to apply the medicine.

As Chen Qing applied the medicine, he sighed, “Mother asked me today what our future plans are.”

Zhou Yuan lowered his head to look at him.

Chen Qing continued, “I don’t know what my future plans are.” As he spoke, he blew gently on his wounds again.

“Actually, I think our life now is very good. We raise chickens and ducks, keep pigs, and farm our own land.” He sighed and looked into Zhou Yuan’s eyes. “But I know you have ambitions.”

He knew that Zhou Yuan bore the burden not only of his own family but also of Meng Qi, who admired and followed him. He couldn’t be selfish and ask Zhou Yuan to stay home with him and raise livestock. Zhou Yuan deserved a bigger world.

Leaning closer to Zhou Yuan, Chen Qing said, “I just hope that while you pursue your ambitions, you won’t get hurt and will come home safely.”

Zhou Yuan’s heart softened like a pool of water. Regardless of anything, he pulled Chen Qing into his arms and held him tightly.

How could he not love Chen Qing?

Zhou Yuan couldn’t find the words to describe him. When he first met him, Chen Qing was the strongest vine growing in the village, surrounded by mountains and rivers. The last time they met, Chen Qing was like a red-eyed rabbit, hiding in his own world and not daring to lift his head.

Now, with red eyes, Chen Qing told him that he only hoped he would be safe.

Suppressing the unease in his heart, Zhou Yuan only wanted to quietly hold Chen Qing at that moment.

Recently, they had been harvesting corn. To maintain their physical strength during the day, they slept at night. Chen Qing moved away a little and started blushing again. “Look at you. The medicine’s wasted.”

After saying that, he applied the medicine to his wounds again and inevitably saw the scars that had formed from previous injuries.

Chen Qing had always been shy in the past. Even when they were both naked, he didn’t dare open his eyes to look at Zhou Yuan. Seeing his body with no smooth skin left, Chen Qing felt so distressed that he wanted to cry.

Zhou Yuan didn’t dare let him look any longer for fear that he would cry again from heartbreak. He hurriedly put on his clothes and lay down with him on the bed.

Fearing that Chen Qing would be unhappy, Zhou Yuan racked his brains to coax him. He talked about his days in the army, but there wasn’t much to say because the army was full of rough men who spoke vulgar words.

Chen Qing always liked to curl up into a small ball after falling asleep. During the first two days of their marriage, Zhou Yuan hadn’t realized that Chen Qing was not used to his bed because he was too tired at that time.

It was also because he slept too lightly that he discovered Chen Qing quietly rolling out of his arms at night. At first, Zhou Yuan thought he held Chen Qing too tightly, but he later realized that Chen Qing couldn’t sleep.

He had wandered for too long, feeling that nowhere was his destination. Later, he finally met Aunt Sun, and after five years, he began to treat Meng Tao’s room as his home.

Chen Qing, longing for stability, told Zhou Yuan today that he only wanted Zhou Yuan to come back to his side in one piece.

Zhou Yuan listened to Chen Qing’s short breaths and looked at his peacefully sleeping face. He thought that he was now Chen Qing’s home, and wherever he was, that was where Chen Qing’s home would be.

Before, he hadn’t worried about gains and losses, but when he held Chen Qing in his arms at night, he wondered what his life would be like if Meng Tao had returned safely.

After all, Chen Qing was Meng Tao’s husband, and everything he had now should have been Meng Tao’s. But on what grounds? It was his grandmother who first arranged for Chen Qing to come live with them. If she hadn’t died, Chen Qing would be living in their courtyard, waiting for Zhou Yuan to return.

Zhou Yuan’s thoughts drifted far away and were finally pulled back by Chen Qing’s hand on his chest. Why think so much? After all, Chen Qing was his now.

 

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