LW chapter 60

 

After returning, Zhou Yuan didn’t have any free time. The next day, he took Meng Qi and Meng Shuanzi back to the region.

He pulled out all his savings and bought the Zhenwei Escort Agency. When he went to pick up Li Xin and the others, he brought two carts of goods from Yunxi City. This time, instead of selling them one by one, he handed everything over to Xiankelai. The money from this sale covered the escort agency’s expenses for this period.

The escort agency’s operations were already well-established. Zhou Yuan wasn’t as patient outside as he was in front of Chen Qing. If there were troublemakers at the agency who were dissatisfied, he wouldn’t talk much, he would just give them money to leave.

No one could refuse money, so after the chaos of the previous period, the Zhenwei Escort Agency got back on track.

This meant that Zhou Yuan had to take another long trip.

When Zhou Yuan spoke with Chen Qing about it, Chen Qing had already accepted that he would have to part ways with Zhou Yuan in the future.

Under the dim light, Chen Qing helped Zhou Yuan pack his bag. Afterwards, he climbed onto the bed and took his purse out of the box next to it. The purse was heavy.

He poured out its contents, and a peace amulet fell into his palm along with a few copper coins and small bits of silver.

The copper coins came from selling handkerchiefs, and the bits of silver were given to him by Zhou Yuan.

“Take it all. They say the poor family becomes wealthy on the road. There’s nothing to spend on at home.” Chen Qing tucked the purse into his bag.

Zhou Yuan took out the purse again. “I don’t need to spend money. The escort agency will cover all expenses. Don’t worry about me.”

Chen Qing rarely showed any expression on his face. “But I worry. It’s only right for you to take it with you.”

Zhou Yuan held his face and kissed his lips. “All right, I’ll listen to you and take it all with me.”

As the boss of the Zhenwei Escort Agency, Zhou Yuan didn’t often need to travel far. This time, however, the amount of silver being escorted was very large, so the head guard asked Zhou Yuan to accompany them.

After packing, Zhou Yuan took down the knife hanging on the wall. After Li the blacksmith reforged it, the knife was sharp enough to cut iron. Zhou Yuan cherished it greatly and took it out from time to time to wipe off the dust.

Although he supported Zhou Yuan’s ambitions, Chen Qing couldn’t suppress his worry.

“Don’t be afraid. We’ve escorted together before. We’ve been escorting together for years, there won’t be any problems.”

Chen Qing nodded, but there was still worry in his eyes.

“While I’m away, you can play with Li Xin or stay with your mother. Wouldn’t it be better for you to keep her company?”

Zhou Yuan reached out and hugged him. “Next spring, I’ll take you out again, and we’ll go somewhere farther away.”

Chen Qing curled up in his arms and nodded. Zhou Yuan set him down and placed his luggage in the corner of the room. He didn’t feel relieved, though, and began taking off his clothes.

As soon as he saw his movements, Chen Qing knew what he wanted to do, so he instinctively crawled deeper into the bed.

The deeper he went, though, the more he fell into the hunter’s trap.

The red gauze wedding curtains had been replaced, and no matter what, Chen Qing couldn’t reach the lifeline.

Only after the storm did a little peace return. Chen Qing said, “Just once, I’ll get up and see you off tomorrow.”

“Alright.” The man on top of him seemed unaware of what he had just agreed to.

Zhou Yuan seemed to enjoy watching him try to escape, constantly tugging at his ankle to pull him back whenever he thought he had succeeded. Through his misty eyes, Chen Qing saw a slightly wicked smile on Zhou Yuan’s face.

Zhou Yuan would never show this expression at ordinary times, and only Chen Qing could see it.

Soon after, Chen Qing was caught in a heavy downpour again, leaving him no time to think.

The next day, he couldn’t get out of bed. Zhou Yuan kissed him for a long time at the bedside. Seeing that time was almost up, Zhou Yuan left.

After Zhou Yuan left, Chen Qing was no longer sleepy. He turned onto his side, touched the spot where Zhou Yuan had slept, and closed his eyes to rest.

Zhou Yuan’s absence wasn’t that difficult, and Chen Qing had many things to do.

He woke up early, cooked for himself, swept the yard, and took the cows out to graze. After returning, he ran over to Aunt Sun’s to help with chores. Sometimes he ate with Aunt Sun and sometimes he went to find Li Xin.

Since returning from Yunxi City, Zhang Yin’s illness had completely healed. Sometimes, Chen Qing would see her hoeing the fields outside her house.

When he went to help, Zhang Yin said, “Doctor Yu said I’m no different from ordinary people now. If I’m always lazy and do nothing, that would be bad.”

They trusted Doctor Yu very much. At first, Li Tiejiang didn’t agree with Zhang Yin working so hard. However, after hearing Li Xin’s opinion, he reluctantly agreed. Zhang Yin wanted to farm, but their land had been rented out for a long time, so they just leveled a small area for her to grow vegetables.

Half a month after Zhou Yuan left, Li Xin began learning blacksmithing from Li Tiejiang.

When Chen Qing first heard about this, he was stunned. Then, he remembered to go to Li Tiejiang’s shop.

The shop was located a bit away from the village because the sound of forging was too loud. However, it was also on the main road. A flag with the words “Li Blacksmith Shop” written on it fluttered at the roadside.

As Chen Qing approached, he could hear the sound of hammering.

Even before entering, Chen Qing felt a wave of heat. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and saw Li Xin holding a hammer and repeatedly striking the piece in front of him. Li Xin didn’t even take the time to wipe his sweat.

Li Xin saw him coming, stopped what he was doing, and looked surprised. “Ah Qing, why are you here?”

Chen Qing looked at his flushed face. “I came to see you.”

Li Xin walked away from the furnace and pulled Chen Qing outside to talk. “It’s hot inside. Let’s talk here.”

Chen Qing looked at him and asked, “Where’s Uncle Li?”

Li Xin pouted. “He went back to be with my mother. Now, he’s just the boss and doesn’t get involved.”

Chen Qing wiped his sweat with a handkerchief. “Are you tired?”

Li Xin nodded. “At first, it was tiring. A few days ago, I couldn’t even lift my arms. My father said that once I get through it, it’ll be fine.”

He lifted his shirt sleeve to show his arm. “Look. Now I can handle forging for Zhou Yuan.”

“Why did you suddenly start learning blacksmithing?” Chen Qing asked.

Li Xin smiled. “When I saw Shopkeeper Tian in Yunxi City, I felt dazed and confused, not knowing what I wanted to do. After interacting with him more, he taught me not to be bound by who I am—a ger, a man, or a woman—but to just be myself and do whatever I want.”

After saying that, the smile on his face faded a little. “My mother’s health hasn’t been so good these past few years. While we were away for treatment, my father worked day and night. I don’t want my mother to be healthy while my father falls sick.”

Chen Qing held his hand. Li Xin’s hands used to be soft and callus-free, but many calluses had formed on his palms in the past few days, and his once fair hands now bore many scars.

Chen Qing felt moved and a little sorry for him. However, this was Li Xin’s own choice, and what mattered was that he was happy.

“Don’t worry about me. I like blacksmithing too. I think it’s great.” Li Xin put on his usual careless smile and said, “If you’ve got nothing to do lately, come keep me company. After all, my sworn brother isn’t home.”

Chen Qing nodded. “Alright, I’ll bring you food in the future.”

Day after day passed, and Luohe Village didn’t seem to have those cool, pleasant autumn days. Before they realized it, the weather had turned cold.

When it wasn’t too cold outside, Chen Qing cut lots of grass to dry for the cows and piled it in the woodshed. On the rare days when Li Xin didn’t have to work as a blacksmith, he went up the mountain to cut firewood and carried it home. Although Zhou Yuan had said they could buy charcoal in the winter, Chen Qing was frugal by nature and felt firewood was more suitable.

After Zhou Yuan left, Chen Qing’s life became very orderly. In the mornings, he helped Aunt Sun with chores and went to the shop to meet Li Xin. He brought his embroidery basket with him. While Li Xin worked at the forge, Chen Qing embroidered handkerchiefs. Recently, he had embroidered several handkerchiefs.

Li Xin took the opportunity to drink water and come look at him. He said the handkerchiefs were getting better and better. However, Chen Qing himself didn’t think so. The handkerchiefs he embroidered featured nothing more than flowers and birds.

Li Xin didn’t know how to appreciate them, but he said, “Just by looking at these handkerchiefs, I can tell you’re thinking about my sworn brother!”

Chen Qing blushed. He didn’t deny that he had embroidered them for Zhou Yuan.

Li Xin reached out to touch his hair. “Let’s go to the city tomorrow. I need to buy some things. You bring these handkerchiefs. You haven’t sold any in a long time, have you?”

Chen Qing nodded. He hadn’t gone back to the shop since the last time the shopkeeper said his handkerchiefs weren’t fresh. In fact, it had already been over a year.

“Then let’s go tomorrow. If that shopkeeper dares to lower the price, I’ll beat him with my big fist.” Li Xin raised his strong arm and threw two punches.

Of course, Chen Qing agreed. He needed to go to the city anyway. Aunt Sun had been coughing for the past two days, so he could also buy her some medicine.

The day they went to the city was the first day of winter. By then, Zhou Yuan had been gone for more than two months, and it wasn’t clear if he would make it back for the New Year.

The two of them rode the oxcart to the city. There were freeloaders on the road. Li Xin charged them one or two coins for a ride. In the past, Chen Qing wouldn’t have dared to say anything and would have let them take advantage of him.

But now, with Li Xin by his side and thinking of Zhou Yuan, Chen Qing also dared to fight back.

When they arrived in the city, they went to sell the handkerchiefs first. The shopkeeper noticed Chen Qing’s manner and was slightly surprised.

He looked at Chen Qing. “This man…” He wanted to say that he was like the second spring, but he didn’t dare because of the man beside him.

“Shopkeeper, just name the price.” Li Xin was a little impatient.

“Twenty coins per piece,” the shopkeeper said.

Li Xin thought it wasn’t bad, but he still bargained with the shopkeeper. In the end, he negotiated the price to 28 coins per piece. Chen Qing had brought five handkerchiefs, totaling 140 coins.

He looked at Li Xin with shining eyes. In the past, the shopkeeper had only paid him 15 coins for each handkerchief he had embroidered.

“You embroider well,” Li Xin said.

Chen Qing held his purse and saw someone selling candied haw on the roadside. Despite Li Xin’s objections, he bought one for him.

Li Xin licked the candied haw as he scolded Chen Qing. “Embroidering handkerchiefs is tiring, and they only sell for a little over 20 coins each. Yet you still buy me candied haws. You have too much money to spend.”

He also mentioned that they had been too busy this year to go up the mountain and pick mushrooms and wild fruits. There were plenty of red mushrooms on the mountain. They could make them themselves for cheaper than buying them.

Chen Qing wasn’t angry about being scolded. The two of them went hand in hand to the pharmacy. Chen Qing wanted to buy cough-relieving herbs, such as licorice root and loquat leaves. These medicines were common and inexpensive. While they were waiting for their medicine to be wrapped at the counter, a familiar voice came from behind them.

“It’s just an ordinary stab wound. It won’t be a big problem. Just change the dressing every two days.”

“Thank you, doctor.”

Chen Qing’s eyes widened. He could clearly hear Zhou Yuan’s voice from the room.

He didn’t care about anything else nor did he think about whether anyone was watching. He lifted the curtain behind the clinic and met Zhou Yuan’s gaze.

Chen Qing’s gaze moved downward and he saw the white bandage on Zhou Yuan’s arm with faint red stains on it.

Zhou Yuan: …

Li Xin ran over with the medicine and saw Zhou Yuan as well as Qi Shuning standing by his side.

 

---

You can read the full completed story here with instant full access. ✨