RMCF: Chapter 20

 

Chapter 20

Zhang Fangyuan, holding his breath, finished turning the soil before his anger finally subsided. He planted the hoe handle in the ground and sat on it, sweat beading on his forehead.

He took a handkerchief from his waistband to wipe his sweat, glaring at Xu He who stood nearby.

“Don't have any more contact with Fei Lian from now on.”

Xu He stared at the all-too-familiar handkerchief in Zhang Fangyuan's hand, which had apparently been kept close to his chest for who-knows-how-long. The tips of his ears burned fiercely. Faced with the man's harsh tone, he refused to show weakness. “Why should I listen to you?!”

“Whatever he gives you, just tell me, and I'll buy it for you.” Seeing that raising his voice didn't intimidate Xu He but instead made him more prickly, Zhang Fangyuan's mind was in turmoil. He was angry but didn't dare vent it, ultimately deflating and softening his tone instead. “Just consider it me begging you, alright?”

Seeing Zhang Fangyuan's nearly pleading expression, Xu He's entire ears turned red. “You… why are you saying these things to me?”

Then he added, “Besides, he didn't give me anything much, just wrote a few characters to teach me.”

Zhang Fangyuan's thick eyebrows moved. “Although I never properly attended an academy, I can read and write too. If you want to learn characters, I can teach you as well.”

Xu He didn't answer. He actually wanted to tell Zhang Fangyuan that Fei Lian was about to become his brother-in-law, that he had no real connection with him, and that someone like that wouldn't possibly want to have any kind of relationship with him anyway.

But his mother had instructed him not to spread the news before things were completely settled. Otherwise, if any problems arose, it would be hard to find another match, and if she found out he had talked, he'd face trouble at home.

Seeing him fall silent again, Zhang Fangyuan felt restless and irritable all over, uncomfortable in every way. “Why aren't you saying anything?”

“What do you want me to say?”

“Say you understand! Say you'll come find me if you need anything in the future!”

Xu He was exasperated but could do nothing with Zhang Fangyuan. “You… why are you like this?”

Seeing that Xu He wouldn't say what he wanted to hear, Zhang Fangyuan sulked for a moment by himself, then spoke again. “Why aren't you using the hair ribbon I gave you? Don't you like it?”

“No.” Xu He squatted down to cut the new spring weeds, planning to feed the ducks later when he returned. “Who wears something that nice to work in the fields?”

Zhang Fangyuan's heart immediately felt elated. “Then wear it for the Flower Festival in a few days.”

“…”

“Wear it. I want to see you wearing it.”

“We'll see then.”

Hearing voices in the distance, Xu He glanced at Zhang Fangyuan, who seemed to have taken root in the field, and urged quietly, “You should go back now.”

“You chase me away as soon as I've finished helping you with the work? I didn't see you chasing Fei Lian away! Are you really that unwilling to see me?!”

He was getting worked up again.

He wasn't like this before.

Xu He could only try to smooth the ruffled fur of this large dog. “If you stand here like a post, what will people think if they see? They'll just talk nonsense again.”

Although Zhang Fangyuan didn't care much about his own reputation—it was already in tatters—Xu He was, after all, a ger, different from a man. Hearing this, although displeased, he didn't argue. He stood up by himself. “Fine, I'll go then.”

His tone was sour.

“…“

“See… see you next time.”

“Then, on the Flower Festival, at the beginning of the Xu hour, I'll wait for you at the Haitang Bay!”

Xu He looked up and saw Zhang Fangyuan's eyes instantly shine, as if a big tail had grown behind him, wagging vigorously at him.

Having said that, without waiting for his agreement or refusal, Zhang Fangyuan scrambled up the ridge and ran off in a flash.

Xu He gripped the sickle. The redness from his ears had already spread to his usually impassive cheeks.

… 

The second pig Zhang Fangyuan bought was somewhat small, yielding less meat than the first. But it didn't sell as quickly as the first one, either. Firstly, at that time it was still before the fifteenth, and more people were buying meat. Secondly, fatty meat sold better.

It took several days, but fortunately, it finally sold out. However, he barely made a thousand wen. The butcher trade earns money faster than ordinary work, but he spent money freely and wasn't very good at saving. Recently, while setting up his stall in town, he ate and drank there and bought various things. The money he had managed to save up was only two thousand wen.

Adding the over one thousand wen left from pawning the bracelet earlier, the total he had now was four thousand wen.

Today, he went to another village and secured another pig. Tomorrow, he planned to slaughter it and transport it directly to town. He needed to sell this newly slaughtered pig before the Flower Festival.

Just as he returned home, Zhang Fangyuan heard Chen Si had come from outside, carrying a pot of rice wine.

The two of them worked in unspoken understanding; one opened the wine, and the other fetched food from the kitchen.

Chen Si noticed a plate of braised mutton exuding a distinctive aroma, and swallowed hard ad his mouth watered. “You're really making money now!”

Zhang Fangyuan sat down, leaning back in his chair. “What money? It's just the beginning. This is the mutton I promised you before. Although the Winter Solstice has passed, I'm making it up to you now.”

Chen Si wolfed down the meat, speaking indistinctly,”You're too polite, hehe.”

Zhang Fangyuan ate the braised meat and drank the rice wine intermittently. Watching Chen Si devour the food, he suddenly said, “What do you think, how do I compare to that only son of the Fei family?”

Chen Si looked at Zhang Fangyuan, puzzled. “You're both only sons. What's there to compare?”

Zhang Fangyuan kicked him under the table. Chen Si winced in pain. “What do you want to compare? One of you is a butcher, the other a scholar. There's a phrase in the books, what is it… 'poles apart'! There's no comparison.”

“Then if you were a girl or a ger, and had to choose one as a husband, who would you pick?”

Chen Si found Zhang Fangyuan somewhat baffling and didn't want to engage in such hypothetical assumptions. But pressured by Zhang Fangyuan's solid, powerful fist gradually clenching, he still said, “If I were a ger, I'd choose you.”

“Why?”

Chen Si slapped Zhang Fangyuan's rock-hard chest and grinned suggestively. “Look at this physique, so robust. How can some pale-faced scholar compare?”

“Get lost!”

Zhang Fangyuan stretched out his leg, and Chen Si fell to the ground with a thud.

…

Fei Household.

When Fei Lian arrived home, his mother had just returned from the fields. Seeing her son home for the break, she was overjoyed and hurriedly scooped a ladle of water from the jar by the yard to wash the mud off her hands. “Mother will cook something nice for you.”

“Alright.” Fei Lian went to his room to put down his book bag. Afraid of dirtying his academy uniform at home, he changed out of it as well.

“The tutor reviewed the essays I've written recently and said I've made significant progress. There's great hope for the county exam.”

After changing, Fei Lian went to the kitchen and proactively reported his studies at the academy to his mother.

Hearing her son's words, Mother Fei couldn't hide the smile on her face, as if the monthly stipend specially allocated by the court for scholars, were already in her hands, and the fertile fields too, while the villagers were already green with envy. “My son is promising, there's hope for the Fei family to prosper! It hasn't been in vain; your father and I working hard all these years to support your studies."

Fei Lian pursed his lips and threw a broken piece of firewood into the stove. “Mother, I am not young anymore. In two years, I will be almost twenty.”

“Although scholars often marry late, still…” Fei Lian didn't have the nerve to finish the sentence. “After I take the county exam this time, if I achieve good results, I was thinking…”

Mother Fei naturally understood her son's desire to marry. She said comfortingly, “My son has grown up. Even if you didn't mention it, Mother had this intention. Since you've brought it up now, I might as well discuss it with you.”

“A while ago, I visited the Xu family. I had a very good talk with Madam Xu. After you finish your county exam, we will go to the Xu family to propose.”

Hearing this, Fei Lian's hands trembled with excitement, his eyes instantly shining brightly. He suddenly stood up from the front of the stove. “As the saying goes, ‘none knows the son better than the mother’. You truly understand my heart, Mother.”

“Sit down, quickly.” Seeing her son so happy he was disoriented, Mother Fei was also pleased, yet felt a slight, indescribable discomfort. She didn't understand why she felt this way, but continued, “You and Shaochun get along well. That girl is truly beautiful, fresh and likely fertile. In the future, when Lian'er becomes an official, having her by your side will also be a credit to your face.”

Fei Lian, however, was stunned. The smile on his face instantly froze. “Shao… Shaochun… Mother settled on Shaochun?”

“Who else could it be? The Xu family only has two children. It couldn't possibly be Xu He, could it?” Mother Fei said, puzzled. “A ger isn't inherently bad, but his qualities and Lian'er's are completely mismatched. Betrothing him would surely make us the laughingstock of the village!”

Fei Lian said anxiously, “But… but I…”

Mother Fei was taken aback. She lifted her eyelids, looking at her son's unwilling expression, and said in shock, “Lian'er, don't tell me you've taken a fancy to Xu He!?”

Fei Lian didn't speak, only hung his head.

Mother Fei put down the spatula and hurriedly came around the stove to stand in front of Fei Lian. She even began to wonder if she had been too strict with her son, not allowing village girls or ger near him, leading to some warped thinking. “That Xu He is tall and thin, dark as a dried-up monkey, with a strange, aloof personality! What does Lian'er see in him?! His Second Sister is the most eye-catching girl in our village! Even men from neighboring villages have their eyes on her!”

She listed a whole basket of Xu Shaochun's virtues and disparaged Xu He thoroughly. But Fei Lian's face showed a pained expression. “This child thinks He Ger is quite good. He's diligent in his work, doesn't cause trouble, and most importantly, he's eager to learn and willing to study. But Shaochun… she's good too, she has the appearance of a beautiful, virtuous wife… but she doesn't love reading or writing…”

Mother Fei shook her head repeatedly. “Let's not even mention 'for a woman, lack of talent is a virtue.' Xu He is definitely not acceptable. Even if you didn't want Xu Shaochun, it couldn't be Xu He. It would truly make us a laughingstock. His appearance doesn't match yours. Not only would I disagree, your uncles and other relatives wouldn't agree either. Do you really want Mother to be laughed at by everyone around? Mother has worked so hard for your studies. Would you defy your parents' wishes? Would you make your parents sad..."

Seeing Fei Lian remain silent for a long time, Mother Fei suddenly began to cry. ”Mother raised you to be so big, not asking for you to repay us anything, only wishing for you to listen to your parents. Now you're grown, you have your own ideas, you ungrateful child.”

“Mother, Mother, that's not what I meant.” Fei Lian, seeing his mother so distraught, said, “I… I will listen to you.”

Seeing this, Mother Fei's sobs subsided. “Really?”

Fei Lian closed his eyes in pain and nodded.

“Mother only wants what's best for you.”

“I know…”

 

***

 

T/N

hello there lovelies ~ thank you to all who comment! it brightens my day that someone's actually reading ahhh love you 

 (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)

sorry for the break from regular posting... I've been a little swamped with life, some other projects and a new job so

 

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