RMCF: Chapter 34

 

Chapter 34

The couple descended the mountain carrying and hauling their load. They hadn't caught any game this time. Zhang Fangyuan even joked about selling his hunting tools to the other hunters.

However, today he had struck a deal with Wang Jiu, and the hunter had given him half a rabbit, so it wasn't a complete loss.

By the time they reached home, the sun was setting. Xu He started a fire to cook. As soon as the food was put in the pot and kept warm, he eagerly went to sort out the wild vegetables they had brought back from the mountain. He never expected that after marrying, he'd actually gain a helper to do chores with him.

Zhang Fangyuan took out the large winnowing basket from the house and spread the dug wild vegetables and bamboo shoots on it to air out. Xu He went over, picked up the bundle of wild onions and put them in a foot basin to rinsed the roots. He washed the white bulbous parts of the small wild onions that had been buried in the soil until they were clean and white. He said to Zhang Fangyuan, “I can handle these myself."

Meaning Zhang Fangyuan could go inside and rest.

It was like this back in the Xu household too. He would be busy cooking and tending to the livestock, while Xu Changren, returning from work, would wash his hands in the yard and then go to the main hall to rest and wait for the meal. His mother would sweep the courtyard, and Xu Shaochun would usually be fiddling with something in her room.

It wasn't just their family; actually, most households in the village were like this. The men would rest upon returning home, while the women and ger took care of the housework.

Zhang Fangyuan just patted Xu He's head and didn't respond to his suggestion.

Xu He, sorting the onions, glanced at the busy Zhang Fangyuan, feeling a warm ripple in his heart.

That evening, the two ate another meal of leftovers from the wedding banquet. Quite a bit had been given away today, and since Zhang Fangyuan could eat a lot in one sitting, there wasn't much left.

They had sweated a lot on the mountain. After eating, they took turns rinsing off. Zhang Fangyuan, who washed first, wore only shorts reaching halfway down his thighs. He lay back on the bamboo chair, one arm pillowing his head, the main hall door wide open, waiting for Xu He to finish washing so they could go to sleep together.

He Ger truly didn't talk much. They hadn't said much since returning in the evening; if Zhang Fangyuan didn't initiate a conversation, Xu He could go half a day without saying a word. Even so, as Zhang Fangyuan gazed out at the dark yard from the main hall, he still felt the house had become much livelier.

In just one short day, he felt this once-empty home was now filled everywhere with the sight of Xu He busily working. Even without words, he felt deeply content.

In the past, he would never have lounged alone in the main hall in such a relaxed posture for so long.Once it got dark, he would have retreated to his room early. No matter how strong a person is, they ultimately fear loneliness.

“All done washing.”

Xu He came out carrying his clothes and saw Zhang Fangyuan leaning back in the chair with his legs crossed. The man's defined muscle lines were fully visible from this angle, the abdominal muscles distinct, quite different from his own soft belly. Remembering how this man had pressed down on him like that last night, his ears inexplicably grew warm, and he slightly averted his gaze.

“Oh~ Did your hair get wet? Do you want me to dry it for you?”

Seeing him come out, Zhang Fangyuan quickly retracted his sprawled limbs. He noticed Xu He's hair was tied up neatly. Although he wasn't wearing an outer garment, he had on long sleeves and pants, covering himself quite thoroughly. Not even a bit of his chest was visible at the crossed collar neckline.

He thought he might feel a little disappointed at not getting an eyeful, but Xu He being like this actually made him even more excited. He wanted to pick him up and throw him on the bed right now. However, thinking back to their less-than-harmonious interaction the previous night, he calmed down again.

“Didn't get wet. I'll go wash the clothes first.”

Zhang Fangyuan reached out and pulled him back. “Wash them tomorrow.”

Xu He didn't like putting off work until tomorrow because there was always so much to do each day. Slacking off today meant he might not finish tomorrow's tasks. “It's fine.”

“Zhang Fangyuan!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Xu He suddenly felt his feet leave the ground. In a panic, he realized his husband had lifted him by the legs and, taking advantage of his slightly bent waist, effortlessly hoisted him over his shoulder. Scared and not knowing what to do with his hands and feet, he flusteredly wrapped his arms around Zhang Fangyuan's neck. “Put me down right now!”

Zhang Fangyuan agreed and then put him down—on the bed.

Xu He was still clutching the clothes they had just changed out of. Kneeling on the soft bedding, his chest was still rising and falling rapidly. Zhang Fangyuan took the clothes from his hands, tossed them onto a nearby stool, pulled back the quilt, and tucked him inside.

He got up again to close the doors and windows properly, then came back in, blew out the lamp, and slipped under the covers.

Xu He rarely went to bed this early. Lying next to Zhang Fangyuan, he couldn't sleep. After lying flat for a while, Xu He felt a hand slide around his waist.

He knew it… The room was pitch black, and he resignedly closed his eyes, preparing for another ‘lesson’.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Fangyuan only wrapped an arm around his waist and habitually draped a leg over him, pulling them close together. But he stopped there and didn't do anything else.

Xu He thought this person rushed him to bed early, wasn't it because of last night's business? Why isn't he moving now?

Could he have noticed Xu He’s unwilling? But he didn't show anything! Or maybe he thinks wanting to wash clothes was just an excuse? It wasn't!

Xu He pondered carefully. As long as Zhang Fangyuan himself wanted it, even if Xu He felt uncomfortable, he would cooperate. He didn't understand men well and wasn't good at expressing himself or saying pleasing words to make others happy. But he still wanted Zhang Fangyuan to be happy as much as possible.

“You…”

Zhang Fangyuan felt the person in his arms shift. He opened his eyes. “What's wrong?”

“Tonight, aren't you…” Xu He couldn't find the right words to describe that blush-inducing matter. After a long pause, he managed, “…going to teach me?”

“…”

How could he not want to.

It was fine if it wasn’t brought up, but now that it was, it felt like the shower earlier was wasted.

Zhang Fangyuan still just held Xu He honestly. He didn't want his wife to think he was a beast with only that on his mind. It would be fine if it were harmonious, but the problem was it wasn't.

Even someone as quiet as Xu He couldn't help but cry out in pain. His confidence was truly a bit shaken. He couldn't just seek his own pleasure and leave Xu He unhappy.

“We'll talk about it in a couple of days. I'm a bit tired today.”

“?”

Xu He could hardly believe his ears. When he carried him earlier, he seemed energetic enough to plow ten mu of land in one go. Now he's saying he's tired? They didn't do that much work today, did they?

Even if he couldn't decipher a man's thoughts, he knew this wasn't the truth. But he couldn't very well insist on being taught, could he? Actually, not being taught was best, to avoid the ordeal. But he only thought that for a second.

How could one back down from a challenge?

“If you want to, I… it's okay.”

Zhang Fangyuan, with astonishing willpower, said, “Not doing it. Sleep.”

Xu He could only nod.

Well, now another question arose.

Should he act happy about this, or should he act regretful?

Someone tell him! He truly wished the sky would never darken, so these awkward issues that made them both uncomfortable wouldn't arise again.

“Then… let's rest early. Shall I make noodles for you tomorrow morning?”

Zhang Fangyuan replied hoarsely, “…Okay.”

Xu He pursed his lips, reached out to tuck the quilt corner around the big fellow, covering the exposed, firm chest.

The chest could be covered, but desire could not.

Zhang Fangyuan sighed softly.

With no nighttime activities, both woke up early the next day. Xu He kneaded the dough, made the noodles, all in one smooth motion. He chopped the leftover braised pork with preserved mustard greens from the banquet into minced meat with the mustard greens, ladled the cooked noodles into a bowl, poured the topping over them, and sprinkled some chopped scallions on top. Zhang Fangyuan ate a large bowl before heading out.

He hitched the horse to the cart. “I mentioned before that there's a household in the neighboring village. I'll go see if they're willing to sell today. Don't wait for me for lunch.”

Xu He, collecting the bowls and chopsticks, acknowledged with a sound. He didn't go out to see Zhang Fangyuan off, but watched from the kitchen window as the man left the yard before scooping water from the pot to wash the dishes. After tidying the kitchen, he washed the yesterday's clothes and hung them in the yard. After finishing all that, he realized he he didn't have much else to do.

At least, there was nothing that absolutely had to be done that day. This actually troubled him a bit. He really was born to toil; feeling idle made him somewhat uncomfortable.

Finding things to do, he went inside and swept all the rooms. He also sorted out the large chest he brought when he married, hanging his few pitiful pieces of clothing in the wardrobe Zhang Fangyuan had prepared for him.

The enormous wardrobe was empty, as vast as a clear sky with just a few drifting clouds. He turned and hung Zhang Fangyuan's clothes in there too. Only then did the wardrobe start looking like one.

On the hanging rod, the clothes on one side were long, wide, and large. The ones on the other side were noticeably shorter, at least two sizes smaller. The mix of long and short lengths looked somewhat endearing.

Xu He closed the wardrobe door, stood in front of it, and slightly curved the corners of his lips.

“Master Zhang the Butcher, you've finally come! We've already boiled water at home. We weren't sure before, worried you might not show up.”

As soon as Zhang Fangyuan reached the neighboring village, he saw the family he'd agreed with—old and young—peering down the road outside their yard from afar, multiple times.

“Since we agreed, even if you changed your mind and decided not to sell, I'd still come by to ask clearly.”

“Good, good, good. It's good you came. Perfect timing, we can slaughter the pig and you can have lunch before heading back.”

Zhang Fangyuan glanced at the sun, still not very high, and thought of the noodles he ate at home this morning. He waved his hand. “I've got things to do, can't stay.”

“Let's go. See the pig.”

The pig raised by this household wasn't very robust. By eye, it looked to be only around 150 jin. It would shrink after slaughter, falling short of Zhang Fangyuan's expectations. But he was well aware that he couldn't always come across good ones. However, he wasn't running a charity; if the quality wasn't up to par, he directly reflected that in the offered price.

“Eight wen.”

The old man stood with his hands behind his back, not answering, his face clearly showing disappointment.

This wasn't Zhang Fangyuan's first time buying a pig. When searching for purchases, he'd sometimes leave some benefits for the seller to make the deal more acceptable. “You can keep the pig's blood, heart and lungs for your own family to eat.”

The old man’s expression immediately improved, and he readily agreed. A farmer of a lifetime knew that a scrawny pig wouldn't fetch a high price; it was good enough if the butcher was willing to offer a bit of a deal.

Zhang Fangyuan set to slaughtering the pig. He worked quickly, finishing the entire process in less than two hours and loading the pork onto his own cart.

The old man hadn’t expected Zhang Fangyuan to work so fast. He hurriedly tucked away the money and struck up another conversation. “Master Zhang, do you take sheep*? We’ve raised two, and they’re nice and plump now.”

*sheep — yang 羊 , can translate to sheep or goat; since the animal the word refers to is usually contextual, I’ll translate it as sheep; however the specific animal is often assumed based on what is more common in the local region,...

Zhang Fangyuan’s brow furrowed slightly. He hadn’t sold sheep before. He could try, but today was definitely not possible. He’d already promised to sell wild game; how could he take on sheep as well?

“I’ll remember, next time. If you have goods in the future, you can leave a message at the stall or come to my house.”

The old man didn’t press. “Alright, let’s keep in touch.”

Zhang Fangyuan urged the horse home. He arrived home just after the hour of Wei (1 - 3pm), when it was hottest. The yard, empty when he left in the morning, now had clothes drying and several large winnowing baskets added in just one morning.

He jumped off the cart and took a look. The baskets were drying blanched spring bamboo shoots and fiddlehead ferns. The bamboo shoots were already sliced. Xu He had found a pickling jar that hadn't been used for a long time under the kitchen cupboard and was scrubbing it clean to start making pickles. Hearing the horse outside, he immediately put down his work.

“So early? Have you eaten?”

Zhang Fangyuan said, “The host family didn't prepare any.”

Xu He’s brows knitted. What family was so stingy? “Go inside and rest. I’ll make you something to eat.”

“Have you eaten?”

Zhang Fangyuan ignored the pork in the yard and strode straight into the kitchen. He saw that in just one morning, the kitchen looked as if it had been scrubbed clean. He was slightly surprised. In just half a day, just how much work can this little ger accomplish?

“Not yet.”

“Perfect. Let's stir-fry the pork liver then.”

Xu He wanted to say that eating meat every meal like this was too extravagant and not frugal. But thinking that Zhang Fangyuan did physical labor, he himself could do without, but his husband couldn't. So he agreed.

“This pig isn't very big. Which parts do you want to keep?”

Zhang Fangyuan made the arrangement himself. “Keep a section of the fatback for lard. You can render it later for cooking.”

Xu He nodded.

“What else?” Zhang Fangyuan sorted through the offal. “Want to eat the liver?”

hang Fangyuan felt Xu He wasn’t one to pick and choose. He tore off two of the leanest pork tenderloins himself. “Tomorrow I’ll set up the stall in town. We can cook these to take for lunch.”

Xu He thought this man… No wonder He Shi (fourth aunt) said he's wasteful and needs to be managed.

While the two were discussing what to eat for lunch, another person arrived outside. Xu He recognized him as Wang Jiu, whom they’d met on the mountain yesterday. He had come to deliver the mountain goods.

“Just got back from slaughtering a pig?”

“Yes.” Zhang Fangyuan invited him inside to sit. Xu He went in first to pour water. Wang Jiu placed the basket he was carrying under the eaves for Zhang Fangyuan to inspect the catch.

Two wild rabbits, four wild pheasants, and a young goat weighing over thirty jin—all fairly common game. Fortunately, he hadn't bought the sheep from the neighboring village, or he’d have overstocked.

Game like this wasn't very fatty, but the taste and texture were different from the pork common folk usually buy and cook. Scholars call it a delicacy from the mountains. Even if it doesn’t satisfy hunger as well, it sells for more than pork. Wild rabbit meat is twenty wen per jin, pheasant is even more nourishing and ten wen more expensive than rabbit. Goat meat is the most expensive at forty wen per jin*.

*jin 斤 — traditional unit of weight, 500g / 0.5kg, 1 jin = 10 liang (teals) or 100 qian, for further reference; I’ll briefly mention currency here: a copper coin or wen, round with a square hole (that’s how they can be stringed together), 1.000 coins = 1 teal of silver, the same as the unit for weight — so ‘teal’ for silver and ‘liang’ when referring to weight

These were the market prices for wild game. If it were domestically raised, the price would be much lower. Also, these are prices for meat after the pelts have been removed. For raw, unprocessed goods like these, and at wholesale prices, he certainly couldn’t pay that high.

After a brief discussion, they settled on a purchase price of about eight to ten wen below the market price. After a simple weighing, Zhang Fangyuan gave Wang Jiu a total of one thousand three hundred and fifty wen.

It was Xu He who came out to count the money.

Zhang Fangyuan politely invited Wang Jiu to stay for a meal, but Wang Jiu declined. Instead, he selected a portion of pork liver and a heart from the cart, deducted forty wen from the payment for the game, and happily headed home with his pick.

Xu He felt a pang of heartache. Half the gift money from the wedding was gone just like that. He prayed the wild game they’d bought would sell well.

 

***

 

T/N

Xu baby you money grubber

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happy new year my darlings~ thank you for all the lovely comments ヾ( ˃ᴗ˂ )◞ • *✰ and your patience! I've been sick over the holidays but I'm finally back in business

if you're also like me and like binge reading books, sorry for the slow updates! here's a recommendation for your further readings with similar ancient farming setting (if you haven't read them already): Transmigration of Mian, one of my all time favourites ❤︎, The Only Favourite Ugly Husband and Back to the Countryside ~

 

 

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