RMCF: Chapter 37

 

Chapter 37

After blowing out the lamp, the two tried again. With the previous experience and having looked at the book, Zhang Fangyuan felt full of confidence and started clumsily, thinking there should be no problem this time.

However, once actually trying, nothing felt right. It really was that saying: what you learn on paper always feels superficial.

The illustrations in the book were good, but they went by quickly, had no explanatory text, and only showed the surface-level postures and moves. None of the crucial parts were learned. In the end, Xu He suffered even more.

“Does it still hurt?”

Xu He gritted his teeth, his eyes reddening. “Mm-hmm!”

“…”

Zhang Fangyuan deflated again. Although he wasn’t comfortable either, hearing Xu He’s voice almost breaking with tears made his heart ache unbearably, so he had to stop.

Xu He almost felt like becoming a monk.

Both were wide awake with no sleepiness, which only made the situation more awkward. After a long while, Xu He asked softly.

“Is it because I’m not doing it right that it’s like this?”

Zhang Fangyuan lay flat on his side, breathing lightly. Hearing this, he said, “How could that be?”

“Is it because we didn’t finish reading it?”

“…”

"That swindler selling the book must have tricked me. It has nothing to do with that. I'll go deal with him tomorrow."

“Really?”

“Of course.”

Xu He was silent for a long time. Lying flat, his fingers pressed against the bedding. “Should we sleep now? Or…” try again?

Zhang Fangyuan felt he’d let Xu He down. “Let’s sleep now.”

“Are you angry?”

“Huh? Angry about what?”

Xu He found it hard to speak, but the dark room undoubtedly gave him courage. “Then why… why aren’t you holding me to sleep?”

At first, he wasn’t used to it, but later he found being held in an embrace gave him an extraordinary sense of security. Sleeping at night, even if his hands and feet weren’t under the covers, he didn’t feel afraid. Moreover, he believed Zhang Fangyuan only held him to sleep when he was physically and mentally content.

Now, he had to sleep by himself—wasn’t that because Zhang Fangyuan was angry?

Zhang Fangyuan was taken aback for a moment, then the corner of his mouth curved. No longer lost in thought, he quickly shifted his body like an eager dog and pulled the slender Xu He back into his arms. Both let out a sigh of relief at the same frequency. The two who had been tense just moments ago became close again.

“I was afraid I made you uncomfortable earlier and that you were unhappy, didn’t want me getting so close anymore.”

“I wasn’t.” He liked being held by him.

Hearing this, Zhang Fangyuan buried his face in Xu He’s neck and rubbed against it.

The two let go of their misgivings and fell asleep in each other’s arms.

The next day, Zhang Fangyuan overslept a bit. When he woke up, the bedding beside him was no longer warm. He hurriedly scrambled up.

Xu He had already prepared breakfast and set the bowls and chopsticks neatly in the main hall. He was just about to call him when the man came out. "Time to eat."

Seeing it was millet congee and a steamer basket of steamed buns with even, delicate white pleats, Zhang Fangyuan exclaimed in surprise, “Where did such nice buns come from!”

Xu He wiped his hands, a smile on his face. “Made them this morning.”

Zhang Fangyuan reached out to grab one, but Xu He slapped his hand. “Go wash your face first. The water's ready.”

“Yes.”

The buns were filled with minced cured meat, both lean and fatty, lightly stir-fried in a pan to render the fat, then mixed with chopped scallions to create the filling. After steaming, the buns could be pinched open in the middle; the cured meat's oil had been absorbed somewhat by the scallions. Paired with the bun dough, each bite was fragrant without being greasy, even tastier than the fresh pork buns in town.

Making buns at home meant you could put as much filling as you wanted, unlike bun shops in town where the filling had more vegetables than meat and was only about the size of a fingertip. Of course, farming households usually couldn’t afford to put much filling either. However, Xu He made these buns specifically for Zhang Fangyuan, aiming for good flavor, so he put in more filling than town buns.

Zhang Fangyuan ate three in one go and also drank a bowl of congee. Xu He slowly nibbled on one bun, occasionally stealing glances at the person in front of him to see if he enjoyed the taste.

The feeling of having food ready upon waking was excellent, but Zhang Fangyuan still said, “Why didn’t you wake me up? Don’t do that in the future. Making buns must be troublesome. How early did you get up?”

Xu He thought going out to earn money took a whole day, so letting him sleep a bit more in the morning was fine. It was just making breakfast and feeding the horse—these chores were already quite light for him.

“It’s fine.”

Zhang Fangyuan sighed, then put two more buns in Xu He’s bowl. “Finish them.”

Then he turned and went into the bedroom. Shortly after, he came out carrying a box and pushed it in front of Xu He.

“All the household money is here. You manage it from now on.”

Hearing this, Xu He quickly set down the bun in his hand. The money in the box was clearly separate from the wedding gifts received earlier. He glanced briefly—there were bits of silver and also copper coins—clearly Zhang Fangyuan’s entire savings.

The Xu family might not have had much else, but one thing he thought was good was that Xu Changren gave most of the money to Liu Xianglan to manage. Having the money in Liu Xianglan's hands didn't actually benefit him, but it didn't prevent people from thinking the couple was harmonious.

Zhang Fangyuan’s fourth uncle’s wife had joked with him, telling him to manage Zhang Fangyuan well. He knew it was just teasing. Zhang Fangyuan was a grown man, and to outsiders, he was quite assertive. How could a mere ger like him manage him?

But now, Zhang Fangyuan was bringing out all the household money for him to see and wanted him to manage it. He felt both delighted and somewhat apprehensive.

“You need to make purchases and do business. Having the money in your own hands is more convenient.”

“It is convenient, but spending money also becomes more convenient.” Zhang Fangyuan smiled. “Didn’t you say we should save up to rent a shop? If the money stays in my hands, who knows how many years it’ll take.”

Xu He was a bit tempted. This family had no elders above them and no children below. Right now, it was just the two of them. He did want to manage the money—not for any other reason than to make their household life better.

Only… he’d just been here a few days, and Zhang Fangyuan was already handing over the family assets to him.

“Take it. From now on, if you want to buy something, or the household needs something, just take the money yourself to buy it. No need to ask me for money anymore.”

Zhang Fangyuan knew the the hardship of asking others for money. In ordinary households where the wife or ger didn't manage the family’s assets, the money they could control themselves was usually the betrothal gifts from the husband’s family and some dowry from their own family. Given the Xu family’s nature, he knew Xu He probably had little to no money of his own.

Even with the closest of people, asking for money always made one feel inferior. If the other person had a bad temper, one might even have to put up with a sour face. Zhang Fangyuan had thick skin; asking his wife for money wasn’t hard for him. But Xu He, after all, married into the family; he wasn’t born and raised in the Zhang household. His personality was a bit aloof, so he definitely wouldn’t find it as easy to ask as Zhang Fangyuan did.

After some persuasion, Xu He hesitantly agreed. “Then if you need money, come and get it.”

Only then did Zhang Fangyuan nod with satisfaction.

“I'll come back early tonight and bring back a fish for dinner. Don't prepare any other dishes. Our family should eat meat every day.”

After breakfast, Zhang Fangyuan prepared to go to town. He took the lunch box Xu He prepared for him. “Don’t do too many chores at home either.”

“Mm.” Xu He thought fish was always cheaper than meat, so he didn’t stop Zhang Fangyuan. “Then I’ll use wild vegetables to cook the fish tonight.”

Watching the cart grow smaller and smaller in the light of dawn, he suddenly lowered his head, the corners of his mouth curving up, then turned back into the house. There were still seven or eight buns left. He decided to pack some and send them to Xiaomao’s family.

Noticing the money box symbolizing the household’s financial authority, he sat down and tidied the messy contents: one tael of broken silver and over a thousand copper coins. The total wasn’t much, not even as much as the betrothal gifts for marrying him, but it still exceeded his expectations.

Zhang Fangyuan spent money so freely. That he could still have this much left after buying a horse and getting married showed he really was skilled at making money.

He carefully returned the money to the bedroom. Now that they were married, there weren’t any major expenses for the time being. Saving diligently would make life better and better.

Feeling happy, after delivering the things to Zhang Shicheng’s house, he prepared to go dig for wild vegetables. Hearing this, Xiaomao said he wanted to go with him. Thinking more company would be nice, he agreed. The cousin-in-laws set off, one carrying a basket on his back, the other holding a smaller basket in hand.

“Eldest Cousin's Wife, I've been wanting to come find you to play these past few days, but my parents won't let me.”

Xu He furrowed his brows upon hearing this. “Why?”

“Mother said you and Cousin A-Yuan just got married, told me not to bother you.”

Hearing this, Xu He pursed his lips, his gaze softening. “It's fine. If I'm not going to town to sell vegetables, you can come find me anytime.”

“That's great!” Zhang Xiaomao jumped up happily, the basket hanging on his arm swinging back and forth—a carefreeness Xu He hadn't had at that age.

Xu He's mood also brightened with the child's joy.

The hillside where Xu He and Zhang Fangyuan went last time had been picked clean by the couple. Today, he decided to go to another hillside. The thorny bud sprouts he took to town yesterday sold quite well; he wanted to find more this time.

“He Ger!”

The pair walked with light steps. Someone behind them called out, trying to catch up. Xu He turned at the voice. “Mother?”

Liu Xianglan, out of breath, scolded immediately, “Getting married made you think you're something great! Seeing your mother working in the fields, you don't even say hello.”

“I didn't see you.”

“Who knows if you really didn't see or just pretended not to!”

Xu He didn't want to argue over useless things with Liu Xianglan here. Instead, he asked, “Is there something?”

Liu Xianglan straightened her back. “Your Second Sister's marriage to the Fei family is set! The eighth day of the fourth month!”

It was already late March. Xu He calculated. “That's not many days away.”

Liu Xianglan had not a trace of asking for a favor in her tone. “You know there aren't many days left too! The family is busy preparing your sister's wedding dress and all the dowry items—too busy to cope. If you're free, come back and help the family with some work—cutting grass, bringing the ducks home. Look, it's almost April, and the two fields haven't had rice seedlings sown yet. It might be too late for seedlings soon. Anyway, it's not far. You work fast; going to help wouldn't be a big deal.”

Xu He saw Liu Xianglan's hair was a bit disheveled. He knew before, when he lived at home, she always kept her hair neatly combed and tidy. She really did seem like someone who’d been too busy. However, “If I were free, I'd come help. The problem is, my own household is busy too.”

“What are you busy with?! Don't think I don't know Zhang Fangyuan's fields are managed by his Fourth Uncle. When they're too busy, they just hire help. I just heard you went to town with Zhang Fangyuan yesterday to sell wild vegetables. You have time to sell vegetables, but no time to help the family! Your father is still lying in bed. Don't forget he gave you money for your wedding dress back then, you ungrateful wretch!”

“Mother, I've never heard anyone say earning money is idle business." Xu He said coldly, "Is only Second Sister's marriage a big deal? My husband's family's matters aren't? Once married, you still expect me to go back to my maiden home to do chores like cutting grass and feeding livestock? Might as well bring the livestock to the Zhang family to raise. Does Second Sister have broken hands and feet, can't she do household chores?”

Liu Xianglan, infuriated by Xu He's rapid-fire sarcasm, gritted her teeth in pain. “You little brat! Having a butcher backing you up makes you think you're something! Now you know how to slack off. You get married and stop working diligently. The Zhang family will surely get tired of you sooner or later. When that time comes and he doesn't care for you anymore, don't come crying to the family.”

“Eldest Cousin's Wife, let's go.” Seeing Liu Xianglan's unreasonable, aggressive manner, Xiaomao didn't even want to greet the elder. He pulled Xu He's hand to leave. “Once the sun comes out, it'll be hard to dig vegetables.”

“What's it to you!”

Seeing the ger speaking up for Xu He, Liu Xianglan scolded Zhang Xiaomao immediately.

“Now Cousin-in-law is part of our Zhang family! If you scold him again, I'll tell Cousin A-Yuan when he gets back that you bullied Cousin-in-law!”

“Eldest Cousin's Wife, let's go quickly!”

With childlike insistence, Zhang Xiaomao grabbed Xu He's hand and ran. Pulled along, Xu He ran too. Liu Xianglan watched as Xu He, showing no respect for elders, actually ran off. With a bellyful of anger and nowhere to vent it, she stomped her feet on the spot, cursing loudly.

 

***

 

T/N

Our baby Xu He is opening up, even requesting to be hugged to sleep~

(∩˃ᴗ˂∩)

 

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