People these days paid attention to the phrase "one shampoo every three days and one bath every five days." Qi Yun was no exception.
Although the Qi family wasn't comparable to the big wealthy families in the city, they were still considered to be the richest among ten miles and eight villages. There's the village and shops, no shortage of charcoal fire, and affordable hot water.
Qi Yun's body alternated between hot and cold. Ye Jiao made sure that he was under the blankets and resting, but the room was hot due to the charcoal fire. Sometimes when he woke up, he would be sweating all over and needed to wash more diligently.
However, Qi Yun's bath time was different from Ye Jiao's. His wife liked to bathe at night, but Qi Yun always chose to take a bath during the day so he doesn't get cold during the night.
He also bathed when Ye Jiao was away, and it was the same today. Originally, this was the time when Ye Jiao took the stone bud pot to bask in the sun. Ye Jiao didn't know if it was because she was tired of kicking the shuttlecock, but she took a deep nap and didn't wake up. Qi Yun took advantage of this time to utilize the water and bathe.
He knew his body and bones. Qi Yun was born with inadequate and weak health. He was well-fed, and wouldn't suffer a loss in height, but he was still thinner than an ordinary man.
For others, Qi Yun didn't care what they thought of him.
When replaced by Ye Jiao, Qi Yun was very concerned about this person's opinion of him.
Until now, Ye Jiao hadn't really seen what Qi Yun looked like in the bathtub.
There you go, now you can clearly see and have a good look.
When Ye Jiao uttered "so white", Qi Yun subconsciously grabbed the towel next to the bathtub and directly covered his waist.
In fact, Ye Jiao hadn't looked that carefully yet. Her eyes kept rolling around the man's chest. She looked down when she saw him doing this. As a result, Qi Yun slightly raised his voice: "Jiao Niang!"
The Little Ginseng didn't know what happened between men and women. She also didn't know what Qi Yun was trying to do with his waist.
But when she heard Qi Yun calling her, Ye Jiao continued staring at him with a pair of beautiful eyes and replied with a smile: "Xiang Gong, this is the first time I have seen you undress." She leaned over, pulled her sleeve up, stretched it over Qi Yun's shoulder and compared it: "Look, it's almost the same."
Qi Yun looked over subconsciously and saw a jade-white arm, but his skin color was unhealthy and pale.
They were both white, but Jiao Niang was as beautiful as jade and thin as paper.
Ye Jiao's thoughts were that Xiang Gong's neck was good-looking, his chest was flat – different from her own – and his ears… Hey, why are Xiang Gong's ears red? Is the water too hot?
At this moment, Qi Yun tilted his head to look at her, facing Ye Jiao with his slightly raised face.
He thought he would see shyness or dissatisfaction with him on her face, but Qi Yun only saw a pair of clear, translucent eyes like a lake whose bottom you could see.
… Yes, what kind of nonsense is he thinking about?
Jiao Niang doesn't understand anything. She is pure and naive, unlike the crazy thoughts in his head.
Ye Jiao's pure expression made Qi Yun feel a lot more secure. There was a smile on his face, and his voice was gentle when facing Ye Jiao: "Jiao Niang, go outside and wait for me; I'm almost done washing."
Ye Jiao listened to him. Hearing those words, she immediately dropped her sleeve and turned away from behind the screen.
There came the swish of water again and what seemed to be the sound of a man stepping out.
Ye Jiao was not curious. She reached out and took a red plum from the plate on the table, biting it into her mouth.
Hiss, sour.
She wasn't detracted from her goal, and wanted to find a sweet one.
The Little Ginseng didn't like waste. After eating so much soil, she had a pious and grateful heart for any food. Even if something was sour, she'll still eat it clean.
After a while, Qi Yun finished cleaning up and someone carried out the water. The doors and windows of the outer room were opened for ventilation, and the water in the room evaporated. The two people went to the inner room.
With one sitting on the left and one sitting on the right of the couch, Ye Jiao handed over the two plums she was holding in her hand: "Here."
Qi Yun was dressed in bedclothes and a slightly heavy robe as an outer layer. He took the cup next to him, and didn't eat the plum right away. Instead, he adjusted his mood and warmly said: "How was visiting my mother in the morning?"
Ye Jiao smiled and replied: "Good. Mother had a bowl of apricot cheese and it was delicious. I don't know when I can have it again. I wanted to bring it back for you, but Mother said she only stewed three bowls. Wait for me to bring it to you next time."
She remembered a bowl of apricot cheese so easily. Qi Yun smiled at first, but immediately stopped.
Before Ye Jiao could read Qi Yun's expression clearly, she saw the man bend the corners of his mouth: "You don't have to always look after me in the room. The sun's good today. It's better to go out for a walk than staying in the stuffy room."
Ye Jiao smiled back, her voice soft: "It's not stuffy. I have nothing to do when I go out and it's very boring. Might as well come back and look after you."
Qi Yun didn't know what ordinary women liked to do. He recalled what Liu Shi liked to do and asked: "Maybe you can embroider?"
Ye Jiao was particularly frank: "I don't know how to," her voice paused, "but I can learn."
Little Ginseng had always been particularly passionate about learning how to be human.
Actually, Qi Yun regretted mentioning it. People would make clothes, but common women wouldn't know how to embroider. When Liu Shi mentioned her natal family, it could be seen that they had a good background. Because of that, she was a good embroiderer and was willing to put time into it.
Jiao Niang's family was poor and she could't eat enough nor stay warm enough. Naturally, she had never learned it.
If he asked this way, wouldn't he hurt Jiao Niang's heart?
This caused Qi Yun to quickly change the subject: "Embroidering is so arduous and difficult to learn. You don't need to learn this – you can do something else."
Ye Jiao didn't know that Qi Yun had thought about it so much, nor was she hurt. However, after hearing Qi Yun's words, Ye Jiao perked up in interest: "What can I do?"
Qi Yun's eyes swept around the room and saw that there weren't many things that could be used for entertainment.
In fact, Qi Yun knew quite a bit. He knew some piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, but none of these were easy to pick up.
After pondering it, Qi Yun said: "Give me time to think about it. I'll figure it out after dinner."
At that moment, Qi Yun thought of the plum handed over by Ye Jiao.
He took one of them and was about to put it in his mouth, but found that the plum wasn't fully whole and had a bite taken out of it.
The bite was not big; it bit through the red skin and exposed the yellow flesh, making it look particularly conspicuous.
Qi Yun looked at Ye Jiao with surprise. Jiao Niang was holding her chin and looking at him with a smile: "I tasted it. This one is sweet and delicious."
Tasted it?
Qi Yun looked down at the plum in his hand and then at her: "Why don't you eat it?"
"I just ate three or four and they were all very sour. I only found these two sweet ones." Ye Jiao still held her face and looked at him expectantly.
Qi Yun heard this but did not move for a long time.
He needed to lower his eyes to hide his emotions, and pressed his mouth to hide his joy.
Ye Jiao blinked, feeling a little strange: "Xiang Gong, can't what I had bitten be given to other people…" As she said this, she reached out to take the plum from Qi Yun's hand, thinking how there's a lot to learn about being a human.
However, Qi Yun's eyes flashed slightly. He stopped Ye Jiao's hand and gently grasped the soft fingertips of his wife with his other hand. Qi Yun softly said: "You can't take it if others have bitten it, but I want what madam has bitten." With that, he bit into half of the plum.
Ye Jiao couldn't help asking him: "Is it sweet?"
Qi Yun didn't look at the plum, but looked at her instead and nodded: "Sweet."
Very sweet, like honey. Sweetened all the way to the heart.
Ye Jiao smiled and put her hand in Qi Yun's palm, not wasting any opportunity to hold hands.
Qi Yun grabbed her backhand and watched her smile, but Qi Yun didn't know what he himself was smiling at.
However, after Qi Yun ate two plums, he suddenly remembered: "Jiao Niang, you just ate three sour plums?"
Ye Jiao nodded.
Even though Qi Yun knew that Ye Jiao had good intentions, he stretched his fingers out and squeezed her face: "Don't eat so much next time. If you eat too many plums, it'll hurt your spleen and stomach. Tell the kitchen not to cook chicken later tonight."
Although Ye Jiao knew a lot about medicinal herbs, it was because she grew up in the deep mountains. Refined medicinal herbs were found all over the ground. As the queen of nourishment, Ye Jiao naturally recognized a lot.
However, she knew little about the interaction of these foods.
She looked at Qi Yun with bright eyes: "Xiang Gong, you know all this?" Qi Yun was about to say that he learned it from a book but heard Ye Jiao's soft voice: "Xiang Gong is really awesome."
Before, when Qi Yun heard these words he would humbly deny it. But now that he's heard it many times, he's become used to it.
If Jiao Niang praised him, he'll just listen. Plus, he liked to hear it.
At this time, there was a knock on the door and Tie Zi's voice came in: "Second Young Master, Second Young Lady, Steward Song from the wine shop is here."
Although Ye Jiao knew that Qi Yun was in charge of the liquor and pharmacy businesses, she had never seen the stewards of these two shops visit the house.
Qi Yun wasn't surprised at all and said to him: "Let Steward Song wait for me in the study."
"Yes."
Ye Jiao stretched out her hand and grabbed his wrist. She pressed her fingertips slightly on his pulse, and asked: "Can you go out?"
Qi Yun held her hand instead: "The doctor said I can go out, but not at nighttime for fear of the cold. It's not a problem during the day."
Ye Jiao also felt that his body was much better now, but she didn't dare slack off. She ran to the cabinet and took out a thick robe for him to put on. Then she stared at him and fixed his collar and cuffs. After taking two steps back, she thought for a moment: "Should I go with you?"
Qi Yun rarely refused Ye Jiao, but this time he shook his head: "No need. Jiao Niang, go rest. You don't have to walk with me." However, Qi Yun told Ye Jiao in detail: "I called Steward Song here to discuss the winery with him. We'll be in the study room and I won't go far."
The Little Ginseng tilted her head slightly: "Is something wrong with the winery?"
"The wine shop is very good, and there's nothing wrong with being lukewarm (with business). We just have to plan well going forward." Qi Yun spoke and gently squeezed her palm: "Because I married you, I can't live like I did before."
After reading the ledgers for so long, he finally made a constitution. Qi Yun prepared to think more carefully about things which he was previously too lazy to deal with.
His Lady loved to eat and play, so he naturally had to find a way to make her life a bit better. So much better that she didn't have to think so much about a bowl of apricot cheese.
Jiao Niang happily ate the sour plums and left him the sweet ones. Of course he also wanted to work hard to protect her.
When he was leaving the house, Qi Yun suddenly bent down and kissed Ye Jiao on the top of her head before opening the door and leaving in strides.
Ye Jiao leaned against the door frame and held her head, looking at the back of the man who hurried away with some confusion.
Is this… a special way of saying goodbye?
Understanding dawned on the Little Ginseng's face. Learning to be human is really a long process.
The author has something to say:
Ye Jiao: This way of saying goodbye is very curious, I'll remember!
Qi Yun: … I always feel like I'm teaching the Lady strange things.
Translator Notes:
Celebrating this project getting revived with 2 chapters to start the week – enjoy! Future update schedule will be Tuesdays, Thursdays, and maybe an extra chapter thrown in that week. I'll be reading alongside while translating – thanks for joining the ride and your patience while I figure out this whole translation thing!
Qi Yun didn't realize that Ye Jiao had been following behind him on the way to the study.
Her husband's body didn't have an ordinary minor illness, but a fetal deficiency from the mom's womb. If not paid attention to, a minor illness could become a serious disease.
Although she checked his pulse and felt that the inner heat in Qi Yun's body had dissipated, she still wasn't completely at ease. Thus, she followed him.
From Qi Yun's yard to the study, she had to pass through a small garden. Ye Jiao stood by the arch of the garden and leaned her head out to look. After seeing Qi Yun enter the door, she turned around to head back.
A head turn away showed Fang Shi holding Stone and smiling to herself.
The sun was nice today, so Fang Shi went on a stroll with her son dressed in layers as a small bun. Standing next to the garden, she saw Qi Yun with a small tail.
Fang watched with curiosity, but didn't step forward to say hello.
Everyone in the family was scared of Qi Yun [1] , including Fang Shi. Even if she treated Qi Yun kindly as a sister-in-law, if she could hide from him, she would.
After Qi Yun entered the study, Fang Shi walked out and greeted Ye Jiao face-to-face.
Ye Jiao stopped and said with a smile: "Sister-in-law."
Fang Shi also nodded to her, and Stone directly waved to Ye Jiao: "Second Auntie!"
The child's voice sounded particularly crisp, and the small round body in layers of clothes was twisting around. It reminded Ye Jiao of the panda that used to chat with her before (when she was a ginseng).
They were both round and made you want to take care of them.
Ye Jiao patted his hair and didn't hug him.
When the Little Ginseng held him before, Stone was barely in her arms when he cried out because of her internal heat. Thus, Ye Jiao no longer held him since then and didn't go near other people.
Her husband had a weak constitution; as long as she's close enough that he doesn't flare up, it would be okay.
But in the case of other people, much less a small child with strong internal heat or even an ordinary person in good health, they might have a nosebleed if the Little Ginseng hugged them.
What did the Little Fox always say again…
Oh yeah, for a match made in heaven, isn't it just about yourself and your husband?
Fang Shi didn't notice Ye Jiao getting distracted. She rocked her son and smiled at Ye Jiao: "Is Second Younger Sister visiting Second Brother?"
Ye Jiao nodded: "Mm."
"Why don't you go in?" Fang Shi glanced towards the study.
Ye Jiao honestly replied: "Xiang Gong has things to do. I'll just go back and wait for him."
Fang Shi guessed that Ye Jiao was worried about Qi Yun and followed, but didn't point it out. Everyone knew that Second Brother's body was in poor health, and it wasn't polite to vocalize it.
There were many superstitious people everywhere. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it.
It was cold outside and the two sister-in-laws didn't say much, so Fang Shi returned to her yard first, holding Stone.
When Fang Shi was far away, Ye Jiao realized she didn't properly greet her goodbye. Although she said it orally, she wasn't able to perform the action she just learned (from her husband).
The Little Ginseng had a look of regret on her face. After glancing at the study, she turned back to the yard.
When Fang Shi returned to the house with the child in her arms, she seemed to be in a good mood.
As soon as she walked in, she saw Qi Zhao drinking tea.
Fang was a little surprised: "Eldest Son, why did you come back so early today?"
Qi Zhao's frame was large, different from Second Brother's frailness and Third Brother's literary temperament. Qi Zhao's skin was a little darker and he looked exceptionally strong. He spoke with vigor: "The village steward's leg is in pain. His legs hurt every time it's windy and rainy. I came back to pack my things. If it rains, I'll stay in the village to look over them."
Hearing this, Fang Shi was distressed. She hurriedly handed Stone to him and went over to prepare clothes for Eldest Son Qi. She asked: "Isn't it enough for the steward to do these things? Why do you need to go for everything?"
Qi Zhao teased his son and answered indifferently after listening: "Second Brother isn't in good health and Third Brother is studying in school. I'm the only one who can take care of the village's affairs. Although we have the family's shop, we rely more on the village's harvest. We should do our best."
Fang Shi was originally distressed, but after hearing Qi Zhao's words, she became proud again and said: "Yes, you have to run the village well and not let your parents find any mistakes."
Qi Zhao took Fang Shi's words at face value and nodded, but he didn't know that Fang had other plans in her heart.
She's the daughter of a talented scholar; even if as a daughter she never went to college, many ideas were deeply rooted.
The imperial court now encouraged business, so the merchants had no worries. Once the businesses made it big, they even donated money to officials. Still, Fang Shi's heart looked down on them.
It's true that the shops at home were given to Qi Yun, but what's so good about them? They don't make much money and couldn't be compared to the family's Eldest Son's village.
Besides, with Second Brother's bones and body… they were given in vain.
Just, Fang Shi can't say these things now. She used to talk (about this) in front of Qi Zhao and that made him unhappy. He wasn't the type to let Fang Shi destroy their brotherhood. Fang Shi never said it aloud anymore, but always thought it in her heart.
The more she thought about it, the happier she was. Only when there's a comparison can she be proud.
A moment ago, she complained that Qi Zhao was going to visit the village. Now, Fang Shi was rushing to help him pack.
Currently, Ye Jiao, who had been talked about by Fang Shi, was sitting on a bamboo chair. Wrapped in a jacket, she looked at the sky and softly spoke: "It must be about to rain."
Xiao Su looked up but couldn't see past the doorway.
Ye Jiao has seen the clouds roll in and out for thousands of years. Even if she was now an ordinary person with no cultivation skills, she still knew the subtle changes in the weather when she looked up.
Rain was common in autumn, but Ye Jiao remembered that Qi Yun didn't bring an umbrella.
Standing up from the bamboo chair, Ye Jiao went to get an oil-paper umbrella. She was ready to greet him in the study.
Coincidentally, Qi Yun was stepping into the courtyard gate and the two of them bumped into each other!
Qi Yun didn't expect that as soon as he entered the door, he would be greeted by a turbulent little lady and knocked her back two steps. After stabilizing her, he stretched out his hand as support and said in surprise: "What's wrong, Jiao Niang?"
When Xiao Su saw Qi Yun, it was like a mouse meeting a cat. She turned her head and ran out of the side door.
Ye Jiao was holding an umbrella, which fell to the floor after the collision.
Because her waist was being held by Qi Yun, she couldn't pick up the umbrella. Instead, she looked up at Qi Yun and said: "It's going to rain – I was about to pick you up."
Qi Yun patted her on the back and curled the corners of his mouth. "Thank you Jiao Niang. Next time, it's okay to call Xiao Su or Tie Zi to pick me up."
"Okay." Ye Jiao responded. Her eyes then looked behind Qi Yun.
A man stood in the distance; he looked a bit old, had wrinkles on his face, and was decently dressed. The man was looking at something in his hand that made him happy. At times, Ye Jiao could even hear him laugh.
Qi Yun touched her head and whispered: "That's Steward Song from the wine shop."
Ye Jiao pulled him into the house and couldn't help asking: "What's he laughing at?"
Actually, men rarely talked about external affairs to the people in the household. For example, Qi Zhao didn't tell Fang Shi about everything he did. After all, women couldn't help much and knowing it may even cause trouble.
However, Qi Yu was willing to talk to Ye Jiao: "I have some ideas to make money for the wine shop. He's in charge, so naturally he's happy."
Ye Jiao blinked: "Xiang Gong, are you going to be as busy as your big brother?"
Qi Yun nodded and entered the house with her. He closed the door and slowly said: "I still need to rest more this year and I won't go out until next year, but I'm afraid I'll have much less free time now."
Qi Yun knew that he couldn't go to the shop in person. His body was not as weak as before, but because of the coming winter, he was still uncomfortable and stayed at home.
However, compared to spending time waiting for death, in the future Qi Yun will have a lot of things to do.
Qi Yun thought that Ye Jiao would drag him to recuperate and not let him go. In fact, as soon as Qi Yun went to see Liu Shi, Liu Shi told him that she didn't want him messing around. It wasn't until Qi Yun made a promise that she let him go.
Who knew that Ye Jiao would nod and say to Qi Yun with a smile: "If Xiang Gong likes it, you should do it."
This made Qi Yun a little surprised: "You're not going to persuade against it?"
The Little Ginseng doesn't have too many complicated thoughts: "Do what you like. Besides, you don't go out. A winter is almost enough (to get better)."
Although Qi Yun's body won't heal completely after the winter, it should be no problem to go out for a walk.
Moreover, Ye Jiao still had the stone bud grass. It's been growing well recently and should bear fruit next year. At that time, there will be white rainbow fruit and Ye Jiao won't need to worry about Qi Yun's life being in danger.
Most importantly, Ye Jiao felt that Qi Yun really wanted to be productive.
Although the Little Ginseng recently became human and was still studying different people, her eyes were much more transparent than others.
When she met Qi Yun for the first time, she could see that he was lifeless even while he was talking with a smile. This made Ye Jiao risk sleeping in his arms all night for fear that he would take his last breath if he wasn't careful.
But these days, when Qi Yun looked through those account books that Ye Jiao didn't understand, the man's eyes were alert.
There was no lifelessness, no gloom, but a breath of fresh air.
Since he liked to do it, then he should do it. In Ye Jiao's heart, her husband was the most knowledgeable among Heaven and Earth. Naturally, she didn't see anything wrong with what he wanted to do.
Qi Yun curled his lips and softly said: "Thank you, Jiao Niang."
"But you also have to promise me to take your medicine and get a good rest. If your body is still unhealthy next year, you have to put aside these important things." Ye Jiao requested.
Qi Yun understood that she was thinking of him and immediately replied: "Okay, I promise."
Even if Ye Jiao didn't say this, he would do it. For Jiao Niang, no matter how bitter the medicinal soup was, he would drink it clean.
Only then did Ye Jiao let go of him and poured tea with a smile.
Qi Yun stopped her and said: "No need to busy yourself. I came back to retrieve the account book. I still have to talk to Steward Song later."
"You're going to the study?"
"I won't be going to the study. Since it's raining, I'll just talk about it in the small room next to us."
The small room was next to the bedroom, so Ye Jiao didn't think about following him and only tightened the buckle at his collar.
Qi Yun wasn't sure if it would actually rain. After all, the sky was still clear. Since it was what the Lady said though, he would listen. No matter if she was right or wrong, in his heart she's always correct.
In case it really didn't rain, then it was God who accidentally forgot.
Qi Yun got the ledger and was about to leave, but heard the voice of his lady: "Xiang Gong, wait a moment."
Thinking that Ye Jiao had more to say, Qi Yun immediately turned his head to listen. Who knew that as soon as he turned around, Jiao Niang would be standing in front of him with a raised face.
Then, the woman stood on tiptoe, as if trying to pull herself up a little higher.
Ye Jiao wondered: Obviously this person wasn't in the best shape, but he sure didn't suffer a loss in height. She just saw how long his legs were in the bathtub.
Mm, as expected of our house's president, Xiang Gong.
Qi Yun was a little confused, but he didn't ask anything. He just hovered his hands around Ye Jiao for fear that she would accidentally fall.
Ye Jiao reached her hand out and grabbed his front flap. With padded feet, she could only kiss the man's chin embarrassedly.
"Chu~"
This small sound stunned Qi Yun.
Although Ye Jiao left only a quick peck, Qi Yun felt a residual soft warmth on his chin. Inexplicably, his heart beat a few times faster.
Ye Jiao was pressing on the man's chest and was able to feel a strange effect under her palm.
The Little Ginseng began to reflect: so a kiss would make his heart beat faster? Xiang Gong's body still needs to be taken care of.
Qi Yun subconsciously embraced the woman's body and looked down at her. He met Ye Jiao's bright eyes that were waiting for his praise.
He tried to calm his breath and his voice was light: "Jiao Niang, what are you doing?"
Ye Jiao raised her face with a smile: "It's the same as what you did. Didn't you just do this before you left? But you're too tall and I can't reach for a kiss. I can only get it here (on the chin)."
Qi Yun: …
Well, he now knew that his wife had misunderstood.
Qi Yun really liked Ye Jiao's positive attitude towards integrating into the family and found her learning style quite accurate. Looking back on his actions, he wasn't clear and caused Jiao Niang to misunderstand.
Fortunately, it's not too late to explain this misunderstanding.
However, before Qi Yun could speak, he heard Ye Jiao say: "I forgot to do this when I saw eldest sister-in-law. Don't worry, I'll make it up next time."
Qi Yun: …
Qi Yun immediately coughed twice and, instead of rushing out, took Ye Jiao to sit at the table. He held her hand and solemnly said: "Don't do this in the future."
It's okay to do it to himself, but if she did this to Fang Shi or Liu Shi, he was afraid there would be chaos in the world.
Ye Jiao also noticed something was wrong and asked in a small voice: "Is it not right?"
Qi Yun immediately grasped her fingertips: "It's fine, but we can only do it between ourselves in the future."
Ye Jiao looked at him without understanding.
Qi Yun was solemn: "We are married."
Getting married was a reason for so many things, Ye Jiao realized with a flash on her face.
Yes, she got married. This wasn't a habit for humans, but a habit for married humans. Apparently there's so many things to follow after getting married. She really didn't understand why the Little Fox was so enthusiastic about marriage.
Qi Yun felt a little guilty, but everything disappeared when the Little Ginseng kissed his face again.
Getting married – it's so nice.
The author has something to say:
Ye Jiao: What if they make me kiss mother-in-law and eldest sister-in-law?
Qi Yun: … [Staring at you]
Footnotes:
[1] Literal translation is: "No one in the family is not afraid of Qi Yun…" I got rid of the double negatives to keep the sentence flow.
Although rain in autumn was nothing new, this pouring rain still exceeded many people's expectations.
Generally, the academy would have a two-day holiday, but Qi Ming's academy was a little more strict. He only had a few days off as a first year and then had to study hard afterwards.
Qi Ming, who was originally supposed to return, stayed at the academy and waited for the heavy rain to pass before coming back. Qi Yun also stayed at the village and looked after it with Father Qi.
Qi Yun didn't stop the plan to rebuild the wine shop. Steward Song visited regularly every day, coming early in the morning and leaving before lunch, no matter rain or shine.
Instead of going to the study room, they often talked in the small (side) room.
Steward Song's mood got better day by day. Even the heavy rain couldn't wash away his joy. On the other hand, Qi Yun seemed very calm. He obediently took his medicine and regularly rested, which made the doctor who came to see him very happy.
To be fair, the former Qi Yun was not an obedient patient. He didn't take his prescribed medicine on time, and his most frequent question during consultation was how long he could live. This made the doctor particularly frustrated.
Now it was different. Qi Yun's body was slowly on the mend and he didn't mention life or death. His attitude was really good. The doctor was naturally happy for him.
At the same time, the doctor was also happy for himself. If Qi Yun got better, the doctor's consultation fees would be heavier than before.
It's the job of a doctor to save the dying and heal the wounded, but the doctor was also a human being. Since people always have to eat, he would certainly not refuse extra money.
The Little Ginseng watched Qi Yun's body every day. As for what he asked Steward Song to do in the shop, Ye Jiao never asked.
After the rain cleared up, Ye Jiao began to walk to Liu Shi's place again. Steward Song was usually gone by the time she came back.
A bout of autumn rain and a bout of cold weather – taking advantage of the sun after the heavy rain, Liu Shi told Fang Shi and Ye Jiao to dry out the winter clothes and prepare to wear them.
That day, Qi Yun brought up a certain subject: "Jiao Niang, I said I would teach you how to write Chinese characters earlier."
Ye Jiao was eating an apple as he spoke. Hearing this, she immediately nodded and excitedly asked him: "Are we starting now?"
Originally, Qi Yun just didn't want Ye Jiao to be bored, but he could neither embroider nor arrange flowers. After thinking about it, he remembered Ye Jiao saying before that she wanted to read.
The first book Qi Ming learned was taught by Qi Yun. Now Qi Ming has the ability to take the exam; Qi Yun felt that he could teach his wife as well.
However, Qi Yun didn't know whether Ye Jiao was trying to make him happy or whether she was sincere when she mentioned how she wanted to read. Seeing Ye Jiao's happy promise this time, he knew that his Lady had a heart to learn.
This made Qi Yun smile; he let Tie Zi and Xiao Su bring back several books from the study. Ye Jiao excitedly started learning to read.
Unlike an ordinary child's learning experience, Ye Jiao recognized characters quickly. Often after Qi Yun read them to her, Ye Jiao could generally recognize the characters. The words she used only changed in writing; the meanings were roughly the same. All she had to do was match them one by one.
But after learning for nearly ten days, Ye Jiao discovered that compared to Qi Yun's brilliant penmanship, her handwriting looked particularly ugly…
The Little Ginseng defended herself in her heart: it's not her fault. She only had leaves in the past, but now she switched to hands. They're much harder to control than leaves!
Ye Jiao, who was accustomed to writing with leaves, picked up the brush again. She unconsciously wrote round characters.
The characters written by Xiang Gong were horizontal and vertical.
The words she wrote seemed like a big Lantern Festival…
Finishing up the big characters she wrote with a shake of her hand, Ye Jiao suddenly saw that Qi Yun's expression was a little strange.
It was like he was holding something in by squeezing the corners of his mouth. His earlobes were also a little red.
Ye Jiao glanced at him strangely: "Xiang Gong, are you feeling okay?"
Qi Yun waved his hand and said he was okay. His voice was soft: "I'm okay, Jiao Niang. Haven't you wanted to read the medical scriptures? I just asked Xiao Su to retrieve it and put it on the second floor of the shelf on the right side of the study. If you grab it, I can read it to you."
Hearing this, Ye Jiao sprung up and walked towards the door.
Suddenly there was a low laugh behind her. Ye Jiao turned her head at a loss and found Qi Yun sitting on the soft couch with a calm expression as if nothing happened. Feeling Ye Jiao's gaze, the man gently asked her: "What's wrong?"
Ye Jiao blinked, thinking that she must have heard wrong. She smiled: "Nothing." Then she opened the door and asked Xiao Su to go to the study together.
In the room, Qi Yun stood up in his coat, walked around the charcoal basin in the middle of the room, and picked up the large characters written by Ye Jiao.
Ugly, they're truly ugly. The characters were soft and seemed as if they were laying on the ground, too lazy to get up.
If his third brother wrote such characters, Qi Yun was afraid that he would beat him.
But when Ye Jiao wrote it, Qi Yun could see a child-like, fun energy.
After looking at it for a while, he really thought that this kind of unconscious circular font was quite cute.
Just now, he didn't laugh for fear of demotivating Ye Jiao's desire to study. Since Ye Jiao was gone, Qi Yun no longer held back. He curled his mouth upwards and laughed out loud.
I really married a treasure. [1]
On the way to the study, Ye Jiao bumped into Steward Song.
It was already late afternoon, and usually Steward Song came in the morning; it's odd to see him around at this time. Ye Jiao stopped and smiled: "Is Steward Song here to see Xiang Gong?"
Steward Song bowed his hands towards Ye Jiao and replied with a pant: "Seen… I've seen the Second Young Lady, but I'm not sure where the Second Young Master is now?"
Ye Jiao thought he was running and hurriedly said: "Don't be in a rush, Steward Song. Xiang Gong is in the yard. Go to the small room and wait." With that, Ye Jiao turned her head and looked at Xiao Su: "Take Steward Song there. Remember to send some hot tea to relax Steward Song. I'll call Xiang Gong."
Steward Song's panting was not because he was running out of breath, but because he was excited.
Instead of following Xiao Su, he handed the account book in his arms to Ye Jiao. He whispered to Ye Jiao: "Second Young Lady, I won't go to see Young Master then. Just give this to the Second Young Master, and help me pass on a message."
Ye Jiao blinked her eyes. These days, she's been helping Steward Song deliver more than a few things to Qi Yun. She reached out and took the account book, saying: "Go ahead and speak."
"Just tell the Second Young Master – let's send it!"
Ye Jiao didn't quite understand the meaning, but she remembered the message in her heart.
When she went back to tell Qi Yun, she saw the man smile. He whispered softly while looking through the account book: "Steward Song is really easy to satisfy."
Ye Jiao was a little curious: "Xiang Gong, what do you mean?"
Qi Yun squeezed her earlobe and smiled without speaking.
A month passed in a flash. On the first day of the new year, Qi Ming finally got a holiday (from school) and found someone to bring a message saying he would return at night.
Liu Shi misses her little son very much. Because of the rainstorm, Qi Ming hasn't been home for nearly two months. Liu Shi prepared a table of dishes for his return.
Actually, it's enough to order other people to do these things, but Liu Shi always felt that the waiting time was very difficult if you didn't have anything to do.
Ye Jiao followed her in and out, holding a plate, carrying a bowl, and watching the cooking process along the way, all with a look of exclamation.
It turned out that those delicious dishes were made in such a way. Ye Jiao was filled with respect towards the chefs of the house.
Upon seeing this, Fang Shi gave Little Stone to Liu Pozi to carry and went to help herself.
When the mother-in-law and daughters-in-law came to a rest, Father Qi brought Qi Zhao home.
Following them back were several stewards. Only then did Liu Shi remember that today wasn't only the youngest son's school holiday, but also the reconciliation day [2] that happened bi-monthly.
She didn't go forward and just asked Liu Pozi to serve them tea. She took her two daughters-in-law to sit in the left room next to the main hall.
There was a plate of peach pastries on the table. Ye Jiao looked at Liu Shi. Seeing her nod, Ye Jiao reached out to pick one to eat. Fang Shi was afraid of gaining weight and resisted.
The left room was just a door away from the main hall. Since the door was open, the sounds from the main hall could clearly be heard.
Several managers were separately seated, but their expressions were all different.
The proudest ones were the stewards of the village, since the village usually earned the most money.
The Qi family was the largest wealthy household among ten miles and eight villages, and the largest landlord. They've lived in peace and stability for many years by relying on the land to make a fortune.
As soon as a few more stewards entered the room, the steward of the village smiled and said: "Master, this year's harvest is good. The Eldest Young Master has been keeping an eye on it these days. Even a heavy rain didn't cause too many losses for the tenants. There are seven warehouses, and three are full."
Ye Jiao munched on the peach pastries. She didn't know the significance of having three full warehouses, but it was clear in Fang Shi's heart. By selling all that grain, they would have an income of 50 guan.
[3]
This immediately straightened Fang Shi's back as she proudly smiled.
Qi Zhao was in charge of the village, so naturally Fang Shi was happy.
Father Qi also smiled, but didn't say anything. Instead, he turned his head and looked at the remaining stewards.
Some of these stewards were in charge of the Qi family's orchard, and some handled the medicine garden, pharmacy, and wine shop, but none of them spoke. They secretly cursed the village's stewards to the sky.
If they came out with such a high standard, wouldn't anyone that followed up be ashamed?
They were all making eyes at each other, hoping the others would step up to the plate first and pick up the slack for the group.
At this moment, Steward Song slowly stood up.
The other stewards weren't surprised that he was willing to stand.
Wine shops were relatively profitable outside of the village. Usually they received 20 or 30 guan every two months. Although it wasn't as profitable as others' 50 guan, it's not too bad.
Steward Song was not young, and he had more wrinkles on his face than Father Qi, but he looked radiant at that moment. His voice was full of confidence: "Master, I brought the wine shop's account book." With that, he handed over the ledger.
Father Qi didn't look at it, and just asked: "How's the income?"
Steward Song seemed to bow his hand modestly, but his voice had an undisguised triumph: "More than a hundred guan."
"Thud."
Ye Jiao was holding the peach pastry and looked at Fang Shi's overturned teacup in surprise. Then the Little Ginseng dabbed her hand with a handkerchief and hugged Little Stone, who was frightened by the noise.
But Liu Shi didn't respond to any of this, and instead looked at the main hall in astonishment.
A hundred guan?
On such a bright and sunny day, Steward Song must be dreaming!
The author has something to say:
Ye Jiao: Does my handwriting look good?
Xiao Su: Pretty good
Ye Jiao: Why are you holding chopsticks on your head?
Xiaosu: If you talk nonsense then you'll get struck by lightning.
Ye Jiao: … Hmph.
=w=
It's a little bit late, please send red envelopes to your relatives Q3Q
Footnotes:
[1] Literal translation are the characters used for "baby," which are also the characters used for "treasure." In this context I feel like it would make sense to use either one: "baby" because of her child-like writing and desire to learn, "treasure" because she's a one-of-a-kind woman/spouse. But I'm not a fan of infantalizing women, so "treasure" it is.
[2] More specifically, the day they reconcile the accounts/businesses of the family.
[3] Guan: string of cash coins. They varied by region but during the Qing dynasty, for example, 1 guan would be a string of 1000 cash coins, valued at 1 tael of silver.
After Steward Song's announcement, he didn't look up for fear that the pride in his eyes would be obvious and annoying to others.
However, Steward Song's ears stood upright and clearly heard the sound of inhaling, which made him particularly gratified.
As a matter of fact, as a steward, no matter how hard you work, the money you earn won't fall directly into your pocket.
If you make more money, the employer will give more; if you make less, the employer will give less. The owner is still the boss.
Working in one place, everyone wants to win a jackpot. How much money you made in two months is how much strength you have!
Most of these stewards are older people who've followed the Qi family for many years, and they can only achieve this position if they're trusted. Even if the three brothers of the Qi family are harmonious, the father is kind and the sons are filial, the people under them aren't harmonious. It's common for the stewards to quarrel and squabble in private.
Of course, the two stewards of the village are always one step ahead. The more money they earn, the straighter their backs [1] .
Now that Steward Song's wine shop emerged, why shouldn't he take this opportunity to be proud?
Qi Zhao was a little surprised. Because he stayed with Father Qi during reconciliation days, Qi Zhao knew very well of the shops' prospects. While the wine shop makes a good amount of income, it wasn't that much.
After the surprise though, he looked at Steward Song with a smile and heartily said: "No wonder Steward Song has been diligent these days. The income has multiplied three or four times – great!"
Hearing this, Fang Shi who was in the left room gritted her teeth.
What's so good? The income is someone else's, not yours. Why are you blindly joining the fun!
Father Qi quickly looked through the ledger. Although he was illiterate, he could still recognize the numbers written in it.
One hundred and twenty one guan. Black characters on white paper – this couldm't be fake.
Reaching out his hand to hold off Qi Zhao, who wanted to say something, Father Qi asked: "Steward Song, it's only been two months. Where did all this income from the wine shop come from?"
It's not that Father Qi doubted Steward Song; he simply wanted to clarify.
In terms of shop matters, Father Qi didn't know them well and didn't pay much attention to them; otherwise, he wouldn't have given everything to Qi Yun.
But wanting to make money from the shop wasn't something that happened overnight. Father Qi was naturally happy to see the income, but it was still necessary to ask clearly where it came from.
Put money aside first – it's more important not to get caught up in trouble.
Steward Song glanced to both sides and saw a pair of curious eyes.
From his understanding, these things weren't said out in the open. No matter who asked, one would not say.
Fortunately, Qi Yun discovered Steward Song's thoughts early on and told him beforehand:
"If my father asks how this money was made, you don't need to be too specific. Just explain in a general way. There's no need to worry about others secretly learning anything. We're all a family here and they're in charge of different stalls. They can figure out what we're doing as long as they inquire; it's not good to deliberately conceal it."
With those rules in mind, Steward Song said to Father Qi: "The Second Young Master asked me to contact several taverns in town a month ago and contracted some of their drinks."
As soon as the words came out, several stewards' faces were a little surprised.
Because the Qi family was the largest landlord neighborhood, there's a lot of grain and the scale of wine-making was not small. They usually sold to nearby people and made money from the wine shop in town. But listening to Steward Song, apparently they were now being sold to taverns in large quantities at low prices?
Shouldn't this result in a loss? How did they make money instead?
Steward Song didn't explain, but he was proud. How could they know that today, the Qi family's wine shop could sell as much wine as they've saved. It's not like the previous years, where they couldn't sell the stock!
The steward was proud of the aromatic and tasty wines.
The Second Young Master also said that the days of making money were coming – it's only the beginning. As long as more people tasted the wine and advertised it, the Qi family's wine shop's reputation would be out of the park.
However, Steward Song won't raise his tail too high; it's better not to say anything before the money's in his pocket.
Steward Song calmly stood, trying to resist the tremble in his heart, but everyone could see that he was so happy his beard was about to grow back.
Father Qi wasn't clear about the logic. He could tell it wasn't an offensive affair though so he nodded and smiled: "Good job; Steward Song works hard."
Qi Zhao, who also didn't understand, didn't think as deeply as Father Qi. He watched Qi Yun grow up from a young age; even if others were afraid of Qi Yun, as an elder brother Qi Zhao always protected his younger brother. He immediately looked towards Father Qi and said: "Father, I know that Second Brother is capable," with unconcealable joy on his face.
Of course, Father Qi knew that his eldest son was pure and kind – always speaking to protect his younger brother. But Father Qi was as steady as a bowl of water: "It's not easy for Steward Song to take care of everything for more than a month, running to and fro. His month's wages should be a little more padded this time around."
Steward Song thanked Father Qi and peacefully sat down. At the same time, he happily received the enviable eyes of the people around him.
The other stewards congratulated Steward Song for his "wealth and prosperity" and praised Qi Yun as the "reincarnation of the God of Wealth," but the atmosphere was not lively. On the contrary, it was a little heavy.
Look at the village: fifty guan.
One's wine shop: one hundred guan!
These geezers coming from both sides really don't give people a way to survive. The (other) stewards hated them with a passion. [2]
Among these people, Dong Da, the steward of the pharmacy, looked upwards in thought and wondered if he should go to Second Young Master for a chat?
Putting aside whether or not Second Young Master was the reincarnation of the God of Wealth, as long as the pharmacy shop could be upgraded, Dong Da didn't mind hugging Second Young Master's leg and calling him God of Wealth.
In the left room, Ye Jiao held Little Stone and fed him a small piece of a peach pastry.
She could clearly hear what the people outside were saying, but only recognized parts of the conversation. What she understood was that Xiang Gong made money.
Ye Jiao had always believed that Xiang Gong was a capable person.
The difference between Ye Jiao and Fang Shi was that while Fang Shi was humming with pleasure, Ye Jiao didn't respond much. She was thinking about asking Xiang Gong later what "send it" meant. [3]
The more Liu Shi looked at Ye Jiao, the more satisfied she was.
This child was blessed. Her son's body was healing, and the shop he managed was making money. These were all great things.
As a wife that took care of the rear house, Liu Shi didn't understand what was said outside, but she got the feeling that Ye Jiao brought fortune.
Her heart felt comfortable and her face revealed a kinder smile. Liu Shi specially asked Liu Pozi to prepare a bowl of apricot cheese that evening, since she remembered that Ye Jiao liked it.
But compared to Ye Jiao, Fang Shi's heart wasn't very happy.
She didn't like business people. In the past, it seemed right that the shops didn't make much money, but now that the shops were doing better, Fang Shi felt uncomfortable.
It wasn't quite jealousy, but after being at the top for a long time and suddenly getting overshadowed, it was inevitable that one would feel uneasy.
Fang Shi didn't dare express her feelings too obviously on her face and just listened to Liu Shi speak. The whole family was at peace until night fell.
Qi Ming arrived home after nightfall and the whole family had a reunion dinner together.
The doctor told Qi Yun that he still couldn't leave the house at night, so he didn't join.
As Qi Yun's wife, Ye Jiao naturally wanted to attend.
She also received the apricot cheese Liu Shi prepared for her, but she didn't eat it. Instead, she asked Xiao Su to find a food container to pack it.
At dinner, Father Qi first praised his second son's ability, then the rest of the time was devoted to the third son.
Qi Ming was only twelve years old this year. Normally at his age he would be naughty, but since he was a child he's had the maturity of a young adult.
It's only been two months since they've seen him. With his youth, it seemed like he grew a bit taller than they last saw him.
Qi Ming's childish face was always calm. Only when Liu Shi heart-achingly talked about how much she missed him did his face get red.
After seeing him look around for a bit, it was clear that Qi Ming was looking for Qi Yun.
He was taught by Qi Yun, so his felt quite close to his second brother.
After dinner, he said to Ye Jiao with a straight face: "Second Sister-in-Law, it's late today. I'll wait until tomorrow to see Second Brother."
"Okay." Ye Jiao responded with a smile. When Qi Ming left, she picked up the food box and walked back.
Carrying the food box into the yard, she quickly walked to the bedroom door and cracked it open. As soon as Ye Jiao walked in, she quickly closed the door for fear of bringing the cold inside.
After closing the door, dropping the latch, and lowering the curtain, Ye Jiao thought that she would talk to Xiao Su tomorrow to replace the curtain with a thicker one like in the main hall.
As soon as she turned around, she saw Qi Yun sitting cross-legged on the soft couch with his coat on.
With his back to the door, sitting upright and focused, Qi Yun didn't seem to notice Ye Jiao coming in.
Ye Jiao gently put the food container down and entered the inner room. She stood behind Qi Yun, leaning her head out.
On the soft couch stood a low table with a pine-colored chessboard. Qi Yun had two chess baskets next to his hand with pieces – one had black pieces and one had white pieces – he was slowly arranging on the board.
Ye Jiao was about to take another look, but she felt someone catch her hand.
As soon as the woman turned her head, she met the man's eyes.
It was already night and the candles in the room covered everything with a soft, ginger-tinted light. Even Qi Yun's unceasingly pale face looked softer now.
He originally held Ye Jiao's hand with one hand. When he felt the woman's fingertips were slightly cold, he released the chess piece and held her hand with both of his, warming the temperature of her palm. He asked: "Why is your hand so cold?"
Ye Jiao stretched sideways next to him, tucked her fingertips into the man's palm, and smiled: "Mother made apricot cheese. I brought it back for you."
Qi Yun looked at her disapprovingly: "It's good if you eat it yourself. It's so cold, why bother bringing it back and letting yourself freeze?"
Ye Jiao still smiled and looked at him: "I promised Xiang Gong."
Qi Yun thought for a while before remembering that Ye Jiao said she would bring back apricot cheese for him to eat. As time passed, Qi Yun forgot, but Ye Jiao clearly remembered it.
With a warm heart, Qi Yun held her other hand and softly whispered: "Next time, let someone else send it over. Don't always strain yourself."
Ye Jiao responded with a sound while her eyes looked at the chessboard.
Qi Yun originally played chess to exercise his mind. Seeing her interest, he asked: "Want to learn?"
This time, Ye Jiao's agreement was not as enthusiastic as before, when she was learning to read.
She learned how to read in order to understand medical scriptures and to not be completely illiterate. Even if it was difficult and troublesome, she was happy to learn.
However, these black pieces and white pieces looked difficult (to use) at first glance. After learning, she still wouldn't know how to use it. Ye Jiao frankly asked: "Is it difficult? If it is, I won't learn."
Qi Yun couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth. Still holding her hand, he let her sit opposite to him and slowly said: "Let's not learn anything hard. We'll just play a light game of gobang. [4]
As long as Qi Yun said it wasn't hard, it wasn't hard. Ye Jiao always trusted her husband and immediately nodded with excitement.
Qi Yun cleaned up the chess pieces on the board and explained the rules at the same time.
When Ye Jiao heard it, it was really simple.
Holding the chess basket, Ye Jiao was in wonder at how the spirits were actually quite human. It was really interesting.
When playing chess, Qi Yun struck up a conversation and Ye Jiao didn't hide anything. She told him about what happened during the day in detail.
Qi Yun wasn't surprised that Steward Song was praised. Although the wine shop was finally on the right track but made much less money than the other big wine shops, it was indeed a great improvement from before.
It was a little surprising to Qi Yun that it exceeded the village's income, but it wasn't surprising.
After hearing Fang Shi knocked over the teacup, Qi Yun raised his eyes and softly said: "Jiao Niang, don't think about it too much."
Fang Shi was a little stingy and not very bright, but with elder brother Qi Zhao around, nothing big will happen.
Qi Yun just didn't want Ye Jiao to think too much because of Fang Shi.
Ye Jiao was holding a chess piece and staring at the chessboard, thinking about her next move. Hearing that, she looked at him in surprise: "What's to care about? Sister-in-law didn't break our teacup, and mother said she didn't have to pay for it."
Qi Yun was taken aback for a moment, then curled up his mouth: "That's right, Jiao Niang is so smart."
How could he forget that his wife's heart was the cleanest – as pure as water – with a kindness rarely seen in ordinary people.
So nice.
After playing a little bit, Qi Yun gave way to her and the two won a game each before clearing the board.
Qi Yun ate apricot cheese while Ye Jiao took down her hair and got ready for bed after washing.
However, before blowing out the candles, Qi Yun sat up from the bed and looked at Ye Jiao who was lying on the soft couch, wrapped in a quilt. He hesitated for a moment before whispering: "Jiao Niang, how about sleeping together at night?
The author has something to say:
Ye Jiao: I won this game!
Qi Yun: Jiao Niang is awesome. [Looks at the hidden chess pieces he stole]
Footnotes:
[1] Straight backs due to pride, in comparison to slouching in embarrassment.
[2] Literal translation is that the other stewards had itchy teeth. It describes someone's hatred to the point of itchy teeth.
[3] If you recall from the previous chapter, this is what Steward Song's message to Qi Yun was.
[4] Gobang, which is also called Gomoku or Five-in-a-Row, is a simple game using Go pieces.
Qi Yun didn't think too deep when he said those words.
Perhaps it was the mood, or maybe because the Little Ginseng's presence allowed Qi Second Son to unload his thoughts, but he ended up blurting out what was on his mind.
When he finished speaking, he didn't get a positive response immediately. Qi Yun's smile gradually faded.
The relaxed mood became tense at once. Qi Yun's original position was half-laying while leaning on his elbows to support himself, but at that moment he felt frozen. He was unable to lie down, but unable to get up.
During this time, Qi Yun heard a voice: "Xiang Gong, why do you want to sleep together?"
These words made Qi Yun's heart cold.
It was a new day and there wasn't a moon. The candles in the room were also out, so Qi Yun couldn't see Ye Jiao's expression in the darkness. However, he heard doubt in the woman's voice.
It was pure puzzlement, as if it were a rare thing for two people to sleep together.
Qi Yun didn't reply, not because he didn't want to say anything, but because he had a stick in his throat.
What's there to be sad about?
He was the one who said to stay in separate beds in the beginning. It was because he was worried about Ye Jiao getting sick, but wasn't it also because of another fear in his heart?
Afraid of her disgust, afraid of her alienation; he should have been prepared.
What's the point of being uncomfortable now?
Qi Yun wanted to say: "That was just a joke; I hope Jiao Niang doesn't take it seriously." But when the words came to his mouth, he couldn't bring himself to say anything.
Ye Jiao didn't wait too long for Qi Yun's response, but she could hear the man's breathing.
It's not that the woman had ears that could hear a thousand miles away, but the room was so quiet you couldn't miss anything, even if you wanted to.
Living in the same room for so long, Ye Jiao knew that Qi Yun didn't have this kind of breathing pattern before he slept. After thinking about it, the Little Ginseng suddenly said: "After getting married, people must sleep together right?"
Qi Yun was stunned for a moment and forgot about his discomfort. He asked without thinking: "You didn't know?"
As soon as he asked, Qi Yun wanted to plug his mouth.
No one taught her these things before Jiao Niang got married. The Ye couple (her brother and sister-in-law) knew but never told her, and he himself didn't explain anything after they got married. It's normal that Jiao Niang wouldn't know about it.
What Qi Yun didn't know was that the original Ye Jiao understood a bit. Even if she was the youngest daughter of the family, she still had common sense.
But because Ye Ersao wanted to sell her, and she knew she was going to be a widow, her memories of getting married were gray and tinted with desperation. Thus, the Little Ginseng was reluctant to go through those memories and skipped through. What common sense – none of that was etched in her memory.
Now, the Little Ginseng thought of this line of reasoning because of the Little Fox, who casually mentioned that she and her scholar husband had good times in bed together.
Other adjectives were used, but the helpless Little Ginseng was pure as paper and clean as water, so she didn't understand the rest.
Even with Qi Yun's lack of reply, Ye Jiao felt that she was right.
She muttered in her heart about how Xiang Gong praised her for nothing, considering how quickly she forgot such a simple thing.
Fortunately, the Little Ginseng was a good spirit who liked to learn and immediately replied: "Xiang Gong, just wait, I'll come over."
Her clear and crisp voice, without any semblance of hesitation, made Qi Yun's loneliness vanish into thin air.
There was a rustling noise in the soft couch area. Qi Yun was afraid that she wouldn't be able to find her shoes; if she stepped on the ground with bare feet, she would catch a cold. The man immediately found the torch and blew it. When he saw the flicker of fire, he used it to light the candle above the bed.
As the jumping candle light slowly lit the bedroom, Qi Yun saw a white light flash in front of him.
It turned out it was Ye Jiao's arm, reaching for the quilt. Her jade-white skin dazzled his eyes.
Ye Jiao quickly retracted her arm again.
Wrapping herself tightly with the quilt, the Little Ginseng pursed her lips and said: "It's so cold." She only stretched out her arm just now, but felt as if the exposed skin was about to freeze.
Qi Yun looked at the charcoal basin in the room, only to realize it had gone out.
These days, charcoal fire was divided into grades, and the best ones were used to supply the emperor's relatives and dignitaries. This was a privilege that couldn't be bought with money.
When it came to ordinary wealthy households, although the charcoal fire didn't emit smoke when lit, it occasionally got burnt out and caused people to get "charcoal poisoning." So at night, the charcoal fire was put out and the room naturally cooled down.
While there was still leftover warmth from the daytime, after getting used to the warmth in the quilt, of course it would be cold when you came out.
Qi Yun said with some distress in his eyes: "I only mentioned it casually. If you…"
Before he finished speaking, he found that Ye Jiao had already wrapped the quilt and tightly surrounded herself with it. Holding the quilt with both hands, she leaned towards the ground, found her embroidered shoes, and jumped her way towards Qi Yun's bed!
Qi Yun's first thought was how naturally, physically "cute" his Lady was all the time. His next thought was that he was grateful he lit the candle, otherwise it would've been a bit scary to be suddenly pounced on by a jumping "quilt spirit" in the darkness.
Seeing her jump closer, Qi Yun hurriedly put the candle aside and stretched his hand out to catch her.
Ye Jiao and her quilt both fell into his arms. Qi Yun's face, which still had a hint of discomfort, slowly turned into a smile.
Ye Jiao couldn't smile, though.
She didn't expect the human body to be so difficult to control. She was too lazy to put on a layer of clothes and then take it off again – who would have thought that she would tie herself up. She would have fallen on the bed at that last step if Qi Yun hadn't caught her!
Ye Jiao grumpily rolled in circles while wrapped in a quilt. Qi Yun let her go, pulled out his own blanket, and pointed to the inside of the bed: "Why don't you sleep here."
Ye Jiao hesitated for a moment, but didn't object and laid down obediently.
Since neither of them wanted to leave the warm bed to grab a pillow, they just made do with a long pillow.
Qi Yun blew out the candle, and only when he was back in bed did he feel a little sore in his arm.
It wasn't that Ye Jiao had pressed him just now, but Qi Second Son had been propping his body up on his elbows. His arm was numb after not moving it due to his mood swings.
Just now he was in a hurry and reached out to catch his wife. Now that he's come back to his senses, he felt numb from his forearm to fingertips.
So he laid down and gently rubbed his arm, saying nothing.
After all, Young Master Qi wanted to save face. In front of his wife, Qi Yun cared even more.
Ye Jiao, who laid on the other side of the bed, also didn't speak.
She originally thought that sleeping in one place would be the same as another and it wouldn't be a problem. But now she was a little afraid of heating up Xiang Gong. She thought that once he fell asleep, she could quietly weasle away.
After laying down, Ye Jiao looked at the thick quilts covering both of them and felt that she thought too much.
It was a big deal before because Ye Jiao's entire body was curled in his arms – to the point where she could feel him breathing.
Now, the two people slept under separate quilts. It was difficult to be close, as they couldn't even touch each other.
It felt like a waste to just lay down like this. Ye Jiao thought about how busy Qi Yun was with the shop recently and how she had to learn how to read and write. Although they still spent time together, they didn't hold hands as often.
Now would be a good time to take that supplement.
Once she thought something, she would act on it. The Little Ginseng quietly took her hand out of her quilt and fumbled it into the man's quilt.
Qi Yun, whose fingertips were numb, felt them being gently grasped by someone.
Ye Jiao didn't exert any force. However, his blood hadn't been circulating – even a light touch made Qi Yun feel the numbness of his hand spread straight up his arm, making him involuntarily tremble.
The Little Ginseng thought this was a little weird: "Xiang Gong, what's wrong with you?"
Qi Yun held it in and squeezed his arm hard to make himself more comfortable. He gently said: "It's okay," and grabbed Ye Jiao's hand with his.
Interlocking fingers.
Qi Yun actually wasn't used to sleeping with people. He's also a little unwilling to get along with others because of his poor health. He thought that sharing the bed with his wife would require a lot of mental fortitude. Who knew that he would fall asleep without thinking more of it.
An evening of good dreams and a very sweet sleep.
The next day, Ye Jiao woke up a bit earlier than him. Feeling that the man was still holding her fingers, Ye Jiao carefully withdrew her hand. She was relieved to see that he wasn't startled awake.
Qi Yun still needed to take care of his body by sleeping an adequate amount of time, so Ye Jiao didn't wake him up. Because of her flimsy clothes, Ye Jiao took the thick robe that Qi Yun placed on the bedside and got out of bed.
Ye Jiao tidied up, asked someone to replace the hot charcoal pot, and went out – she was already familiar with this whole set of tasks.
When breakfast was almost ready, Qi Yun just woke up.
Qi Yun, who used to suffer from insomnia, had been sleeping better day by day since marrying Ye Jiao. Because of that, he'd been getting used to sleeping until the sky lightened.
However, Qi Yun didn't like to be lazy like ordinary people; he didn't even like to have too much free time. After breakfast, he asked Tie Zi to call Steward Song.
Ye Jiao had already prepared a small room for Xiang Gong. Even though it was very warm inside, Ye Jiao diligently watched Qi Yun put on thick clothes, making sure he wouldn't catch a cold, before letting him go.
Ye Jiao, on the other hand, went to Liu Shi's yard. After not sitting for long, she heard that Qi Ming was coming and prepared to leave. She didn't want to disturb their mother-son reunion.
Before leaving, Liu Shi warned: "When Third Son returns to the academy, the stewards will count the money and put it in the accounts. When the time comes, the money will be distributed. Go back and ask Second Son if he wants to watch them do so."
Ye Jiao also heard Qi Yun talk about this. After reporting, the stewards had to count the money and put it into the treasury. Although it all went to their respective treasuries, this process had to be done in front of the Qi family owners.
Father Qi and Qi Zhao would both be there; if Qi Yun's body was okay, he would be there too.
At that time, it wouldn't just be cold numbers on the ledger, but shiny white silver and copper coins threaded in strings – each of which had to be carefully counted.
Liu Shi specifically told Ye Jiao because the wine shop made a lot of money and she was happy to let her second son come over to show off.
Ye Jiao agreed, and remembered those words before leaving.
On the way back, Ye Jiao bumped into Little Stone.
This time, it wasn't Fang Shi who was holding Stone, but the old lady in Fang Shi's house. Stone had an extraordinary affection for Ye Jiao, and when he saw her, he stretched out his hand so Ye Jiao could hold him.
Ye Jiao wanted to hold him too. In fact, anything similar to a bear cub was likable.
However, Ye Jiao didn't want to burn up the cute child, so she smiled and grabbed his chubby hand. She looked at the old lady: "Why didn't eldest sister-in-law come? I didn't see her at mother-in-law's place just now."
The old lady replied: "The Eldest Young Lady said she felt unwell last night, and even now she hasn't gotten up."
Hearing that Fang Shi was ill, Ye Jiao quickly asked: "Is she alright?"
The old lady shook her head: "Nothing's wrong." It was just troublesome. She's followed Fang Shi for several years and she could see that the eldest young mistress had a small heart. Trivial details would make her angry, not to mention how embarrassed she felt yesterday.
A few days later, she'll (the old lady) check in again. Fang Shi used to like this day the most, waiting for it every two months. Now she was afraid and hiding as much as possible.
It's just that these words couldn't be said to Ye Jiao, so the old lady held it in.
Ye Jiao smiled and said: "It's good if nothing is wrong." She then looked at Little Stone: "I'm free now – why don't you take Stone to my place to stay for a while? It's windy in this garden, and we don't want it to blow on the child."
The old lady naturally had no reason to refuse, and followed Ye Jiao with Stone in her arms.
Ye Jiao entered the yard and saw that the door to the small room was still tightly closed. She thought that Xiang Gong and Steward Song were having a longer conversation today than usual. Instead of going in to look, she brought Little Stone into the house.
Usually, Ye Jiao practiced calligraphy in the wing during this time, and today was no exception.
The table had pens, inks, papers, and inkstones. Ye Jiao grinded the ink and spoke at the same time: "Xiao Su, I remember that there was a plate of sand cakes [1] ; in the morning. Let's bring some to Stone."
Children loved to eat sweets, and usually Stone ate with Ye Jiao when they visited Liu Shi. Although the two were far apart in age, they had similar eating habits. Ye Jiao also treated him very well.
This sand cake was a steamed cake made of glutinous rice flour with a filling of mashed sesame seeds and sugar in the middle. It was soft and sweet, especially suitable for children.
Stone wasn't attracted by the sand cake, but had his eyes on the writing brush on the table.
When Ye Jiao picked up the pen to write, Little Stone suddenly struggled in the arms of the old lady: "Auntie, Second Auntie!"
Ye Jiao immediately raised her head to look at him, but didn't go over. She just smiled and asked: "What's wrong, Stone?"
Little Stone was still young, and sometimes he couldn't articulate what he was thinking. He only knew how to call Ye Jiao over and over again while pinning his round eyes on the brush.
The old lady didn't understand, but Ye Jiao understood his heart: "You want to try it too?"
Stone immediately nodded. With his chubby cheeks, he looked like a porcelain doll.
Ye Jiao didn't refuse, and asked the old woman to carry over Little Stone. She gave him a brush but didn't dip it in ink, afraid that he would eat it. She just dipped it in water and let him draw on the cloth.
Fortunately, Little Stone couldn't tell whether it was ink or water. Anyway, there were traces of it on the blue cloth and the little guy was also happy.
Writing and writing until the piece of canvas was full, Ye Jiao got up and went to change it with another one. Little Stone obediently held up the brush and waited.
At that moment, there was a voice from outside: "Sister-in-law."
The author has something to say:
Author flower: Jiao Niang, you are so good to Little Stone; is it because you're so sympathetic between foodies?
Jiao Niang: … Hmph! [Eats a plate of sand cake with anger]
Footnotes:
[1] Sand cakes are local delicacies made by the Zhuang ethnic group in China. They have a light, soft, and fresh taste. Baike
After Qi Ming came out from visiting Liu Shi, he went to see his second brother. When he entered the yard, he heard a lively commotion. Qi Ming walked outside the wing and, instead of going in, raised his voice at the door.
Ye Jiao remembered that Qi Ming mentioned coming over yesterday. She didn't think much about it and said: "Come in."
Coincidentally, Xiao Su just came back with the sand cake. She reached out and picked up the curtain for him to enter.
Qi Ming greeted Ye Jiao first like a little adult, then looked at Stone.
He usually spent a lot of time in the academy, preparing for all sorts of tasks. After Stone was born, the two of them were only together for a few days. Now, he finally saw someone younger than himself.
Little Stone had a round head and particular eyes that were very round and very pleasing.
Qi Ming had a curious character and couldn't help himself. He stretched his hand out to pick up Stone. Qi Ming glanced at the brush in Stone's hand and didn't look too carefully to see if it was dipped in ink. There was a faint smile on his face: "Little Stone also knows how to read and write?"
Stone didn't recognize him, but even though he had no impression of Qi Ming, he still crisply replied: "Reading and literacy!"
Repeating the words of adults is probably the instinct of every child.
Qi Ming was happy to hear it, and wanted to see the Stone's works.
With a turn of his head, he saw a pair of large characters on the table.
It was said to be large characters, but these big words were much more difficult to recognize than ordinary characters. They were round and a little flat. Qi Ming stared at it for a while before he could tell that it was the word for "beginning."
Qi Third Son's own handwriting wasn't very good-looking, and the academy's teachers often said that he had to study hard and practice well. If the words didn't have good handwriting, even if the meaning was full of beauty, no one would appreciate them. However, Qi Third Son regained his confidence after seeing this character.
Obviously, Qi Ming didn't think it was strange to compare handwriting with a child.
He looked at Stone, who he was holding in his arms, and said: "This character's a bit ugly, but Stone is still young. It can definitely be written beautifully in the future."
The old lady's face twitched, wondering whether Third Young Master was just young, or if he became dumb after studying so much? What does he think of the Little Young Master – that he was a prodigy who could write before the age of two?
Xiao Su whispered on the side: "Third Young Master, this word was written by Second Young Lady."
Qi Ming: … Ah?
With a stiff face, Qi Ming glanced at Ye Jiao and found that she was holding the blue cloth, but her eyes were fixed on the large characters on the table.
Although he's only met Ye Jiao a few times, this was his serious second-in-law. What he just said… Qi Ming's face immediately flushed.
Little Stone looked up at him curiously and reached out to touch Qi Ming's bright red face. He said in a milky voice: "So red, like jujube cake. Stone eats cake!"
Qi Ming was only a young teen, and he didn't dare interpret Ye Jiao's expression at the moment. He immediately handed Little Stone back to the old woman and stammered: "I… I'll come back to visit Second Brother later" and turned around and ran.
The old woman naturally wouldn't get involved in the affairs of the second household. She just hugged Little Stone and coaxed him to eat the sand cake on the table.
Ye Jiao refolded the blue cloth and picked up the characters she wrote. She looked at it for a while, turned her head, and asked Xiao Su: "Is it really that ugly?
Although Xiao Su was illiterate, she could still tell the difference between good and bad writing. Usually, those words were always square. From left to right, the Second Young Lady's circular handwriting was definitely not pretty.
However, in Xiao Su's opinion, it wasn't like she was going to take an exam. The words were good enough to recognize; however, she was afraid that Ye Jiao was uncomfortable because of what Qi Ming said.
Xiao Su, looking into Ye Jiao's eyes, couldn't bring herself to say the truth. The little girl thought for a moment and picked up a piece of sand cake: "Young Mistress, why don't you eat a little first?"
Ye Jiao: Hmph.
Steward Song was in the small room on the other side and was very excited. He wasn't calm like before, in front of Father Qi; instead, he was full of joy: "Second Young Master was right. Now the reputation of our Qi family wine shop is out of the park. Is it possible to discuss business with the restaurant and inn in town soon?"
Although they sold the wine at a lower price, it was still profitable; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to make a hundred guan.
What made Steward Song even happier was that as more and more wines were sold, people all over the world would know that the Qi family made delicious wine. Steward Song also found some good-natured people to brag about them – 8 points can be elevated to 12 points!
In addition, Qi's wine shop was given the beautiful name of "Jade Liquid Wine" by Qi Yun, which was elegant and nice. Thus, the demand began to exceed the supply.
While Qi Yun planned all of this, Steward Song's ability was quite commendable and everything was put into motion earlier than Qi Yun had imagined.
Putting the ledger aside, Qi Yun gathered the hand warmer [1] in his arms.
In front of outsiders, Qi Second Son didn't have a gentle expression like he had in front of Ye Jiao. He wasn't the type to interact with others and was too lazy to be formal.
Dressed in a thick robe, Qi Yun's face was still slightly pale. However, his internal bruises were gone [2] , making him look cold but no longer evil.
If it was in the past, Steward Song would be afraid of him. Now, Qi Yun is the Lord of Wealth in Steward Song's eyes. The time to make offerings has passed – he can't imagine being scared anymore.
After listening to Steward Song's words, Qi Yun thought for a moment and slowly responded: "Don't worry, let's wait. Those restaurants and inns don't lack for wine. We'll talk about it at the end of the year."
Steward Song didn't ask for the reason, and immediately responded.
The two discussed next steps. When Steward Song saw that it was getting late, he said goodbye and left.
Qi Yun sent Steward Song away, and went to the bedroom to find that Ye Jiao wasn't in sight. He turned and walked towards the wing.
When he entered the door, the old woman had already returned with Little Stone, and Xiao Su was working in the yard. Ye Jiao was the only one in the wing.
At that moment, the woman was standing at the table, intently holding a pen and writing.
Qi Yun didn't bother her. He walked to Ye Jiao's side and found that she already had a pile of large characters by her hand.
He knew Ye Jiao. Although his wife liked to read, she had never worked so hard. It seemed like she hadn't rested for an hour.
Seeing that Ye Jiao just finished writing another character, Qi Yun stretched his hand out to wrap around the woman's waist and took the brush she was holding. He said in a patient voice: "Don't be too hard on yourself, Jiao Niang. You don't have to be in a hurry to read and write."
Ye Jiao subconsciously grabbed Qi Yun's hand with her own, and looked up at him: "My words don't look good, so I need to practice more."
Hearing this, Qi Yun couldn't help but slow his voice down: "You've just learned. It's already impressive to be able to write so much."
Ye Jiao looked at him expectantly: "Isn't it ugly?"
Qi Yun smiled: "It's not too ugly."
Ye Jiao: …
Seeing her pouting cheeks, Qi Yun squeezed her palm: "I don't mind it. Besides, this kind of stuff takes practice – there's no rush."
If Qi Yun wasn't there, Ye Jiao would have written well by herself. Now that Qi Yun arrived, Ye Jiao didn't want to painstakingly suffer: "Practicing calligraphy is so tiring." She raised her hand, showing that it was sore.
What a dainty lady.
She was the one who said she would continue, but now she's unwilling. Qi Yun felt that his wife suffered to the point of becoming tired. After sitting down with her, he gently massaged her wrist.
The man's hands have been warmed by the hand warmer – so toasty – and he was very careful when kneading her wrist. The corners of Ye Jiao's mouth turned up a little.
Seeing the smile on Ye Jiao's face, Qi Yun said: "How about this: every day you can practice for an hour, and then you can eat two pieces of snacks in the evening."
Ye Jiao's eyes lit up, and the Little Ginseng grabbed the man's hand: "Three pieces."
Qi Yun smiled and nodded: "Okay."
Ye Jiao was happy. She dropped the brush and led Qi Yun to eat. After she finished eating, Ye Jiao walked around the yard with the stone bud grass, helping the little thing absorb sunlight while she also digested. After the sprouts spread out, Ye Jiao went back to the bedroom and put it down. She took off her hair and went to take a nap.
Qi Yun didn't have the habit of taking a nap. He saw Ye Jiao falling asleep and went to the yard to call Xiao Su. He asked in a low voice: "Who came here just now?"
Xiao Su was afraid of him. When he asked this, she poured everything out like pouring beans in a bamboo tube.
After listening, Qi Yun didn't say anything. He only lightly said: "Okay, I understand."
Xiao Su: … What do you know?
Qi Yun waved his hand: "Go and call the third brother. I haven't seen him in a long time and I miss him."
Xiao Su looked at Qi Yun's wooden face. No matter how much she looked at it, it didn't seem like he missed Third Young Master. However, Xiao Su didn't dare ask any questions, and she ran away.
Ye Jiao, who was lying on the bed, slept soundly. She didn't know about anything that just happened.
When she woke up, she didn't kick the shuttlecock or listen to Qi Yun teach her medical classics. Instead, she organized herself and went to Liu Shi's yard.
The Liu family invited the tailor lady to come home today. Last time he said that he would cut clothes for Ye Jiao, but there were so many things that had been delayed, so they happened to do it together today.
Ye Jiao had never been measured for clothes before, but fortunately, she didn't have to do a thing. The whole process was to raise her arms, raise her head, and wait for the measurements before choosing two favorite colors.
When the tailor lady was sent away, Liu Shi took Ye Jiao to the garden and said to her: "You're still young and growing; your clothes will need to be changed frequently to fit. Every six months, if you can't wait for the tailor to come, find some time to have someone accompany you to the tailor's shop."
Ye Jiao had always kept Liu Shi's words in her heart. She would reply obediently, whether she understood or not, and without questions: "Thank you, Mother."
That was what Liu Shi wanted to hear, and she nodded gently to her.
At this time, a few people slipped out of Qi Ming's yard.
Liu Shi was full of care and love for her youngest son, but she didn't go in at the moment. She just stood at the courtyard gate, looked inside, and said with a smile: "Third Son told me before that he's going to write for two hours today. I know he's working hard."
When Ye Jiao heard this, her eyes widened.
No wonder the little fox liked scholars; they're really not like ordinary people.
She herself only wrote for an hour, but her wrists were tired. A scholar actually had to write for two hours a day?
People who wanted to take the top exam were different.
Ye Jiao also looked inside. There were several large characters in the yard that were taken out to dry.
She had good eyes, and when she took a closer look, she could recognize most of the characters on it. However, she couldn't quite spell out the sentence that they made.
Sincerity is in the middle, form is on the outside, so the gentleman… what's alone…
As she didn't understand, the Little Ginseng didn't read too much and continued to walk with Liu Shi. When the sky was getting dark and Ye Jiao was about to return, Liu Shi had someone bring her a tureen of stewed pork rib soup.
Ye Jiao carried the earthen jar and walked back quickly, without having anyone send her off.
As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw Tie Zi holding a stack of papers to be delivered to the small room.
Ye Jiao stopped him: "Tie Zi, what is this?"
Ti Zi immediately halted. He was in the period of voice change, and he sounded hoarse: "Second Young Mistress, these documents are for Second Young Master."
Ye Jiao didn't ask about it when she heard those words. She walked over to him and said: "Call Xiang Gong and tell him to come out to eat after finishing up."
Tiezi nodded immediately: "I'll remember that."
Ye Jiao smiled and glanced at what Tie Zi was holding. She saw the top document, and her mouth stopped unconsciously.
Sincerity is in the middle, form is on the outside, so a gentleman…
Hey, wasn't this what Qi Ming wrote just now?
The author has something to say:
Ye Jiao: Do you write?
Repeater Little Stone: Write wordy words!
Ye Jiao: Do you read?
Repeater Little Stone: Ready reads!
Ye Jiao: Reading or writing?
Repeater Little Stone: Eat cakey cakes!
Ye Jiao: ?
=w=
Sincerity is in the middle, and the form is on the outside, so a gentleman must be careful about his independence – University [3]
Footnotes:
[1] Literal translation is: "hand stove." According to Baidu, a hand stove was used in ye old days to keep people warm. In the picture below, the women are holding hand stoves. They were mostly made of copper and equipped with charcoal fire on the inside. I used "hand warmer" because it fit the purpose of the device better than "stove," lol.
[2] Literal translation is: "… wu qing was gone…" instead of "internal bruises." The term 'wu qing,' according to Baidu, refers to a bluish-black complexion of blood. My interpretation is that he just looks very, very sickly but I used 'internal bruises' for simplicity.
[3] According to Baidu, this was part of a speech spoken by Xi Jinping. The meaning is: if a person is sincere in his heart, he can see it in his appearance. "Cautious independence" is an important concept in Confucianism, and it focuses on someone being cautious and careful when they're alone.
Ye Jiao glanced at it but didn't pay much attention. The rib soup she was carrying was on her mind, and she urged Tie Zi to call Qi Yun to eat.
Qi Yun put the pile of paper on the desk in the small room. He didn't take it out again until Qi Ming visited the next day.
When Qi Ming saw it, his face wrinkled.
He was the youngest member of the family. Whether it was Father Qi or Liu Shi, he was spoiled and pampered. Big Brother Qi Zhao was much older than him and protected his younger brother everywhere. Naturally, he indulged Qi Ming for fear that he would be wronged.
However, Qi Yun was different. His Second Brother hadn't hugged him much to coax him as a child. If Qi Yun wasn't urging him to study to progress his literature, he was forcing him to write compositions.
Qi Ming complained in the past, but when he grew up, he realized that his second elder brother was frail and could not survive past thirty years old. Even if he was a brilliant talent, he wouldn't be able to achieve fame. This restriction made him hope that Qi Ming could instead stand out.
Qi Ming learned early; after understanding Qi Yun's good intentions, he became obedient to Qi Yun. In front of Second Brother's presence, he was as docile as a little white rabbit.
At this moment though, Qi Ming couldn't control his expression. The corners of his mouth drooped and he said to Qi Yun: "Second Brother, I know I'm wrong. Can I not copy words today? I want to talk more with Mother."
Qi Yun picked up the paper and glanced at it before putting it aside. Only then did he look at him. Qi Ming didn't mention copying words, but said: "Long time no see, Third Brother. Shall we play with swords?"
Playing with swords: it wasn't about two people fighting with swords. Today's academies required students to know the six arts, and some taught kendo. But even if Qi Ming could fight, Qi Yun's body and bones couldn't stand it.
The "sword play" Qi Yun mentioned was where each person named a sword, and the other person recited ancient poems and words related to the sword.
Obviously, the name of the sword was used to play games, but the real intention was to explore Qi Ming's knowledge.
Qi Ming liked reading and was even a little obsessed with it. Hearing this, he immediately raised his head and said: "Test me then."
A smile flashed from the corner of Qi Yun's mouth, and his voice was calm: "Chi Xiao."
Qi Ming didn't even think. He immediately replied: "Hit the water and overturn the sea; the wind penetrates the red sky."
"What about Long Yuan?"
"The beautiful jade is born of the rock; the precious sword comes out of the abyss of the dragon."
"Keep talking: Yu Chang."
"The ancient lute and crawling snake are priceless; the precious sword and fish intestine are entrusted with a spirit." [1]
Qi Yun didn't stop asking questions, and Qi Ming didn't stop answering them. There was no stumbling at all, and Qi Yun's eyes became more and more satisfied.
However, Qi Ming became more and more frightened.
He had been studying abroad since he was five years old. He seldom went home. Instead, he lived at the academy and diligently learned. Plus, Qi Ming was a poet who loved poetry and books; reading made him happy. Over the past few years, he had dabbled in literature far more than his peers.
His second brother had to stay in bed eight days out of ten, and was still able to be so knowledgeable. Qi Ming was surprised at first, and then admiring, and then impressed.
Qi Yun didn't call him to play with swords to show off. He lightly tapped the top of the desk. Qi Yun lightly said: "The sword is about sharpness, and you are a scholar. However, the pen in your hand is no worse than the sword. It can bring you much more than a sword can bring. But look at this handwriting – is it worthy of your talent?
Hearing this, Qi Ming's ears turned red. He drooped his head and responded in a low voice.
He also knew that his own handwriting didn't look too nice, and Second Brother was doing it for his own good. It was correct to practice more.
When he thought of pleading with Qi Yun just now to avoid practicing calligraphy, Qi Ming blushed.
Qi Yun looked at him and slowed his voice: "The county exam is approaching, and the test paper will be copied by someone. This calligraphy practice can be slowed down, but you can't slack off. In order to have a bright future, it would be good to have your characters presented to people."
Qi Ming immediately nodded and agreed. He didn't dare slack off.
At this time, Liu Shi asked people to come and call Qi Ming over. Qi Yun didn't stop him and let him go.
On Qi Ming's way out, Qi Yun lightly said: "Remember in the future, a gentleman should be cautious of independence."
Qi Ming immediately agreed.
How can I not remember?
I wrote it hundreds of times yesterday; I'll never forget it in my life!
After Qi Ming left, Qi Yun picked up the large characters written by Qi Ming again.
Although Qi Yun felt that Third Brother's characters didn't look too good, to be fair, they were still much better than his own Jiao Niang's.
Qi Yun thought again: how many days has it been since Jiao Niang learned? It's already good that she's able to write characters.
Besides, Jiao Niang's round words can't be written by others.
With a smile on his face, Qi Yun got up and went out. He found that his Jiao Niang did not walk around with a flower pot in her arms as usual. Instead, she sat at the stone table, looking at more than a dozen pots of flowers and plants, large and small, lined up on the ground. He didn't know what was on her mind as she held her chin.
Seeing this, Qi Yun walked over, sat down next to Ye Jiao, and asked with a smile: "What's wrong?"
Ye Jiao withdrew her gaze and turned her head to look at Qi Yun. She handed over the post that a man delivered to her.
"I received these flowers and plants early in the morning, and the person who sent them was the daughter of the steward of the pharmacy." Ye Jiao remembered Steward Dong, but she didn't know Steward Dong's daughter.
These weren't for Qi Yun, but for Ye Jiao.
Ye Jiao stared at these flowers for a long time. It wasn't because they were beautiful, but because they were all medicinal flowers – there were even plants that Ye Jiao recognized.
Some were nourishing and some exorcized the cold. All in all, they were good things.
However, Qi Yun glanced at them and said: "Steward Dong married the shopkeeper of the pharmacy, who could be regarded as his own family. Since she's given these away, you can just accept them."
It wasn't new for the manager to give gifts to the owner, and a few pots of flowers and plants weren't big deals.
Ye Jiao blinked: "Will this gift be too much?"
Qi Yun's eyebrows were soft: "It's just some ornamental flowers, so it's fine."
Ye Jiao firmly believed that her house's Xiang Gong was as knowledge as the ocean, and his words didn't seem fake.
On second thought, Ye Jiao felt that it was similar to the stone bud grass from before. She recognized it, but others didn't know what it was for.
She heard Qi Yun say: "If you don't like it, you can return it too."
Ye Jiao hurriedly said: "I like it; I really like it." Then, she instructed Xiao Su and Tie Zi to carry the flowers into the wing. She would carefully study them later.
Qi Yun only thought that Ye Jiao liked to take care of flowers and plants, and he didn't ask too much. He smiled and stroked her hair. The afternoon was peaceful and pleasant.
While life was peaceful in the Qi family's yard, they didn't know that outside the yard, Qi Second Son was already famous.
Nowadays, everyone paid attention to superstition and were a little hostile to the rich.
Even though the Qi family was usually kind and took special care of their neighbors and tenants, there must be some people who were jealous of their wealth.
Of course, no one would do anything bad because of that jealousy. Even if they had the heart, they didn't have the guts. Although it was a clear world today, there was a gap of 100,000 miles between the rich and the small households. No one had the courage to mess with them.
As for chatting behind the scenes when talking about the shortcomings of the parents, no one cared. There were always those who liked to talk about other people's rights and wrongs.
That's how rumors of Qi Second Son's bad health spread.
Everyone said that Qi Second Son had a ferocious appearance, with raised eyebrows and vertical eyes. He was ugly and as white as paper. Others would avoid him when they saw him from afar. The Qi family had been doing well for so many years but had a stumble. Qi Second Son was not only fierce-looking and evil, but also a short-lived ghost.
Rumors gave the appearance of reality. [2]
Anyone who talked about Qi Second Song should sigh pitifully first, and then comfort themselves –
The life of the rich is also not easy. Look, such a short life!
It seemed that thinking this way allowed them to reflect that their poor lives weren't too hard.
However, with the flow of deliveries out from the Qi wine shop, any fool could see that the wine shop was doing better for itself.
Steward Song always praised how Second Young Master was so capable, how Second Young Master had such ability, and how Second Young Master was great from heaven to earth!
It wasn't that Steward Song was deliberately saying this; the flower-white silvers and shiny copper plates were just so eye-catching. Steward Song was so old, and it was the first time he was so proud his eyebrows raised. Naturally, he praised Qi Yun to the sky.
It's just that his words were too exaggerated, and not many people believed them.
But anyone with eyes could see that the Qi family's wine shop was booming and was hiring a lot of people. These people said that they were very busy inside and that the supply exceeded the demand every day.
Even if Steward Song's other words weren't very credible, the words "Qi Second Son has the ability to make money" could still be trusted.
One by one, the news spread to the Ye family's village.
The Ye family's village wasn't rich, but there were people with blabbering mouths everywhere. If they received news, they would talk about it over and over again. In particular, the subject of this news had some contact with their own village, so the conversation was even more lively.
By the river, several women who were washing clothes together were talking about the Qi family.
"Something evil is going on. Years ago, I said that the Qi family's second son wasn't very healthy, but how long has it been until today? Suddenly he got better again."
"I don't know if he's healthy or not, but I heard people say that the reason why Qi Second Son was weak and sick was because he opened his heavenly eyes and had the ability of the God of Wealth, so…"
"Come on, open what heavenly eyes. Are you saying the second son is God?"
"If you want me to say, the lady of the Ye family is the lucky one. She was originally a chongxi bride; who knows how good her life is now. Look at the show that happened before. Which of the girls in our village have this kind of dignity?"
"Didn't Ye Ersao always say behind her back that she ate for free? Now it's all okay. There are good in-laws that she (Ye Ersao) can't climb on. I don't know what she's thinking."
Speaking of this, an old woman sighed: "If only my daughter got married back then."
This remark led to a joke: "Forget it. We all knew that marrying back then was like a fire pit. Would you have been able to let your biological daughter jump into it?"
While speaking, she watched Ye Ersao coming from a distance.
Ye Ersao had always been stingy and treated her neighbors badly. If she wasn't asking to borrow needles and thread from the family in the east, she was asking to use a crock pot from the family in the west. When others asked her for help, she never had a good face, which offended many villagers.
Seeing her coming, a woman stopped washing her clothes. With a squeeze in her heart, she raised her head and called to her: "Second sister-in-law, congratulations; your younger brother-in-law has great skills!"
Ye Ersao had been awkward recently, but after hearing this, she was so angry she almost passed out.
The author has something to say:
Qi Yun picked up Qi Ming's words: Practice hard, be diligent
Qi Ming: Yes!
Qi Yun picked up Jiao Niang's words: So cute and round
Ye Jiao: Xiang Gong is right.
Qi Ming: … QAQ
=w=
"Hit the water and overturn the sea; the wind penetrates the red sky." – Cen Shen
"The beautiful jade is born of the rock; the precious sword comes out of the abyss of the dragon." – "Miscellaneous Poems" by Cao Zhi
"The ancient lute and crawling snake are priceless; the precious sword and fish intestine are entrusted with a spirit." – "Gift Tao Liu" Lu You
Footnotes:
[1] Yah, you read that right. The name of the sword is literally translated to "fish intestines." Apparently this is considered the "sword of bravery." The story is: some chef assassinated a king with this sword, which came out of the fish the king was eating. Lmaoo I don't know either. You can check out the backgrounds of the 10 famous swords of China's ancient times here:
[2] The literal translation is: "The arrangement had noses and eyes." There's an idiom in that phrase with the translation "there are noses and eyes," which according to Baidu, means that a lie is told in such vivid detail that it becomes real.
Ye Ersao felt that Ye Jiao was really her evil star – tenfold of an evil star! [1]
The Ye family took the Qi family's money. Although it wasn't enough for them to become a wealthy household, if they saved more money, they could live a few years without having to worry about food and clothing.
However, Ye Ersao was very arrogant. When Ye Jiao returned home [2], she was provoked into action as well. Ye Ersao tried her best to make Ye Erlang stand out, and to use the given money to do business. She wanted to be a merchant's wife so she didn't have to live in this small village and be bullied.
Except for the money left for Ye Bao for his studies, the rest was given to Ye Erlang as capital.
Ye Erlang, however, was not business savvy. He was a farmer. How could he stand in the same playing field as the crafty-headed businessmen?
In the past, he was forced out to make a living by Ye Ersao and lost money. Now he still has foreign debt. As a result, recently Ye Ersao urged him to go out and work. Not only did he not accomplish anything, but he was also cheated out of a lot of money.
Ye Bao didn't worry too much. At school, he either contradicted the teacher or fought with other children. Just now, Ye Ersao visited the houses of the children who were beaten to pay compensation.
She was angry and anxious on this trip. Who knew that outsiders would be adding obstacles to her path, adding to her current annoyance.
The old ladies didn't care whether or not Ye Ersao's life was good. They had long tongues [3] and disputes with Ye Ersao. Of course, they wouldn't be soft-hearted now.
"That Second Young Master – I heard people say that he got sick after spying on the secrets of the sky, and now he has great supernatural powers. Otherwise, how could he have made jade liquor?"
"(Ye) Second Sister-in-Law, take a look – your sister-in-law is doing well. Can you follow the limelight?"
"I heard that your family's Erlang lost money again. Instead of getting angry, you might as well go to the Qi family to beg a little. Maybe they can help you out."
The expression on Ye Ersao's face froze. She, who always had sharp teeth and a sharp mouth, couldn't hold in her words. Her heart skipped a beat in anger.
This Ye Jiao used to eat free meals at home. Now, the idea of getting rid of her was also making her angry!
Didn't you marry a sick demon? Then accept your fate and live your hard life well. Why do you have to make her (Ye Ersao) so miserable?
How could she live a good life? How was that possible?
Ye Ersao was not happy for Ye Jiao at all, but full of resentment.
She was already stingy. As the Ye family had no man except Ye Erlang, she felt that she was the master of the house. After cleaning up Ye Jiao, her life would be better. She didn't expect that Ye Jiao's life would become a thousand times better than hers.
She didn't send Ye Jiao to the Qi Household to live a good life!
Why was her man still unable to do anything? On the contrary, how was Qi Yun so prosperous? [4]
Who said he was going to die? How does he look like he's about to die?
In her ears, the congratulations from the old ladies sounded harsh. Ye Ersao could only pretend that she didn't hear them, and quickly left with a basket.
As soon as she got home though, she saw Ye Erlang carrying wine and entering the door.
Ye Ersao was a little surprised. Additionally, she was angry from just now, and her tone was particularly bad when she spoke: "You're not in town. Why did you come back so early?"
Because she always had a bad attitude at home, Ye Erlang didn't know whether she was in a good mood or not. He just smiled and said: "I'm happy today. I came home for a drink. Go, get me a bowl."
"If you want a bowl, you can get it yourself. Don't call me." Ye Ersao snorted coldly, and then felt a little distressed: "If you want to drink, tell me. I'll make rice wine for you. When you go to town to buy wine, you also need to pay for a clay pot, which is a waste of money."
Ye Erlang was dim-witted and honest, and he didn't argue with Ye Ersao. He put the wine jug on the table and went to get the bowl himself.
There was red paper pasted on the wine jug, with two words written on it.
Ye Ersao was illiterate, but she also knew that wine with red paper pasted on it was not cheap. She became anxious and shouted at Ye Erlang: "What kind of wine did you buy?"
Ye Erlang was rummaging in the cupboard. Without looking back, he casually replied: "Jade wine; it's selling well."
The voice was smiling. Ye Erlang naturally knew that the jade wine belonged to the Qi family. He also knew that it was brought out by his younger sister's husband.
If Qi Yun lives well, then Ye Jiao will also live well.
His house's little sister was a fortunate one.
Ye Erlang was still apologetic about selling his sister. Not that he saw Ye Jiao living a better life, Ye Erlang was naturally happy. Thus, he bought jade wine and came back to drink it.
He found the bowl and was about to turn back and tell Ye Ersao that the wine wasn't too expensive, and that they could afford to drink it. Who knew that as soon as he turned around, he saw Ye Ersao holding the jug and about to throw it on the ground!
Ye Erlang was shocked and hurriedly said: "Don't drop it, it's expensive!"
As soon as Ye Ersao heard this, she stopped. Her face turned red for a bit and then white. She gasped angrily, but gently put the jug on the table for fear of knocking it.
Ye Erlang breathed a sigh of relief, but then he heard the woman shout again: "Look, this is your good sister, good brother-in-law! He has his own wine shop, but you still need money to buy wine. What is this situation!"
Ye Erlang didn't want to give her attention, but it was obvious that she was shouting loudly. He hugged the wine jug and whispered: "Don't forget what Jiao Niang was living like."
In a word, Ye Ersao's mouth was blocked.
If there was still anger, now the woman was more afraid..
Ye Jiao was so prosperous. In the future, would she turn her head back and find trouble for her (Ye Ersao)?
Ye Erlang ignored her and drank the jug of wine all night. He didn't make any trouble when he was drunk and fell asleep. When he dreamed, he babbled about his big brother and little sister. Who knew what he was dreaming about.
But everything happening in the Ye family was unfamiliar to Ye Jiao; not even half of their circumstances could touch her.
As soon as she finished eating breakfast, Ye Jiao sat next to Qi Yun.
Today was the day when the stewards brought the income to settle accounts. Liu Shi did not let the daughters-in-law come over.
It wasn't to guard against them. It was because Fang Shi was small-minded. The last time she heard that Steward Song had taken the lead, she was so angry that she lay in bed for several days. Now, if she comes over and sees something again, wouldn't she get angry?
Ye Jiao was free, but she didn't go out. Instead, she squeezed beside Qi Yun.
Qi Yun was wearing a robe and holding a book in his hand. Seeing Ye Jiao coming, he didn't dodge. He just stretched his arms around her and wrapped the woman in his robe.
Ye Jiao looked at the hand warmer on his lap and thought about how to hold his hand. Now that she had a chance, she immediately grabbed Qi Yun's hand and moved it closer.
Qi Yun put down the book in his hand and let her move. He slightly curved the corners of his mouth: "Cold?"
Ye Jiao shook her head. How could it be cold in this warm room?
Qi Yun also felt that his Jiao Niang wasn't cold, but that she wanted to be with him as this happened more and more. This made his heart especially calm.
The Little Ginseng didn't know what the man was thinking. She just lowered her head and stared at the hand warmer.
The stove was warm, heating the man's fingers. Ye Jiao's fingertips slid across his joints, little by little, and pinched his hand. There was surprise on her face: "Xiang Gong, you have more meat than before!"
If others heard that they had too much meat, they would feel uncomfortable. Nowadays, thinness was considered beautiful, and neither men nor women wanted to make themselves too plump.
These words were different for Qi Yun. He had been unceasingly sick and didn't like to eat after drinking too much medicine. Since he was a child, he had been thin. In addition, his bones didn't delay in growing and he had a tall figure. After putting on clothes, he was like a flag raised on a pole, swaying as the wind blew.
Recently it felt like his condition was getting better. It's better to say that the meat has grown rather than firming up.
Qi Yun didn't know that this development had to do with the nourishment of the Little Ginseng, but he felt that it was good for him to take his own wife.
This is the philosophy of life that Qi Yun summarized recently; that is, the woman is good at everything.
He grabbed Ye Jiao's hand with his own. Qi Yun squeezed it and slightly sighed: "Lady, you usually eat a lot. Why don't you grow meat?"
Eating three meals a day was a lot of meals, as well as snacks and desserts. If one ate this way, one would be plump in no time.
But Ye Jiao became more and more slender, with no fat at all.
Not only was Qi Yun unhappy, but sometimes he felt distressed when he looked at Ye Jiao's pointed chin. He thought that she was so hungry before, she couldn't make up for it now.
Ye Jiao wasn't too worried. Instead, she cheerfully said: "I'm a little thinner so I can sleep with Xiang Gong at night."
As soon as these words came out, Qi Yun blushed. Xiao Su, who was cleaning up beside him, choked and ran out.
Ye Jiao looked at Qi Yun in inquiry: "What's wrong? Didn't you say that your bed was too small last time?"
Qi Yun pursed the corners of his mouth. While there was helplessness and embarrassment in his eyes, there was more of a smile than anything.
His bed wasn't big, but it wasn't small. There was more than enough space for two people to lie on it. The reason why he said it was small… wasn't it to be closer to Ye Jiao?
But Qi Yun wouldn't admit those words. He just tried to make himself look more serious: "Well, I'll let them make a big bed to send here in the future."
Ye Jiao didn't doubt him, smiling as usual.
At this time, Tie Zi's voice came in from outside: "Second Young Master, all the stewards are here at the front. The master calls you to go to the front yard."
Qi Yun replied: "Okay, I understand." Then he let go of Ye Jiao and softly said: "This time, they came with money. There are lots of people in the house, so don't leave the yard."
Ye Jiao nodded obediently and helped him get on his clothes. She stuffed a new hand warmer for him before watching Qi Yun go out.
This time Ye Jiao didn't follow, but went to the wing to study the flowers and plants sent by the Dong family.
It was already the afternoon when Qi Yun came back. There was no joy or anger on his face, but Tie Zi, who trailed behind him, was grinning from ear to ear.
Just now, Steward Song made a big splash. The case had strings upon strings of coins and was hefty; just looking at it gave people a heavy pressure.
Steward Song made a good show, and Qi Yun even won the praise of Father Qi. Tie Zi felt good listening to it.
He used to be afraid of Qi Yun, but as Steward Song said, the Second Young Master now had the ability to make money. In his eyes, he's a shiny, golden man. What's there to be afraid of?
However, Tie Zi didn't dare say anything more in front of Qi Yun. After sending Qi Yun back to the yard, he jumped away and went to Xiao Su to describe the scene just now.
As soon as Qi Yun entered the door, he saw Ye Jiao sitting at the dinner table, waiting for him with a hand on her chin.
The Little Ginseng was already hungry and it was time to eat. Still, she waited eagerly for Qi Yun to come back. Her eyes lit up when she heard movement. When she saw Qi Yun entering the door, she got up and ran over. She grabbed Qi Yun and said: "Xiang Gong, come eat!"
Qi Yun actually wanted to tell her something. When he saw that Ye Jiao was very hungry, he swallowed his words, smiled, and sat down with her to eat.
After the meal was finished, they let people clean up the table. Qi Yun closed the door, pulled Ye Jiao to sit in front of the table, and handed her a red cloth bag from his arms: "For you. Make sure to put it away."
Ye Jiao blinked her eyes and felt that the cloth bag in her hand had some weight. She opened it and found five small silver ingots inside.
The silver ingot didn't look too big, but when she weighed it in her hand, she felt that it was more than a dozen taels. Ye Jiao needed to hold it with two hands.
The Little Ginseng doesn't understand many things, but she knew what this silver could do. Ye Ersao from the past fought with Ye Jiao because of the lack of it.
She looked at Qi Yu in surprise: "Xiang Gong, why did you give this to me?"
Qi Yun sat next to Ye Jiao, his voice still soft: "The more the shop earns, the more will be given to the steward and me. This is my share and the size is an income. You can keep it for me. If you want to spend it, Jiao Niang, just take it for yourself."
Ye Jiao didn't understand what it meant to help people manage money. She blankly looked at Qi Yun and shoved the money back to him: "I don't know anything about how to manage money."
Qi Yun gently smiled and put the red cloth bag into a box. He gave the box to Ye Jiao, asking her to hold it. Qi Yun gently said: "It's okay, I'll teach you."
The author has something to say:
Qi Yun: hand in salary
Footnotes:
[1] An evil star is a term that refers to a person who brings deaths, calamities, disasters.
[2] This "return home" refers to the return of the bride to her maternal family's home on the third day of the wedding, historically.
[3] "Long tongues" refer to people who talk too much.
[4] The literal translation is "the wind blows and the water waves." According to Baidu, it's a complimentary metaphor synonymous to "rising to fame." The wind blows over the water and the water makes waves → things are doing very well, growing rapidly towards prosperity.
When it came to managing money, Ye Jiao really didn't know anything.
In the past, the Little Ginseng relied on eating soil… Well, it was a combination of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, to live. Even if she wanted some treasures of heaven and earth, she mostly had to bargain for things and they didn't involve gold and silver.
The Ye Jiao in her memory didn't manage money in the Ye family. If she did, she wouldn't have been bullied to the extent that she was.
Now that Qi Yun stuffed 10 taels of silver towards her, Ye Jiao had to take the small wooden box. As if it was scalding, she put it aside and reached out to tug on Qi Yun's sleeve: "What should I do with it?"
Qi Yun was extremely patient. He took her hand to cover the stove together and said: "Although our family says that you don't need to worry about ordinary things, some stuff requires extra money. For example, if you want to buy a piece of clothing, or a hairpin, you have to use your own money."
Ye Jiao blinked: "You have to pay for it yourself?"
"Well, before when my mother asked you to buy clothes, the money was given by my mother. It was a favor for you. If you want to do it yourself, you have to pay for it yourself." Qi Yun was extremely honest when he spoke.
The fact of the matter was that ordinary people rarely gave money to the people in the house. With all the hustle and bustle going into making profits, of course the men wanted to hold the money they earned in their own hands. This was so they could use it comfortably and manage the women at home without losing authority.
The more wealthy a family, the less money a woman had in her hands. Only if a woman had a strong maternal family could she have financial power. Otherwise, most of them just asked for the account books. It looked like they're holding the money, but in reality it's a lot of work to manage. If she really wanted to make money, she had to ask a man.
Even Liu Shi just took care of the money; Father Qi decided everything else.
Of course Qi Yun knew this, yet he still gave Ye Jiao all the money he earned – he didn't even keep a penny.
He wanted to do business so that his wife could live well in the future. Whether he was dead or alive, Ye Jiao would be able to rely on that money. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to get by. Now that he made money, he naturally wanted her to take it.
However, Ye Jiao held the box and mumbled: "It's not easy for you to make money. I don't want to order clothes or buy hairpins."
With that phrase, Qi Yun felt both sweet and sour in his heart.
He naturally knew that Ye Jiao was innocent and kind. She said what she thought in her heart. Qi Yun didn't expect that Jiao Niang, who he knew in the past had a carefree nature of eating and sleeping, was listening to him and kept his words in her heart.
With a wife like this, what could a husband ask for?
Qi Yun didn't show his thoughts, and his tone was relaxed: "Jiao Niang is right, but I have a lot of work to do now, like taking care of the shop. Wouldn't it be a problem if I'm worrying about how to spend this money every day?"
If anyone else heard this, one would fear that their jaws would drop.
This was silver, beautiful white silver! Others want it, but from Qi Yun's reasoning it was actually such a burden?
Where's the reason?
Ye Jiao ate up his words. She felt that Qi Yun was right; not only did the money need to be collected, but it also had to be calculated every day. It certainly was a hassle.
Moreover, Xiang Gong's body was still not well. While he's working hard for the shop, of course she has to help him.
The resistance on her face immediately disappeared. Ye Jiao closed the box and firmly said to Qi Yun: "Xiang Gong, don't worry. I can take care of you."
Qi Yun curved the corners of his mouth and reached out to rub Ye Jiao's forehead: "Jiao Niang really helped me a lot; thank you."
Ye Jiao sweetly smiled: "You're welcome."
After putting away the box, Qi Yun gave Ye Jiao a detailed account of the things she might use money for in the future.
In addition to buying things for themselves, Xiao Su followed Ye Jiao while Tie Zi followed Qi Yun. Their monthly salaries had to be given by Qi Yun and Ye Jiao. If they (Qi Yun and Ye Jiao) wanted to use an ox cart, the driver needed to be paid. Anytime they went in and out of the house, they would need copper plates.
From lunch to dinner, they kept discussing the matter.
At the end of the day, it was impossible to do anything without money.
Ye Jiao was dumbfounded, but she still tried to remember everything.
This time, she didn't complain of being tired. The Little Ginseng felt that this matter was troublesome, and it would be even more troublesome if it was left to her husband. No matter how difficult it was, she had to remember it and share her husband's worries.
However, Qi Yun could see that Ye Jiao had a hard time remembering. Since it was already nighttime, he didn't want to keep her awake. He wrapped it up and prepared to tell her the rest, later, if something happened.
The man reiterated to her: "Don't be afraid to spend money, especially for yourself. Don't be afraid to spend the silver; if it's not enough, I will earn it back."
Qi Yun was trying to convince his wife not to hold on to the money and to spend it. The money can be earned again after being spent. If left in the palm of one's hand, it would lose its value.
Silver can't reproduce itself; might as well spend it.
Seeing Ye Jiao nod, Qi Yun felt relieved. He then smiled in his heart. He didn't expect that one day he would be teaching others how to spend his money.
Very happy to teach…
The two of them lay on the bed side by side after cleaning up. In the darkness, Qi Yun heard Ye Jiao's soft voice: "Last time, I saw Father wearing a fur coat. It's fluffy and looks warm. If I buy it for Xiang Gong, how much silver would it cost?"
Qi Yun choked a little. He grabbed Ye Jiao's hand and softly replied: "Let's go see it together when we find time."
"Okay."
After Ye Jiao fell asleep, Qi Yun carefully turned to the side. His lips touched Ye Jiao's forehead, and he closed his eyes.
When Qi Yun woke up, the sky was already bright. The charcoal fire in the room was relit and the room was warm.
The man sat up and turned to see Ye Jiao. She was already neatly dressed and writing at the desk.
Qi Yun thought she got up early and worked hard. He didn't bother her and went to wash and dress himself.
When he finished cleaning up, he saw that Ye Jiao was still at the table, unmoving.
He curiously walked over and saw that Ye Jiao wasn't practicing calligraphy, but writing down everything Qi Yun said yesterday in round characters.
It's only that Ye Jiao didn't spend much time practicing calligraphy and writing was a bit slow. She hadn't finished even half of what she wanted to write all morning.
Seeing Qi Yun approach, Ye Jiao raised her head to look at him. Her first sentence was: "Is Xiang Gong hungry?"
Qi Yun glanced at what she wrote, and there was a slight smile on his face: "It's fine to remember these slowly; don't be in a rush."
Ye Jiao put down her pen and spoke while pulling Qi Yun to breakfast: "I wrote it down so I wouldn't forget it. By the way, just now Mother asked someone to come over. They said that Third Brother was going back to the academy today. Let's send him off after our meal."
Qi Yun agreed. After the two of them ate, then went to the front yard.
The holiday in Qiming Academy was supposed to be three days. Due to the past heavy rain, many students didn't go home, so this time it was extended to five days.
After five days, Qi Ming had to head back on time.
Liu Shi was naturally reluctant for him to leave, but she didn't want to delay Qi Ming's studies. She could only endure the discomfort and send him off. She packed him a big bag and put it on the ox cart, saying: "There are winter robes inside. The clothes and quilts are also made by someone who works with cotton; remember to use them. There are also some red bean cakes inside. You should share with your classmates and your teacher."
Qi Ming responded without the slightest impatience with Liu Shi's ramblings.
Often, the sooner children left home, the more they understood their parents' hearts. Qi Ming took Liu Shi's hand to comfort her: "Mother, I'll be back in a month. It'll be quick. I can maybe take a few more days off during the New Year. By then, your son will be able to be recommended for the county examination."
Although Liu Shi was still reluctant in her heart, there was a smile on her face, which reassured Qi Ming.
Qi Zhao gave Qi Ming a pack of jerky, and Qi Yun gave him a box of books that he had annotated. All of those items were loaded on an ox cart for Qi Ming to take away.
When he was far away, Liu Shi turned back and shed tears. It took a while to coax her, and her sons and daughters-in-law returned after she calmed down.
Steward Song had been waiting for a while. Qi Yun went to talk with him in the small room, and Ye Jiao was going to continue writing.
At this time, Xiao Su said, "Second Young Mistress, Steward Dong's daughter said she wanted to see you, and she is in the lobby right now."
Ye Jiao immediately looked at the pot of flowers placed in the yard, thought about it, and said to Xiao Su: "Please let her come in then."
"Yes."
When Dong Shi entered the door, she saw Ye Jiao squatting beside the flowerpots.
After a pause, Dong Shi walked over with a smile on her face.
Dong Shi was in her early twenties this year, but she had a round face and looked much younger than her actual age.
She was the daughter of Dong Da, and she was also married to the shopkeeper of the pharmacy. She was considered to be completely Qi family's people. Everything she said and did reflected the Dong family; otherwise, Qi Yun wouldn't have let her come and talk to Ye Jiao.
Before coming, Dong Shi had inquired about Ye Jiao's personality and knew that she was a friendly person. While Dong Shi herself was lively and outgoing, she didn't have much experience. She was happy to know that Ye Jiao was easy to get along with.
But she was her boss after all, so Dong Shi spoke with some caution: " Dong Shi comes to see the Second Young Mistress."
Ye Jiao looked up at her and took her hands off the herbal petals. She clapped her hands, stood up, and smiled at her: "Call me Jiao Niang. You are Steward Dong's daughter?"
"Yes, my nickname is Chunlan." Dong Shi looked at Ye Jiao and said with a smile, "Jiao Niang likes these flowers?"
Ye Jiao nodded. Listening to her talk about the medicinal herbs, her eyes became eager: "They are all very good, but there are a few I don't know how to grow."
Dong Shi had been dealing with medicinal herbs since she was a child, and it was no exaggeration to say that she was obsessed with medicine. After listening to Ye Jiao's words, she had a heart to teach her well. She immediately walked up to Ye Jiao to talk about the habits and cultivation of these flowers, one by one.
From listening, Ye Jiao knew that she was a connoisseur and was very happy. The two quickly got together and strolled around a bunch of flowers. Their words transitioned from being unfamiliar to being familiar. [1]
When Qi Yun sent Steward Song out, he saw two women sitting at the table, happily talking over a pot of flowers.
Seeing them come out, Ye Jiao got up with a smile and said to Steward Song: "Be careful on the way back, Steward Song." Steward Song returned a bow. Ye Jiao nodded at him with a smile and turned to Qi Yun, her eyes filled with excitement and jumping with joy. "Xiang Gong, I have something to discuss with you!"
Qi Yun first watched Steward Song leave, and then nodded slightly to Dong Shi who was bowing to him. He looked at Ye Jiao with soft eyebrows: "What's the matter?"
Ye Jiao raised her head and brightly smiled: "We just calculated. These flowers still have to be planted in the ground." As she spoke, she pointed.
Qi Yun looked in the direction Ye Jiao pointed. Dong Shi stepped aside, and Qi Second Son saw a lot of medicinal herbs.
It had been a few days since these flowers were delivered, but Ye Jiao had been watching without moving them.
Qi Yun asked, "Where do you want to plant them?"
Hearing this, Dong Shi looked left and right, and there was some regret in her eyes.
The specific medicinal value of these medicinal flowers was not completely known to Dong Shi, but some of them were calming, while others were beautiful. Most of them were fragile and difficult to support. They would have to be planted in one's yard to thrive.
However, Dong Shi saw that the area that could be planted in the yard was already filled with flowers and plants, and even the most beautiful medicinal flowers were not as pretty as those for ornamental use.
Mr. Dong guessed that the ones she sent might have to be planted. Seeing that winter was coming, no one would take care of them, and most of the medicinal herbs would die.
What a pity.
At this time, Ye Jiao asked: "Is it okay to plant them in our yard?"
In Ye Jiao's opinion, these ornamental flowers were beautiful, but they were basically useless.
The medicinal flowers were different. Some of them could help Xiang Gong replenish his body, and some could cure illnesses. Naturally, they must be cultivated well.
Ye Jiao didn't hide it and directly said: "Xiang Gong, you need to take care of yourself now. The herbal flowers are stronger than these ornamental flowers."
Qi Yun didn't mind her reason at all. Seeing that Ye Jiao liked it, he nodded his head. His expression was gentle when he lowered his head: "I'll let someone clean up today. You don't have to watch them all the time. It's cold outside, so go in early and rest."
Ye Jiao had a smile on her face: "Then are you going out?"
"I have to discuss something with Father. Don't worry, I'll be back around noon."
"Then I'll wait for you to eat."
"Alright."
Qi Yun closed his neckline, turned around and walked out of the courtyard. Before walking too far, he said: "Xiao Su, come here."
Xiao Su immediately threw her broom down and ran over, standing upright without trying to escape.
Qi Yun's voice was light: "The flowers planted in the yard can be moved to the outside garden to make room for Jiao Niang."
Xiao Su was stunned for a moment. She remembered that the Second Young Master usually liked this garden full of red flowers. Fearing that she could be wrong, she boldly raised her head, looked at Qi Yun, and asked: "All moved?"
Qi Yun lightly said: "Yes."
"Some can't be moved…"
"Then push them out."
Xiao Su didn't ask anymore and nodded again. At this time, they heard a series of footsteps.
In the winter, the clothes one wore were thicker, and the soles of the shoes one wore were also thicker. The sound of steps on the stone road was clear and crisp.
Qi Yun turned to look and saw that Ye Jiao was running. There was a small smile on the slightly pale face of the man, and he reached out to support her: "Slow down. Why are you in such a hurry?"
Ye Jiao was panting, and the cold weather turned the air from her mouth into white mist.
Without answering Qi Yun's words, Ye Jiao first looked left and right, and found that there was no outsider except Xiao Su. She raised her head to look at him, grabbed his collar and made him bend over while she stood on tiptoe and touched her lips softly to his cheek.
The author has something to say:
Ye Jiao: Getting married is good, but there are so many things that I almost forgot just now
Dong Shi: What did you forget?
Ye Jiao: The necessary steps when husband and wife separate
Dong Shi: …Huh?
=w=
In the past few days, the temperature's been getting lower. It is said that the dividing line between north and south is actually based on how hot they are.
Footnotes:
[1] This is the literal translation but a phrase that's easier to understand is: "They were getting more comfortable with each other."
Qi Yun was always cold, but Ye Jiao was different. She was warm all the time.
The moment her lips touched the man's cheek, it became so hot that Qi Yun felt an unfathomable dryness.
Ye Jiao didn't come for anything in particular. Before Qi Yun could respond, Ye Jiao ran back as if accomplishing a task, clutching the hand warmer.
Coming fast and leaving fast like a gust of wind.
Although this wasn't Xiao Su's first time seeing them so close, this time it was directly in front of her face.
Seeing that Qi Yun didn't say anything, Xiao Su didn't poke around and ran away with the broom.
Qi Yun touched the lingering warmth on his face and thought for a while. He realized that this was what he taught her.
The so-called small thing that's done before a husband and wife separated – Jiao Niang kept his words in her heart, like always.
Qi Yun felt like his thoughts were divided into two: one half was self-disgust after making up words to trick the lady, and the other half was sweet as if drowning in honey.
The corners of his mouth curled up. Qi Yun looked at the flower garden from the courtyard gate; there were indeed a few plants that he liked, especially in the cold days when they still vibrantly bloomed.
The times had now changed though. While he still liked to see life, he was no longer the sickly man who could only look at flowers and plants.
What was so important about colorful and red flowers? For the sake of Jiao Niang, everything was worth it.
Ye Jiao, who was in the yard, sincerely said to Dong Shi: "It's good to get married. There's a lot to keep track of, not only for the brain, but also for the mouth."
Dong Shi's face was puzzled, but soon the two of them resumed their conversation about medicinal herbs and the atmosphere warmed up.
That night, it snowed for the first time in the year. It was officially winter.
As the weather got colder, the charcoal basins in the house changed from one to two and the curtains on the windows were replaced with heavier fabrics.
Ye Jiao had to replant the flowers, and Dong Shi often came to help her. One thing led to another, and the two of them became acquainted.
The stone bud grass was also doing very well. It was the only one kept in a flowerpot and spent the most time under the sun every day in Ye Jiao's arms. The little flowers kept blooming without wilting, which had Dong Shi clicking her tongue in admiration.
Qi Yun was a lot busier than before. In addition to planning the wine shop with Steward Song, he also went to see Father Qi. They would end up talking for the whole day.
Ye Jiao became accustomed to holding Qi Yun's hand while sleeping at night. She used to be afraid of overstimulating him, but now since they didn't meet much during the day, she could only make up for it at night.
Qi Yun never refused, and even enjoyed it.
When the second snow of winter stopped, Qi Yun finally relaxed.
At dinner, Qi Yun told Ye Jiao: "The wine shop in town will open in two days."
That's what he told Father Qi recently.
The three brothers of the Qi family each had their own work. Qi Zhao took care of the village, Qi Yun managed the shops, and Qi Ming concentrated on studying.
It was a tradition that parents did not separate families, but Father Qi established rules early on. No matter how much income the three brothers made, they gave the family a fixed amount. Except for this fixed amount, the rest of the money was their own.
Currently, the only person with no income was Qi Ming. However, Qi Ming was a good student and had a bright future, so his family was willing to provide for him.
When Qi Yun proposed to open a new shop in town, Father Qi nodded. Steward Song nabbed the shop that he had been eyeing for some time.
Ye Jiao also heard about this news. She put down the spoon and said with a smile: "Chunlan told me. She also called me over to watch the fun."
Qi Yun remembered that Chunlan was Dong Shi('s nickname). He grabbed a magnolia slice [1] with his chopsticks for Ye Jiao and the corners of his mouth were slightly tilted: "It seems like the two of you can talk."
Ye Jiao nodded. Dong Shi was a bright and generous person, and quite accomplished with medicinal herbs. Ye Jiao also had the heart to learn something from her, and the two got along exceptionally well.
Xiang Gong was not as sick as he used to be, but relying on her to heal his body was slow. If he got sick in the future, he still needed to use herbal medicine. Ye Jiao was thinking about taking precautions.
With all these thoughts in her head, Ye Jiao casually put the magnolia slices in her mouth.
Ye Jiao's eyes widened with that bite.
So tasty…
Qi Yun gave her another chopstick full of slices and patiently said: "These are the new winter bamboo shoots cut into slices and baked with honey. It's the current seasonal dish. You have to eat it fresh – do you like it?"
Ye Jiao nodded repeatedly and couldn't speak. Her mouth was bulging, which made her look like a little hamster.
After swallowing what was in her mouth, Ye Jiao sincerely sighed: "Xiang Gong, you know so much."
Qi Yun faintly smiled. He could now calmly accept Ye Jiao's compliments.
He gave her another chopstickful [2] and the man said: "It's cold outside, so I won't go when the shop opens. But that day will be lively with lots of people. Dong Shi's invitation is the perfect time to go shopping together. Just let Mother know tomorrow."
Ye Jiao was actually not interested in the fun and games. It didn't matter to her if she went or not.
Before replying, she heard Qi Yun follow up: "I haven't visited the pharmacy for a while; you can go for me and take a look around."
Pharmacy?
It was time to take a look. Ye Jiao had only heard about it from Dong Shi's words, but she hadn't seen the real thing yet.
Ye Jiao swallowed the words of refusal in her mouth and cheerfully agreed.
She had a good meal that day and slept soundly at night. The next day, Ye Jiao went to Liu Shi's yard early in the morning.
Liu Shi was getting older and slept less at night. When Ye Jiao came, she had already recited the scriptures.
After hearing the second daughter-in-law's intentions, Liu Shi nodded and warmly said: "Ever since marrying and coming to my house, the only time you went out was to visit your maternal family. [3] It's good to go out and take a look around. I've also met the Dong family's daughter and she's capable. Having her accompany you puts me at ease. When you go out, wear thick clothes. Feel free to use up the lipstick I gave you and dress yourself up. Don't be too plain."
Ye Jiao responded and accompanied Liu Shi for a little longer before leaving.
Instead of going out immediately, she went back to her yard and sat in front of the bronze mirror with her chin in her hands. She started thinking – what is this thing called dressing up?
The Little Ginseng had been a human for a month, and there was nothing wrong with how she ate and drank. She could also distinguish the clothes she wore – what was in season, what to wear inside, and what to wear outside.
But she had never powdered her face. She was makeup-less [4] every day.
She grew well, with beautiful features and skin that was fair no matter how long she was exposed to the sun. This was considered a natural foundation. The body of the Little Ginseng had good circulation and was full of energy, with a face as white as snow. Even with a straight face, she was good-looking.
The fact that Liu Shi told her to dress up put Ye Jiao in a difficult position.
The Little Ginseng stared at the blurry figure in the bronze mirror for a long time. She reached out and rummaged through the drawer of the dressing table.
When she got married, she didn't wear anything except the gold bracelet on her wrist. Most of the things there were bought with the help of Liu Shi. Ye Jiao hadn't looked at them carefully because she didn't use them often.
Now, she took out the bottles and jars from the drawer. She picked up one of the celadon rouge boxes, opened it, and sneezed before seeing what was inside.
Fortunately, the Little Ginseng remembered to cover the box first before sneezing, so it didn't sprinkle everywhere.
Rubbing the tip of her nose, Ye Jiao picked up the box again.
The pomegranate-red rouge had a strong floral fragrance; after a good whiff, it smelled nice.
Ye Jiao didn't know how to use it. She remembered a few people in her head like Liu Shi, Fang Shi, and even Dong Shi used powdered rouge. Ye Jiao dipped her hand in, according to memory, and looked at the blurry figure in the bronze mirror. With a blink, she smeared it on her face.
The figure in the bronze mirror wasn't very clear. There was only a rough outline and murky color. The Little Ginseng couldn't tell which areas were lighter and which needed a touch-up.
When she reached the back (of the drawer), she found something interesting. She took the box and picked up the wooden cork. It seemed like the color inside was more bright, so she picked it up with her fingers and patted it on her face.
Qi Yun returned to the house after reading the account books for a bit. When he opened the door, he smelled a strong fragrance.
It wasn't the sweet smell that Jiao Niang carried, nor the herbal scent that Qi Yun inevitably obtained, but a relatively strong aroma.
It was like a floral scent, but one couldn't tell what kind.
Qi Yun thought that Ye Jiao brought flowers in again, so he closed the door and walked into the inner room.
With a glance at Ye Jiao's back, Qi Yun took off his robe and hung it on the shelf. As he walked, he spoke: "Jiao Niang, there are pigeons simmering in the kitchen. You…"
The voice abruptly stopped when the woman turned around.
Ye Jiao had never had pigeon soup. She blinked and was about to speak when Qi Yun stepped forward and hugged her into his arms.
Following that came Qi Yun's urgent voice: "Jiao Niang, were you smoked by the charcoal or scalded by the water? Does it hurt?"
The author has something to say:
Qi Yun: Suddenly
Ye Jiao: ?
Footnotes:
[1] Magnolia slices are a famous dish from the Gan, Hunan, and Fujian regions. They're basically bamboo chips. This is what they look like according to Baidu:
[2] Think of "chopstickful" like "he gave her a handful of slices." Well in this context, the measuring standard is a chopstick's worth of food, not hand's worth.
[3] This is a throwback to when the bride visits her maternal family three days after the wedding in ye old days.
[4] The literal translation of "makeup-less" is an idiom/phrase denoting a woman who wore no make-up during an audience with the emperor. Apologies for the weird flow.
