Chapter 56 – Each has its own way of living

After talking with Tian Yao, Zhou Yuan and Chen Qing got ready to leave.

They had dinner together before leaving. Zhang Yin slowly began taking medicine. After taking it, she felt much better and was able to sit with them in the evening.

“Since you’ve already decided, just go ahead. We’re already here, so it’s not a big deal.” Zhang Yin held the fan in her hand and waved it gently.

“I know. Let’s go back and report to our godfather so he won’t worry all the time.” Zhou Yuan said, then looked at Qi Shuning again. “After I leave, Shuning, you must take good care of them.”

Qi Shuning nodded. “I’ve already told my teacher that I’m here on a temporary basis, so I can leave in the afternoon.”

He could accompany them to Dr. Yu’s for acupuncture in the morning, help them with chores when he got home, and then go to the academy. Dean Fu also lent him handwritten notes to copy and return.

In short, he had more time with them.

After they arrived in Yunxi City, they slept in separate rooms. Nothing had happened between them since they got married, even though they slept in the same bed.

When they arrived, Li Xin said he had to look after Zhang Yin because he was worried that something might happen at night. So, he slept in the same room as Zhang Yin while Qi Shuning stayed in a separate room. They didn’t know that Qi Shuning stayed up every night just to copy more.

“You must also take care of yourself.”

Zhou Yuan arranged things for them and left them enough silver to live comfortably.

The next day, Zhou Yuan took Chen Qing to Tianji. Shopkeeper Tian had prepared two carts of goods for them.

Tian Yao pulled Chen Qing aside and said, “This cart is full of red red tomatos. Have you ever eaten scrambled eggs with red tomatos? They’re delicious even when eaten on their own. If you soak them in water, cut them into pieces, and add a little honey, they taste even better.”

Then, he pulled Chen Qing over to see a full basket of chili peppers. “Half a basket of chili peppers. You should have tasted them before. Whether chopped and stir-fried with meat or dried and ground into powder, they make good seasonings. But since everyone’s tastes are different, we only prepared half a basket for you. The other half is cucumbers. Cucumbers are refreshing. In the summer, if you mix them with a little vinegar, they can whet your appetite.”

There are also some seasonings that Zhou Yuan brought last time. They had all tried them and thought they were very good.

After the introduction, Tian Yao said seriously, “If you only bring these goods back, no one will buy them. You must think of a way to tell people what you’re selling and how to use it as soon as possible.”

Chen Qing nodded. “Thank you, I understand.”

Tian Yao patted his shoulder. “Be brave. Don’t be shy.”

Chen Qing nodded shyly, his face reddening again. “I understand.” He wanted to ask Tian Yao how to set prices, but before he could say anything, Tian Yao had already left.

Chen Qing stood there, thinking that he would have to discuss it with Zhou Yuan later.

The two carts carrying the goods also belonged to Tianji. While Tian Yao was talking with Chen Qing, Zhou Yuan went to pay the bill to Tianji’s accountant. Tian Yao must have told the accountant not to take the down payment for the carts. Zhou Yuan paid a total of fifty taels of silver.

After Li Xin and Qi Shuning finished with Zhang Yin, they came to see them off.

Chen Qing hugged Li Xin. “Stay with Aunt Yin. We’ll be back soon.”

Li Xin held back tears. “Be careful on the road. I’ll take good care of my mother.”

Zhou Yuan patted Qi Shuning on the shoulder. “Take good care of your husband and mother.”

Qi Shuning nodded firmly. “Brother, don’t worry.”

Chen Qing turned back every few steps to wave to Li Xin. He leaned against Zhou Yuan until they could no longer see them.

They left Yunxi City and slowly walked toward the main road.

Zhou Yuan didn’t feel much else. He wrapped one arm around Chen Qing’s waist and drove the cart with the other. “We’ll be back soon.”

Chen Qing leaned on his shoulder. “I forgot to ask Shopkeeper Tian how to set the prices.”

“It’s fine. We’ll figure it out ourselves.” Zhou Yuan didn’t mind. “How do you feel about this trip?”

“Pretty good. Everyone I met was kind,” Chen Qing said.

“You see, the unknown isn’t that scary.” Zhou Yuan pulled him closer. “I want to go to many places with you.”

“Alright.” Chen Qing nodded.

“Manager Tian is really amazing.” His eyes lit up when he spoke of Tian Yao. “He can ride horses, run a business, and be president of the Chamber of Commerce. He can hunt, too, and he isn’t afraid to go up the mountains alone.”

“Are you envious?” Zhou Yuan asked.

Chen Qing shook his head. “I don’t think I could do what he does.”

Zhou Yuan smiled and comforted him. “It’s not necessary to divide things so clearly between what men and ger should do.”

“Ah Qing, what I really want to say is that women and gers are not inferior to men. They can do everything men can do, and they can also do things men cannot.”

Zhou Yuan put his arm around Ah Qing’s shoulders. “There’s a deputy general in our military camp who’s a ger.”

Chen Qing’s eyes widened. “A ger can join the military?”

“He probably wasn’t recruited. I heard he’s General Cui’s deputy. They arrived on the battlefield relatively late, so we didn’t have much contact. But he’s a ger, and that’s an undeniable fact in the army.”

“Ah Qing, nothing is impossible in this world,” Zhou Yuan said. “Ger can do what men can do. But we may not be able to do what you can do, like threading a needle or doing embroidery. You see, you’re better at farming than I am.”

Chen Qing was a little embarrassed. “I don’t know much.”

“But everyone has their own aspirations. I just hope Ah Qing can live the rest of his life safely and smoothly with me.”

They were fine walking on the road during the day. When Manager Tian loaded the goods for them, he tightly covered everything with felt cloth.

However, when they didn’t stay at post stations at night, Chen Qing could hardly sleep, afraid that the goods would be stolen.

They slept beside the cart in the open. Zhou Yuan held Chen Qing with one hand and his knife with the other.

While Chen Qing rested during the day, Zhou Yuan kept checking to make sure the goods weren’t spoiling. After all, Manager Tian had said that it was a hot summer and that fruits and vegetables would spoil quickly. Fortunately, they were blessed with good fortune, and nothing went bad.

There were no problems along the way. They traveled much faster than when they came to Yunxi Town before. It only took eighteen days to return to Luohe Village.

Zhou Yuan didn’t bring the goods back to the village but stored them in the county town, where he rented a house for the time being.

Before leaving, he asked someone to send a letter to Meng Qi, inviting him to the county town.

After Meng Qi arrived, Zhou Yuan and Chen Qing prepared to return to the village. Meng Qi had many questions, but since they were in a hurry to go home, he didn’t ask any of them. He just followed Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan chose to return on horseback, which saved a lot of time. By the time they reached the village entrance, Chen Qing was so tired from the bumpy ride that he fell soundly asleep.

Zhou Yuan brought Chen Qing home. The courtyard was clean. Seeing that it was regularly cleaned, he kissed Chen Qing. “You rest at home. I’ll go tell my godfather that I’m safe.”

Chen Qing nodded, but he couldn’t sleep at that moment. He watched Zhou Yuan leave, then went to Aunt Sun’s house.

Aunt Sun had just returned from outside, carrying a bucket of water. It was hot outside, and the pigs always stayed in their pen. She had to splash them with water every day. As she walked toward the door with the bucket, she saw Chen Qing sitting in the yard. She was so surprised that she dropped the bucket and ran toward him.

“Ah, Qing! You’re back?”

Chen Qing heard the voice and stepped forward to hug Aunt Sun. “Mom, I’m back.”

Aunt Sun immediately hugged him back. “Why did you come back so late? Were you all right on the way? How is Aunt Yin? Where’s Zhou Yuan?”

Chen Qing pulled her aside and said, “Aunt Yin is fine and has already started treatment. Yunxi City is really nice. Zhou Yuan and I brought back some local food. Zhou Yuan just left to report to Uncle Li that we’re safe.”

“Can she still be saved?” Aunt Sun squeezed Chen Qing’s hand. “That’s wonderful. Many things have happened in the village since you left.”

“Blacksmith Li was like a madman, working hard. He heard everything Zhang Yin said before she left. Niu Niu woke up in the middle of the night, couldn’t find anyone at home, and ran crying to our house.”

“Uncle Li must be thinking things over. The medical costs are high, so he wants to earn more money.”

Aunt Sun seemed a bit helpless. “I asked Niu Niu to sleep here, but he refused. He said he wanted to go home and wait for his father. He’s a good child.”

“Then wait for Aunt Yin to return and resolve this matter.” Chen Qing said. Then, Chen Qing heard about Zhang Ran from Aunt Sun. Zhang Ran wanted a divorce, but Meng Bing refused to agree. The two fought endlessly at home. When he realized he couldn’t persuade Meng Bing, Zhang Ran ran away, and no one knew where he went.

Chen Qing didn’t expect things to end this way, but he sighed in relief nonetheless. As long as Zhang Ran wasn’t nearby, none of this had anything to do with him.

He changed the topic and talked with Aunt Sun about Yunxi City, Dr. Yu, Shopkeeper Tian, the delicious food in Yunxi City, and their trip up the mountain to search for medicine. Of course, he didn’t mention how dangerous it was.

Aunt Sun looked at Chen Qing and noticed that he seemed more cheerful than before after going out for a while.

With more experience, a person’s mind naturally broadens.

At that moment, howling sounded from the backyard. Aunt Sun remembered that she had been about to bathe the pig and that the water had spilled.

“This isn’t a pig; this is an old man,” Aunt Sun said. “I have to bathe it every day with water, or else it keeps howling.”

Thanks to this pig, her heart didn’t feel too empty with Chen Qing away.

Chen Qing followed her, carrying a bucket of water. The two of them gave the pig a proper bath.

Aunt Sun fed the pig well. Although the pigsty still smelled a bit, Aunt Sun cleaned it thoroughly.

“This year, our family will slaughter a pig for the New Year.” She put the bucket aside and walked out with Chen Qing.

Chen Qing had completely forgotten how cute the piglet was, and now he only thought the pig in front of him was big and ugly.

“Mom, let’s have dinner at home tonight. We brought back some food from Yunxi City. You’ll definitely like it once we cook it.”

He brought back food from the two carts, wanting her to taste it.

Aunt Sun looked at what Chen Qing had brought back. They were red and green and looked nice, but could they really be eaten? They had never seen them before.

“I’ll cook it tonight,” Chen Qing said. “Mother, you can try out the cooking skills I learned.”

Zhou Yuan came back from Li’s house but didn’t go into his own courtyard. Instead, he turned and went to Aunt Sun’s. When he saw her, he said, “Mother, I’m back.”

Chen Qing was cooking in the kitchen while Zhou Yuan and Aunt Sun chatted in the courtyard.

“The corn will be harvested in a few days, and we came back at just the right time.”

“I can harvest it myself. There’s still the ox, so I won’t have to work too hard.”

Chen Qing brought out a stir-fried dish. “It’s faster if the three of us work together.”

Aunt Sun looked at the plate of scrambled eggs on the table. They were red and yellow. Even without mentioning the taste, the colors alone looked festive.

After one bite, she felt they were delicious, and after hearing Chen Qing’s exaggerations, she also felt that the people in Yunxi City lived like gods.

Zhou Yuan continued where Chen Qing left off. “We brought back two carts full of specialties from Yunxi City, and we plan to sell them in the county town tomorrow.”

Although Aunt Sun was born in the mountains, she wasn’t feudal in her thinking. “That’s good, that’s good.”

Chen Qing looked at Aunt Sun. “Mother, why don’t you go help out tomorrow?”

Aunt Sun had lived with Chen Qing for five years. She knew what he was thinking the moment he opened his mouth. He didn’t want to sell on the streets himself but was embarrassed to tell Zhou Yuan, so he pushed the task onto Aunt Sun. Now, he was much smarter.

“I won’t go. My piglet needs to bathe tomorrow.”

Chen Qing: …