Chapter 66 Still the Trivialities of a Long-Distance Relationship

Ye Li returned to the west room and brought out Jiang Ji's book box.

He found Jiang Ji's notes from this trip at the very bottom of the book box.

Jiang Ji left in a hurry and didn't have time to buy the pre-bound blank books. Just then, Bao Beiyuan and Gong Lisheng sent him a set of writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone. Jiang Ji then used the white hemp paper inside to record what he saw and heard along the way.

Ye Li glanced through it and was startled.

Jiang Ji used up all seventy sheets of paper in one ream!

Jiang Ji had only been gone for a little over a month. Subtracting the eight days spent on the road and taking exams, he had written so much in just over twenty days.

Puzzled, he took the stack of papers and left the west room.

Jiang Ji was standing at the cutting board chopping tofu when he saw Ye Li carrying his diary into the kitchen. He pointed to the small dining table behind him: "Sit down and read it. Can you understand it?"

“Of course you can.” Ye Li nodded.

Jiang Ji's handwriting is standard official script, which has no connected strokes and is written clearly stroke by stroke, making it easy for him to read.

Moreover, Jiang Ji wrote entirely in plain language.

Even if he doesn't recognize a few words, he can still make sense of them by guessing based on the context.

He's just not used to reading vertical text.

Ye Li waved the paper in her hand: "Why did you write so much?"

"How much?" Jiang Ji asked, somewhat surprised.

He even felt he hadn't written enough.

Along the way, whenever he saw something that wasn't his book, his thoughts would always drift to Ye Li.

This was still the result of his restraint.

If I were to write freely, I would write thousands of words.

"This time, I didn't stay in the dormitory. I had some free time at night, so I just wrote a little something."

"No wonder."

Ye Li didn't ask any more questions. He sat down at the small dining table and looked at the top one.

The date and weather are written on the far right.

The first one is Jiang Ji's notes from the day he set off.

"At dawn, the south gate of the county town became blurred again as the mule cart swayed and rocked, until it disappeared from sight."

Ye Li and the others who were standing at the door were nowhere to be seen.

But compared to my last trip to the prefectural city, my worries are no less than before.

Upon reading this, Ye Li pointed to the words "only more, not less" with his index finger, feeling satisfied.

This extra concern, needless to say, is for Ye Li.

Continue reading.

"After a year of traveling back and forth on the official road, it was riddled with potholes and small depressions, making it extremely bumpy."

If we were to travel far with Ye Li in the future, we should indeed take a boat.

The mule cart swayed around all morning, stopping at a few tea stalls at noon.

The tea stall had all kinds of food. I bought a bowl of egg drop soup and two cornbreads for a total of six coins.

Well, the taste is just average; it only has the advantage of being located in a good place.

If Ye Li were to set up a stall here, it would surely be packed with people.

After lunch, we set off and traveled all the way to Gaotouzhuang.

Gaotou Village is small, with a main street running north to south. There are two inns in the village, and they charge quite high prices.

A dormitory bed costs eight coins a night, a regular room costs sixty coins a night, and sharing a room with Brother Hou for one night costs thirty coins in total.

Dinner consisted of two flatbreads, a boiled egg, and a serving of cold celery salad, costing a total of ten coins.

Well, it still has the advantage of location, but it can't compare to even half of Ye Li's skill.

However, even though Yezaopo has a good location, Ye Li will not open a restaurant.

It's too tiring; he doesn't like it.

Everything is perfect now.

Stopping here, Ye Liqun tapped the diary in his hand with his fingers, extremely satisfied with the content.

He looked at Jiang Ji in front of the chopping board.

Jiang Ji changed into a blue short-sleeved shirt today, and without a robe to cover her, her long legs were on full display.

Compared to his excessively thin appearance when I first met him, he has clearly gained weight in the past six months, but he is not muscular at all; he remains well-proportioned overall.

Although he was cutting tofu with his back to her, just looking at his tall and imposing figure made Ye Li subconsciously raise her diary to cover her face and hide the upturned corners of her mouth.

Ye Li quickly came to her senses.

What is he covering up?

He doesn't need to cover it up.

He and Jiang Ji are a legitimate married couple, and he can enjoy their relationship openly and honestly.

Thinking of this, he put down the diary, stood up, took two steps to Jiang Ji, and put his arm around Jiang Ji's waist.

Jiang Ji stopped wielding the cleaver and turned to look at him: "What's wrong?"

"Kiss me," Ye Li demanded matter-of-factly.

Jiang Ji smiled upon hearing this, leaned down, and gave him a light peck on the lips.

That's not enough.

Ye Li was feeling very happy.

"Let's kiss a little longer," he added.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ji raised an eyebrow. What had he seen?

Looking into Ye Li's smiling eyes, he didn't ask anything. He simply put down the kitchen knife, pulled Ye Li into his arms, and kissed her again.

While washing the dates for Jiang Ya earlier, the two of them ate a few. Now, their tongues touched, and they felt the lingering sweetness. Both of them felt sweet in their hearts and subconsciously deepened their kiss.

After the kiss ended, the two separated slightly, looked into each other's bright eyes, and laughed at the same time.

Jiang Ji raised his hand and tapped Ye Li's nose: "What did you see?"

"I saw how you got to Gaotouzhuang, and I also saw a lot of Ye Li's writings." Ye Li said, a smug look on her face: "Were you thinking about me the whole way?"

"Yes. And you?" Jiang Ji asked in return.

"Me?" Ye Li shook her head with a smile: "I was busy with other things that day and didn't have much time to think about you."

"...What is it?" Jiang Ji asked calmly, but his arms around Ye Li tightened unconsciously.

Ye Li chuckled to himself, pointing to the vegetable garden not far away: "I'm planning to build a few houses to the west of the vegetable garden. I'll be busy with that matter soon."

"Building a house?" Jiang Ji asked in surprise, looking in the direction he was pointing.

When Ye Liang and Ye Wen brought him back yesterday evening, they did not mention this matter.

"What made you decide to build a house?" he asked.

"I'm afraid of the cold, I want to cover myself with something warm."

Ye Li described his idea and concluded by saying, "If you have any suggestions, we can discuss them further."

Before Jiang Ji could speak, he asked again, "By the way, do you have any thoughts on the money?"

"No, I have no opinion. You can build it if you want."

Jiang Ji hurriedly shook his head.

He dared not have any opinion.

If he did, then in Ye Li's view, he was harboring thoughts of becoming a Chen Shimei (a notorious figure in Chinese folklore known for abandoning his wife).

Ye Li was satisfied with his answer.

Not bad, all that talking last night wasn't for nothing.

Ye Li smiled and said, "Then think about it for the next two days and try to finish building it and move in before winter."

"Um……"

Jiang Jizhen fell into deep thought.

According to Ye Li, there are three rooms, two large on the sides and one small in the middle.

The larger ones belong to Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya, and the smaller ones in the middle belong to the two of them.

Ye Li arranged the location of the bathtub in the smaller room.

They even planned to put a desk for him by the window so that he would have a place to study.

However, he will be reporting to the county school next month.

As a student receiving government stipends, one could stay at the county school for free.

I get three days off per month.

He needs to continue taking the exams, so naturally he can't stay at home all the time.

It doesn't matter whether this desk is placed or not.

Besides, it was the dead of winter, and it was chilly outside the window. Even if he really wanted to read, he would sit on the kang (a heated brick bed) to do so.

So he said, “There’s no need for a desk; I don’t need it. According to the government’s regulations, students who are subsidized students must take an annual examination every two years. If they fail, they can no longer hold the position.”

“I will still be away from home most of the time in the future. The new house can be built according to your requirements. I’m fine with whatever you say.”

These words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly dampening half of Ye Li's deep affection.

Although Ye Li already knew the rules of the county school, it still made him uncomfortable to hear these words from Jiang Ji's mouth.

This long-distance relationship must continue!

But this emotion cannot be expressed.

As an adult, no matter how reluctant he is, he wouldn't make a fuss unreasonably.

A scholar who passed the imperial examination could only be exempted from his own corvée labor. Although he had the privilege of not having to kneel before officials, he was essentially still an ordinary commoner and had not transcended social classes.

Only by passing the imperial examination and becoming a qualified official can one protect the family business he has earned.

Therefore, Jiang Ji must continue to take the exams to advance his career.

Regardless of whether I win or not, I'll try my best first.

So he casually said, "Okay, you continue cutting the tofu, I'll think about it some more."

His tone was calm, but the subtle changes in his emotions could not escape the notice of Jiang Ji, who was watching him closely.

Jiang Ji pursed his lips, cupped his face, and said apologetically, "From now on, I'll have to trouble you again."

Ye Li: "..."

When Jiang Ji pointed this out, he stopped pretending and his face fell.

He poked Jiang Ji's chest: "Let's just pretend that every month is like a honeymoon."

"Distance makes the heart grow fonder, and we should always keep things fresh."

If you can't resist, then just enjoy it.

These words of finding humor in hardship made Jiang Ji's lips curl into a smile.

But this joy was bittersweet, so Jiang Ji quickly suppressed his smile and just stared at him intently.

He also stared at Jiang Ji.

After staring at each other for a moment, the two finally laughed again.

Jiang Ji lowered her head and pecked him on the lips: "I'll continue cutting the tofu."

"Okay, okay, let me think about the layout of the new house."

Ye Li stood still.

Jiang Ji hummed in agreement, picked up the kitchen knife and got busy, letting Ye Li hold him.

Ye Li's thoughts really did turn to the house.

We need to buy bricks in the next few days and try to start construction within a week. If the snow falls early this year, it will delay the construction schedule.

Since Jiang Ji has no need to read, there's no need to set up a desk. Considering that Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya also need to use a bathtub, it's better to build a separate bathroom.

He also installed a kang (heated brick bed) in the bathroom, since he could afford to burn firewood.

In this way, the small warm pavilion in the middle can be reduced in size.

When Jiang Mai gets older, the little one will definitely care about privacy, so the doors to these rooms will all be on the outside, so that you don't have to pass through Jiang Mai's room.

The walls will be thickened to provide both warmth and sound insulation.

While Ye Li was thinking, she discussed it with Jiang Ji. During their conversation, Jiang Ji cut all the tofu into pieces so it could be fried.

Now that the weather is cooler, the large iron pot is left in the kitchen and no longer needs to be moved to the shed.

Even with the kitchen providing cover, the two continued to hug and cuddle, unwilling to let go.

It wasn't until Ye Liang and Ye Wen returned with the oxcart that the two men straightened their clothes and got to work properly.

When Ye Liang and Ye Wen returned for the second time, Bao Beiyuan also returned with Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya.

With corn stalks around, the three of them ostensibly went to collect firewood, but in reality, they went to hunt birds with slingshots.

After a busy afternoon, the three of them dragged back three bundles of firewood, a turtledove, and three sparrows.

At that time, there was no such thing as protecting wild animals. Both kinds of birds ate grain, so as soon as the three of them entered the house, they started clamoring that they would roast the birds and eat meat that night.

Ye Li did not dampen their enthusiasm. When he learned that Jiang Mai had shot one of the sparrows, he praised Jiang Mai highly, which made Jiang Mai blush and hide behind Bao Beiyuan.

Jiang Ya didn't care about that, since he had finished all the dates in his purse and could still eat meat tonight!

He ran back to the kitchen and grabbed a pastry, munching on it while watching Ye Li explain to Bao Beiyuan and Jiang Mai how to make beggar's bird food.

This method is simple and doesn't burn the food, which made Bao Beiyuan and Jiang Mai quite interested.

“Xiaomai, you and Yage’er go dig some soil and mud, I’ll go and take care of these four birds,” Bao Beiyuan said.

"Never mind, I'll do it, you rest."

Ye Li wanted to take the four birds.

Bao Beiyuan had just recovered, but after running around all afternoon, he was worried that Bao Beiyuan wouldn't be able to keep up.

Bao Beiyuan smiled and avoided his hand: "Brother Li, our own grilling is more fragrant! You can give us pointers from the side."

"Look how polite you are," Ye Li said helplessly.

"I'm telling the truth, don't worry, I'm fine."

Bao Beiyuan shook his head.

He needs to find some work to do.

Ye Li couldn't persuade him otherwise, so she had to bring out a small stove to boil water so she could pluck the bird's feathers.

At this time of year, only withered lotus leaves remain, so Ye Li gathered some corn husks. After all, sparrows are small, and doves aren't very big either.

After a flurry of activity, Bao Beiyuan wrapped the four birds in mud and threw them into the fire to roast, and the tofu puffs were also fried.

Ye Liang and Ye Wen loaded the tofu puffs, the padded jacket Jiang Ji bought, and the cloth onto the oxcart, preparing to go home.

Tomorrow, we'll sell the tofu puffs first, and then the whole family will come over to celebrate.

It gets dark early these days, and as soon as the two brothers left, Ye Li planned to cook dinner.

There was still a lot of stew left over from lunch, so Ye Li chopped a few pieces of radish into it, added some sweet potato noodles, and then cooked some cornbread around the edge of the pot. Dinner was ready.

For once, Jiang Mai was focused on eating bird meat tonight; pork was no longer favored by him.

Jiang Ya, on the other hand, shared the spoils equally. After finishing a sparrow, she happily continued eating pork.

Everyone ate their fill of the dinner.

After the meal, Jiang Mai was reluctant to part with Bao Beiyuan and refused to let him leave.

But if Bao Beiyuan stays, Jiang Ya will have to sleep with Ye Lijiangji.

Bao Beiyuan wasn't a clueless simpleton; he firmly refused Jiang Mai's offer to stay and returned to Jiang Dahe's house.

Jiang Mai was somewhat sullen.

Why.

His older brother is too busy to play with him. It would be great if Brother Bao could stay at his house all the time.

After Bao Beiyuan left, Jiang Ji urged Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya to wash up.

They were excited all day and were indeed tired; they fell asleep instantly after getting into bed.

Jiang Ji and Ye Li were also tired after a busy day.

But it's still early.

So Ye Li stuffed the pillow behind his back, leaned against the wall, and continued to read Jiang Ji's diary.

Jiang Ji put his arm around him, watched with him, and occasionally offered a few words of explanation.

For the past six months, the two have rarely seen each other. Jiang Ji rarely gets a day off, as he spends his days either doing farm work or other odd jobs.

Once they were on the kang (heated brick bed) at night, the two, engrossed in their lovemaking, did more than they talked.

For the first time, the two of them snuggled together in the quiet of the night, not talking about the mundane details of their home, but about distant places and the sights and sounds they had encountered along the way that were irrelevant to them.

So, Ye Li, who originally intended to just flip through a few pages and go to sleep, became more and more energetic as they chatted, and ended up reading half of the diary before finally lying down to sleep at Jiang Ji's urging.

As darkness fell and fatigue returned, Ye Li couldn't help but yawn.

"Go to sleep." Jiang Ji pulled him closer to his chest.

Ye Li didn't say anything, but simply hugged Jiang Ji tightly as well.

He was still somewhat unsatisfied, his mind filled with thoughts of the prefectural city, that ordinary ancient town, which had inexplicably gained charm because of Jiang Ji.

He will definitely go to the provincial examination with Jiang Ji next time!

The next day, after having breakfast, Bao Beiyuan embarked on his journey back to the city, much to Jiang Mai's reluctance.

His illness delayed his business for several days, and his revenue for the month will decrease significantly.

He also had to go to the cold jelly shop so that Gong Lisheng wouldn't worry if he found out he hadn't gone to sell drinks.

On the other side, Ye Wen took Liu Yi to town. He went to buy groceries, while Liu Yi set up a stall.

Today, Liu Yi didn't prepare tofu, radishes, or cabbage; he only sold tofu puffs and large skewers, so he closed up shop quickly.

The couple returned home, where Ye Daji, Ye Adie, Ye Wen, and Tang Yu had already packed up. The family locked the courtyard gate and boarded the oxcart to go to Yezao Slope.

It was almost noon when we arrived at the Jiang family's house.

When Ye Daji saw Jiang Ji, he was so happy that he didn't know what to say. Then, thinking of Jiang Dahai, his nose tingled and he wiped away his tears.

Jiang Ji was also heartbroken.

His parents couldn't witness this scene, and it was a lifelong pain for him.

Ye Li watched from the side, hesitated for a moment, and then took his hand in front of everyone.

Now, Ye Liang dared not look, and without further delay, he urged everyone to go to the grave to pay their respects.

So the group went to the ancestral graves to pay respects to Jiang Dahai and his mother.

After the memorial service, he cried and then went home to celebrate.

With Liu Yi and Tang Yu's help, Ye Li can finally rest today and only needs to give instructions.

Today we have meat and fish, a feast comparable to the Lunar New Year.

After a flurry of activity, once the meal was served, Ye Li even opened a jar of rice wine.

Such a joyous occasion deserves a celebration with fine wine and meat.