Chapter 96

Back home, Chen Qing was sweeping the yard. The sandstorms in Yizhou were less than in his hometown, but he still had to sweep the yard every day, otherwise it would be covered with a thick layer of dust.

Seeing him return, Chen Qing threw down the broom in his hand, ran a couple of steps, then remembered something and suddenly stopped, standing two or three steps away from him, looking him up and down: "Are you alright?"

Zhou Yuan was only slightly numb in the palm of his hand. Seeing how nervous Chen Qing looked, he wanted to tease him, so he took two steps, raised his hand and held it out to him: "My hand hurts."

Chen Qing walked up to him with some skepticism, took his hand and looked at it. He didn't find any wounds, but when he looked up at him, he saw Zhou Yuan looking at him with a smile.

Knowing he was teasing him, Chen Qing blushed, put his hand down, picked up the broom again, and started sweeping. His grandmother watched with a smile, still sprinkling water on the floor. His grandmother didn't ask him what had just happened, which relieved Zhou Yuan.

After sweeping the yard, Chen Qing took out his sewing basket from the house. He no longer worked in the medicinal herb field, but he couldn't stay idle. He could earn money by making a handkerchief.

Zhou Yuan looked at Chen Qing and felt that his clothes looked very familiar. Upon closer inspection, he realized that they were his old clothes that had been altered and were covered with many patches. It was heartbreaking to see.

It's easy to imagine how difficult things must have been for the grandfather and grandson while he was away.

So he bent down, took the sewing basket from Chen Qing's hands, lifted him up, and said to his grandmother, "I'll take him to the county town to go shopping and buy some things."

Grandmother nodded: "Go ahead, it's okay if you come back a little late, have a good look around."

"I..." Before Chen Qing could finish speaking, Zhou Yuan suddenly threw him onto his back, and in a dizzying moment, he was carried on Zhou Yuan's back.

"Grandma, let's go."

Chen Qing lay on his back, looking down from such a height for the first time, thinking that this was how tall people saw things. The last time Chen Qing was carried was when he was a child. His father's shoulders were not broad, but they were still reassuring.

"You should take the handkerchiefs I've embroidered. I have three or four; they can be exchanged for money," Chen Qing whispered, leaning against Zhou Yuan's back.

"I'll take you out shopping, don't think about making money," Zhou Yuan said. "I'll support the family from now on, you won't have to work so hard anymore."

Chen Qing put his hand on his shoulder: "My father said that two people need to support each other for a family to get better and better."

Their home wasn't far from either the town or the county seat. When they were almost at the county seat, Chen Qing asked Zhou Yuan to put him down. His legs weren't hurting much after he applied medicine last night. He had wanted Zhou Yuan to put him down on the way, but Zhou Yuan's shoulders were broad and warm, and it felt really good not to have to walk.

Zhou Yuan put him down and helped him up: "Are you sure your leg is okay?"

Chen Qing nodded. He had never been to the county town before, and the furthest he had ever been was to a small town. In fact, he had never spent much time in the town. Each time, he would quickly exchange his handkerchief for money and then go back immediately. The last time he came to buy rice, he only visited the rice shop.

He looked at Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan put an arm around his shoulder: "I have to go to the government office to take care of some things first, then I'll go shopping with you in a bit."

Chen Qing readily agreed. He didn't know what to look for, so he just followed Zhou Yuan.

The last time Chen Qing went to the yamen was when he sold himself. He went with the slave trader to the yamen to exchange his indenture. Later, when he came here, his grandmother changed his indenture and he settled here. Chen Qing was still instinctively a little afraid of the yamen officials.

So when Zhou Yuan asked him to go with him, he refused no matter what. Helpless, Zhou Yuan left him at a tea stall next to the yamen, ordered him a bowl of tea, and then went to the yamen.

Chen Qing's heart was pounding. He didn't know what Zhou Yuan wanted to do at the yamen. Was it because someone had reported what he had done to his second uncle's family? Would Zhou Yuan be arrested? The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became, and even his hands trembled as he served tea.

After an unknown amount of time, he finally saw Zhou Yuan come out of the yamen. The person standing next to him was dressed in the clothes of a yamen runner, probably the head constable. They seemed to be talking about something. Finally, the head constable patted Zhou Yuan on the shoulder, and Zhou Yuan bowed to him. Then Zhou Yuan walked towards Chen Qing.

Zhou Yuan noticed the worry in Chen Qing's eyes. He walked over to Chen Qing, picked up Chen Qing's teacup and took a sip of water. Chen Qing paused, then asked, "Are you alright? Why did you come to the yamen?"

Zhou Yuan paid for the tea and helped Chen Qing up: "That matter with my second uncle's family isn't over yet."

Regardless of whether Chen Qing could understand, Zhou Yuan said that his second uncle had fraudulently claimed the money he sent to his grandmother. According to the law, he should be arrested, flogged, and imprisoned. Although it was wartime, the court paid special attention to the affairs of soldiers' families after they went to the battlefield, especially for families like Zhou Yuan's where the grandfather and grandson depended on each other for survival. As long as Zhou Yuan said that the money he sent back had not been received by his grandmother, then the person who fraudulently claimed it would be held responsible. The reason why Zhou Mu dared to be so blatant was that he was certain that Zhou Yuan would not be able to return.

Grandmother didn't understand the situation, so she could only suffer in silence. But since Zhou Yuan had returned with military merits, the officials would give him face. That's what he had just said about this matter.

"So will they arrest him?" Chen Qing asked.

"Of course." Zhou Yuan helped him up. "Otherwise, my trip would have been for nothing."

Chen Qing finally smiled. He hated Zhou Mu. During the New Year, Zhou Mu stole his and his grandmother's meat, stole Zhou Yuan's money, and almost delayed his grandmother's illness. He heard that during the New Year, Zhou Mu not only didn't give his grandmother any money, but also made his grandmother give New Year's money to the children in his family.

It would be great if we could beat him up and then lock him up too.

"Shall we go back now?" Chen Qing doesn't go out often, and this trip has already made him very happy.

Zhou Yuan shook his head: "I told you I brought you out to buy things, how can I just go back like this?"

He led Chen Qing to the most bustling street in the county town. Chen Qing swallowed hard, smelling the mixed aromas wafting from there.

Zhou Yuan was much taller than him, and he could see all of Chen Qing's little tricks. So he pulled Chen Qing along and bought him meat pies, meat buns, milk cakes, and butterfly pastries to take home. They ate all the way home. Chen Qing watched him spend money like water and kept saying that he wouldn't eat, but he couldn't stop Zhou Yuan at all.

Because Chen Qing had never eaten his fill before, his appetite had become very small. He only needed to take one bite of the things Zhou Yuan bought to feel full, and the rest went into Zhou Yuan's stomach. By the time they finished walking around the street, Chen Qing's stomach was already full.

Next to this street were fabric shops and clothing stores. Realizing what Zhou Yuan was about to do, Chen Qing quickly grabbed his sleeve: "What else do you want to buy?"

Zhou Yuan said matter-of-factly, "Of course I'll buy you clothes. You don't have a single new piece of clothing."

Chen Qing looked down and saw that there was a large patch on the chest of his clothes.

Zhou Yuan followed his gaze to his clothes: "These clothes you're wearing are what I wore when I was twelve or thirteen."

Chen Qing gritted his teeth; he knew Zhou Yuan meant he was being short.

"And we're not having a wedding banquet, not even buying new clothes?" Zhou Yuan added, "Not having a banquet is already unfair to you, and..."

Can't I buy you some clothes?

Chen Qing was speechless after being told that. Seeing that Zhou Yuan was going to the clothing store, he quickly said, "Don't buy ready-made clothes. They're expensive. Just buy fabric. I can make clothes."

The money for one garment is enough to buy the fabric, and you don't need that many clothes to make them. The leftover fabric can be used to make other things.

Zhou Yuan raised an eyebrow: "Alright, let's go buy some fabric."

The cloth shop was filled with a dazzling array of fabrics. In the past, when he went to town to sell handkerchiefs, he wouldn't even dare to glance at those fabrics.

Zhou Yuan had no taste; he picked up a bolt of floral fabric and was about to pay when Chen Qing quickly pulled him back, asking, "What are you buying floral fabric for?"

Chen Qing took a close look at the floral fabric; the large red flowers were so bright they hurt his eyes.

"I'll make you clothes, they'll look beautiful."

Chen Qing: ...

In the end, Chen Qing refused to let him choose anymore and picked out an indigo-blue cloth for himself. It could make two outfits for his grandmother, and the rest should be enough to make an outfit for himself. Buying one bolt of cloth would be just right.

Zhou Yuan looked at the color he had chosen and scratched his head: "Isn't this color a bit old-fashioned?"

Chen Qing said, "I'm making it for my grandmother. This color is just right. I'm not picky. After I finish making it for my grandmother, there should be enough left over to make me a whole outfit."

Zhou Yuan took the indigo cloth from his hand, rummaged around in it, and pulled out a bright blue one. Ignoring Chen Qing's objections, he paid the bill. Fortunately, he knew how to bargain and got the shopkeeper to give him a lot of yarn as a gift.

Chen Qing felt that he spent money like water, which made his heart tremble. How much wealth could he have to spend like that? But Chen Qing couldn't say anything to him right now, since it was all Zhou Yuan's money and he had no right to say anything.

Zhou Yuan, holding two bolts of cloth, continued to say to him, "You're not that old, why would you want to wear such an old-fashioned color? Sky blue suits you much better."

Chen Qing didn't say anything, but his actions clearly showed his disapproval of his extravagant spending.

Zhou Yuan found it amusing and ruffled his hair: "Don't worry, I will never let you live a poor life in the future. I have money."

Chen Qing nodded perfunctorily, wanting only to get back quickly and not let Zhou Yuan buy anything else.

But he couldn't stop Zhou Yuan in the end. He watched numbly as Zhou Yuan bought several more pounds of meat and had the butcher give him several pork bones; he also bought some refined rice and flour, as well as some seasonings. By the end, Chen Qing's face was already numb.

On the way back, Zhou Yuan was covered in things, but he still wanted to carry Chen Qing on his back.

Chen Qing wanted to help him carry some things, but Zhou Yuan refused, saying, "These are all heavy, I'll carry them." In the end, he felt that Zhou Yuan would be unhappy if he didn't give him something, so he handed him the oil paper package containing the snacks and the yarn, saying, "Then you take these."

Taking the item from his hand, Chen Qing followed beside him and walked home together. The sky gradually darkened, and there was a crescent moon in the sky.

Chen Qing slowed his pace, and Zhou Yuan had to stop and wait for him every now and then. Chen Qing felt a little embarrassed: "You go first, don't wait for me."

"Can you find the way?" Zhou Yuan laughed. "Get on, I'll carry you."

Chen Qing still shook his head, so Zhou Yuan had no choice but to slow down and walk with him, talking to him as they walked: "Where is your hometown?"

"Xiaxi Prefecture".

"How did it end up here with us?"

Night had fallen, and the chirping of insects filled the air. Chen Qing's voice sounded somewhat hollow in the night, but with Zhou Yuan's constant echoes, he didn't seem so lonely.

After walking a not-so-short distance, they had grown much closer.

A note from the author:

I'll try to finish it around chapter 100, hehehe.