Chapter 51

The candlelight shone brightly, and Xie Chen finally saw what was in Lin Shuge's hand. The round shape looked very full, with a layer of white on it and some patterns printed on it. The light was too dim to see clearly.

Xie Chen looked at Lin Shuge with a smile on his face and glanced behind him. Lin Qingyuan reached out and pulled Lin Xuan. The two of them felt a little embarrassed and started to sing: "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you..."

The tune is cheerful. I don't know where it comes from, but it sounds very pleasant.

"Zhongxuan, make a wish first, then blow out the candles. Today is your birthday, and all your wishes will come true." Lin Shuge said.

Will all wishes come true? Xie Chen looked at Lin Shuge's expectant eyes, then looked at Lin Qingyuan who was very excited and Lin Xuan who was still embarrassed about singing.

He closed his eyes and made a wish, then blew out the candle with Lin Shuge's encouragement.

"Finally I can say it. I've been holding it in for the whole day. Erlang, big brother is really too much. For your birthday, he even asked Axuan and I to learn singing, saying it was a gift for you."

"Thank you, Ayuan, I like you very much, and also Axuan." Compared with during the day, Xie Chen was obviously in a lighter mood at this moment.

Lin Qingyuan said proudly: "Then sing it for me on my birthday."

Lin Xuan reached out and slapped him.

"Okay, let's eat cake."

So it’s called cake, Xie Chen thought.

Lin Shuge cut a large piece and said, "The birthday boy, eat first." He then cut two more pieces and gave them to Lin Qingyuan and Lin Xuan. "You two have worked hard today. Come and have a taste."

Xie Chen looked at the cake. There was a soft layer on top, and he didn't know what it was. He took a small bite. It was sweet and dense, and melted in his mouth, like a mouthful of snowflakes. It melted in his mouth with a faint sweetness and fragrance. He couldn't help but take a big bite. This time there was an extra layer. It tasted fluffy and soft in his mouth, and there was a little sour and sweet jam.

He was delighted and finished the whole cake in no time.

Lin Qingyuan beside him was even more excited, "Brother, is this the cake you mentioned? I want to have one on my birthday too. I have never eaten such delicious cakes."

Lin Shuge swallowed a mouthful of cream and said, "Okay, you can eat it anytime you want."

Lin Xuan ate it in small bites and said, "Brother, the Shangsi Festival is coming in a few days. The headmaster said he would take us to Liyuan. Can I take some of this?"

Lin Shuge naturally met her request. After they finished eating the cake, Lin Qingyuan and Lin Xuan felt a little tired today, and their eyelids began to droop after a while. After a while, they said something and went to wash up and rest.

Seeing the two of them leave, Lin Shuge looked at Xie Chen who had been silent. Unexpectedly, Xie Chen looked a little strange at this time, his eyes were unfocused and slightly closed. Lin Shuge stretched out his hand and waved it in front of his eyes, "Zhongxuan, are you sleepy?"

Xie Chen grabbed his hand and rubbed it, with a smile on his face.

Lin Shuge wanted to help him up, but Xie Chen seemed to be unable to stand steadily and almost fell on him. He looked at Xie Chen's current state and asked, "Are you drunk?"

He recalled the wine Xie Chen drank at dinner today, it seemed like only a few glasses. He pulled Xie Chen's ear. Is his alcohol tolerance so poor?

Then why didn't he react just now? Was it because of the wind and the alcohol?

"I'll help you to rest." Lin Shuge helped Xie Chen walk to the room.

Xie Chen was very well-behaved and did whatever he asked him to do. When they arrived at the room, he helped Xie Chen lie down and prepared to get some water to wipe his face. Unexpectedly, Xie Chen moved with him whenever he moved.

He had no choice but to comfort her, "I'll be back soon, just lie down obediently."

Xie Chen was not obedient at this moment. When he heard that he was leaving, he insisted on following him. Lin Shuge had no choice but to drag the large dog-skin plaster and fetch water to wash.

After a busy work, they finally dealt with the two of them.

When he was about to lie down, he saw Xie Chen's eyes were wide open, staring at him without blinking, "Brother, I'm so happy."

As long as he is happy, it is worth his busy day.

"Brother, turn around and listen to me." Xie Chen talked on and on.

Um? You are usually not talkative, but you talk a lot when you are drunk. Are your true colors revealed?

"Brother, it was the same scene on my last birthday. My father, mother, brother and sister-in-law were there. Although my grandfather was not there, he sent someone to send me something. It was my favorite bow."

Lin Shuge saw that he had a smile on his face, but there was an indelible sadness in his eyes. "Your family will definitely treat you very well."

Xie Chen smiled and said, "When I was young, I was very naughty and often damaged my father's calligraphy and paintings. Every time my mother wanted to punish me, my father would plead with her, and my mother would not be able to punish me. As a result, I became more and more ignorant of the world."

Lin Shuge listened to him recounting the past in a calm voice without saying anything. He just patiently listened to him talking about his parents and brothers with a smile.

"My brother became famous at a young age. He was handsome, gentle and polite. At that time, the ladies who liked him lined up along the banks of the Wei River. But he fell in love with my sister-in-law at first sight. But my sister-in-law didn't like him."

Lin Shuge asked curiously, "Why don't you like her?" Logically speaking, a talented man and a beautiful woman should be a wonderful story.

"Because my sister-in-law likes tall and strong men, and dislikes my brother for being too weak."

This is strange. The current aesthetic is more inclined towards handsomeness, and ruggedness and strength are not the mainstream. Lin Shuge looked at Xie Chen, and Zhongxuan is in line with the current aesthetic.

"After my brother came back from meeting my sister-in-law, he actually wanted to join the army with my grandfather, but he was not good at it at all, so he was kicked out of the barracks by my grandfather."

Lin Shuge imagined the scene and laughed out loud, "What happened next?"

Xie Chen's voice was filled with nostalgia. "Later, under my brother's persistent persuasion, my sister-in-law agreed. After marriage, the two of them lived in harmony and were a perfect match. One year after the marriage, my sister-in-law got pregnant but lost the baby. Since then, her health has been poor."

"The doctor said that my sister-in-law was already weak, and if she got pregnant again, both mother and child might be in danger. My sister-in-law wanted to take a concubine for my brother, but my brother sternly refused. He said that he would rather not have a child in this life than let my sister-in-law suffer any injustice."

When Lin Shuge heard this, he sighed secretly. There were so many heartless men in the world, but he never expected that there would be such a man.

"My brother is much older than me. After they stopped thinking about me, they devoted all their passion to me. Whenever I did something wrong, my mother wanted to punish me. Sometimes it was useless to ask my father, but my brother and sister-in-law would step in and I would always escape."

Lin Shuge was curious, "Why?" From what Xie Chen said, his mother should be very strict, and even his father had to be polite to her. So why was it that his brother and sister-in-law were able to persuade him to avoid punishment?

Xie Chen's eyes were filled with confusion. "I don't know what my brother and sister-in-law said every time. I once had a fight with someone and was punished by my mother to kneel in the ancestral hall. I overheard my brother persuading my mother that it was normal for me to play around when I was young. My sister-in-law cried beside me and said that she felt happy to see me and couldn't bear to see me being punished. The two of them made my mother helpless, so she had to let me go."

When he said this, there was some joy in his voice.

Lin Shuge asked, "Is your brother's name Bo Xuan?"

Xie Chen was shocked and said "hmm".

Lin Shuge didn't notice his expression and continued to ask, "They must have lost their child. Seeing that you are young and cute, they treated you as both a brother and a child. They really treat an elder brother as a father and an elder sister-in-law as a mother."

"What happened after that?" Lin Shuge had never heard him talk about the past, and was fascinated for a moment, so he asked.

Xie Chen was silent for a long time. After a long time, so long that Lin Shuge thought he was asleep, Xie Chen finally spoke, "Then something happened at home, and then..." His voice was dry and bitter, "Then I was the only one left."

"Zhongxuan, this man has passed away..." Lin Shuge hesitated to speak.

"Brother, it's okay. I'm fine now, but I was too happy today." He drank again and got drunk. He couldn't help but say a lot.

Lin Shuge patted him and said nothing more.

"Brother." Xie Chen shouted.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

Xie Chen didn't say anything. When Lin Shuge went to see him, he found that his breathing was steady and he had fallen asleep.

Lin Shuge lay down, but lost all sleepiness when he was disturbed by him. He unconsciously recalled what Xie Chen had said. Combined with Xie Chen's usual reaction, he should have regarded him as his deceased brother.

When you lose and regain something, you always feel like the moon in the mirror or the flower in the water. That’s why you feel insecure and only close to yourself. You are completely two different people in front of outsiders and in front of yourself.

He turned over and silently made up his mind to be nicer to Zhongxuan.

At dawn, Lin Shuge woke up from his dream. He had nightmares all night and was not in a good mood. But he had to go to work today, Lin Qingyuan and Lin Xuan had to go to school, and Xie Chen was the only one in the family who was free.

The idle person met his gaze, woke up immediately, put on his clothes in a flash, said "I'll go boil some water" and ran away.

Lin Shuge was still asleep. When he got up to wash, Xie Chen had already recovered. After sending the twins to the academy, the two of them went to the county government office.

In fact, Lin Qingyuan had been frowning since early morning, with the words "not wanting to go to school" written all over his face. He was ruthlessly suppressed by Lin Shuge and sent to Bitong Academy in person. Lin Xuan, on the other hand, looked normal, much better than her brother.

The two of them tacitly did not mention what happened last night.

"Today I'll take you to see how craftsmen make farm tools." Lin Shuge said as he walked.

He was showing Xie Chen the drawings and production process of the curved plow and the drum cart. Craftsmen become more skilled with practice and have already memorized the drawings and production process. With the cooperation of several people, they were able to build a curved plow quickly.

"If you're worried about problems, I'll send a few craftsmen to go with you when you leave." As if thinking of something, Lin Shuge added, "But you have to make sure they're returned after you're done using them."

These craftsmen have superb skills and are very tight-lipped. Lin Shuge is very comfortable using them, and he doesn't want to lend them out and not have them returned.

Xie Chen smiled and said, "Don't worry, brother. I will send someone to return them intact."

"What do you want to pay back?" Wei Huan walked in. "I remember someone promised to pay me back something. Look at my memory. It seems like they wanted to accompany me around. Isn't that right, County Magistrate Lin?"

Lin Shuge's mouth twitched, and he said speechlessly: "Mr. Wei, it's a coincidence that you came. I just want to take Zhongxuan to the fields. How about we go together?"

Anyway, Wei Huan came to Ganzhou for this batch of new farm tools. Let him take a look at the matter today. I hope this young man can go back soon.