Chapter 72: Zhou Ye's heart was beating wildly
After Lin Shu said this, her brows relaxed and her eyes opened up.
Zhou Ye frowned, looking as if he disagreed, but Lin Shu didn't wait for him to express his opinion before asking Old Man Liao, "Old Man Liao, if I don't want to ride the ox cart anymore, can you find someone else to take me?"
Old Man Liao waved his hand. "It's okay, it's okay. Lots of people want to ride in my cart. Even if we don't meet people from our own village, people from neighboring villages can pull us a bit, so the cart won't be empty. But girl, you really don't want to ride?"
Lin Shu nodded. "I haven't felt tired since I walked around all day. I want to go back with Ye."
Old man Liao said, "Okay, next time if you want to ride in my ox cart, remember to tell me as soon as possible."
"Okay!" Lin Shu responded, then looked at Zhou Ye, "Aye, let's go."
Zhou Ye looked at her without saying a word, but his thick eyebrows were slightly furrowed.
Lin Shu also frowned, looking unhappy. "Are you dissatisfied with my slow pace and don't want to walk with me? I figured we'd already bought everything, and it's still early, so it's okay to walk slowly back. Otherwise, I wouldn't have walked with you. I know it would have been a burden to you."
"Ah Shu." Zhou Ye suddenly called her, his slightly furrowed brows finally relaxed, his expression seemed to be a bit helpless, "I don't think you walk too slowly. Sixteen miles is a long way. At your pace, it will take a long time to walk. You will get tired."
Lin Shu looked at him and asked, "I've been walking around for so long today, are you tired?"
Just like before, she looked frail and useless, but no matter how hard or tiring the work was, she never complained.
"Hurry up, you know I walk slowly. If we delay any longer, it will be dark by the time we get back."
Zhou Ye had no choice but to talk to Old Man Liao for a few more words before taking Lin Shu away.
"Aye, what did you say to Old Man Liao again?"
"If his ox cart returns before us, tell him to take a message to Aunt He so that she and the others won't worry."
Lin Shu's eyes narrowed immediately, "You are really thoughtful!"
The two chatted as they walked. Lin Shu didn't ask him to be too accommodating and took slightly bigger steps, but not so fast that she would tire herself out.
Zhou Ye's steps became smaller and smaller, and later, Lin Shu unconsciously returned to the most comfortable pace.
"Aye, where did the iron lumps you brought with you when you fled the famine come from?" Lin Shu asked curiously in the middle of the chat.
Zhou Ye paused before saying, "Before fleeing the famine, I was an apprentice at the town's blacksmith shop. Life was very hard for the people that year, and my master wanted to sell the shop to live with relatives, but there was no one to take it over. Later, he sold everything he could sell in the shop, and since he couldn't take a few pieces of pig iron with him, he gave them to me."
But on the road of fleeing famine, rice was very expensive, and even a copper coin might not be enough to buy rice, let alone this pig iron. So he took this pig iron with him along the way.
Lin Shu exclaimed, "You used to be a blacksmith!"
Zhou Ye was silent for a moment, then corrected himself sternly, "I'm just an apprentice. I spent the last few years farming. My parents wanted to find a better way out for me, so they sent me to the blacksmith shop."
Lin Shu felt that he must be humble. Even if he was an apprentice, with Zhou Ye's talent for absorbing knowledge, he must have learned everything he should learn.
"Aye, have you ever heard of iron flower?"
"Iron flower?"
"There's an iron flower show every year at the Gyeonggi Temple Fair, but I've never been there. I hear it's spectacular! A three-meter-high shed is covered in flowers and willow branches, then tied with fireworks and firecrackers. Next to it is a furnace that melts molten iron. The blacksmith uses a flower stick to hit the shed, sending it flying into a sky full of sparkling iron flowers, like a handful of stars falling down. The iron flowers shoot up to five or six meters high, igniting the fireworks and firecrackers. The scene is truly magnificent*..."
The original owner had not seen it, but Lin Shu had. The scene of making iron flowers was very shocking, and she thought it was more beautiful than fireworks.
However, the iron flower crafting of the Dayan Dynasty was only popular in the capital and several nearby provincial capitals, and Zhou Ye had definitely never seen it.
Zhou Ye had indeed never seen it before. He said honestly, "It sounds like sparks from striking a hot iron block, not difficult. But our Tianshui Village is hilly and grassy, and even an open area can easily catch fire. It's best not to do this."
Lin Shu: ...
She felt like she might be talking to a deaf ear.
Zhou Ye is this big stupid bull.
Zhou Ye, the big, stupid bull, noticed that Lin Shu was tossing the bamboo basket between her left and right hands several times, and took it over. "Let me take it."
Lin Shu suddenly felt that he was no longer stupid.
There weren't actually many things in the bamboo basket, just a pound of rock honey, a pound of dogwood fruit, and a pound of salt. The vegetable seeds and other things didn't weigh much, but even if it was only three pounds, your arms would get sore after carrying it for a long time.
"Thank you, Brother Aye." Lin Shu, in a good mood, called "brother" softly and sweetly.
Zhou Ye looked at her, thoughtfully.
He often wondered why Lin Shu suddenly got angry, nor did he understand why such a small thing could make her so happy. But he could remember everything.
On the way back, it was inevitable to meet acquaintances from the same village. Lin Shu was tired just from walking and was too lazy to deal with these interpersonal relationships, so Zhou Ye took care of them all.
Zhou Ye didn't actively call out to anyone. When he saw someone he knew from the same or neighboring village, he would simply nod. If they asked him a question, he would simply reply briefly. Those who knew him well knew his temper; most wouldn't engage in excessive small talk with him, simply saying hello and leaving it at that.
However, there were a few enthusiastic people, like one of the women who was returning from the market. She was obviously the last one to return, but because she was walking fast, she caught up with Zhou Ye and Lin Shu and couldn't help but joked, "This is really rare. In the past, Ah Ye always left and came back early from the market. Today, I actually ran into him."
As he spoke, his eyes slid over to Lin Shu. There was no ill intention in his eyes, but it was embarrassing.
Seeing Zhou Ye didn't know how to respond, Lin Shu, even though she didn't want to speak, smiled and explained, "Aunt, it's my slow pace that's holding Brother Aye back."
The village woman burst into laughter and said, "When I go to the market with our boss, I always lag far behind him. He thinks I walk too slowly, but he doesn't want to give in to me. It's really Aye who knows how to be considerate..."
When the woman finally said enough and left, Lin Shu asked mischievously, "Aye, how many people have said you're caring today? Do you want to count them on your fingers?"
Zhou Ye explained: "I can't say I'm affectionate, it's just that I have many cousins at home, and I'm used to taking care of them."
Lin Shu paused, then suddenly asked him, "Aye, are you so nice to everyone?"
Zhou Ye's brows were calm, but the corners of his mouth slightly lowered, "It depends on the other party."
Just like later, after he found out that his cousins were also afraid and alienated from him, he gradually became cold-hearted.
He will still do what he should do, but it is impossible to expect him to treat them wholeheartedly.
Lin Shu was very happy to hear his words, "Aye, please always be nice to me in the future. Likewise, I will be nice to you. Tell me, am I nice to you now?"
Zhou Ye lowered his eyes to look at her, but instead of replying, he asked something completely unrelated, "Ah Shu, why didn't you want to ride in Old Man Liao's ox cart when you came back?"
No matter how uncomfortable a bullock cart is, it is better than walking.
"Why are you asking now?" Lin Shu's steps, which had been growing heavier, became lighter after he asked. "Of course I can't bear to see you go back alone, especially with such a big water jar on your back. It really makes me sad just looking at you."
Lin Shu looked at Zhou Ye and smiled, the smile on her face revealing a hint of sweetness amidst the teasing.
Zhou Ye's heart suddenly started beating so hard that his breathing became disordered.
"It's not heavy." He took a breath to calm his heavy and rapid heartbeat, and said with a calm expression, "This water jar is not heavy. I can carry something weighing hundreds of pounds for a long time."
"Oh...what does this have to do with me feeling sorry for you?"
Zhou Ye had never seen the iron flowers that Lin Shu talked about, but he had worked with iron and seen sparks flying many times. Lin Shu's words were like a hammer hitting his head with a clang, and sparks exploded in his head.
The sky is full of sparks...
After it dispersed, there was a blank.
Zhou Ye couldn't help but clench his hands, clenching them very tightly to prevent his chest from feeling tight and stuffy due to his pounding heart.
He didn't say anything and remained silent all the way.
Lin Shu also fell silent. When people are tired, they don't want to say a word. But she was holding her breath, not wanting to hold Zhou Ye back too much.
The man who had been silent for a long time suddenly stopped and said, "Ah Shu, take a break."
Lin Shu hurriedly said, "I'm not tired."
Zhou Ye said: "I am tired."
Lin Shu couldn't help but look at him, but Zhou Ye had already bent down and taken off the backpack on his body.
Looking at the roadside behind him, he found a stone that could be used as a pier.
"Ashu, come here and sit on this rock and rest for a while."
…
It was sixteen miles, and it was already dusk when the two arrived at Tianshui Village, but Lin Shu was still satisfied.
Although she was overtaken by Old Man Liao when she was halfway through the journey and was also ridiculed by Aunt Gao, she only stopped twice along the way and did not see Third Aunt and Cousin Yushu, so she felt that she was not walking slowly.
Not everyone was as energetic as Zhou Ye after a day at the market. Didn't you see many of the men carrying empty baskets on the road singing songs as they leisurely made their way back, even slower than she did?
Lin Xiaopu was squatting at the gate of the courtyard. Seeing the two figures, he hurriedly shouted into the courtyard, "Mother, sister and the others are back——"
After Zhou Ye put his things down, he informed He Guixiang and went to the Miao family, carrying the water jar. He also took the needles and thread that the village women had brought with them.
"Hey, hey? Ah Ye, what's the rush? It's not too late to eat first and then go and deliver it!"
Lin Shu watched Zhou Ye's departing figure and thought to herself that she had delayed Zhou Ye's business. Others were willing to ask Zhou Ye to carry things because he was honest and came back early from the market, but this time he came back so late.
She leaned her head on the ground and sighed. If they couldn't keep pace, they shouldn't force themselves to walk together. She would be too tired if she walked too fast, and Zhou Ye would probably be tired too if he walked too slowly.
"Ashu, the noodles have been cut. I'll make you a bowl first. When Aye comes back, I'll make his bowl." After saying this, He Guixiang went to the stove to busy herself.
"Mother, there's no rush. I'll wait for Aye to come with me. I ate some steamed buns at the market before leaving, so I'm not very hungry."
After hearing this, He Guixiang stopped and asked her if the market was enjoyable and what she bought.
Just as Lin Shu was about to speak, Lin Xiaopu's surprised cry suddenly rang out from the courtyard, "Ahhh! Sister, am I seeing things? Is this sugar? Is it rock honey?!"
Lin Xiaopu lifted the floral cloth covering the bamboo basket, intending to help her sister sort out the things inside, but she actually saw candy!
Lots and lots of sugar!!
It’s not sugar cake, but rock honey and sugar!
It was the first time she saw so much candy, and she almost thought she was seeing things.
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The author has something to say: *For iron flower performances, please refer to the Internet.
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