Chapter 29 Jinjiang First Release Chapter 29 It turns out that Long Ge'er and he...
Once people have real expectations, their lives will be more hopeful.
Although Fang Shu hadn't finished tidying up his own house, he wasn't idle either. He first went through his small stash of money—the New Year's money he'd received since childhood, the money he'd earned from teaching students the year he passed the imperial examination, and some tax-free land from relatives who had registered it in his name, giving him some name and interest. It wasn't much, but all in all, it came to 28 taels of silver.
There were about ten strings of copper coins, which together weighed about four strings of coins.
He divided the money into two parts. He planned to give the extra money to Yu Qinglong in the future. However, he couldn't really give it all away. He needed to buy small gifts for his husband during the holidays and give some to his parents, so he had to set some aside.
He removed the mat from the kang, found a brick, and lifted it up. From within, he pulled out an ugly, hard pottery jar—one he had bought when he went to the provincial capital to take the imperial examination. Because it had failed to make and couldn't be sold, someone wanted to sell it, so he saw it and bought it for a penny. This was his treasure jar.
He laid two layers of cloth inside, put most of the money inside, and covered it again.
He took two taels of silver this time. He hadn't quite figured out what to do with it, but he decided to give some away, hoping to help his family if they needed it.
His mother said she wanted to repair the kang, and he wanted to buy Yu Qinglong two new sets of clothes.
He had known Yu Qinglong for so long, and he had never seen him wear clothes without patches. In fact, wearing patched clothes was normal in the countryside; he already had two sets. But he couldn't have nothing intact; it made him feel very uncomfortable.
"Mother, Long'er told me he's not very good at sewing. How about I go buy some fabric and you sew him a couple of new suits?" Fang Shu discussed with Fang Wu. "It's always a bit expensive to buy at a ready-made clothing store. Besides, the styles Long'er wears are usually made smaller; they don't have sizes as large as his."
He had seen them in the provincial capital, but the population there was large, and with a large population, there were naturally more tall boys, and there was a market for them. It wasn't the same here, as boys as tall as his Long Ge'er were still rare.
Fang Wu glared at her son and said, "Other people marry wives or husbands to honor their mothers, but you're trying to find me a father?!"
Fang Shu said, "How could I? I'm discussing this with you because of your excellent craftsmanship. Besides, Long Ge'er has a kind heart. You'll know when he comes. He will definitely be filial to you."
Fang Wu thought, "I haven't even had a proper conversation with him, how would I know?" She'd been hearing a lot of rumors lately, almost all about how powerful Yu Qinglong was. She was worried. What if she rashly married him and he turned out to be a difficult demon? Although she wasn't a pushover, if two powerful men got together, wouldn't the family be in turmoil?
Besides, her son hasn't even been married yet, but she's already starting to lean towards her husband.
People say that the mother-in-law has to set rules for the new daughter-in-law or son-in-law, but she hasn't even started to set the rules yet, and her son is already finding work for her.
"Let's talk about it after he gets married," Fang Wu said. "Now I don't know what size to wear. What should I do? But I heard that his father's craftsmanship is also very good. His embroidery is famous in the surrounding villages. He even sends his embroidery to the clothing shops in town. When your Aunt Zhou goes to propose marriage, ask her to bring two pieces of cloth. I think his father will be able to make it for him."
"That's fine. What did you ask Aunt Zhou to take?"
"A pair of wild geese, two jars of wine, nine hundred and ninety-nine coins. You've already mentioned it, so let's add one piece of coarse cloth and one piece of fine cloth."
"Do ordinary people give gifts like this?"
"Ordinary families would at most send a pair of wild geese or geese; some would even use chickens or ducks instead. Most families wouldn't have any wine. Families with better financial resources would send 999 coins, like us. Families with less financial resources would send 99 coins, and even those with even less would send 9 coins."
"That's good."
"Besides, this isn't a formal betrothal. If it's too much, your Aunt Zhou won't be able to take it. She'll have to bring someone else with her just for these few things."
"Are you ready then?"
"I'm ready. I'm waiting to go to Yu's house in two days."
Although they still had to wait two days, it was already eight days shorter than the originally agreed time. Fang Shu told himself that one should be content with what one has. He rose early in the morning to read, and during the day he fiddled with the bookmarks and the windlass that Yu Qinglong had made for him. Occasionally, he thought about what it would be like for them to be together forever after Yu Qinglong arrived. If all went well, by autumn, Yu Qinglong would be his husband.
From now on, he would send his son Longge to Dr. Mo's house to study every day, and then bring him home safely.
Yu Qinglong had been studying these past few days, but he wasn't just going to Dr. Mo's house to learn medicine. He did study medicine in the morning, but in the afternoon he also had to learn how to make cloth shoes from Bai Wanqiu.
He didn't want to do this at first, but his father, who never forced him, was particularly persistent in this matter and insisted that he learn it, saying that it was a local custom. When getting engaged, an unmarried boy had to make a pair of shoes for his fiancé and let the fiancé's family take them away when they came to propose marriage.
Yu Qinglong had no choice but to follow and learn obediently.
Bai Wanqiu's craftsmanship was quite good, he was already an accomplished craftsman, and he was also very patient. Yu Qinglong's decision to learn from him wasn't based on his skill, but rather on his father's strained eyes from constant needlework. Bai Wanqiu was also making shoes for his second brother, so who could he learn from? He didn't need his father to teach him these things that would strain his eyes.
If Fang Shu dares to complain that he is not doing a good job, the worst that can happen is that Fang Shu will do it himself.
"Brother Long, aren't you doing a great job?" Bai Wanqiu was surprised to find that Yu Qinglong was able to complete every step he taught him meticulously. "Why do they say you're not good at needlework? This is very good. You must have inherited it from Uncle Zhou."
"In the past, whenever I did something, people would say it wasn't done well. After a while, I was too scared to do it again. Now, I don't care whether I did it well or not. I guess it will get better naturally."
The original owner was definitely not stupid. It was just that every time she did something, she'd always think of the old lady and those bastards from the third room beating and scolding her. The long period of mental attack had left her feeling insecure and afraid to let go. But the more meticulous the work, the more relaxed she needed to be.
Bai Wanqiu gave him a distressed look, then asked curiously, "I think you can make one in a few days, but who are you making it for?"
Yu Qinglong thought: "Giving a 'dog-skin plaster' to a kind-hearted person?"
"ah?!"
"There is such a person. You'll know in a few days. By the way, has Hu Bo contacted you recently?"
"Yes. He asked me about you, and I said you were busy studying at Doctor Mo's house every day, and only saw him once or twice, occasionally doing laundry. He asked me if I had told me about the second and third wives of the Yu family. I said no, and then he talked about some other things. But I don't think he can stay at home for much longer. I heard that his family is also looking for a wife for him."
"Is that the family he wants to go to?"
"That's definitely not the case. He likes your second uncle's cousin, don't you know?"
Yu Qingxi? There's actually such a thing?
Yu Qinglong said, "No wonder he was often seen with Yu Qingcai after he and I had a disagreement."
Bai Wanqiu glanced outside the courtyard and saw no one on the road. "Actually, I've seen him sneak off to see your cousin Qingxi several times when he came home. Sometimes he went under the guise of looking for Cai'er. But lately, there's been a lot of turmoil at your second and third uncle's homes, so I think Cai'er has been going to see him more often."
"What's the point of looking for him? They can't solve each other's problems." Yu Qinglong handed the shoes to Bai Wanqiu, "Brother Qiu, please help me take a look. Is this okay?"
"Okay." Bai Wanqiu looked at the stitches. "Next, when you sew the sole and heel, make the stitches denser, and when you sew the arch, make the stitches sparser. This way, the shoes will be comfortable to wear."
Yu Qinglong looked at the shoes in Bai Wanqiu's hand, understood what he meant, and did as Bai Wanqiu said.
At first, he'd been reluctant to do it, finding it tedious. But now, he's finding it less tedious and more enjoyable. Perhaps he's just naturally drawn to crafts, and he believes that having many skills is always a plus. If he learns, he can make them for himself, even if he doesn't have the money. Of course, if you have the money, buying ready-made ones is better, but if you don't have the money, knowing how to make them yourself and not having to rely on others is also a good thing, isn't it?
Yu Qinglong looked at his half-finished product with satisfaction. He didn't actually know Fang Shu's foot size, but since he was taller than him, he'd made it a size larger than his own. That way, if Fang Shu couldn't fit it, he could wear it himself, and it wouldn't be a waste; at most, it would just be a little looser.
Bai Wanqiu said, "This is much better than my first time."
Yu Qinglong smiled and said, "You taught me well. When I get home, I'll have to tell my second brother that he's found a wonderful young husband."
There was a layer of fine beads of sweat on the tip of Bai Wanqiu's round nose, and she smiled a little shyly.
Yu Qinglong looked at him.
"What's the matter, Long Ge'er?"
"nothing."
He didn't feel any emotion when he saw such a cute and virtuous young man. He deserved to be dressed as a boy. It was really not unfair at all.
Yu Qinglong suspected that he was born a zero.
"By the way, Brother Long, if you really get married in the future, can you still continue to study at Doctor Mo's house?"
"It should be possible."
"That's good. As long as you go to Doctor Mo's house every day, I will always be able to see you no matter where you marry."
"Why do you see me so often? You have to see my second brother so often."
"You, if you keep saying that, I won't teach you!"
"Tsk, you're so thin-skinned."
"You're the one who's so careless with your words. We're the only two of us at home, so you can't say everything. If someone hears us, they'll laugh at us."
"Let them laugh, it's not like they'll hurt me. How can their bad behavior ruin my happiness?" Yu Qinglong swung the shoe in his hand. "Alright, alright, I'll be more careful with my words next time. I'll be leaving now! I'll also take the things my second brother asked me to bring you."
Bai Wanqiu quickly grabbed him and asked, "What did Brother Ye ask you to bring me?"
Yu Qinglong said: "In one sentence. He asked me to tell you... he misses you very much!"
"You, you, you!" Bai Wanqiu's face instantly turned red, as if the sunset glow had rubbed it and spread it out. "He, he would never say that!"
Yu Qinglong smiled and stood up, saying, "You'll know if it will happen when you ask him later. I'm going back first."
Bai Wanqiu asked him to wait, then took out a handful of sunflower seeds and gave them to Yu Qinglong. Yu Qinglong tucked his shoes into his armpits, picked up the sunflower seeds, and started walking home, eating them.
The roads within the village formed an "I" shape. His house, Dr. Mo's, the Yu family's old house, and Hu Bo's house were all on the upper horizontal line. Bai Wanqiu's house was on the lower horizontal line. To get to Bai Wanqiu's house, he had to take the middle vertical line.
At this moment, he was about to turn from the vertical line and pour the melon seeds out of his hand to prevent his hands from sweating after holding them for too long.
But the faint sound of a child crying could be heard. A fierce voice cursed, "You bastard! Let him go right now, you hear me?! You dare to hide from me, little bastard? I'll beat you to death today!"
Bang!
It was obviously the sound of a broom handle hitting someone's body.
Yu Qinglong frowned, and the child cried even louder, begging for mercy while crying: "Father, I won't dare to do it again. Father, please don't hit me and my brother."
The cry was piercing with fear. Yu Qinglong had only taken a few steps when he saw Hu Bo and his younger brother, Hu Chuang, running out of the yard. It was Hu Chuang who was crying. Behind them followed their father, Hu Shui.
Hu Shui chased after him, broomstick in hand, and, missing the target, suddenly grabbed Hu Bo by the back of the neck. Hu Bo was grabbed, and with a sudden force, his shirt ripped open with a "swish," exposing his shoulders and back. Startled, he tried to hold him down, but Hu Shui showed no mercy, hitting him even harder: "You two bastards! You're just paying for it!"
Hu Bo was now quite tough, shouting, "You made my father give birth to that child! If you have the guts, just beat us to death!"
"You dare to talk back?!" Hu Shui hit him even harder, making Hu Chuang tremble in Hu Bo's arms. Hu Bo protected his brother and took the beating, not trying to hide.
"Uncle Shui," Yu Qinglong walked over, grabbed the broom from Hu Shui's hand and pulled it away. "It's so hot out here, why are you so angry?"
"Yu Qinglong? What do you care? This little bastard knocked over my drink!" Hu Shui pointed at Hu Chuang and said, "Every one of them is a money-loser!"
"It's just a bowl of wine, why haven't you earned it yet? Besides, have you forgotten the recent incident with Yu Qingfa? There's a rumor in this village that there's a mountain god. As an elder, you're beating and scolding the younger ones like this. If you really anger some god and punish you, it will be too late to regret it then."
"Where, where is the mountain god?!"
"Then what do you think happened to Yu Qingfa? He has no injuries, yet he keeps crying out in pain."
"That's what he deserves!" Hu Shui said this, but he also looked a little nervous. After a moment, he said, "Today, you two little bastards will get away with it! Bah! Money-losing goods! Unlucky stars!"
Yu Qinglong frowned, and when he saw Hu Shui return to the yard, he squatted down to look at the younger one and asked Hu Bo, "How are you?"
Hu Bo pressed his collar, his eyes red, but he said stubbornly, "You don't need to be so kind. Chuang'er, come with me."
Yu Qinglong said, "His shoulder is broken. It might get infected in this hot weather. I have some medicine. Come to my house and I'll take care of him."
Hu Bo looked at his brother's shoulder injury and thought that he would continue to be beaten if he went back, so he agreed.
Yu Qinglong hugged him at this time.
Hu Bo was stunned, and all the thorns in his body seemed to explode. "What are you doing?"
Yu Qinglong actually felt disgusted, but he still held her tightly and refused to let go: "Are you a fool? Do you still want to live if your back is exposed and people see it?"
Hu Bo gritted his teeth and had to follow.
Yu Qinglong saw the man wipe away his tears very quickly. The feeling of being hugged by him seemed to be more painful than being killed by someone.
He sighed secretly, quickly brought the man back home, and simply treated Hu Chuang's injuries, using some medicine prepared by his master for his second brother.
He then took a coat and put it on Hu Bo. "Remember to return it to me. Bring Chuang'er with you tomorrow and I'll give him the medicine again."
Hu Bo bit his lip but said nothing. The word "thank you" came to his lips several times but he couldn't say it.
When he got outside, he patted his brother and said, "Chuang'er, go say thank you to that brother you just met."
Hu Chuang was an obedient boy, so he went back and said, "Thank you, brother."
Yu Qinglong smiled and said, "It's okay, just tell your brother, you're welcome."
Hu Bo's head ached from hearing what his brother had said. At that moment, he felt as if the pain was about to overwhelm him. He didn't want Yu Qinglong to help him. But it seemed no one else had helped him.
Yu Qinglong sat in the courtyard, thinking that he was being a bit unfair to the original owner. But since that was just his personality, there was nothing he could do.
Just when he was feeling annoyed and poking at the soles of his shoes to vent his anger, his father and the matchmaker, who also had the surname Zhou, suddenly came out from the alley.
Yu Qinglong stood up: "Father, Aunt Zhou?"
Matchmaker Zhou asked with a smile, "Is this made for the city guards?"
"Ah? Oh, yes."
Matchmaker Zhou said with a smile, "Brother Zhou, then it's settled. See you in a few days."
Zhou Yuehua smiled and said, "Okay, then take care, Sister Zhou."
Yu Qinglong walked him to the door and came back: "Father?"
Zhou Yuehua smiled and stroked Yu Qinglong's head. "You have to hurry up and make these shoes. The Fang family has come to formally propose marriage and will come to propose marriage in a few days. It's not good for you to return the gift with only a pair of shoes."
Yu Qinglong: “…”
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Author's words: Fang Shu: Oh my god! Long Ge'er actually made shoes for me [Let me see]
Qinglong: Maybe I put on the sunglasses for myself.
Fang Shu: Then I will secretly buy a new pair of shoes to replace the ones in Long Ge'er's hand [laughing]
Qinglong: Today it's my turn to beg the aunts for food. Please give me comments and nutrient solution as a dowry [empty bowl][fist]
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