Chapter 39 Jinjiang First Release Chapter 39 My husband has his own...
He made a large bowl of batter and fried quite a few pancakes. Yu Qinglong thought there would be some left over, but Fang Shu ate it all and still felt a bit unsatisfied.
Yu Qinglong said, "It was hot at noon, so I just made this pancake. It would be even more delicious if you had some multi-grain porridge and some pickled vegetables in the morning. I might make some porridge next time to try."
In his previous life, his grandmother often gave him a cup of pure milk or fresh soy milk, with some fruit, which was his favorite breakfast.
Fang Shu said, "Do it again tomorrow morning. Father and Mother will surely like it."
Yu Qinglong said, "Okay, tomorrow morning. It's too hot right now, let's rest for a while. By the way, Fang Shu, I want to learn more characters. Do you have any other books you can lend me?"
"We are husband and wife, what's the point of borrowing? If you want to see it, just take it."
“But I didn’t see the book.”
"How could that be? Isn't it on the bookshelf outside?"
"Aren't those handmade ornaments made of leaves on the bookshelf in your study?!"
"It's a book."
Fang Shu took Yu Qinglong to the bookshelf and took down the book wrapped in leaves. "It's just a book with new patterns made of leaves. Are you fooled?"
Yu Qinglong: “…” Mainly because I didn’t expect anyone would do this.
He had seen people using leaves to make stickers, and he had even made quite a few himself. But using leaves as book covers, gluing them all over the page, was the first time he had seen one. The idea was truly... bizarre.
"Won't this block out the title?" Yu Qinglong picked up a book. "Can I ask what your purpose is? Every leaf can't possibly have a story, right?"
"Why not? Sit down and I'll tell you slowly." Fang Shu sat down on a chair and placed two leaf books on the table. "Look at these leaves. Each one has different veins and shapes, which means they encountered different stories as they grew. Perhaps this larger leaf shielded the smaller one from wind and rain. This thinner leaf, perhaps a little shy, grew in the shade of its brothers and sisters, which is why it didn't grow very fat. And this one, it's uneven, it must have been angry."
"angry?"
"Yes. Look, there's a little hole underneath where a bug has bitten it. It must have gotten angry."
Yu Qinglong took a closer look and found traces of insect bites, so he asked about the other leaf that looked the most unique. This leaf was half light and half dark, like a face with half makeup on, and the tip of the leaf was curled up, like a small snail.
"What about this piece?"
"This piece, this piece must be the one I tried so hard to pursue," Fang Shu said, "and failed."
"How do you say it?"
"It was supposed to be light-colored, but its favorite leaf preferred a darker color. In pursuit of its favorite leaf, it tried hard to tan itself to a darker color, but it didn't tan well, only halfway."
"Then why do you say it failed?"
"Of course it's because it didn't get the sun to dry properly and didn't succeed. It felt sad about the failure, so it curled up. People like me who succeeded in their pursuit are all very relaxed."
Yu Qinglong: “…”
So you've been talking all this time just to say you've achieved success, right? You have quite a few tricks up your sleeve.
Yu Qinglong picked up the book and flipped through it, then turned back to look at the bookshelf: "Is that all?"
It seems that there are less than ten books in total, which seems unlikely no matter how you think about it.
Fang Shu said, "There are many more, not here. Some are in my father's study, and some are in those two boxes over there."
There were two large wooden boxes on the floor of the study, and these were the ones Fang Shu was pointing to. Yu Qinglong went over to open them and saw that they were indeed full of books. There looked to be five or six hundred of them. These books were relatively new, and the owner didn't seem to have opened them much. Yu Qinglong asked, "Are these books for study?"
Fang Shu said: "They are all those who have finished their studies."
Yu Qinglong picked up a book from nearby, and it turned out to be "Mencius".
He flipped through two pages and discovered that the book wasn't printed, but rather a handwritten copy. The characters weren't large, but the writing was incredibly neat, almost like printed copies. There were some comments written after reading the book, written in a flamboyant style.
There was a passage that Yu Qinglong read three times.
Mencius said, "When the world talks about human nature, it is simply the past. The past is based on benefit. What is hated in a wise man is his digging. If a wise man is like Yu who guides the water, then there is nothing to hate in wisdom. When Yu guides the water, he guides it where there is no need for it. If a wise man also guides it where there is no need for it, then wisdom is also great. The sky is high, the stars are far away. If one seeks the reason, one can reach it in a sitting position for a thousand years."
Next to it is written: "How is it that there are many wise men who dig for it, but few who can guide the water like Yu. The sky is high and the stars are far away. If we take profit as the basis, how can we achieve it?"
…
Yu Qinglong was looking at the person sitting on the chair fiddling with leaves while reading a book.
He seemed to see another different Fang Shoucheng.
Mencius said that all discussion of human nature refers to the origins of behavior, and that origin lies in following nature. We dislike clever people because they make far-fetched assumptions. If clever people could emulate Dayu's skill in dredging rivers, they wouldn't be disliked. If clever people understood this and followed nature, they would become even wiser, able to predict the winter solstice a thousand years from now.
It's a pity that there are so few people like Dayu...
Where did Fang Shu come to this conclusion?
Yu Qinglong couldn't help but think of the rumors he'd heard since he and Fang Shu became engaged. Fang Shu had become a scholar at the age of fifteen. The following year, there was a provincial examination. Three years later, there was another. But both times, he'd been injured and missed the exam, thus missing his chance at success.
He didn't ask whether the rumor was true or not, but the two injuries were indeed a bit of a coincidence.
Is it really a coincidence?
"Fang Shu, will you go to the provincial examination next year?"
"Of course I have to go." Fang Shu carefully placed the leaf book back on the shelf, as if it were a treasure. "Why did Long Ge'er suddenly ask about this?"
"Just asking casually." Yu Qinglong decided to take out the Mencius and the Analects. "From your personality, I don't think you'd want to be an official."
"Does Long Ge'er want to be an official husband?"
"Me? I just want to be exempt from the land tax. As for being an official husband, if you want to be an official, then I want to be an official husband. If you don't want to, then I don't want to be one either."
"So do you want to or not?"
"I do and I don't."
"Oh? What's the meaning of this?"
"How can there be such a thing as perfect success in this world? If you become an official, you'll be respected and have authority. But in return, you'll have to deal with more things. I heard that you have to take care of things during festivals and holidays, which is very troublesome. If you want to pick up stones and leaves from time to time, I'm afraid it will be difficult."
Upon hearing this, Fang Shu stared at Yu Qinglong in a daze and didn't say anything for a long time.
Yu Qinglong was flipping through a book when he suddenly noticed something strange and looked up. "What's wrong?"
Fang Shu smiled and said, "I suddenly feel so lucky to have you in this life. I just don't know how you learned all this about officialdom. It's as if you were once an official."
Yu Qinglong thought to himself, "I've never been an official, but I've seen many officials, but I can't tell you."
He took a piece of ink and tried to grind it, saying, "Is it okay if I heard someone talk about it? I went to the school in town to visit my cousin and heard someone talk about it. But maybe I heard it wrong, so you can't laugh at me."
Fang Shu said, "Of course I won't laugh at you. I just know I'm not mistaken. I used to think that only those things in this world that can't speak can be called 'cute'. But now, I find that my husband can also be called 'cute'."
Yu Qinglong said, "That's still not as good as you, my husband. You are a real treasure born in a land of blessed land and outstanding people, yet you actually tell stories about leaves."
Fang Shu felt very happy and said with a smile: "My classmates often call me 'weird', but you are the only one who calls me 'precious'."
Yu Qinglong also laughed and said, "Don't be so joking. Can you teach me how to pronounce this word?"
Fang Shu leaned forward, their heads almost touching. "This character is homophonic with 'two,' and refers to a type of jujube tree," Fang Shu said. "Jujube trees and thorns are not good wood. The text mentions, 'If a farm manager abandons the sycamore and catalpa trees and cultivates the thorns, he is a worthless farm manager.' This refers to the manager who abandons the sycamore and catalpa trees and prioritizes the jujube and thorns, failing to distinguish between primary and secondary. He is a fool."
Yu Qinglong wanted to circle the words he didn't know, but suddenly remembered that the book was not his.
At this time, Fang Shu took out some papers and laid them out for him, and also selected a brush for him: "Write it here."
Yu Qinglong took the pen, dipped it in ink, and wrote down the characters he knew but hadn't learned in this era, or the characters he truly didn't know. His handwriting wasn't as beautiful as Fang Shu's, but it was still neat and tidy.
Fang Shu saw this and tucked a strand of hair that had fallen from Yu Qinglong's forehead behind his ear, saying, "My husband is very intelligent and his talent far surpasses mine."
Yu Qinglong looked up at Fang Shu and said, "My husband taught me well. I have some talent, but not much."
"It's even more rare to be both intelligent and humble."
"You really grew up eating sugar cakes, your mouth is so sweet. But no matter how sweet your mouth is, you still have to work. Let's clean up the rest later, okay?"
Actually, they had almost finished packing. But if they wanted to live in this room, they would have to move all the things in the east wing, so they still had some things to move.
Fang Shu naturally had no objection. After Yu Qinglong memorized the ten new characters, he went with him to the wing room to move things.
They brought in a new dresser and boxes. The dresser wasn't in his room originally. The boxes contained Yu Qinglong's clothes and other things, so naturally they had to be moved.
As for the new desk and chairs, they didn't move them. Their room was connected to the study, which had a large study table. It would be convenient for a late-night snack, so they decided to put the desk and chairs in the east wing first.
I thought it would take a whole day, but I ended up finishing most of it in the afternoon.
Aside from the three sacks of various wood, all that remained was a pile of rocks in the corner of the wing. Yu Qinglong and Fang Shu waited until the rock pile was shady before setting about shaping it. The large rocks were positioned according to shape and size, stacked two by two in three layers. The medium-sized rocks were then arranged in a semicircle to enclose the larger rocks. The smaller rocks were placed within this circle, forming a paving surface. The result was a miniature rockery.
Yu Qinglong and Fang Shu went to the backyard and dug some soil, putting it in the stone recess. Then they found some moss under the shade of grass, cut it, and put it on the soil, then watered it.
After finishing these, he also made two bowls of cold tea. The two sat opposite each other, and were about to talk about what kind of big tree to make with the wood, when they suddenly heard the sound of a carriage outside.
There were very few carriages passing through the countryside, and this one seemed to have stopped at their doorstep.
"Are there guests at home?"
Fang Shu said, "Fortunately, mother is out."
What does this mean?
Yu Qinglong was about to ask, but saw Fang Shu had already stood up and walked quickly towards the door.
There was a knock on the door. Yu Qinglong hurried out to see what was going on. He saw Fang Shu open the door, and then a middle-aged couple appeared behind it. They were of medium height, both thin, with thin lips and high brows. They looked mean and not easy to get along with. They didn't look like country people by the way. Their clothes were not made of pure cotton or linen, but satin, which made them look like they came from a wealthy family in a small town.
Yu Qinglong was sure that he had never seen these two people before, and these two people happened to be looking at him.
A moment later, the two men entered the yard. The middle-aged man said, "You can't even say hello when you meet someone. Fang Shu, you've really improved."
Yu Qinglong narrowed his eyes upon hearing this, and said in a rather unhappy tone, "Fang Shu, who are these two people? Why have I never seen them before?"
Fang Shu said: "My elder brother and elder sister-in-law from my mother's family."
The woman said, "You are a scholar after all, and you can't even call your uncle and aunt? Don't tell others that you will embarrass your teacher. Where are your father and mother?"
Fang Shu said, "Father and mother are out and not at home."
The uncle said, "Then we'll wait for him here. Is this your new husband?"
Fang Shu said: "Yes."
My aunt said, "After all, he's from a poor family and hasn't seen much of the world. He doesn't know the rules. He didn't even know how to offer tea to the elders. Instead, he just stood there and watched. Your mother is really too careless to even think of marrying a man like him."
Yu Qinglong was furious when he heard this. He said, "You want some tea, right? Then please wait a moment."
Yu Qinglong turned around and went out to make some tea. Seeing that no one was following him, he pinched a handful of soil into the cold tea and stirred it. After it became muddy, he brought it back and placed it on the table with a clatter. "You two must have had a hard time on the journey. Drink slowly and drink more."
My uncle's name was Wu Wei, and my aunt's name was Yang Feng. They were thirsty after their long journey, so they drank the tea while saying that the color of the tea indicated it was of inferior quality.
He frowned as he drank: "What does this taste like?"
Wu Wei put his bowl down in dissatisfaction, even louder than Yu Qinglong. With a bang, the tea splashed outside. "Fang Shu, go and call your parents back. Tell them we have an urgent matter to discuss."
Fang Shu said, "I don't know where my father and mother have gone, nor do I know when they will be back."
Yang Feng said, "Then we'll wait here. We'll talk about it when they come back. Fang Shu, don't just stand there like an idiot. Go prepare some dinner for us. I heard you come from a humble family, but you can't be so ignorant of this little bit of etiquette, right?"
"He knows etiquette very well." Fang Shu pulled Yu Qinglong behind him and frowned. "It's just a matter of treating each person differently. Besides, even if he doesn't understand, I can teach him. He doesn't need your guidance."
"Ha! You're protecting such a big, stupid guy. You don't want so many beautiful girls, but you insist on finding such a manly guy. Have you read so much that you've blinded yourself?"
"Bang!" Yu Qinglong swept the tea bowl to the ground, shattering it into pieces. "Anyone with eyesight can see whether my husband is blind or not, there's no need for an outsider like you to make irresponsible remarks! It's not necessarily a good thing for someone who seems to be normal to find a vixen like you, is it? You're sarcastic and unkind to me, and you think you have a mouth, don't you? You keep on talking non-stop! You want me to cook for you? Do you think you deserve it?!"
"What did you say?!" Yang Feng had never dreamed that a junior would dare to speak to her like that. She stared wide-eyed and took a deep breath for a long time before finally remembering to exhale. She was so angry that she slammed the table and pointed at Yu Qinglong, "You little bitch! I'll teach you a lesson today on behalf of your parents!"
"Teach yourselves a lesson! Teach yourselves a lesson! Do you really think you are the king of the world and can show off your power wherever you go?!"
He can't touch his own elders, so why can't he touch those outside?! Do you really think he's a pushover?
Yu Qinglong turned around and went out, took a ladle and filled a basin with water from the water tank. When he came back, he poured all the water on the two of them without saying a word, soaking them like drowned rats.
"Fang Shu, I want to clean the floor! The floor is dirty because people stepped on it!" Yu Qinglong said arrogantly, handed the basin to Fang Shu, turned around and saw Fang Dingman and Fang Wu at the door staring at him with wide eyes.
Yu Qinglong: “…”
Fang Shu: “…”
Wu Wei and Yang Feng: "..."
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Author has something to say: Fang Shu: Husband, you are so majestic, I like you so much [shy]
Qinglong: Be good, next time someone like this comes, I’ll beat him out with a broom [pats his head]
Fang Shu: Hello, Hello [hug]
Qinglong: If you dare to mess with me and my family, I will curse you to death [angry]
Fang Shu: Today I'm the one asking for nutrient solution and comments from the aunties. Wow, there have been fewer and fewer comments these past two days. Is it because I'm not working hard enough? [Breaking down crying]
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