Chapter 50
The next morning, Zhou Yuan went to the village to fetch water and saw Niu Niu playing in the village. He called Niu Niu over.
Niu Niu admired Zhou Yuan very much. Upon seeing him, she abandoned her friends and ran to Zhou Yuan, saying, "Big Brother."
Zhou Yuan patted his head: "When you get home later, call your brother and Brother Aning to my house and tell them I need to talk to them."
Niu Niu nodded and ran off in a flash.
When Zhou Yuan returned home after fetching water, Chen Qing had already prepared breakfast.
Cornmeal porridge, a plate of pickled vegetables, and a few cornbread buns—Chen Qing couldn't shake his frugal nature. Now that he didn't need to do farm work, he naturally didn't need to eat so well.
While eating, Chen Qing said, "I want to level a piece of land in front of the cowshed to grow some vegetables. The land next to the cowshed must be very fertile, and the vegetables will definitely grow very well."
"Okay, I'll help you dig this afternoon." Zhou Yuan ate quickly. Before Chen Qing could finish one cornbread, Zhou Yuan had already finished three cornbreads and a bowl of porridge.
Chen Qing: ...
After dinner, Zhou Yuan washed the dishes, while Chen Qing combed his hair in the room. Since getting married, he had always tied his hair up. He had several hair ties, which he used in rotation, but his favorite was still the moon-white one that Zhou Yuan had given him the first time.
After he finished combing his hair, Li Xin and Qi Shuning arrived.
"Niu Niu said you guys were looking for me? Is something wrong?" Li Xin plopped down on a chair in the yard, while Qi Shuning greeted Chen Qing and Zhou Yuan first.
"It was a couple of days ago. My mother said that my godmother wasn't feeling well." Zhou Yuan recounted what Aunt Sun had said that day, and Li Xin's eyes showed a clear hint of panic.
"Then, what should we do?" He stood up, looking somewhat anxious, and paced back and forth in the yard.
Qi Shuning stood to the side and pressed down on his shoulder: "Xin Xin, don't be anxious, listen to what your older brother has to say."
Zhou Yuan then asked, "What did the doctor in the prefectural city say when we went there earlier?"
Li Xin shook her head: "They didn't say anything useful, just repeated the same old things, saying that Mother is weak and should eat more ginseng soup and donkey-hide gelatin, and that Father bought a lot of it."
Since Li Xin got married, Zhang Yin's health seemed to have improved a lot. Li Xin thought it was because her marriage brought good luck and improved her health. Also, her father often took her to see the doctor recently, and the doctor didn't say anything, so they thought her health was really about to recover.
Zhou Yuan recalled the doctor he had met in Yunxi Town, who seemed knowledgeable and reliable.
“On my way back, I passed through Yunxi Town and met a doctor. I told him about my godmother’s condition, but the doctor said he couldn’t prescribe medicine without seeing the patient.”
"So I was thinking, if I bring my godmother over to let him see her, maybe there'll be a chance she can be cured," Zhou Yuan said.
Li Xin stopped in her tracks, pondering Zhou Yuan's idea: "But the journey to Yunxi Town is very long, and I'm afraid my mother's condition will worsen on the way."
Li Xin sat down again: "Also, is Mother willing to go with us?"
“That depends on you,” Zhou Yuan said. “If you can persuade her, then we’ll go to Xixin Prefecture.”
Li Xin arrived in a flurry of activity, only to leave with a heavy heart.
Chen Qing walked to Zhou Yuan's side and hugged his arm: "You said that going to Xixin Prefecture would cure Aunt Yin?"
Zhou Yuan patted Chen Qing's head: "I'm not sure either, but that Dr. Yu seems very reliable."
Chen Qing sighed.
“If your godmother decides to go, you should go with her. Yunxi Town is very interesting.”
There are many new foods there that they have never seen before, and the local customs and traditions are quite different from those in Luohe Village. He wanted to take Chen Qing out for a walk, and Yunxi Town could be their first stop.
The afternoon was hot, and Chen Qing was lying on the bed while Zhou Yuan fanned him with a round fan.
Chen Qing, feeling drowsy, said, "Let's go till the land after the sun goes down this afternoon."
Zhou Yuan answered "okay".
Chen Qing soon fell into a deep sleep.
When he woke up, it started to drizzle. The drizzle at this time was not refreshing, but rather made it even more stuffy. The air was like the dampness that clung to the steamer when they were steaming their rations, making it hard to breathe.
However, some light rain makes turning the soil easier.
Zhou Yuan was indeed not very good at farm work, but in just a short while, a blister appeared on his palm from the hoe.
Chen Qing was picking wild vegetables. At this time, the purslane was growing very well, covering a large patch on the ground. Chen Qing picked it all up and piled it on the other side, thinking that he would cook it for dinner.
Hearing Zhou Yuan hiss, Chen Qing quickly snatched the hoe from his hand and saw the blisters on his palm. Chen Qing glanced at him, then quickly finished turning over the soil and took him home.
Zhou Yuan looked at the blisters on his palm with some curiosity. He had always thought of himself as a rough man who could do any job with ease, but he never expected that just turning over the ground would cause blisters on his palm.
This reminded him of last year when he helped Grandma Sun plow the fields, and even the oxen turned around to look at him.
It was getting dark, so Chen Qing lit a lamp, found his sewing kit, heated the needle tip over a fire, and used it to prick the blisters on Zhou Yuan's hands. He then applied some medicine powder and carefully wrapped the blisters with a cloth.
Looking at his hands, which were wrapped up tightly, Zhou Yuan smiled and said, "Now I can't do any work at all..."
Chen Qing glanced at him: "There's nothing for you to do at home. It's a good idea to rent out the land. You don't know how to farm, I'd be exhausted if I did it all myself."
How did you learn to farm?
Zhou Yuan knew that his hometown was not known for its farming.
Chen Qing then said, "At first, I was just like you. I would get blisters as soon as I started working, and my mother would apply medicine to them for me."
But Chen Qing was very scared at that time. He was afraid that if he couldn't do the work, Aunt Sun would kick him out. So he didn't say anything when he got blisters and insisted on working. Later, his hands became infected and Aunt Sun noticed.
The work in the fields doesn't disappear just because someone is injured. Chen Qing's hand heals and heals again, and the cycle repeats. After two months, the blisters on his hand will stop, and he will have learned how to till the land and plant crops.
"Then I'll learn it again. I'll definitely be able to learn it." Zhou Yuan smiled and ruffled his hair, messing up his neatly combed hair, and casually pulled off his headband. He was wearing his old headband today, a dark one.
"Why don't you need me to buy it?" Zhou Yuan asked.
"Don't get dirty while you're doing chores at home." Chen Qing took the headband back from his hand and gathered her hair back up. "What do you want to eat tonight?"
Zhou Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Let's cook some noodles."
It was too hot, and he didn't have much of an appetite, so Chen Qing rinsed the cooked noodles in cooled boiled water, blanched the purslane he had picked while turning the soil in the afternoon, added some seasonings, and mixed them together.
The noodles were chewy, and the purslane had a slightly sour taste, which was very appetizing. Before he knew it, Zhou Yuan had eaten a whole bowl.
Everyone who cooks wants to see their food eaten cleanly. Zhou Yuan always finishes his meals, and although Chen Qing doesn't say anything, he's very happy inside.
After finishing their meal, the two of them led the cow to graze in the fields as usual. When they encountered villagers taking a walk, Chen Qing subtly moved closer to Zhou Yuan.
"Oh, Zhou Yuan, your hand is injured?" The uncle glanced at Zhou Yuan's hand, noticed it was bandaged, and asked.
Zhou Yuan couldn't hide his smile: "Oh, it's just a minor injury, but my husband is worried and insists on bandaging it up to put his mind at ease."
The uncle chuckled and said, "We get along really well."
Zhou Yuan put his arm around Chen Qing's waist: "That's right."
The villagers couldn't stand the couple being so lovey-dovey, so they quickly made an excuse to leave. Chen Qing, unable to bear it any longer, grabbed Zhou Yuan's waist and said, "Why don't you tell your uncle that you hurt your hand because you don't know how to do housework?"
Zhou Yuan just smiled and took Chen Qing's hand, leading him forward: "That won't do."
Chen Qing snorted, handed the cow rope to him, and walked forward.
They waited at home for two days for news from Li Xin, but Li Xin did not come to their door. Instead, on the morning of that day, gongs and drums were being played at the village entrance. Chen Qing came out of the house and asked Zhou Yuan what was going on.
Zhou Yuancai then remembered that the messenger must have arrived with good news; Qi Shuning's exam results had quickly spread throughout the village.
When the officials from the yamen came to deliver the good news, the Li family had already prepared everything and given the constables a generous reward. The constables were all overjoyed and said many auspicious things. They also said that with the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the county-level imperial examination), he would be exempt from taxes, and that Qi Shuning was a promising young man who would surely become the top scholar in the imperial examination in the future.
Village Chief Jiang was naturally there at the moment. He said that it was a great joy for the village to produce a scholar, and that a banquet should be held to celebrate. Li the blacksmith had originally intended to do the same, and since Li Xin's new house was also about to have its roof beams and tiles laid, they planned to hold the celebration together.
So they decided to hold a banquet on the tenth day of the fifth lunar month, inviting the whole village to have a good time, except for the original village chief's family.
On the tenth day of the fifth lunar month, Zhang Yin was in exceptionally good spirits. Although Li the blacksmith tried to stop her, she chatted with the villagers at the banquet. Li Xin and Chen Qing stayed by her side. They didn't need to do anything today, as Li the blacksmith had hired a contractor to prepare the banquet.
Zhou Yuan followed Qi Shuning and stayed by Li the blacksmith's side. The whole banquet was very lively.
Meanwhile, Aunt Sun, looking at the radiant Zhang Yin, felt her heart sink even more.
The lively atmosphere at the Li family's house continued into the night. After washing up and changing into her nightgown, Zhang Yin sat on the edge of the bed.
After washing up, Li the blacksmith gently hugged Zhang Yin and said, "Get some rest. You're exhausted today."
Zhang Yin didn't want to sleep, so she smiled and said, "Old Li."
Li the blacksmith was already a little tipsy; he had drunk too much today. But no matter how tired he was, he still managed to reply, "Hmm?"
“Everyone calls you Li the Blacksmith now, who still remembers your real name?” Zhang Yin asked.
Li the blacksmith opened his eyes and asked, "What's my name?" He himself had almost forgotten it.
“Li Feng, meaning abundant water,” Zhang Yin said with a smile. “I still remember the first time I met you, you stared at me with wide eyes.”
Li the blacksmith hugged her, still seemingly a little shy: "We're talking about this now, we're an old married couple."
She leaned on Li the blacksmith's shoulder: "Things are really good now. Xin Xin and her husband are living well. Niu Niu is learning from Shuning. A Yuan is able to stand on his own two feet. A Qing has also developed the demeanor of an elder sister-in-law."
Li the blacksmith's eyes cleared a bit: "Why are you saying all this?"
Zhang Yin shook her head: "I just feel very happy today."
"May you be this happy every day from now on," said Li the blacksmith. "Yinyin, go to sleep now."
He remembered the doctor's advice that Zhang Yin should not stay up late.
"Okay, I'm going to sleep now." Zhang Yin rested her head on his arm. "A-Feng, take good care of yourself too. Thank you for making me always remember that my name is Zhang Yin, not Li Zhangshi."
Li the blacksmith had drunk too much and instinctively felt that something was off about what she was saying. He sobered up completely and got up: "Why are you saying these things?"
Li the blacksmith broke out in a cold sweat, recalling the old saying about a "last gasp of life" or "a sudden burst of energy before death." Zhang Yin was so energetic today; couldn't that be... a "last gasp of life before death"?
He gently touched Zhang Yin's face: "Why don't we go with Zhou Yuan and the others to Yunxi Town to see a doctor?"
Zhang Yin shook her head: "I don't want to. It's too far. What if... what if I die on the way..."
Li the blacksmith hugged her: "Just for my sake, okay? Yinyin, besides you, who else in this world knows my name is Li Feng?"
"If something really happens to you, what am I supposed to do?"
Zhang Yin felt that her nightgown was soaked. Would a man as tough as Li Tiejian cry like this?
If she really dies, her child will have someone to love him, but what will her husband do?
Previously, she always thought that she should hold on a little longer until Li Xin got married. After Li Xin got married, she thought that Zhou Yuan was not married yet, so she might as well wait a little longer. When Zhou Yuan got married, Xin Xin's house was repaired, and Shu Ning passed the imperial examination, she could finally take a break.
But seeing Li the blacksmith crying his eyes out, she had thought of so many people and considered so many people. How could she not think about her husband again?
He was a father, and he was supposed to be a pillar of strength, but who cared about him? To this day, everyone knows he was Li the Blacksmith, but after he's gone, who will remember that his name was Li Feng?
She caught her breath and hugged Li the blacksmith's head: "Then promise me that no matter what the outcome of my trip is, you must take good care of Xinxin and Niuniu, especially Niuniu."
Zhang Yin knew that Li the blacksmith didn't like Niu Niu a little, after all, it was because of giving birth to Niu Niu that her body was so weak.
"Okay," Li the blacksmith nodded. "I'll do whatever you say."
"Also, you don't need to go. Let Xin Xin and Shuning accompany me. A Yuan and A Qing will probably come along too. You just stay at home and wait for me. Take good care of Niu Niu."
"How can I not go?" Li the blacksmith said anxiously, "You..."
"How many orders do you still have to process? You've been too lazy lately." Zhang Yin looked at him seriously. "Besides, isn't medical treatment free? We're going to stay in Yunxi Town for a while, and if you go too, who will make money?"
Only then did Li the blacksmith reluctantly agree: "Well, alright then."
The two then took a break.
Li the blacksmith was a light sleeper. Many images flashed before his eyes in his hazy state. Perhaps it was because Zhang Yin had told him about the past before he fell asleep. He dreamed of when he had just started learning blacksmithing. At that time, Zhang Yin was still a young lady in her boudoir. She smiled at Li the blacksmith and said, "Hello."
Li the blacksmith scratched his head, speechless and unsure what to say.
Before he could speak, Zhang Yin said, "You're not going to talk to me? Then I'm leaving?"
Li the blacksmith immediately said no, but Zhang Yin walked too fast for him to catch up.
In the darkness, Li the blacksmith opened his eyes. He reached out to hug Zhang Yin, touched her warm cheek, and heard her soft breathing. Only then did Li the blacksmith breathe a sigh of relief.
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