Chapter 67
The leisurely New Year passed just like that. After the first month of the lunar calendar, Li the blacksmith handed over the shop to Li Xin to manage. Li Xin had now completed his apprenticeship, so he decided to take Zhang Yin and Niu Niu to Zhang Yin's parents' home.
Over the years, he has been busy with blacksmithing and has hardly been able to accompany Zhang Yin back home, so this time he plans to stay at his father-in-law's house for a while.
Zhang Yin had once been on the verge of death, and now she missed her family even more and wanted to be able to show filial piety to her parents again.
After Li Xin saw them off, Qi Shuning returned to school at the academy after the New Year, leaving Li Xin alone at home.
On the second day of the second lunar month, Zhou Yuan also went out. This time he didn't take Chen Qing with him because spring plowing was about to begin, and Chen Qing had to stay home to help Aunt Sun.
Li Xin's shop isn't as busy anymore. He only needs to go there once in the morning. If there are customers, he can just write down what they want in the morning and make it the next morning.
Chen Qing knew that Li Xin didn't like quiet, so he invited him to his house to keep him company. Li Xin refused to sleep with him and went to Aunt Sun's house to sleep in the room where Chen Qing used to sleep.
The three of them lived a harmonious and happy life.
When not doing farm work, Chen Qing would go to the shop with Li Xin. Li Xin would forge iron, and he would do embroidery on the side. Occasionally, when Li Xin was too busy, he would help her remember what the customers wanted.
He no longer stutters when speaking to people like before, and he carefully asks customers what exactly they want.
Although Chen Qing is illiterate and cannot write, he can draw what customers want based on their descriptions. This is inseparable from his constant embroidery work. If he couldn't draw patterns, he wouldn't have been able to embroider those handkerchiefs.
Li Xin insisted on giving him a share, which resulted in Chen Qing, who is usually good-tempered, scolding her.
It was springtime, and Chen Qing and Li Xin went to the back hill to pick locust flowers. Their lives seemed to have no worries anymore; their biggest worries seemed to be this year's harvest and what to eat tonight.
After picking the locust flowers, they didn't want to fetch water, so the two of them went to the well to wash them.
These days, Zhou Yuan has spoiled me so much that I've become lazy. I used to be able to carry water home without getting out of breath, but now I feel tired after carrying just two buckets.
They washed the locust flowers again and again. Li Xin said he wanted to make locust flower pancakes, and Chen Qing did as he was told.
These days, they've been spending all their time eating and playing, and some of them seem oblivious to the world around them.
One day when they returned from the shop, Li Xin and Chen Qing discussed what to have for lunch again. Chen Qing scratched his head and said, "You just ate so many snacks, why do you want to eat more?"
"I'm a blacksmith, it's so tiring, why not eat more?" Li Xin said, linking arms with Chen Qing. Looking at the rising sun, Chen Qing exclaimed, "I was supposed to pick up Qi Shuning today, I completely forgot!"
Qi Shuning goes to school and gets three days off a month, and today happens to be the day she should be back.
Chen Qing looked at him in disbelief: "You've forgotten about this too?"
Li Xin scratched her head: "I forgot. Oh well, never mind, he'll come back on his own." Anyway, it's too late to pick him up now.
"Are you going home today?" Chen Qing was a little worried about him. Li Xin had been staying at his house for more than half a month, and his own house hadn't been cleaned much. When Qi Shuning came back, the house was practically empty.
"Let's invite Qi Shuning over for dinner later. You can go back and clean up tonight," Chen Qing arranged.
Li Xin nodded: "Let's go back quickly, I'm so hungry."
Grandma Sun had already prepared a meal and was waiting for them to come back to eat, but instead of Chen Qing and Li Xin, she waited for Qi Shuning.
"Auntie, is Xin Xin at home?" Qi Shuning was a little disappointed when she didn't see Li Xin at the academy gate, but thinking that he might be busy at the shop, she took the oxcart back by herself. However, the house looked like it hadn't been lived in for a long time. Qi Shuning panicked a little and searched around before finally arriving at Aunt Sun's house.
"They went to the shop and should be back by now. Li Xin has been staying here recently. Come in first, have some food, and then go back to tidy up."
They had barely finished speaking when Li Xin and Chen Qing returned. Qi Shuning, without paying attention to anything else, gave Li Xin a light hug, which made Li Xin feel a little embarrassed.
Chen Qing quickly followed Aunt Sun inside. It took them a while to get inside. Aunt Sun had cooked two more dishes, and Li Xin ate them very happily.
Qi Shuning looked more at Li Xin. He felt that Li Xin's appetite was much better than before. He always thought that Li Xin was so tired from blacksmithing and ate very little. This time, however, his appetite was much better.
After finishing their meal, Li Xin packed her things and went home with Qi Shuning, which Chen Qing found a little strange.
"Seeing that other people's husbands have returned, but yours hasn't, are you envious?" Aunt Sun teased him. "Where did Zhou Yuan go this time?"
Chen Qing shook his head: "He said it before he left, but I forgot."
“You’re just as forgetful as Li Xin,” said Aunt Sun as she washed the dishes with him.
"I think I'll have to wait another month or two before I can come back." Chen Qing's mouth tasted bitter. "I never felt that time passed slowly before."
"When you have something on your mind, every day feels like a year."
*
Qi Shuning stayed at home for three days. On the fourth day, Li Xin took him back to school. After Qi Shuning returned to school, Li Xin packed his things and came back to live with them again.
Two and a half months passed in the blink of an eye, and the wheat harvest had begun in Luohe Village. Chen Qing did not go to the shop with Li Xin during this time; he went with Granny Sun to harvest the wheat.
The period of recuperation made Chen Qing feel a little out of sorts on his first day of work, but once he got through the first day, he felt like he had regained his old skills.
The weather wasn't too hot yet, so they set out very early. From dawn until sunrise, they had almost finished harvesting a plot of land.
The entire village was caught up in the busy wheat harvest, and the villagers didn't even have time to greet each other or chat. And it was precisely during this busy time that the village chief asked the entire village to go to the ancestral hall, saying that he had something to announce.
When Chen Qing and his group arrived at the ancestral hall, it was already full of people. The village chief knew everyone was busy, so he got straight to the point.
“I went to the prefectural city a while ago and discussed it with the government. After this year’s wheat harvest, our village will also start planting rice.”
These words caused a huge stir, with even Chen Qing and Granny Sun discussing the matter: "How are we supposed to grow rice here?"
Chen Qing remembered seeing vast rice paddies when he was a wanderer. The paddies were filled with water, as if water was the most important condition for rice to grow.
“Our Luohe Village is nestled against the mountains and beside the river. The Luohe River is used for much more than just washing clothes,” said Village Chief Jiang. “This time when I went to the prefectural city, I invited back two old masters, one who is good at improving farmland and the other who is good at growing rice.”
"If you have fields near the Luo River, pay attention these next few days. We're diverting water from the Luo River to fertilize our fields, and then we'll start planting rice."
"We don't know how to farm! Who's responsible if the land is ruined?"
"What if it doesn't grow?"
"That's right, if nothing can be grown, how will we pay taxes?"
Chen Qing and Aunt Sun didn't speak, but they were also worried. After all, Zhou Yuan's few acres of fertile land were all near the Luo River. If rice was to be planted, Zhou Yuan's land would be the first place to be used for experiments.
Zhang Xu and his wife also moved closer to Chen Qing. They had only been settled for less than a year when things suddenly changed, and they had no idea what the future held.
"Everyone, please calm down, please calm down," said Village Chief Jiang. "Our village is being used as an experiment, so there will definitely be compensation."
Village Chief Jiang coughed twice. He hadn't slept for several days because of this matter: "In exchange, any household registered in our village can be exempted from taxes for two years."
Two years of taxes, that's two years! If they can successfully grow rice, they can have enough food for two years, and it's not coarse grains, it's fine rice!
Sure enough, as soon as the village chief said that, everyone was eager to try it out.
Chen Qing has never been one to accept change. He feels that things are fine as they are now, but suddenly they have to plant rice. He doesn't know what the future holds. He wishes Zhou Yuan were here right now so he could hear his opinion.
But he still doesn't know where he is or when he will return.
On the way back, everyone was discussing this matter. Li Xin said, "This is probably due to the previous war. The national treasury may still not have enough food. Our village is near the Luo River, so it may be suitable for growing rice."
"There's only one old foreman, when will it be our turn to learn?" Grandma Sun sighed. They've been farming all their lives, and suddenly they have to grow something new. They don't know if they can do it well.
“Don’t worry, Auntie, I’ll have Qi Shuning learn it.” Li Xin patted Aunt Sun’s hand. “Even if he doesn’t understand, he can write it down and then explain it to us.”
"Isn't it a school anymore?" Chen Qing asked.
“I’m not going. The school said they can’t teach him anymore, and he should stay home and focus on his exams,” Li Xin said. “He’ll probably be back tomorrow.”
Chen Qing turned to look at Li Xin. He hadn't noticed before because they were always together, but he hadn't seen her for several days while he was working in the fields. That's when he realized, "You've gotten so fat!"
Upon hearing Chen Qing's words, Aunt Sun's eyes widened: "Yes, Li Xin, what's wrong with you?"
Li Xin shook her head: "No, I don't feel anything. Maybe I ate too much recently?"
Chen Qing raised his hand and pinched Li Xin's face, then touched his belly: "No, Li Xin, your belly, your belly has gotten so big."
Li Xin also looked down. Chen Qing hadn't mentioned it before, but now that he did, she realized that her stomach no longer had the outline of the four-pack and was even protruding a bit.
Aunt Sun exclaimed, "Li Xin, you wouldn't happen to be pregnant, would you?!"
Now it was Chen Qing and Li Xin's turn to be dumbfounded. Pregnant?
"No wonder! She was eating so much recently, being lazy all the time, and forgetful. What else could this be but pregnancy!"
"ah?"
Grandma Sun felt extremely guilty. She hadn't fulfilled her responsibilities as an elder. Chen Qing and Li Xin were both young and inexperienced, so naturally they wouldn't have considered the possibility of pregnancy.
"No way?" Li Xin wanted to put her hand on her stomach, but then she was a little scared. "What if I've just gained weight?"
Chen Qing nodded blankly: "Mother, Li Xin is still forging iron every day. I heard that my son's pregnancy is very dangerous. Will forging iron every day hurt the baby? Or is he not pregnant at all?"
Grandma Sun originally wanted to go to the fields to harvest wheat, but seeing Li Xin's condition and knowing there was no village doctor, she made a quick decision: "Let's go to town to see a doctor."
Chen Qing quickly nodded: "I'll go hitch up the oxcart."
After saying that, Chen Qing hurriedly ran home. Li Xin was also a little nervous. He didn't even know how to take a step and walked with his feet turned out the wrong way.
After returning home and changing her clothes, Aunt Sun saw that Chen Qing had hitched up the cart. She then asked him to bring out a soft cushion from home so that Li Xin could sit on it. Chen Qing drove the cart while Aunt Sun helped Li Xin sit down.
Chen Qing had never realized that the journey to town by oxcart was so far. By the time he arrived in town, it was almost dark. Chen Qing went straight to the clinic and happened to see the doctor packing up his medical kit to leave. Without thinking twice, Chen Qing quickly stopped the doctor.
The doctor was startled by the husband who suddenly ran over, thinking it was some kind of emergency, but it turned out he was just asked to take the husband's pulse.
The doctor glanced at Li Xin: "What else do we need to see? She's pregnant. Look at her belly, she's four months along?"
Li Xin shook his head. He and Qi Shuning only consummated their marriage during the Lunar New Year, which was less than four months ago.
The doctor began taking the pulse, stroking his beard as he said, "The pulse is like pearls rolling onto a jade plate, it is indeed a slippery pulse. The belly looks like you are four months pregnant, but you said the timing doesn't match up, so there is only one possibility."
All three pairs of eyes were fixed on the doctor.
The doctor shook his head: "It's twins."
Li Xin: !
Chen Qing: !
Grandma Sun: !
Chen Qing blurted out, "That's amazing!"
Li Xin slapped his forehead: "Of course I'm better!"
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