Chapter 7
The village chief's arrival was within Zhou Yuan's expectations. After thanking Aunt Sun, he put the noodle soup aside, thinking it would cool down by the time he finished speaking.
“Zhou Yuan, are you eating?” The village chief looked at Zhou Yuan. The brick house was already taking shape, but Zhou Yuan was still living in a shed on one side, and the cow he bought was tied up on the grass on the other side.
"Village Chief." Zhou Yuan was neither humble nor arrogant, and didn't even spare a glance for the two people behind the village chief.
"I heard about what happened today from them. Is there some misunderstanding?"
“There’s no misunderstanding, village chief.” Zhou Yuan stood up. “My money didn’t come from thin air; I earned it by cutting off heads one by one on the battlefield.”
The village chief and Chen Simeng were both stunned.
“I’ve seen how they’ve been working these past few days. They urinate ten times and defecate three times a morning, and drink water twelve times a day.” Zhou Yuan’s gaze was calm and unwavering. “The wages I’ve paid are quite reasonable. You two can go see a doctor; this is not a minor issue.”
Chen Si and Meng Zhuzi's faces turned red, and they pointed at Zhou Yuan, wanting to argue with him. However, Zhou Yuan simply took a step forward, and their arrogance naturally subsided.
The village chief tried to mediate: "Zhou Yuan, I've already taught them a lesson. Please, for my sake, let them continue for a while longer. After all, we'll all be from the same village in the future, and we'll run into each other all the time."
Zhou Yuan looked at the village chief, who took out a knife from the side. The knife was sharpened and had some nicks on the blade. It exuded a murderous aura. "Village chief, this knife went to the battlefield with me. I used it to cut off the heads of hundreds of foreigners. I risked my life to get the peaceful life I have today."
According to the law, ordinary people are not allowed to have weapons, but Zhou Yuan had returned from the battlefield and this knife had helped him in his service, so he was given special permission to take it with him.
The village chief swallowed hard: "Yes, yes."
“I cherish Luohe Village and want to live here for a long time. But if things really don’t go my way, I can use my military merits to go to the county government or the prefectural city and get justice for myself. It’s just that things might not look so good then, don’t you think?”
Muramasa nodded blankly: "Yes, that makes sense."
Zhou Yuan picked up a bowl of cold noodle soup: "Village Chief, would you like to stay and have some food?"
The village chief quickly led the two away, saying "No, no" repeatedly. Zhou Yuan watched them flee in disarray and sneered.
The bowl of noodle soup that Aunt Sun brought was so big that it looked like a small basin rather than a bowl. Although the noodles were not made from fine white flour and were mixed with some grains, making them a bit rough, the pumpkin was stir-fried with lard, making it glutinous and fragrant with an oily aroma. With the addition of pepper, drinking a hot bowl of it made me sweat profusely.
He washed the bowls, led the cow out to graze, and returned home as dusk fell. Then, carrying the bowls, he knocked on Granny Sun's door.
However, he was surprised that Chen Qinglai opened the door today.
When Chen Qing opened the door and saw it was him, he immediately lowered his head. Just now, Aunt Sun said she was going out for a walk and asked Chen Qing to wait at home.
"I've come to return the bowl."
"Hmm." Chen Qing didn't look at him, took his own small basin from his hand, and because he wasn't paying attention, his hand accidentally touched the back of Zhou Yuan's hand. He immediately withdrew his hand: "I'll go get you a bucket."
Zhou Yuan nodded.
Chen Qing put the basin back in the kitchen and brought him a bucket of water, without even glancing at him.
Zhou Yuan shrugged and left with the buckets of water.
After Zhou Yuan left, Aunt Sun returned from outside. She saw Chen Qing standing at the door, and the water bucket by the water vat was gone: "Zhou Yuan came by?"
Chen Qing: "Yes, I gave him the bucket."
There wasn't much to do in the village at night. After filling the water tank, Chen Qing tidied up the yard, put the chickens, ducks, and geese back in their coops, wiped himself down with some cool water, and went to bed.
The weather in May was neither too hot nor too cold, just the right time to relax. Every night before going to bed, Chen Qing would plan out what he needed to do the next day, and then he would fall asleep while thinking about it.
The village is so small, but what happened yesterday is known to the whole village today. Everyone in the village knows that Chen Si and Meng Zhuzi were driven away by Zhou Yuan, and even though the village chief went to talk to Zhou Yuan, he didn't agree.
In Luohe Village, the village chief is the only one who has the final say. No one can challenge his authority. Even Chen Si and Meng Zhuzi, who are related to the village chief, can act with impunity in the village. This is the first time the village chief has lost face.
"I heard that Zhou Yuan was carrying a knife and told the village chief that he had killed many people." Aunt Liu was helping Grandma Sun wash vegetables. She was the aunt who had cut grass with Grandma Sun that day. She was very talkative and sharp-tongued. Sometimes she was petty, but when something really happened, she was soft-hearted than anyone else.
Grandma Sun raised an eyebrow: "Isn't that great? Aren't some people just taking advantage of the fact that people are from out of town to try and get something out of them?"
Chen Qing didn't say anything, he just chopped vegetables on the side. He liked listening to Aunt Sun chat with the aunties in the village.
"But this house was built pretty quickly. The basic structure is already complete. Isn't it more impressive than the village chief's house?" Aunt Liu's words were full of envy. "Once this house is built, matchmakers will be lining up at his doorstep."
Chen Qing paused for a moment while stir-frying, then took a deep breath and continued flipping the spatula in his hand.
“Isn’t that to be expected? A brick house, a big yellow ox, no mother-in-law to take care of him, and he’s quite handsome.” Grandma Sun’s voice was calm. “What lucky young man or woman could marry into a family like that?”
Aunt Liu felt a little regretful, as her daughter had married long ago.
Grandma Sun didn't seem to have any particular thoughts: "Good luck always belongs to other people."
Fearing that Grandma Sun would be reminded of her sad past, Aunt Liu changed the subject.
Although there were two fewer workers, Zhou Yuan's progress was much faster than when the two were still there. Just before the hottest summer in Luohe Village arrived, Zhou Yuan's house was almost finished.
Only one last step remains: laying the roof beams and tiles.
According to the customs of Luohe Village, before the roof beam is raised, red decorations are hung and firecrackers are set off. Some grains are mixed together and sprinkled on the roof beam.
The house was bustling with activity when Zhou Yuan raised its roof beam. Even Chen Qing, who didn't like going out, was dragged out by Aunt Sun to join in the fun. After that, there wasn't much work to do, and Zhou Yuan didn't plan to hire anyone else. He did it all himself, so he paid everyone, including Chen Qing's family. He did the rest of the work himself, and there wasn't much left.
Chen Qing looked at the solid brick house with envy in his eyes. When the auspicious time arrived, the sound of firecrackers was deafening. Zhou Yuan stood on the high roof beam, holding a basin in his hands, which he had borrowed from Chen Qing's house.
The basin contained some dried peanuts and beans, a few pieces of candy wrapped in oil paper, a few coins, and some torn pieces of red paper.
After the firecrackers were set off and the village elders finished chanting auspicious words, Zhou Yuan, with a blank face, poured the contents of the basin onto the ground. The children were the most excited, clapping their hands and happily picking up peanuts from the ground. If they were lucky, they could even find coins and candy.
Grandma Sun also bent down and picked up a handful of peanuts from the patch of ground in front of her, then handed them to Chen Qing.
Chen Qing peeled one open and ate it. Then he whispered to Aunt Sun, "Mom, will people talk about us for coming here today?"
After all, they were in mourning.
Grandma Sun sighed. Chen Qing was good in every way, except that he was too thoughtful.
"You didn't even see Zhou Yuan and you didn't care? If you cared, would he still be borrowing pots and things from our house?"
Chen Qing nodded, no longer dwelling on the matter. Still feeling a bit uncomfortable with so many people around, he told Aunt Sun and went home.
He sat on the edge of the bed, holding his sewing basket, thinking about what kind of handkerchiefs people liked these days, as the shopkeeper had mentioned when he went to town.
How can you express love and affection on a handkerchief?
Chen Qing thought for a while but still couldn't come up with a solution, so he simply gave up. Just then, Aunt Sun called him from the doorway, saying that she was going to cut chicken feed with Aunt Liu.
Chen Qing agreed. He watched as Aunt Sun left and noticed that the lively atmosphere next door hadn't subsided yet. Besides many children, there were also some unmarried young men and women who wanted to talk to Zhou Yuan for a while.
Chen Qing turned his head and looked around. He noticed that the tall figure in the crowd seemed to have glanced in his direction. Chen Qing's heart pounded, and he quickly turned back into his room.
As the sun began to set, Chen Qing picked the last batch of wild vegetables from the garden. It was getting hot, and it wasn't the season for wild vegetables to grow anymore. After this meal, he would wait until next year.
When it's hot, people don't have much of an appetite, so making some refreshing dishes can make them feel better.
Just as Chen Qing had finished heating the water, there was a knock on the door—three familiar light knocks.
He dried his wet hands on his clothes, leaving two handprints. He opened the door and saw Zhou Yuan standing at the door with a basin in his hand.
Chen Qing still didn't look at him, but simply took the basin from his hands.
"Thank you," Zhou Yuan said in a low voice.
Chen Qing shook his head, raised his head slightly, and then quickly lowered it again: "It's nothing."
After he finished speaking, he closed the door and then discovered that the bowl contained a handful of peanuts, a handful of beans, two pieces of candy, and two copper coins.
Chen Qing looked up and only saw Zhou Yuan's departing figure. His hand was on the candy wrapped in oil paper. He felt a pang of sadness in his heart, along with a feeling he couldn't quite describe.
When Aunt Sun returned from cutting grass, she saw Chen Qing standing at the door with a basin in his arms: "Qing, what are you doing?"
Chen Qing then realized what was happening and showed the basin to Aunt Sun: "It's from next door returning the basin."
Looking at the contents of the basin, Aunt Sun nodded: "Zhou Yuan is a good person."
Chen Qing didn't express his opinion. He wasn't familiar with Zhou Yuan, but Aunt Sun often went there to deliver meals to Zhou Yuan. She would pull Zhou Yuan aside and tell him about things in the military camp, but more importantly, she wanted to hear about Meng Tao.
Zhou Yuan would always be very patient, racking his brains to tell stories about the military camp, but not every story was about Meng Tao, as they weren't that familiar with each other.
But with all that, Grandma Sun was already very satisfied.
Grandma Sun is old and her teeth aren't very good, so she gave all the candy to Chen Qing, peeled a few peanuts for herself and ate them, and then she couldn't eat much for dinner.
The wild vegetables Chen Qing cooked were quite delicious, but it was hot, so he couldn't eat too much. He had long been used to cooking more for dinner, since Zhou Yuan delivered a lot of vegetables every day, and if they weren't finished at noon, Chen Qing would cook them for dinner.
When Aunt Sun saw the separately stir-fried cabbage and pork slices and three steamed buns, she knew they were for Zhou Yuan.
Chen Qing panicked a little, afraid that Aunt Sun would misunderstand: "It's because there were leftovers from lunch, so I..."
“I didn’t say anything about you. I’ll take it to him in a bit.”
Chen Qing took a sip of hot water and said nothing more.
The summer nights gradually became more tedious. Chen Qing opened the window a little, and a night breeze blew in, dispelling the stuffiness and heat in the room. Only then did Chen Qing slowly fall asleep.
However, Chen Qing was a light sleeper, and even the slightest noise could wake him up. What should have been a completely silent night was filled with rustling sounds.
Chen Qing opened his eyes.
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