Chapter 9
Zhou Yuan's trip to the yamen with Chen Si and Meng Zhuzi didn't go very smoothly. On his way to the town, he ran into the village chief.
Although the village chief was angry that Chen Si and Meng Zhuzi were short-sighted and incompetent yet dared to provoke people he couldn't afford to offend, he was even angrier that Zhou Yuan disregarded his feelings and insisted on making a big fuss about the matter.
Chen Si's wife is the village chief's sister. She came crying early in the morning, saying that Chen Si hadn't come home and that he was going to get some money. Little did she know that he had gone to Zhou Yuan's house to steal things!
The village chief had no choice but to use his position to try and downplay the matter, but unexpectedly, Zhou Yuan proved to be a tough nut to crack.
Zhou Yuan had long known that things wouldn't go smoothly in town, so he wasn't too surprised to see the village chief on the road.
"Zhou Yuan, what's going on?"
Zhou Yuan said casually, "I didn't sleep very well last night. When I heard a noise, I got up and saw that someone had sneaked into my house."
"There must be some misunderstanding here," the village chief said with a smile. "We're all from the same village, no need to bother the authorities. We can handle it behind closed doors."
Zhou Yuan shook his head: "Village chief, this matter is indeed neither a big deal nor a small one, but ever since I started building my house, I've felt that the villagers have never treated me as one of them."
Zhou Yuan's words were practically a blatant accusation that they were bullying Zhou Yuan, an outsider.
"If the village has other ideas, I will also go to the government office to discuss whether it is possible to move to another village."
The village chief was also a little annoyed, having never found his two relatives so troublesome before: "Zhou Yuan, things can be discussed. I promise you, this will never happen again."
In the end, the matter did not go to the authorities. Zhou Yuan also understood the principle of knowing when to stop. If it really went to the authorities, the two of them might implicate Chen Qing and Granny Sun, which would only cause them more trouble.
Zhou Yuan simply followed the village chief's words and asked the two families for some money as compensation.
“Village chief, I really want to live in this village for a long time,” Zhou Yuan said.
"Of course, of course."
The matter was considered closed at that point. With the village chief's approval, Chen Si and Meng Zhuzi compensated Zhou Yuan with one tael of silver, which was exactly the amount they had earned from Zhou Yuan.
Zhou Yuan recalled Chen Qing's appearance last night and the slight weight he felt when he picked him up. Chen Qing had been frightened and chilled during the night, and judging from his condition, he was likely to fall seriously ill. Zhou Yuan, taking precautions, went to the doctor and bought some calming medicine.
After thinking for a moment, he turned back. He didn't go through the gate, but just stood at the door and talked to Granny Sun: "I didn't send the person to the yamen."
Grandma Sun was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized: "Is it the village chief?"
Zhou Yuan nodded: "Although I warned them not to talk nonsense, this is, after all, a courtroom setting. If they really say that they came to your house at night, it will damage your reputation."
Grandma Sun nodded repeatedly: "I understand, you've really gone to a lot of trouble, this is the best way to handle it."
Since Zhou Yuan had just arrived in the village, he shouldn't offend the village chief too much.
Seeing that Aunt Sun said this, Zhou Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, as he was afraid that Aunt Sun would mind.
Grandma Sun quickly returned the silver that Zhou Yuan had just given him, saying, "I can't accept this."
Zhou Yuan replied, "It's all because of me that you've suffered this undeserved misfortune. He's also sick, which is exactly when he needs money, so please don't stand on ceremony with me."
Grandma Sun sighed and put the silver away.
From then on, Chen Si and Meng Zhuzi would always walk around this area, not daring to provoke this evil spirit again.
Chen Qing was sick for three days, and he was so feverish and dizzy that Aunt Sun was so worried that blisters appeared on her lips, and they hurt terribly.
Fortunately, Chen Qing's temperature finally dropped on the third day, and he felt more energetic. Otherwise, Aunt Sun would have insisted on calling a doctor.
Chen Qing was already observing mourning for Meng Tao and hadn't eaten meat for several months. After falling ill, he became so thin that he looked like he could be blown away by the wind.
Grandma Sun calculated the days and said that the three-month mourning period was over. If Chen Qing didn't eat meat, he would become so thin that he wouldn't look like a human being. Grandma Sun couldn't leave to take care of Chen Qing, so she asked Zhou Yuan to bring back some meat or bones when he went to the market or the village to help Chen Qing regain his strength.
Time flies, and it was July. The summer heat was intense. Chen Qing had become so thin and emaciated due to his illness and the summer heat that he looked unrecognizable. Grandma Sun was extremely worried but had no idea what to do.
Fortunately, there wasn't much to do in the fields during this time, otherwise she didn't know if Chen Qing could have made it through.
On the other side, Zhou Yuan's house was finally repaired. These days, he goes to town every day to buy daily necessities. Even if Aunt Sun didn't ask him to, he would still help bring some things back.
Because Chen Qing was sick and Grandma Sun had a bad back, Zhou Yuan had to fetch water for them after dark. Although Chen Qing declined, Grandma Sun could only trouble Zhou Yuan because she saw that Chen Qing looked like he could be blown over by the wind.
That day, a bone broth made from several large bones was simmering on the stove. Because it was too hot, no one sat by the stove. Only when Grandma Sun saw that Chen Qing had regained some energy did she chat with him for a while.
Chen Qing's illness this time is clearly a psychological one.
Looking at Aunt Sun's concerned eyes, Chen Qing's lips moved, and his voice was a little hoarse as he spoke: "My father was killed in the middle of the night."
His voice choked with emotion: "I was so scared at that time, I didn't, I didn't stand up to protect my father..."
“But you protected me.” Grandma Sun reached out and touched his hair. “Aqing is already very capable.”
Chen Qing covered his eyes: "My personality is very much like my uncle's. He was brave only twice in his life. Once he wanted to go to the yamen to file a complaint, but my grandmother caught him and beat him. The other time he resolutely decided to die."
He looked at Aunt Sun through teary eyes: "You said he had the courage to die, so why didn't he have the courage to live a good life?"
This was the first time that Grandma Sun had heard Chen Qing talk about his past.
Grandma Sun patted his shoulder tenderly: "Don't think about it anymore, Aqing, you have to look forward too."
Chen Qing nodded: "Yes, I understand, Mother."
Just then, Aunt Sun heard the noise outside the door. Chen Qing lowered his head and wiped away his tears. The firewood in the kitchen was crackling. He was a little hot, so he sat down in the main room. A breeze blew through the room, dispelling some of the heat.
This season is not for planting, and the land allocated to Zhou Yuan is still lying fallow. While he was farming, he thought about going up the mountain to take a look. Now that everything had settled down for him, he also needed to think about his future life.
This season's rice can only be bought, and his resettlement allowance is almost gone. He needs to find a way to make a living.
Zhou Yuan's first thought was to go up the mountain. He had plenty of strength and was not afraid of any danger or difficulty, so he went up the mountain with his big knife.
He had never been a hunter before, so he didn't know the habits of wild animals in the mountains. As a result, he didn't catch any prey on his first trip up the mountain.
On the way up the mountain, Zhou Yuan saw a fruit tree with some fruit on it. He shook the tree and a few fell. He picked them up and tasted them. They didn't taste too strange at first, just a little sour, but after a while they started to taste sweet.
Zhou Yuan shook the tree vigorously, and many fruits fell down. He caught them with his clothes, considering them some spoils from his first trip up the mountain.
Back home, he sorted through the fruit he had brought back, keeping the wilted and worm-eaten ones and packing the plump and good-looking ones into a basket, which he then delivered to Aunt Sun's door.
"Oh my, this fruit." Grandma Sun naturally saw it too. The villagers didn't have many sweet treats on a regular basis. They could only buy a piece of candy during festivals, so they would find something to sweeten their mouths on ordinary days.
Wild fruits in the mountains and sweet roots growing on the ridges of fields in winter are a little sweetness in their peaceful lives.
“If Chen Qing hadn’t gotten sick this year, he would have gone up the mountain to pick these fruits by now.” Grandma Sun smiled as she accepted the fruit. She didn’t stand on ceremony with Zhou Yuan; they were just some wild fruits, and anyone could pick them, it was just a matter of who came first.
"That's perfect. I tried one, and it wasn't very sweet."
Aunt Sun laughed: "Aqing likes it. He suffers from the summer heat, and this sweet and sour taste will help him eat more."
Zhou Yuan lowered his eyes and said, "I understand, Auntie. I'll go back now."
Grandma Sun watched him leave, then placed the fruit in front of Chen Qing: "You don't have to pick them yourself this year."
Chen Qing's eyes narrowed with laughter. Only when there was something delicious to eat would Chen Qing act like an ordinary young man.
He couldn't wait to try one. The sour taste stimulated his taste buds. He hadn't had much of an appetite these past few days, barely managing to eat anything to keep himself alive. But after eating this fruit, he felt a little hungry.
After Chen Qing regained his appetite, his body recovered much faster. Five days later, he felt just like before, with inexhaustible strength.
"Mother, I'm going out to wash clothes." Chen Qing tidied up the clothes he had changed out of over the past few days. In the summer, they all liked to go to the lower reaches of the Luo River to wash clothes and play in the water.
Grandma Sun could tell what he was thinking at a glance: "You've just recovered, don't go playing in the water, come back after you've washed."
Chen Qing nodded, picked up the basin, and ran out of the house.
At this hour, the sun is high in the sky, and most people would be home resting, which is why Chen Qing chose this time to do the laundry.
Chen Qing squatted down and found the big rock where he usually washed his clothes. Remembering Aunt Sun's instructions, he didn't take off his shoes and soaked his clothes in the water to wet them.
"Chen Qing!"
Chen Qing looked up and saw Li Xin carrying a basin towards him. A hint of joy appeared on his face: "Li Xin? You're back?"
Li Xin was one of Chen Qing's few friends in the village. When Chen Qing first arrived in the village, he was like a young wife who never went out. It was Aunt Sun who went to Li Xin and asked if they could take Chen Qing with them.
Li Xin was very enthusiastic and quickly helped Chen Qing become a familiar face in the village. However, over the past few years, most of the boys they used to play with had gotten married, and they had less contact with each other.
“I was saying I’d come to your house today.” Li Xin moved closer to him, looking closely at his face. “You look so much thinner.”
Chen Qing finally relaxed a bit: "I was sick a few days ago and just got better."
Li Xin helped him wash clothes, and he had a smile on his face, so he must have been doing well during his short stay at his maternal grandparents' house.
Chen Qing knew about Li Xin's family; her parents had a very good relationship, and her father had agreed to let her go back to her parents' home with her this time.
I know what happened in your family. Are you alright?
Chen Qing nodded: "I'm fine."
"Haven't you thought about your future? I heard from my father that you even wore mourning clothes for Meng Tao. Don't you plan to remarry?"
Chen Qing shook his head: "I won't get married. I'll stay with my mother."
Li Xin didn't try to persuade him. He had known Chen Qing for four or five years and knew that Chen Qing was incredibly stubborn.
"Ugh, my dad says he's going to arrange a marriage for me." Li Xin was also annoyed, wondering why she had to get married now that she was grown up.
"Isn't that a good thing?" Chen Qing didn't understand why he was unhappy. He would occasionally hear people in the village talking about Li Xin, saying that she was already an eighteen-year-old boy and still not married.
"Do you know who my father has taken a liking to?" Li Xin quietly leaned closer to Chen Qing.
Li Xin's father was the only blacksmith in town. This skill allowed his family to live a comfortable life. Since his family was well-off, Li the blacksmith naturally wouldn't let Li Xin marry a bad man.
Li Xin said quietly, "They say he's the one who came back from the battlefield and settled in our village. My dad had a very good impression of him, saying that a real man should have that kind of demeanor."
Chen Qing's strength gave way, and a piece of clothing fell into the water, splashing water all over Chen Qing and Li Xin's faces.
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