Chapter 93
When Grandma saw Chen Qing leaving with a knife, she knew something was wrong. If Chen Qing went against Zhou Mu's family, he would not come out on top at all. At best, he would be injured; at worst, he would lose his life.
Chen Qing was fast, but she had been unwell lately, and her legs were particularly weak. Even sitting up felt like she had used up all her strength. She was using her crutches, and when she pushed open the door, it felt like she had bumped into a wall, almost knocking her over.
Zhou Yuan reacted quickly and helped his grandmother to her feet, saying, "Grandma! I'm back!"
When Grandmother saw that it was Zhou Yuan who had returned, she was momentarily at a loss for words. She reached out and touched Zhou Yuan's face, then shrugged and started crying.
Zhou Yuan pulled her into his arms: "Grandma, don't cry. I'm back. From now on, we'll all have a good life!"
He didn't carry a single bundle; he returned the same way he left back then, except now he carried a long sword on his back.
Fortunately, Grandmother was not overwhelmed by this overwhelming joy. She was still worried about Chen Qing, so she grabbed Zhou Yuan's hand and said, "Hurry up, hurry up and go to your second uncle's place."
"What are you going to Uncle's for?" Zhou Yuan was also puzzled. He hadn't even had a sip of water since he came back, so why was his grandmother kicking him out?
"Your husband went to your second uncle's house to ask for money. I'm afraid Xiaoqing will suffer a loss. You should go quickly." Grandmother was both happy and worried, and she hurriedly pushed him out the door.
Zhou Yuan: ?
"Where did I get a husband from?" He walked towards the door, completely bewildered, but seeing how anxious his grandmother was, he had no choice but to go ahead.
As he approached his second uncle's house, he heard a somewhat thin voice accusing his second uncle. When he heard the word "husband" in the voice, Zhou Yuan blushed slightly, feeling as if a cat was scratching at his heart.
This husband, I think, is referring to him, right?
But after hearing Chen Qing's words, his flushed face turned black. All these years he had risked his life on the battlefield, hoping to kill more enemies and earn more rewards. He had earned this money through countless battles, all so his grandmother could live a good life. He never imagined his second uncle would take it all.
Now that Grandma is sick, they don't even have money to buy medicine? And they have to have this skinny little husband come to their house to beg for it?
Zhou Yuan was furious. His anger reached its peak when he saw Zhou Mu attack Chen Qing. He had just come from the battlefield and the blood and killing intent on his body had not yet completely faded. When he saw Zhou Mu kick Chen Qing again, he caught Chen Qing.
Zhou Mu saw that he was clearly panicked. When Zhou Yuan went to join the army, no one in the village thought he would come back alive, but now he was standing alive in front of him, which frightened him so much that he started to stammer, "You, you, you..."
"I have other things to do today." Zhou Yuan chuckled and sheathed his sword. "I'll come visit another day, Second Uncle."
There's no rush to settle accounts with them today. Grandmother's health is the most important thing. I just heard Chen Qing say that Grandmother is sick and needs money for medicine. We should get Grandmother treated first, and then we can deal with them slowly. Anyway, he has plenty of time now. He can settle both old and new scores together.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Mu quickly ran into the house and locked the door tightly.
After speaking, Zhou Yuan glanced down at Chen Qing, who was leaning against him, and asked, "Can you still walk?"
When Chen Qing heard his curt question, Chen Qing's heart skipped a beat. He quickly moved away from him, but he was so scared and nervous that he sat down on the ground after distancing himself from Zhou Yuan.
Chen Qing was still trembling, and not far from him lay a kitchen knife, which he had dropped in his panic.
Grandmother finally arrived. He looked at Chen Qing sitting on the ground and Zhou Yuan standing next to him and realized that he hadn't introduced the two of them.
"Xiaoqing, how are you?" Grandmother walked up to Chen Qing, panting heavily. She was worried. "Are you alright?"
Chen Qing forced a smile, but it looked more like a grimace: "Grandmother, I'm fine."
"A-Yuan, is Xiao Qing injured? Pick him up." Grandmother was very worried because she didn't know where Chen Qing was injured and couldn't stand up.
Zhou Yuan didn't want to disobey his grandmother, so he bent down and picked Chen Qing up.
Suddenly being picked up, Chen Qing's heart tightened. He didn't know whether he should hold Zhou Yuan with his hands, but Zhou Yuan didn't care at all, because Chen Qing was so light that he could lift him up and spin him around several times with just one hand.
He was about to leave with Chen Qing in his arms when Chen Qing gently grabbed his arm again.
Zhou Yuan looked down at him: "What?"
Chen Qing had used up all his courage just now, and Zhou Yuan was too tall. His emotionless words made Chen Qing a little scared, and he shrank back: "Kitchen knife, the kitchen knife from home."
Zhou Yuan also saw the gleaming kitchen knife on the ground, and picked it up while holding Chen Qing.
Zhou Yuan carried Chen Qing back home. He hadn't had a chance to look at the small courtyard properly when he came back earlier, but now he realized that although the courtyard was small and simple, it was very clean. However, it was also clear that his grandmother was not doing well. Everything was old and there were several repair marks on the windows.
He placed Chen Qing on the stool, then put the kitchen knife back in the house. He looked around and was relieved to see that there was still some food left in the house.
Chen Qing had been worried ever since he returned, because Zhou Yuan had been very cold all the way, as if he had no intention of acknowledging him at all.
If Zhou Yuan doesn't want him, he'll have to go back to being a homeless man. Chen Qing was dejected and remained silent with his head down.
Zhou Yuan came out of the kitchen and looked at the two people sitting in the yard. His grandmother was already showing signs of old age, and the other was so thin that the wind could blow her away. If he had come back any later, the two of them would probably have starved to death. So his resentment towards Zhou Mu deepened.
Grandmother finally realized that Zhou Yuan had returned, and she cried, "You're finally back! Were you injured? Why did you come back so suddenly? Is the war over?"
Zhou Yuan nodded: "Yes, it's over. We won a great victory, and now it's peaceful."
His grandmother reached out her hand to him, and he squatted down in front of her. His grandmother reached out and touched his hair: "It's good that you're back. I thought I wouldn't be able to wait for you to come back."
She seemed to remember something, and then pointed at Chen Qing and said, "That's Xiao Qing, the husband I bought for you."
When Chen Qing heard them mention him, he straightened his back. Some time ago, he had imagined what it would be like after Zhou Yuan returned, but now that Zhou Yuan had actually returned, he began to feel afraid again.
Zhou Yuan said helplessly, "Grandmother, that money was sent back so you could live a good life. Why are you buying me a husband?"
Chen Qing's heart was in his throat.
"Grandma doesn't have long to live, I can't let you come back to an empty house." Grandma smiled, her complexion was much better, as if her illness had been cured because of Zhou Yuan's return.
Zhou Yuan also looked at Chen Qing, unsure of what to do with him. Chen Qing's heart clenched again, fearing that Zhou Yuan would make him leave.
Zhou Yuan then remembered why Chen Qing had gone to Zhou Mu's house, and he stood up: "Grandmother, let me take you to see a doctor first."
Chen Qing breathed a sigh of relief. Zhou Yuan was back, and his grandmother's illness could be cured. However, he didn't dare to ask Zhou Yuan if he had any money, because the medicine was really expensive.
Zhou Yuan carried his grandmother on his back, and Chen Qing stood up as well. His grandmother looked at Chen Qing and said, "Xiao Qing, you shouldn't go. Your leg is injured too."
Chen Qing sat back down and watched them leave. His heart was pounding. He felt like he might be going to be a wanderer again. He remembered the way Zhou Yuan looked at him earlier. He knew Zhou Yuan didn't want him to stay.
He lifted his clothes and glanced at his leg. It still hurt a lot after Zhou Mu kicked him, and there were some bruises on his leg. Fortunately, his leg was not broken and he could still move it.
He stood up, remembering that today was Zhou Yuan's first day back. Regardless of whether Zhou Yuan accepted him or not, he should eat something good on his first day back, and he wanted to eat something good too.
He took out his purse, which contained fifty-five coins. Meat was currently twenty coins a pound, and Chen Qing planned to buy a pound of meat to prepare a welcome feast for Zhou Yuan.
Chen Qing and his grandmother were both starving, so Chen Qing bought a piece of lean meat with a good balance of fat and lean meat, but with more fat, and limped home.
My grandmother grows some vegetables, but the barren land can't grow any fancy vegetables. Only radishes can grow three seasons a year, and fortunately, there are some cabbages this season.
Chen Qing prepared the dough and used the pork cracklings and cabbage he had left over to make steamed buns. He made ten, which he figured should be enough. He also cooked a bowl of meat with radish and a soup with pickled vegetable strips. Since there was no kitchen at home, Chen Qing set up a makeshift frame where he could chop vegetables and knead dough.
At first, Chen Qing was able to cook without any distractions, but as the aroma of meat slowly wafted out, Chen Qing could no longer hold back and squatted down by the clay stove to cry.
He had never dared to cry out loud since he was a child, and he was no exception. Sitting by the stove, tears streamed down his face. After he finished crying, he stood up and limped back into the room from the stove.
But that wasn't his room; it belonged to Zhou Yuan. He found his clothes in the closet. His family was so poor that he hadn't bought any new clothes since he came here. He wore clothes that had been altered from Zhou Yuan's.
He could take almost nothing with him; he touched the purse his grandmother had given him, and perhaps this small purse was all he could take with him.
Chen Qing was unsure whether he should stay and have a meal with them. He sat on the bed for a long time, hesitating. As darkness fell, his grandmother still hadn't returned. Chen Qing realized he wouldn't have anywhere to stay when they came back tonight, so he took his purse, slung a small bundle over his shoulder, and prepared to leave.
He had just stepped out the door when he ran into Zhou Yuan and his grandmother, who were returning home. Zhou Yuan was carrying his grandmother on his back, and his grandmother was carrying a medicine bag in her hand.
Chen Qing breathed a sigh of relief. Zhou Yuan had money to pay for his grandmother's medical treatment and medicine, so his grandmother should be able to live a good life in the future. Looking at how tall Zhou Yuan was, he looked like he could make a lot of money.
"Xiaoqing! Where are you going so late? We're back, hurry home." Grandmother thought he had gone out to look for her, but when she got closer, she noticed that Chen Qing was carrying a bundle on his back.
She patted Zhou Yuan on the back, and Zhou Yuan put his grandmother down. His grandmother grabbed Chen Qing's hand and asked anxiously, "Where are you going?"
A note from the author:
Aqing: *crying*
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