Chapter 61 A Deeply Loving Couple Amidst the Floods in Gaoxian County (4)
Gao County.
The carriage turned around and sped away. Liu Yi nudged Chen Junbo with his elbow, "Still watching? It's nowhere to be seen!"
Chen Junbo withdrew his gaze, turned his head and glared at him, "How many chicken legs have you had?" After saying that, he left with a look of disgust.
Liu Yitong chuckled, took a bite of the chicken leg in his hand, and followed a few steps. "Hey, Ziheng, your wife is really nice. She even thought of bringing you food and clothes. Unlike my bunch of women, who eat and drink my food all day long. Now that I'm stuck in Gao County, they haven't said a word."
What was said without intention was taken to heart by the listener. Chen Junbai felt a warmth in his heart. When he saw the person on the embankment earlier, he was unsure whether to reach out with his hand or his foot first. Now, thinking back, he realized he had acted like a naive young man. Looking around the embankment, all the people there were men. Which woman, like his Zhaozhao, had come to personally offer her comfort? It was already quite kind of her to remember to bring some clothes and supplies. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but smile.
"Hehe, Ziheng, why don't you talk to your sister-in-law and ask her to bring some more food later? This godforsaken place, it's bad enough that we can't sleep well, but all we eat all day is cornbread and wild vegetables, not a drop of oil. I, sigh, I haven't been able to poop for days."
Liu Yitong kept babbling on and on, creating all sorts of noises, murmurs, and a string of excrement and piss in Chen Junbo's warm memories.
Mr. Chen finally couldn't hold back and kicked him in the back, saying, "Eat, eat, eat! All you do is eat and poop. You deserve to go hungry for a few days."
The two returned to their tent while talking, Liu Yitong still chattering away, "Ziheng, really, tell your sister-in-law. Roast chicken, then roast duck, mutton, and some mutton too."
Chen Junbo had already stepped into his tent when he caught a glimpse of Liu Yitong's greasy hand reaching up to lift the tent flap. He paused, turned around, and looked at him.
Liu Yi was startled and almost bumped into him. He stood still, staring with his big, blank eyes. "What?"
Chen Junbo: "Get lost."
"Hehe." Liu Yitong loved hearing Chen Junbai tell him to 'get lost'. Every time, that 'get lost' meant the other party agreed. He happily munched on his chicken leg and rolled a long way away. When he saw another watermelon being split open at the other end of the tent, he tossed the chicken bones aside and rolled even faster.
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Lin Yihuai noticed that Chen Junbo was acting strangely. Whenever the meeting reached midday, the general manager surnamed Chen would become absent-minded and frequently lose focus.
That day, he deliberately chose to work beside him at noon. Sure enough, the man gradually stopped what he was doing and kept glancing at the official road. Lin Yihuai was very curious and followed his gaze to the south.
Amidst the dust, a carriage slowly approached.
Chen Junbo immediately put down what he was holding, stood up, dusted off his clothes, and went to greet him. Lin Yihuai, quite curious, followed him.
The carriage slowly came to a stop at the village entrance. Lin Yihuai stopped, but saw Chen Junbai quicken his pace towards the carriage. The curtain of the carriage was lifted, and a young woman stepped out. Her lotus-white satin blouse hung just to her waist, and a light green belt embroidered with yellow flowers tied her slender waist. She wore a moon-white skirt with yellow floral patterns.
The young woman wore two hairpins, one gold and one silver, adorning her single bun, which shimmered in the sunlight. Her eyebrows curved, her eyes sparkled, and her lips were red and her teeth white; she was quite charming. She stood on the edge of the carriage and waved to Chen Junbai. Young Master Chen quickly ran forward, reached out his hands, and lifted her down from the carriage.
Looking at this scene, Lin Yihuai couldn't help but recall the last time they discussed matters at the yamen, when Chen Junbo arrived late. Sure enough, this General Manager Chen was not to be disobeyed. He couldn't help but laugh out loud. No matter how powerful this young General Manager Chen was outside, judging from today's scene, he was still completely controlled by his wife at home.
After all, it was someone else's wife visiting her husband, so Lin Yihuai didn't feel comfortable approaching her. This scene of mandarin ducks entwined, amidst the raging floodwaters, was a unique display of their deep affection. He simply wrapped his arms around the tree trunk and leaned against it, admiring the view from afar.
Li Yang crouched down slightly, placed his hands on Chen Junbo's shoulders, and let Chen Junbo support his waist. He then jumped forward and landed steadily, with his hands still hanging on Chen Junbo's shoulders.
Chen Junbo simply tightened his arms, pulled her closer to him, and rested his chin on the top of her head.
"Chen Junbo".
Upon hearing this, Chen Junbo lowered his head and uttered a soft "Hmm?"
"You're covered in mud."
Chen Junbo remained silent, only gently pushing her away slightly with his hand on her waist. Their eyes met, and they suddenly smiled at each other.
"Hehe, sister-in-law." Liu Yitong sniffed and leaned closer, his nose so sharp it could steal food from a dog. "What delicious treats did you bring today?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Junbo narrowed his eyes and coldly swept over. He saw that the other person's fat hands were rubbing together, covered in mud, with black grime under his fingernails and two chapped cuts. His expression softened slightly, but he still pursed his lips and coldly looked at the newcomer. However, the man didn't even look at him, his eyes fixed on the inside of the carriage as if it were a treasure trove.
Seeing this, Li Yang quickly let go, turned around, and jumped up from the cart floor to reach the curtain. "I brought braised pork today. It's from a freshly slaughtered pig this morning. Butcher Zhang specially picked out the best leg meat for me, with tendons and fat. It was simmered all the way here, so it's still hot."
Liu Yitong was no longer listening to these words at this moment. He was drooling and raised his arm to wipe his mouth. His sleeve was torn in several places and was dirty.
Chen Junbo looked at the two of them and finally sighed, "Then I'll go change my clothes first."
"Go ahead, hurry up and go. I'll help my sister-in-law move these foods over first. Come over quickly, or don't say I didn't save any for you." Liu Yitong's mouth hadn't closed since he saw Li Yang's carriage.
Seeing that he had interrupted him, Li Yang looked at Chen Junbai with amusement, only to see the young master's face darken. If looks could kill, Li Yang was certain that Liu Yitong would have died hundreds of times over.
Chen Junbo turned and strode away. After a few steps, he saw Lin Yihuai leaning against a tree trunk, who was looking at him leisurely.
"Lord Lin." Chen Junbo stopped and bowed.
Lin Yihuai flicked the leaves from his hand and patted Chen Junbo on the shoulder, "General Manager Chen, hehehe, what a lucky man you are."
Chen Junbai smiled, finding Lord Lin quite amusing. He had wanted to kill him with words back in Songshan Town, but now that they had shared a flood, Lord Lin had suddenly become completely unrestrained.
Seeing that Lord Lin was still saying "good fortune" and "your wife" was still talking, Chen Junbai hurriedly said, "Lord Lin, please excuse me. Today, my family sent a lot of food to comfort everyone in Gao County. Please join us for lunch."
"Good, good, good, thank you very much, Mr. Chen." Lin Yihuai wasn't entirely joking. These grown men had been in Bashang for days, and everyone was covered in dirt and sweat. Only Chen Junbai was clean and tidy every morning—how could anyone not envy him? It turned out his wife at home was worried about him, so he traveled back and forth daily, acting like a little fairy. We're all men, and seeing his treatment, and then thinking about our own shrewish wives at home, oh dear, oh dear, we're so envious and jealous!
Chen Junbo changed his clothes extremely quickly today. The moment the lid of the braised pork pot was lifted, he was already sitting next to Li Yang.
Seeing him come over, Li Yang smiled and rolled up his sleeves to distribute the dishes he had brought to everyone.
Laughter and cheerful voices brought a long-lost sense of ease to everyone during their stay in Gao County. Grass clippings and debris were scattered on the muddy ground, and the air was filled with a damp, musty smell and a faint aroma of herbs.
The sound of boots splashing through mud, indistinct yet breaking the cheerful atmosphere within the tent, gradually revealed the figures of several officials in the dim light. The leader, dressed in a dark Ning silk official robe with rank badges and an oiled silk cloak, was slightly plump, his gait exuding an undeniable steadiness. He slightly tilted his head, listening to the whispers of a servant in a blue robe and cap beside him, his expression unreadable.
The group following behind them were clearly of lower rank. One of them bowed slightly, unconsciously holding up the hem of his official robe with one hand to prevent it from getting dirty with mud, while his eyes followed the leader's movements closely. Another person kept his eyes straight ahead. They walked slowly, their boots making muffled "plop, plop" sounds as they stepped on the soft, wet ground.
They did not enter the tent immediately, but paused briefly outside the tent entrance.
"Lord Zhong, Lord Lin, Lord Zhang, please come in." Chen Junbai hurriedly stood up to greet them.
Although this large tent was set up by the government, today's feast was brought by Madam Chen to entertain everyone, so Chen Junbai was the host at this table.
Having received the invitation, Lin Yihuai went inside first.
Li Yang was sharing food with everyone when he suddenly saw a group of officials. He was stunned, his mouth slightly open, not knowing what to say. He glanced at Chen Junbai beside him and even reached out to tug at the hem of his clothes.
Turning around and seeing her stunned expression, like a frightened kitten, Chen Junbai suppressed a smile and said, "This is Salt Commissioner Lin."
Li Yang quickly stood up straight, patted his body with his hands, and put on a well-behaved expression, "Lord Lin."
At this moment, Zhang Youdao and Zhong Zhengyuan entered the tent one after another. The three officials stood side by side in front of Li Yang. Her eyes widened, and she moved slightly to stand behind Chen Junbai, looking at him with a slightly helpless expression.
Seeing this, Chen Junbai led her forward two steps and bowed to the two officials: "Lord Zhong, Lord Zhang, this is my bride, Li Yang." He lightly nudged Li Yang with his elbow, and the latter quickly said, "Lord Zhong, Lord Zhang."
Seeing that the new bride of the Chen family looked like a young girl, Lin Yihuai found it quite amusing. "Look at our disheveled appearance, Madam Chen must be laughing at us, hahahahaha."
Ever since that conversation with Chen Junbo on the dam that day, Lin Yihuai has seen him rushing to the front of everything—going up the dam, down into the water, carrying logs and mud—and felt gratified.
Looking at the crowd again, he saw Liu Yitong, who was gluttonous, squatting down and using his hands to dig away the silt blocking the flood outlet, and Li Yuhan, who was cautious and careful, jumping into the flood to help the laborers plug the gap. One by one, they actually became more pleasing to his eye.
Today, looking at Chen Junbai's wife, he saw a natural and innocent demeanor, without any affectation. This most powerful and influential young man in the Huai River region hadn't married a noblewoman, nor a high-born daughter, nor followed the example of those romantic scholars who would take a famous courtesan by their side; instead, he had married such a 'clean' young wife.
Before he entered officialdom, he was the youngest in his family and the most unruly playboy. It was only after meeting his wife, who stayed by his side and "taught" him, that he became who he is today. His wife was not from an official family, nor was she wealthy; she was simply his husband's daughter, and was the most "well-educated and reasonable."
Lin Yihuai vaguely felt that Chen Junbo's taste in choosing a wife was just as "good" as his own, and that the two of them were already one of their own.
When Lin Yihuai started joking, the men all laughed heartily in agreement, and the atmosphere immediately relaxed, which made Li Yang feel a little more at ease.
Suddenly, a voice came, "Sister-in-law."
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