Chapter 120 (Chapter 120) Staying at Home
It snowed for two or three days in a row, and Zhu Mingyue stayed at home for two or three days.
Being cared for by Xie Pei like a patient, Zhu Mingyue was enjoying it so much that her cheeks bulged out.
It was freezing cold outside, and the villagers were used to staying at home at this time, so no one knew that Xie Pei had returned.
On the evening of the third day, Li Zhengyang returned to the village.
The stove in the room was burning warmly. Zhu Mingyue was only wearing a fur coat and lying on the bed, chatting casually with Xie Pei.
Xie Pei spoke very little; Zhu Mingyue did most of the talking, starting with the history of Mingyuelou and then talking about opening a hot pot restaurant.
"Speaking of which, you've never had hot pot before." Zhu Mingyue looked at him. "I'll make hot pot for you tonight, okay?"
Xie Pei nodded: "Okay."
Zhu Mingyue smiled and enthusiastically started counting the dishes on her fingers.
There was a knock on the door. Zhu Mingyue swallowed back the words she was about to say. Their eyes met, and Xie Pei got up and went to open the door.
Li Zhengyang stood at the door, leaning on his cane. The door was opened from the inside, and Xie Pei's cold, icy face appeared before him.
"General...General!" Li Zhengyang straightened his back instinctively.
Xie Pei nodded. "Come in."
Her gaze fell on his empty cotton trouser legs, her expression unchanged, and she reached out her hand: "Shall I help you?"
Xie Pei rarely showed him such kindness, and he was extremely flustered, so he quickly refused: "No need, I have a cane."
After saying that, he stepped over the threshold with a push and a jump. He used his cane very well and walked quite nimbly.
Zhu Mingyue was already dressed. When she saw Li Zhengyang, she asked in surprise, "The snow outside is so thick, why are you back?"
Li Zhengyang doesn't come back most of the time. Firstly, he has difficulty walking, and secondly, he stays in Guang'an County to work as the manager of a hot pot restaurant. In the cold winter, everyone wants to eat something hot to warm themselves up, so the hot pot restaurant is getting busier and busier, and Li Zhengyang is too busy to leave.
Although Zhu Mingyue didn't pay him a salary, she rented a small courtyard house for him to live in nearby and provided him with everything he needed. A few days ago, when the weather started to get cold, she even had a truckload of firewood and coal delivered to him.
There's not much work to do in the countryside during winter, so Li Zhengyang's mother moved to the county seat, which made it easier for her to take care of him.
Therefore, Li Zhengyang rarely makes a special trip back home.
Xie Pei added some firewood to the stove, and the fire immediately burned even brighter.
Li Zhengyang was drying his shoes by the stove when he heard this and smiled: "My mother was worried about home these past few days because of the snow, so she wanted to come back and check on things. She happened to run into Uncle Wang from the next village who was hauling firewood in his mule cart, so she gave him a few copper coins to bring her back with him."
“I haven’t seen my father in a long time, so my mother and I came back together. He An mentioned that you haven’t been to the county for the past few days, so I came to see how you are doing.”
Zhu Mingyue poured him a cup of hot tea. "Xie Pei came back a few days ago, and it happened to be snowing, so it was inconvenient to travel. If you go back tomorrow, please pass on a message to him for me, that I won't be going there for the next few days, and that he doesn't need to come either."
Li Zhengyang agreed: "I'll go there first thing tomorrow morning. The hot pot restaurant can't be without staff at lunchtime. I'll talk to him when I have time. Is there anything else you need me to tell you?"
Zhu Mingyue was happy to have just found a partner, but given the awkward relationship between him and Xie Pei, he had no plans to go public with their relationship for the time being.
This joy couldn't be shared with anyone, so he could only express it in another way. He thought for a moment and said, "Everyone has worked hard these past few days. It's inconvenient to go to work in the snow. Please tell He An to give each employee 100 coins to buy shoes and other items. By the way, this money is not wages; you get a share too, so you can't refuse it."
Li Zhengyang glanced at Xie Pei secretly and nodded: "Thank you, shopkeeper."
Zhu Mingyue: ... Loading goods, I've never seen him call me "shopkeeper" before. He always calls me "Mingyue" this and "Mingyue" that. Today, with Xie Pei present, he's acting so respectful to him that he feels a little uncomfortable, but he doesn't call him out on it.
She then inquired about his health: "How is your leg now? Has the snowfall had any impact?"
Li Zhengyang replied, "It's nothing serious. It hurts occasionally, but the pain is becoming less and less frequent now."
Zhu Mingyue nodded: "This is a good thing."
Li Zhengyang: "Now, apart from walking a little slower, it doesn't have any other impact."
He is already very fortunate to have the life he has now. He has always been a content person. Now he has food, drink and shelter every day, which is better than many people's. He also has things to do every day and lives a very fulfilling life.
He often felt lucky that he hadn't died on the battlefield, only losing a leg, which was far better than losing his life. He was grateful that his friends didn't despise him and even gave him a partner that was hard to find even with a lantern.
In the hot pot restaurant, everyone, from customers to staff, knew that he could still be the manager despite having a broken leg because of his close relationship with Zhu Mingyue; no one looked down on him.
His eyes welled up with tears as he looked at Xie Pei: "General, I will never forget your life-saving grace."
Xie Pei said calmly, "It was nothing, no need to mention it."
Xie Pei helped him out of self-interest, not out of kindness.
When the two armies went to war, the number of casualties was countless. Xie Pei was so busy during that time that he had no time to spare and could not spare much attention for the wounded.
Li Zhengyang suffered a severe leg injury that day and was carried back after the battle. The army was short of medicinal herbs, and the doctor was unable to help because the injury was too serious.
Li Zhengyang wrote his will and finally asked Sun Kan to find him, asking him to return to his hometown and deliver the letter to his parents.
To be honest, people die in the army every day, and Xie Pei has long been numb to it, and naturally the same goes for Li Zhengyang.
But then he thought of Zhu Mingyue. Li Zhengyang was Zhu Mingyue's friend. Even if he had a tiny bit of reservations, the fact was that if Li Zhengyang died, Zhu Mingyue would definitely be heartbroken and would remember his death for the rest of her life.
Xie Pei couldn't bear the thought that Zhu Mingyue's heart would always hold another man, not even a close friend.
It just so happened that a carriage belonging to the army was on its way to the capital and passed through Kangyang County, so they gave him a ride. In the end, whether he lived or died was up to fate.
Zhu Mingyue felt the atmosphere between the two was a bit awkward. Xie Pei was clearly not saying anything, and Li Zhengyang, out of consideration for his status, didn't dare to speak even if he wanted to.
So she pointed towards the kitchen and ordered Xie Pei with a matter of course, "Xie Pei, I'm hungry. Bring me some pastries."
Li Zhengyang felt something was off; his ears were itchy. He raised his hand and scratched the base of his ear. Seeing Xie Pei obey him without a word and go to the kitchen, he couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.
It was Zhu Mingyue who did this. If it were anyone else, who would dare to order Xie Pei around like that? Would they be courting death?
Zhu Mingyue held a cup of hot tea and blew on it. "You seem to be in a good mood. Did something good happen to you in the county recently?"
"No..." Li Zhengyang's eyes darted around when he heard this, and he could barely speak. "I, I didn't encounter anything."
Zhu Mingyue said meaningfully, "I don't believe you. You would never lie to me. I have sharp eyes and I know exactly what you're thinking."
Li Zhengyang was indeed not one to lie. After being tricked like this, he immediately told the whole story: "Actually, it's nothing." He pursed his lips tightly, but it wasn't hard to see the smile on his face: "I met a girl. She's a very nice person, but I don't want to hold her back."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Mingyue was no longer sleepy. Just then, Xie Pei brought over some pastries. He winked at Xie Pei, picked up a piece, and handed it to him. Xie Pei then began to eat it seriously.
Zhu Mingyue handed Li Zhengyang another piece, but didn't let him eat it, saying instead, "Continue talking."
Li Zhengyang squeezed the glutinous rice ball in his hand. "There's not much to say. It's not like those stories of talented scholars and beautiful women in folk tales. There's no real story. That girl was very good at embroidery and often came to the Ni Chang Fang (a clothing store) on the street to deliver embroidered handkerchiefs. That day, she was in a hurry and accidentally dropped her purse. I caught up with her and gave her the purse. That's how I put up with it."
A man on crutches chasing after a woman in a hurry—it's easy to imagine that the scene wasn't very pleasant, and it certainly didn't resemble a typical love story from a folk tale.
But Zhu Mingyue was still very concerned about her friend's affairs, and urged, "And then? That's how you two started interacting?"
Li Zhengyang was a little embarrassed: "Well, she is a filial daughter. Her family situation is similar to He An's. Although they have a courtyard in the county, life is a bit difficult. They barely make a living by doing embroidery."
Zhu Mingyue thought of He An from the beginning, who had also lived in dire straits. If she hadn't taken him in as a worker, his life would probably have been extremely difficult. If boys were struggling like this, it must be even more difficult for girls to find work. Yet that girl was able to support her family with her skills; she must be very hardworking and resilient.
Li Zhengyang recalled: "That day, she came out of the Ni Chang Fang, and it started snowing outside. I happened to see her passing by at the door, so I invited her in and lent her my umbrella."
"The next day, the girl came to deliver the umbrella and also gave me a handful of roasted peanuts from her own garden. I didn't think much of it at the time, just taking it as a thank-you gift from her."
Zhu Mingyue listened intently, and after taking a bite of the pastry, she held it in her hand, forgetting to eat it.
"And today, she came to see me again and gave me an embroidered handkerchief with..." Li Zhengyang was too embarrassed to say it.
Zhu Mingyue became even more curious: "What are you embroidering?"
Li Zhengyang lowered his head and mentally prepared himself before looking up and saying, "Hehuan."
Pfft, Zhu Mingyue couldn't hold her breath and lost her composure on the spot.
This girl is bold and forthright, quite like the women of his time.
He actually quite liked this kind of personality, and couldn't help but say, "This girl sounds like a very nice person." There's nothing wrong with boldly pursuing love; even he felt ashamed of his own actions.
As soon as he finished speaking, a broad hand enveloped his hand under the table.
He gave Xie Pei a light glare, wondering what kind of jealousy this guy was feeling, and gently scratched Xie Pei's palm with his fingertips.
The other person wasn't annoyed and let him scratch, his hand remaining still.
Li Zhengyang was completely unaware of the scene under the table. He was both delighted and distressed: "Even if I don't understand matters between men and women, I know what the meaning of 'union' is."
“She was a good person, but I was a cripple and didn’t deserve her. So I cruelly returned the handkerchief to her, scolded her, and told her never to come looking for me again.”
Zhu Mingyue twitched the corner of her mouth. Is this what a straight man is like? There are many ways to refuse, but he chose the most brutal one.
One can only imagine how heartbroken that girl must have been.
He's just entered the honeymoon phase, his heart is still soft, and he can't stand hearing about unrequited love.
Moreover, he clearly liked Li Zhengyang, otherwise he wouldn't have felt unworthy of her.
Love makes people feel inferior!
No wonder Li Zhengyang would rather abandon his hotpot shop and return to the village than face the girl during a holiday. He's afraid to face her and wants to hide away!
You can hide for a while, but you can't hide forever.
He glanced thoughtfully at Xie Pei. This guy's confession came out of nowhere; he couldn't escape it for even a second, let alone a moment.
He sniffed, feeling a bit empathetic towards Li Zhengyang. "If you feel you're not good enough for someone, then doing this isn't really wrong, except it might seem a bit insensitive. But I think you should also listen to what they think."
"Whether you're disabled or able-bodied, what if people don't care about that and are only attracted to your character?"
Zhu Mingyue was right. Liu Lao Er from their village was a healthy man, tall and strong with a strong masculine presence, but he was a scoundrel who did nothing right. He was unfilial to his parents, bullied his brothers, beat his wife, and had no sense of responsibility.
In his view, such a person is far worse than a disabled person, especially someone as kind-hearted and responsible as Li Zhengyang.
Li Zhengyang sighed: "What does quality matter? If I can't give her happiness, I shouldn't hold her back."
Zhu Mingyue said seriously, "How do you know what kind of happiness someone wants? And why do you belittle yourself and think you can't give it to them?"
“She sounds like a good girl. I think you should have a proper talk with her instead of just avoiding her.”
Li Zhengyang became more and more upset as he spoke: "I'm a coward."
Xie Pei commented seriously: "It's alright, but the team you led did lack courage, even a bit worse than Sun Kan's."
Li Zhengyang was stunned for a moment, then felt even more upset: Waaah!
Zhu Mingyue: ...
He suspected that Xie Pei was just sitting there playing with his hands and hadn't been listening to Li Zhengyang at all.
Li Zhengyang was already heartbroken, and then he was dealt a fatal blow by his former boss. Did he really want to make things difficult for him?
Zhu Mingyue squeezed Xie Pei's hand hard, signaling him to stop talking nonsense.
It's fine if they don't speak, but once they do, they're infuriating.
Xie Pei listened to his sobbing, his brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly, his eyes filled with disgust. What kind of man bleeds but doesn't shed tears?
Seeing him like this, Zhu Mingyue felt a little sorry for him and comforted him, "You're fine, you're not a coward." After saying that, she glared at Xie Pei again.
Xie Pei understood immediately and said reluctantly, "Yes, he has performed well in the army. If he gains more experience in a year or two, he can become a centurion."
Zhu Mingyue: ...
Li Zhengyang: Waaaaaah!
He was wrong. He shouldn't have let Xie Pei open his mouth. Xie Pei's leg was broken, and now he's retired from the army. How could he say in front of him that someone with a broken leg still has a chance to be promoted?
That means: It's a pity you broke your leg, so your promotion, which was originally a sure thing, is no longer yours.
Zhu Mingyue rolled her eyes inwardly, thinking that it was fortunate he was a man of few words and so capable that others dared not provoke him easily, otherwise he would have been beaten to death sooner or later.
Li Zhengyang had a headache and gently comforted him, "Don't cry, there aren't any handkerchiefs at home for you to wipe your tears."
Handkerchief!
Li Zhengyang instantly grasped the key words.
Zhu Mingyue: !!!
Li Zhengyang finally made it to the Xie family, but he didn't get to drink tea or eat pastries, and when he left, he was riddled with holes.
Zhu Mingyue watched as the lifeless Li Zhengyang limped home, her sympathy overflowing.
He turned around and punched Xie Pei in the chest, the force only slightly stronger than when he was flirting: "Why did you have to expose his secrets? What he needs right now is positive encouragement."
Xie Pei stopped his fist, which he was trying to pull back, and rubbed his fair hand against it, saying sincerely, "It's my fault."
Zhu Mingyue pouted.
Xie Pei: "I will come to your door to apologize."
Zhu Mingyue glared at her: "Fine, just don't say anything nasty in front of people next time."
Don't you even consider Xie Pei's current status? Rushing to apologize would scare him to death. It's better not to.
Xie Pei nodded and straightened his cloak for him. "It's cold outside, let's go back inside."
He was also helpless, having no idea what harsh words he had said; he remembered saying only nice things.
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Author's note: Xie Pei: A man sheds blood, not tears.
Except Zhu Mingyue.
Zhu Mingyue sheds tears but not blood.
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