Back home, he poured the snails into the water, took a sip, rested briefly, and then started watering the plants in the field. The garlic had been planted for several days and looked to be growing well; hopefully, it would produce bulbs by summer. A short while later, Chen Chong returned. Whether from rushing or something else, he seemed excited and was breathing heavily. After entering, he took a bell from his pocket and gave it to Tangyuan. He then squatted down and spoke a few words to Tangyuan, after which Tangyuan took Maorong and went out to play. Chen Chong walked up to Tian Yu, who was fetching water, took the ladle she was using, and gazed at her with his bright black eyes, saying, "Zhao Jinxiu and I are nothing. She misunderstood. I've already clarified things with her. Don't misunderstand."
"What could I possibly misunderstand? That's your problem. I still need to water the plants, give it to me now!" Tian Yu said, trying to take back the water ladle, but Chen Chong had the ladle on his back.
"Are you angry!?"
"No! Give it to me quickly." Tian Yu stepped forward to take back the water ladle, but she couldn't reach it no matter what she did.
Chen Chong threw the water ladle into the water vat. Tian Yu turned around to grab it, but Chen Chong hugged her tightly and said softly, "Don't be angry. I don't have those feelings for her. Going hunting with her older brother was just to get closer to the villagers. That way, if we're together in the future, at least they won't cause us any trouble."
"You've really thought things through. Thank you for your hard work, Brother Chen," Tian Yu said, patting him on the back.
"It wasn't hard! I'm not angry anymore."
"I'm not angry, I'm going to water the plants." Tian Yuyang pretended to be angry and pushed Chen Chong away.
"Wait a minute! I have something for you." Chen Chong said, taking a jade pendant out of his pocket and placing it in Tian Yu's hand.
"What is this?! It looks very valuable, I can't accept it!" Tian Yu looked at the dragon and phoenix jade pendant in her hand, which was simply carved but definitely not ordinary. Although she did not know much about jade, she could tell from the style and the warm and smooth feel that it must be very valuable.
“This was left to me by my mother. The cord was a bit broken, so I went to the county town today to have someone re-tie it. This is a pair. This piece is for you, and I'll keep this one.” Chen Chong said, taking the jade pendant from Tian Yu’s hand and gently breaking it in two. He put the dragon-shaped piece back into his pocket and gave the phoenix-shaped piece to Tian Yu to wear.
"This was left to you by your mother. I think you should cherish it and not give it away so easily." Tian thought to himself, but then tried to take it away.
Chen Chong grabbed her hand and said seriously, "You're not a casual person to me, Tian Yu. Don't you want to accept me?"
Looking into Chen Chong's sincere eyes for a long time, Tian Yu silently nodded and accepted the gift. Chen Chong was very happy and took out a simple and elegant wooden hairpin from his pocket. Tian Yu asked him what else he had bought, and Chen Chong said no, that was all. He then gently placed the hairpin in Tian Yu's hair and praised it, though it was unclear whether he was praising the hairpin or the man himself. This was the first time Tian Yu had received such a valuable gift; was it a token of their love?
After helping Tian Yu water the remaining land, Chen Chong left Tian Yu and the others after dinner, returning home alone after dark. This time, he walked with a light heart, as if he could already see their future, living together forever, and no longer living alone. Naturally, he was very happy. That evening, Tang Yuan asked Tian Yu if the hairpin and jade pendant in her hair were gifts from Chen Chong. Tian Yu said yes. Chen Chong had given her a bell and a fluffy item, and since he had nothing else to give her, he could only give her these. She and Tang Yuan also agreed to buy Chen Chong a gift next time they went to the county town. After discussing it for a long time, they decided to buy Chen Chong a pair of shoes. Tang Yuan suggested that she learn from Zhao Jinxiu and make a pair herself, but she didn't know how. They decided to just buy them. It seemed she would have to keep an eye on Chen Chong's shoe size another day.
In the following days, with Chen Chong's help, the two gradually reclaimed several acres of wasteland near Tian Yu's house, fencing it off with bamboo and willow trees, ready to plant seeds. Chen Chong used the bamboo he had cut to make many items: bamboo baskets, stools, chairs, and even a swing for Tangyuan under the big tree in front of the house. Tian Yu also collected many snails by the river, eating some herself. Her chickens, having eaten the snails, had been laying more eggs recently, and she planned to take the rest to the county town. To prevent further rumors, Tian Yu sought the help of the village headman, who arranged for Tangyuan to become Chen Chong's apprentice, learning hunting and literacy. This way, Chen Chong and Tangyuan would be less subject to gossip. Later, the village headman spoke with Tian Yu privately, advising her to be careful with her words and actions. He also learned that Zhao Moyan was still alive, and that someone had seen him in the army. He advised Tian Yu to guard her home and wait for Zhao Moyan's return. Although they couldn't stop her from remarrying, they hoped she would think of Tangyuan. There were already quite a few orphans in the village, cared for by the older generation, but some teenagers also had to take care of their elderly relatives, which was very pitiful, but there was nothing they could do. They could only hope that these mothers would think more about their children. Tian Yu repeatedly promised that no matter what happened between her and Zhao Moyan, she would not abandon Tangyuan, and even if she remarried, it would only be after she had absolutely no connection with Zhao Moyan before considering anything else.
Ever since Tian Yu cooked a fish after they caught it by the river, Chen Chong would often take Tangyuan to catch fish in the river. So, although they didn't have many vegetables, they still had more fish than they could eat. Some of the fish were still alive, so Tian Yu kept them in a water tank. Except for breakfast, Chen Chong ate at Tian Yu's house for the other two meals. Sometimes he would catch a pheasant or something similar in the mountains. After Chen Chong prepared it, Tian Yu would be in charge of cooking. The days passed quickly in this simple and happy atmosphere.
After lunch that day, Tian Yu and Chen Chong discussed going to the county town the next day to buy some seeds, as their food supplies were running low. Tian Yu then began cleaning the snails they had collected, intending to take them to town the next day. Chen Chong took Tangyuan to the riverbank, saying he wanted to catch some more. When they returned, both of them were soaked, and they hadn't caught many snails, but they did bring back a basket of wild duck eggs and four baby wild ducks.
While laughing at their disheveled appearance, Tian Yu went back into the house to find clothes for them to change into. There was also a set of Zhao Moyan's clothes at home, which Chen Chong was told to wear first. Chen Chong reluctantly went into the house to change, and when he came out, Tian Yu was somewhat surprised. She was used to seeing Chen Chong always wearing dark clothes, and seeing him in such a scholarly light-colored robe for the first time was quite a sight. However, Chen Chong felt awkward, finding the long robe cumbersome and inconvenient.
The three of them wove a bamboo basket for the four wild ducks, which Tian Yu planned to raise so they could lay eggs when they grew up. As for the basket of duck eggs they had collected, Tian Yu thought that she should buy more salt tomorrow and prepare to make some salted duck eggs.
After dinner, Chen Chong poured the cleaned snails into a prepared bamboo basket and covered it with a cloth. He let them drain overnight so they would be lighter the next day. Then he went to find Zhao the coachman to arrange a ride.
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