Zang Liujiang got up early to prepare new clothes for Yu Huishui. He had someone bring hot water and the finest silk ribbons for tying hair. Once everything was ready, he pulled Yu Huishui’s head out from under the covers and used a warm towel to wipe his face, coaxing him to get up.
It was his fault. They had planned to return to the mountain after ordering clothes yesterday, but they ran into a street vendor at the corner. The vendor insisted they try the sweet osmanthus wine from the south, which hadn’t been sold yet that day.
Zang Liujiang wasn’t fond of sweet wine, but seeing Yu Huishui’s curious yet reserved expression, he decided to buy two jars. Da Hei, the horse, would probably laugh in the stable now, with two pheasants, a stack of books, two velvet jackets, and two jars of wine. The saddle was practically turning into a donkey cart.
That night, the cook in the stronghold heated an entire jar of wine according to Zang Liujiang’s drinking capacity and brought it over. When they opened it at the dinner table, Yu Huishui’s eyes widened in surprise.
Inside the jar was half a jar of yellowish glutinous rice, with small osmanthus petals floating in the amber wine. The aroma was enticing, making Yu Huishui swallow his saliva. This was one of the rare things Yu Huishui craved.
To whet his appetite, Zang Liujiang let Yu Huishui take the whole jar to the table, where he sat alone, using a long-handled copper ladle to scoop the wine and drink it, like a rabbit quietly nibbling on grass.
Zang Liujiang found it amusing and went out to get some snacks and side dishes, hoping Yu Huishui would eat more. But when he returned, Yu Huishui was already passed out on the floor, hugging the jar.
Half the wine was gone, and even the glutinous rice at the bottom had been eaten. This was bad. Just by looking at Yu Huishui’s flushed face, Zang Liujiang knew he was thoroughly drunk.
Zang Liujiang hadn’t expected such low-alcohol wine to be so intoxicating. He quickly dragged the wine-clutching Yu Huishui back to bed, coaxed him with water, and they both slept until dawn.
After some coaxing, Yu Huishui, with his hair like a bird’s nest, finally lifted his head in the morning light. He touched his hair, which felt like it had been blown up by firecrackers, feeling puzzled.
Did Zang Liujiang take advantage of him last night and beat him up while he was unprepared? Otherwise, why would his head hurt so much?
After a bowl of hangover soup and half a bowl of porridge, Yu Huishui felt a bit better and reluctantly got out of bed, letting Zang Liujiang comb his messy hair.
Clothes make the man. The new clothes made Yu Huishui’s figure look even more balanced. The velvet jacket was paired with a long robe suitable for both genders, and with the belt tied, he looked even more stunning than when they first met.
Zang Liujiang was extremely satisfied, circling around the lazy Yu Huishui on the stool, admiring him.
With those eyebrows and features, that posture and demeanor, who wouldn’t say Zang Liujiang was lucky?
“Stop circling…” Yu Huishui squinted, feeling like the world was spinning along with Zang Liujiang. After a while, he suddenly covered his mouth and let out a loud dry heave.
Outside, the mute boy leading Da Hei peeked in curiously, wondering why there was a retching sound in this cold winter weather.
Yu Huishui took a deep breath on Da Hei’s back, the cool breeze brushing his cheeks, and small snowflakes fell from the branches onto his face, finally easing the dull ache in his head.
“That vendor must be a swindler.”
Zang Liujiang was quietly enjoying the embrace of his wife in his neck when he heard Yu Huishui angrily curse, “That wasn’t wine, it was probably knockout drops!”
Zang Liujiang nodded in agreement, pulling the reins to make Da Hei walk more steadily.
“Is your second brother married?”
Yu Huishui was still a bit apprehensive about Qin Xiaoyuan’s sharpness. If there were women in the second brother’s house, it would be best to speak and act less.
“No.”
Zang Liujiang patted him reassuringly, brushing the snow off his clothes, “My second brother lives alone… well, there’s also a kid.”
“A kid?”
Yu Huishui raised an eyebrow in surprise, turning to look at him.
“My second brother is a bit cold, but he’s the most like our father among us brothers.”
Back when Zang Huan was just twenty, he was at the right age and quite handsome. After coming down from the mountain, matchmakers almost broke his doorstep, which annoyed him greatly.
He knew his health was poor, and even if he married a girl, she might become a widow in a few years. So one day, he suddenly brought back a child, claiming he had an heir, and if any girl insisted on marrying him, she would have to be a stepmother.
After that, no matchmaker came knocking again.
The child had his own name, Li Ao, and didn’t take Zang Huan’s surname, otherwise, it would sound too much like certain canine breeds, which might make the child feel inferior and timid in the future.
If Zang Dashu knew there was a stepfather who put so much thought into naming a child, he would probably be furious.
At that time, Zang Liujiang had just arrived at the stronghold and often hung out with the child, calling each other brother and brother, creating a mess of seniority.
Unfortunately, after Zang Huan left the mountain, Li Ao went with him, and it’s been years since.
“He really is like your father.” Yu Huishui nodded in agreement, “Sounds like a reasonable person.”
“My second brother may seem proud, but he’s actually very gentle.”
After the story, Yu Huishui felt more energetic. He reached out to grab the reins Zang Liujiang was holding, and Da Hei immediately picked up the pace.
They didn’t head straight to Zang Huan’s house but detoured to a restaurant, buying several portions of boiled and fried food, snacks, and pastries.
As Zang Liujiang said, a bachelor’s home is bound to be chaotic, so they needed to bring some food to avoid going hungry.
“Ah, I wonder how Li Ao is doing now. He hasn’t come to the mountain to see me in years. Last time I saw him, he was as thin as a stick.”
Zang Liujiang, like a worried elder, shook his head and sighed.
But before they reached Zang Huan’s house, they saw a man in a thin vest chopping wood with an axe.
His arms were full and muscular, and the sixteen-year-old boy was half a head taller than Yu Huishui. Though not as robust as Zang Liujiang, he was starting to show the strength of a man.
“This kid is sixteen?!” Yu Huishui was wide-eyed, staring at Li Ao in the yard.
A thin figure emerged from the house, presumably Zang Liujiang’s second brother, Zang Huan. He was just as described, a sickly and frail person.
“Li Ao.”
Zang Huan was immediately caught in a gust of wind, coughing, but still sternly said, “What kind of wood are you chopping when you’re not even as tall as the axe handle? Come back.”
Li Ao responded, tossed the axe aside, and turned to see Zang Liujiang and Yu Huishui standing at the gate. He called out to Zang Huan, who was about to go back inside, “Little Dad, Zang Liujiang brought someone.”
Zang Huan had already heard the news and nodded slightly when he saw the two being greeted by Li Ao. Before he could speak, he was shivering from the cold.
The three of them were startled and hurriedly pushed Zang Huan inside, not caring about the things they brought.
“Really… really sorry…”
Zang Huan knew Yu Huishui was the sister-in-law he was meeting today and was afraid of leaving a bad impression. Wrapped in two layers of blankets and placed on the heated bed by Li Ao, he still shivered and cupped his hands.
“Nice… nice to meet you, sister-in-law. I’m Liujiang’s second brother, just one character, Huan.”
“I know, second brother.”
Yu Huishui, seeing someone even frailer than himself for the first time, felt a surge of responsibility. Whether at the Fu family or on the mountain, he was always the thinnest. Now, seeing Zang Huan, he instinctively wanted to help tuck him in.
The other three in the room simultaneously exclaimed, “Hey!”
Zang Liujiang quickly pulled the ‘cross-dressing’ Yu Huishui back, while Zang Huan, for the sake of ‘gender differences,’ wrapped himself in the blanket and burrowed into the inner side of the bed.
“I,” Yu Huishui realized his mistake and hurriedly tried to explain.
“I have two brothers at home, so I’m used to it!”
“Ah, ahaha, brothers, having brothers at home is great!”
Zang Huan, sweating nervously, thought this young lady looked heroic and acted boldly, no wonder Liujiang liked her.
He forced a laugh and then glared at Zang Liujiang, signaling him to quickly take her away.
The house, as Zang Liujiang said, showed no signs of female presence. It was messier than Zang Dashu’s place but still clean enough not to be considered untidy.
The packed food was piled messily on the table. Yu Huishui was about to help tidy up when Zang Liujiang lifted him and tossed him to the other side of the bed.
Zang Huan, having recovered, was no longer shivering and had some color in his face. He said to Zang Liujiang, “Zang Yan will be here soon. You haven’t seen each other in years, right?”
Zang Yan was the only one among Zang Qiang’s sons who had ambitions to make a career as a bandit. But after inheriting the mantle for less than three days, he got his foot caught in a bear trap.
“That’s great.” Zang Liujiang deftly unpacked the food, “Meeting together will save us some effort.”
As he spoke, he instinctively wiped his greasy hands on his pants, but Yu Huishui’s eyes widened, a sign he was about to get angry.
That wouldn’t do; his wife liked cleanliness.
So Zang Liujiang wiped his hands on Li Ao’s back, leaving two shiny oil stains.
The room fell silent for a moment, then erupted in curses. Two figures chased each other out of the room, followed by the sound of clanging and yelping, and then a third voice cursing:
“Brats! Trying to kill me!?”
Yu Huishui hurried out to see Zang Liujiang and Li Ao each holding up a round, plump man.
The man had a beard and wore a black-brown jacket, and at first glance, Yu Huishui thought they had brought back a bear.
“Didn’t you say you got married? Where’s your wife?”
Zang Yan hadn’t noticed Yu Huishui peeking from the doorway and gruffly scolded, “I heard you kidnapped…”
“Third brother!”
Zang Liujiang immediately stopped Zang Yan from continuing, a hint of guilt flashing across his handsome face as he nodded towards the doorway where Yu Huishui stood, “She’s right there, don’t scare her.”
Zang Yan immediately fell silent, his gaze shifting to Yu Huishui, looking him up and down. His grip on Zang Liujiang’s shoulder tightened like an iron claw, causing Zang Liujiang to wince in pain.
“You said you didn’t kidnap her!?”
Zang Yan gritted his teeth and whispered, “With your character, how could you find such a good girl?!”