“Hey, brother, give me five coins’ worth, and make sure there’s plenty of soup.” The sound of five copper coins dropping into the money basket was music to the ears.
“Oh…” Qiao Yue listlessly ladled two scoops of the salted pork soup and added a little extra soup.
There were no tables or chairs in front of the stall, but the burly man didn’t mind. He simply squatted to the side, using his homemade flatbread to dip into the soup as he ate.
A familiar face saw him eating with relish and came over to ask, “Old Li, how come you’re spending money to eat out today? Don’t you usually just gnaw on a couple of flatbreads and call it a day?”
The burly man laughed, “Someone bumped into me and spilled my water. I haven’t had much to drink all morning, so I couldn’t hold out any longer. Spending a little money gets me soup and meat.”
He wouldn’t spend money just to buy a few sips of cold water.
“How’s the taste?”
“Not bad. Want some?” The burly man used a bamboo skewer to pick up a piece of bamboo shoot and offered it. The familiar face ate it and nodded repeatedly, “It’s really good. I’ll have some too.”
Customers came one after another. Fang Chuyue was washing dishes in the back, his eyes bright with happiness.
Qiao Yue glanced back at him and had no choice but to continue helping with the soup, asking, “When are your parents coming back?”
Fang Chuyue replied, “It’s market day today, and the medical clinic is busy. I guess it’ll be a while.”
He had made quite a bit of the salted pork soup today and couldn’t bring it all by himself. The three members of the Fang family had carried it together. The other two were in a hurry to see the doctor, leaving him to manage the stall alone. He had to serve customers, collect money, and wash dishes all by himself, which was overwhelming.
“Didn’t you say they’d be back in just a little while?!” Qiao Yue felt deceived. Before he was roped in to help, they promised it would only be a short while, but now it had been as long as a stick of incense, and there was no sign of them.
“This is too much!”
Qiao Yue was extremely frustrated, stirring the soup in the pot vigorously. Still not satisfied, he glared angrily at Fang Chuyue. As expected, pretty boys are all liars!
Fang Chuyue: “…” This guy, it’s just helping out a bit, is it worth getting so mad?
Fang Chuyue placed a clean bowl next to Qiao Yue and collected a stack of dishes.
He raised his chin, “I’m your benefactor, you know. Is this how you treat your benefactor when they ask for help?”
Qiao Yue lowered his eyelids and said sullenly, “Didn’t I already compensate you with a chicken? Why are you still holding onto this? And you just found someone to help carry me, a small favor makes you a benefactor?”
“Of course, I’m not just your benefactor, I’m your lifesaver! If I hadn’t found someone to carry you, you might have been lying there until nightfall. Have you forgotten about the person from the neighboring village who slept on the road and didn’t make it?”
Qiao Yue: “…” You can’t say it like that. A few years ago, a drunkard from the neighboring village fell asleep in the middle of the road on his way home at night. It happened to be a night of a sudden temperature drop, and by the time the villagers found him in the morning, he was already delirious with fever. It wasn’t just because he slept on the road.
When he fainted, it was daytime, and it was a place villagers often passed by. It probably wouldn’t have taken more than a quarter of an hour for someone to find him.
Seeing that Qiao Yue remembered, Fang Chuyue smirked, “Good that you haven’t forgotten. And that chicken was because your aunt wouldn’t let me go, so I deliberately tricked her. Now you’re unwilling to help with a small favor?”
“Willing,” Qiao Yue waved the ladle in his hand, with a hint of gritted teeth, “If I wasn’t willing, would I be doing this?”
Fang Chuyue was pleased. Initially, he hadn’t planned to call out to Qiao Yue when he saw him, given their rather average relationship, which often led to bickering. But there was an old man watching intently, not selling anything, just staring.
“You don’t seem too happy about it?”
“You’re not wrong. Whenever there’s work to be done, I’m not too happy about it.” Qiao Yue admitted dejectedly. After all, who would be happy about working when the money earned wouldn’t end up in his pocket?
If it weren’t for the creepy old man, he would have run away.
“…” This time, it was Fang Chuyue’s turn to be speechless.
If it weren’t for mistaking him for someone else two months ago, they really wouldn’t have had much interaction. Although they were from the same village, one lived at the head of the village, the other at the tail, and they were of different genders, so they never really interacted since childhood. After their recent unexpected interactions, he realized his impression of Qiao Yue was too rigid.
This guy, if you say he’s lazy, he keeps himself neat and clean, and his fingernails aren’t dirty like other men’s. But if you say he’s not lazy, you rarely see him working in the fields. Once, when he was washing clothes, he saw Qiao Yue passing by with water buckets, and by the time he finished washing, the two buckets still hadn’t made it home.
Seeing that the guy behind him was silent, Qiao Yue hesitated for a long time before finally saying, “Honey… do you want some?”
“Honey! Yes!” Fang Chuyue jumped up from his stool. The customers all looked at him, but he wasn’t embarrassed. He smiled at them and whispered, “Do you have honey? Really? How much, a pound?”
Honey is a good thing. The doctor said it not only prolongs life but also nourishes and beautifies.
This naturally occurring, somewhat dangerous item is rarely disturbed by villagers, even if they occasionally spot a beehive. The village elders say there used to be beekeepers in their village, but it gradually declined because the younger generation didn’t like beekeeping.
Due to high demand and low supply, the county’s prices are quite steep, with just an ounce of honey costing fifty coins.
He had received a reward from the Li family, so he was willing to buy it now. But living in the village, he couldn’t buy it!
Qiao Yue hesitated, “Not a pound…” but there’s half a pound, so consider it a thank-you gift.
Fang Chuyue eagerly asked, “Not a pound, then how much? Half a pound is fine, sell it to me. I’ll pay the same price as in the county, how about it?”
It’s hard to find honey, so even if it’s expensive, he has to get it.
Qiao Yue swallowed the words he was about to say. Fine, if I don’t have to give it away, then forget it.
After all, it’s still selling, and selling to anyone is still selling.
Selling at market price would definitely earn Qiao Yue some profit, but…
Seeing Fang Chuyue’s eager expression, he couldn’t help but ask, “What do you want honey for?”
Fang Chuyue looked at him with a knowing expression, “Of course, to drink it myself. The doctor said drinking a little honey water every day whitens and beautifies.”
He’s already naturally beautiful, and if he drinks honey water every day, men will be at his fingertips. Once he marries into a wealthy family, he won’t have to worry about not having honey to eat.
For some reason, Qiao Yue’s business-minded thoughts suddenly faded, and he even regretted bringing up the honey. He replied with a flat “Oh.”
“Is that so…”
Fang Chuyue suddenly became suspicious, “What’s with that expression? You’re not trying to trick me with fake honey, are you?”
“Yeah, I never said I had honey. I just wanted to ask if you wanted some. You’re overthinking it.”
Fang Chuyue threw a punch, “You bastard, how dare you mess with me!”
Qiao Yue tossed the ladle aside and jumped back, “No hitting, no hitting!”
Seeing Fang’s parents approaching, he quickly said, “Your parents are back. I’m leaving now.”
“See you, see you~”
Fang Chuyue watched Qiao Yue’s smugly retreating figure, grinding his teeth in anger, clenching his fists, and shouting, “See you, my foot, you bastard!”
“Yue Ge’er, is someone causing trouble at the stall?”
Fang’s parents hurried over, thinking something was wrong.
Fang Chuyue shook his head, “No, it’s nothing. Dad, how’s Mom’s health? What did the doctor say?”
“Pretty good.”
After Fang’s mother spoke, Fang’s father nodded in agreement.
However, their brows were furrowed so tightly they could catch mosquitoes, and their worried expressions made it hard to see where the “pretty good” was.
Fang Chuyue knew what was on his parents’ minds.
They had three children, two sons and a daughter, but no boy. Others looked down on them and despised them.
Fang’s parents always wanted to have another child, but as they got older, it became harder to conceive. They wanted to see a doctor, but with no money at home, they gave up on the idea.
After receiving money from the Li family, they started thinking about it again. After much hesitation, they finally decided to get a check-up today.
Fang Chuyue didn’t want his mother to have another child at her age, but as a son, he couldn’t make decisions for his parents.
If he dared to say he didn’t want it, not only others, but his parents would jump up and call him unfilial.
Judging by their expressions now, they probably didn’t get good news from the doctor.
Fang Chuyue, however, thought it was good news. He looked up at the sky, feeling a bit lighter.
“It’s getting late. Dad, let’s pack up and go home.”
“Alright.”