“Mm,” Cui Jian replied with a simple nod.
The aunt in colorful clothes, however, looked very happy. As soon as she saw Zhu Mingyue return, she waved him over.
“Your Brother Cui and I went to the county town early this morning. It’s really hard to find work there.”
Zhu Mingyue quickly nodded in agreement. After spending half the day walking around town himself, he knew exactly how difficult it was.
“But luckily, your Brother Cui is educated and handsome. It’s easy for him to find work anywhere.”
Zhu Mingyue was speechless.
He understood what she meant. Cui Jian really was impressive. But what mother praised her own son so openly in front of everyone?
This made him even more certain that they were not really mother and son.
He looked at Cui Jian.
The man had somehow found a book and was quietly reading it as if nobody else existed. However, the slight redness on his ears revealed his embarrassment.
So even someone as serious as Cui Jian could feel shy when praised.
Suppressing a smile, Zhu Mingyue slipped away from the crowd gathered around the aunt and sat beside Cui Jian.
Cui Jian ignored him and continued reading.
Zhu Mingyue leaned over and looked at the book too.
“Have you studied before?” Cui Jian asked.
Zhu Mingyue honestly shook his head.
To be honest, he had glanced at the book earlier and understood absolutely nothing. Even though he had reached the second year of high school in his previous life, he was basically illiterate in this world.
Cui Jian almost laughed.
Perhaps because Zhu Mingyue looked so eager and adorable, he put down the book, picked up a piece of charcoal, and wrote on the ground.
“This character is Zhu, the Zhu from Zhu Mingyue.”
Realizing that Cui Jian was teaching him to read, Zhu Mingyue immediately became excited. He copied the strokes with his finger.
At seventeen years old, learning came quickly.
Before long, he could write his surname even with his eyes closed.
“I can write it now, Brother Cui!”
His eyes sparkled as he eagerly urged Cui Jian to teach him the rest of his name.
His expression was like a hungry puppy begging for food—bright, innocent, and impossible to refuse.
Cui Jian suddenly had the urge to pat his head.
Only through strong self-control did he stop himself.
Instead, he picked up the charcoal again and wrote the remaining characters of Mingyue.
Zhu Mingyue practiced them over ten times.
“I can write my full name now!”
“Mm. You’re very smart,” Cui Jian praised him generously.
Zhu Mingyue waved his hand modestly.
“I’m not that smart.”
After all, he had received a modern education before coming here.
That evening, everyone cooked fish for dinner.
To make cooking easier, several separate campfires were lit.
The temple soon filled with the bubbling sounds of soup and the smell of fish.
Zhu Mingyue was already starving.
When the soup was ready, he first served bowls to the aunt and Cui Jian.
Then he carefully took a sip from his own bowl.
Delicious!
The rich flavor spread across his tongue and lingered before sliding into his stomach.
He immediately began eating faster.
The fish weighed only about 400 grams, so there was not much to go around.
Since he had not added much water during cooking, each person received only about one and a half bowls of soup and fish.
After finishing the last of the soup, Zhu Mingyue ate the remaining fish meat from the bottom of the bowl.
He was pleasantly surprised.
Even though the fish had been frozen for who knew how long, the meat was still tender and fresh.
If he had tofu, green onions, and pepper, the soup would have been even better.
It would easily win over countless people.
Putting down his bowl, he looked up and noticed that even Cui Jian looked like he wanted more.
That only strengthened his confidence in his cooking skills.
“This fish is really good,” the aunt said while wiping soup from her mouth. “I heard you found it frozen in the pond. It tastes just like fresh fish.”
“But mostly because Little Zhu is such a good cook. Our soup tastes completely different from everyone else’s.”
She glanced at the other people’s pots.
Their soups looked almost like plain water.
How could that taste good?
Of course it was different.
Before making the soup, Zhu Mingyue had lightly fried the fish with a little oil and salt until both sides turned golden.
Only then did he add water.
The others simply boiled water first and threw the fish in afterward.
Many had also promised to share soup with those who gathered firewood, so they added extra water.
As a result, their soup became thin and bland.
…
After dinner, the aunt volunteered to wash the dishes with the other women.
Before Zhu Mingyue could stop her, she had already left.
This left him sitting beside the dying campfire with Cui Jian.
The two chatted casually.
Cui Jian asked about his future plans.
Zhu Mingyue told him about the cooking job he had found at the river construction site.
After thinking for a moment, Cui Jian said,
“From what I know, the river project should be finished by spring. It won’t last long.”
“When the time comes, I’ll figure something out,” Zhu Mingyue replied with a smile. “Maybe by then I’ll find a better long-term job.”
He had already thought about this.
Even if the project continued beyond spring, he did not plan to stay forever.
The work was temporary and unstable.
The pay was also very low.
It was fine as a short-term solution, but not a future.
“So you’ve decided to settle down here?” Cui Jian suddenly asked.
The question caught Zhu Mingyue off guard.
What did he mean by that?
Weren’t they all staying here together?
Seeing his confusion, Cui Jian explained.
“Every place we stop, some people decide to settle down while others continue north.”
“Oh.”
Zhu Mingyue felt awkward.
Nobody had told him this before.
His mind raced as he considered the situation.
Before he could think much further, Cui Jian asked another question.
“Do you want to continue north with us? You might find better opportunities.”
Zhu Mingyue’s heart immediately wavered.
Not because of the opportunities.
But because staying with Cui Jian and the aunt felt much safer than being alone.
He had assumed they would remain together.
Now he realized he had been mistaken.
If they were leaving, perhaps he should follow them.
Just as he was about to agree, Cui Jian spoke again.
“Forget it.”
His brows furrowed.
A troubled expression crossed his face.
After a long pause, he sighed.
“You shouldn’t come with us. Kangyang is prosperous enough. You’ll be better off settling here than continuing to wander.”
Well, that settled it.
He wanted to go, but Cui Jian clearly did not want to bring him.
There was nothing he could say.
Besides, it seemed Cui Jian was hiding some kind of difficulty.
He did not want to become a burden.
“When are you leaving?” Zhu Mingyue asked.
“In the next day or two. If we wait much longer, heavy snow will block the roads.”
“Brother Cui, could you leave the day after tomorrow instead?”
He looked down at the linen clothes he was wearing.
“I start work tomorrow. Once I get paid, I’ll buy some clothes and return yours.”
Cui Jian did not know whether to laugh or sigh.
Was this boy innocent or simply foolish?
The daily wage was only twenty copper coins.
That was barely enough for food.
Buying clothes was impossible.
Even ordinary people struggled to survive.
Zhu Mingyue had no money and no home.
Cui Jian wanted to take him along and help him avoid hunger and hardship.
But his own journey was full of unknown dangers.
He might even lose his life.
Perhaps Zhu Mingyue would be safer here.
The campfire flickered in the wind.
The changing light made it difficult to see Zhu Mingyue clearly.
Only those bright, honest eyes remained visible.
For some reason, they softened Cui Jian’s heart.
He laughed bitterly at himself.
In the past, he had been a proud and important man who rarely paid attention to others.
Now, after falling into ruin, he had suddenly found someone he wanted to protect.
How ridiculous.
“You don’t need to return the clothes. Keep them.”
Then he took out a crescent-shaped jade pendant and handed it over.
“Brother Cui, is this a jade pendant?”
Zhu Mingyue rubbed it with his fingers.
The jade felt smooth and warm.
“I carved it myself when I had free time. Keep it safe. You may need it one day.”
“Okay.”
Zhu Mingyue carefully placed it inside his clothing.
“When you become successful in the future, I’ll bring this pendant and come find you.”
He was only half joking.
He knew Cui Jian was no ordinary person.
The jade pendant was clearly more than just a gift.
It probably had another purpose.
Soon the others returned.
The two stopped talking.
They put out the fire, spread their blankets, and went to sleep early.
…
The next morning, Zhu Mingyue woke up to the sound of many footsteps.
Outside was still completely dark.
Someone had lit a fire and prepared a large pot of soup.
Even if it wasn’t filling, it would at least warm their stomachs before the journey.
Because Zhu Mingyue had told everyone about the frozen fish, he was given a bowl of dried vegetable soup as thanks.
Cui Jian was still asleep.
Since he did not need to work, Zhu Mingyue left him alone.
After eating, he carefully tucked the blanket around Cui Jian to make sure no cold air could get in.
Then he left with the others.
The journey was freezing.
Several times his legs trembled from the cold.
But he gritted his teeth and kept going until he reached the construction site.
Everyone else headed toward the river to dig and move mud.
Only Zhu Mingyue went to a shed at the back.
He was not particularly early, and the other four workers were already there.
Their job was to grind huge piles of millet into flour and cook it with sweet potatoes for the laborers.
At that moment, Zhu Mingyue realized something.
This job required almost no cooking skill at all.
All they had to do was keep turning the grinding stone.
Even a donkey could do it.
In fact, a donkey might do it better.
The problem was that a donkey cost several silver taels.
The combined daily wages of all five workers barely reached one hundred copper coins.
Thinking about how he had crossed into another world only to discover that he was worth less than a farm animal made him want to cry.
But he quickly held back his tears.
After all, frozen tears hanging from his face would not look very good.
He silently worked for half an hour grinding millet.
Then he switched tasks with another worker and began chopping sweet potatoes.
Once all the millet had been ground, they poured everything into a large pot and boiled it together.
While the porridge cooked, Zhu Mingyue only needed to stir it occasionally with a clean wooden stick to prevent it from burning.
The work was easy.
At times like this, he could finally appreciate the job.
After all, in weather this cold, standing beside a free fire was a rare luxury.