Shen Ruo walked straight ahead, passing right between the male and female leads.
He called out to Shen Hansan, who was driving the ox cart: “Brother Shen, today I’ll trouble you to give me a ride to town again.”
Shen Hansan waved him up, saying, “What trouble? It’s nothing, it’s only right. Come on, get on.” After all, he earned a good amount ferrying villagers to town and back, a day easily brought in eighty or ninety copper coins.
Shen Ruo wanted to pretend he didn’t notice the two of them, but Shen Ziying had other ideas. Seeing Shen Ruo made her completely uncomfortable.
Especially when she realized Gu Yun’s gaze was fixed on Shen Ruo, her discomfort peaked.
“Shen Ruo! I’m a living, breathing person standing right here, can’t you see me? How rude! After all, I’m your cousin!” Shen Ziying stormed over to Shen Ruo, pointing at him and scolding him.
Gu Yun was always composed and upright, and he hated impolite people the most. Shen Ziying’s goal was clear, she wanted Gu Yun to see Shen Ruo’s “true colors.”
Again with this Schrödinger-like family dynamic, Shen Ruo thought. Had Shen Ziying’s brain stopped working properly after her rebirth?
“We’re going to the county office today to have the break-off-of-relationship document stamped,” Shen Ruo said calmly, reminding her.
“So what? It hasn’t even been stamped yet!” Shen Ziying pouted and fussed. Catching Gu Yun frown out of the corner of her eye, she thought her plan was working and smirked to herself.
Shen Ruo didn’t bother responding and simply jumped onto the ox cart.
The cart was still crowded. Some people had brought huge bundles of firewood to sell in town. The firewood was stacked upright, reaching almost to the top of the cart, tied with hemp rope, looking like it might topple any second, nearly filling the entire vehicle.
Shen Ruo scoped out the remaining empty space on the cart, it was just enough for one person to sit comfortably; two would have to squeeze together.
Fortunately, he was the lucky one who claimed the last spot.
No sooner had he sat down than Shen Ziying’s sweet, coquettish voice rang out: “Brother Gu, my father happens to be heading to town today. Look, the ox cart is full, why don’t you take our cart instead?”
Shen Ruo raised an eyebrow. No wonder Shen Ziying had been wasting time outside instead of getting on the cart earlier, she wasn’t trying to talk to him at all.
So by taking this last spot, he had just created an opportunity for them to interact.
Even though he really wanted to pull the male lead away, after all, Shen Ziying was clearly not a good influence, Gu Yun seemed upright and capable, and it would be a shame if Shen Ziying led him astray.
Shen Ruo leaned halfway out from beside the firewood stack, watching, wondering whether Gu Yun might actually choose to go with Shen Ziying…
If he wanted to have some fateful interaction with the female lead, then this little cannon fodder had better not stir up trouble for himself.
But the moment he peeked out, his eyes met Gu Yun’s.
That gaze… how to describe it? Shen Ruo seemed to read three bold, capitalized words straight from it: “Take me with you.”
Shen Ziying was still fussing, stepping forward to silently block Gu Yun’s view of the ox cart.
“Brother Gu, this ox cart is slow and rickety, anyone riding it gets shaken apart! Our cart is wide and spacious, even a few more people can sit comfortably, and we won’t charge you. Come on, let’s go!” Shen Ziying urged eagerly.
She edged closer as she spoke, the hem of her dress nearly brushing him.
“Come on, you’re not still upset about what my father said yesterday, are you? That was unintentional, please don’t be angry.” She reached out as if to take Gu Yun’s hand.
“Men and women don’t touch,” Gu Yun stepped back and said, “No need. I can walk to town myself.”
With that, he tightened the bundle on his back and stepped along the muddy road.
As he passed the ox cart, he glanced at Shen Ruo, who was leaning out.
Shen Ruo caught the look and thought he seemed a little wronged, though maybe it was just his imagination, Gu Yun’s expression hadn’t really changed.
“Well… do you want to get on the cart? We can squeeze together,” Shen Ruo couldn’t help speaking.
He was thin, Gu Yun was thin; they’d probably fit.
Worried he might mind, Shen Ruo added, “Ah, if you mind, never mind. After all, men and ge’ers also don’t touch each other.”
That was basically admitting he had overheard Gu Yun’s earlier conversation with Shen Ziying.
Shen Ruo expected Gu Yun to keep walking, but the moment he finished speaking, Gu Yun jumped onto the cart.
…Well, okay.
Shen Ziying turned pale with anger. She had just tried so hard to invite Gu Yun, but he wouldn’t go with her. Then Shen Ruo only said a couple of words, and Gu Yun got on immediately!
No way. She had already imagined herself as the future wife of a successful scholar, there was no way she would give up so easily.
“I’m getting on too!” Shen Ziying moved to the cart. Her skirt was a little long, and the edge of the cart was stacked with firewood, so she had some trouble climbing up.
When Shen Hansan saw this, he immediately said, “Don’t you see there’s no more room? Doesn’t your family have a cart? It’s new, fast, and doesn’t shake, why come ride on my cart?”
Although he was older, he was sharp and perceptive. He had been holding a grudge ever since Shen Ziying’s jab at him had made him grind his teeth in anger.
Shen Ziying didn’t care at all. She turned to the villager selling firewood and said, “I’ll buy all this firewood from you. Go to my house and get the money from my mother. Move these bundles so I can have space to get on the cart!”
Her commanding attitude instantly made people’s tempers flare.
The firewood seller, Shen Erli, only hauled his bundles when he had buyers lined up. Now Shen Ziying wanted to buy his wood without even asking properly, just demanding space for herself.
He said, “If you want to buy firewood, you have to say beforehand. I still have more at home. Otherwise, let my brother deliver it to you?”
Shen Ziying, irritated, still tried to maintain her composure: “No need. Just move this bundle a bit, I want to get on the cart.”
The villagers had come early and were all ready to depart. They’d finally filled the cart and were about to leave, when Shen Ziying made this scene.
“Sister Ying, you’ve got a cart at home, just ride that! Why squeeze in with us?” one aunt couldn’t help speaking up. After yesterday’s events, everyone had seen the true face of Shen Hong’s family, they all looked down on poor people. So why come ride a poor man’s cart and squeeze in with them?
“I want to sit! Someone give me a seat and I’ll pay ten coins!” Shen Ziying immediately pulled ten copper coins from her pouch.
She held her head high, waiting for someone to jump at the chance to switch seats with her. But the atmosphere went completely silent.
The people on the cart weren’t wealthy. Ten coins might be tempting if they got off, but would they actually switch? No.
“Isn’t Shen Ziying just insulting people with money?” a few of the aunts whispered.
Shen Ziying didn’t expect even ten coins to sway the villagers. These people were really stubborn with money. She looked at Gu Yun sitting next to Shen Ruo and fumed silently, then opened her purse: “There’s eighty coins in here, whoever gets off, it’s yours!”
This time, someone was tempted. Eighty coins, enough to buy eight jin of millet flour, which would feed a family of four or five for several days!
“Sister Ying, I’ll switch with you, go ahead, sit!” one aunt immediately offered, giving Shen Ziying her space to get on the cart.
Shen Ziying handed over her purse with the coins, cleared the spot, and the firewood could be shifted aside. She finally started to get on the cart.
She swung one leg up and was struggling to climb when Shen Hansan tapped the ox. The cart moved forward slowly. She lost her balance and nearly fell flat on the ground.
“Shen Hansan! How do you run a business like this?!” Shen Ziying was mortified, her pride hurt, she yelled in anger.
Shen Hansan pretended not to hear; after all, he still remembered Shen Ziying’s insult about his cart being “bad.” If someone wanted to ride his cart, they had better ask his permission first.
Shen Ziying stomped her feet furiously.
Damn it, why was everyone always working against her?!
“If you don’t want to run your business, then don’t bother doing it!” She had countless ways to sabotage Shen Hansan’s cart business if she wanted to.
She realized that ever since she had been reborn for more than half a year, everything had gone smoothly for her. But ever since that originally doomed Shen Ruo, unlike in the previous life, survived the giving birth accident instead of dying, her life had started going completely wrong!
It had to be Shen Ruo’s fault!
Her gaze grew dark, her teeth ground together with a crunch, and the corner of her garment she clenched in her hand was nearly torn to shreds.
The aunt who had gotten off the cart, seeing Shen Ziying’s fierce expression, clutched her purse tightly and ran home without even saying a word.
“Has Sister Ying lost her mind or something? She’s terrifying to look at.”
ᘻᘿᓍᘺ
With one aunt off the cart, there was a bit more space. Moving the firewood slightly to the side meant Gu Yun didn’t have to sit so close to Shen Ruo.
The last time he had sat that close to Gu Yun had also been unavoidable, and Shen Ruo felt pretty helpless. Gu Yun seemed to have a touch of fastidiousness, and if others were uncomfortable, Shen Ruo felt uncomfortable too. Someday, he wanted to get a cart for his own household; the ox could also help with plowing, making farm work at home much easier.
Even though the family now had some silver, they couldn’t spend it too openly. If he suddenly bought an ox and cart, the household would look like a target for thieves.
They had already discussed building a wall, and preparations were underway. Shen Feng and Shen Dashan wanted to do it themselves, but Shen Ruo wouldn’t allow it.
After the autumn harvest, it was the perfect time to rest and recuperate, why pinch pennies so hard?
Shen Ruo’s philosophy had always been: “[1]“Save where you should, spend where you should” means being practical and balanced with money. It’s about knowing when it’s smart to be frugal and when it’s worth spending to improve your … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1939288_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1939288_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });Save where you should, spend where you should.” Saving was important, but not at the cost of making life miserable everywhere.
Some villagers woke early and walked to town on foot. A cart took about an hour; walking quickly took about an hour and a half. Converted to modern time, that’s three hours, meaning they spent three full hours relying entirely on their legs!
Just thinking about it made your calves ache. No one had it easy in this era.
The cart swayed gently, lulling people toward sleep. Now that Xiao Yuntun’s nighttime wake-ups had become more predictable, Shen Ruo could barely get some rest. He was lucky, with Li Shantao helping, taking turns to care for Yuntun at night and feeding him.
In many households, the mother alone cared for the child while the father completely shirked responsibility. During the day, she worked the fields; at night, she looked after the child. Sleep for health was impossible, so it’s no wonder women aged quickly. Still, in a poor farming family, just marrying a wife was already a stroke of luck. If they were like wealthy households with multiple wives and concubines, they’d be exhausted.
Even so, most farming families had more than two or three children. Shen Ruo’s brother Shen Feng and Liu Shan were exceptions.
They only had Ergou and weren’t planning to have any more children.
Liu Shan had a hard life at her parents’ home, and her health wasn’t great. Giving birth to Ergou had been risky, and Shen Feng, being a doting husband, didn’t want his wife to take any more chances.
Although Shen Ruo had never been in a relationship, he could still enjoy some sweetness!
His older brother and sister-in-law were very loving, a couple that made you feel like pink bubbles would float up just watching them interact. Sometimes, Shen Ruo couldn’t help but smile at the way they treated each other.
Sure enough, when parents had a good relationship, the children they raised usually didn’t have bad tempers either.
Just look at their Ergou, what a well-behaved child!
There was no talking on the cart; the day wasn’t fully light yet, and everyone was a little drowsy, eyes closed, dozing off. Shen Ruo’s mind wandered as he thought through future plans.
He not only wanted to build a high-end embroidered brand, but he couldn’t ignore the low-end market either.
High-end goods could indeed earn money when positioned well, but they couldn’t be mass-produced, because the principle of “rarity makes things valuable” applied in any era.
To make more money, he needed to tap into the low-end market as well, this was the blue ocean of the lower tier!
That’s why modern Wuling Hongguang vans are so popular, they captured the [2]lower-tier blue ocean market – It’s a business concept describing a group of customers that most companies overlook. The “blue ocean” part means there’s little competition, so it’s … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1939288_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1939288_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });lower-tier blue ocean market. Most manufacturers chase high-end appeal, focusing on performance, aesthetics, and materials, but few made affordable cars that could still hit the highway. Many buyers didn’t need a flashy brand to impress others, they just wanted a functional vehicle to keep them dry and sheltered, and that was enough.
By meeting this need, and keeping prices accessible for the poor while still appealing to the rich for casual use, the car’s fame and popularity weren’t accidental.
As Shen Ruo planned his next steps, the cart jolted again. The stacked firewood wobbled precariously. Shen Erli hurried to steady it, but the top bundle still tumbled down.
“Careful!” Shen Erli shouted.
Shen Ruo’s heart sank. Lifting his eyelids, he saw the bundle of firewood crashing straight toward him!
There was no way to dodge, it weighed at least thirty jin. He quickly raised his arms to protect his head.
Boom—
The collision of wood and flesh made a dull, painful thud, just hearing it hurt.
But Shen Ruo didn’t feel pain. What reached his ears instead was a low, muffled groan.
This time he was fully awake, eyes wide, staring at the man shielding him.
Gu Yun had both hands braced on either side of his face, using his body to protect him.
No way… every time the male lead was supposed to protect him, he ended up getting hurt instead. Was the plot god crazy?! He was just a cannon fodder, not the female lead, wasn’t this all mixed up?!
“Are you okay?” Shen Ruo held onto his arm, helping him lean against his shoulder. Everyone around, who had been frozen in shock, finally snapped out of it and moved forward to clear away the fallen bundle of firewood.
“How’s Scholar Gu? That was really heavy just now!” one of the women asked, concerned.
“I’m so sorry, Scholar Gu! Are you alright? I’ll pay for the medical expenses!” Shen Erli said, eyes red with guilt.
Gu Yun took several deep breaths. Being hit by something that heavy without breaking a bone was sheer luck. His face had paled from the pain, and he felt dizzy and speechless.
“Everyone, give him some space! Let him get some air!” Shen Ruo said, worried that if Gu Yun couldn’t catch his breath, he might go into shock.
He checked behind Gu Yun’s head and along his back, no bleeding. He breathed a small sigh of relief.
“Gu Yun, are you out of your mind? Do you know that getting hit in the back of the head can kill you?!” Shen Ruo’s own protective stance had only left some bruising on his arms; a worse outcome could have been broken arms. But Gu Yun hadn’t prepared at all and still threw himself in front of him, so reckless!
Shen Ruo’s nose tingled. Back when Liu Chunhua had come at him with the carrying pole, Gu Yun had also stood in front of him. At that time, he hadn’t felt this sharp emotional sting, and later when he gave the medicine, he didn’t dwell on it.
He didn’t like owing favors, especially to the male lead of the story. He had always thought he’d avoid him as much as possible…
“You hate me, don’t you? So why protect me? I’m not worth it! Your own life is more important!” Shen Ruo’s voice cracked with emotion. His almond-shaped eyes were completely red, he was both scared and deeply moved.
Gu Yun drew several deep breaths, calming a little. “No matter… who’s in danger today… I’ll do the same. Don’t think too much of it. Just call it me showing off my heroism.”
Shen Ruo’s view of him quietly shifted. Gu Yun wasn’t just upright, he stepped forward at the critical moment.
Shen Ruo wasn’t one to overdramatize. Being saved meant simply thanking him. Earlier, he hadn’t understood why Gu Yun had acted like that, which was why he’d spoken without thinking.
Now that his rationality had returned, he had no intention of asking further.
The most important thing now was to get Gu Yun to the clinic quickly. The jolting cart was only making Gu Yun’s pain worse; Shen Ruo could even feel his half-shaking body leaning on his shoulder.
Carefully, he had someone support Gu Yun as he decisively jumped off the cart.
“Could all of you please help? I’m going to carry Gu Yun to the clinic,” Shen Ruo said.
The people around looked at Shen Ruo’s small frame and simply couldn’t believe he could carry Gu Yun.
“Ruo Ge’er, don’t try to show off! If you drop Scholar Gu, it’ll hurt him even more!”
Shen Erli said, “I’ll carry him, it was my bundle of firewood that hit Scholar Gu, so it’s only fair that I carry him!”
“No… it’s fine… I’ll just rest a bit,” Gu Yun said.
“No way!” everyone on the cart said in unison.
Gu Yun: “…”
“Don’t worry, I’ve got plenty of strength!” Shen Ruo patted his shoulder, signaling everyone to help put Gu Yun onto his back.
Gu Yun looked doubtful, but the pain made him unable to argue, half his body was already numb.
Shen Ruo felt the weight settle on his back, hooked his hands under Gu Yun’s knees, and lifted him up steadily.
“Wow, Ruo Ge’er, what strength!” Shen Hansan exclaimed in surprise.
The women around were stunned. Just moments ago, they had all worked together carefully to get Scholar Gu down, and now Ruo Ge’er had just lifted him up effortlessly?!
Shen Erli was also momentarily shocked. He handed the firewood on the cart to someone he knew to deliver to the buyers.
“I’ll go along too. If Ruo Ge’er can’t carry him anymore, I’ll take over!” Shen Erli said.
“Fine.” Shen Ruo didn’t insist on overdoing it. Although his strength had grown a lot, Gu Yun looked slim but was still quite heavy. He wasn’t sure how long he could carry him.
With Shen Erli as backup, everything would be secure.
“Gu Yun, hang on, I’ll walk more steadily,” Shen Ruo said.
Gu Yun rested on Shen Ruo’s back and let out a soft “hm.” Deep down, he was surprised, Shen Ruo looked so slight, yet he was actually able to carry him. It was truly astonishing.
Shen Ruo glanced at the road ahead. The medical hall in town wasn’t far now, but the path was full of ruts and bumps, sitting on a cart would have been unbearable. He carefully chose the flattest spots, walking steadily while carrying Gu Yun.
“Thank you for today, and for before as well,” Shen Ruo said, talking to him as much as he could, afraid that Gu Yun might fall asleep and not wake up properly to check his injuries.
Shen Ruo was gripped by a quiet fear, he was afraid that if Gu Yun fell asleep, he wouldn’t wake up… just like his grandmother.
“No need,” Gu Yun replied.
“You’re really a strange person.”
“Hm?”
“Obviously you dislike me, yet you protect me because you want to protect the weak.”
“You’re not weak.”
“Then why did you protect me? I was ready to be hit.”
Gu Yun thought for a moment and said, “Probably because… you look so thin. I was afraid that bundle of firewood would crush you.”
But in his heart, another voice whispered: Shen Ruo, with his eyes closed, looked so obedient and gentle. His pure, innocent aura reminded him exactly of the little ge’er from his dreams…
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