You really know how to talk… Shen Ruo grumbled inwardly.
Sweat had already formed on his forehead. “I may be a bit thin, but I’m not weak. Look at how strong I am.”
He decided that once he got home, he would drink goat’s milk with Xiao Yuntun. He was only nineteen now, if he nourished himself well, maybe he could still grow a bit taller and build some muscle too.
Gu Yun let out a quiet “mm,” and then fell silent again.
Shen Ruo said, “Gu Yun, are you okay? Say something.”
“Mm… say what?” Gu Yun’s clear voice drifted from just behind his ear.
It slipped straight into Shen Ruo’s ear, making his scalp tingle.
He thought to himself: As expected of the male lead, he looked like [1]Ning Caichen is a character from the classic Chinese novel Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio (聊斋志异) by Pu Songling. He’s often depicted as a refined, gentle, and somewhat … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1939291_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1939291_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });Ning Caichen, and his voice was this pleasant too. Especially when he spoke so close to someone’s ear, his tone was so distinct that Shen Ruo felt his ears starting to burn.
“J-just say anything, as long as you don’t stay quiet,” Shen Ruo stammered.
Gu Yun fell silent for a moment.
“Highest goodness… is like water. Water… benefits all things… and does not contend. It dwells… in places others disdain, and thus is close… to the Way.”
Well, reciting famous lines was better than saying nothing at all.
Gu Yun had been enduring the pain, his whole body numb from it, but after reciting a few lines from the [2]Dao De Jing (道德经), also spelled Tao Te Ching, is a foundational text of Daoism (Taoism), traditionally attributed to the sage Laozi (老子) from around the 6th–4th century BCE. It’s a … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1939291_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1939291_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });Dao De Jing, the ache seemed a little less intense.
In his previous life, when Shen Ruo had gotten hurt in fights as a child and the pain was so bad he could barely get up, he would sing to distract himself. That way, it wouldn’t hurt as much, using something pleasant to numb the pain. Back then, he sang “Dream’s Light,” and now Gu Yun reciting the Dao De Jing worked in much the same way.
Shen Erli walked beside them, one hand steadying Gu Yun. From his angle, he could see Shen Ruo’s fair side profile, sunlight glinting off the beads of sweat on his face.
Shen Ruo had always been the most talked-about person in the village gossip. Too many things had happened to him before, and his behavior had always been unconventional. He wasn’t someone who followed rules, and that made him constant fodder for conversation, people treated him like some kind of oddity.
Shen Erli had seen him when he was heavily pregnant. Back then, Shen Ruo walked with his head lowered, his gaze dull and lifeless. There had even been rumors in the village that he had lost his soul and might never recover.
Yet after giving birth, his whole demeanor had changed.
At one point, Shen Erli had even considered asking his parents to propose to Shen Dashan’s family, because Shen Ruo was the best-looking young man in Shenjia Village. Aside from liking to dress up, he didn’t have any real faults.
It was just that Shen Ruo had been too bold, his pursuit of Gu Yun had become common knowledge, causing every other eligible ge’er who had considered proposing to quietly withdraw.
Although marriages were arranged by parents and matchmakers in this era, so as long as Shen Dashan and Li Shantao agreed, Shen Ruo would have to marry, no one wanted to [3]“Wearing a green hat” is a Chinese idiom that means a man’s wife or partner is being unfaithful to him—he’s being cheated on. It’s used metaphorically to describe the shame or … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1939291_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1939291_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });wear a green’s hat.
Who could tolerate marrying a wife whose heart belonged to another man?
Still, judging from how things were now, Shen Ruo didn’t seem as infatuated with Scholar Gu anymore. He must have come to his senses. It was just a pity that he had already given birth, and no one even knew who the child’s father was. An unmarried ge’er raising a child alone would find it even harder to marry.
Seeing Shen Ruo panting with exhaustion, sweat covering his forehead, Shen Erli took the initiative. “Ruo Ge’er, let me carry him.”
Shen Ruo estimated that they had about half a li left to reach the clinic. He nodded, and the two of them carefully shifted Gu Yun onto Shen Erli’s back.
Gu Yun endured the pain, his face pale, cold sweat beading across his brow.
Shen Ruo wasn’t in much better shape, his forehead and temples were damp with sweat. Ignoring himself, he pulled a handkerchief from his chest and moved to wipe Gu Yun’s sweat.
Afraid Gu Yun might mind, he said in advance, “My mother just made this. I haven’t even used it yet.” Then he gently wiped the cold sweat from Gu Yun’s forehead and the tip of his nose.
Shen Erli, carrying Gu Yun, soon found his own forehead drenched in sweat. That was when he felt the difference.
Why didn’t he have a thoughtful little ge’er to wipe his sweat too?
…Was it because he wasn’t tall enough? Or not strong enough?
ᘻᘿᓍᘺ
The people of Shenjia Village trusted Physician Liu of Liu’s Clinic in town the most. When the matter between Shen Ruo and Shen Fugui had happened before, it was Physician Liu who had examined the injuries. Not only was he the most reputable physician in town, he was also warm-hearted.
Now, seeing Shen Ruo rush in out of breath, he leaned out from behind the medicine cabinet and asked, “What happened?”
“Gu Yun injured his back, he says half his body feels numb. Physician Liu, please examine him quickly,” Shen Ruo said.
Just as he finished speaking, Shen Erli entered carrying Gu Yun.
“Quickly, over there,” Physician Liu pointed toward a room separated by a cloth curtain.
Shen Ruo stepped forward to lift the curtain, letting Shen Erli carry Gu Yun inside.
In the center of the room stood a bed. The two of them carefully laid Gu Yun face-down upon it.
Cold sweat broke out again from the pain. Through the handkerchief, Gu Yun felt the gentle touch wiping his skin, which helped ease the wave of pain slightly.
As long as he didn’t move, the feeling was numb. But the moment he did, the pain seemed to shoot through every limb and bone.
Lying there, Gu Yun felt like a turtle with barnacles covering its back.
A child of about seven, hair tied in twin buns, came in carrying medicinal wine. His bright eyes darted over the three of them before he said in a clear voice, “Physician Liu is about to treat the patient. Please follow me outside.”
Shen Ruo didn’t really want to leave. After all, Gu Yun had been injured protecting him, he wanted to know immediately how serious the injury was.
Shen Erli also stood where he was. Seeing that Gu Yun was so injured he couldn’t even get up, he sighed inwardly. If the injury was serious, how much silver would his family have to pay in compensation? It was all because he hadn’t tied that bundle of firewood tightly enough, what a mess!
After speaking, the child lifted the curtain and went out.
Physician Liu strode in briskly. When he saw the two of them still standing there, he frowned slightly.
“You’re sure you want to stay here?” he turned and asked Shen Ruo.
Shen Ruo blinked in confusion.
Was he not allowed to stay?
Shen Erli immediately realized something and said, “The physician will need to remove Scholar Gu’s clothes. You’d better step out.”
Shen Ruo had almost forgotten that he was a ge’er. Aside from having Xiao Yuntun, nothing else felt any different from his previous life, he still instinctively thought of himself as a man.
He personally didn’t mind, but clearly others thought it inappropriate.
“Then I’ll leave him in your care. I’ll head to the government office,” Shen Ruo said.
The main reason he had come to town today was to have the document severing family ties stamped. Instead, this had happened. Shen Ruo felt uneasy. If he hadn’t called Gu Yun onto the cart, perhaps he wouldn’t have been hurt.
But there were no “what-ifs” in this world. Since it had already happened, there was no point dwelling on the past, that would just waste time. Later, he would make sure Gu Yun recuperated properly. If there was any farm work at his home that needed doing, Shen Ruo would help however he could.
The government office was located in the center of town. As long as one headed in the right direction, all roads led there. Shen Ruo checked the sun to orient himself and walked toward it.
The village head’s family also had an ox cart, they had probably already arrived.
Thinking this, Shen Ruo quickened his pace into a run. He should arrive early; it wouldn’t be proper to make an elder like the village head wait.
When he reached the entrance of the government office, he happened to see the village head stepping down from his cart. Shen Ruo immediately greeted him. “Village Head.”
“Mm. We’ll go in shortly,” the village head replied.
Since they had agreed on this time yesterday, both Shen Ruo and the village head had arrived about fifteen minutes early. Now they were just waiting for someone from Shen Hong’s family to show up.
Shen Ruo had assumed it would be Shen Ziying who came, but unexpectedly it was Shen Niushan. Shen Niushan looked at him with obvious displeasure, but Shen Ruo didn’t care. In all his memories growing up, he had barely exchanged more than a few words with this nominal grandfather.
The three of them entered the government office together to have the seal applied. The village head slipped a few copper coins to the clerk handling the matter, and the stamp was quickly pressed down.
Shen Ruo carefully put away the document severing family ties, bid farewell to the village head, and never once looked at Shen Niushan’s darkened expression.
Inside, Shen Niushan was furious. Shen Fugui was his eldest grandson, the apple of his eye. It was Shen Ruo who had exposed Shen Fugui’s wrongdoing, leaving their family unable to hold their heads up in the village. Shen Niushan had never faced such humiliation before. Now, whenever he walked through the village, he felt ashamed, and whenever he saw a few villagers gathered together chatting, he couldn’t help but think they were talking about his family, about Shen Fugui.
He was so angry that he couldn’t sleep all night, and the rest of the family hadn’t fared any better.
After all, Shen Fugui had been punished by the clan elders for “being a thief.” Even though he hadn’t actually managed to steal anything, once the label of thief was attached to him, his whole family would be affected.
Fortunately, the people of Shenjia Village still cared about their village’s reputation and didn’t want to make the matter bigger. Otherwise, if valuables went missing in any of the neighboring villages, people from ten li around would come looking for Shen Fugui!
Shen Niushan blamed all of this on Shen Ruo.
If Shen Ruo hadn’t taken away their chickens, ducks, and sheep, his eldest grandson wouldn’t have resorted to stealing!
If Shen Ruo knew what Shen Niushan was thinking, he would definitely have given him an international hand gesture and let out a couple of sarcastic “heh-heh”s. Some people’s way of thinking was simply different from normal people’s, when they did something wrong, they refused to admit it. Their first reaction was to shift the blame and push all responsibility onto someone else. He didn’t even stop to think: since Shen Fugui dared to sneak into someone else’s home to steal a sheep, who knew if he had stolen from others before? And later on? If he were never caught, he would only grow more brazen, eventually stealing from wealthy families.
And if he were caught then, it wouldn’t just be a simple punishment from the clan elders…
Shen Ruo walked quickly toward Liu Medical Clinic. By now the sun was high overhead, and the restaurants and inns in town were already packed. Townsfolk ate delicately, like modern people, three meals a day. But farming families weren’t used to three meals, they only had breakfast and supper. Ever since Shen Ruo had transmigrated here, however, he had been eating three meals a day. Back then it was because he was on a patient’s diet; eating an extra meal helped with recovery. Over time, his family had grown used to Shen Ruo cooking something at noon, and boiling goat’s milk for Xiao Yuntun as well.
So much had happened that morning that he still had two sweet potatoes tucked in his robe, forgotten and uneaten. Now, smelling the aroma of food in the air, his stomach began to rumble.
As he passed a teahouse, he heard people inside chatting. Shen Ruo had been walking quickly past the window, but when a few words drifted into his ears, “handkerchief” and “Lanshan”, he slowed down.
“Hey, have you all heard? The owner of ‘Lanshan’ somehow got hold of two rare handkerchiefs. They say next month if you buy jewelry from his shop, you’ll get one as a gift!”
“I’ve heard that too. They say they’re cotton. What’s so special about cotton?”
“What’s wrong with cotton? Cotton’s durable. And the owner wears one himself, I’ve seen it several times.”
“What does it look like? Is it really that pretty?”
The man perked up immediately when someone asked. “One of them is embroidered with a koi fish. Just looking at it screams wealth, it can attract fortune! I heard that when Boss Lan got that handkerchief, auspicious clouds appeared in the sky. That very night a big customer came and bought a lot of jewelry!”
Outside, Shen Ruo couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Earlier, he had discussed some promotional strategies with Lan Fan, including creating a “gimmick.”
People nowadays were superstitious. If everyone said that the koi handkerchief could bring good luck, it would definitely tempt people.
He glanced inside through the window. The one speaking so animatedly, if it wasn’t the shop assistant Ah Fu, who else could it be?
Although he was somewhat disguised, Shen Ruo recognized that build and voice clearly. After all, he had once been mocked by him. Shen Ruo could be a bit petty in that regard, he remembered things for a long time. Still, since he had accepted the apology, that matter was considered settled.
“It really brings wealth? I once saw Boss Lan wearing that handkerchief from afar. I couldn’t see it clearly, just that the pattern was golden. So it was a koi.” Someone chimed in.
Ah Fu nodded solemnly. “That’s right. I’ve seen it up close. That koi is plump, just looking at it, you can tell it’s blessed! The very day I saw it, my usually stingy young master rewarded me with dozens of copper coins!”
Does your young master know you’re out here talking about him like that?
And isn’t this a bit too exaggerated?
Shen Ruo leaned against the window, smiling as he listened. Suddenly a shadow fell behind him, blocking the light. He turned around—
Well now, Ah Fu’s “notoriously stingy” young master was standing right there.
“So, what do you think? How’s Ah Fu’s promotion going?” Lan Fan asked, holding his folding fan and fanning himself with an air of elegance.
Shen Ruo replied, “The gimmick is a bit over the top, though the opening was indeed quite impressive.”
At that, Lan Fan nodded. The hype really had gone a little too far. What if someone got the handkerchief and it didn’t “work”? If the build-up made it seem impossible to obtain, yet there were only five handkerchiefs in total, those who failed to get one might be so resentful they’d want to overturn his shop, “Lanshan.”
Lan Fan stopped fanning himself. These days, every shop relied on reputation built up year after year, and their customer base was fairly stable. It was only after Shen Ruo mentioned promotion that he’d had a sudden realization. But once he started, he had gone a bit overboard. By now, the entire town probably knew about the giveaway at “Lanshan,” especially that koi handkerchief said to attract wealth.
“Then how about this, Young master Shen Ge’er, you make a few more handkerchiefs for me,” Lan Fan suggested.
“No need,” Shen Ruo said. “Just place the koi handkerchief together with your most expensive jewelry and jade carvings. Anyone who can afford those items certainly isn’t short on money and must already have ways of making it. If they earn more after getting the handkerchief, then it’s ‘attracting wealth.’ If they neither gain nor lose, they won’t fuss over a small handkerchief, having an auspicious meaning is nice enough. And if they lose money…”
“What if they lose money?” Lan Fan asked anxiously.
“If they lose money, they won’t blame a handkerchief. If you, Young Master Lan, bought a so-called fortune-bringing handkerchief and lost money that same day, what would you think?”
“…I’d first think about how to fix the loss. Then, after thinking more carefully, I might wonder whether I dirtied the handkerchief by accident, or dropped it on the ground and made it… stop working?”
Shen Ruo nodded. That was human nature. When something bad happened, people usually looked for reasons within themselves first; only when they couldn’t find any would they vent their frustration on an object. But when something good happened, they credited divine protection, or some object guarding them, like a jade bracelet or a fortune bead.
Originally, his idea of a “gimmick” had simply been to introduce a few novel little items, something eye-catching, made scarce so people would want them precisely because they were limited.
He didn’t expect Lan Fan to start off on such a grand scale.
“Alright, I understand,” Lan Fan said, tucking his fan into his belt. He tapped the window frame three times hard and once lightly. Soon the loud voices inside quieted down, and the window was closed.
Ah Fu quickly emerged from the teahouse entrance. From afar he noticed someone standing beside his young master, a figure that looked like a little ge’er. He immediately rushed over.
“Young Master! You, ah, so it’s Young master Shen Ge’er. What are you doing here?” Ah Fu’s gossiping expression hadn’t quite faded, and when he saw Shen Ruo, his face twitched awkwardly.
Looking at his own young master again, his expression turned sheepish.
Lan Fan had sent quite a few people out today to promote his jewelry shop, never expecting to be caught red-handed boasting here himself.
Lan Fan pulled out his fan and pretended to smack Ah Fu on the head, feigning anger. “I’m notoriously stingy, am I?”
Ah Fu looked as if he were on the verge of tears. “No, no, no! Young Master is the most generous, truly the best boss!”
“You were spouting nonsense in there. It’s enough if the promotion works, why add all that extra talk?” Lan Fan said, tugging his ear.
Ah Fu yelped in pain and shot a pleading look at Shen Ruo.
“That’s enough. He may have gone a bit overboard, but didn’t you get the effect you wanted?” Shen Ruo said.
“Fine. I’ll settle accounts with you later,” Lan Fan told Ah Fu.
Ah Fu gave Shen Ruo a grateful look.
“What brings you to town today? Don’t you need to stay home and look after your child?” Lan Fan waved Ah Fu away and asked casually.
“I had some business to take care of,” Shen Ruo replied.
If someone asked him directly about dividing the family and severing ties, he would say so. But if no one asked, there was no need to bring it up. After all, when things escalated to the point of cutting ties, outsiders would inevitably wonder whether the fault lay with his family. Not everyone knew the full story like the villagers of Shenjia Village did.
So fewer complications meant fewer troubles. Shen Ruo didn’t feel like explaining.
Lan Fan was perceptive, he could tell Shen Ruo didn’t want to elaborate, so he didn’t press further. Instead, he shifted the topic to business. From their previous conversations, he had realized that Shen Ruo truly had a head for commerce. It was a pity he was a ge’er; in these times, few ge’er went into business. Most stayed at home to manage the household and raise children.
Standing around talking in the street wasn’t ideal, so Lan Fan suggested, “How about we go up to the teahouse and talk properly?”
Shen Ruo glanced at the sky, then rubbed his very hungry stomach. “No. I need to find somewhere to eat something.”
“Now that you mention it, I’m hungry too. Let’s go together, I’ll treat you,” Lan Fan offered.
“No need. I brought roasted sweet potatoes.” Shen Ruo spotted a roadside tea shelter nearby for passersby to rest. He walked straight over and sat down on a bench.
Finally, he could sit and eat something. Truly, people were like iron and food was like steel, miss one meal and you’d feel faint with hunger. His stomach felt like it was cramping from emptiness.
Lan Fan followed him over. Although he looked somewhat disdainfully at the dust on the bench, he restrained himself and sat across from Shen Ruo.
The sweet potatoes had gone completely cold, but the syrupy juices were still there. As soon as he broke one open, the distinctive sweet fragrance of roasted sweet potato spread out. The skin was thin and purplish-red, and inside was golden-yellow flesh, just the smell was enough to make one swallow.
Lan Fan had tasted all kinds of delicacies; sweet potatoes were so cheap they had never appeared on his family’s dining table. But now that he caught the aroma, he felt tempted and shamelessly said, “Share one with me?”
Shen Ruo happened to have two palm-sized sweet potatoes tucked away. His appetite wasn’t large, one was enough to fill him.
So he generously handed one to Lan Fan.
After one bite, Lan Fan was utterly astonished. He had eaten countless pastries and fruits since childhood, yet none tasted as fragrant and sweet as this sweet potato.
“So sweet!” he exclaimed in praise.
There wasn’t really any special technique to Shen Ruo’s roasted sweet potatoes. Back in his previous life, when he was little and said he was going to roast sweet potatoes in the village, the uncles, aunts, and neighbors would all bring theirs over for him to roast as well. Somehow, the ones he roasted always turned out especially fragrant and sweet compared to others’.
You could say he had unlocked some strange hidden talent.
It had to be said, back in his previous life, the people selling roasted sweet potatoes outside the hospital entrance made a fortune. Shen Ruo had been incredibly envious.
“Shen Ruo, how about this, I’ll pay you wages, and you come roast sweet potatoes for me? Set up the stall right in front of my ‘Lanshan’!” Lan Fan was instantly won over by the roasted sweet potatoes and proposed eagerly.
A merchant’s keen nose for opportunity had once again caught the scent of business.
Shen Ruo said, “If you like them, I can teach Ah Fu the method. Let him run the roasted sweet potato stall.”
“Roasted sweet potatoes taste even better when they’re hot. The ones you’re eating now are completely cold, the texture changes.”
Lan Fan was a little surprised. He had been fully prepared for Shen Ruo to name a steep price, yet instead he heard this.
“That generous? Teach Ah Fu? Then from now on, in this town, my Lan family will back you up!” Lan Fan had long intended as much. After all, the two of them had signed a contract. Naturally, he would protect Shen Ruo. If anyone tried to cut off his source of profit by threatening Shen Ruo into stopping the supply of embroidery, then all their carefully laid plans would fall apart.
Lan Fan never did business at a loss.
Hearing this, Shen Ruo thought to himself: Lan Fan was the eldest young master of the Lan family and managed a large jewelry shop like “Lanshan.” His family was wealthy.
And Lan Fan’s father, the head of the Lan family, was a local official of some standing, someone who could even speak directly with the county magistrate. Their family also had influence.
In a society built on personal connections, to establish oneself one needed money, power, and status. Connections were essential.
Shen Ruo always planned one step ahead while thinking three steps further. If his designs became widely known in the future, as a rural little ge’er with neither power nor backing, he would be the easiest target for those in authority to manipulate. But with the Lan family shielding him, he believed his future path would be much smoother.
The corner of Shen Ruo’s lips lifted slightly. This was a deal well worth making.
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