After returning to the house at the foot of the mountain, Zhong Yizhu had just placed the basket on the table in the main hall when he turned around and saw Pei Mu holding tools and a carrying basket, clearly about to head out again.
Zhong Yizhu paused. It was already past noon—was he still going up the mountain at this hour?
He quickly called out to stop him.
“Pei Mu, where are you going?”
Pei Mu paused for a moment before replying, “I’m going to check the traps I set yesterday. I’ll be back later.”
“Oh…”
Because of their visit back home earlier, Zhong Yizhu had already let go of the awkwardness from that morning. Suddenly remembering something he hadn’t had the chance to say the night before, he hurriedly brought up the matter of the farmland and asked what Pei Mu planned to do.
Bringing ten mu of farmland as part of a marriage was rare, even in the village or nearby town. But for Zhong Yizhu and Sun Yunniang, it didn’t seem surprising at all.
Pei Mu thought for a moment, quickly calculating in his head, and soon made a decision.
“Let’s rent it out. You can manage it. I’m not good at farming. If the crops fail and I also don’t earn anything from hunting, we’d lose on both ends.”
“Alright.”
Zhong Yizhu wasn’t surprised—after seeing Pei Mu’s hunting skills, he had already guessed this would be his choice.
He nodded, then quickly packed a small cloth bag with snacks and ran out to hand it to him.
“Here, take this. Eat it if you get hungry. Be careful on the road.”
Pei Mu looked at the bag in his hand, then at Zhong Yizhu. Only when Zhong Yizhu raised his brows in confusion did he take it and tie it at his waist.
After walking for a while, Pei Mu suddenly stopped and turned back to look at his house.
The few mud-brick rooms looked just the same as before—rough, dull, no different from many other houses in the village. Yet somehow… something felt different.
A sudden flutter of birds startled from the forest snapped him out of his thoughts. He glanced sharply toward the trees and quietly moved in that direction.
Meanwhile, Zhong Yizhu tidied up the basket and prepared to go out to speak with the village chief about renting out the land.
It wouldn’t be polite to visit empty-handed, so he wrapped some pastries in oil paper. After thinking for a moment, he prepared another small bundle of snacks, planning to give it to Chen Xiaorong when he passed by the Wang family’s house.
The Wang couple had accompanied Pei Mu when they came to propose, and Chen Xiaorong had stayed with him in the bridal room during the wedding. Since they were close to Pei Mu and had treated him kindly, he naturally wanted to return the favor.
After locking the door, Zhong Yizhu carried the two packages and headed toward the village.
Pei Mu had said the Wang family’s house was the first one along the way into the village. When they passed by earlier, no one had been home, but Zhong Yizhu hadn’t paid much attention then.
Now, as he approached, he saw Wang Ping’an and his spouse in the yard unloading things—they had just returned.
Chen Xiaorong spotted him first and called out, “Zhu ge’er? Come in and sit!”
As he spoke, he walked over and warmly took Zhong Yizhu’s hand, inviting him inside.
Zhong Yizhu smiled and handed over the package. “I won’t come in today, Xiaorong-ge. I still need to visit the village chief. These are snacks my mother bought—I saved some for you. I hope you don’t mind.”
Chen Xiaorong had once worried that Zhong Yizhu, coming from the city, might not get along with villagers like them. But seeing his friendly attitude and bright smile now, all that worry disappeared.
“Mind? I should be thanking you,” he said cheerfully. “I just got back with the colored thread Aunt Sun asked me to buy. I’ll go with you to the village.”
He quickly put the snacks away, informed Wang Ping’an, and came out with the thread. The two of them walked together toward the village.
Along the way, Chen Xiaorong chatted about village matters, pointing out which families were hardworking and which were lazy and sly.
“Of course, if the village chief arranges it, there won’t be any problems. I’m just telling you so you’ll know what to watch out for.”
Zhong Yizhu listened carefully, committing everything to memory. The two were so engrossed in conversation that they didn’t notice two people suddenly standing in front of them—and nearly walked straight into them.
Chen Xiaorong quickly pulled Zhong Yizhu to a stop. He looked up, annoyed—but his expression changed the moment he recognized them.
He tried to pull Zhong Yizhu away, but someone grabbed Zhong Yizhu’s sleeve.
A sharp, affected female voice rang out:
“Already married, yet you don’t acknowledge your husband’s family? Is this how people from the city behave?”
Zhong Yizhu frowned, realizing who they were.
Sure enough, Chen Xiaorong snapped, “What husband’s family? Did you even show up on Pei Mu’s wedding day? What right do you have to claim that?”
The young boy beside the woman sneered, clearly looking down on Chen Xiaorong.
“This is our family’s business. What’s it got to do with an outsider like you?”
Then he turned to Zhong Yizhu, his tone suddenly fake-sweet.
“Sister-in-law, don’t you recognize me? You may not know me, but you should know Mother, right? As expected of someone from the city—such airs. You have to be invited personally just to show up.”
Zhong Yizhu’s expression cooled.
“I don’t know you. Don’t randomly claim relations. As for ‘mother-in-law’—I only bowed to heaven and earth at my wedding. I didn’t meet anyone like that. Please let go. I have things to do.”
From there, the confrontation escalates, but Zhong Yizhu stands firm—calm, sharp, and unyielding. He refuses to accept their claims, shuts down their insults, and even mocks their greed for pastries by telling them to earn their own money if they want to eat.
In the end, he pulls Chen Xiaorong away, leaving the two fuming behind them.
Later, after finishing his errands and returning home, Zhong Yizhu finds himself with little to do. As he reflects, he begins thinking seriously about making incense—a skill he has always been good at but never dared to pursue.
With hesitation but also a spark of hope, he takes out his materials and begins shaping incense balls.
Time passes unnoticed.
By the time Pei Mu returns, the sun has already set.
He opens the door and sees his new husband sitting in the courtyard, completely absorbed in rolling little balls of… what looks like mud.
Pei Mu pauses.
They’re surprisingly round.
Better than his pancakes, at least.
After hearing earlier that Zhong Yizhu had been harassed, Pei Mu had been thinking of how to comfort him—even considering bringing him rare fruits from the mountains.
But now, looking at him…
Pei Mu frowned slightly.
Could he have been so angry that he’s gone a bit silly?