Yun Cheng pushed the rabbit into his arms and said with a soft laugh, “It’s pregnant. Your brother said it should give birth near the end of the month.”
Cun Yin gently stroked the rabbit’s fur, his touch lighter than before. “Then it should rest a little longer,” he murmured.
The last time they had met, Yun Cheng had confessed that he couldn’t cook. Later, though, his embroidery skills made up for that flaw, and Cun Yin, being naturally thick-skinned and forgetful, soon let the matter slip from his mind.
But today, after being told by Ye Cunshan to help with household chores, and discovering that Yun Cheng truly couldn’t cook at all, Cun Yin felt stunned, as if his understanding of the world was being reshaped.
His sister-in-law couldn’t cook or do much either, yet he had found such a good husband like his brother. Then perhaps, he thought, he didn’t need to learn much either. If no one spoiled him, he would just find someone else to do it.
Yun Cheng, of course, had no idea that he had influenced the young boy’s entire view of marriage. He was simply upset with Ye Cunshan for making the ten-year-old help pick and wash vegetables.
Because of that, Cun Yin grew even fonder of Yun Cheng. When he called him “Sister-in-law,” his tone was sweet and natural, with no trace of jealousy toward Ye Cunshan.
Ye Cunshan, however, couldn’t help but feel a little sour. “You’re quite good to him,” he remarked.
Yun Cheng laughed softly. “He’s still a child.”
Cun Yin, hearing this, blushed and didn’t know where to place his hands or feet. No one had ever said something like that to him before. Everyone else just called him a big kid who always did things carelessly.
No wonder his stubborn older brother had married so quickly, he thought.
The three of them got along well, and that made Ye Cunshan feel at ease.
After dinner, he handed Yun Cheng a pouch of silver and said, “If you get bored, you can play with Cun Yin.”
The words carried a faint melancholy, and Yun Cheng sighed softly. “I’m not a child anymore.”
He asked, “What time are you leaving tomorrow?”
Ye Cunshan had finished cleaning the dishes and was drying his hands. “I’ll leave early in the morning. Uncle Tian isn’t heading to the county tomorrow, so I can’t hitch a ride. I’ll have to walk part of the way.”
It would still be dark when he left.
Normally, when the men in a family set out early for a journey, their wives would prepare some grain cakes for the road. But Yun Cheng couldn’t cook, so Ye Cunshan had to do it himself, knead the dough, let it rise overnight, then bake the pancakes fresh before leaving.
Watching him busy himself, Yun Cheng suddenly felt embarrassed about the amulet he had made and sat quietly by the stove, adding wood to the fire and heating water.
He wanted to say something, yet he was afraid that speaking would make the short separation feel even sadder, so he started rambling about trivial things just to fill the silence. Ye Cunshan could only shake his head in amusement.
“It’s only ten days at most,” he said. “Don’t worry.”
Yun Cheng glanced at him and muttered softly, “Ten days is a long time…”
After all, he had only been here for less than ten days himself.
Ye Cunshan chuckled. “It’ll pass quickly. You’ll be busy making paper, right? And my cousin can help you write a few words every day. Keep at it, and the days will pass before you know it.”
Yun Cheng didn’t want Ye Cunshan to worry while he was away, so he nodded and forced a smile.
That night, after washing up, Ye Cunshan, as usual, walked Yun Cheng back to his room, but instead of leaving right away, he placed the kerosene lamp on the low table and sat by the edge of the bed.
“This winter will be colder than before,” he reminded him gently. “Take out that coat you bought and wear it. Don’t be stingy.”
Yun Cheng lay under the covers, showing only his eyes and nose, his voice muffled. “I’m saving it for the New Year.”
In truth, he was thinking of returning it to the tailor shop or pawning it. He was planning to knit a wool coat to go under his down jacket, so he didn’t really need this one. Having a little more money on hand would make him feel safer.
Seeing the way he avoided his gaze, Ye Cunshan immediately guessed what was on his mind. “I bought it for you to stay warm,” he said softly. “When New Year comes, we can buy another one.”
Yun Cheng was touched by his kindness but afraid he might really spend the money. “That bright red doesn’t suit me now,” he said quickly. “My old cotton coat is fine.”
He was still in mourning, after all. Something warm and simple was enough.
Ye Cunshan sighed, thinking of how drink had caused him trouble before. “It’s fine to wear it at home,” he said. “If you’re not doing much, wear extra layers. And your shoes, they’re not warm enough. I’ll get you a new pair when I come back.”
Yun Cheng winced at the word “buy.” “I’ll just go to my cousin’s and get some cloth to sew my own,” he replied. Then, with a teasing smile, he added, “Listening to you, I’d think we were some rich family.”
Ye Cunshan couldn’t help but laugh. He reached out, intending to ruffle Yun Cheng’s hair, but stopped halfway, remembering the rough calluses on his hands.
Yun Cheng was wrapped tightly in the quilt, so Ye Cunshan could only poke his cheek lightly instead.
For some reason, Yun Cheng suddenly felt that Ye Cunshan must also be reluctant to part with him. The thought made him secretly happy.
He wasn’t shy about his emotions; whatever came to mind, he said directly. He kept talking until Ye Cunshan finally stood to leave. But Yun Cheng tugged at his sleeve. “*Let’s talk for another five coins’ time.”
Smiling, Ye Cunshan sat back down. Yun Cheng tapped his palm lightly as if paying him and said he wanted to hear a bedtime story.
“What kind of story?” Ye Cunshan asked, amused.
“The one you wrote,” Yun Cheng said.
Ye Cunshan paused. “…That one?”
It must have been the story Ye Yan had mentioned.
There were only two bookstores in Wei County. Since Ye Cunshan had ambitions to write, he often went to the Du family’s bookstore. If you knew the owner, you could submit partial drafts instead of full manuscripts, saving paper and ink.
His own draft hadn’t passed. It was too short, but even in simple language, it took time to explain.
He hesitated. He was leaving tomorrow. If he explained everything now, Yun Cheng would forget by the time he returned. But if he didn’t, and Yun Cheng stumbled across the draft later, that would be even more awkward.
In the end, he agreed to explain. Yun Cheng even moved aside and offered him half the bed to warm himself. “It’s cold down there,” he said.
Ye Cunshan lay down and found the bed icy cold. “Why didn’t you say you were freezing?” he asked.
They didn’t have electric blankets or hot water bottles in those days, and copper stoves were far too expensive.
Surely Yun Cheng couldn’t expect him to come over every night just to warm the bed?
Yun Cheng chuckled softly. “It’ll be warm soon.”
Then Ye Cunshan reached over and pulled him close.
Ye Cunshan’s body was warm, almost hot, and Yun Cheng felt his whole body heat up until even his feet were burning.
As Ye Cunshan began telling the story, Yun Cheng’s restless heart slowly calmed.
Ye Cunshan had been much bolder than his brother when he wrote the draft. Back then, he wasn’t thinking of marriage at all, he only wanted the manuscript payment. With no one to hide from, he wrote freely and carelessly.
The story mixed all the popular tropes of the time: a frustrated scholar praying at the Confucius Temple, meeting a goddess, then encountering a fox spirit during the imperial exams, and finally being adored by a wealthy magistrate’s daughter.
It was a jumble of romantic encounters and fateful meetings. He had even borrowed from the story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, adding a scholar disguised as a man to the mix.
But that was where his draft ended, just before the scholar was about to lose his temper.
When Yun Cheng asked what happened next, Ye Cunshan admitted honestly, “I never finished it.”
“It was rejected anyway,” he added with a laugh. “Who’d expect a grown man to write something like that?”
The memory made him chuckle again, especially remembering how Yun Cheng had once called him a “grown man.”
Soon, he warmed Yun Cheng’s hands and feet, telling him to sleep early.
But Yun Cheng reached out and grabbed his wrist, hearing Ye Cunshan’s quiet laughter. “You can’t bear to let me go, can you?” he teased gently.
Yun Cheng didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled out the amulet from his pocket, the one he had secretly made and kept warm all night and pressed it into Ye Cunshan’s palm. “Go to sleep,” he said softly. “You have to get up early.” Then he pulled the blanket over his head.
The amulet was hideous. The longer he looked at it, the uglier it seemed. The fabric was rough, the color dull, and the bright tassels made it look even worse, like a piece of silk hung over a brick wall.
He regretted rushing through it. Even plain white cloth would have been better. “If you don’t like it, you can just leave it,” he muttered.
Ye Cunshan clenched his fist. “I like it,” he said.
People in the countryside didn’t care about appearances. There were only two temples in Wei County, and amulets for peace were rare.
This was the first time Ye Cunshan had ever received one. It felt precious and strange, and he was so touched that his chest felt warm.
He lay awake the whole night, not studying as usual but going over what he had already arranged, checking if anything was missing and what he would do upon returning. He needed to build a bathtub and fix the heated brick bed before classes resumed.
Meanwhile, Yun Cheng didn’t dare sleep deeply. He wanted to wake early to see him off, but his weak body made it difficult.
He tried to stay awake all night, but exhaustion caught up with him, and when dawn came, he overslept.
When he stumbled out of his room, Ye Cunshan was already dressed and ready to leave. They met in the dim light, exchanging a quiet look. Then Ye Cunshan put down his things and stepped closer.
He was much taller, and his shadow completely covered Yun Cheng.
The light made Yun Cheng squint, and before he could react, Ye Cunshan leaned forward. Something soft brushed against his right eye, warm, fleeting, and tender.
Then, without a word, Ye Cunshan lifted him up, carried him back inside, and tucked him under the covers.
“It’s still early,” he said, patting his head gently. “Sleep a little longer.”
After he left, Yun Cheng lay there in a daze, wondering if he had imagined it.
Had he just… been kissed?
The thought spread through him like a spark, setting his whole body aflame. He curled up under the blanket like a quail, too shy to move.
By the time the rooster crowed outside, Yun Cheng realized he hadn’t even said goodbye. He had just stood there, silent and stunned, like a sleepwalker.
How pathetic, he thought, covering his face.
*Metaphorical / colloquial timing: It might mean “for a brief moment” like saying “for the time it takes to toss five coins.” Some Chinese expressions (for example, “一炷香的时间,” “the time of burning one stick of incense”) measure time by small, tangible things. So “five-coin time” could be a creative translation meaning a short, specific span of time, perhaps a few seconds or minutes.
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[Translator]
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ChaptersChapter 1 · I Shall Go With YouChapter 2 · You Are ResponsibleChapter 3 · Just make A DoChapter 4 · You Have To Hold MeChapter 5 · Live A Good LifeChapter 6 · Meet The ParentsChapter 7 · Lucky for My husbandChapter 8 · ThreatenChapter 9 · Turning Waste paper into NewChapter 10 · New Paper!Chapter 11 · He will look good in thisChapter 12 · Too HonestChapter 13 · Make Him HappyChapter 14 · WorshipChapter 15 · Feeling Sorry for moneyChapter 16 · I’m so reluctant to leave you.Chapter 17 · My feelings for him are no longer pure.Chapter 18 · Thinking about helping him in some wayChapter 19 · Buy one for my husbandChapter 20 · Cause troubleChapter 21 · Aftermath of the incidentChapter 22 · He led him home obediently.Chapter 23 · Why are you hugging me?Chapter 24 Part 1 · Sweet TalkingChapter 24 Part 2 · Sweet TalkingChapter 25 · You are my drean ManChapter 26 · I don’t fall for flirtingChapter 27 Part 1 · Teaching You How to Like MeChapter 27 Part 2 · Teaching You How to Like MeChapter 28 Part 1 · Picking up kid from schoolChapter 28 Part 2 · Picking up kid from schoolChapter 29 Part 1 · I Have a FriendChapter 29 Part 2 · I Have a FriendChapter 30 Part 1 · Pampering My HusbandChapter 30 Part 2 · Pampering My HusbandChapter 31 Part 1 · Don’t compare yourself with othersChapter 31 Part 2 · Don’t compare yourself with othersChapter 32 Part 1 · Come here and kiss me yourselfChapter 32 Part 2 · Come here and kiss me yourselfChapter 33 Part 1 · Let me explainChapter 33 Part 2 · Let me explainChapter 34 Part 1 · Little SecretChapter 34 Part 2 · Little SecretChapter 35 Part 1 · Going to the New Year MarketChapter 35 Part 2 · Going to the New Year MarketChapter 36 Part 1 · Please coax his little husbandChapter 36 Part 2 · Please coax his little husbandChapter 37 Part 1 · I want you to pamper meChapter 37 Part 2 · I want you to pamper meChapter 38 Part 1 · He wants to marry into the family!Chapter 38 Part 2 · He wants to marry into the family!Chapter 39 Part 1 · This is a separate priceChapter 39 Part 2 · This is a separate priceChapter 40 Part 1 · Husband, children, and a warm bedChapter 40 Part 2 · Husband, children, and a warm bedChapter 41 Part 1 · Biting SpringChapter 41 Part 2 · Biting SpringChapter 42 Part 1 · Isn’t managing you the important thing?Chapter 42 Part 2 · Isn’t managing you the important thing?Chapter 43 · Shameless!Chapter 44 Part 1 · Head of the HouseholdChapter 44 Part 2 · Head of the HouseholdChapter 45 · DatingChapter 45 Part 2 · DatingChapter 46 · You Were the One Who Got HookedChapter 47 · I Like Being Looked AfterChapter 48 · A Weighty AffectionChapter 49 · Go On, Say It AgainChapter 50 · There’s plenty of time in the futureChapter 51 · Karma and RetributionChapter 52 · Playing the “Villain”Chapter 53 · I’ll Be Very Gentle!Chapter 54 · Rural RomanceChapter 55 · Don’t CryChapter 56 · Unable to Afford TuitionChapter 57 · Coax MeChapter 58 · Do You Want Me to Keep You Company?Chapter 59 · You’re Not Good EnoughChapter 60 · WoofChapter 61 Part 1 · Are the Words “I Love You” Too Hot for Your Mouth?Chapter 61 Part 2 · Are the Words “I Love You” Too Hot for Your Mouth?Chapter 62 · My skin gets itchy if I don’t take care of it for a day.Chapter 63 · ClingyChapter 64 · Night TalkChapter 65 · Top Scholar TransmigrationChapter 66 · Imperial examinationsChapter 67 · Exams Over!Chapter 68 · You’re making fun of me as soon as you get back?Chapter 69 · Shameless!Chapter 70 · Truly unbelievableChapter 71 · One taelChapter 72 · Did you draw one for my brother?Chapter 73 · Bad LuckChapter 74 · Look like youChapter 75 · You’re so clingyChapter 76 · Careful your elder brother doesn’t beat you upChapter 77 · If you’re going to hit me, then just hit meChapter 78 · Cheng GegeChapter 79 · Thank you, DidiChapter 80 · Poor scholars from humble backgrounds usually have strong prideChapter 81 · Twenty two?Chapter 82 · Have you started preparing a new book yet?Chapter 83 · We’re PoorChapter 84 · I Still can’t believeChapter 85 Part 1 · But What happened in the end?Chapter 85 Part 2 · But What happened in the End?Chapter 86 · I’m a little kidChapter 87 · The person in this painting is my younger brotherChapter 88 · Yun Xiaocheng Even Has This SkillChapter 89 Part 1 · Preparations Before DepartureChapter 89 Part 2 · Preparations Before DepartureChapter 90 Part 1 · On the Road, a Transitional ChapterChapter 90 Part 2 · On the Road, a Transitional ChapterChapter 91 Part 1 · NarrativeChapter 91 Part 2 · NarrativeChapter 92 · Narrative, transitional chapterChapter 93 · Make you happyChapter 94 Part 1 · Burial and AdmonitionChapter 94 Part 2 · Burial and AdmonitionChapter 95 · Song Jin said she was very good to Cheng HuilanChapter 96 · She has a good older brother.Chapter 97 · Simplicity is the bestChapter 98 · HomecomingChapter 99 Part 1 · Going homeChapter 99 Part 2 · Going HomeChapter 100 Part 1 · AugustChapter 100 Part 2 · AugustChapter 101 Part 1 · How come you’re pregnant but still have such a slim waist?Chapter 101 Part 2 · How come you’re pregnant but still have such a slim waist?Chapter 102 · This is the love you have for me.Chapter 103 Part 1 · SeptemberChapter 103 Part 2 · SeptemberChapter 103 Part 3 · SeptemberChapter 104 Part 1 · Ye Xiaoshan, you’re so shamelessChapter 104 Part 2 · Ye Xiaoshan, you’re so shamelessChapter 105 · Ye Xiaoshan, what are you doing?Chapter 106 Part 1 · Daily lifeChapter 106 Part 2 · Daily lifeChapter 107 · The novel has many plotsChapter 108 Part 1 · Daily life + novel plotChapter 108 Part 2 · Daily life + novel plotChapter 109 · Monthly Exams and Daily RoutineChapter 110 · Mainly exams