Ye Cunshan walked quickly all the way, even breaking into a run for a short stretch.
By the time he reached the dock, dawn was just breaking.
Du Rong, the Du family’s steward, was overseeing a group of men loading crates onto a ship. He himself would not be traveling this time; Ye Cunshan was the one helping to deliver the goods.
After greeting each other, Du Rong handed him a list. “It’s mostly a few small gifts from the younger generation of the family,” he explained.
“Nothing valuable, just gestures of courtesy. The rest isn’t important but the eldest young master’s collection of essays and poems must be delivered directly to the Third Elder.”
The Du family was a long-established scholarly clan. The branch living in Weixian was a side line; the main family resided in the capital, where the current patriarch served as Minister of Rites.
Du Zhichun, the eldest son, would take the county examination next year in hopes of earning the title of scholar. The elders in the prefecture city had expressed interest in seeing his writings.
Du Rong’s brows were alight with pride. “They even said they might hire a ranked scholar to personally tutor the young master in essay writing.”
Ye Cunshan offered polite congratulations and handed over a book of his own. It was The Goddess Subdues the Demon, the one he had taken drunkenly from the Du family study some time ago. He asked Du Rong to return it for him.
At the sight of the title, Du Rong winced as if stabbed in the heart.
That book had been printed and published by the Du family’s own press. A few months back it had been reprinted again and again, even reaching the capital, where it circulated widely and caused a sensation.
Unfortunately, its popularity lasted only a few days. Once every press in the country rushed to print copies, the sales fell off sharply.
Weixian was small to begin with and there were only so many scholars in town. Eventually, the book stopped selling at all.
Once the talk of the empire, the copies now sat on the shelves gathering dust.
Du Rong sighed. “I truly didn’t expect Master Liu to have such talent.”
Then he turned to comfort Ye Cunshan. “You shouldn’t think too much of it. When he sees you again, he might even salute you out of respect.”
Ye Cunshan was speechless.
He felt now that he must have been completely out of his mind yesterday. How could he have actually told Yun Cheng the plot of his novel?
All those beautiful women, appearing one after another, offering themselves to a penniless scholar who pretended to be noble and indifferent, claiming he would not accept affection without rank or fame yet taking everything they gave without hesitation.
Shameless.
Yun Cheng had probably never heard anything like that before. Hopefully he would not misunderstand.
After settling the arrangements, Du Rong repeated a message from his master. “Old Master says you have a gift for study but you must stop splitting hairs over trivial things.”
Ye Cunshan had been scolded many times by Mr. Du for reading nothing but idle tales and writing novels instead of studying the classics. This time, though it was a misunderstanding, he didn’t bother to explain and simply nodded with a serious expression.
After Du Rong departed, Ye Cunshan ran into Yun Guangshi.
Since becoming a hired laborer for the Wang family, Yun Guangshi had strutted about the village for a while, only to realize that small households could never compete with great clans. Now he kept his head down again, rarely returning home.
At that moment he was being scolded harshly by a stout, middle-aged man.
Ye Cunshan caught a word in passing, “beauty” and his steps faltered.
What kind of work was Yun Guangshi doing that involved “beauties”? Was he running a brothel?
Whatever the topic was, it was clearly indecent. The man’s voice rose only because he was angry and then dropped again to a muffled buzz of whispers drowned in the dockside noise.
Ye Cunshan was about to walk on when Yun Guangshi spotted him. He muttered something to the middle-aged man, then hurried over.
“What brings you here? Doing business?”
Yun Guangshi had a broad, square face, thick brows and large eyes. At first glance, he looked honest and dependable.
But he couldn’t hide his thoughts. With the ship guards chatting not far behind, he felt bold enough to speak openly.
“You’re a scholar with no land and no field,” he said bluntly. “Life’s already hard for you and you’ve gone and added another mouth to feed. With an extra pair of chopsticks at the table, do you still have any grain left in your jar?”
Ye Cunshan immediately caught the implication.
Even after he and Yun Cheng had officially registered in the clan genealogy, Yun Guangshi clearly hadn’t given up.
He found that surprising. When Li Qiujue came pestering them, he could dismiss it as her coveting Yun Cheng’s betrothal silver and trying to take advantage of family ties.
But for Yun Guangshi to persist, that suggested he had other plans. Could he be trying to sell Yun Cheng to some wealthy patron?
Otherwise, why take such risks?
Seeing that Ye Cunshan neither hit him nor walked away but instead looked thoughtful, Yun Guangshi thought there was hope.
He pressed on eagerly. “You still want to study for the examinations, don’t you? I’ve heard it costs several hundred coins just to buy paper for essays. That’s not a small expense.”
Ye Cunshan humored him, replying with interest, “True. It is costly. Do you have any bright ideas?”
Yun Guangshi glanced nervously around. The guards and steward Wu Jie were still watching from a distance. Emboldened, he leaned closer.
“Why, your Yun Cheng is a golden ingot in human form. Shouldn’t you put that to good use?”
Ye Cunshan lowered his eyes to hide the disgust in them and deliberately raised his voice in mild surprise. “Oh?”
Yun Guangshi named a price, eighteen taels of silver, for Yun Cheng to spend a month at the Wang estate.
When he had gone home and learned that Yun Cheng was now living with Ye Cunshan, he had urged his parents to persuade Yun Cheng again. Then he had returned to the county seat to work.
Days had passed with no progress from home. By chance, he ran into Ye Cunshan here.
Wu Jie, the steward, was a crude man. When he first chose guards for the shipment, he had picked Yun Guangshi for his sturdy build. But later, upon seeing Yun Cheng’s fine looks, he sneered that the only reason Yun Guangshi had been hired was because he was Yun Cheng’s cousin.
He berated Yun Guangshi for his lack of gratitude, saying that Old Master Wang had used him for two years and asked only this one favor, to bring Yun Cheng to the estate. Yet even that he could not accomplish.
Yun Guangshi didn’t dare talk back. He couldn’t actually drag Yun Cheng away by force. Between losing his job and landing in jail, he knew which was worse.
So when he saw Ye Cunshan, he seized the chance to negotiate.
He even offered to pay five taels of his own wage to Wu Jie, so that Ye Cunshan would receive the full eighteen taels without anyone taking a cut.
But Ye Cunshan didn’t even raise an eyelid. Instead, he gave a short, derisive laugh. “Do you know how much silver my family gave for Yun Cheng’s betrothal?”
Yun Guangshi blinked in disbelief. “Surely not eighteen taels too?”
In their village, no male spouse had ever fetched such a price.
“Twenty-five,” Ye Cunshan said.
Yun Guangshi froze. “Impossible!”
The timing was absurd, the company worse but Ye Cunshan couldn’t help the small smile tugging at his lips.
He was already planning to earn a good sum from this trip, to bring back to Yun Cheng. The next time anyone dared gossip or criticize, he could throw the number in their faces.
Satisfying and clean.
He knew Yun Guangshi didn’t have the courage to provoke Yun Cheng again, nor the backing of any powerful patron. His interest would fizzle out soon enough.
But to his surprise, Yun Guangshi persisted. “If you let him go to the Wang estate, I’ll give you three taels every month.”
Yun Guangshi’s pay ranged between two and six taels a month, depending on the work. When not traveling, he earned two; when on escort duty, a bit more. If they encountered river bandits but returned safely, there was a bonus.
Wu Jie had promised that if he succeeded in this matter, he would be promoted to team leader, with a minimum salary of six taels.
So offering Ye Cunshan three taels meant giving up that promotion but keeping his job.
He even planned that after one month, when Yun Cheng left the Wang estate, he would stop paying and Ye Cunshan could do nothing about it.
“You don’t have to lift a finger,” Yun Guangshi said eagerly. “In a month your wife will still be yours and you’ll already have twenty-one taels in your hand. After that, three taels every month. You can study all you want, eat meat every day, ”
The way he described it, the life sounded almost tempting.
Ye Cunshan cut him off coldly. “For the sake of your cowardice, I won’t hold this insult against you. But if you say one more word, I’ll cripple you.”
Yun Guangshi followed his gaze downward and immediately turned pale. Clamping his legs together, he ran.
Wu Jie called after him, “Well? How did it go?”
Yun Guangshi, trembling, muttered, “I think I’ll go back home and farm.”
Wu Jie stared. “What?”
But Yun Guangshi never did return to farming.
Serving as a guard on merchant ships was dangerous work, the kind paid in blood. The Wang family bought lives with money, hiring men for the price of laborers. Anyone with a decent household would never come.
It was only because the Yun family lacked standing among the clan villages that they thought a position like his brought honor, not peril.
Once the ship departed with Ye Cunshan aboard, Yun Cheng’s own life grew busy again.
Liu Yun dragged him around from dawn till dusk, teaching him to feed chickens and collect eggs, to care for pigs and rabbits, even to clean out three animal pens.
In both his past and present life, Yun Cheng had never done such things.
In theory, he told himself he couldn’t just stand idle and watch, that he could learn if he tried.
But in practice, every fiber of his being screamed resistance.
The most unbearable task was carrying out the waste from the latrine pits.
Because he was frail and slender, Liu Yun spared him that chore.
Still, she kept him working through the morning, sweeping, scrubbing, wiping every corner of the house. By noon, when they went down the mountain for lunch, Yun Cheng’s limbs were trembling with exhaustion.
For the first time ever, he found himself missing Ye Cunshan desperately.
The thought left him dazed.
His feelings, he realized, were far from pure.
What he missed was not the man himself but the man’s willingness to work for him.
Liu Yun, however, saw no issue. Since the room he used to live in was small and sparsely furnished, she assumed he simply hadn’t needed to clean before.
Smiling, she said kindly, “It’s alright. You’ll get used to it. Once it becomes a habit, you can tidy things with just a flick of your hand. Think of it as exercise. You’ve been too idle, your body’s gone weak.”
Since she was married, Liu Yun’s attitude toward Yun Cheng was all friendliness. She even lowered her voice and added, “You have to strengthen your body if you want to have children someday.”
Yun Cheng’s eyes widened in horror.
He dared not say it aloud but the thought burst in his head, he absolutely did not want children.
Not in an era without anesthesia, without sterile rooms, without the possibility of surgery.
That kind of pain could kill him.
Liu Yun, seeing his expression, only smiled shyly. “You’ll feel differently later.”
Since he was to stay at their home for about ten days, the meals were plain, simple dishes, no extravagance.
Ye Cunshan had sent all the meat to their household, instructing that Yun Cheng had night blindness and should eat more liver. Liu Yun cooked pig liver and divided it between him and Sister Chan.
The afternoon brought more work.
When Liu Yun discovered that Yun Cheng folded clothes by simply pressing the corners together and piling them into messy heaps, she declared they would spend the afternoon organizing the room.
He didn’t have many clothes and Ye Cunshan folded his own more neatly than he did, so there was little to fix.
When they were done, she took him to the vegetable garden and began teaching him how to tend the plants.
Only after night fell was Yun Cheng finally free.
After dinner, he went to the side room that Madam Zhao had prepared for him. It used to belong to the eldest son, Ye Hu. There was a heated brick bed inside, much warmer than the mountain cottage he had shared with Ye Cunshan.
He had thought he might not sleep well in a strange bed. But the moment he lay down, the pillow touched his cheek and he drifted instantly into dreams.
The next morning, when he woke, he felt a faint flush of shame as he summed up the previous day’s parting.
On the first day of Ye Cunshan’s departure, he missed him terribly.
✦ ✧ ✦
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
Coffee is technically a form of emotional support.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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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