Although he clearly heard the quarrel, Ye Cunshan pretended to be confused. The corner of his lips lifted, but his eyes and brows were filled with coldness.
“Talking about marriage?”
“Just right. Today, let’s make everything clear.”
Ye Cunshan held Yun Cheng’s wrist and led him inside. The villagers watching the commotion automatically made way, while a few who were just here for the drama started teasing.
“Cunshan, are you really together with Brother Cheng?”
“Didn’t you say this morning you were going to the county to look for work?”
This rumor had been spreading all day and had long grown so muddled that even the people involved were baffled by what they were hearing.
Someone else chimed in, “Looking for work? Nonsense, he went to buy things to prepare for marriage.”
As he spoke, he rolled his eyes meaningfully at the bundle Yun Cheng was carrying.
“Look, maybe it’s even a wedding outfit worth two or three taels of silver!”
The crowd burst into muffled laughter.
Li Qiuju couldn’t help but glance at Yun Cheng’s bundle as well, regret flashing in her heart. Back then, she only thought that wealthy families in the countryside would rarely be willing to spend much to marry a ge’er.
She had overlooked Yun Cheng’s looks, surely someone would be willing to pay a high price for him.
Her face plastered with a smile, she said, “Marriage is a big matter. Brother Cheng’s family doesn’t have—”
Chen Jinhua, seeing through her scheming, spat loudly to cut her off.
“Pah! Brother Cheng’s family doesn’t have anyone? Even if you don’t feel guilty, you shouldn’t be arranging a wedding before the head-seven has even passed, should you?”
She turned back to look at Ye Cunshan. A trace of apprehension flashed through her long, narrow eyes.
“I’ve heard all sorts of rumors today. I can’t tell what’s true or false. Since you’ve come back, it’s just right, tell everyone. Did you really go looking for work, or are you planning marriage? Brother Cheng is still in mourning. You still want to sit for the imperial exams in the future. You mustn’t mess around.”
Yun Cheng’s steps halted.
From the original body’s memory, he knew Ye Cunshan was a scholar, but he had overlooked the imperial examination part.
Ye Cunshan didn’t grip his hand too tightly. The moment Yun Cheng stopped, he felt it, so he didn’t pull him further along.
Instead, he first responded to Chen Jinhua.
“I understand. Thank you for the reminder.”
Then, ignoring the stiffness on Chen Jinhua’s face, he turned to Li Qiuju.
“What were you trying to say just now?”
Ye Cunshan was tall and broad-shouldered. Standing there, he cast a shadow over the people in front of him, looming like a heavy black tower.
Li Qiuju flinched. But at the thought of money, she gritted her teeth and summoned the courage to ask, “He doesn’t have any elders at home. As his senior relatives, naturally, we should help. Regarding the marriage and the betrothal gift, when do you plan to come to us to discuss it?”
Ye Cunshan’s tone dripped with sarcasm.
“How many years have you been separated from his family? A few days ago, he knocked his head bloody in your courtyard yet couldn’t even beg a single copper coin from you. And now you’re thinking about his betrothal gift? Even if I have one, it’s for him personally.”
Li Qiuju grew anxious.
“If you give it to him, won’t it just circle back into your hands? Isn’t that the same as not giving at all?”
Yun Cheng felt sick at the sight of her and bluntly asked, “Then how much dowry are you planning to give me?”
Li Qiuju glared at him.
Dowry? No dowry! How could she possibly prepare a dowry for him?
Ye Cunshan gave Yun Cheng an approving look. His gaze then drifted lightly toward Yun Renyi, his words laced with hidden meaning.
“I also advise some people to drop their thoughts. Trafficking in human beings is punished by one hundred strokes of the cane.”
If they didn’t report it, nothing would happen. If they did, with the whole village as witnesses, not a single member of that family would escape.
After one hundred strokes of the cane, whether they lived or died would depend on fate.
Yun Renyi had been standing there for a while, mostly to back up Li Qiuju, and hadn’t gotten involved in the argument. But Ye Cunshan’s words about the law made him snap.
“What trafficking in human beings! Who did I sell? Bring them out! Who saw it! Who was bought! You call arranging a marriage trafficking? Then no one will ever talk about marriage again!”
His face flushed red, his thick neck bulging. Whether it was anger or fear of the law, his hands shook like a sieve as he passed by.
But Ye Cunshan deliberately added, “I’m talking about whoever feels guilty.”
Then he once again pulled Yun Cheng inside.
This time, Yun Cheng didn’t stop.
Yun Renyi, desperate to shed the accusation of trafficking, roared in panic, “Don’t you bully people just because you’re from a big surname!”
The crowd refused to accept that.
“What bullying?”
“Who bullied you? You brought people over several times to openly ogle Brother Cheng. Wasn’t it us who stopped you?”
In Jinghe Village, there was only one big surname, the Ye family.
Because of marriage ties with neighboring villages and because they had taken in some refugees long ago, there were also a few miscellaneous surnames around.
The Yun family were refugees. They were the only Yun family in Jinghe Village.
They had been rooted here for nearly thirty years, yet the clan system remained exclusive.
With one sentence, Yun Renyi had offended everyone, dragging Li Qiuju down with him as she was showered with spittle from the angry crowd.
Amidst the commotion, Ye Cunshan brought Yun Cheng back into the house.
“Go pack up your things.”
It was Yun Cheng’s first time entering this little clay-brick house. Most of the original body’s memories were here.
The space was less than twenty square meters, divided into three areas. Facing the entrance was a clay stove. Against the wall stood a long square low table, serving both as cupboard and dining table, with some firewood piled beside it.
To the left was Father Yun’s bedroom, with a bed made of wooden planks on brick supports.
Deeper inside was Yun Cheng’s own room, without even a window.
Walking in, he could see several damp puddles, it had leaked rain.
The original body’s clothes were all worn out, but at least they were washed clean and fit him well.
Father and son seldom bought new clothes or shoes throughout the year. When it got cold, they might buy cotton quilts, and only when they were well-off would they get a piece of cloth.
No wonder Ye Cunshan didn’t think much of his embroidery work in such family circumstances.
Yun Cheng only took two sets of clothes and shoes, and packed the little wooden box the original body treasured most. Everything else, he would come back for another day.
Outside, Ye Cunshan sat on a low stool. His long legs had nowhere to rest, stretched out to block the narrow passage.
Yun Cheng recalled the height difference between them and asked, “How old are you this year?”
Ye Cunshan lifted his eyelids lazily, his tone casual, “Nineteen.”
Yun Cheng had been twenty-five before transmigrating. Fortunately, he was a few years younger now. That way, when under someone’s protection, he wouldn’t seem too incompetent.
The thin walls and flimsy door didn’t block sound. The arguing outside still seeped in.
Ye Cunshan tapped his fingers against the table.
If he left Yun Cheng here tonight, the broken door wouldn’t keep out those lecherous widowers with ill intent.
But if he took him up the mountain, Yun Cheng would struggle to get back down.
“Have you made up your mind?”
From his hesitation, Yun Cheng only felt gentleness and care. Warmth spread through his chest.
He reached out toward Ye Cunshan.
“My eyes can’t see at night. You’ll have to hold my hand.”
He wasn’t the only one who couldn’t see. By the time they finished speaking, the quarreling outside had already quieted down.
When they went down the mountain, Ye Cunshan walked ahead, and Yun Cheng, biting his teeth, still struggled to keep up with his pace.
On the way up the mountain, Ye Cunshan carried three small bundles in one hand and held Yun Cheng’s hand with the other.
They walked under the starlight, stepping on gravel.
Once home, they busied themselves with dinner. Following Ye Cunshan’s instructions, Yun Cheng went to unpack the things they had brought back today, not daring to get in the way in the kitchen.
Dinner was pickled vegetable and dough-ball soup, with two meat buns for each of them.
Yun Cheng had followed Ye Cunshan the whole way but hadn’t noticed when he bought the meat buns.
The dough was soft, the meat fragrant. Yun Cheng ate bite after bite, one mouthful of bun, one mouthful of soup and talked much more than usual tonight.
One moment, he asked Ye Cunshan if what he told Yun Renyi about the law was true. The next, he worried if living here would affect his imperial exam prospects.
Before Ye Cunshan could reply, he said on his own, “I think I remember there’s another thatched hut nearby. If it affects you, I’ll go live there instead…”
Chattering on, Yun Cheng unknowingly finished a second bun.
That wasn’t what he intended. At once, he split the bun in half and handed it to Ye Cunshan.
“I can’t eat anymore.”
Just like in the morning, Ye Cunshan tore the half bun into pieces and mixed them into his soup.
“Eat up. It’s only this meal we’ll be full. Later, you’ll have to go hungry with me.”
Yun Cheng’s eyes curved as he laughed.
“Shopkeeper Wang said, once I finish this batch of embroidery, I’ll get one tael of silver.”
They were just handkerchiefs and fan covers. With his fast hands, he could finish them in three to four days.
His hands only had thin calluses, enough for these less delicate fabrics.
After resting them, he could take on finer, more expensive materials and earn more.
Ye Cunshan didn’t crush his confidence. After the meal, he lazily flipped through the book they had brought back today, preparing to study it well before copying it out.
While still chewing, he could spare the effort to answer Yun Cheng’s earlier questions, his mind also occupied with how to earn money and support a household.
The law was indeed real, it had always existed, but in the gray areas, almost no one cared to enforce it.
Only after the Grand Tutor’s daughter was abducted did this law start being applied strictly.
“Otherwise, what do you think your uncle’s family didn’t just hire thugs to drag you away directly, but instead forced you to sign a contract of servitude?”
The original body hadn’t understood, nor had anyone told him.
So Yun Cheng also didn’t understand, and followed along in fear.
Ye Cunshan continued, “I scared him enough today. At least during the mourning period, he won’t dare harbor thoughts of selling you again.”
So, if he regretted this, there was still time to turn back.
Under the table, Yun Cheng kicked Ye Cunshan.
The kick almost made Ye Cunshan jump up on the spot. His flustered expression in that moment was caught by Yun Cheng, who found it amusing and couldn’t suppress a laugh.
“You said back in Weixian you’d make do with me,” he teased.
How could someone pull him into the house on one hand, yet push him out with the other?
Still, Yun Cheng was sensible. He took the initiative to gather the bowls and chopsticks to wash them.
Ye Cunshan stopped him. “Leave it. Pitch-dark like this, don’t go smashing the bowls.”
Yun Cheng set the bowls down, but still headed toward the kitchen.
He wanted to bathe, he was uncomfortable. They had gone to the county seat today, and the ox cart ride had left him dusty and sweaty.
Fortunately, Ye Cunshan helped out and didn’t let Yun Cheng fumble alone with lighting a fire.
The night was already chilly, and it was late.
Ye Cunshan bathed directly in the yard. Yun Cheng, stripped of his clothes, shivered from the cold and feared catching a chill, so in the end, he begrudgingly wiped himself down indoors with hot water.
When they lay down together on the same bed again, Yun Cheng brought up an old issue.
“You still haven’t told me if staying here with you will affect your imperial exam prospects. I mean it, I can stay in that thatched hut if it will.”
Ye Cunshan tugged at his collar. He was still unaccustomed to having a pretty young man lying beside him, otherwise, why would he be wearing clothes to bed?
His reply carried a trace of impatience: “We can barely afford food—what exams are you talking about?”
That remark stirred Yun Cheng’s grand plan of supporting the household.
He scooted closer, intending to tell him about papermaking.
Ye Cunshan assumed he was being clingy. He retreated all the way to the edge of the bed, but didn’t move further. Instead, he turned sideways, hooked Yun Cheng by the waist with one arm, and shoved him back onto the bed. “Behave yourself.”
Yun Cheng was stunned by the move. Once he processed it, his whole body, from face to toes, flushed hot.
“I really did have something to say just now…”
Ye Cunshan asked, “We’re sharing the same pillow, what kind of words need whispering in my ear?”
Yun Cheng didn’t get angry. This was a matter concerning how far their makeshift “husband and husband” partnership could go. He said, “I know how to make paper. I’ve never tried it before, but… why don’t we give it a try?”
“Make paper?” Ye Cunshan repeated, then corrected himself, “Make a child?”
It wasn’t strange his thoughts went astray. How else could Yun Cheng know such a thing?
Two men alone together, sharing the same bed, if it involved the word “make,” surely it could only be “making a child.”
Yun Cheng kicked him. “I’m serious, behave properly.”
The kick nearly bounced Ye Cunshan out from under the quilt. Not wanting Yun Cheng to notice his embarrassment, he shifted his legs restlessly, stirring cold air into the covers, before settling down stiffly again.
His voice came out between gritted teeth: “You’ve got guts.”
Yun Cheng shrank back a little, but his ambition outweighed his fear. Forcing himself to change the subject, he asked, “Do you know the paper mulberry tree?”
Ye Cunshan said, “Plenty of them in the mountains.”
Yun Cheng’s eyes lit up. “Then let’s try tomorrow, shall we? You won’t lose anything by trying.”
✦ ✧ ✦
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
Coffee: useful. Translator: useful. You: potentially useful.
☕ 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