On the road earlier, Grandma Ye had pressed a red envelope into Yun Cheng’s hand.
Though embarrassed, his cheeks burning, Yun Cheng accepted it, “Thank you, Grandma.”
His husband’s home was nothing like what Yun Cheng had imagined. The house was built of green brick with tiled roofing, carrying an air of quiet dignity rarely seen along the way.
The meal laid out was even more surprising, there was fish, meat, and a proper spread. This was nothing like the poverty he had expected.
Ye Cunshan, ever attentive, kept picking food for him, first a slice of pork with the perfect balance of fat and lean, then a tender piece of boneless fish belly.
Before long, Yun Cheng’s bowl was piled into a neat little mound.
His face burned red with embarrassment that never quite faded. Still, out of courtesy, he picked bits of meat and fish in turn for Ye Cunshan, returning the gesture.
This scene did not go unnoticed; the expressions around the table shifted in various ways.
Young Cunyin, still too small to hide his feelings, pouted sourly, bubbles of envy rising in his chest, “Brother, I want meat too.”
Ye Cunshan calmly picked up his chopsticks and placed a piece into his younger brother’s bowl.
Cunyin whined again, “I want fish too!”
At that, Liu Cuiying smacked the back of his head. “Just wait till tomorrow, when we find you a husband. Then you can eat whatever you want.”
Cunyin’s cheeks flared bright red. He lowered his head and sulked into his rice without another word.
Meanwhile, the old man and his grandson drank their homemade rice wine, while Grandpa Ye spoke at length about Cunshan. Yun Cheng could read between the lines.
The elders didn’t seem to care whether Cunshan tilled fields or pursued his books. What they truly wanted was for him to settle down quickly, take a wife, and have children.
When the old man finally stopped, his gaze slid over to Yun Cheng, carrying the weight of scrutiny and judgment.
For all that Yun Cheng was fair and striking, his frame was delicate, his body thin and fragile, not the sort of build that promised easy childbearing.
Grandpa Ye sighed. “During the mourning period, you ought to take care of your health. Once this passes, it’ll be time for a lively wedding celebration.”
Ye Cunshan clearly wanted none of it. “No. I’m poor.”
“A stubborn mule if there ever was one,” the old man snorted. “If you’re not poor, who is?”
He called for his son to fetch the family silver. Ye Da had his wife, Chen Jinhua, bring it. She came out with a wooden box, face tight though she’d shown no displeasure through the whole meal.
She set it down in front of Cunshan and had him count it carefully.
When all was tallied, she patted her belly and smiled. “I’m two months along myself. When the time comes, you can give the baby a name. It’ll add some refinement.”
Cunshan sneered. “Why not ask Immortal Li to divine a name for you?”
The words fell like a stone in the room, pulling everyone back to the reason Cunshan had once been cast out of the family. For a moment, the air turned heavy.
Ye Da cleared his throat and said stiffly, “Anyway… from now on, you two should live your lives well together. Best not to come back too often.”
Yun Cheng almost choked on his food. What sort of thing was that to say? Even with families split apart, what father ever forbade his child from returning home?
He looked at Cunshan’s face, pale and unreadable. His thumb rubbed over the coarse clay cup in his hand.
He had no appetite left, and his whole bearing radiated quiet displeasure. Yun Cheng’s instincts told him that he was very unhappy.
Around the table, not one person seemed willing to stand up for him. Only Cunyin sat with his cheeks puffed, angry but afraid to speak.
Even the grandmother, who had just been smiling kindly while pressing red envelopes into Yun Cheng’s hand, let the words pass without protest.
The suffocating silence set a fire smoldering in Yun Cheng’s chest. He wasn’t brave enough to upend the table, but neither could he sit there and do nothing.
So, when Ye Da set down his wine, Yun Cheng snatched up Cunshan’s cup, filled it to the brim, and grinned as he raised it.
“Dad, let me toast you.”
Ye Da blinked, caught off guard, but he took the cup. Their glasses clinked, and Yun Cheng downed the drink in one gulp.
The liquor was rough, its impurities burning down his throat with a bitter edge. Before Ye Da had even recovered, Yun Cheng slammed the cup down, then stretched out his hand toward him.
His fingers were long and delicate, the pads faintly pink.
Ye Da stared, utterly bewildered.
Yun Cheng spoke clearly, “Father-in-law, your wine!”
Ye Da: “…”
Cunshan couldn’t hold back a laugh. He poured water into the cup and set it in front of Yun Cheng.
Chen Jinhua’s eyelids twitched. She wanted to remind everyone that she was pregnant and shouldn’t drink, but Yun Cheng was already holding out the cup of tea to her.
Cunshan obligingly filled it with coarse tea.
Yun Cheng beamed. “Mother-in-law, your tea.”
Chen Jinhua: “…”
By the end of the meal, the two of them walked away satisfied. Yun Cheng carefully placed the three red envelopes he’d received into the wooden box, then shook it playfully on the road home, listening to the clink.
With the warmth of the rice wine in his head, he clapped Cunshan on the shoulder.
“From now on, we’re one family. The household is split anyway! if they don’t want us back, then we won’t go back.”
The rice wine wasn’t strong enough to floor him, but in a body unaccustomed to drink, it had left him flushed and excitable.
Cunshan glanced at him sidelong. Since their betrothal, Yun Cheng had grown noticeably livelier, a spark in his eyes that made him seem more alive.
For the first time, Cunshan felt a stir of curiosity and tested the waters, “Li Bansian once told me my fate was cursed, to bring ruin to my parents above, and to my brothers below.”
Yun Cheng straightened his back. “But he didn’t say you’d ruin your spouse!”
Cunshan froze, then suddenly laughed, the heaviness in his chest breaking apart.
Leaning closer, Yun Cheng half-shouted a “whisper,” his breath warm with the sharp edge of drink. “I’ve been thinking… I’ll use leftover threads to stitch little patterns on scrap cloth. That’ll show Shopkeeper Wang what I can do. If it works out, you’ll keep studying, and I’ll keep us in meat. We’ll live days sweet as honey.”
This batch of embroidery would earn a whole tael of silver!
If he clung tight to this iron rice bowl, there would always be soup to drink and meat to eat.
Cunshan couldn’t hear a hint of reluctance in his tone. On the contrary, Yun Cheng’s face was lit with joy, the breeze itself seeming to follow him.
The warmth seeped into Cunshan’s chest, soothing the raw ache he’d carried all evening.
His kindness hadn’t been wasted.
Yun Cheng rubbed at the thin calluses on his fingertips. “If Shopkeeper Wang keeps giving me work, just buy me a little box of hand cream. That’ll be enough.”
Hand cream, something to soften and protect the skin, so his fingers could keep up with the fine embroidery that would secure their future.
In his past life, Yun Cheng had been pampered from birth, yet plagued by illness. Because of that, his body had been fragile, but his spirit had been honed into something resilient.
Now, even if hardships lay ahead, as long as he could see hope, he could grit his teeth and swallow them down.
Once this trial was over, he would return to his old line of work. In the meantime, he could start planning ahead, perhaps even test the waters by telling Ye Cunshan bedtime stories and see how an ancient scholar might react to the melodrama of those “dog-blood” tales.
This burst of energy carried him through the whole day.
When they returned home, Yun Cheng set up a small makeshift frame out of peeled paper mulberry branches, then used both hands to embroider handkerchief-sized fan faces.
The pieces were small, the patterns simple, and mostly of the same style. Once he finished the first one, his speed doubled.
Ye Cunshan, taking advantage of the clear skies, washed his hair. While it was still damp, he couldn’t sit down to copy texts, so he headed to the woodshed.
There, he nailed four planks together into a crude sand table, intending to use it to teach Yun Cheng how to write when there was time.
Once that was done, he laid out brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, cut sheets of paper, and copied down passages.
By the time the sky darkened, both had put aside their tasks.
Cunshan gathered the mulberry bark he’d dried, tied it into bundles, and threw it into the river. That step done, they would have to wait ten days before retrieving it.
Dinner was much the same as usual, though tonight two extra red eggs appeared. Cunshan warmed them and served them whole.
That first night, the two slept in separate rooms. Yun Cheng thought of ancient mourning customs, sons observing filial piety after their father’s passing and made no objection.
At first, he found it hard to get used to the solitude. But as he lay in bed imagining over-the-top dramatic storylines, he ended up lulling himself into sleep.
Cunshan, on the other hand, lit an oil lamp and used the quiet hours to make up for the days of classical texts he’d fallen behind on.
The next morning, he went into the mountains to hunt.
Left alone in the house, Yun Cheng grew uneasy. To distract himself, he gathered up the laundry from the last two days, then sneaked into Cunshan’s room to take his soiled clothes as well. With both loads, he made his way to the riverbank.
There were only a few lively places in the village, and the river was one of them. His arrival drew plenty of stares, curious and measuring.
Yun Cheng ignored them and picked a quiet spot. He had wanted to wash the clothes thoroughly, get them spotless. But the water was icy cold, biting against his fingers until they stung.
Quickly losing patience, he sprinkled on some wood ash, grabbed the washing bat, and hammered away until he deemed it good enough.
Then he swished the clothes once in the water and pulled them out, not willing to stay a moment longer.
His method drew laughter from those nearby. Yun Cheng glanced at them, wanting to respond but at a loss for words. In the end, he plastered on a universal polite smile.
Villagers who loved to gossip were tricky people.
If you engaged, they said you couldn’t take a joke.
If you ignored them, they called you arrogant and difficult.
Just then, young Cunyin appeared, carrying his own basin of clothes. When he saw Yun Cheng, his lips trembled into a pout, his face full of grievance.
Without a word, he squatted down beside him and mimicked Yun Cheng’s haphazard method, smacking clothes with the bat, sending up splashes of water.
To Yun Cheng, he was just a child. He couldn’t leave him alone like that, so he asked gently, “What’s wrong?”
Cunyin muttered, “Mother said she’s pregnant, so she can’t touch cold water. That’s why she made me come wash clothes. I usually heat water in winter, but she says it’s not that cold yet, and everyone else washes here at the river.”
His movements were even rougher than Yun Cheng’s. He simply dunked the clothes, beat them twice, gave them a perfunctory swirl, and yanked them out, he didn’t even bother with wood ash.
Yun Cheng frowned. “If it’s not that cold, why doesn’t she wash them herself? And what’s wrong with using firewood? That’s your brother’s wood he chopped, why shouldn’t you use it?”
He looked down at his own red, stinging hands, then remembered the neat stack of chopped firewood behind the house. He felt suddenly foolish.
Turning back to Cunyin, he asked, “Do you know how to build a fire?”
A short while later, the two of them returned to the house together.
Cunyin started the fire and boiled water, while Yun Cheng hauled firewood from the yard. Working side by side, they happily managed to wash all the clothes in hot water.
When it was done, Yun Cheng rewarded him with a piece of candy. Cunyin’s favor toward him shot up immediately.
He no longer treated Yun Cheng like an outsider. Perched at his side, he watched as Yun Cheng embroidered, chattering away without pause.
From him, Yun Cheng learned a great deal, snippets of gossip about various families in the village, and bits of Ye family affairs.
Piecing it together with what Cunshan had said the night before about his ill-fated fortune, Yun Cheng began to form a clearer picture.
In this era, people valued one thing above all: flourishing descendants, many children, much fortune.
The adopted daughter of the Ye family had married off not long after coming of age, so she didn’t count.
Cunyin himself hardly counted either, since he too would one day be married out.
That left only Ye Cunshan. But as the years passed without him showing any intent to marry, the elders grew distant, their expectations souring.
When Chen Jinhua entered the family, the elders calculated her age and realized they might yet have a grandchild through her. They treated her kindly and handed over management of the household.
Wanting to prove her worth as a daughter-in-law, she tried to ease their worries by asking someone to divine when Cunshan would marry and to what sort of family.
The marriage was never determined, but instead came a pronouncement: Cunshan’s fate clashed with his kin.
The solution, they said, was to split the family. Keep the ties from growing too close.
To Yun Cheng, with his limited social experience, the reasoning seemed crude and full of holes.
Clearly, the real issue was that the elders feared their own soft hearts would push them into supporting a scholar son.
But in this age, people believed such superstitions and many believed them deeply.
He had little doubt that Chen Jinhua was acquainted with this so-called “Immortal Li.”
By the time meal hour approached, Cunyin reluctantly headed back down the mountain.
The laundry was heavy with water. Yun Cheng and Cunyin carried a basin each, trudging side by side to his house. By the time they set them down, Yun Cheng was panting, but exhilarated.
For over twenty years of his previous life, asthma had made every breath a cautious battle.
Now, though this body was skinny and weak, it had no grave illness. With care, he could nurture himself into a healthy young man.
That afternoon, Cunshan returned with two wild rabbits, one male, one female.
The female was pregnant, so he couldn’t kill her.
He placed them in the woodshed for the time being. After dinner, he built a small hutch, giving the rabbits to Yun Cheng to raise.
If they bred successfully and survived the winter, the family would have a steady supply of meat next year.
Yun Cheng stroked the rabbits’ soft fur. They were so adorable his mouth watered, saliva nearly pooling. The craving was unmistakable.
It was all because of the lack of meat in his diet.
He clenched his fist. Earning money was urgent.
He had to achieve meat freedom!
That night, he told Cunshan about Cunyin’s grievances. “He was fuming.”
Cunshan only nodded. “It’s fine.”
Chen Jinhua’s behavior was just another test. This time, because they’d taken money from her household, she felt unsettled.
Normally, when Cunyin took her food, she would only mutter a few sarcastic remarks. This time she vented her anger, and that was that.
But Yun Cheng…
“I need to go to the market tomorrow,” Cunshan said, watching him carefully. “I’ll be back late. Will you be all right at home by yourself?”
I feel Immortal Li is fake! Calling someone unlucky star and solution being Seperated from family? Nore like step-mom’s scheme
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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