My Husband is a Drama King [Book Transmigration] 21

Chapter 21: At Your Beck and Call

Tonight, Cao Qin had given her ge’er a book to read in advance, to learn about the matters of marriage.

Xu Zhizhou had only glanced at it before his cheeks turned red, and he bit his lip, not daring to look again. He thought that since his elder brother was older, he might also know about this, so he dragged his feet to find him. After asking and finding out that his elder brother didn’t know, he hurried back to his room.

“This is too embarrassing. Shouldn’t it be that you just lie together, or kiss, and then you have a child?” Xu Zhizhou muttered to himself.

He shook his head, hesitated with the picture book, and rolled onto the bed, opening it again. He saw the posture of a man and a ge’er and turned red.

“Forget it, I’m not looking anymore. It’s too shameful.” Xu Zhizhou pulled the quilt over his head and threw the picture book onto the bedside cabinet.

When he couldn’t breathe, he lowered the quilt for air, his fair face flushed pink.

No way, do we really have to do that? Do we really have to be that intimate?

Recalling Song Changxu’s face and figure, Xu Zhizhou breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he wasn’t bad-looking. Otherwise, if they had to do such intimate things, Xu Zhizhou wasn’t sure he wouldn’t back out at the last minute.

At least, looking at that face, he felt pleased.

.

Song Family

Song Changxu told Song Ye and Liang Su about his earnings. “Here are one hundred copper coins for you, Father and Mother.”

Liang Su smiled. “We’ll take it this time, but you don’t have to give us copper coins in the future. It seems you can make money. You can earn more if you go again tomorrow.”

The worry on Song Ye’s brow dissipated. He took a puff of his pipe. “In that case, a food business is better than farming. The money comes faster.”

Song Changxu said, “I only have a three-day holiday. When I’m not here, the business will have to rely on Elder Brother, but there’s no need to rush.”

“In that case, if you’re not here and Mingyan is too busy, I can also go and help,” Liang Su said.

Song Ye: “It’s not the busy farming season yet. The old woman can lend a hand.”

Song Changxu and Song Mingyan agreed to go to town together the next morning and then went to their respective rooms.

He went to wash up. Xu Cheng, holding his toothbrush and spitting out foam, asked, “Are Father and Uncle doing business?”

Song Changxu also spat out foam and nodded slightly.

The toothbrushes they used were made of pig bristles. Some families didn’t have toothbrushes and used willow branches. As for the toothpaste, it was made by boiling willow branches. It had a cleaning, sterilizing, and anti-inflammatory effect, but it wasn’t ground finely enough, and sometimes it would contain impurities, like unboiled willow leaves.

Xu Cheng excitedly wiped his mouth with a cloth and said, “I’m six years old. I can help too.”

Song Changxu gave a perfunctory glance at his nephew’s small arms and legs, touched his nose, and then picked up his nephew and put him on the other side, walking past him.

“You, you’re still too young.”

Xu Cheng followed behind Song Changxu, whining, “Uncle, Uncle…”

Song Changxu wasn’t falling for it. He closed the door with a slam, his face expressionless.

Xu Cheng scratched at the door for a while, then left.

Not hearing any noise outside the door, Song Changxu pulled up his quilt and went to sleep.

Xu Cheng returned to his room and snuggled up to Song Mingyan. “I can help too. Uncle just doesn’t want me.”

Song Mingyan smiled and wiped Xu Cheng’s face. “You’re still young. Uncle is doing what’s best for you. You can also help by looking after the chickens and ducks at home. It’ll be fine when you’re older.”

Nestled in his father’s arms, Xu Cheng’s mood improved a lot.

Song Mingyan patted Xu Cheng’s back and coaxed him to sleep. He hadn’t had much money when he returned from the Xu family. Back at home, he had embroidered purses and handkerchiefs, and sold bamboo shoots. The family hadn’t taken any of that money, and he had saved it all himself.

He carefully put away the money Changxu had given him today. He would save it slowly. Song Mingyan fell asleep with a sense of satisfaction.

The next day, Song Changxu and Song Mingyan took their wooden buckets to town to sell their food. Someone who had eaten it yesterday and wanted more was waiting this morning. Seeing them arrive, he came forward and ordered three meat skewers and ten vegetable skewers.

“That’ll be thirty copper coins in total.”

The man paid readily, took the skewers, and devoured them, mumbling, “I’ve been thinking about these since I ate them yesterday. I finally get to eat them again.”

After he finished, he wanted more and bought another four meat skewers and ten vegetable skewers. “I’ll take these home to eat.”

They had earned sixty-four copper coins right from the start. Song Changxu smiled. “Take care, sir.”

Today, there were both returning and new customers. In the morning, Shuibo Town was bustling with stalls selling dumplings, noodles, buns, flower rolls, sweet soups, groceries… all sorts of stalls were set up, steaming.

Song Changxu took a moment to drink some water and continued to mix skewers for customers and collect money.

More and more people came. The stalls next to them, seeing their good fortune, felt a bit sour and moved a little further away.

Some of the young women and ge’ers in town had heard that the skewers here were delicious and that there was a handsome man, so they came to see what was going on. As soon as they smelled the aroma, their mouths watered, and they bought a few skewers.

“This is so delicious. I think it’s even better than pastries, and there’s meat too. It’s a good deal,” a young girl said, holding a skewer as if she had discovered a heavenly delicacy.

The pastries in town were expensive, especially from the old, established shops. In contrast, the price of the Song family’s skewers was very reasonable.

Today, they sold out of ingredients by noon again. Some people were disappointed and had to leave.

“Are you coming back tomorrow?”

Song Mingyan: “Yes, we are.”

The two of them went to the market to buy pork and chicken, and then went home to count the copper coins. This time, they had made more, but it had sold out even faster. After deducting the costs, they had earned six hundred copper coins.

Song Mingyan felt it was very worth it.

“Elder Brother, I’ll teach you how to make the seasoning.”

Song Mingyan remembered that Song Changxu had said he still had to go to Lingshui Village to study, so he quickly went to the kitchen with him to learn.

First, they would make a small batch to try.

.

The sun grew stronger. Liang Su came home early to cook. Someone asked, “Why didn’t your Mingyan come to help? Is he not at home, or did he go somewhere else, making you come home to cook?”

Song Ye chuckled. “We’re not too clear about the children’s business.”

The couple didn’t say much more. When they returned to their room in the evening, Song Mingyan had already prepared dinner.

They had sold out by noon, so it was just right to take a nap in the afternoon, go cut some grass, and then come back to take care of the chickens and ducks and cook. It wasn’t too tiring.

Song Changxu recited his books and went to sleep.

.

On the third day, Song Changxu continued to set up the stall with Song Mingyan. This time, he let Song Mingyan take the lead. At first, Song Mingyan was a bit flustered, but after a while, he gradually got the hang of it.

Xu Zhizhou came to town to sell his purses and handkerchiefs. After he was done, he went to Xu Zhici’s side to help sell vegetables and bamboo baskets. After Xu Zhici was done, he had to go to the post station.

They sold their vegetables quickly. This time, Xu Zhizhou didn’t go to the post station with his elder brother. Instead, he saw Song Changxu selling food on the side.

Seeing that they were about to close up, Xu Zhizhou quietly went over.

In Song Mingyan’s eyes, Xu Zhizhou was still a sweet-tongued ge’er. He was still putting on a facade in front of “Brother Song.” He looked straight at Song Changxu.

Song Changxu felt a familiar, burning gaze on him. First, he got goosebumps all over, then he looked up and met Xu Zhizhou’s eyes. “…”

Xu Zhizhou pointed to the small alley behind him.

Song Changxu went over.

Xu Zhizhou: “Why aren’t you studying? Why are you in the food business?”

Song Changxu: “To earn some money.”

“Is your family out of money?” Xu Zhizhou probed.

Song Changxu thought that if he were a bit smarter, he would have probed more subtly. But he was so blatant about it, and he still thought he was very clever.

A bit…

“My studies cost a lot of money,” Song Changxu said.

Xu Zhizhou tucked a strand of hair behind his ear, revealing his fair and beautiful face. “Don’t worry, I don’t mind.”

He met Xu Zhizhou’s face and looked away slightly. “I have something else to do, so I’ll be going.”

Xu Zhizhou grabbed Song Changxu’s sleeve. “Where are you going? Ahem, can you read?”

Song Changxu looked at him strangely. “Yes.”

If he couldn’t even read, then he had studied for nothing.

Could it be that he wants me to help him write a letter?

“Oh.” Xu Zhizhou let go of his sleeve, waved his hand, and left.

The weight on his sleeve was gone. Song Changxu’s expression was inexplicable. Is he playing with me? He had pulled him over just to say some nonsense. What was even more infuriating was that he had actually come over.

Pathetic, truly pathetic. Song Changxu was furious.

Xu Zhizhou walked with his head down. There were words on the picture book his mother had given him, but he couldn’t read them. People who couldn’t read usually didn’t look at the words, only the pictures. But Song Changxu could read. He could look at both the words and the pictures. That meant Song Changxu knew much more than him.

Without another thought, Xu Zhizhou found his elder brother and went back with him.

Song Changxu and Song Mingyan packed up and went home. In the afternoon, Song Ye came back and told him to go to Carpenter Hu’s to bring back the bed.

He went to his aunt’s house to borrow a cart to go to Carpenter Hu’s.

Liang Feng came along for the fun. Carpenter Hu had indeed finished it. He tied the bed to the cart. “Go on, go on.”

It’s such a big bed. If I were alone, I could roll around on it. But with two people, I probably can’t.

Liang Feng lent a hand and helped deliver the bed home. He said cheerfully, “Cousin, I’m just waiting for your wedding wine.”

Wedding wine, marriage? Song Changxu’s head was spinning.

He was a straight man.

New clothes, new boots, new bed, new basin, wedding quilt, sedan chair, new person. Song Changxu had a bizarre dream and went to study with dark circles under his eyes.

Lin Pu bumped his shoulder. “Did you go steal a cow last night?”

Song Changxu said, “No, I was tired from reciting my books last night.”

Lin Pu didn’t want to talk to him.

In a moment, Lin Pu had forgotten Song Changxu’s sharp tongue. He asked, “You’re getting married soon, right? The teacher is going to give you a holiday.”

Song Changxu figured he would get at least three days off. In ancient times, there was the custom of the bride returning to her parents’ home on the third day. He was really going to be another family’s son-in-law. Only he himself knew the bitterness in his heart.

“That’s great. We can go to your wedding feast and have a day off. It’s a pity we won’t be able to see your new husband.”

What new, what old? There’s only one.

Song Changxu opened his book and immersed himself in the ocean of knowledge…

Nothing was more fascinating than knowledge. What’s the point of a man having such a thin waist and such a fair face?

“There is no constancy in the alternation of high and low, hardness and softness. There can be no fixed rule; only change is appropriate.” [1]

Long eyelashes are useless too.

Author’s Note:

Little Song: So angry, I’m going to die of anger. [Furious]

Little Xu: Shy. [Laughs]

[1] From the Book of Changes.