My Husband is a Drama King [Book Transmigration] 15

Chapter 15: The Feast

Qishan Village had a barefoot doctor. The medical hall in town was far and expensive, so the villagers would go to Doctor Lin for a few prescriptions for minor illnesses and pains.

When Song Changxu arrived at the Lin residence, Doctor Lin was drying medicinal herbs. He explained the situation, and Doctor Lin took his medical kit and went with him.

At the Xu family’s courtyard, Doctor Lin examined Xu Zhizhou’s leg and said, “Fortunately, the bone isn’t injured. There are some scrapes and swelling. Applying a herbal poultice will do.”

Song Changxu went out with Doctor Lin.

Xu Zhizhou looked at his heel and bruised knee, not bothering to put his pant leg down.

He took a sharp breath. His heel and knee were burning. Seeing that his knee was still bleeding, he hugged his pillow.

.

Song Changxu paid Doctor Lin.

Doctor Lin: “That’ll be one qian in total.”

After getting the ointment and herbs, he first applied the ointment to Xu Zhizhou’s heel and knee, then explained how to crush the herbs and how often to apply the poultice.

“Then I’ll be heading back.”

Xu Zhizhou spoke up, “How much was the doctor’s visit?”

Song Changxu: “It’s a minor injury, so it wasn’t much. Just rest well.”

Song Changxu had no intention of asking Xu Zhizhou for money. He went out, brought back the basket he had left on the back mountain, placed it at the Xu residence, and then went home.

The two of them still had to be mindful of their reputations.

Back at home, Song Mingyan was doing needlework. His fingers moved nimbly through the sleeve. He looked up and saw Song Changxu return, and asked with concern, “Why were you gone so long? Did you settle the matter of the bed with Carpenter Hu?”

Song Changxu replied, “It’s all settled.”

Finding a carpenter in the village saved both money and trouble. Anyone in the village who needed a cabinet or bed made would go to Carpenter Hu.

Song Changxu went back to his room to read. Song Mingyan looked at the sky and went to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

First, he washed the rice and put it on to steam, adding corn kernels as usual. There was still a piece of tofu at home, which he soaked in water, then fried in oil. He also made a cold salad of fiddlehead ferns, a plate of fried peanuts, and a plate of stir-fried potato shreds.

After preparing the dishes, he heard someone calling him.

The Liang family had steamed meat buns, and his mother had asked him to bring some over for them.

“Mingyan, these are for you.”

After thanking him, Song Mingyan asked, “Cousin, Changxu’s wedding is in a month. We’ll need to borrow tables and chairs from your family.”

Liang Feng: “It’s no big deal. I’ll just move my family’s tables and chairs over to your place then.”

Song Mingyan smiled and agreed.

Liang Feng: “Don’t mind the gossip in the village. You know how people here love to talk. Just live your life well. The Xu family’s business has nothing to do with us.”

“I know, cousin.”

After seeing Liang Feng off, Song Mingyan steamed the buns, his heart filled with warmth.

As for Xu Peng earning money, no matter how much he earned, none of it would end up in his husband’s hands. Xu Peng’s parents had been very friendly to Song Mingyan before he married into their family, but they had changed after he did. They made him do all the household chores while they slacked off and tormented him. Xu Peng had to hand over all the money he earned. Even if he hid some, he would only spend it on himself and never give any to him.

He was more at ease in his maiden home.

After Changxu got married, there would be a brother-in-law in the family. Song Mingyan was a little afraid that he wouldn’t get along with Xu Zhizhou, but seeing that Xu Zhizhou seemed easy to get along with, he would take things one step at a time. If they didn’t get along, he would just have to keep his distance.

Actually, what he was most afraid of was that Xu Zhizhou would want to drive him out. He was, after all, a married-out ge’er who had brought Xu Cheng back to his maiden home. The family had to support the two of them. He didn’t know if Xu Zhizhou would have any complaints after he married in.

.

Xu Zhici and his parents returned from the fields. There was less work in the fields recently, and the sun was strong at noon, so they would go back to work in the afternoon when it was cooler.

On their way back, Cao Qin picked some green beans and cucumbers from the fields to make dry-fried green beans and a cold cucumber salad for lunch.

When they returned to the main hall, they saw a basket of grass. Cao Qin put down her hoe and said, “This child didn’t throw the pig feed into the pigsty. Is he saving it for the New Year?”

She went to feed the pigs.

Xu Sunzheng went to the kitchen to get hot water for his barley tea. Seeing that his second son hadn’t made lunch at this hour, a spark of anger ignited in him.

“It’s time to cook. Where did Zhizhou go?”

Xu Zhici quickly went to light the fire and cook.

After feeding the pigs, Cao Qin saw them arching their bodies towards her. It was clear they were starving. They shouldn’t be outside at this hour. Cao Qin called out a few times.

Xu Zhizhou answered from his room.

“Zhizhou, what’s wrong with you?” Cao Qin went into Xu Zhizhou’s room and cried out when she saw his bruised knees.

“How did this happen?” Cao Qin sat on the edge of the bed, her anger immediately dissipating, her eyes filled with worry.

Xu Zhizhou said pitifully, “I was picking soapberries and saw a wild chicken. I chased after it and fell into a pit by accident.”

Seeing the child’s state, Cao Qin couldn’t say much more. She only said, “You have to be careful and watch where you’re going in the future. See, you’ve learned your lesson this time.”

Xu Zhizhou nodded like a chick pecking at rice. “I know.”

Cao Qin smelled a medicinal scent. There was a tube of ointment on the bedside cabinet, and it was clear that it wasn’t from their family.

She came back to her senses and asked, “Who rescued you?”

Xu Zhizhou fidgeted for a moment and said, “Song Changxu happened to see me. He carried me back and even called a doctor.”

Cao Qin sighed. “It’s a good thing he saw you. Did you give him the money for the doctor?”

“He said it wasn’t much, so he probably won’t take it. I’ll send him some food later.”

Cao Qin came out of the room and told Xu Sunzheng and Xu Zhici about Xu Zhizhou’s injury.

“Is it serious?” Xu Sunzheng frowned.

“The bone isn’t injured.”

That was good. When Xu Sunzheng learned that it was Song Changxu who had rescued his younger son, his impression of his son-in-law improved.

Xu Sunzheng: “He should rest well. It’s extremely lucky that he didn’t run into anything else in the deep mountains and old forest.”

Cao Qin agreed. “That’s right. After this lesson, I don’t think he’ll dare to go again.”

Only the hunters in the village dared to go. Even a hunter like Li Hu was careful when setting traps and living on the back mountain.

Xu Zhizhou was bored in his room, so he took out a purse to embroider. After lunch was ready, Xu Zhici brought over a bowl and chopsticks, filled a bowl with food, and handed it to him.

“You’re the best, Elder Brother.”

Xu Zhici: “You eat first. I’ll come back to collect the bowl later.”

Xu Zhizhou was really hungry. He started to eat. After applying the ointment, it felt cool and much better.

After he finished eating, he wanted to get out of bed, but it hurt to walk, so he went back to bed and curled up.

He would have to wait a few more days before getting out of bed.

He pulled the quilt up to cover his upper body, took a deep breath, and felt extremely regretful. In the future, even if a wild chicken dangled in front of him, he wouldn’t try to catch it.

In the afternoon, he lay in bed, and his needlework progressed quickly.

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In the afternoon, Song Changxu read and copied books at home. In the evening, he went to the back mountain with his little nephew to dig for some wild vegetables.

While digging, he met some young men from the village who invited him to catch summer cicadas. Song Changxu had no interest in insects and politely declined.

They found a patch of wild mint on the back mountain. He picked a lot to take back to make tea.

Xu Cheng held a string of mulberries, his mouth purple, and grinned.

“Making tea with the mint when we get back will be very refreshing,” Song Changxu said, squinting at the bright sun.

Xu Cheng: “I’ve had the plum juice from town. Is it as good as that?”

Song Changxu: “Whether it’s good or not depends on your own taste. Even if I say it’s good, it might not be good for you.”

Xu Cheng was a bit confused. After his uncle had studied, his words were hard to understand. But oh well, he would know if it was good or not after he drank it.

Back at home, Song Changxu started to wash the mint. He rubbed the leaves, drained them, and set them aside. Ten mint leaves were enough for one pot.

He poured hot water into the teapot, found the sugar jar, and dropped in two pieces of rock sugar. He covered the lid and let it steep for ten minutes.

A fresh fragrance wafted out of the teapot.

Song Changxu took two teacups and poured a cup for himself and Xu Cheng. Xu Cheng eagerly took a sip. His throat felt cool. He took a deep breath and felt as if the wind had blown into his stomach.

The faint fragrance and sweetness tasted better than sugar water. As for comparing it to plum juice, he hadn’t had plum juice in a long time. He only knew it was good, but he didn’t remember the taste.

“You play in the courtyard by yourself. I’m going back to read.”

Xu Cheng held the teapot and nodded obediently.

The quilts in the house had been washed by his elder brother and mother. The room was clean. Song Changxu wrote an essay and then began to write out the books from memory.

He wanted to be able to recite the Four Books and Five Classics fluently. The commentaries Scholar Li had given him were useful. He compared the books with the commentaries and gained a lot.

After copying so many books with a brush, his handwriting had become smooth and rounded, and he was already used to writing with a brush.

In the evening, Song Ye and Liang Su drank the mint tea and praised it endlessly. Knowing there was a patch of mint, they planned to go and pick more the next morning to store at home.

Liang Su said, “We ran into the Tan family’s husband on our way back. They’re having a celebration and need someone to keep the accounts. They said you’ve studied and wanted to ask you to do it. After you’re done, they’ll give you a big red envelope.”

Song Ye: “It’s up to you. If you can’t do it, I’ll just let the Tan family know.”

Song Changxu: “I want to go.”

He had never done it before and was a bit curious.

This time, the Tan family was celebrating their grandson’s first birthday. They had borrowed all the tables and chairs in the village and prepared seven or eight tables for the feast. The feast was a bit small, but the villagers could squeeze in.

Whenever there was a feast in the village, everyone would go with their families, give some money, and eat together. Thinking of the feast, Xu Cheng was delighted.

The feast would have meat and several other dishes, good food and good rice.

Liang Su: “When it’s time for lunch, Cheng Ge’er, you and your grandfather can come over. Your father, your uncle, and I will go early to help.”

In the morning, Song Mingyan made scallion pancakes. After eating the pancakes to fill their stomachs, Song Changxu went to the Tan family’s house.

Today, he was wearing a good long robe. His hair was tied back with a ribbon, revealing a full forehead. His refined features were striking, his eyes like lacquer, his shoulders broad and his waist narrow. The moment he stood there, he attracted the gazes of the young women and ge’ers.

Old Madam Tan saw Song Changxu and smiled, holding his hand. “We’ll have to trouble you today, Song boy.”

Song Changxu smiled with poise. “You’re too kind, Grandma Tan. I’m the one who should be grateful that you think highly of me and have entrusted me with the task of keeping the accounts.”

Old Madam Tan patted his hand. “Good child.”

Song Changxu didn’t exchange too many pleasantries and went to keep the accounts. Seeing that he knew how to speak politely and was more worldly, Liang Su was quite happy. She also felt very proud seeing that her son could attract the gazes of so many young women and ge’ers just by sitting there.

“Mingyan, let’s go to the kitchen to help too.”

Song Mingyan nodded and followed Liang Su to the kitchen.

Not many people came in the morning, mostly those who were there to help. As it got closer to lunchtime, more people arrived.

The Tan family had placed melon seeds and pastries on the tables, afraid that he would be hungry. As more people came, Song Changxu wrote quickly, his handwriting neat and smooth.

The Xu family also came. Xu Zhizhou knew there was a feast today, and he was very depressed that he could only stay in bed. His attempt to have his father carry him to the feast had failed.

Xu Zhizhou was exasperated. “Why are my legs failing me at a time like this? Run, you dead legs, run.”

Author’s Note:

Little Xu: I want to go to the feast! [Crying]

Little Song: I’m the most eye-catching one. [Sunglasses]