My Husband is a Drama King [Book Transmigration] 31

Chapter 31: New Year’s Shopping

Winter arrived. The cats and dogs in the village stayed indoors, and the world outside was a vast expanse of snow. Song Ye took his axe and chopped a few bundles of firewood. He saw several young men from the village also chopping firewood.

After he had chopped a full basket, he said, “Are you going to take these to town to sell?”

“Yes, a bundle of firewood can earn eight copper coins in town.”

Song Ye rubbed his hands together and let out a warm breath. “The price of firewood has gone up in the winter. It’s a bit slippery here. Be careful when you’re chopping.”

“We know, Uncle Song.”

Song Ye carried the firewood back home, chopped it, and went back to his room to warm himself by the fire. Song Mingyan and Xu Zhizhou had gone to town to set up their stall. Liang Su was at home embroidering a handkerchief. Seeing Song Ye return, she poured him a cup of hot tea.

“Drink some to warm up first.”

Song Ye agreed. After drinking it, his stomach immediately warmed up. He took off his hat, sat on the side, and lit a pipe.

“I won’t go to chop firewood this year. I’m thinking of tidying up the courtyard, building a pigsty, and raising two pigs in the spring.”

Liang Su’s eyes were on her needlework. Hearing this, she said, “That’s fine. We can try raising two pigs first.”

With money in hand, raising two pigs was like raising chickens and ducks. After a couple of years, they could be slaughtered for a good profit. Anyway, they were idle.

The water in the stove boiled. Liang Su refilled the teapot. The room was warm. Someone was knocking on the door. When she opened it, it was Liang Feng.

“Come in quickly. It’s freezing outside.” Liang Feng came in, shook the snow off his body, and said, “We have too many white radishes at home. My mother asked me to bring some over. Braised white radish is the best.”

Liang Feng gave the white radishes from his basket to Song Ye. They were large, white, and tender.

Liang Su brought over some pastries and dried fruits. “Have some hot tea.”

This time, the tea at home was not barley tea, but proper tea leaves. Liang Feng found it quite refreshing.

Liang Su: “Mingyan and Zhizhou saw a wild tea tree on the back mountain and picked some leaves to roast themselves. We drink this tea in the winter. We still have several jars. I’ll get you a jar to take back.”

The two families had always been on good terms. Liang Feng did not refuse. After seeing him off, Song Ye looked at the white radishes and thought, “Tomorrow, I’ll ask Mingyan and the others to bring back some ribs before they set up their stall. Braised ribs with radish must be delicious.”

“That’s right. We haven’t had ribs in a long time,” Liang Su agreed. They had spent a lot of money this year, but they still had fifteen taels of silver. Sometimes, when they were short on oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, Song Mingyan and Xu Zhizhou would use the money they earned from the stall to buy them.

After the autumn harvest, the family had grain, and there were vegetables in the vegetable patch. Before winter, they had a cellar where they had stored some vegetables, and they had also made some dried vegetables, which was enough.

They just had to go to the butcher’s in town when they wanted to eat meat.

It was cold in Qishan Village. The Xu family were also staying indoors. Xu Zhici and Cao Qin were doing needlework. Xu Sunzheng had gone to town early in the morning to buy the things the family needed and was now sleeping in his room to rest.

Xu Zhici was making a shoe sole, intending to make a pair of shoes for Xie Huaichuan.

Cao Qin knew from the size of the shoe that it was for Xie Huaichuan. The ge’ers in the family didn’t like to wear dark colors like ink blue and black, and the shoe size was not Xu Sunzheng’s.

As Cao Qin embroidered a purse, she pretended to ask casually, “Did Huaichuan say when they would be back?”

“He didn’t say, just that the war is not intense recently. There will probably be a result by next spring.”

“These are all his own speculations. I haven’t told anyone else,” Xu Zhici said. He was a cautious person. He kept Xie Huaichuan’s words to himself.

If Xie Huaichuan really did come back next year, he planned to tell his parents then. Otherwise, he was afraid they would be disappointed, and their impression of Huaichuan would be even worse.

“Good. If he can come back next year, you two should get married as soon as possible,” Cao Qin said with a happy expression.

Xu Zhici quickly lowered his head to work on the shoe sole, his ears completely red. He also wanted to see Xie Huaichuan soon. So many years had passed. He didn’t know what he looked like now.

Would he not recognize him when he saw him?

He didn’t dare to think about it anymore.

.

Song Changxu had been studying in Lingshui Village until it was almost the New Year. After the last class, Scholar Li let them go.

They solemnly performed the disciple’s ritual of respect to Scholar Li, pushed open the gate of the Li family’s courtyard, and were met with a heavy snowstorm. The distant green mountains were a vast expanse of white, and the snow fell on their shoulders.

Song Changxu let out a breath and said goodbye to his classmates.

“From now on, we’ll have to fight for our own futures. We’ll go our separate ways.”

“Where can we go? We’ll still be in the village, or in town,” someone said.

“Some people will be different,” Lin Pu said.

Although he himself only wanted to be an accountant, he believed that some people would not stop there.

They chatted for a few more words, stomped their feet, and left with their book boxes. The heavy snow covered their footprints, leaving no trace.

Song Changxu said goodbye to Lin Pu and Feng Xin’ou.

After parting ways, he walked home alone. The river was still frozen. He couldn’t see his reflection on the surface, nor the fish in the water.

Song Changxu walked across the stones.

When he returned home, he put down his book box and saw a small lump on the bed. He went over and saw that Xu Zhizhou was sleeping.

Song Changxu tiptoed. He saw that his quilt was properly covered. In the winter, besides a thick cotton quilt, they also had a woolen blanket, so it was warm every night after they washed their feet and got into bed.

Song Changxu continued to read and write. The exam was in the second month of next year, and he was still a little worried.

Xu Zhizhou had gotten up early today to set up the stall with Song Mingyan. They had come from the village and didn’t have the advantage of those who lived in town. They relied on their good taste. Half a year had passed, and the stall had returning customers. There were people selling every day, but not many.

It was also very cold today. After selling out, they bought the things the family usually used and hurried back to rest. The money they earned was also hard-earned, but the profit was still better than farming.

When he woke up from his sleep, it was already dark. Song Changxu had finished his book. He brought a pot of hot water to make tea. Seeing him wake up, he said, “Have some tea to wake up.”

Xu Zhizhou shook his head, got up, and drank the tea. It was almost time for dinner, and he felt a little guilty. “Is it bad that I slept for so long?”

He would also sleep for a whole afternoon at his own home.

Song Changxu: “It’s fine. You worked hard this morning, and there’s nothing else to do in the winter. It’s fine to sleep a little more.”

Xu Zhizhou hugged Song Changxu’s waist, as if complaining or acting coquettishly. “I slept for a whole afternoon. I’m all muddled.”

His waist was suddenly hugged. Song Changxu was stunned for a moment, his body stiff. Then he slowly relaxed.

“It’ll be fine if you go for a walk later,” Song Changxu said nonchalantly.

“I’m afraid of the cold,” Xu Zhizhou said, measuring Song Changxu’s waist. He suddenly realized that it was quite thin, but his back was broad and solid. He rubbed against his back.

Song Changxu’s body instantly tensed up, as if his whole body had become a straight line. A slight pull would make it snap.

Xu Zhizhou said with dissatisfaction, “Why is your body so tense?”

Song Changxu quickly covered it up and said, “I’ve never been so intimate with a ge’er before. No one has ever hugged my waist or rubbed against my back.”

This answer barely satisfied Xu Zhizhou. The two of them went out to eat together. The family was having a hot pot, with many vegetables and a plate of sausages.

The hot pot was a vegetable broth. Song Mingyan had made a dipping sauce. Those who liked it spicy could have some.

Eating hot pot in the winter was the most comfortable, steaming hot. Song Changxu even broke into a sweat, which showed how much he was enjoying it.

“I won’t be going to Lingshui Village anymore. I’ll be studying at home for the next few months.” It was the end of the year, and Scholar Li was not planning to teach anymore.

Liang Su said, “Alright. We’ll try not to disturb you.”

Song Ye also nodded. They had all seen Song Changxu’s diligence and were reluctant to let him give up halfway.

Xu Cheng said, “I’ll wait until uncle is free to play with him.”

The matter was settled. Liang Su thought of the many years Song Changxu had spent at Scholar Li’s and sighed. “If it weren’t for his mother, Scholar Li would have opened a private school in town long ago. It was fate that he came to teach Changxu and the others.”

Becoming a xiucai and being a private school teacher in town was also good. Liang Su hoped that Song Changxu could pass the exam.

The family chatted for a while, all about trivial matters: the price of vegetables, the price of charcoal, and a couple in the village who had taken a liking to each other and would probably get married next summer.

Song Mingyan liked his family to be like this, not as oppressive as it was at the Xu family’s. The Fang family next door heard the laughter from the Song family. Auntie Fang’s head was buzzing with anger.

They had left a piece of land to grow fruit trees, but her son hadn’t built the trellis properly. Now that winter had come, the trellis had collapsed in the wind and snow. Not only did they have to rebuild it, but the seedlings had also been crushed.

When this happened, the whole Fang family was unhappy. Dinner was tasteless. To save more money for their son’s wedding, they were even reluctant to use a little more oil in their cooking.

Fang Ling put down her bowl and chopsticks and stopped eating. She went back to her room. She didn’t try to persuade her parents and elder brother. She had tried before, but the three of them had turned around and blamed her. Now that she knew the consequences, it was better to stay away.

Sure enough, they started to argue a moment later, bringing up all sorts of old grievances.

The Song family had just finished dinner and were gathered around the fire. Then they each took a candle and went to bed. It was warmer in bed.

The winter wind was the strongest. In the morning, Song Changxu woke up according to his biological clock. He washed up and opened the door for some fresh air, but a strong gust of wind blew in, slamming the door shut with a loud bang.

Song Mingyan was in the kitchen, making the seasoning. Song Changxu came in and said, “Elder Brother, the wind and snow are too heavy today. I don’t think it’ll stop for a while. It’s better not to set up the stall today.”

After the family had finished breakfast, it was not just wind and snow, but also fine hail hitting the ground.

Xu Zhizhou pushed open the door and was met with a face full of wind, and was startled. In the afternoon, Song Ye went out to check on the vegetables in the fields. They had to bring back the ones that had been hit by the hail. The ones they couldn’t finish were put in the cellar.

“The weather is so unpredictable,” Song Ye sighed.

The other villagers also went to check on their vegetables after the wind and snow had subsided. Seeing the vegetable patches in a mess, they couldn’t help but look bitter.

Liang Su went to visit a neighbor and heard about the vegetable patches, and also sighed in her heart. When the two elders returned home, they did not show any bad mood. Seeing that the whole family was fine, that was good enough.

As long as the land was still there, they could still plant. Besides, the hail in the winter was already considered good. As long as they didn’t encounter a drought or flood in the summer, and got through the autumn harvest well, life was good.

Dinner was simple tonight. They warmed themselves by the fire. Song Mingyan had finished embroidering the insoles. A new pair was for Xu Cheng.

A few days ago, Xu Cheng had just put on the cotton shoes his father had made. This time, he had new insoles, and he was very proud.

Liang Su said, “Another day, we’ll go to town to get more cloth and make a few new sets of clothes for the New Year.”

Hearing this, Xu Zhizhou’s eyes lit up, and he immediately agreed.

Song Changxu: “…”

He remembered that the wardrobe was almost full. He only had his three usual sets of clothes hanging up. The rest of the space was all Xu Zhizhou’s.

Xu Zhizhou would fill the entire wardrobe with his clothes. Song Changxu had once tactfully suggested that he could fold the clothes he didn’t wear and put them away.

Xu Zhizhou had refused, saying that the clothes would get wrinkled and wouldn’t look good. When they got married, his in-laws had doted on him and had bought him four new sets of clothes. He had only worn two so far, and the other two were for spring.

Song Changxu couldn’t understand.

He usually only wore a few sets of clothes. As long as they weren’t worn out, he would keep wearing them. He felt that old clothes were very comfortable, of course, if they were of good quality. Otherwise, they would wear out very early.

Xu Zhizhou was already thinking about what color of cotton clothes he wanted. When they went to get the cloth, he would definitely go with them.

Back in his room, Song Changxu still read for a while. He was still reading the Book of Changes. He understood much more now and had his own insights.

Seeing him close the book, Xu Zhizhou hummed a little tune and swung his legs on the bed.

“Husband, look. Am I fairer?” Xu Zhizhou asked, pointing to his face.

Song Changxu went over and said objectively, “I don’t think so.”

Xu Zhizhou said with dissatisfaction, “What are you talking about? I clearly think I’m fairer. It must be that your eyesight is bad at night.”

Song Changxu really didn’t want to argue about whether a ge’er’s face was fair or not. His mind was filled with beautiful prose, and he had no room for anything else.

“What about my legs?”

Hearing this, Song Changxu immediately looked. He said, “Maybe they’re fairer.”

At night, Xu Zhizhou turned his back to Song Changxu.

Song Changxu: “…”

I said they were fairer. Why is he still unhappy?

Men are so hard to understand. Oh right, I don’t need to understand men.

In the end, he still held Xu Zhizhou to sleep and had a rippling dream. In the middle of the night, Song Changxu woke up from the dream, feeling like a club.

His expression changed, but he still held Xu Zhizhou tightly.

.

A timely snow promises a good harvest. The snow was heavy. When it was time to buy New Year’s goods, the villagers of Qishan Village all had smiles on their faces. Song Ye drove the ox-cart, planning to take the whole family to town to buy New Year’s goods and also to join in the fun. During the New Year, there were many people in town, even more than on market day.

Xu Cheng was even happier. Today, his father had given him fifty copper coins to buy things for himself. Song Changxu had run out of paper and ink and needed to buy some. At the village entrance, they saw some people waiting for the ox-cart. From a distance, Xu Zhizhou saw his parents and elder brother.

“Mother, Elder Brother, Father.”

Song Ye stopped the ox-cart at the village entrance. He saw that it was Xu Sunzheng and the others, carrying baskets and chicken and duck eggs. They were probably thinking of selling them while they were in town for New Year’s shopping.

“In-law, we’re also going to town. You can all come up,” Song Ye said warmly.

Just then, the village’s ox-cart also arrived. The villagers all squeezed on. Xu Sunzheng agreed and pulled Cao Qin and Xu Zhici onto the cart. There were only the two families on the cart, and with the baskets, it was not crowded.

There were many people going to Shuibo Town at this time. It would have been very uncomfortable if they had squeezed on. Now, it was so leisurely. Xu Zhizhou pulled Xu Zhici along to talk.

“Elder Brother, what are you going to buy today…”

The two ge’ers’ voices grew softer and softer, probably talking about some private matters.

Song Changxu called out to his in-laws.

Cao Qin looked at her son-in-law with increasing satisfaction. She asked a few questions. “Are you and Zhizhou getting along well?”

Song Changxu said, “Very well. Everyone in our family likes him very much.”

Xu Cheng also nodded. “Uncle-in-law is very good to me.”

Cao Qin smiled. “That’s good.”

When they arrived at Shuibo Town, the two families agreed to meet here. Song Ye entrusted the ox-cart to someone to watch and went with Liang Su to buy New Year’s goods.

“You can go and have a look yourselves. Buy what you need. You have money, so your father and I won’t give you any.”

“We know.” No one had any objections to this decision.

Author’s Note:

Little Song: I had a dream. [Dog with a rose in its mouth]

Little Xu: Isn’t my face fair? [Furious]