My Husband is a Drama King [Book Transmigration] 38

Chapter 38: Jinhe County

The people of Qishan Village were all going back together. Xu Sunzheng said, “Changxu, if you’re short of anything, we can also help. Don’t carry everything by yourself.”

The fifty acres of tax-exempt land, their Xu family owed Song Changxu a favor. Besides, they were all their own children. They would help if they could.

Song Changxu’s heart warmed. He said, “If I need help, I won’t be polite with you, Father-in-law.”

Xu Sunzheng nodded.

This time, he was much more at ease. They all said that this second son-in-law of his was not cut out for farming. Now that he had a title, he didn’t have to worry about Zhizhou being destitute after following him.

Xu Zhizhou pulled on Xu Zhici and talked for a long time, mostly badmouthing Xie Huaichuan.

Xu Zhici had long known that his younger brother and Xie Huaichuan did not get along. He did not agree, just smiled.

When it was time to part, Xu Zhici reminded Xu Zhizhou, “Be careful when you get to the county town.”

Xu Zhizhou nodded. “I know, Elder Brother. I’m not a child anymore.”

Xu Zhici and his younger brother separated and went home. At night, his thoughts drifted, and he thought of Xie Huaichuan again.

.

Borderlands

Xie Huaichuan had studied The Art of War, The Book of War, and other such books with Military Strategist Wu. He also followed his advice and began to make a name for himself in front of the aristocratic sons in the army camp. He used silver to build a good relationship with the steward under Xiao Bang, in order to get a chance to meet him.

He helped a few of the young masters in the army camp as a hired thug, so that they would have some impression of him.

The aristocratic sons had come to the army camp just to get some credentials. Xie Huaichuan dared to fight and kill, and he was also very respectful to these dandies. They naturally considered him one of them, albeit as cannon fodder.

Xie Huaichuan sent the dandies back to their tents one by one, his throat feeling nauseous. He had been drinking a lot with them recently and had eaten a lot of delicacies. Now, he felt nothing when he saw meat.

The wine they drank was strong, and they were all good wines.

He found a deserted place and threw up. After rinsing his mouth with clean water, he returned to his tent. By mixing with them, he had already been promoted to a company commander, with fifty men under him. He also had his own separate tent.

At least there were some benefits. Xie Huaichuan let out a breath. The master’s idea was still good. Even if he had to curry favor with these dandies, the things that leaked from their hands were enough for him to get a promotion.

After he was promoted, he could apply to his superiors to go back for the New Year.

Xie Huaichuan’s mouth was dry. He got up and drank another cup of water.

The night was as black as ink. He lifted the flap of his tent. Only the bright moon shone on his window.

He suddenly missed Xu Zhici a little.

If he hadn’t been signed up for the army by his uncles back then, he and Xu Zhici would have been married long ago. He might have been farming in the village, with his husband warming his bed.

His parents were both dead. He wouldn’t have minded being a live-in son-in-law of the Xu family, but Xu Zhici had stopped him. He didn’t want Xie Huaichuan to go that far for him.

Since things had come to this, he could only fight for a future in the army camp.

The friction between the borderlands and the barbarians was increasing. General Xiao was waiting for an opportunity to teach the barbarians a lesson.

The dandies could not be kept in the army camp forever. They still had to go to the battlefield to make an appearance. They were protected by soldiers and loyal elite troops, so there would be no accidents.

Xie Huaichuan still charged to the front to get kills. Behind him, his squad supported him.

“Kill them! Don’t let them get close to me!” Xiao Bang screamed in fear.

Such a good-for-nothing, and yet so many people have to protect him, Xie Huaichuan sneered in his heart.

Although he thought so, his body was very honest and rushed towards Xiao Bang.

Seeing a barbarian thrusting a sword at him, Xiao Bang’s face turned pale. Xie Huaichuan could have deflected the barbarian’s sword with his own, but he gritted his teeth and used his own chest to block it.

“Clang—”

The long sword pierced in.

Xiao Bang was already scared silly.

Xie Huaichuan struggled to pull out the barbarian’s sword and decisively killed him.

The horn sounded, and the barbarians fled.

Xiao Bang saw that Xie Huaichuan’s chest was covered in blood. He was using his sword to support himself. He subconsciously went to help him.

Xie Huaichuan felt the touch on his shoulder. He knew he had won the bet.

His head was buzzing. He heard a soldier calling him captain, and then he completely lost consciousness.

When he woke up again, it was three days later. Wu Yi was sitting by the bed. Hearing the noise, he said, “Don’t move. Wait for the military doctor to come.”

The military doctor soon came to check Xie Huaichuan’s pulse. “Captain Xie is very lucky. The long sword was only an inch away from his heart. If it had pierced his heart, even the gods would have been useless.”

Xie Huaichuan’s lips were pale. He felt much better after drinking a mouthful of water. A soldier brought over a bowl of warm meat congee.

“Thank you.”

Xie Huaichuan took the spoon and quickly finished the congee. The cook’s assistant took the tray and left the tent with his head down.

Now only Wu Yi and Xie Huaichuan were left in the tent. Wu Yi took his cane and sat on the edge of the bed, saying meaningfully, “This time, you saved the young master of the Xiao family. The Xiao family has seen it all.”

“Huaichuan, your chance has come.”

Xie Huaichuan was silent for a moment, then smiled.

.

New branches grew on the locust tree. After Song Changxu had chopped the family’s firewood, he had already packed his things for Jinhe County. Xu Zhizhou took out a few chicken and duck eggs from the nests and put them in a jar.

In the evening, Song Mingyan cooked. They had bought a fish in town, and also some ribs for soup.

This time, the fish was spicy. First, the fish was marinated for a while, then steamed. The seasoning was made by stir-frying scallions, chili, ginger, and garlic, and then drizzling hot oil over it. In an instant, the aroma wafted out.

Song Mingyan poured the sauce over the steamed fish. The red and green chili were intertwined, and it smelled very appetizing.

The rib soup was braised with corn. The fresh fragrance of the corn and the meaty fragrance of the ribs were perfectly combined. As soon as it was out of the pot, the aroma filled the air.

There was also a dish of pumpkin slices, a plate of pickled cowpeas, and a plate of peanuts as an appetizer, as well as a dish of minced meat with eggplant.

Song Ye couldn’t help but start eating. He took a bite of the ribs. The meat fell off the bone, soft and tender, and full of juice. Song Ye ate with great satisfaction.

Song Ye: “I think Mingyan’s cooking is getting better and better. If he were to formally apprentice under a master, he could be a great chef. The feast we had at the Bai family’s, their cooking was not as good as yours.”

Song Mingyan was naturally happy to be praised.

Xu Zhizhou was even more so, picking at his bowl of rice without wanting to look up. His elder brother’s cooking was so good. He had only learned five or six tenths of it.

Thinking of this, he became depressed. Xu Zhici’s cooking was good, and so was Song Mingyan’s. How come he couldn’t compare?

Forget it. I’ll cook for my husband more often in the future. That way, my cooking will improve.

Song Changxu ate with his head down. Today, they were all eating white rice. He ate three bowls before he stopped.

The Song family usually mixed white rice with some coarse grains, which was filling and also saved grain.

One catty of white rice cost six copper coins, while one catty of old rice cost four. Their family still had rice from last year, which was still considered fresh. After the autumn harvest this year, they wouldn’t have to pay taxes and could save more white rice to eat.

After eating, Xu Zhizhou found a few small jars and filled them with some of the family’s pickled vegetables and pickled cowpeas. Song Mingyan helped to pack some dried radish as well.

“Let’s also take a bag of rice. The rice outside is not as good as the rice at home,” Liang Su said, tying up a bag of rice with a hemp rope. “It won’t be in the way on the carriage.”

Xu Zhizhou agreed readily.

“And some of the smoked meat and sausages from the New Year.”

In the end, they found that they wanted to bring everything from home. On the one hand, it saved money, and on the other, the things at home tasted better.

Xu Zhizhou packed the food from home, a total of two large bundles.

Liang Su said, “We can still pack a little more.”

Xu Zhizhou: “…”

He didn’t know how his mother had managed to pack everything. She just pressed it down, moved it to another position, and another space would appear, and then she could squeeze something in.

After the things outside were packed, Xu Zhizhou went back to his room to pack his clothes. The summer and autumn clothes would be enough.

Song Changxu packed even fewer clothes. The most and heaviest things he had were his books.

After the two of them had packed, they lay on the bed. They were not in the mood to do anything now. Song Changxu felt that time had passed very quickly. He was about to go to the county school to study. Fortunately, he had someone with him.

Xu Zhizhou lay next to Song Changxu and said, “When we get to Jinhe County, you can’t bully me. If you do, I’ll call my uncle to teach you a lesson.”

Song Changxu: “…”

Song Changxu reached out and pinched his cheek. “Where did you get the idea that I would bully you? You only know how to threaten me.”

Xu Zhizhou said righteously, “I’m just warning you first, to build up my momentum, so you don’t get carried away.”

Song Changxu asked in a low voice, “Are you afraid of going to a strange place?”

“Why should I be afraid? I can’t wait to go to Jinhe County. I want to broaden my horizons so that I can brag about it when I come back to the village,” Xu Zhizhou said, his tail up, looking very pleased.

Song Changxu understood. He and Xu Zhizhou were on different wavelengths. They were not talking about the same thing at all.

“Go to sleep. We’re leaving tomorrow morning.”

Xu Zhizhou hugged Song Changxu’s arm. “Alright, husband.”

The next day, at dawn, Song Ye had put all the bundles on the ox-cart. He was driving the cart to take Song Changxu and Xu Zhizhou to the horse station to hire a carriage.

On the way, they also picked up Feng Xin’ou and Jiang Zhuo. At the horse station, Xu Zhizhou chose a carriage. They had a lot of things, so they couldn’t sit together this time. The two families had to take separate carriages.

They had brought everything from home to avoid the higher prices in the county. Xu Zhizhou bargained with the horse station, his words flowing smoothly, and saved twenty copper coins.

Now that they were going to the county, they didn’t know how much money they would spend. They had to save where they could. Xu Zhizhou was very meticulous about these daily trivial matters.

As the carriage started to move, Song Changxu lifted the curtain and saw Song Ye being left far behind.

He said, “Father, you should go back first. We’re leaving.”

He didn’t know if Song Ye had heard him. Song Ye paused for a moment, then he didn’t leave. He watched the carriage until it was completely out of sight, then pulled the ox-cart back.

It was a day’s journey from Shuibo Town to Jinhe County. They first booked an inn.

It was not the peak season for inns, so they got a room at a low price. They had only eaten a dry, hard cake in the morning, so they were all a bit hungry. Song Changxu and the others went out to find a noodle stall and had a bowl of noodles, which restored their energy.

They had to find a place to rent in Jinhe County, so they had to find a broker here. Most of the houses were in their hands. They acted as intermediaries between the tenants and the landlords, earning a certain commission.

Staying at an inn cost money, so they had to find a place to live as soon as possible. Since they were going to be there for about a year, they also had to negotiate a good price with the broker.

Song Changxu and Feng Xin’ou had both listened to Scholar Li’s advice. They found the same broker so that they could bargain together.

The broker looked at their clothes and said with a smile, “What kind of house are you looking for?”

Song Changxu said, “We want a house in Mijiang Lane. The main thing is that it’s quiet, and our two families can be close to each other.”

The broker was very familiar with the houses in Jinhe County. He thought for a moment and said, “There are two places that might satisfy you. I’ll take you to have a look first. If you like them, we can talk about the price.”

After looking at the two houses, they were both satisfied. Xu Zhizhou nodded. The courtyard was a bit small. It looked like a large courtyard had been divided into three small ones. Song Changxu knocked on the wall. It was solid, so the sound insulation should be good.

It was the first time Song Changxu had seen an ancient partitioned house. As expected, there were partitioned houses everywhere.

Fortunately, the walls were solid.

The broker said, “See if you’re satisfied. These two houses are relatively cheap, and the landlord has agreed to a half-year lease. The only drawback is that the furniture is old, and there’s a well outside the house, just a few steps away.”

After all, it was a partitioned house. Three families had to share one well.

Xu Zhizhou asked, “Can you lower the price a little more?”

The two of them haggled for a while and finally got a reduction of three qian of silver. They rented the houses for ten taels of silver a year. Feng Xin’ou and the others were next door, which was good for looking out for each other.

The two families first went back to the inn to move some of their things to the houses. Since they had already paid for the inn, they had to stay for the night.

In the evening, the two families ordered three dishes and one soup at a restaurant outside, spending a total of eighty copper coins. The price made them all dumbfounded.

The provincial examination was in August, once every three years, held in the years of Zi, Mao, Wu, and You. If a xiucai‘s results were outstanding, he could take the provincial examination within a year at the earliest. If he wanted to be more confident, he could study for another three years and wait for the next one.

At night, they went back to their respective rooms to wash their hands and faces. Song Changxu poured out the washing water, blew out the candle, and went back to bed.

Xu Zhizhou said, “This silver is really not enough in the county. Look, we had a meal outside, only one and a half meat dishes, and the rest were all vegetable dishes, and it still cost eighty copper coins. I’m scared. I don’t dare to eat outside anymore.”

Song Changxu patted Xu Zhizhou’s head. “We can go and eat once in a while. I’ll find a way to do something. I can’t just study in the county school and not care about what’s going on outside.”

On their first night in Jinhe County, the young couple chatted for a while and then fell asleep in each other’s arms. In the morning, they left the inn and found a porter to carry their things to the door of their house. They also carried some things themselves.

After paying the porter, Xu Zhizhou breathed a sigh of relief. He wiped his sweat and, seeing the state of the house, went to get water to wipe the tables and chairs. Song Changxu first filled the water vat, then sprinkled some water in the courtyard and swept the floor with a broom.

After sweeping the dust from the courtyard, he went into the house to sprinkle water and sweep the floor. This courtyard only had a main hall, a sleeping area behind it, a stove, and a small storage room for some things.

After Xu Zhizhou had wiped the bed clean, he saw that the bed frame was made of some rotten wood. He frowned and said, “It looks like we can still sleep on it, but we should still find a carpenter to make a new bed frame. Otherwise, I think it will fall apart as soon as we sleep on it.”

They were going to be here for a year. It wouldn’t be comfortable to sleep on such a bed. It was better to spend a little money to live a better life.

Song Changxu said, “I’ll listen to you.”

Xu Zhizhou nodded with satisfaction. “I’ll go and find a carpenter first. You can tidy up a bit more at home.”

The carpenter came and measured the bed. He then sent his apprentice to bring back a suitable bed frame. In the middle of it, Xu Zhizhou bargained again, and the carpenter relented a little. After it was installed, he paid the copper coins on the spot.

Seeing that they paid readily, the carpenter said, “If you have any problems with your bed or tables and chairs, you can also come and find me. It’s always cheaper to repair than to buy a new one.”

“From the looks of you, you’re not planning to stay here for long.”

After finishing his work, the carpenter left with his apprentice.

After a morning of cleaning, the house was much cleaner. Xu Zhizhou went to the market to buy some vegetables.

Song Changxu started the fire in the stove.

At first, the two of them were a bit clumsy, but after stir-frying some green vegetables and bean sprouts, and boiling the sausages they had brought from home, cutting them into pieces, and having a hot meal, they suddenly felt at ease.

Besides the three dishes, they also made a loofah soup in the pot. Xu Zhizhou also opened his bundle and took out a jar of pickled vegetables to go with the rice.

They were sitting in a strange place. The main hall was bright, but the tables and chairs were a bit old, not comparable to the ones at home.

After the meal, Song Changxu took the initiative to wash the dishes.

In this strange place, the two of them could only support each other. Without the help of their family, they had to discuss everything.

But to a certain extent, it also gave them a lot of freedom. At home, Xu Zhizhou would only ask Song Changxu to help him wash the dishes in private.

Song Changxu put the bowls and chopsticks in the cupboard. The things here were all old, but at least they were clean after they had tidied up.

Xu Zhizhou said, “Husband, we still have some things we haven’t bought.”

“Then let’s go and buy them all now.”

The two of them went to the market, picked and chose, and compared prices from three different shops before they had bought everything they needed for the house. This had cost them a lot of money again.

After moving to Jinhe County, money was flowing like water. The key was that they had to spend it.

***

Author’s Note:

Little Song: Making money. [Dog with a rose in its mouth]

Little Xu: Struggling to survive in the county town. [Pats head]