LW chapter 29

 

Ever since that day, Zhou Yuan had seemed busy. He was rarely seen during the day. However, no matter how busy he was, he still came at night to fill Chen Qing’s water tank.

Li Xin had been taking care of his mother at home for a few days and finally found time to hang out with Chen Qing.

After finishing his work in the fields, Chen Qing had some free time. His head hurt from sewing the past two days, so he stretched his muscles in the yard.

Li Xin waved to him from the courtyard gate, and Chen Qing quickly opened the door. “You’re finally out? Is Aunt Yin feeling better?”

“Yeah, much better.” Li Xin sat in his usual spot, glanced at the clothes on the table, and gave Chen Qing a mischievous look. “These are for Zhou Yuan, huh? Just look at the stitching. It’s more precise than when you make clothes for yourself, right?”

Chen Qing nudged his shoulder.

Li Xin knew that if he kept teasing Chen Qing, he would just hide again, so he changed the subject. “Let’s go for a walk in the mountains.”

Chen Qing was tired, but the weather was nice. They weren’t planning to go too far, just to take a walk around the valley.

Chen Qing closed the door and went up the mountain with Li Xin. Li Xin chatted nonstop. “Did you know? My father wants Qi Shuning to go to school.”

“Studying is a good thing.” Chen Qing picked a twig and started weaving a wreath with it. Unfortunately, there weren’t many flowers on the mountain. He placed the wreath on Li Xin’s head, and it actually looked quite nice.

“But school is expensive, and tuition is expensive, too.” Although Li Xin had grown up in a wealthy household, his mother had taught him to be frugal, especially since the money came from his father. “But if he has a promising future, he’ll definitely repay your family someday.”

They sat on a big rock with a wide view from which they could see almost the entire village.

Li Xin sighed. “I’m just trying to stay optimistic. I’m afraid he’ll end up being ungrateful.”

Chen Qing didn’t like talking about others behind their backs, so he changed the subject.

The weather wasn’t too hot. After a few rainstorms, the temperature became very pleasant. The two of them sat on the large rock and chatted about everything. Naturally, the topic of marriage came up.

“Mom convinced Dad not to be so eager to marry me off. Luckily, Dad listens to her.” Li Xin sat up straight. His parents were known for their love throughout Luohe Village.

However, because his father listened to his mother, Zhou Yuan’s requests couldn’t be fulfilled.

He came up to Chen Qing and touched his face. “Ah Qing!”

“What are you doing?” Chen Qing smiled and brushed his hand away. Then, he couldn’t help but laugh.

Chen Qing rarely smiled. When he was happy, he would only slightly curve his eyes and press his lips together.

“You should smile more.”

Aunt Sun had said the same thing. Chen Qing felt like those wandering years weren’t so painful anymore.

He had such good relatives and friends.

While they chatted on the hillside, Zhou Yuan was extremely busy.

There was still so much he had to do to marry Chen Qing.

First of all, there was the wedding itself. He had to make sure it was done properly, which was definitely going to cost a lot of money.

Then there was the betrothal gift. Wild geese were the best choice. He wondered if Luohe Village was like his hometown, where there were no animals during the winter. He would have to find one quickly.

Finally, there was the matter of the rumors. After talking with Aunt Sun, Zhou Yuan thought about it all day. Solving this issue became his top priority.

Eventually, he came up with an idea.

Niu Niu had been visiting him a lot lately. To avoid further contact with Li Xin, Zhou Yuan used Niu Niu to deliver messages they had discussed.

That day, Zhou Yuan brought some liquor that he had bought in town. He passed through most of the village and walked up to Li Xin’s front door.

Li the blacksmith hadn’t gone out to work that day, and Zhang Yin had set a fancy table with a full spread, waiting for Zhou Yuan to arrive.

Some people he passed stopped to chat and asked where he was going.

He replied generously, “I’m going to Uncle Li’s place.”

The man gave a knowing smile. “Just like that? Feels a bit too casual.”

Zhou Yuan simply smiled. “I’m going to pay my respects to my godfather. Wine will suffice.”

“Huh?” The man was stunned.

Zhou Yuan waved him off and said nothing more as he continued on his way.

By noon, news of Zhou Yuan had spread throughout the village. As it turned out, Zhou Yuan wasn’t marrying into the blacksmith’s family; he was there to honor his godfather.

For a while, many people in the village were tempted, and the matchmakers were just about ready to swarm in. Even if the girls or ger might lose face by being so forward, getting a good son-in-law would make it worthwhile.

Aunt Hua talked until her mouth was dry. “No way. Zhou Yuan is as stubborn as a mule. He keeps saying he’s had a lover for a long time and won’t be happy if anyone interferes.”

“Huh? But didn’t he just say he went to the Li family today to honor his godfather?”

The villagers began to speculate about Zhou Yuan’s lover. And with more speculation came more rumors.

Some said he had a lover before going to war and was still hung up on an old flame. Others said he never wanted to get married and only claimed to have a lover to avoid being bothered.

There were so many rumors, some true and some false. No one knew when the rumors started, but some even said that Zhou Yuan was injured on the battlefield and had a hidden illness that made him too ashamed to marry, so he pretended to have a lover.

Rumors spread quickly in the village. Even someone like Chen Qing, who usually stayed home, had heard about it.

He and Aunt Sun exchanged glances, seeing helplessness in each other’s eyes.

“But did Zhou Yuan really take Li the blacksmith as his godfather?” Aunt Sun asked Chen Qing.

Chen Qing shook his head. “I don’t know.”

He really didn’t know. Zhou Yuan hadn’t visited much lately. He would just come to fetch water every night and, at most, hold Chen Qing’s hand by the water tank.

“But this might be for the best. Even if you get married in the future, people probably won’t say anything bad.” From that perspective, Zhou Yuan was quite thoughtful.

Aunt Sun saw the smile he couldn’t hide and realized her boy had grown up. “We should get ready too. Ah Qing, when will you start embroidering your wedding robe?”

Chen Qing’s eyes widened. “Do I have to embroider it myself? Don’t you still have the red one from last time?”

His last wedding was rushed, and Aunt Sun made him a red robe that is still in the closet.

Aunt Sun gently tapped his head. “How can that be the same? Silly.”

“What a waste, Mom. It’s not my first wedding. Can’t we skip it if we can?” Chen Qing seemed unsure. “Right?”

Aunt Sun was about to respond when Zhou Yuan, who hadn’t been around lately, appeared at the door. She smiled. “I’ll go for a walk. You two can keep chatting.”

After she left, Chen Qing held back a bit in front of Zhou Yuan. Zhou Yuan, on the other hand, pulled up a stool and sat comfortably across from him. Seeing the needle and thread in his hand and the almost finished robe, Zhou Yuan smiled. “Almost finished?”

Chen Qing nodded.

“Are you afraid of me?” Zhou Yuan looked down and asked, showing part of his neck. He was clearly unable to resist teasing Chen Qing.

“No, I’m not afraid.” Chen Qing paused, glanced at Zhou Yuan, then looked away. “What have you been up to lately?”

“I’ve been busy with wedding stuff.” The table and stools in their yard were a bit low, and since Zhou Yuan’s legs were too long, sitting wasn’t the most comfortable.

“Oh.” Chen Qing looked down again.

Zhou Yuan looked at him and suddenly remembered something important. They had agreed to get married, but he’d never actually heard Chen Qing say yes out loud.

“Let me ask you something.”

He said it seriously. Chen Qing placed his hands on his knees and listened intently.

“Are you willing to marry me? Or—do you like me?”

Unconsciously, Chen Qing’s fingers curled. He wanted to look at Zhou Yuan, but he knew Zhou Yuan was definitely staring at him. He didn’t dare lift his head, afraid of meeting Zhou Yuan’s smiling eyes.

He didn’t say anything, just nodded.

Zhou Yuan wasn’t satisfied. He leaned in and placed a hand on Chen Qing’s face. “What’s with that nod? I want to hear you say it.”

Chen Qing silently cursed him for being so demanding. He lowered his head, rolled his eyes, and mumbled, “I’m willing.”

Zhou Yuan smiled but didn’t let go. He slid his hand down to Chen Qing’s chin and made him lift his head. “Why do you always look down? You say you’re not scared of me?”

Zhou Yuan walked to Chen Qing’s side, trying to fill his entire field of vision.

“No…” Chen Qing’s voice was soft as he shifted subtly to the side.

He clenched his teeth and slowly turned to face him. Zhou Yuan looked back, locking eyes with him. He thought he looked adorable. Today, he hadn’t tied his hair up, so it hung loosely over his chest. The corners of his eyes were slightly red, and his whole body looked pink with embarrassment.

Chen Qing couldn’t meet Zhou Yuan’s gaze, so he looked away—at the yard, at the fence, anywhere but at Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan found it funny. Back then, Chen Qing used to sneak glances at him. Now that he could look directly at Zhou Yuan, he was so shy that he just wanted to hide.

Thankfully, he was obedient. Once he lifted his head, he didn’t lower it again.

“I checked. The first of November is a good date, so I’ll ask Aunt Hua to propose in two days.” The first of October was also a good date, but Meng Qi had already chosen that day for his wedding.

Chen Qing hesitated, looking at Zhou Yuan, afraid he would be unhappy if he said it.

Zhou Yuan looked at him. “Say whatever you want to say.”

Finally, Chen Qing whispered, “I—I’m still in my mourning period.”

Zhou Yuan froze, then remembered. He had gotten so excited that he had forgotten all about that.

“How much longer?”

“I told my mom I’d mourn for three years.” Chen Qing was nervous and rubbed his pants.

Zhou Yuan frowned. “Three years is too long.”

Chen Qing hadn’t thought so before, but now he did. “But Mom only let me mourn for one year.”

He still remembered that Meng Tao’s funeral had been held on March 27th. That meant he would have to wait until April of the following year. Compared to three years, though, that wasn’t too long.

“All right then, one year.” Half a year had already passed. “That gives us time to prepare for the wedding.”

Chen Qing was surprised. “Are we still planning a wedding?”

“Of course,” Zhou Yuan replied. “Why? Don’t you want to?”

Chen Qing nodded, afraid he would say the wrong thing and upset Zhou Yuan again. Zhou Yuan saw him frowning. “You think it’s too extravagant?”

“You don’t need to worry about the money.”

Chen Qing looked at him. “But it doesn’t seem like you’ve been working lately…” Even if he had money, he should have spent most of it by now.

Zhou Yuan was so annoyed that he laughed. “So, in your eyes, I’m just a lazy bum? If I didn’t work, would you still want to marry me?”

Chen Qing didn’t know how Zhou Yuan could say something so embarrassing with a straight face. He kicked Zhou Yuan.

“Alright, alright, let’s drop it.” Zhou Yuan didn’t want to make him angry. “Listen to me. My family isn’t poor. I can earn money, and you don’t need to worry about a thing.”

Chen Qing pressed his lips together.

Zhou Yuan told him what he had been up to lately. “I’ve been spending time in the mountains trying to catch wild geese. I haven’t caught one yet, but I’ve gotten a few other animals.”

Chen Qing glanced at him. “But I haven’t seen you around.”

“If I’m up in the mountains, I get back really late.”

“Oh.” Chen Qing nodded.

“There’s one more thing.” Zhou Yuan said seriously.

Chen Qing looked up, wondering what it was.

“That rumor about me having a hidden illness? It’s fake. Don’t worry.”

Chen Qing’s face turned bright red, and he kicked Zhou Yuan hard, finally releasing all the pent-up frustration he’d held back all afternoon. “Who’s worried about that, huh?! Pervert.”

Chen Qing went back inside, but he could still hear Zhou Yuan laughing in the yard.

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