LW chapter 33

 

Chen Qing had always known that he wasn’t quite fond of Qi Shuning. But why did he want to marry him after coming out?

“I couldn’t find a suitable candidate at the moment.” Li Xin said.

“Then I felt he was the most suitable. He has no family, and now he owes my family a favor.”

“But what can you do?” Chen Qing was a little worried.

“I’m fine. As long as my mother is okay, I can do anything. At worst, I’ll divorce him after Qi Shuning passes the exam.”

Seeing that he had carefully considered every step, Chen Qing didn’t know how to persuade him.

“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.” Li Xin rubbed his eyes and said, “I saw Niu Niu with you. He’s gained weight.”

“He always misses you and sometimes cries quietly.”

Li Xin smiled. “I’ll take him back first and talk to you tomorrow.”

Chen Qing nodded and packed Niu Niu’s clothes. He watched them leave.

“Mother, Li Xin said he will get married on the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month.”

Aunt Sun was surprised too, but she figured out the reason after thinking about it. It was rare for him to be so filial. However, if Zhang Yin knew that he wanted to marry because of her, she would be angry.

Everything in this world is so unpredictable.

Soon, everyone in the village knew that Li Xin was getting married, and they were all very surprised. They thought Blacksmith Li would arrange a marriage for Li Xin in the town or region. They didn’t expect it to be so rushed and careless. Li Xin was marrying a man who had come to their house to ask for money.

“Wasn’t Blacksmith Li paying attention before? Now he’s willing to marry like this?”

“No, don’t you understand? That young man has no family, so he’ll be like a live-in son-in-law.”

“So that’s how it is. He’s a scholar too, so he might have a future.”

“I heard Blacksmith Li rented Old Jiang’s vacant house in the village.”

Old Jiang’s son did business in the capital and wanted him to live there, but Old Jiang couldn’t adapt and returned to the village. His son renovated the house for him, but Old Jiang still lived alone in the old house and left the renovated house empty.

This time, Blacksmith Li spent a lot of money renting Old Jiang’s family home.

There was some discussion in the village about it, but it didn’t amount to much. Chen Qing didn’t know how Li Xin and Qi Shuning had agreed. In any case, Li Xin was now curled up in bed watching Chen Qing make a wedding dress for him.

It was warm these past few days, so Blacksmith Li closed his shop to focus on taking care of Zhang Yin. He also had to prepare for Li Xin’s wedding, which was rushed, so there were many things to do.

Because Li Xin was getting married, Zhang Yin’s health suddenly improved, and she had time to worry about the wedding.

She couldn’t believe Li Xin was getting married so suddenly. But when she saw how close Li Xin was with Qi Shuning and how Qi Shuning’s ears turned red when Li Xin approached him, she remembered the type of man Li Xin often said he liked.

Qi Shuning seemed to meet all the requirements.

Zhang Yin thought a bit more. Qi Shuning was a scholar and looked honest. Second, he had no relatives and would settle down in Luohe Village. As long as he stayed in the village, Blacksmith Li could keep an eye on them and ensure that Li Xin wouldn’t be bullied.

If Qi Shuning truly had a future in studying, that would be good for Li Xin. She knew she wouldn’t live long, so she wanted to take care of everything.

“See, it’s still useful, right?” Li Xin touched the red cloth and watched as Chen Qing’s fingers moved up and down and the cloth slowly took shape, becoming a piece of clothing.

Chen Qing never asked Li Xin if he minded his status as a widower. Li Xin would just clap his hands and say that Chen Qing’s craftsmanship was excellent.

“But do you really want to marry him?” Chen Qing asked, still a little worried, as he sewed the wedding dress.

“Of course.” Li Xin replied indifferently. “You know I like someone who’s a little slender and gentle. Even better if he’s a scholar. He meets all my preferences.”

But mutual affection and settling are different.

However, Chen Qing couldn’t say those words.

Li Xin went home without taking the wedding dress, leaving it with Chen Qing. Looking at the bright red dress at night, Chen Qing wondered how Zhou Yuan would persuade Li Xin if he were here.

He also wondered where Zhou Yuan was, if he was in danger on the road, and if he had safely delivered the goods. Did he have time to think of Luohe Village while walking?

The following days were very busy. Li Xin didn’t care about others’ opinions. He just wanted Chen Qing to help him. Chen Qing had to accompany him shopping during the day and help him embroider the wedding dress in the afternoon. Li Xin wasn’t shy and didn’t say anything polite to Chen Qing.

Chen Qing had finished the prototype of the wedding dress. Li Xin tried it on, and it fit perfectly. The only thing left to do was add a pattern to the dress. Chen Qing chose patterns suited for embroidery, such as lotus[mfn]Lotus (荷花) In Chinese lotus represents purity, harmony, and a sincere, noble heart. Because lotuses rise clean from muddy water, they also symbolize a pure love and a peaceful life.[/mfn] and mandarin duck[mfn]Mandarin ducks (鸳鸯) are a classic motif for weddings because they symbolize devoted couples. In traditional culture, mandarin ducks are believed to mate for life, so they represent marital loyalty, long-lasting love, and a happy union.[/mfn] motifs.

However, he left a few stitches at the end of each pattern for the finishing touch. By the time Chen Qing finished the embroidery, it was already the twelfth lunar month.

Although Li Xin’s wedding was planned quickly, it was still very grand. The village chief’s family complained about Blacksmith Li not marrying Li Xin into their family, but weddings and funerals were major events in the village, so the chief came to help.

Chen Qing delivered the nearly completed wedding dress to Li Xin’s house. He saw Zhang Yin, who was wearing a thick robe, talking with Li Xin in the courtyard. When she saw him coming, she waved.

The three of them then went into Li Xin’s room and opened the wedding dress. Chen Qing’s craftsmanship was excellent; the embroidery looked lifelike. However, each pattern was missing the most important part. Chen Qing said, “I thought Aunt Yin would definitely want to add the finishing touch, so I left it open.”

He didn’t leave much. Although Zhang Yin was in poor health, she only needed to embroider a few stitches to finish it. When she finished the last stitch, tears fell onto the bright red fabric.

“Mom.” Li Xin pulled her sleeve.

Chen Qing knew the two of them had something to talk about, so he left first, saying he had something to do at home.

On the way home, Chen Qing passed by many houses. Racks were set up in every yard, and freshly made roasted pork hung from them.

Chen Qing quickened his pace, eager to get home. His family was drying smoked pork for the first time this year. This was his first time in Luohe Village, and everything felt new to him. Recently, he had been staying home, watching the pork racks every day.

When Aunt Sun saw Chen Qing return, she quickly packed her things and stood up. “You stay home and watch. I still have to discuss the wedding details with Zhang Yin.”

She left in a hurry, and Chen Qing sat under his smoked pork rack. Curious, he stood up and sniffed the pork. After a while, he felt silly and smiled foolishly in his chair.

The Laba Festival[mfn]Laba Festival (臘八節, Làbā Jié) is a traditional Chinese holiday for praying, giving thanks, and eating Laba congee, with roots in both Buddhism and folk customs.[/mfn] was in two days, and Chen Qing wondered if Zhou Yuan had a bowl of Laba porridge[mfn]Laba porridge (臘八粥, Làbā zhōu), also called Laba congee, is a traditional Chinese porridge eaten during the Laba Festival (the 8th day of the 12th lunar month), usually made from rice, millet, beans, nuts, dried fruits, and sometimes lotus seeds or chestnuts.[/mfn]. Chen Qing remembered that the Laba porridge his family made when he was a child was made with various beans and was sticky. He could only eat rock sugar a few times a year. His father would melt the rock sugar into the porridge. A bowl of fragrant, sweet porridge really made him look forward to the New Year.

In his first year in Luohe Village, Chen Qing was stunned by the salty Laba porridge cooked by Aunt Sun. He didn’t know that Laba porridge could be made salty.

He wasn’t used to it, but he had just arrived and didn’t want to waste food, so he finished the whole bowl. It didn’t taste as strange as he had imagined, and he felt different after eating it.

On the second Laba Festival, however, Aunt Sun cooked sweet porridge for him. Though it was different from what his little father had cooked, Chen Qing felt a long-lost peace after eating it.

Aunt Sun returned and told him about Li Xin’s wedding: “Li Tiejiang was very generous to rent Old Jiang’s house.”

Chen Qing nodded. “That’s good. Li Xin can also take care of Aunt Yin at home.”

“But Li Tiejiang might have taken all the family savings, saying he would renovate the house for them after the New Year.” Aunt Sun sighed. “I hope Qi Shuning is a good person.”

“He’s a scholar and reads sage books, so he shouldn’t be too bad.”

Aunt Sun looked at him regretfully. “Who says scholars read sage books? Some scholars have bad intentions and secretly hurt others.”

Chen Qing had no impression of Qi Shuning. The only time he had seen him was when they had come back from the mountain last time; then, Qi Shuning had been just a shadow following Blacksmith Li. He wasn’t very tall and was very thin.

“But Li Xin is not a fool. He’s much smarter than you. He shouldn’t be easily controlled by others.”

Chen Qing stuck out his tongue and smiled a little embarrassed.

On the day of the Laba Festival, Aunt Sun cooked two bowls of porridge: one for herself, sweet and one oily bowl for Chen Qing. Li Xin came to share it with him, then said he was going to town. The two of them hitched the ox cart and went on their way. They didn’t send the ox back to Li Xin’s house after driving it back last time.

“Can you drive the cart?” Chen Qing helped Li Xin tie the cart. They had been using the ox cart quite often recently for all kinds of shopping.

“Yes.” Li Xin was dressed very warmly. He had a scarf knitted for him by Zhang Yin a few years ago around his neck. He was about to leave.

Chen Qing chased after him. “Where are you going? Are you going alone? Or I’ll go with you.”

Li Xin smiled. “I’m going to the academy to pick up my future husband. What are you doing? You can pick up my godbrother next time, and I’ll go with you.”

Li Tiejiang knew that Qi Shuning had secretly left the school before, so he brought him back, apologized to the dean, and paid the tuition again. Today was the day the academy had a break.

Chen Qing patted his back. “Be careful on the road and when driving the cart.”

“Got it.” Li Xin patted the ox’s rear. “Is there anything you want? I’ll bring it back for you.”

“Bring back some needles and thread. I’ve used them up too quickly lately.”

Li Xin nodded and waved to him. “I’m off.”

Chen Qing watched Li Xin’s back as he left, then glanced at Zhou Yuan’s house before turning around.

Li Xin, who drove the oxcart away, slowly restrained the smile on his lips where Chen Qing couldn’t see.

When the cart arrived at the town academy, Li Xin picked a more open spot and looked at the gate.

After a while, he saw someone carrying a box of books out of the gate.

Li Xin placed one foot on the cart and let the other dangle. He didn’t move when he saw Qi Shuning come out, waiting until Qi Shuning sat next to him.

“Sorry to trouble you coming to pick me up.”

Li Xin only glanced at him indifferently. “It’s not a bother. I also want to thank you for helping me.”

“I’ll drive the cart.” Qi Shuning wanted him to sit next to him.

Li Xin just glanced at his hands. “Your hands are for writing, not doing things like this.”

Regardless of whether Qi Shuning was sitting properly, Li Xin went straight to town. “I still need to buy some things on the way. If you don’t mind, wait for me a bit.”

Of course, Qi Shuning didn’t mind. He just looked at Li Xin with a restrained gaze that wouldn’t disturb him.

The oxcart stopped by the roadside, and they walked onto the street to shop. Li Xin was a great bargainer. He was different from Chen Qing. Chen Qing would get nervous for a long time just to say something to the shop owner, but Li Xin would become sworn brothers with the merchant as soon as he opened his mouth.

After buying the items, Li Xin remembered that Qi Shuning was beside him. He lowered his lashes, knowing that scholars were noble and naturally disliked such trivial matters.

Li Xin pouted; he didn’t care if Qi Shuning minded.

Qi Shuning helped him carry his purchases and looked at him admiringly: “You’re amazing. They couldn’t say anything back to you.”

Li Xin: …

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