After the meal, Miao Lianhua cleared the dishes and didn’t let Qiao Suiman help. She went to the kitchen to wash and scrub by herself.
With nothing else to do, Qiao Suiman took a small shovel to loosen the soil in the vegetable patch. This was work he was used to at home, and it was no different here. The plot Miao Lianhua had cultivated wasn’t large, so it only took him half a shichen to finish.
Today was the nineteenth. Normally, they would have gone to the East Market to sell drinks, but since they were newlyweds, Lu Dongqing was worried Qiao Suiman might still feel unwell, so they had agreed to wait until the twenty-fifth to resume business. This gave them time to work on a roughly insulated wooden barrel and brainstorm ideas for the new drink stall.
Selling bamboo tubes like before wouldn’t work anymore. They needed a new approach.
Until bedtime, Qiao Suiman was still thinking about the new stall. With the weather getting colder, everyone wanted something warm to drink, so that problem was solved.
As for the bamboo tubes, people still bought them, but they couldn’t rely solely on them. Shops in town used bowls, where customers could drink and leave, which was much more convenient.
Porcelain bowls were out of the question. Plain ones weren’t eye-catching, but the prettier ones were expensive. If one broke, it would be awkward to demand compensation from a customer.
Then it can only be a wooden bowl or a bamboo bowl. With Lu Dongqing’s skills, making something unique wouldn’t be a problem.
Just as Qiao Suiman nestled into Lu Dongqing’s arms to share his thoughts, Lu Dongqing’s large frame pressed down on him, his mouth sealing Qiao Suiman’s in a kiss. His hands also slipped under Qiao Suiman’s clothes, roaming freely. Qiao Suiman let out a soft moan and finally managed to push him away slightly.
Lu Dongqing’s gaze burned with desire but also a hint of confusion, as if he didn’t understand why Qiao Suiman was resisting. “Does it hurt? Was I too rough?”
“No.”
It actually felt quite good, but Qiao Suiman didn’t say that out loud. He scrambled up instead. “We could make some bamboo or wooden bowls. People who want to rest can drink straight from them and don’t need to buy bamboo tubes. If they want to take them away, they can buy bamboo tubes.”
Then, Qiao Suiman wrapped his arms around Lu Dongqing’s neck and said sweetly, “But that means you’ll have to work hard these next few days to make them.”
His fulang is soft and fragrant, looking at him with such hopeful eyes that Lu Dongqing felt his bones melt. How could he refuse? He immediately pulled Qiao Suiman back down, planting several kisses on his face before growling in a low voice, “I’ll make them, as many as you want!”
“Good.”
Qiao Suiman chuckled, lifting his head to press a kiss to the corner of Lu Dongqing’s mouth. “You’re so good to me.”
The moment the words left his mouth, he felt embarrassed and buried his face in Lu Dongqing’s chest.
Lu Dongqing’s blood burned with desire, and he had no place to use his energy, so he could only vent it on Qiao Suiman.
He swiftly pulled the quilt over himself and Qiao Suiman and began his teasing. Fortunately, he hadn’t completely lost his senses. Remembering that Qiao Suiman had only just experienced his first time the day before, he restrained himself after just one round.
The water left from washing their faces earlier was still in the basin. After indulging himself, Lu Dongqing wet a cloth and returned to the bed, where Qiao Suiman was still panting lightly, his face flushed with the afterglow of pleasure.
Qiao Suiman blushed, letting Lu Dongqing clean him up before they curled up together and fell into a deep sleep.
Before they knew it, another day had passed. After breakfast, Qiao Suiman and Lu Dongqing set off for the Qiao family home, bringing three jin of fresh meat and two packets of brown slab sugar.
Having indulged for two days straight, they had finally regained some sense of restraint the night before. Knowing they had to return to the Qiao household the next day, they feared Qiao Suiman’s body wouldn’t hold up if they kept at it, so they settled for just kisses and cuddles before sleeping.
The previous morning, while the sky was still bright, Qiao Suiman and Lu Dongqing had gone up the mountain together. Qiao Suiman gathered camellia flowers here and there. The plum blossoms weren’t in full bloom yet and would only flourish when it got colder. Lu Dongqing, meanwhile, was looking for bamboo suitable for transplanting.
Today, besides fetching perilla leaves from home, they also needed to discuss the stall arrangement with Qin Yu. After talking it over with Miao Lianhua, Qiao Suiman realized that running both the drink stall and the bamboo crafts stall with just him and Lu Dongqing would be too much.
Lu Xuesong was busy with the fields, and Miao Lianhua earned more from embroidering handkerchiefs. After some thought, inviting Qin Yu to join them seemed the most practical solution.
Moreover, the perilla leaves had to be picked from their family’s vegetable patch, and next year’s fruit syrup would rely on the two fruit trees at home. It wouldn’t be right to take them without giving something in return.
They didn’t leave too early, and on the way, Qiao Suiman ran into quite a few familiar faces, some of whom Lu Dongqing didn’t recognize yet. Qiao Suiman made sure to introduce them properly, and Lu Dongqing followed his lead in greeting them, much to the delight of the passing women, fulang, elders, and aunties.
Long after the two had walked away, the onlookers were still chatting among themselves.
“Look at Man-ge’r’s demeanor. You can tell at a glance that the kid from the Lu family is treating him very well.”
“Tsk, tsk, three jin of meat and two packets of sugar. They’re really not sparing any expense.”
“What’s the big deal? The Lu boy works for wealthy families in town. He earns at least eight to ten taels a month, and his mother is skilled at embroidery. This little bit of money means nothing to them.”
“That’s not the point. Some families aren’t short on money but still pinch pennies when it comes to their fulang’s family. Didn’t the Lu boy say before that if Man-ge’r told him to go east, he’d never go west? These youngsters, really, too much to look at.”
“Hahaha, have you noticed? Man-ge’r has grown even more charming. With that face, no wonder the Lu boy dotes on him so much.”
“True, but the Lu boy’s a handsome one too. They’re quite the match!”
“Why didn’t we act sooner? What a shame.”
“You’re still thinking about that? Haven’t you heard? Their fates are aligned. Look at how things were before and how they are now. Not just anyone could handle that kind of fortune!”
Qiao Suiman paid no mind to the gossip behind them. Right now, all he wanted was to hurry home and see his elder brother and Qin Yu. Though only three days had passed, it felt like much longer.
When they reached the house, the courtyard gate was open which was clearly left that way in anticipation of their arrival. Qiao Suiman called out loudly, “Da-ge! Qin Yu-ge! I’m back!”
The moment the words left his mouth, Heijin, who was listlessly curled up in a corner, shot over like a cannonball, throwing itself at Qiao Suiman.
“Heijin!”
Qiao Suiman hadn’t seen the dog in days and missed it terribly. He crouched down to hug Heijin, rubbing his face against its fur, but the dog only whined pitifully.
“You’re back.”
Qin Yu came out of the main hall and was delighted to see Qiao Suiman. Noticing Heijin’s behavior, he sighed. “Ever since you left, it’s been moping around. It’s even lost its appetite. I’m afraid it will starve itself to death.”
A pang of guilt struck Qiao Suiman. He and Qin Yu had discussed whether to bring Heijin to the Lu household, but they decided against it, thinking the house would feel even emptier without the dog.
But now, it seemed they only ended up hurting Heijin’s feelings.
Qiao Suiman stroked Heijin’s head tenderly. This was the dog he had raised so of course he couldn’t bear to part with it. Not having Heijin follow him up the mountain yesterday felt strange.
Qin Yu spoke up decisively. “Xiao Man, take Heijin with you. He’s smart and will come back if he misses me and Ruifeng. Don’t worry about us being lonely at home either. Your brother and I have talked it over. In a few days, we’ll go to the market and buy some chicks and ducklings to raise. We’ll also get a couple of puppies from Butcher Wang’s place. The house will still be lively.”
“Really?”
Raising chickens and ducks is a big deal for these country folk. When the chickens and ducks grow up, they can lay eggs, which can be kept for consumption or sold for profit. It is a steady profit. When the chickens and ducks get old and stop laying eggs, they could be slaughtered for meat or sold. Even old hens and ducks were quite valuable.
“Of course.”
Qiao Ruifeng emerged from the backyard, dusting dirt off his hands. “We’ve saved up quite a bit. Once we save a little more, we can even buy a pig to raise. Our house has plenty of space, so we don’t have to worry about where to keep it.”
Since his elder brother and brother-in-law had their own plans, Qiao Suiman was also very happy. “Da-ge, we’ve been thinking of buying chicks and ducklings too. Let’s go together!”
“Alright!” Qiao Ruifeng and Qin Yu agreed in unison.
Lu Dongqing took the opportunity to present their gifts with a smile. “Da-ge, Qin Yu-ge, I hope you will accept this gift.”
“Ah, you really shouldn’t have!” Qin Yu weighed the meat and sugar in his hands, just about to ask why they had gone to such trouble to buy so much. There were only him and Qiao Ruifeng at home, and there was no way they could eat all of it.
But then he thought about how the Lu family valued Xiao Man, which was why they had brought so many gifts. Patting his hands together in delight, he said, “Sit, sit! I’ll pour some water. I’ll make sure to cook up a feast at noon!”
Qiao Suiman swung Lu Dongqing’s hand playfully. “Qin Yu-ge’s sweet and sour pork is amazing!”
Lu Dongqing was infected by his smile, “Then I must try it.”
The feeling of having something to look forward to in life was truly wonderful!
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Thanks for the chapter!