Qiao Suiman and Qin Yu were both sleepy from eating, so they went back to their rooms to rest. As soon as they stood up, Heijin jumped up and bit Qiao Suiman’s clothes to stop him from leaving.
Guilt gnawed at Qiao Suiman, so he picked up Heijin and carried the dog into the room, letting it curl up by the bed.
Seeing that no one was leaving, Heijin happily barked twice before plopping down on Qiao Suiman’s discarded shoes and dozing off again.
Though there was no brazier lit in the room, the doors and windows were shut tight. Once he got under the quilt, Qiao Suiman quickly drifted into a deep sleep.
When Lu Dongqing and Qiao Ruifeng returned home, it was quiet, and they immediately knew the two had gone to rest. The cold weather made people reluctant to leave their beds, and fewer folks were out and about than usual.
After explaining their intentions to the village chief, Yu Ping quickly proposed a solution. There was no clear standard for how much bamboo cutting was considered excessive, after all, many villagers regularly made bamboo wares to sell in town.
It was nothing more than someone growing envious of the large sum Lu Dongqing had earned. But the money he made came from working for families in town, and all the bamboo used by the clients were purchased, not taken from the mountain. Using this as a reason to trouble him was unreasonable.
Therefore, Yu Ping had previously turned the person away and casually mentioned it to Lu Dongqing. He didn’t expect Lu Dongqing to come to his door with a gift to discuss this matter, willing to pay the village a certain amount of money each year and plant another bamboo grove himself.
Yu Ping was naturally delighted. Though this young man hadn’t been in the village long, he had more sense than some of the old-timers. The village did not have many expenses on a regular basis, and most of them were spent on repairing the bridge and the road. Most of the funds came from allocations by the county yamen, with a smaller portion collected from each household annually.
In the end, Yu Ping decided that the Lu family only needed to pay an additional five mace of silver to the village each year for the next two years. The mountain had plenty of bamboo, and it grew quickly. Five mace of silver was more than enough to shut people’s mouths.
Clearing land for a bamboo grove would take time, so there was no rush. The payment could wait until after the new year.
Lu Dongqing tiptoed into Qiao Suiman’s room, where man and dog lay sprawled in identical poses, facing upward, their breathing deep and even.
Lu Dongqing was not sleepy, so he sat on the edge of the bed and thought about something.
These days, he is focusing on making wooden barrels and cups, weaving bamboo items, and carving small trinkets. Building bamboo houses is a rare opportunity. He was fortunate to have two projects this year; however, he is unsure if he will have similar opportunities in the future. While he still has time, he should make as many things as he can.
After the new year, they would need to fence off a section behind the yard. Clearing a bamboo grove was a big task, and they would be busy for a while.
Though there was much to do, with Qiao Suiman by his side, everything felt right. Just as Lu Dongqing was about to reach out to brush away the strands of hair that had fallen onto Qiao Suiman’s face, he opened his eyes with a groan.
“You’re back,” Qiao Suiman’s voice was still drowsy from just waking up.
“Mn. It’s settled. We’ll start paying after the new year, five mace a year,” Lu Dongqing said, handing him his clothes.
“That’s better than expected.”
“Yes. In a couple of years, once our own bamboo grove grows up, we won’t have to worry about what others say.”
Qiao Suiman nodded and slowly pulled on his shoes. “I slept for nearly half a shichen. I wonder if Qin Yu-ge’s up yet.”
Heijin stuck close the entire time, and Qiao Suiman was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. “It’ll probably be like this for days, following me everywhere.”
Lu Dongqing scooped Heijin up and smoothed its fur. “Let it follow. When we get home, I’ll weave it a straw mat so it can sleep in the main room at night.”
The Qiao family has a straw mat that Heijin was used to, but Qiao Ruifeng would need it for the two puppies he was bringing home soon. This task is easy for Lu Dongqing; he could finish it in no time, so there was no need to take them from the Qiao family.
When they stepped out, Qin Yu and Qiao Ruifeng were already busy, having prepared a pot of sweet bean soup. They ladled out a bowl for each of them.
“Drink up while it’s hot.”
“Thanks.”
Since returning home, they hardly stopped eating. The days when a single extra mouthful of porridge would earn them a beating from Li Hua felt like a lifetime ago.
As Qiao Suiman sipped the sweet bean soup, an idea struck him. He mostly made drinks, but he didn’t have to limit himself to drinks. Sweet soups and even bean porridge could also be sold.
Unlike before, he now had silver to spare. He could afford beans and sugar, and offering more variety would attract more customers, killing two birds with one stone.
When he voiced the idea, Qin Yu nodded eagerly. On cold days, he’d gladly buy a bowl of warm bean porridge too.
Once decided, Qiao Suiman began planning in earnest. There wasn’t much dried osmanthus left at home, so he decided to add it to the bean porridge to give it an osmanthus aroma, calling it Osmanthus-scented Bean Porridge. Along with Camellia Drink, Perilla Drink, and Black Bean Syrup, four items in total.
Perilla Drink has been sold year-round, but recently fewer and fewer people are drinking it. One barrel is enough. The others could start with two barrels each as a trial. They would also need an extra barrel of water to wash the used bowls.
In the past, it was just him and Qin Yu, and they dared only stay in the East Market and sell goods near Qiao Ruifeng. But now, with Lu Dongqing’s help, selling goods along the street is easy. Qiao Ruifeng can continue working at the dock to earn more money.
Thinking of this, Qiao Suiman became even more enthusiastic that he nearly rushed home to start mixing clay. Qin Yu laughed. “You can’t even stay at home when you think about making money, can you?”
“Not at all,” Qiao Suiman said, grinning. “It would be great if we could open a shop in town. We wouldn’t have to go back and forth, and keeping things warm would be easier.”
But it’s not easy.
His enthusiasm dimmed slightly. Seeing this, Lu Dongqing said, “Once we’ve saved enough money, we’ll go look for a shop. If we can’t buy one, we’ll rent one first. Then our shop will sell both drinks and bamboo crafts, it’d be the first of its kind in town.”
“Sounds perfect! If you’re busy, just call me. I’ll be your helper,” Qiao Ruifeng chimed in.
Qiao Suiman laughed so hard that his shoulders shook. He couldn’t help but look forward to that day even more.
They chatted for a long while, and Qiao Suiman and Lu Dongqing even dropped by the Chen family next door. As the sky grew darker, the custom in Xiahe Village was to only eat lunch, and once the sun set, it was time to head home. Therefore, Qiao Ruifeng and Qin Yu didn’t press them to stay for dinner, seeing them off instead.
Heijin trailed closely behind Qiao Suiman, its large frame somehow exuding pitifulness. At noon, Qiao Suiman specially picked out some meat for it, and it had happily devoured two bowls of soaked bran as well, earning a scolding from Qin Yu.
For days, no matter how he and Qiao Ruifeng coaxed it, Heijin was listless. Yet the moment Qiao Suiman appeared, it perked right up. No wonder Qin Yu had to scold him. However, despite her scolding, he still cared for the dog and knew letting it follow Qiao Suiman was for the best.
The two people and the dog walked home in the sunset, their shadows stretching long behind them. Qiao Suiman and Lu Dongqing chatted and laughed, occasionally interrupted by Heijin’s barking. The scene was peaceful and beautiful.
When they arrived home, Miao Lianhua had just finished cooking. Seeing them return, she smiled and said, “You’re back just in time. Dinner will be ready soon.”
Then she noticed Heijin trailing behind and blinked. “This is…?”
“Mother, this is the dog I found in the mountains years ago. Qin Yu-ge said it hasn’t been eating well since I left, so he told me to bring it back.”
Qiao Suiman was slightly nervous. He suddenly brought a dog back. He wondered if his Mother and Xuesong were afraid…
“I see,” Miao Lianhua’s face lit up. “Before I married, I had a dog too. It lived over a decade before passing, and I never got another.”
A flicker of sadness crossed her eyes, but it vanished quickly. “Also a black-and-tan, named A-Hei. When my eldest son was little, he insisted on sleeping with it at his maternal grandparents’ house.”
“Really?” Qiao Suiman looked up at Lu Dongqing and asked with a smile.
Lu Dongqing smiled and shook his head, “I was too young at that time, I don’t remember it.”
Miao Lianhua suddenly burst into laughter, leaned close to Qiao Suiman’s ear, and whispered, “He wet the bed and blamed it on A-Hei, saying it was the dog’s urine. A-Hei is very smart and would never wet the bed.”
Qiao Suiman bit his lips, unable to hold back a laugh. He laughed so hard that he fell backwards, holding his belly, and tears came out of the corners of his eyes.
It’s really funny. How can this person wet the bed and still blame the dog?!
Lu Dongqing’s smile froze. “Mother!”
How could she share such an embarrassing story with Qiao Suiman?!
Miao Lianhua also laughed so hard she couldn’t catch her breath. She waved her hand dismissively and said, “Alright, alright, it’s not a big deal. Go to the backyard and call Lao Er[mfn]老二 – second eldest among siblings; second child/brother/sister[/mfn] to eat.”
Lu Dongqing was so embarrassed that he didn’t know how to face Qiao Suiman, so he simply ran to the backyard and ignored Qiao Suiman’s teasing look.
Qiao Suiman and Miao Lianhua exchanged a look and burst into laughter again.
Lu Xuesong, who was making a fence in the backyard, heard the laughter and asked Lu Dongqing curiously, “What are Mother and Xiao Man-ge laughing at?”
Only to get a flick on the forehead from his brother. “Nothing. Just hurry up and eat!”
“Hey, if it’s nothing, why did I hear…”
Lu Xuesong paused. “Did Mother bring up our embarrassing childhood stories again?”
Lu Dongqing gave him a look that said finally, you get it, though he didn’t clarify that only his own embarrassing story had been shared. Fortunately, Lu Xuesong didn’t ask any more unnecessary questions; otherwise, he would have brought up other silly things and really lost face in front of Qiao Suiman.
At the dinner table, Qiao Suiman still wore a barely suppressed grin. Though he didn’t laugh outright, Lu Dongqing’s ears burned.
He quietly defended himself, “I was too young back then, I don’t even remember it.”
Qiao Suiman chuckled softly and whispered with a mischievous smile, “Mn. I’ll remember for you.”
His fulang’s sly expression made Lu Dongqing both flustered and fond. He had no choice but to pull at Qiao Suiman’s sleeve, hoping that he would forget about it after laughing it off.
That night, as Qiao Suiman made the bed, the memory resurfaced, and he giggled to himself.
Lu Dongqing returned from washing up to find Qiao Suiman grinning ear to ear. He said gloomily, “Can you just forget about it?”
“I could,” Qiao Suiman replied without thinking, then raised a brow, tone playful. “But it depends on your performance.”
As for what kind of performance, he hadn’t decided yet.
But Lu Dongqing suddenly became excited. Tossing his outer robe to the foot of the bed, he pinned Qiao Suiman down, cutting off any protest. “Then I’ll perform right now!”
“Ah—you! That’s not what I meant…”
Before he could finish, his lips were captured in a searing kiss, reducing him to breathless whimpers.
Lu Dongqing was clearly impatient, swiftly stripping them both and tossing their clothes aside before yanking the quilt up to keep Qiao Suiman warm.
Qiao Suiman couldn’t take it anymore. He finally got a chance to catch his breath, but before he could even catch her breath, his voice was shattered again. Qiao Suiman wanted to cry, but couldn’t. Why did he have to tease him like that?
“Was my performance good?”
Lu Dongqing’s voice was rough with pleasure, hands gripping Qiao Suiman’s waist as he moved relentlessly.
“Good, ah, good.”
After an unknown amount of time, Qiao Suiman lay on the bed, completely exhausted. He was unable to move even a finger, yet she still muttered softly, “Bastard!”
His knees were rubbed raw!
Lu Dongqing did not refute even when being scolded. He sat on the bed with a towel in his hand and said soothingly, “It’s all my fault. Don’t be angry. You can hit me or scold me.”
Qiao Suiman couldn’t even raise his hand to hit him. He glared at him angrily and turned his head away without looking at him.
Lu Dongqing could only carefully wash him. After washing, Qiao Suiman kept his back to him. He[mfn]Lu Dongqing[/mfn] dared not speak and slowly moved closer.
Qiao Suiman didn’t resist. Lu Dongqing’s body was like a furnace; warm in his arms, and couldn’t be pushed away. Only a fool would go against it. He could just stay facing away!
Meanwhile, Lu Dongqing thought that his fulang was so good. Even angry, he lets me hold him. He was indeed a bit too much just now.
“Xiao Man, you are so kind. I won’t do this again in the future.”
Qiao Suiman was half-asleep and didn’t respond, just humming a few times to indicate he had heard him.
He would never admit to Lu Dongqing that, despite the embarrassment, it felt incredibly good.
Hmph, he absolutely mustn’t let him know!
—
Author [陳皮皮梅]: Locked out again, this is tiring
If you enjoy my translations, consider buying me a coffee ☕
Thanks for the chapter! The puppy & the hubby are just as clingy, lol