LW chapter 27

On the second day, Chen Qing heard that Li Xin’s mother wasn’t feeling well. That was why Li Xin hadn’t come to visit in a few days. After thinking about it and discussing it with Aunt Sun, Chen Qing went to visit Li Xin’s mother, bringing a few eggs from home.

Li Xin’s mother’s name was Zhang Yin. Her ancestral home wasn’t in Ningchun Prefecture. Li the blacksmith met her when he went to her hometown to study blacksmithing. They eventually got married and moved to Luohe Village.

Chen Qing rarely visited Li Xin’s house. He was a little scared of Li the blacksmith.

“You’re here?” Li Xin opened the courtyard gate for him. “Why’d you bring something when you came?”

“There’s not much at home.” Chen Qing handed Li Xin the eggs. “You always say Uncle Li likes slaughtering chickens.”

Because Zhang Yin wasn’t doing well, Li the blacksmith had to kill a chicken every few days to improve her health, and no one could really say anything about it.

“Then I’ll take them. Niu Niu said he wanted egg pudding,” Li Xin said casually. He led Chen Qing to see Zhang Yin.

Zhang Yin was lying in bed. When she saw Chen Qing, she asked him to sit by her side and started asking about the family.

Li Xin’s mother had an old illness. After Li Xin was born, Li Tiejiang hadn’t planned to have more kids. However, she unexpectedly became pregnant with Niu Niu. Li Tiejiang didn’t want the child, but she insisted on giving birth.

Her health had only worsened since then. She had to take medicine every few days and be extra careful when the weather was cold or rainy.

After chatting with Zhang Yin for a while, Li Xin didn’t let him stay in the room any longer and told him to go play.

Chen Qing had a lot he wanted to say to Li Xin. They headed into Li Xin’s room. Li Xin eagerly showed Chen Qing the handkerchief he had embroidered.

Oh! There was something a little indecent on it.

“This…”

“A flower.” Li Xin was very satisfied with his embroidery. “I copied it from a handkerchief that my mom gave me. My dad said that if I could embroider as well as my mom, she would teach me more stitches.”

Chen Qing couldn’t bring himself to lie and say that the two were identical, so he simply said, “It’s very detailed.”

“Really?” Li Xin smiled. “Is your leg all healed now?”

“Yeah, it’s fine now.”

He stared at Li Xin for a while, then said, “There’s something I want to tell you.”

Li Xin was still holding his handkerchief. “Just say it. I’m listening.”

Chen Qing thought for a moment, unsure where to begin. He hesitated for a long time, unable to speak. Li Xin looked up and saw Chen Qing’s face turning red. He put the handkerchief down. “Come on, just tell me.”

“Well, Zhou Yuan said…”

Li Xin burst out laughing, and Chen Qing quickly pulled him in. “Don’t laugh.”

“Ahem.” Li Xin held it in. “Actually, I already know. The medicine I gave you last time was given to me by him. He was also the one who asked me to help you with a lot of things.”

Li Xin continued talking, revealing many things that Chen Qing hadn’t known. Chen Qing’s eyes widened. He hadn’t expected things to be like this.

“If Auntie wants to find you a match, Zhou Yuan’s a good choice.”

“But Mom doesn’t think he’s a good match.”

Li Xin caught something in Chen Qing’s words. “Wait, so you do like him? Right?”

Chen Qing was shy and thin-skinned. He hadn’t really thought about it before. Even marrying Meng Tao hadn’t been his choice. He hadn’t even seen Meng Tao before that, let alone liked him. His heart didn’t pound like a drum when he wore the wedding clothes. Back then, he just felt confused.

When he first saw Zhou Yuan in the crowd, he mistook him for Meng Tao—and that was when he felt his heart beat for the first time.

“But why isn’t Auntie happy? There’s no one better than Zhou Yuan, right?”

“She said it’s because he’s too good.” Chen Qing told Li Xin about Aunt Sun’s concerns.

Then, he counted on his fingers. “I think I’m doing okay now. Maybe it’s better not to get married.”

“That won’t do,” Li Xin said. “I hope you can be happy.”

“Didn’t you say you could live just fine without a man?”

Li Xin looked at Chen Qing. The two were in completely different situations. He wasn’t trying to brag, but his life was much better. Chen Qing had wandered for years. If there was someone who could improve his life, then why not?

Chen Qing chuckled. After a while, they heard noises outside. Li the blacksmith had rushed home, with Qi Shuning following behind him.

Chen Qing was still scared of him. After bumping into him at the door and saying hello, Chen Qing hurried home. Li the blacksmith looked confused as he watched Chen Qing dash off.

He turned to Li Xin. “Do I look like I eat people?”

Li Xin laughed, “Dad, you really are scary.”

Li Xin watched Chen Qing leave and decided to tell Zhou Yuan about it. Otherwise, the guy would be left in the dark even after his “bride” was gone.

Then, he remembered what Chen Qing had said earlier—that the villagers were saying he and Zhou Yuan were getting married. If he went to find Zhou Yuan now, it would only stir up more gossip.

Seeing Niu Niu catch bugs in the corner of the yard, Li Xin picked him up and asked, “Niu Niu, do you still remember Zhou Yuan?”

“He’s as tall as Dad,” said Niu Niu.

Li Xin smiled. “Then he’s even taller than Dad. Go to his house and tell him what your brother said.”

Niu Niu nodded. “Okay.”

Although he didn’t understand all the words, he sometimes studied with Qi Shuning, who had taught him to read, so he had a good memory.

Niu Niu repeated the words, and Li Xin figured he’d gotten it right, so he let him go find Zhou Yuan.

On the way home, Chen Qing took the long, narrow road to avoid greeting any villagers. Because of that, by the time Niu Niu ran to Zhou Yuan’s house, Chen Qing still hadn’t arrived.

Zhou Yuan was surprised to see Niu Niu and asked, “Niu Niu?”

Niu Niu ran up to him and repeated what Li Xin had told him. Then he added, “I heard Aunt Hua say she found a widower with three kids for Brother Qing.”

Zhou Yuan held his breath, growing anxious about Niu Niu. He took a deep breath. “Thanks, Niu Niu.”

Niu Niu nodded like a little grown-up. “Then I’ll go home first. My dad’s going to slaughter a chicken soon. He’ll give one drumstick to my brother and one to me.”

Zhou Yuan walked him to the gate. “Next time, I’ll buy you a drumstick, too.”

After seeing Niu Niu off, Zhou Yuan leaned against the wall and thought about what he had just heard. It was his mistake. He thought they all knew how he felt, and he thought he could just pick a day to propose. He never imagined that Chen Qing and Li Xin were the subject of gossip because of him.

Li Xin especially—he got caught in the mess for no reason, yet he was still helping Zhou Yuan.

He had to fix this problem before he could propose.

But first, he needed to deal with the mysterious widower with three kids.

Chen Qing didn’t know anything. After talking with Li Xin, the weight on his shoulders lifted. At least Li Xin didn’t like Zhou Yuan, so he hadn’t stolen anyone’s lover.

Aunt Sun had already come home, and the courtyard gate was tightly shut. Chen Qing glanced sideways and caught sight of Zhou Yuan’s back as he rushed out.

The weather was good this year, and they had just finished planting wheat. If it didn’t rain, they would have to fetch water to irrigate the fields. Chen Qing’s leg had healed, but he wasn’t sure what would happen if he had to carry water for the fields.

Right now, the sky is clear but windy. After a patch of dark clouds rolled in, heavy rain began to pour down. Chen Qing quickly grabbed a raincoat and was about to pick up Aunt Sun when he saw her walking back through the rain.

She was soaked. Chen Qing quickly made ginger soup and boiled water for her to bathe in. After her bath, he made her hot noodle soup. After drinking the soup, Aunt Sun went to bed early.

The rain hadn’t stopped. Chen Qing went to the back to check the chicken coop for leaks. He dug a trench with a hoe before heading back to his room. He stood outside Aunt Sun’s room for a while but didn’t hear anything, so he went back to his room.

The sound of the rain falling on the roof made it easier to sleep. Chen Qing loved rainy days, especially in Luohe Village. They helped him sleep deeply.

His hometown was windy and sandy all year round. Rain was a rare luxury. After moving to Luohe Village, he discovered that the sound of rain helped him sleep better than ever before.

He slept soundly, but someone he didn’t expect showed up in his dream.

It was Meng Tao—his face was still blurry, but his tone was urgent: “You’re still sleeping? Hurry, get up!”

“Huh?” Chen Qing opened his eyes wide. “Isn’t it bedtime?”

“I told you to take care of my mom. What kind of care is this?” Meng Tao spun in place, flustered. “Get up now.”

“Huh?” Chen Qing was still confused. He didn’t know why Meng Tao had come today. He wanted to chase after him, but he couldn’t. Meng Tao turned around and scolded him.

Chen Qing woke up with a start.

He sat up. The rain had stopped. He lit the oil lamp and went to Aunt Sun’s room.

Because of the earlier rain, the room was dark. His lamp was the only light in the pitch-black night. He walked to her bed. As he got closer, he heard her moan softly.

Chen Qing quickly set down the lamp and touched her forehead; it was burning hot.

“Mom, Mom…” Chen Qing panicked for a moment. He forced himself to stay calm and figured that Aunt Sun must have caught a cold from the rain and now had a fever. What should he do?

Boil the medicine. Yes, first boil the medicine.

Since there was no village doctor, each household kept some herbal medicine on hand.

Chen Qing rushed to the kitchen to boil the herbs, but Aunt Sun still didn’t wake up. It was so dark. Chen Qing was panicking. Even though he knew it was just a cold, he was terrified.

His hands trembled as he lit the fire.

Once the medicine was ready, he hurried back to give it to her. But she threw it all up, and her whole body began to convulse.

Chen Qing held her tightly, afraid that she might bite her tongue. He grabbed a handkerchief and stuffed it between her teeth.

He held her until she calmed down. Then, he gave her more of the medicine. She frowned at its bitterness, but still swallowed it.

Chen Qing placed the handkerchief on her forehead and started cleaning up the mess on the floor.

When he went outside to pour the water, he saw a faint light approaching.

He froze, and soon, Zhou Yuan stepped into their courtyard.

His eyes stung. He walked to the doorway and saw Zhou Yuan covered in mud, with a nearly burned-out lantern in his hand.

Zhou Yuan looked at Chen Qing, who was wearing a middle-length coat, and then glanced into the house. “What happened?”

As soon as Chen Qing heard Zhou Yuan’s voice, two lines of tears streamed down his face.

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