TTLJDFL chapter 10

To be honest, Li Jin is really unhappy with his current body. He looks fine with clothes on, but without them, he seems too frail.

In Li Jin’s eyes, chest and abs are essential for men under thirty-five.

So, after putting the child down, he turned around before fastening his belt.

Qin Muwen was momentarily stunned.

Previously, when Li Jin returned to the room, he would become lazy, getting into bed without even taking a shower.

Even if he got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, he was completely casual, acting as if he didn’t exist at all.

In ancient rural areas, toilets were generally just pit latrines. To avoid accidentally stepping into them at night, every household had a chamber pot. So for peeing, there was no need to stumble around in the dark to the latrine.

But now, Li Jin’s clothes were barely covering him, and he didn’t even want to look a second time.

Wait, that sounded a bit… ambiguous.

Qin Muwen thought confusedly, I really didn’t mean to look at Li Jin’s chest!

Li Jin had no idea about the twists and turns in Qin Muwen’s mind, let alone that this young man had already checked out his current scrawny body from top to bottom long ago.

Li Jin got dressed, went out to wash his hands and face, then used a willow twig with some salt—a specialty from ancient times—to brush his teeth.

After all that, he boiled some hot water and brought it in for the young man to wash up. The young man was almost overwhelmed by the favor, thanked him softly, and then lowered his head to brush his teeth seriously.

Li Jin said calmly, “Thank what? Since you married me, you are my husband, and we are one family. Such a small matter does not require thanks.”

He had thought last night that he would not be able to sleep, after all, he and the young man had no prior emotional foundation. Yet, upon suddenly being transported into a situation where they lay on the same bed as a married couple, he was unsure how he would feel.

In the end, whether it was due to sheer exhaustion or the influence of the young man’s obedient and unguarded profile, he soon fell asleep.

Got up in the middle of the night to make some goat milk porridge for the kid, and by the time he got the kid back to sleep, it was almost dawn.

At that time, Li Jin didn’t go back to sleep but started thinking about his future instead.

Returning to the real world was definitely out of the question; he clearly remembered the moment he got hit by that big truck.

Even if he didn’t die, the rest of his life would surely be ruined, completely wasted.

But then again, how many people can survive when hit head-on by a truck?

Slim to none.

Li Jin thought, being able to come back to life and gain a few extra decades of life was already incredibly fortunate.

What he needed to do now was adapt to the current feudal environment and the fact that he already had a husband and kids, and try to live his life well.

As for becoming single again, the thought flashed through Li Jin’s mind but was immediately dismissed.

Getting a divorce in ancient times was hugely damaging for women and the men involved, after all, people’s gossip was scary, and society would see a divorce as just kicking out a wife.

If it got out, it would have a really bad impact on the young guy.

Besides, they now have a child. They’re a complete family of three, so Li Jin really couldn’t do anything like abandoning his wife and child.

Even though Li Jin was single throughout his previous life, that doesn’t mean he’s afraid of marriage.

It’s just that over all these years, he never met anyone who made his heart move.

Now his young husband had a fresh appearance, with curved eyebrows and especially beautiful eyes.

The young man’s double eyelids weren’t wide, his eye corners slightly drooped, and his eyelashes were long. When he stared at someone, he gave off the impression of a very innocent little animal.

His nose bridge wasn’t particularly high, but it matched his face perfectly, creating a harmonious look.

Even though Li Jin had seen many celebrities, he had to admit that the boy was really good-looking.

If it were in modern times, he’d probably have a bunch of mom fans.

Li Jin thought, well, since he’s here, might as well make the best of it.

The boy’s looks and personality were pretty much to his taste, whether it’s supporting just himself or a whole family.

It’s not like he didn’t have the ability.

So for now, the top priority is, of course, making money to support the family.

Li Jin considered many possibilities about where this money would come from.

There were mountains and rivers near their village, and he could go up the mountains to chop firewood like Li Zhuzi, and then sell it to wealthy families in the town.

But his family didn’t have an ox cart; was he supposed to carry bundle after bundle of firewood to the town by foot? Li Jin felt that his current physical strength couldn’t handle it.

Yesterday, Li Zhuzi used an ox cart to pull him back from the town in the time it took to drink three cups of tea; converting that to hours, it was one and a half hours.

Of course, this is by ox cart.

If he were to go on foot, it would probably take about two and a half hours.

Li Jin thought that, at present, his body is indeed not suitable for chopping wood to sell.

However, once he has regained his fitness, he could do this as a form of exercise and also go to the town to exchange for some money, killing two birds with one stone.

Li Jin wondered whether this useless fellow, who is incapable of farming or chopping wood, has skills as a carpenter or in some other craft.

At present, it seems there is only one path left, which is to follow Li Zhuzi’s suggestion and try his luck at the medical clinic.

Li Jin put the goat milk porridge for the child in a clay pot and covered it with a blanket to prevent the heat from escaping.

For the young man, he prepared a chicken leg with a slightly light braised sauce and a bowl of soft-boiled eggs.

Li Jin said, “I’m going out with Brother Zhu to the town to make some money to help with the household expenses.

The porridge in the clay pot is for the child; feed him when he wakes up. This is your breakfast. I’ll be back around lunchtime.”

The young man nodded obediently, but in his eyes were hints of dependence and a trace of fear.

In town… the top star of that Fragrant Garden is actually from the town.

Watching his eyes, Li Jin recalled the villagers’ comments from yesterday and a hint of understanding flashed through his mind.

But there was no way to argue about this matter.

He asked, “Are you afraid being home alone?”

The young man shook his head: “Not afraid. I’ll take good care of the kids, don’t worry.”

Just as Li Jin was leaving, the young man suddenly called out: “A Jin, you… be careful on the road.”

Qin Muwen still didn’t dare to say ‘leave early, come back early.’

Li Jin said, “I’ll bring you something tasty when I come back at noon.”

He was rarely someone who spoke without keeping his word.

=

Li Jin looked at the sun. In June, the sun rises early, so it was probably just past six in the morning.

Li Jin first went to Li Zhuzi’s house. Li Zhuzi had just finished breakfast, and the ox cart was loaded with half a cart of tied firewood.

When Li Zhuzi saw Li Jin, his eyes went wide.

“It’s not easy for you to get up so early.”

After a while, he laughed, “But did your kid wake you up this morning while drinking milk?”

Li Zhuzi’s wife came out after tidying up the dishes, thinking about how her husband said Li Jin had treated his twisted ankle.

At first, she didn’t believe it for a second, but yesterday before the sun went down, after talking to a few other village wives washing clothes by the river, she finally believed it.

She unusually smiled at Li Jin and said, “Did the Li family just have a chubby little boy?”

This was actually a way of congratulating him; Li Zhuzi had already told her last night that the Li family had a new baby boy.

But she phrased it as a question, so Li Jin would proudly answer, ‘Yes.’

Turns out, getting slapped in the face always comes so fast.

Li Jin said, “He’s a ge’er, but I really like him.”

Li Zhuzi: “……”

Li Zhuzi’s wife: “……?”

They looked at Li Jin’s expression, and it did not seem joking.

Yet the social situation of this world was such that ge’ers were the least valued.

Li Zhuzi’s wife, being a woman, could understand the ups and downs, and said dryly to Li Jin, “Well, congratulations. It’s your first child. After the first birth, the second one isn’t as dangerous.”

Li Zhuzi was so shocked he hadn’t even recovered yet.

He had heard that Li Jin had cooked chicken soup for his husband, right? he had a ger’er and still cooked chicken soup for his husband???

Li Zhuzi felt sorry for the chicken.

Li Jin didn’t want to talk much about the topic; after all, that was his child and husband, and he just cared for them.

“Brother Zhu, are you going up the mountain to gather some firewood now?”

When Li Zhuzi heard the kid call him ‘bro’, he wasn’t that excited anymore, and he replied, “Yeah, since it’s still early, I’ll gather firewood for a while, fill up the cart, and take it to town to sell.”

The half bundle on his cart now was neatly chopped from tree stumps, and this kind of firewood fetched a slightly higher price.

It is roughly one shi, that is, ten dou, approximately 125 jin. The total price is twenty wen.

Additionally, Li Zhuzi planned to fill half a cart with the kind of dry branches he picked up, which is cheap, costing only a little under twelve wen.

Li Jin said, “I will go up the mountain with you. A few days ago, I saw a complete herbal medicine book at the bookstore and plan to try my luck on the mountain. If I can gather some herbs, I can sell them to the pharmacy.”

Li Zhuzi, also aware that Li Jin’s family was having difficulty making ends meet, readily agreed, “All right.”

Although he didn’t think Li Jin could gather medicinal herbs, it was still better than Li Jin idling at home.

Because Li Zhuzi was guiding him, going into the mountains was relatively safe.

Li Zhuzi also introduced Li Jin to the situation: “There are wolves on this mountain, but not in packs, so they don’t dare enter the village.

However, you still have to be careful not to go to the back of the mountain; if you really get bitten there, no one will be able to save you.”

Li Jin said, “Thank you, Brother Zhuzi.”

While speaking, he noticed several plants of skullcap, a herb whose roots and rhizomes are primarily used to treat upper respiratory tract infections. This is exactly the season when the herbs bloom and bear fruit, making it the best time for harvesting.

Outsiders watch the fun, experts observe the technique.

The medicinal properties of skullcap are mainly found in its roots and rhizomes. Li Jin took out the small spade he always carried, loosened the surrounding soil, and then skillfully pulled the plant out by hand.

Li Zhuzi picked up a few pieces of firewood and realized that this brother of his really had some skills. At least he didn’t recognize this stuff, and he also wouldn’t pull up herbs like that.

Li Zhuzi knew that the clinic sent people to nearby villages every year specifically to collect herbs.

But that all required professional techniques—just like what Li Jin is doing right now.

Li Zhuzi thought, well, as ordinary people, it was already impressive if they could recognize any herbs. If they pulled them out and injured anything, the clinic wouldn’t take them back anyway.

Moreover, if the herbs are too few and mixed with weeds, the clinic won’t accept them, because that would take the doctor a long time to sort through, which is too mentally taxing.

Li Jin was very surprised to find that there were a lot of herbs here.

Although there were many weeds in between, he could clearly distinguish them.

He pulled out the herbs he needed completely.

He even picked out the better-growing ones of herbs like Cimicifuga and Liao Wuwei.

In just under twenty minutes, Li Jin had already gathered a bunch, and Li Zhuzi had finished collecting firewood, so the two of them quickly headed down the mountain.

At first, Li Zhuzi’s wife didn’t quite believe that Li Jin was going to collect medicinal herbs.

But seeing all the neatly sorted, unfamiliar herbs in Li Jin’s hands, she momentarily felt she had judged him too harshly.

Li Zhuzi said, “Wife, get a basket for my buddy, and some cotton string too.”

Li Jin used cotton thread to tie the herbs into categories, then put them into a basket.

After saying goodbye to Li Zhuzi’s wife, he rode in Li Zhuzi’s ox cart, swaying as he headed toward the town.

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