TTLJDFL chapter 13

Qin Muwen held the child, not daring to look at Li Jin’s expression.

Even though he took on these patchwork jobs to help with the household expenses, and his intentions were good, it still went against Li Jin’s advice to take good care of himself.

If this were a bolder husband, he probably wouldn’t feel guilty at all and might even loudly declare, ‘I’m doing this for our family too!’

But Qin Muwen was born into a family of ministers; his dad was a minister, and none of the main wife or concubines in the back courtyard dared to talk to the minister like that. Plus, his father was gentle and easygoing.

The family environment really has a huge impact on a person, so Qin Muwen was raised to be very well-behaved and basically never went against his husband’s words.

He took on these jobs this time also because a friend who’s close to him came to visit, and he happened to bring these things to him.

“Recently, a new master has moved to town and wants his maids and servants to be uniformly dressed. Isn’t this giving us a chance to sew a few more money pouches and handkerchiefs?
The prices are higher than before! Awen, I’ve decided to take the jobs for you.”

Qin Muwen thought that lying in bed doing nothing always made him feel guilty.

It would be better to use this time to sew more things so that the money earned could buy some soft fabrics to make clothes for the child.

So Qin Muwen thanked these people and accepted the pile of items. The gers had taken the trouble to come out, wanting to see Qin Muwen’s child.

“Awen, I’m glad you made it through that day.”

“Is it a boy?”

“Quick, let’s hold him and take a look.”

Qin Muwen said awkwardly,” It’s not a boy, but a ger’er.”

He picked up the child, and everyone else noticed a small, bright red mole on the child’s forehead.

At that moment, the atmosphere got a bit heavy, and everyone felt a pang of pity.

“ger’er… oh my god, Awen, how unlucky you are!”

“But at least, luckily, Li Jin can’t afford to marry someone else, so next time you can have a baby boy.”

Qin Muwen had originally been worried that Li Jin would mind the child’s gender.

But from last night until this morning, Li Jin has been really gentle with the child. He has been sleeping very lightly, yet he didn’t expect that when he woke up, the child was eating rice porridge in his arms.

It looks like Li Jin fed the child more than once during the night.

Although Li Jin hasn’t said that he likes the child, from his actions, Qin Muwen can already feel that Li Jin really cares about the child.

Qin Muwen never imagined, even in his dreams, that Li Jin would care so much about the child if it turned out to be a ger’er.

He had fantasized before about having a son, so the Li family would have an heir, and hoped that Li Jin would settle down and stop drinking all the time.

But things don’t always go as planned, and the child’s gender isn’t something he can decide. Yet in this situation, Li Jin’s behavior started to feel even more like that of a real man.

A man who can stand and be the backbone of the family. Not a useless man who lives off others.

Qin Muwen had no trace of sorrow on his face; he smiled and said, “The ger’er is also my own child. The child takes after his father and will definitely be handsome when he grows up.”

The others, looking at Li Jin’s smile, suddenly didn’t know how to respond. The reason they got along well was that everyone lived reasonably well at home, so they stuck together and could chat when they had free time.

In the past, when they spoke, Qin Muwen would quietly listen, never saying a word. But everyone also knew Qin Muwen’s situation—after all, Li Jin was just a reckless person, and Qin Muwen certainly wouldn’t have a good time following him.

Therefore, their attitude toward Qin Muwen had always been one of pity. They just never expected that Qin Muwen would suddenly no longer need their pity.

This is comparable to a beggar suddenly acquiring a house; those who usually consider themselves above others and give alms to beggars can no longer keep up with him. They would feel a sense of disparity, inexplicable and hard to define.

This time, it was Qin Muwen who, being with them, smiled for the first time.

The guys left Li Jin’s house and went back to their own homes. Although no one spoke, everyone knew that the next time they faced Li Jin, their tone wouldn’t be so lofty anymore.

——In those seemingly sympathetic tones, how much of it was showing off and stabbing in the back, they probably couldn’t even tell themselves.

Li Jin, in fact, didn’t immediately realize that the things in these baskets were sewn together for profit.

He was just wondering how this basket was getting full so quickly. As soon as Li Jin asked, Qin Muwen spilled everything quietly, like pouring out beans.

“These are the jobs I took on. Sewing a pouch earns one wen, and two handkerchiefs also earn one wen. 　　The fabric and thread are provided by the master, and everything must be handed over after sewing.”

Li Jin frowned and asked again, “How long does it take you to sew a pouch?”

“I can sew three in one shichen, and I can sew even more handkerchiefs.”

One ‘shichen’ is two hours, which means that if you sew eight hours a day, four shichen in total, the boy can only make twelve pouches and earn twelve wen.

Li Jin picked up the materials from the basket and counted them, “There are twenty pouches, twenty handkerchiefs, how long do you plan to keep sewing?”

The boy hesitated for a moment and cautiously said, “It has to be handed over to the master in seven days.”

Mainly, it was because he had just had a child, so his friends didn’t dare give him too much work, after all, he still had to take care of the baby.

Before he had a child, Qin Muwen would go to the fields in the morning to pull weeds and then sit in the courtyard and sew all day, continuing to sew in the house at night.

However, work with such high pay wasn’t available all the time, so in the past, Qin Muwen could only earn ten wen a day.

But even if these tasks only took seven days, Li Jin still felt they were too mentally exhausting. Every stitch had to be carefully sewn, not at all as easy as it looked to an onlooker.

Although Li Jin had already accepted the young man and the child, the family’s feelings would still need to be gradually nurtured.

So Li Jin did not directly order the young man not to take on this kind of work, but instead asked, “Can your body handle it?”

Qin Muwen nodded: “I’ve already sewn three pouches, A-Jin, I can do it.”

Li Jin understood now that the young man was basically someone who couldn’t sit still.

He had been working hard for this family for two years, and suddenly being told ‘you can rest during your confinement period’ actually made him feel uneasy.

Li Jin didn’t say anything, but he was already thinking that once the young man finished these tasks, he couldn’t be allowed to take on such heavy work anymore.

Qin Muwen felt even more flustered seeing that Li Jin didn’t seem to blame him.

He took the initiative to speak: “A-Jin, are you mad?”

Li Jin: “Huh?”

“You told me before to lie down and rest, but I took on some work behind your back. If you’re angry, I’ll return everything.”

The young boy was extremely sensitive inside; he was used to Li Jin scolding or hitting him before, but now Li Jin was treating him so well.

He did not dare to grow arrogant from favor at all, only hoping that the past life would never return.

When Li Jin was a doctor before, he had seen many people, but had never seen anyone like the young boy.

A person so warm and soft that it was unbelievable.

Li Jin said, “Since you have taken it on, you can do it when you have free time, but don’t tire yourself out.”

He paused for a moment, then continued, “In a few days, I’ll go to town to get some fabric. If you get bored, how about making me a set of clothes?”

Li Jin felt that the first half sounded like a regular doctor’s advice, but the second half…

Have you ever seen a doctor ask a patient to make clothes for them?

The boy’s eyes immediately lit up when he heard it, and he nodded quickly, “Yes!”

=

Lunch was fairly light, made by Li Jin—two bowls of plain noodles, but he put an egg in each bowl.

There were also some wild vegetables at home; after blanching them, he placed them on the noodles and mixed them with soy sauce, vinegar, salt, and sesame oil, which gave them a unique flavor.

Just after finishing eating, Li Daniu came over with a chess set.

“Li Jin, you promised to play chess with me. Come on, let me see your skills!”

Li Jin thought it was a good chance to pay back Li Daniu for the bedding money.

Li Daniu watched Li Jin carry a bowl out, secretly thinking to himself that Li Jin really was different from the rumors before—he had actually learned to carry a bowl.

It should be noted that when Li Jin’s parents were still alive, he really treated himself like a useless person, not even knowing how to steady an overturned oil bottle.

Now he actually brought back his husband’s bowl after he finished eating; the change was really significant.

If Li Daniu knew, not only did Li Jin bring the bowl, he also cooked noodles, cracked an egg, and blanched some vegetables—he’d probably be jaw-dropping stunned.

Just as Li Jin finished washing the bowl, Li Daniu grabbed his arm, eager to start a game of chess.

Li Jin pulled his arm back and said, “Don’t rush, I’ll pay you back.”

“Pay back what?” Li Daniu looked at Li Jin’s heavy money pouch in surprise. “You’ve already earned back the money for the bedding so quickly?”

Wow, scholars really are different, they can just make money whenever they want.

Li Jin raised an eyebrow, “I’m not the type to owe people money.”

Li Daniu: “???”

So does that mean all those times you were constantly asking Li Zhuzi for money were fake?

The previous Li Jin was practically like a parasite clinging to Li Zhuzi’s family, no wonder Li Zhuzi’s wife wasn’t very fond of him.

Li Daniu took a piece of paper out of his pocket and said, “All I know is that in the end, you have to give me 200 wen. This is a note written by the village chief. The quilt uses four jin of cotton and four chi of cloth, one jin of cotton is fifteen wen, one chi of cloth is three wen, so the quilt is 72 wen.

The mattress is cheap, 55 wen each, and you took two, so that’s 111 wen. Then there are the swaddles and diapers, those count as 20 wen. Altogether, that’s 202 wen.”

He can’t do math, and he can’t read or write either; all of this was noted down after the village chief did the calculations.

Li Jin just handed the money to Li Daniu—over two hundred wen, almost a month’s living expenses for a whole peasant family.

Li Daniu letting him take so many things back like that was a kindness he couldn’t forget.

Even though he had paid back the money, Li Jin still went to play a little chess with Li Daniu at the village entrance.

Li Jin’s chess moves were steady; he thought two steps ahead for every move. Over on Li Daniu’s side, he quickly ended up with nothing but his lone general.

In less than a short while, Li Daniu lost three games in a row, his face turning green.

Before they knew it, quite a few young people who had finished their farm work had gathered around them.

Everyone in the village knew Li Daniu was terrible at chess, though he loved playing it, and there were few opponents for him in the village.

They had all planned to watch Li Jin make a fool of himself.After all, Li Jin was just a big loser, good for nothing.

Last time they heard that Li Jin had helped Li Daniu with his chess, they thought it was just a fluke, like a blind cat hitting a dead mouse.

But unexpectedly, in front of Li Jin, Li Daniu’s chess skills didn’t even stand a chance.

Now, everyone’s gaze at Li Jin changed.

——This person seems to know a thing or two. They heard he’s going to take the Xiucai exam next February?

If he passes, he’ll become an official!

However, Li Jin wasn’t thinking that far; he was still thinking about planting vegetables to eat after harvesting the wheat.