TTLJDFL chapter 38

When Li Jin got home, he found two wooden basins and a wooden bucket placed in the sunny part of the yard. They were all filled with water, as if using the sun to warm it up.

Li Jin put his basket in the study. Since he now had a study, he usually went there first, organized his books, ink, paper, and brushes, and then wrote out the plan for what he needed to learn and practice that evening, reminding himself that no matter how tired he was, he had to be diligent and not slack off.

There’s a saying, ‘Mastery comes from diligence, neglect comes from play,’ which is exactly the point.

After all, he’s someone who traveled through time, and the original owner’s foundation was pretty weak. Other than the official language and dialects here, there’s really nothing else he can skillfully switch to in his mind.

The Tongsheng exam is coming up next February, and Li Jin thought, compared to those who’ve been studying since they were kids, he’s starting pretty late.

So he couldn’t afford to slack off for a moment. He knew his talent wasn’t anything extraordinary, so the only thing that could give him an edge over his peers was self-discipline and perseverance.

For example, once Li Jin made up his mind to practice calligraphy, he would seriously practice at least five to ten large characters every day, using rough paper on both sides. Even on days when he had to fetch water and work in the fields, and his shoulders and arms were already aching, he still persisted.

Nowadays, Li Jin feels that his handwriting has achieved some results. But it still hasn’t reached a level that satisfies him, so he still can’t stop his daily practice.

The Tongsheng exam requires that answers be written in regular script, but there are no strict requirements for the currently popular Yan style and Liu style.

Li Jin now uses the Liu style script for copying books. He thinks that by the time the real exam comes, his Liu style writing should be pretty good.

Li Jin made a total of three plans for today.

First, review the ‘Book of Rites (Middle)’ and be able to recite it smoothly.

Second, copy the ‘Book of Rites (Lower)’, which should take about an hour and a half.

Third, practice the brush stroke ‘pie’ (a left-falling stroke in Chinese calligraphy).

Of course, before starting any of his study plans, Li Jin first needs to finish dinner and then water the vegetable field.

Li Jin put down his brush and left the study, just as the young man came out from the backyard, seemingly about to carry the water from the yard back to the bedroom.

Li Jin stepped forward to take the basin of water and casually asked, “What are you doing with all this water?”

The young man followed him, answering honestly, “Taking a bath.”

Li Jin froze in his tracks, almost tripping right there and then.

The young man explained, “Today, Master Wen from the village passed by my house and asked me some questions about my recovery. I then asked him if I could take a bath recently, and Master Wen said it was fine.”

Li Jin thought that since the young man didn’t have any postpartum bleeding after giving birth, he should theoretically be able to bathe. Previously, he was worried about his weak body, which is why he hadn’t called for him to bath.

Now nearly a month has passed, and since Master Wen said it was okay, the young man also wanted to bath himself, so naturally there was no reason to refuse.

But Li Jin carried the water basin, changed direction, and walked outside.
The young man followed him, and seeing him act this way, he didn’t show any hint of displeasure. He really trusted him unconditionally.

Li Jin put down the basin, picked up the bucket, and headed toward the kitchen.
Next, he started a fire—it looked like he was going to boil water again.

Only then did the young man speak: “Ah Jin, it’s just bath water, no need to waste firewood.”

Li Jin replied, “Your body is weak. I feel more at ease if you take a bath after the water has boiled and cooled down.”

In this era, there was already talk of sterilization and disinfection, but it was only when bathing newborn babies that people would boil water and let it cool slightly; for adults, baths were not treated with such precious care.

The young man had two cute dimples at the corners of his lips, and Li Jin’s final words, ‘Now I can be at ease,’ made him extremely happy today.

He also wanted to do something to repay Ah Jin, but after racking his brains, he actually didn’t know what he could do.

In an instant, the young man’s expression became somewhat discouraged.

Li Jin turned his head and happened to catch the frustration in his eyes, feeling that no matter what this person did, he was just so obedient. He couldn’t help but swipe a finger across the young man’s nose.

“Keep an eye on the water in the pot here. When it boils, scoop it into the basin. I’ll go water the vegetable field first, and when I come back and the water isn’t too hot, you can take a bath.”

Li Jin reminded him once, and seeing the young man nod obediently, he finally felt at ease to go water the field.

By the time he came back, he found that the young man had already rolled out the noodles during a break while boiling water and was getting ready to cook them in another pot.

It had to be said, the young man’s skill at making home-cooked meals was really top-notch. Even with bran-filled flour, he could knead the dough to be perfectly elastic.

The pig’s trotters soup made yesterday was stored in a jar in the corner. He scooped out the noodles, heated the soup in a pot, poured it over, and sprinkled a bit of chopped green onions and salt—it was simply delicious.

Li Jin had finished memorizing ‘The Book of Rites (Middle)’, and the young man had already finished preparing dinner.

The two of them ate, and the water in the big pot that had previously been boiled was almost warm enough for a bath.
The young man scooped the water into a basin, and Li Jin carried it into the house with him.

Li Jin stood in place for a moment, thinking, not knowing if he could be of any help.

So he said, “I’ll be in the yard. If you need any help, just call me.”

The young man responded, and Li Jin obediently stepped outside.

He first stood in the yard for a while, until he heard water running inside, and then went to get some water and wash his face.

Then he calmed himself and went to the study to copy some books.

Over on Li Jin’s side, just after finishing copying a section, he suddenly heard the young man calling him from inside the room.

“Ah Jin, Ah Jin.”

Li Jin quickly put down his pen and went to the doorway, trying to make his voice carry: “What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”

The young man’s voice was a bit soft, saying, “Can you come in first?”

Li Jin: “Alright, let me wash my hands first.”

He was just writing, so his hands inevitably got a bit of ink on them.

When Li Jin came in, the young man had his back to him, unclothed, standing where the small table used to be.
There was a wooden basin on the floor, with a cloth inside it.

The young man said, “Can you… help me wipe my back?”

Li Jin didn’t say anything, but he already crouched down, wrung the cloth until it was half-dry, and went to wipe the young man’s back.

The candlelight in the room was dim, but the young man’s back was very pale. And he was thin, making the two shoulder blades on his back appear fragile and delicate.

Even though the young man usually had a cheerful temperament, at this moment, with his back to Li Jin, he was blushing furiously.

He hadn’t originally planned on asking Li Jin to wash his back. But as he washed, he remembered what his father had told him before.

After learning that his time was limited, his father had been very concerned about his future marriage and had said a lot of things to him, not caring whether he could understand them at the time.

After all, in this era, a ger’s happiness in the latter half of life depended entirely on his husband and children.

It’s really hard for a ger to be independent and strong, and you’ll also face people’s gossip and criticism. Without a strong mind, it’s just impossible.

His father once said that even if his husband spoiled him, he shouldn’t get arrogant because of it.

Later, his father asked him, “Do you know where the limit of getting arrogant from being spoiled is?”

Qin Muwen was still young, so he thought for a moment and said, “I shouldn’t trouble my husband with things I can handle myself.”

His father laughed and said, “That’s true. The expenses for the household purchases in this courtyard may go through the lady of the house, but they really won’t bother you.”

His father then asked, “Anything else?”

Qin Muwen said, “Don’t be spoiled, don’t be stubborn, and… and… be obedient!”

His father looked at Qin Muwen, whose features were simple and innocent, but who also carried a layer of worry because of his illness. He felt that he could finally rest easy.

With a child of his character, as long as the husband isn’t cruel, he’ll naturally be doted on.

Even if the novelty fades and the pampering stops, you can still have a child and live a plain, peaceful life.

But when he thought back on his own life and pondered it for a long time, he still let Xiao Qin Muwen come close to him.

“When your husband is doting on you, you can be a little coquettish occasionally, but remember, there must be limits.”

Qin Muwen felt that what his father said was really deep and hard to understand, so he could only memorize it carefully.

Then, his father gave a few examples. Seeing Qin Muwen’s eyes widen, he wanted to say more, but in the end, he didn’t say anything at all.

He just looked at him and sighed, “I guess this counts as people skills. You’ve been with me since you were little, growing up with a non-competitive nature. What’s the point of me telling you all this?”

But what he didn’t know was that those examples he gave, maybe because they were so shocking, had stuck with Qin Muwen all along.

Qin Muwen thought, before, Ah Jin said he had something to discuss with him… well, then he might as well go and look for it himself.

Li Jin wiped from Qin Muwen’s delicate butterfly-shaped shoulder blades down to his slightly concave waist, then washed the cloth again and wiped him once more.

When he spoke, his voice was hoarse: “All done.”

The young man himself was also quite flustered. Taking the cloth from Li Jin’s hand with his pinkish-white fingertips, he said, “Thank you.”

Li Jin turned around: “Then put your clothes on quickly, don’t catch a cold.”

After saying that, he quickly hurried out the door and closed it.

That night, Qin Muwen curled up in the corner again to rest, placing the Baozi that had been left neglected in the corner for several days between them.

When Li Jin came back to the room after showering, the young man was already asleep facing Baozi.

It looked like there would be no exchanging ‘sweet dreams’ tonight.

Li Jin didn’t know why, but after taking off his coat, he moved Baozi to the very back.

When the young man was moved back by him, his breathing remained steady, behaving extremely obediently.

Li Jin felt relieved, blew out the lamp, and whispered by the young man’s ear, ‘Sweet dreams.’

After a while, Li Jin fell asleep. The young man’s eyelashes fluttered rapidly a few times. He carefully snuggled up next to Li Jin, and in a very soft, almost inaudible voice, said, ‘Sweet dreams.’

It seemed that Ah Jin didn’t think he had been too delicate when he helped him wash his back today, and finally, he could sleep peacefully.

After saying this, he let out a yawn he had been holding in for a long time, tears welled up at the corners of his eyes, and he sank into a deep sleep.

The young man’s last thought before sleep was that he finally smelled nice today and no longer had to worry about Ah Jin disliking him.

The next morning, upon waking up early, Baozi’s big eyes rolled around and he realized this wasn’t the place where he had fallen asleep the night before.

But with his little brain, he just couldn’t figure out how he had gotten here.

However, both adults, each with something to hide in their hearts, consistently didn’t mention this matter, pretending that Baozi had crossed past his father on his own, running with his little short legs to the corner of the wall.

Li Jin calculated the time and said, “In four more days, Baozi will be one month old. The custom in the village is to hold a feast, shave the hair, and move the nest. I’ve been paying attention these days, intending to give Baozi a formal name.”

Qin Muwen nodded in agreement, then he remembered something and said, “Yesterday, Brother Daniu’s wife came to me and said that her maternal aunt recently urgently needs money and has a bolt of bright red cotton fabric that she can sell cheaply. She asked if our family wants it. I originally planned to tell you last night, but… I forgot.”

Bright red is usually only used for weddings or the New Year.

Moreover, when people in the village get married, they generally wouldn’t specially make red wedding clothes, since these things can only be worn once, which is quite wasteful.

Ordinary families, at most, would just have a red ribbon, while only families with means in the town would pay attention to it and have a special set of clothes made.

In the past, villagers looked down on associating with the Li Jin family, and rarely informed them of weddings or funerals.

Now, when Li Daniu’s wife wants to sell cloth, the first person she comes to is the young man, which is already a very good start.

After all, the ger’s status in the village isn’t really respected, so usually, besides Xiao An, he hardly interacts with anyone else.

Li Zhuzi also mentioned yesterday that if Li Jin was worried about his husband, he would have his own wife take care of the young man.

The young man said that the village elder even came over on his own to ask about his recovery.

Li Jin felt that this meant the villagers were starting to accept the young man, the outsider, after seeing him turn over a new leaf.

Although this process is slow, everything is moving in a better direction. In this way, even if someday he is too busy to spare time, the young man will not be left without help if he needs assistance.

With no relatives around, the villagers and neighbors are the best companions.

Li Jin intentionally encouraged the young man to move around the village more. He said, “Now the family has five taels of silver and more than one string of copper coins. You can go visit his house; if you think the fabric is good, it’s fine to buy it. Of course, if you don’t want it, we can buy something else.”

The young man thought, does this mean he gets to make the decision himself?

Li Jin smiled and said, “Of course, the family’s money and shopping are up to you.”

The young man’s slightly slanted almond eyes widened; he had previously thought of his role as just a piggy bank, believing he only needed to look after the family’s money.

Li Jin said, “There will be many situations like this in the future. You can get used to them now. The villagers are very easy to get along with. Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”

Qin Muwen looked at Li Jin, his eyes full of trust, and said, “I’m not afraid.”

Besides, yesterday that sister-in-law had a kind face and spoke politely. At first, he was a little nervous, but later he really wasn’t afraid anymore.

He wasn’t naturally good at talking to people and wouldn’t start conversations on his own. Only those he was really close to could open his heart and touch the softest parts of him.

But since Ah Jin said so, even though he was a bit nervous, he would still try his best to do well.

Li Jin saw how obedient he looked and felt very happy. He said again, “You just interact with those who are nice to you. As for those who are not, you don’t have to worry about them at all. I will help you regain your standing.”

Author’s note:
Qin Muwen: …Feels like I’m being raised to be a bully, so wronged.

ps, Wenwen’s father is such a divine support.​

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