The Temptation to Return to the Village
Liu Yingqu didn't linger long at the money exchange, but Shen Qingwu wanted to follow him. Liu Yingqu could only let him. He went to the bookstore and gave his copied script to Manager Zhang, who smiled and handed Liu Yingqu two taels of silver.
"Remember the Diamond Sutra," Manager Zhang reminded him.
"Okay, Manager, I'll be quick," Liu Yingqu replied with a smile.
Manager Zhang glanced at Shen Qingwu lingering in the shop but dared not look too much and let Liu Yingqu leave.
"Where else are you going?" Shen Qingwu asked curiously after leaving the bookstore.
"I'm going to buy some chicks," Liu Yingqu didn't hide anything.
Shen Qingwu rarely went to marketplaces. Usually, servants brought him meals. He tilted his head to look at the man carefully selecting chicks.
"I'll buy six chicks and two old hens," Liu Yingqu gave the copper coins to the vendor. The vendor smiled and asked, "Do you want this cage? I'll sell it to you for two wen."
Liu Yingqu carried a backpack and still had to carry other things. The chicks and hens would dirty the backpack. Seeing the vendor's cage was tightly woven, he nodded, "I'll take it."
"Chirp chirp chirp!" The chicks and two hens were carried by Liu Yingqu, who also carried the backpack. He wrote down what he wanted on a slip of paper. Shen Qingwu leaned over to look, "You wrote it so carefully."
Although Liu Yingqu stayed at the Liu family home for a few days, neighbors loved to gossip. Sometimes he would go out and chat with them. He knew some places in Qingshui County, like which shops sold the best and cheapest sugar, and which stores had good rice and meat. He quietly memorized all this.
Today, when buying things, Liu Yingqu feared wasting money, so he categorized the purpose of every sum carefully.
Shen Qingwu found following Liu Yingqu quite interesting.
"Auntie, how much are these egg cakes?" Liu Yingqu asked as he walked into a pastry shop, pointing at the egg cakes.
"Five wen each," the auntie replied.
That price was almost as much as a bowl of noodles with some meat, but Liu Yingqu still ordered the cheapest egg cakes. He hadn't been short of money before, but since coming to the ancient times, he always felt a bit embarrassed about money.
"Six egg cakes, please," Liu Yingqu said, handing over the copper coins.
Shen Qingwu didn't say anything. Given his status, he had never been to such a simple shop, but he still commented on it.
He quietly said, "Liu Lang, I'll buy some pastries for your family."
Liu Yingqu was about to refuse, but Shen Qingwu raised his voice and tilted his chin, "You don't let me buy this, and you don't let me buy that. Are you two going to divide things so clearly? Just consider it a token of my affection."
His lover's family was a bit poor, but that didn't stop Shen Qingwu from liking them.
"Alright, just don't buy too much," Liu Yingqu said, knowing Shen Qingwu meant well, but he was a bit naive, making it hard for Liu Yingqu to handle.
He had originally planned to live well after parting ways with Shen Qingwu, but seeing the current situation, he felt it would be difficult.
He didn't have anyone he liked either, so trying to get close to Shen Qingwu wasn't bad. He thought about Shen Qingwu's demands in the original story to keep himself clear-headed.
"This one, this one, this one," Shen Qingwu casually picked three. Liu Yingqu breathed a sigh of relief; that wasn't too many.
"I don't want these three. Wrap up all the others for me," Shen Qingwu said loudly.
Liu Yingqu: ???
He hadn't expected this move. Thinking about the only two people at home, they wouldn't even finish these as a meal.
Liu Yingqu felt like a country bumpkin.
The kind who brings a beautiful wife to buy things but ends up being the kept pretty boy.
The auntie was stunned, then her face lit up with a smile, "Alright, young sir, I'll wrap them up for you right away."
"Qingwu, that's too many. You won't finish them and it'll be wasteful," Liu Yingqu kept stopping him, like trying to hold back a spendthrift.
"It's fine. These pastries will be eaten in a few days."
The auntie hurried to wrap the pastries faster, piling them aside, saying, "This young sir is just joking. It's rare your husband wants to buy something. Let him buy, what's wrong with that? Men earn money outside to use for their family, right?"
"Auntie, that's exactly right," Shen Qingwu said excitedly, stuffing the wrapped pastries into Liu Yingqu's backpack.
Before Liu Yingqu could explain, Shen Qingwu gave him a look that made him dare not speak.
"Liu Lang, do you want to buy anything else?" Shen Qingwu tiptoed to put the pastries in. Liu Yingqu finally realized and made a warm gesture.
Liu Yingqu instinctively bent his knees slightly so Shen Qingwu wouldn't have to tiptoe to put the pastries into the backpack.
Their breaths mingled. Shen Qingwu's heart suddenly raced, pounding in his chest.
Shen Qingwu said, "Why did you grow so tall for no reason?"
Damn, it was his fault again. Liu Yingqu didn't know how fast Shen Qingwu's heart was beating. After Shen Qingwu finished putting the pastries in, he said, "Then I can't grow shorter either."
Liu Yingqu's figure wasn't as tall as others, but looked a bit thin. He carried the backpack, walking unhurriedly, neither humble nor arrogant, making people feel moved.
Soon Liu Yingqu finished buying what he needed. It wasn't late, and he accompanied Shen Qingwu to a corner near the Shen residence.
"Be careful going home. I'm going back too," Liu Yingqu said with a smile, seeing Shen Qingwu's reluctant look. "It's getting late."
Liu Yingqu's voice kept whispering into Shen Qingwu's ear.
"Can't you just…" Shen Qingwu really didn't want Liu Yingqu to leave, feeling time flew when they were together.
Liu Yingqu joked, "Then come back to the village with me."
Shen Qingwu puffed his cheeks, knowing Liu Yingqu was teasing him.
Liu Yingqu was about to turn and leave with the backpack when Shen Qingwu protested, "Why not?"
Liu Yingqu paused, showing a faint smile, so handsome it was almost unreal. The evening glow outlined his cold, sharp features.
The night was still a bit cold, but Shen Qingwu felt warm. Watching Liu Yingqu leave from afar, he suddenly shivered. Jiang Luoluo came out of the Shen residence and draped a cloak over Shen Qingwu.
"Young master, why are you standing here?"
Shen Qingwu didn't answer, lowering his head and blushing quietly.
"Master, I'm asking you,"
Shen Qingwu put on the cloak and complained, "Why does he have so many things to say?"
Back at the Shen family, Shen's father was admiring a painting. Seeing Shen Qingwu, he deliberately cleared his throat, "The teacher found someone for you. Not much older than you, still a scholar. He'll come teach you at home in a few days."
Shen Qingwu: "Got it."
Shen's father glanced at Shen Qingwu suspiciously, surprised by his attitude.
Liu Yingqu sat on the ox cart. It was a bit dark on the road. He leaned against the wooden board with the backpack on.
It was a bit cold. Liu Yingqu exhaled a breath.
"It's so late, Yingqu, you're still going back?"
"Yes, Aunt Wang," Liu Yingqu replied. Aunt Wang was a diligent woman in Liu's village, on good terms with Aunt Tan. Her son was strong.
"Buying so many things again. Ah, why is it drizzling?" Aunt Wang suddenly felt raindrops on her face and reached out to touch it.
After getting off the ox cart, Liu Yingqu could only hurry forward with his head down. Aunt Wang walked slower; no one came to pick her up.
"Oh no, why does the sky have to rain now? It's so dark! Oh no!" Aunt Wang didn't notice she stepped into a puddle.
Liu Yingqu stopped, "Aunt Wang, I'll walk you home."
"I know the way. You don't have to. You should go back earlier. You're so thin and just recovering. I can't bear it," Aunt Wang said as she was helped along, talking to Liu Yingqu.
Liu Yingqu hummed but didn't mind. When he saw the light inside Aunt Wang's house, he let go, wrung out his wet clothes, and headed back into the rain.
"I'm talking about you! Auntie, doesn't your family have an umbrella? Take this umbrella," Aunt Wang handed Liu Yingqu the umbrella. "You think you're made of iron?"
At the Liu family, Aunt Tan had just boiled hot water to soak her feet, and Liu Yunyuan was herding the old hen into the chicken coop.
At that moment, there was a hurried knock at the courtyard gate.
Liu Yunyuan held a lantern and shouted, "Who's there? Coming, coming."
"Your elder brother."
Hearing this, Liu Yunyuan hurried to open the door. Liu Yingqu stood there soaking wet. Aunt Tan quickly made some ginger soup.
"Yingqu, why did you come back in such heavy rain?"
Before, Liu Yingqu usually wouldn't come back, just took money and stayed at an inn in Qingshui County.
"I'm fine, mother," Liu Yingqu said, wiping the rain off his face with a handkerchief. He smiled as if presenting a treasure, "I bought some chicks and an old hen. We'll raise chickens in the yard from now on."
The chicks in the cage weren't as soaked as Liu Yingqu. "I covered them with clothes, but they're still a bit wet."
Chicks aren't easy to raise.
"The chicks aren't as important as people," Aunt Tan said, almost heartbroken.
"I also bought clothes for you and Yunyuan. I saw your clothes were all faded and a bit worn out," Liu Yingqu continued, pulling out some meat and rice. When he reached for the pastries, his fingers paused.
"Yingqu, why bother buying clothes?" Aunt Tan held the new clothes lovingly but still scolded a bit.
"You earn money to spend it," Liu Yingqu said, stuffing several packs of pastries into Liu Yunyuan's arms. "Eat, eat as much as you want. There's more in the backpack."
Liu Yunyuan saw the expensive pastries and stumbled over his words, "Bro, bro, have you been possessed?"
Liu Yingqu: "…"
Sure enough, Liu Yunyuan had some skill in teasing others.
"A friend of mine bought them," Liu Yingqu said.
The generosity was a bit much, making Liu Yunyuan a little incredulous. He suspected Liu Yingqu had a lover.
"Yingqu, drink the ginger soup," Aunt Tan handed Liu Yingqu the ginger soup.
Liu Yingqu finished bathing and changed into a robe, his hair draped over his shoulders. "Thank you, mother."
Aunt Tan locked the chicks and old hen into the coop, smiling broadly. She went back inside to look over the clothes Liu Yingqu bought again and again.
