A huge thank you to KoshkaHP on Ko-Fi for the kofis. Enjoy the bonus chapters!

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For the rest of the night, Luo Xiu didn’t dare close his eyes. Clutching the wooden stick, he’d jump up at the slightest sound to check, and didn’t relax until dawn. When he opened the door in the morning, sure enough, he saw a stain on the door panel.

Furious, he let loose with a tirade for the first time: “What a stray dog! Can’t control his crotch—he’ll rub up against anything! If his dick’s itching, just hit it with a rock—that’ll save him from going out and spreading his seed all over the place.”

He wasn’t shouting very loudly, but as luck would have it, Mrs. Zhang Er across the hall heard him perfectly. Her eyes darted about, and she immediately guessed what had happened and immediately went back to gossip with her two sisters-in-law.

“Hey, big sister, little sister—did you hear? Last night, that widower across the street had someone sneak into his house!” 

“Is that for real?!” The two women put down their work and gathered around.

“Of course it’s true! I just heard him cursing about ‘springtime’ and ‘wild dogs,’ and rubbing against things, that’s probably it!”

Mrs. Zhang Da covered her mouth and giggled, “I didn’t expect him to be so restless, and he’s already pregnant, yet he dares to do such things, doesn’t he care about ruining his health?”

Mrs. Zhang San, the youngest of the three, blushed bright red at these words, but her curiosity got the better of her, and she pressed, 

“So who exactly snuck into his room?” The second wife replied, “Who else could it be? It’s most likely that old bachelor Yang Dashun from next door—he was so horny he just couldn’t resist sneaking into his room.” The three sisters-in-law giggled and slapped their thighs with laughter, unaware of just how much harm these words would cause Luo Xiu if they got out.

Luo Xiu locked the door and set off for town with his bundle on his back.

Today, he not only needed to buy a few odds and ends, but he also wanted to visit his younger sister.

It had been over a year since his younger sister got married, and they hadn’t seen each other since. Previously, it hadn’t been convenient for him to go to town, and she hadn’t been able to come out either, so he had no idea how she was doing now.

Luo Xiu hurried along and reached town in less than an hour.

Today, the twenty-fifth day of the second month, was the town’s big market day. Changsheng Town held a market every day ending in “5,” and there was a long line of people as he entered the town. It was Luo Xiu’s first time at the market, so he was naturally curious; he craned his neck to look ahead.

After watching for a while, she suddenly heard someone call her name from behind.

“Xiao Luo?”

Luo Xiu turned at the sound and was surprised to see the same cousin he’d met on his last visit to town.

Zheng Beiqiu hadn’t expected to run into Luo Xiu again so soon. Along with his surprise and delight came a touch of reflection—it must be fate that they kept bumping into each other time and again. A smile spread across his face.

To his surprise, Luo Xiu merely gave a slight nod before hurriedly turning away and walking forward, showing no intention whatsoever of striking up a conversation with him. Zheng Beiqiu scratched his head—why did Luo Xiu seem so afraid of him?

He’d come to town today to order bricks and tiles for his upcoming house construction; yesterday, he’d stopped by the village head’s house to inquire about a residential plot.

Getting a residential plot in the village was simple: just pick a plot you liked, talk to the owner, and either buy it or swap land for it. As long as both parties reached an agreement and drew up a written contract, that was all it took.

The plot he had his eye on was on the east bank of the river, not far from the Liu family’s old residence where Luo Xiu lived.

A land swap was definitely out of the question—his family’s land had all been leased out by his mother and younger brother, and Zheng Beiqiu couldn’t be bothered to haggle with them. The plot was no more than a little over two mu in total and was considered low-quality farmland. After inquiring with the owner, he learned it would sell for just three guan.

Zheng Beiqiu didn’t haggle; he simply handed over the silver and had the village head draw up a deed to finalize the purchase.

Even though he’d bought the land, he couldn’t start construction right away. The land hadn’t been cleared, so he couldn’t begin digging. In a few days, when the weather warmed up, every household would be busy with farming, so he’d have to wait until the farming season ended before finding people to help dig the foundation and build the new house.

Bricks and tiles had to be ordered in advance from the local kilns in town, and the timber for the roof beams had to be sourced on the spot. Good beams could last a hundred or even a hundred and ten years without rotting, so he’d have to ask the carpenter to keep an eye out and buy any suitable ones when they were found.

While Zheng Beiqiu was lost in these thoughts, Luo Xiu had already vanished without a trace.

But back to the story: Luo Xiu followed the group ahead of him into town. This was his second time coming to town alone, and he was a little braver than last time; he no longer walked with his head down, looking timid wherever he went.

The streets were truly crowded. Occasionally, a mule-cart driver would appear, cracking his whip and shouting, “Make way, everyone! Watch your step!” Once a few mule-carts had passed, the crowd behind them surged forward again.

Luo Xiu wanted to buy chicks and ducklings, and after walking for just a short while, he spotted them. It was still cold out, and the little chicks and ducklings were huddled together, chirping and quacking.

He stepped forward to ask, “How much are these chicks?”

“Six wen for roosters, seven wen for hens. How many would you like?” “What about the ducklings?”

“Ducks are one wen more expensive than chickens, but if you buy a lot, I’ll give you a flat rate for all of them.”

Luo Xiu couldn’t buy too many—he didn’t have enough to feed them.

“I’ll go buy some other things first and come back later.”

He continued walking and found a shop selling sugar. He went inside and bought half a jin of brown sugar, which was wrapped in paper and tied with a string—he didn’t want to show up empty-handed when he visited his younger sister later.

He’d never been to the Landlord Zhang’s house before, but he’d heard people mention it. After walking along the main street for a quarter of an hour, he passed a herbal medicine shop on the side; if he followed the alley next to it straight ahead, he’d reach the Landlord Zhang’s house.

Luo Xiu had never attended school; he couldn’t read and wasn’t sure if he’d found the right place, but he steeled himself and knocked on the door. Before long, the gatekeeper opened the small door, poked his head out, and asked, “Who are you looking for?”

“Excuse me, is this the residence of Landlord Zhang? I’m here to see your concubine Luo.”

Upon hearing this, the gatekeeper looked Luo Xiu up and down and said, “Go wait by the side gate in the back. I’ll send a message for you.”

“Thank you,” said Luo Xiu. Following his directions, he made his way to the side gate of the Zhang residence. He waited there for quite a while; his feet had gone numb from the cold by the time he heard footsteps coming from inside the courtyard.

Before long, the gate swung open, and there stood Luo Zhen, her body gaunt and emaciated.

“Little sister?” Luo Xiu was taken aback. Back when they were still living at their mother’s home, her sister hadn’t been plump, but at least her face had been round. How had she become so emaciated after marrying into the wealthy landowner’s family? Could it be that even a wealthy household like the landowner’s was skimping on food?!

Luo Zhen didn’t seem particularly warm toward him; she merely asked indifferently, “Second Brother, why have you come to see me?”

“Little sister, what’s happened to you? How did you get so thin? Have they been mistreating you?” Luo Xiu took his hand, tears streaming down his face.

Luo Zhen pulled her hand away. “Nothing’s wrong. I’d better head back—I still have some cloth to weave.”

Luo Xiu quickly stuffed the candy he’d been hiding in his bosom into Luo Zhen’s hand and blurted out a few hurried words, “My husband is dead, and my in-laws kicked me out. My eldest brother and his wife wanted to sell me to a blind man’s family in Xiagou Village, but I refused. Now I’m living alone in Hedong Village. I’ll come see you after I give birth—wait for me… wait for me…” Luo Xiu couldn’t bring himself to finish the rest. He could barely take care of himself; how could he possibly help his younger sister?

Tears welled up in Luo Zhen’s eyes. “I’m doing just fine here. Don’t worry about me. Just take care of yourself—and don’t come back.” With that, she gave Luo Xiu a shove and turned to leave.

The old woman following alongside rolled her eyes at Luo Xiu and left as well. Only after they had walked far away did Luo Xiu realize there was something new in his hand. He glanced at it discreetly—it was a pair of tiny silver bracelets, clearly prepared by his younger sister for his unborn child.

Tears welled up in Luo Xiu’s eyes once more. He had no idea how his sister had managed to save up enough money to buy these bracelets. Seeing that her life in the mansion was even worse than it had been back home—that a once-beautiful young woman had been worn down to this state—made his heart ache beyond words.

After putting the bracelet away, Luo Xiu went back to the market to buy salt. He bought five chicks and five ducklings each. Seeing that it was almost noon, he passed by a steamed bun stall, but despite his rumbling stomach, he couldn’t bring himself to spend the money on any.

He had to use the little money he had sparingly; otherwise, once it was gone, he’d be in a bind.

Carrying his basket, he headed home. As luck would have it, Zheng Beiqiu was also returning from the earthen cave, and the two bumped into each other on the road again. This time, Luo Xiu took the initiative to greet him, “Cousin Zheng.”

“Hey,” Zheng Beiqiu said with a smile, quickening his pace. “I saw you heading into town this morning. Did you buy some chicks?”

For some reason, Luo Xiu always felt a bit nervous and afraid whenever he saw this man—probably because he looked so intimidating, quite unlike anyone he’d ever met in the village before.

“I’m already very grateful that you helped me carry the grain back last time. You don’t need to give me another bag of grain.” 

“It’s no big deal. Just eat that grain for now; you can pay me back after the fall harvest—there’s plenty of time.”

Luo Xiu kept his head down, fidgeting with his fingers, unsure what to do. He knew it wasn’t right to take someone’s grain for nothing, but his common sense told him that times were tough right now, and this grain would last him several months.

“Then… then I’ll pay you back after the fall harvest.”

Zheng Beiqiu nodded with a smile in agreement. The two walked back one in front of the other; Zheng Beiqiu always stayed a few steps behind. Knowing Luo Xiu was shy, he didn’t force a conversation—just watching his back was enough to make him happy.

In his twenty-plus years, Zheng Beiqiu had never really liked anyone. He’d joined the army at sixteen; in his early years, he knew nothing of the world. When the seasoned veterans in the barracks told dirty jokes, he’d thought he’d wet his pants the first time he ejaculated.

In the barracks, they had little contact with young women or ger, so many veterans would take advantage of their days off to visit nearby villages to seek out “hidden prostitutes.” These so-called “hidden prostitutes” were women and ger who, having fallen on hard times, traded their bodies for rice, grain, or money.

The price ranged from a few dozen to a hundred wen per session, but back then, Zheng Beiqiu’s monthly pay was only sixty wen, all of which he saved to send home to support his younger brother’s education, so naturally he would never go to such places.

Later, as he grew older and was promoted to squad leader, his pay rose from sixty wen to two tael. On one day off, he went out for drinks with his comrades, and after the meal, they led him to one of those places.

At first, Zheng Beiqiu was somewhat curious, but through the wooden window, he saw men and women inside entangled with one another, writhing like maggots. Outside the door, several men were lining up to pay for entry and enjoy themselves, while the women’s husbands counted the copper coins with obsequious grins on their faces.

An indescribable wave of nausea welled up inside him, nearly making him vomit. Zheng Beiqiu made up an excuse and hurried back to the barracks; from that day on, he lost all interest in such matters.

Luo Xiu was a surprise. When he first met him in Luo Village upon his return two years ago, Zheng Beiqiu’s eyes were glued to him.

He’d never seen such a handsome ger, especially those jet-black, glistening eyes—like a fawn in the woods, easily startled by the slightest rustle of grass.

So Zheng Beiqiu didn’t dare scare him off; he could only take it slowly, winning him over step by step.

When they reached a fork in the road, Zheng Beiqiu was still following him. Luo Xiu paused. “Cousin, you’ve taken the wrong turn. This way leads to the east bank of the river.” 

“I didn’t take a wrong turn. I just bought a plot of land over here to build a new house.”

Luo Xiu was a little surprised. “Really? If you need any help, Cousin, just let me know.” 

“Mm-hmm.”

It wasn’t until he’d dropped Luo Xiu off at his doorstep that Zheng Beiqiu began humming a tune as he walked toward the plot of land he’d purchased.

As he walked, he thought to himself: It’s only three months—by then, his house should be finished, and it’ll be the perfect time to marry him!