Luo Xiu had been crying for quite a while, soaking Zheng Beiqiu’s shirt with his tears. After a moment, he looked up sheepishly and said, “I’ve gotten your shirt all wet.”

“It’s fine.” What’s a wet shirt? Never mind clothes—he’d give his life for him right now.

“Cousin… please let me go…”

Zheng Beiqiu reluctantly let him go, but his hand remained on Luo Xiu’s waist, unwilling to move away. His burning palm transmitted through his clothes to his skin, making Luo Xiu’s cheeks flush with embarrassment.

Back before he was married, he’d heard people say there was a widower in Luo Village who relied on a few men, and at night you could often hear moaning and groaning.

Back then, Luo Xiu had simply brushed it off as a joke; he never imagined that one day he himself would end up doing such a thing. In his heart, he felt both guilty for betraying the teachings of his deceased parents and also felt he had let Changfu down by failing to remain faithful to him.

Zheng Beiqiu seemed to sense his embarrassment and whispered soothingly, “I know what you’re thinking. Your cousin is fond of you and doesn’t want to force you to marry me right now. We’ll have to wait until the baby is born, at the very least.”

Luo Xiu murmured a soft “Mm-hmm.”

“By then, my house will be almost finished, and I’ll have a grand palanquin carried by eight men to welcome you into my home.”

“Mm…”

Seeing his shy expression, Zheng Beiqiu’s heart fluttered with excitement. He reached out and pinched Luo Xiu’s cheek—just as he’d imagined, his skin was as smooth as a freshly shelled egg.

Luo Xiu looked up in confusion and saw Zheng Beiqiu, gazing at him with a smile in his eyes. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly lowered his head again.

“Stay put at home and don’t worry about food—as long as I’m here, you won’t go hungry.” With that, he reached into his robe and pulled out a ten-tael silver ingot, pressing it into Luo Xiu’s hand. “Take this money and spend it for now. If it’s not enough, just let me know.”

Luo Xiu stared wide-eyed at the gleaming silver ingot in his hand; he’d never seen so much silver in his life.

“T-that’s too much. I have my own money—you don’t need to give me this…”

“I told you to take it, so take it. Now that I’ve promised to marry you, I certainly won’t go back on my word. Would I let my own wife suffer a loss?”

Luo Xiu mumbled his agreement, cradling the silver in both hands as if it were a hot potato—he didn’t know whether to throw it away or keep it, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that once he accepted this money, the two of them would be bound together forever.

“Don’t plant beans in the yard anymore—if you plant them after the solar term has passed, the harvest won’t be good. Just plant a few small vegetables that you like, and I’ll buy some grain in town and bring it to you.”

“No need… I haven’t even finished the grain you brought last time…”

Zheng Beiqiu was thoroughly taken aback by his unusually docile demeanor. “I’ll bring you two puppies later. That way, if anyone sneaks into the yard at night, you’ll be able to spot them.”

“Okay.”

Zheng Beiqiu got up and left, while Luo Xiu sat dumbfounded on the kang, his mind still reeling. How… how did things turn out like this…

Luo Xiu hid the ten taels of silver in the kang cavity. He wouldn’t be able to spend this money easily; he still had over three hundred wen in copper coins and half a silver hairpin on hand. He’d save them for when he really needed money.

With his cousin looking out for him, he felt much more at ease; surely he wouldn’t have to endure such mistreatment again.

When Zheng Beiqiu left Luo Xiu’s house, his face was beaming with joy; even the Zhang family across the street seemed a bit more pleasant to him. If it weren’t for the extra fuel his family had added to the fire, it might have taken him a long time to get the upper hand.

But Xiu’er’s suffering couldn’t go unavenged. Since the Zhangs dared to pour boiling water on the bean sprouts Luo Xiu had planted, he would go and pull up the Zhangs’ bean sprouts—after all, they’d gone and meddled with the wrong person.

That night, Zheng Beiqiu worked half the night, pulling every last bean sprout from the Zhang family’s plots.

Early the next morning, the three Zhang brothers went to the fields to weed. When they arrived, they nearly fainted at the sight—the fields were completely bare, not a single sprout left. Recalling the previous day’s incident, the three immediately went to Zheng Beiqiu to demand justice.

Zheng Beiqiu hadn’t even woken up yet—he was still dreaming of carrying Luo Xiu into their wedding chamber—when he was roused by a commotion.

Frowning deeply—his mind already full of legal troubles—he glared at the three furious Zhang brothers and snapped, “What’s all the shouting about? Can’t a man get a good night’s sleep this early in the morning?”

Zhang Daqiang suppressed his anger and said, “I’m asking you—did you uproot our bean field?” 

“What bean field? What’s the problem?” Zheng Beiqiu asked, feigning ignorance.

“You! You’re utterly heartless! Our whole family—old and young alike—relies on that little patch of land to get by. You pulled up our crops—what are we supposed to eat now? This is a death sentence!”

Zheng Beiqiu snorted derisively. “So you know farming is about survival, huh? Then why did you pour boiling water on someone else’s field?” 

Zhang San said, “We didn’t pour boiling water on Luo Xiu’s field—you can’t just frame us like this.”

“I didn’t pull up your crops either—you can’t falsely accuse me like that.” Zheng Beiqiu leaned back against a haystack, a blade of grass clenched between his teeth, clearly playing the role of a scoundrel. He wasn’t afraid of their retaliation anyway; if they had the guts, let them go and pull up his crops.

The three Zhang brothers were furious, but they had no grounds to argue. In the end, Old Man Zhang had to step in and persuade his three sons to go home. They needed to replant quickly while there was still time; otherwise, if they really lost the entire harvest, people would starve to death.

As he was leaving, Old Man Zhang said, “Daqiu, when your father was alive, he called me ‘brother.’ Our two families have no past grievances or present enmity. I hope you’ll show mercy where you can.”

Zheng Beiqiu stood up and said, “Uncle Zhang, don’t say such things. As long as you don’t cause trouble for Luo Xiu, I certainly won’t cause trouble for your family either.” Old Master Zhang sighed; it seemed he really would have to have a word with his second son’s wife when he got home.

After seeing them off, Zheng Beiqiu headed into town feeling refreshed.

He planned to buy Luo Xiu some food and daily necessities—the house looked so shabby it didn’t even have an oil lamp, and he didn’t have a single decent piece of clothing. Could he really live like this with him?

He picked up the little puppies on the way and tossed them into Luo Xiu’s courtyard, then set off for town with a spring in his step.

Walking along the street, he wanted to buy something for Luo Xiu at every turn. First, he went to the grain shop and asked for a sack of whole wheat flour—he couldn’t survive on beans alone. He was so thin his jaw was sharp, and there wasn’t a bit of flesh on his waist.

Passing a butcher’s stall, he asked for a large chunk of pork from the hind leg, where the fat was thickest. Walking past a fabric shop, he bought a bolt of each of the four colors of fine cloth. Just before leaving, he also bought over ten meat buns—he’d eat a few himself and take the rest back for Luo Xiu to try.

By the time he finished shopping, it was getting late, and he had no more room to carry anything—but thankfully, being strong and sturdy, he wasn’t the least bit tired from carrying all those things.

Perhaps because his load was so conspicuous, he encountered quite a few people along the way who struck up conversations with him.

Zheng Beiqiu didn’t mind the attention; whenever someone asked, he’d smile and say, “Why am I buying so much stuff? It’s for my wedding.” And so, the news that Zheng Beiqiu was getting married spread throughout the village.

As luck would have it, just as he entered the village, he ran into his younger brother, Zheng Yaqiu.

As soon as they saw each other, Zheng Yaqiu quickly caught up to him. “Big Brother…” 

“Don’t call me ‘Big Brother.’”

“Are you still mad at me? I’ve definitely been in the wrong these past few years. I’ve put up with you hitting and scolding me, but we’re blood brothers—how can we let a little thing like this drive a wedge between us?”

Zheng Beiqiu didn’t bother responding. The second son had been selfish since childhood. Back when Grandfather was still alive, and the family hadn’t yet split up, whenever the family slaughtered the New Year’s pig, each household would get a large cut of meat.

Mom would pick out all the fatty cuts and save them for him, while he and his little sister ate the lean meat.

Back then, his younger sister was too young to chew the lean meat, so Zheng Beiqiu suggested trading his portion for a piece of fatty meat. But the second son, clutching his bowl, wouldn’t give up a single bite—he wolfed it all down in one go, even after it gave him diarrhea, and still wouldn’t let his sister have a single bite.

From that moment on, he could tell this kid had a bad temper.

Later, another incident occurred that further deepened Zheng Beiqiu’s dislike for this younger brother.

When their father was still alive, the family farmed the land. Every year, come spring planting and fall harvest, this kid would always come down with some ailment. It was either a stomachache or dizziness, so the farm work always fell to him and his father.

At first, Zheng Beiqiu didn’t think much of it, but later, when he was genuinely unwell, his father, seeing how miserable he was, told him to go home and rest.

But as soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he saw his mother secretly boiling eggs for his younger brother to eat. As he ate, she said, “Your father and your older brother are destined to work themselves to the bone. Let them handle the farm work. You, my son, just stay home and rest so you don’t get sunburned.”

At that moment, Zheng Beiqiu felt utterly miserable. More than his mother’s favoritism, he resented his younger brother’s shamelessness—even his little sister, so young, was out in the fields helping them…and so he just lay around at home, living the good life, without a care in the world.

Later, a private school was set up in the village, and both brothers attended for a few days.

Zheng Beiqiu wasn’t cut out for studying; he gave up after learning just a few characters. The younger brother, however, showed some talent; the teacher praised him as a promising candidate for the imperial examinations, so their father did everything he could to support his education.

Back then, his father was a skilled carpenter. During the off-season, he’d go to town to take on odd jobs building houses for others. One day, while hoisting a beam, the wood wasn’t secured properly and rolled off the roof, crushing his father’s spine.

On his deathbed, his father held his hand and urged him, “You must take good care of your younger brother and sisters, and make sure the second son can continue his studies…” So Zheng Beiqiu enlisted in the army at the age of sixteen. He had never even slaughtered a chicken at home, yet he went to the battlefield to kill people.

He’d fought in battles for all these years just to make things right for his father. Now that he’d helped his second brother get married, have children, and pass the examination to become a scholar, he felt he’d done his best; there was nothing else he could do to help.

“Big Brother, stop messing with me. In a little while, I’ll head to the prefectural capital to prepare for the fall civil service exams.”

Zheng Beiqiu was already exhausted from carrying all that stuff, and having him tag along was driving him crazy. His expression darkened instantly as he snapped, “Spit it out already, you bastard. If you’ve got nothing to say, get out of my way.”

“Big Brother…”

“What’s the matter? Ran out of money for the trip to the prefectural capital?”

Zheng Yaqiu choked on his words—that was indeed the case.

Taking the provincial exams required a huge sum of money, and with only fifty taels of silver in their mother’s possession—which wouldn’t be enough—he’d finally thought of turning to his older brother, hoping to at least get back the thirty taels of silver he’d given him a while back.

Zheng Beiqiu snorted derisively. “I know exactly what you’re up to the moment you lift your ass. If you’re short on cash, go borrow some—I don’t have any either.” Zheng Er’s gaze fell on the large and small bundles he was carrying.

“Don’t even think about it. Even if I had it, I wouldn’t let you spend it. You still owe me three hundred taels of silver. Pay me back as soon as you have the money.”

“You!” Zheng Er was so furious he nearly fell backward, thinking to himself that his older brother was utterly brainless. If he passed the provincial examination this time, he’d become an official—and then wealth and prestige would be all his. How could his brother be so short-sighted as to throw a tantrum over a few hundred taels of silver? He really didn’t know a good thing when he saw it!

Zheng Beiqiu knew his younger brother all too well; just by looking at his expression, he could tell exactly what was on his mind.

“Don’t try to fool me with that ‘passing the provincial exam and becoming top scholar’ nonsense. I’m not a three-year-old—how easy do you think it is to pass the provincial exam?

Besides, even if you did pass, with your selfish nature, you’d probably never let me live a good life—you’d likely just fob me off with a few coins. Don’t you think I know you well enough?”

“Zheng Beiqiu!”

Zheng Beiqiu kicked him so hard he fell flat on his face. “Try shouting that one more time, you bastard! You dare call me Zheng Beiqiu? If you weren’t my own flesh-and-blood brother, I’d have killed you long ago, you son of a bitch. Squandering the silver I earned with my life—aren’t you afraid of karma?”

Last year during the war, he’d been struck by an arrow in the shoulder and nearly lost his life. Back then, none of his family seemed worried, but now that he’s broke, they’ve suddenly remembered him.

Zheng Er scrambled to his feet, his anger and humiliation boiling over. “You… you’ll regret this!”

“The biggest regret of my life was paying for your education. Get the hell out of here—if you keep pestering me, just wait and see if I’ll beat you up!”

Zheng Er’s legs went weak with fear, and he turned and hurried away.

Watching his younger brother’s retreating figure, Zheng Beiqiu took a deep breath. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t hurt—he had only a handful of relatives, and yet things had turned out like this. Never mind. He’d settle the score with his father after he’d passed away; after all, he owed him nothing.

He hoisted the items off the ground and continued walking toward the east bank of the river. As he passed Luo Xiu’s house, he saw him in the courtyard playing with two puppies, his eyes crinkling with laughter.

Zheng Beiqiu stopped to watch for a moment, and just then, Luo Xiu looked up and caught sight of him.

At first he froze, then his cheeks flushed a soft pink, like the evening glow on the horizon—he looked absolutely lovely. Zheng Beiqiu gave a couple of silly heh-heh laughs and turned to walk back toward his thatched hut.

He couldn’t just bring the gift in so openly—if anyone saw him, who knows what they’d say about Luo Xiu. He’d slip it to him quietly later that night.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Author’s Notes:

Zheng Beiqiu: I’ve got money to spend on my wife—everyone else can get lost.