Wei Qingshan sat up while holding someone in his arms. The expression on his face was somewhat hard to describe, and helplessly, he picked up a small jacket from the bed and draped it over his little husband.

Then, it became Lin Yu sitting on a stool with the jacket on, while Wei Qingshan set the collapsed bed frame back up…

When the two of them lay down on the bed, neither of them spoke. Wei Qingshan lightly coughed to break the awkward atmosphere. “Is it cold?”

“A little.” Lin Yu replied in a muffled voice from under the blanket, then he slowly moved over. Wei Qingshan pulled the shy person into his arms, and Lin Yu’s face flushed with warmth. He could even hear the sound of Wei Qingshan’s heartbeat.

The two of them had a peaceful night’s sleep, and when dawn broke, they got up. Lin Yu went to the kitchen to start a fire and cook, while Wei Qingshan greeted him before heading to the village to buy some seeds.

Wei Qingshan went to the carpenter’s house. Shi Niang liked to grow vegetables in the yard, so it was a good opportunity to ask while buying seeds how much it would cost to make a bed.

When he arrived, Shi Tou was in the yard cutting wood, while his mother was mending clothes. As soon as Wei Qingshan entered, the chickens in the fenced yard clucked loudly. Shi Niang looked up and saw Wei Qingshan. “Qingshan is here, come sit, come sit.”

Although the weather was still a little cold, Shi Tou had already taken off his shirt to work. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and gave a simple smile. “Qingshan is here.”

Shi Tou’s father was a carpenter, and his grandfather was also a carpenter. The craftsmanship was passed down through the family, and the products made were impeccable. Shi Tou was honest, and he never cheated or slacked off when working.

“Hello, my husband wants to grow some vegetables in the yard, so I came to buy some seeds.”

Shi Niang loved growing vegetables. Sometimes she would even carry a bamboo basket to nearby villages to sell seedlings and seeds. The Shi family had a tradition of woodworking, and their household was better off than others, but Shi Niang was a restless person. Though she didn’t earn much, she enjoyed going out and about.

While Shi Niang went inside to get the seeds, Wei Qingshan stood by and watched Shi Tou work. Shi Tou smiled at him. “There’s a girl in the next village who’s getting married, and I’m making a set of wedding furniture for her.”

Wei Qingshan lightly coughed. “How much would it cost to make a bed?”

“It depends on the wood. Our village folk aren’t like those rich gentry. We can use poplar, and it’ll be sturdy enough to last for decades.”

“I want to order a bed. How long will it take?”

Wei Qingshan hadn’t told Lin Yu all the reasons he was going out that day. Lin Yu was shy, so Wei Qingshan had used the excuse of buying seeds to leave.

Shi Tou clapped his hands to shake off the wood shavings. “The owner isn’t in a hurry, so if you want a bed made, it’ll be ready in a few days.”

“Alright, thank you, Brother Shi.”

Wei Qingshan intended to pay a deposit, but Shi Tou refused. They were neighbors, and he trusted Wei Qingshan.

When Shi Niang knew that Wei Qingshan was having a bed made here, she didn’t ask for any money for the seeds, which were only about ten or so wen.

When Wei Qingshan left, he left a few copper coins. Shi Niang called him from behind, but he quickly walked away.

The vegetable seeds were wrapped in paper. He would plant them for his little husband when he got back.

He was thinking about hunting tomorrow. Having spent one tael on the bed, he wouldn’t take any more from the wooden box. He would save up and wait until the bed was finished to deliver it.

When Wei Qingshan entered the yard, he saw his husband eagerly looking out the door. As soon as he saw Wei Qingshan, he quickly lowered his head again.

Lin Yu knew Wei Qingshan had gone to buy seeds. He loved the vegetable garden. Back in Dali Village, Aunt Li next door had a vegetable garden.

In the summer, it would be lush and green. Sometimes, Aunt Li would even pick cucumbers from the garden for her family to eat, and he envied that. He wondered when he could have his own garden, where he could plant whatever he wanted and never go hungry again.

Lin Yu looked eagerly at the things in Wei Qingshan’s hands. “Did you buy them?”

“Mm, come, take a look. We can plant them today.”

Lin Yu quickly walked a few steps and came to Wei Qingshan. Wei Qingshan squatted down and placed the paper bundles on the ground. He pointed to each seed and named it, “This is pumpkin, loofah, gourd, winter melon, and cucumber. These are beans…”

Lin Yu nodded, recognizing some seeds, while others were unfamiliar. As he looked at the seeds, a faint smile appeared on Lin Yu’s face, as though he had already seen them bearing fruit.

Lin Yu carefully held the seeds. “Let’s plant them now.”

“Okay.”

Wei Qingshan had already prepared the land in the yard for planting. The willow trees by the river at the village entrance had already turned green, signaling it was time to plant.

Lin Yu carefully buried the seeds in the soil and carefully ridged the earth, making sure nothing got mixed up. He would let the pumpkins and winter melons crawl along the ground, and when the loofah and gourds grew bigger, he would use bamboo poles to make small trellises for them to climb.

The beans grew quickly, so he scattered a layer over the soil, covered it with another layer, and soon they would be ready to eat.

Wei Qingshan saw his little husband particularly enjoying handling these things, with a gentle smile on his face. When he had moved in here, he didn’t have the time to do this. Even the vegetables he had planted before, because he didn’t have the time to care for them, had grown thin and frail.

Wei Qingshan took the water bucket and went outside to fetch water. There was a well not too far from his place, but it took a bit of time to walk there. He brought the water back and let Lin Yu water the plants. Lin Yu really liked this task, watering one pit at a time.

In the afternoon, the weather warmed up even more. Wei Qingshan took out his hunting gear and began wiping it down, while Lin Yu also came out with a basket. The wild vegetables on the mountain should have sprouted by now, and their home didn’t have much to eat, so he wanted to go outside to see if he could find some wild vegetables.

“I want to go pick some wild vegetables.”

Wei Qingshan clapped his hands and stood up. “Do you want to go with Dong-ger?”

“Yeah, I want to ask him.”

“I’ll take you there.”

Lin Yu nodded. He hadn’t been in Lu Village for many days and hadn’t left the house much, let alone visited He Dongdong’s house.

Wei Qingshan led Lin Yu through the village to the He family’s house, which wasn’t far from his own. After walking for a while, they arrived. When He Dongdong saw Lin Yu, he was very happy and threw away his embroidery needle, jumping up, “Yu-ger, you’re here!”

When they arrived today, everyone in the He family was at home. The He family was large, with both brothers married and with children. The family of six lived together, which was very lively. Lin Yu recognized some familiar faces.

He Daniang scolded her son, “I told you not to embroider like that, you’re acting as if you’ve been tortured. Is there a nail stuck in your butt? You can’t even sit still?”

He Dongdong didn’t care and grabbed a bamboo basket, running out, “Mom, I’m going to find wild vegetables with Yu-ger!”

Wei Qingshan followed the two out but was still concerned and reminded them, “Don’t go too far up the mountain, there are a lot of wild animals after the winter.”

Lin Yu obediently nodded, “Got it.”

He Dongdong was familiar with the mountain, so Wei Qingshan felt relieved and allowed the two to go together.

As soon as He Dongdong went out, he started complaining non-stop, “Why didn’t you come find me sooner? Look at my hand, I’ve pricked myself so many times while embroidering. My mom is really something. I’m not cut out for this. I can sew clothes and make repairs, but embroidery? It’s exhausting. Yu-ger, do you know how to embroider?”

“I know a little.”

Lin Yu did indeed know how to embroider. His mother was an embroiderer who supported his father’s education by making embroidered handkerchiefs and would bring back candy when she went to town.

He had learned embroidery from his mother since he was little, but after going with his uncle, he hadn’t embroidered since.

“Wow, you’re amazing! My mom insists that I learn embroidery, too, but I can’t do it. My eyes are going cross-eyed from trying to learn,” He Dongdong said, opening his eyes wide and mimicking Lin Yu, making him laugh.

The two continued to the village outskirts, where wild grass had already sprouted beneath the yellow, dry grass. They crouched down and began looking for wild vegetables.

At this point, the wild vegetables had just started to grow, so they were not easy to find. The villagers hadn’t eaten fresh vegetables all winter, and now that spring had come, everyone was hoping to find some wild greens to change their diet.

They only found some shepherd’s purse and dandelion on the back mountain. He Dongdong sat down on the ground. “Why are there so few? It should be easier to find when the weather warms up. Or we could go further in; we might find more.”

“Alright.”

The two carried their baskets and walked further into the mountain. He Dongdong, with his sharp eyes, spotted a toon tree from a distance, “Yu-ger, come quick, there’s a toon tree!”

Lin Yu ran over, and the two were excited when they saw the tree. The lower branches were within reach, so they snapped off some branches. He Dongdong, who was taller, used a stick to pull down the higher branches, while Lin Yu reached up to pick them. Both were smiling and laughing as they collected the tender spring toon leaves.

The tender leaves of the toon tree in early spring were a delightful find. They picked a lot, but didn’t dare to go deeper into the mountain since wild animals were common there, and it wasn’t something to mess with. Getting the toon leaves was a pleasant surprise, and they didn’t want to be greedy. They headed back on a different path.

On their way back, they found a few more shepherd’s purses. Their bamboo basket was now quite full.

When Lin Yu returned, Wei Qingshan was still wiping down his arrows. Wei Qingshan quickly noticed the purple-red toon leaves in the bamboo basket. “You found toon leaves.”

“Yeah,” Lin Yu replied with a slightly excited tone.

“You went further into the mountain?”

Lin Yu, nervously rubbing his fingers, replied quietly, “I’ll make you toon leaf scrambled eggs.”

Wei Qingshan, seeing Lin Yu’s apologetic expression, was almost amused. He held back his smile, “It’s still early spring, and the bears in the mountains are hungry after their winter hibernation. The tigers, leopards, and wild boars are also starving.”

Lin Yu muttered under his breath, “I know. I was just looking for them with Dong-ger.”

“Mm, I know. My little husband is the most obedient.”

Lin Yu felt his face heat up, and his little awkwardness melted away.

He pulled over a stool and sat next to Wei Qingshan, picking through the wild vegetables. He carefully removed the yellow leaves and roots, making sure not to waste anything. Soon, he would take the scraps to feed the two wild chickens in the backyard.

“Tomorrow, I’ll go hunting.”

Lin Yu paused in his task of picking vegetables. “So soon?”