After He Dongdong made a fuss for a couple of sentences, the washerwomen and aunts no longer dared to openly gossip.

He Dongdong didn’t care about them. Feeling relieved, he picked up his embroidery hoop and started stitching again. “Aiya, why is this flower stamen so hard to embroider?!”

Lin Yu looked up and immediately saw the messy threads on the back. He felt like laughing, shook the water off his hands, and then spoke. “Let me see.”

“Here.”

Lin Yu took it over and, in just a few stitches, fixed it. He sighed softly in his heart—he hadn’t embroidered for a long time, and his hands had grown unfamiliar with it. The flower stamen he embroidered now wasn’t as good as what he did as a child.

He Dongdong exclaimed, “Yu-ger, your embroidery is amazing!”

“My hands are a bit stiff. It’s not that good.”

“No way.” Afraid that Lin Yu wouldn’t believe him, He Dongdong even added, “It’s better than my sister-in-law’s embroidery!”

Lin Yu just smiled and didn’t take it to heart, continuing to scrub the clothes in his hands.

It wasn’t that He Dongdong was exaggerating. The women and gers in the village who knew how to embroider only had average skills. Without proper instruction, they could only manage simple patterns. Their level wasn’t good enough to sell outside. Embroidery was a craft—if someone wanted to sell their work for silver, they had to pay for lessons from an embroidery mistress as a child.

After washing the clothes, Lin Yu went home. He Dongdong played around for a while before heading back as well. As soon as he got home, he lazily placed his embroidery basket on the table. “Aiya, so tired~”

He Daniang gave him a disapproving glance. “Did you sneak out to slack off? With your skills, how will you embroider your wedding dress when it’s time for you to get married?”

“Can’t I just wear plain clothes? Didn’t Yu-ger look good when he got married in plain clothes?” He Dongdong muttered softly.

“Can you compare yourself to him? Was it the clothes that looked good? It was Yu-ger himself who looked good.”

“I don’t look bad either.”

He Daniang was so exasperated she almost laughed. “Shameless.”

He Daniang wasn’t skilled in embroidery either. In their household, only her eldest daughter-in-law knew a little. He Dongdong was already at the age to be matched, and once his marriage was settled, preparations would begin. His wedding clothes couldn’t be completely plain.

Worried that He Dongdong had been slacking off, He Daniang deliberately came over to inspect his morning’s work. “Hmm, not bad, there’s improvement. This peach blossom looks the best—the stitches are the neatest, just a few flower stamens left.”

Hearing the first part, He Dongdong was grinning ear to ear, but when he heard the last part, his grin faded. “Yu-ger embroidered that…”

“Yu-ger knows how to embroider, too?! His skills are far better than your sister-in-law’s. You should go learn from him more often.”

“Alright!” He Dongdong agreed immediately. This was a great excuse to sneak off—otherwise, his mother would keep an eye on him all the time. Hehe~

Meanwhile, back home, Lin Yu hung up the freshly washed clothes. Many of them had been torn by branches and such. The small tears were left alone, but for the larger ones, someone had clumsily stitched them up. It was probably Wei Qingshan himself.

Just picturing a tall, burly man like Wei Qingshan holding a needle made Lin Yu want to laugh.

Wei Qingshan wasn’t home today, and Lin Yu felt a bit uneasy. It seemed that as long as Wei Qingshan was by his side, he wasn’t afraid of anything.

At noon, Lin Yu originally planned to eat something simple, but then he recalled how Wei Qingshan had sternly told him not to skimp on food, saying that if he didn’t take care of his health, he wouldn’t be able to bear children.

Lin Yu put down the cornmeal he had scooped into his hand. The wild vegetables he had picked yesterday were still fresh. He mixed them with white flour and a little cornmeal.

After mixing, he placed the wild vegetable dough into the steamer. Seeing that the huge steamer contained only a small amount of vegetables, Lin Yu felt it was a waste of firewood.

The house only had one big iron pot, and it felt wasteful to burn firewood just to cook for himself. If only he had a small iron pot. But there was no silver in the house, and they had just bought a new bed.

Lin Yu’s eyes lit up. He might as well steam all the wild vegetables at once—this way, there would be enough for Wei Qingshan to eat when he returned in the evening. Steamed vegetables could sit for an afternoon without losing their texture.

Once the large pot was filled, Lin Yu was satisfied. For lunch, he ate just over a bowl of steamed wild vegetables.

In the afternoon, he didn’t idle around. Seeing a pile of straw in the backyard, he dragged it out. Since they had a new bed, he decided to weave a straw mattress. Right now, the bed was lined with loose straw, which Wei Qingshan had just spread underneath the bedding. Though the effect was the same, it looked a bit messy—but it was hidden under the bed covers.

That afternoon, He Dongdong came over again, carrying his embroidery basket. “Yu-ger, what are you weaving?”

“I’m making a straw mattress.”

“You’re so skilled!”

“This isn’t hard. You just need to arrange it neatly and secure it with a thread.”

Lin Yu was happy that He Dongdong came over. He Dongdong was talkative and straightforward, making him feel less lonely. Worried that He Dongdong might get thirsty from chatting, Lin Yu boiled some tea and even made a special sugar water to serve him.

He Dongdong took a sip of the sugar water and grinned. “Yu-ger, you’re really nice.”

“You’re the nice one.”

The two exchanged a glance and laughed. By the time the sun began to set, Lin Yu had straightened out a good amount of straw. He estimated that he could finish it by tomorrow.

He Dongdong also tidied up, preparing to leave, while Lin Yu was getting ready to cook. He had steamed wild vegetables at noon, and there was still some pan-fried meat left at home. Meat stir-fried with wild vegetables? Lin Yu hesitated, thinking that both dishes were too green, and he worried that Wei Qingshan might not find them appetizing.

“Dong-ger, is there tofu for sale in the village?”

“Yes, Wang Er’s family in the village sells tofu. But at this time of day, I’m not sure if there’s any left. I’ll go with you.”

“Wait a moment.” Lin Yu hurried inside to grab some copper coins and a bowl before coming out.

The two of them headed to Wang Er’s house in the village to buy tofu. When they arrived, Wang Er’s husband, Chun-ger, was there. Seeing them approach, he greeted them warmly, “Dong-ger, Yu-ger, you’ve come. There’s only one piece left.”

He Dongdong waved his hand. “Yu-ger wants to buy it. I just brought him over.”

Chun-ger placed the last piece of tofu into Lin Yu’s bowl. “This is the only piece left, and it’s a bit broken. Just take it, you are Qingshan’s new husband. There is no need to pay.”

Lin Yu shook his head repeatedly. “No, no.”

He looked to He Dongdong for help—this was the kind of situation he was least good at handling. He Dongdong chuckled, “Chun-ger, don’t make things difficult for Yu-ger. He’s not much of a talker.”

Seeing Lin Yu getting anxious, Chun-ger relented. “Alright, then just one wen.”

He Dongdong secretly held up two fingers, and Lin Yu quickly placed down two wen, thanked him, and left. Chun-ger called out from behind, “Qingshan’s husband, if you want tofu, come early next time. I’ll save some for you!”

Lin Yu nodded.

As they walked, He Dongdong explained, “That’s Chun-ger, Wang Ers’ husband. He’s a kind person.”

Lin Yu nodded again. After parting ways with He Dongdong, he hurried home to prepare dinner. The sun had already set, and Wei Qingshan would be back soon.

Lin Yu made a tofu stew with sliced meat, with steamed wild vegetables as the main dish.

Even after the meal was ready, Wei Qingshan still hadn’t arrived. Lin Yu went to the door and looked out. The winding path was empty, smoke curled up from every household’s chimney, and even the children who had been playing outside had gone home.

Lin Yu waited until the sky had darkened, but Wei Qingshan still hadn’t come back. He was getting anxious, glancing outside frequently. As soon as he heard a dog barking, he quickly ran out. In the distance, he saw a figure that looked like Wei Qingshan, so he hurried to the kitchen to heat some water.

When Wei Qingshan returned, he was carrying a wild rabbit. Lin Yu came out with a wooden basin. “You must be hungry. Wash your hands and eat.”

“You haven’t eaten yet?”

“No, I just finished cooking.”

“I should have been back earlier, but I saw this wild rabbit on the way and got delayed,” Wei Qingshan explained. He was afraid the meal had been ready for a while and that his little husband had just been waiting for him to come home. The thought warmed his heart.

Lin Yu nodded and urged again, “Wash your hands quickly and eat.”

“Alright.” Wei Qingshan put the wild rabbit into the bamboo cage in the backyard, washed his hands with warm water, and entered the main room.

A small oil lamp flickered on the table, casting a tiny glow over the room. Lin Yu brought over the food. He had mixed the steamed wild vegetables with fragrant oil, making them taste even better.

“You bought tofu?”

“Yes, Dong-ger took me.”

As they ate, the steamed wild vegetables were filling and delicious, and the tofu soup was rich and flavorful. Eating a hot meal, Wei Qingshan felt warm inside.

Since his little husband had come into his life, he finally understood what it felt like to have someone waiting for him. Even the simplest meals became delightful surprises, and he could even eat two bowls of the wild vegetables he used to find dull.

“What did you eat for lunch?”

“Steamed wild vegetables.”

Wei Qingshan didn’t ask any further. There was only a small portion of meat left at home. His little husband had stuffed plenty into his pancake this morning, and now there was some in the tofu soup—clearly, he had saved it for him.

Wei Qingshan picked up a piece of meat and placed it in Lin Yu’s bowl. “Eat more.”

After dinner, Wei Qingshan washed the dishes, wiped himself down, and lay down on the bed. His little husband was a clean person, and after a whole day in the mountains, covered in sweat, he couldn’t let himself be disliked.

As they lay in bed, they chatted casually. “I set up some traps in the mountains today and placed a few hunting snares. Spring isn’t the best season for heavy hunting.”

“Mm.”

“No need to wake up so early tomorrow. Let’s just get up when it’s light.”

Lin Yu hummed in response again. The corners of Wei Qingshan’s mouth lifted slightly—he was in a good mood. His little husband curled up beside him like a small beast cub, obediently responding to everything he said.

Wei Qingshan said this because he didn’t want Lin Yu to wake up early with him. They didn’t have money on hand, but there was no need to rush just for a little morning work. Besides, springtime only allowed for catching small animals like wild chickens and rabbits.

“What did you do at home today?”

“Did some laundry. I wanted to mend your clothes. The smaller ones—I thought I’d turn them into a short coat for myself to wear while working.”

Wei Qingshan turned slightly. His little husband rarely spoke such long sentences—it wasn’t easy for him.

“Don’t overwork yourself.”

“I know…”

As Lin Yu spoke, he drifted off to sleep. Wei Qingshan pulled him into his arms and closed his own eyes.

He liked talking to his little husband, especially when Lin Yu softly called his name—it was sweet and gentle, and he loved it.