translated by: april

Bonus chapter thanks to akira ♪ on kofi. Thank you for your support!

Lin Yu came out wearing Wei Qingshan’s clothes. The black thick coat looked somewhat bulky on him, almost comically so—clumsy, like a chubby little sparrow.

In a hurry, Lin Yu rushed to the kitchen, lifted the pot lid, and saw that breakfast was already prepared. He felt a bit annoyed that on the first day, he had overslept and had to rely on his man to get up and make breakfast for him.

Wei Qingshan called out to him, “Yu-ger, wash up and come eat.”

Lin Yu responded, carrying a wooden basin to fetch water from the water tank to wash his face. Wei Qingshan saw this and remembered Lin Yu’s icy cold feet. He didn’t need hot water anymore, but since Yu-ger was delicate, how could he use cold water in this chilly weather?

Wei Qingshan scooped some warm water from the pot and poured it into the basin, saying, “It’s cold outside. Wash your face with warm water.”

Lin Yu nodded in gratitude.

The energetic white dog, Baixue, squeezed itself over to Lin Yu’s side. The dog was tall, with long limbs, and Lin Yu was a bit startled and didn’t dare move. Wei Qingshan called out, “Baixue, come here.”

Baixue seemed to really like Lin Yu, but when Wei Qingshan called out, he didn’t respond. Only when Wei Qingshan called again, this time in a more severe tone, did Baixue reluctantly walk away.

Another black dog lay lazily on the side, not even raising its eyelids, looking a bit fierce.

As Lin Yu was washing his face, Wei Qingshan had already brought breakfast to the main room. The breakfast consisted of unfinished steamed buns, sticky rice porridge, two eggs, and a small plate of pickled vegetables.

Once Lin Yu finished washing, he sat at the table. Wei Qingshan placed an egg in front of him. He knew eggs were precious, and Lin Yu wouldn’t eat one on his own.

Lin Yu ate half a steamed bun and one egg, then drank a bowl of rice porridge until he was full. Wei Qingshan pushed the other egg toward him, saying, “Eat this one too.”

Lin Yu shook his head. “You eat it.”

Wei Qingshan needed to work, and he wouldn’t argue over food. “I don’t really like these,” he added.

Wei Qingshan wasn’t fond of eggs, finding them bland and tasteless. He preferred meat. Eggs were a treat for children or women in confinement. Although eggs were precious, they weren’t something his family couldn’t afford.

Lin Yu took the egg, peeled it, and quickly placed it into Wei Qingshan’s rice porridge. “You work, eat.”

Wei Qingshan’s heart softened a little, and he didn’t refuse, eating the egg from the bowl.

After breakfast, Lin Yu cleaned the bowls and chopsticks, still using cold water. Wei Qingshan frowned when he saw it. “Why aren’t you using warm water?”

“It’s not cold,” Lin Yu answered.

Wei Qingshan could tell that Lin Yu was probably trying to save firewood. When he was with the Zhao family, they had probably even hesitated to use warm water.

His family didn’t lack firewood—he was a grown man who went into the mountains to gather firewood. Of course, there would be enough for him to use.

Wei Qingshan’s expression became serious. “Before March, all washing and cooking should use warm water. We don’t lack firewood. If we run out, I’ll go to the mountain to chop more.”

“I’m fine, really,” Lin Yu muttered in protest.

Wei Qingshan wasn’t having it. “There’s a ger from a neighboring village who fell into the river during winter. The doctor said the cold might prevent him from having children. Because of that incident, he had to use warm water for washing, no matter the weather.”

Wei Qingshan made up a random story just to make sure that Lin Yu wouldn’t use cold water when he wasn’t around.

“Not able to have children?” Lin Yu stuttered, a little startled. The thought of being a husband who couldn’t have children sounded unbearable.

“Mm.”

Lin Yu was indeed scared. In Da Chao, gers were already much fewer than women, and infertility was a serious issue. Families with better conditions would prefer to marry a woman who was sure to bear children.

Plus, his life with the Zhao family had been difficult enough. His pregnancy mole was faint, and Lin Yu was really worried he wouldn’t be able to give Wei Qingshan children.

Seeing that Lin Yu had taken it to heart, Wei Qingshan continued, “From now on, you should eat one egg every morning. When I go hunting in the mountains, I make sure that you take care of yourself. If your health isn’t good, how can we have children?”

Lin Yu had heard that husbands who couldn’t bear children were often divorced, and he didn’t want that to happen. He was so scared that his face turned pale.

Wei Qingshan noticed Lin Yu’s expression change and began to panic. This wasn’t the reaction he expected. His little husband should have been shy and blushing when the topic of children came up, but instead, he looked terrified. Was he afraid of having children?

Wei Qingshan crouched down beside him. “Actually, I’m not that fond of children. If you don’t want any, we don’t have to have them.”

Lin Yu didn’t answer but silently shook his head. Wei Qingshan moved the wooden basin closer. “You still have a wound on your arm. Let me do the washing.”

Wei Qingshan washed the dishes while Lin Yu sat at the doorway of the hall, lost in thought.

Wei Qingshan remembered that he needed to help Lin Yu make spring clothes. He shook the water off his hands and walked over. “Would you like to go to the market in town?”

The little husband was thoughtful, sensitive, and delicate. Wei Qingshan wanted to take Lin Yu out for a walk, buy him a few things, and also get the things they needed for their return visit in three days.

The moment Wei Qingshan thought about going back to Lin Yu’s family, he felt a surge of anger. He had never liked Zhao Jiazhu and Cai Chunhua, and after seeing the wounds on Lin Yu’s body yesterday, his dislike for them only deepened.

However, he couldn’t gauge Lin Yu’s feelings about them yet. If they didn’t go, he feared the village might think he looked down on Lin Yu, and Lin Yu could end up being ridiculed by the villagers.

Hearing Wei Qingshan suggest going to the market in town, Lin Yu’s eyes briefly brightened before dulling again. He rarely went to the town market, and during his time with the Zhao family, he only went during the New Year when Cai Chunhua bought a lot of things, and he had to carry them.

“I don’t want to go. I’d rather stay at home.”

He didn’t even have decent clothes to wear, and going out would only embarrass Wei Qingshan. Wei Qingshan had paid ten taels as dowry, but Lin Yu had only brought two bedsheets as his dowry.

“Wait here. I’ll go ask Dong-ger to keep you company.”

Before Lin Yu could respond, Wei Qingshan walked into the hall and then out of the yard. The weather was nice, and it wasn’t that cold. He had made up his mind to take Lin Yu out to relax; ever since morning, he had already planned it in his heart.

Wei Qingshan’s house was located in the back of the village, near the mountain, in a quiet, secluded area. There weren’t many households nearby. Most villagers lived closer to the village entrance by the small river for easy access to water for washing.

After walking for a while, Wei Qingshan arrived at the He family’s house. Inside, He Daniang and her son He Dongdong were sewing, while the two little children ran back and forth in the yard.

When He Daniang saw Wei Qingshan approaching, she warmly greeted him, “Qingshan, you came at just the right time. Look, we’re almost done with the jacket for Yu-ger.”

The two little children ran up to Wei Qingshan and hugged his legs, calling out, “Uncle.” Wei Qingshan smiled and rubbed their head, handing each of them a piece of candy. The two children happily bounced off, running to one side with their treats.

He Daniang tapped her little grandson, “You got candy from your Uncle Qingshan and didn’t even say thank you. You little rascal, just know how to eat.”

The little one, only about three or four years old, sucked on the candy and giggled.

Wei Qingshan sat down and asked, “Da Zhu and Er Zhu aren’t home?”

“They went to water the fields.”

Since the start of spring, there hadn’t been any rain, so the He brothers and their wives had gone out to work early. After Wei Qingshan had separated from his family, he only took one dilapidated thatched hut, and they didn’t give him any land—they had seven acres in total, all of which had been kept by the family. He had saved for over a year, using the money to marry Lin Yu.

He didn’t have land, but Wei Qingshan planned to save up more and buy a few acres of paddy and dry fields. He wasn’t in a hurry now; his little husband was in poor health, and since there was no land, he could use the time to rest. Otherwise, with Lin Yu’s restless nature, he’d end up working again.

He Daniang bit off the thread and asked, “What do you think? You can take it back and have Yu-ger try it. If it doesn’t fit, I’ll fix it.”

Wei Qingshan took the clothes that were quickly made, noticing that they must have been started the day before, and the stitching was so fine and meticulous, showing a lot of care.

“Aunt He, I want to buy a coat Dong-ger used to wear, so my husband can have something new.”

He had been thinking about buying Lin Yu a new set of clothes, but in the village, no one had new clothes. People only had better clothes for the holidays, and they were afraid of wearing them out. He then remembered to buy one of Dong’er’s old coats for Lin Yu to wear first. He would buy fabric later to make new spring clothes when he returned today.

“What do you mean by ‘buy’? He can just wear it for a couple of days, and then return it,” He Daniang immediately understood what he wanted. Everyone in the village knew that Zhao Jiazhu only gave two bedsheets as a dowry, and this new husband probably only had his wedding clothes to wear.

He Dongdong, who was standing by, also chimed in, “Yeah, I’ll go find a set of clothes for Yu-ger.”

He Dongdong found a set of almost new clothes. “Let Yu-ger wear this. I haven’t worn it many times, and if you don’t look closely, you won’t be able to tell it’s been worn.”

“Right, and the shoes are ready. What a coincidence, I just finished making a pair for Dong’er, and they’ll fit Yu-ger perfectly.” He Daniang went inside and brought out the new shoes.

Before long, Wei Qingshan was holding a set of clothes: a new little jacket and a pair of new shoes.

“Aunt He, how much for these?”

“The jacket is four coins, and the shoes are just one coin,” she said.

“What about this spring outfit?”

He Daniang waved her hand, “Ah, these are Dong’er’s. He only wore them a couple of times. You’re getting a new husband, so of course, he should wear new clothes.”

Wei Qingshan didn’t insist, pulling out some money from his pocket. He Daniang didn’t ask for more—she only wanted to cover the cost of the cotton used for the jacket, and the shoes were just a fee for the labor. Wei Qingshan added twenty copper coins, “Buy the kids some treats.”

He Daniang didn’t refuse, happily accepting the money. “This Qingshan is a good man.”

“Auntie, Yu-ger’s new to the village and isn’t familiar with it. I’d like Dong-ger to go with him to the town market so they could buy some things and talk a bit.”

He Dongdong brightened up. “Mom, I want to go!”

The two little kids surrounded him, making him nearly exhausted, but it was a good excuse to leave and avoid trouble. Plus, he could have fun with Yu-ger!

He Daniang playfully scolded him, “How old are you and still want to go play? When you go, buy some treats for your two nephews.”

“Got it!” he replied excitedly.

He Daniang handed twenty copper coins to He Dongdong, who immediately ran off, shouting, “I’m going to find Yu-ger!”

Wei Qingshan thanked He Daniang and left. When he returned home, He Dongdong was already chattering away with Lin Yu, and Lin Yu had a faint smile on his face. It seemed that calling He Dongdong over was the right decision.