Chapter 90

Chapter 90

The snow continued to fall, the heavy clouds making the sky darker than usual, and before evening had even arrived, the room was already dim.

Pei Yan entered the house with a basin of hot water, washed the cloth twice in it, wrung it out, and said tersely, "It's ready."

Gu Lanshi lay on the kang facing away from him. Hearing this, he reached back his hand, took the warm, clean cloth, and silently lifted the covers to wipe himself for a while.

His husband hadn’t spoken a word. Pei Yan, standing by the side of the kang somewhat at a loss, noticed that his ears were getting redder and redder. Only then did he realize—it was embarrassment, not anger.

"Does your head still hurt?" Pei Yan asked with concern, wishing he could crawl onto the kang to take a look, but fearing Gu Lanshi’s wrath.

Gu Lanshi had accidentally hit his head on the wall of the kang earlier. Although he had rubbed it for a while, Pei Yan was still worried.

"It doesn't hurt," Gu Lanshi said, inadvertently seeing the dirt on the cloth. His body was now clean, but for some inexplicable reason, he felt annoyed. He casually tossed the cloth aside and retreated under the covers, burying even his head.

Pei Yan caught the cloth thrown through the air. Seeing that Gu Lanshi was embarrassed, he frowned, somewhat troubled. He then washed the cloth again, picked up the basin, and went outside.

Hearing the door close, the person under the covers on the kang wriggled a bit before quietly revealing his head.

He's gone.

Gu Lanshi let out a sigh of relief.

This kind of thing was fine when it happened at night and couldn't be seen, but during the day, no matter how bad the light, things that shouldn't be seen could be seen. He really didn't want to face it.

Pei Yan was only twenty years old, right in the prime of his strength. He was tall and lean, with great physical power and a body full of lean, solid muscles. Normally, dressed in clothes, there was nothing remarkable about him; he just seemed thin and tall.

Only Gu Lanshi knew the intensity and madness of his persistence in such matters, as if he would never be satisfied.

The reason for not giving him a good face was to prevent Pei Yan from taking advantage and doing other "immoral" acts.

Gu Lanshi turned over, trying his best not to recall the events, but accidentally pressed down on his already uncomfortable leg. He hastily returned to lying flat.

Today was better, without too much exertion. His waist and legs were uncomfortable, but not painful.

Thinking of another matter, he gently touched the top of his head. Earlier, he had merely been placating Pei Yan. Now, touching it lightly didn’t hurt, but since he had truly bumped it, pressing hard was still a little uncomfortable. It would be fine in a couple of days.

Pei Yan couldn't stay outside. Seeing that the sky was gradually darkening, he finally found an excuse. He pushed open the door and saw Gu Lanshi lying with his eyes open, seemingly not as uncomfortable as before. A hint of a smile appeared between his brows.

"Should I put the bones or the radish in the pot first when stewing soup?" he asked as he walked inside.

Gu Lanshi looked over instinctively and said, "Stew the bones first. Put them in cold water to blanch them once, then scoop them out and change the water for a fresh pot. Add old ginger and a little spice mix and Sichuan pepper. After the water boils, stew it for a while longer before adding the radish. The meat on the bones will be more delicious when it's tender."

The bones were fresh. Gu Lanshi had cleaned them while Pei Yan was eating. The radishes were also sliced. Stewing the soup was simple.

"Okay." Pei Yan made a mental note and asked, "Bread or rice?"

Gu Lanshi thought for a moment and said, "Rice."

It had been a long time since they'd had dry rice.

Without anger or annoyance, the two tacitly returned to normal. Pei Yan didn't dare to be overly troublesome and went out to cook. In fact, he knew how to stew bones, but he deliberately found an excuse to come in and talk.

Gu Lanshi continued lying down, waiting until he smelled the aroma of meat. Not just Big Black, even he was tempted. Without Pei Yan calling him, he got up, dressed, and left the kang.

The discomfort in his waist and legs was no longer a big deal in the face of hunger. When he came out, the wind had stopped, but the heavy snow continued to fall, accumulating thickly on the ground and the eaves.

In the courtyard, a path had been shoveled leading to the kitchen. Gu Lanshi followed this path, which was much easier to walk on than stepping into the snow. He looked down and saw that the snow next to the path was higher than his ankles.

At this rate, if it snowed all night, it might reach halfway up his thighs tomorrow. This year's first snow was much stronger than in previous years.

Big Black was pacing around the door, occasionally whining. Before Gu Lanshi entered the kitchen, he saw Pei Yan sitting in front of the stove, tending to the fire.

"How did you get up?" Pei Yan put the wood in his hand into the stove, stood up, and brushed off the wood chips on his hands.

Gu Lanshi smiled and said, "I'm hungry. I came over to have a look after smelling the meat."

Steam was rising from both pots. He used a large ladle to push aside the wooden lid of the outer pot and saw that the radish pieces had already been added, cooking until they were translucent. They would soon turn transparent and soft.

Seeing that he had finished looking, Pei Yan covered the pot and said, "You should rest more. I'll bring your food into the room later."

"No need, I've rested for a while. It's not that urgent," Gu Lanshi didn't pay much attention. Today was indeed better.

Pei Yan could only nod in agreement with his wishes and said, "The rice is already done. We can eat once the radish is cooked."

Gu Lanshi was even happier.

Pei Yan moved a tree stump to sit in front of the stove and lit the fire, handing him a small stool so he could sit down. "Move closer. It's warm near the stove."

Gu Lanshi followed his words and sat intimately close to him, even leaning directly against Pei Yan's arm. Hearing the wind outside, he said, "The wind has started again. The first snow is so heavy. I wonder what the coming year will be like."

"It's not necessarily going to be a disaster year. In a few days, when the snow stops, it will melt. Next year may be a lucky year," Pei Yan comforted him. Weather changes were unpredictable, and excessive worry was futile. When there was money to be made, they should work harder to earn it.

"Mm-hmm." Sitting on the small stool, Gu Lanshi was shorter. He had actually just said those words casually. Then, leaning his body, he rested entirely against Pei Yan and said, "Winter has arrived. After we finish eating, why don't we calculate our accounts and see how much money we have left."

"Okay." Pei Yan agreed and added another handful of firewood to the bottom of the stove.

When the fire at the bottom burned out, he didn't let it go out. Instead, he stuffed several pieces of hardwood into it, letting it burn for a while. That way, he wouldn't have to struggle with flint to ignite the fire for the kang at night. There was plenty of firewood at home, and if it ran out, they could always go up the mountain to gather more. He wasn't worried about using too much.

Steaming bowls of bone and radish soup were placed on the table, along with bowls of white, soft, sweet glutinous rice. This was the new rice of the year. Although its fragrance wasn't as intense as the aroma of meat, it was no less appealing.

Pei Yan gave Gu Lanshi several meaty bones, placed a few pieces of radish in his own bowl, blew on them, and mixed the radish with the rice, quickly finishing half his bowl.

He ate fast. Gu Lanshi laughed and said, "There are so many meaty bones. There's enough for both of us. You should also eat more. You do heavy work normally, and you should replenish your energy."

"Mm-hmm." Pei Yan didn't say anything else, as he still had food in his mouth. He just nodded and then added a piece of meaty bone to his own bowl.

He always listened to advice. Gu Lanshi didn't say anything more and began eating, lowering his head.

The bones were stewed to mush, the meat falling off with the slightest touch, requiring no effort to eat. It was seasoned with ample salt, making it savory and satisfying.

The radish chunks cooked in the meat broth were also delicious, combining the sweetness of the radish with the aroma of the meat.

As soon as they started eating, the rice was so fragrant that they couldn't be bothered to talk anymore.

After finishing the meat and radish chunks in the pot, they still felt somewhat unsatisfied. Pei Yan stood up, holding the soup pot and his own bowl, asking, "Do you want more rice?"

Gu Lanshi still had half a bowl of rice left, having focused on the dishes and meat earlier. He said, "No need, just serve yourself."

After Pei Yan left, he picked up his bowl and took a couple of bites of rice. The rice, soaked in the meat broth, tasted even better.

When they served themselves more food, they were no longer in such a rush.

Big Black received several bones and was gnawing at them loudly by the table. Gu Lanshi glanced at him and asked, "Is there enough meat broth?"

Pei Yan replied, "There's still some in the pot. I'll soak some steamed buns for it later."

It was cold, and the food cooled quickly. They didn't delay too much, enjoying their meal while it was still hot.

Gu Lanshi put down his chopsticks; all the rice and meat in his bowl was gone. He picked up a spoon and scooped himself a bowl of meat broth to drink.

Pei Yan finished another bowl of rice. Seeing only two pieces of meat left in the pot, along with a few radishes, he served himself another bowl of rice. Sitting back down, he asked, "Do you want more broth?"

Gu Lanshi shook his head. "This bowl is enough for me, you eat."

After Pei Yan finished the meat and radishes, he soaked his rice in the broth and ate it. In the end, he drank all the remaining broth in the pot, leaving nothing behind.

Having eaten so much, Gu Lanshi was worried about him overeating. He laughed and said, "It's okay if you don't finish. It's cold, and the broth keeps well. If you overeat, it's not good."

Pei Yan wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and said, "It's fine, I'm not full. I haven't eaten much pork recently, and it tastes so good. At most, the broth is a bit filling, but it's not a big deal. I'll feel better after a while."

They were adults, not children who didn't know when to stop eating.

Sitting at the table, Pei Yan began to clear the dishes.

He told Gu Lanshi to go back to his room and rest, but Gu Lanshi couldn't sit still. Having just eaten, the meat made him feel a bit full, and his body was warm. So, he followed Pei Yan into the kitchen to wash the dishes, clean the pots, and cook pig feed.

Although they said they were doing it together, it was mostly Pei Yan doing the work. Having his husband by his side to chat while working made him happier than eating meat.

Snowflakes fell softly, covering the path they had cleared. As night fell, they didn't shovel snow again. After feeding the livestock, they hurriedly heated up the bed before it got completely dark, then washed up.

Sleeping on a warm bed in winter was the most comfortable thing. Gu Lanshi dried his feet. Pei Yan took the water out to pour it away. He sat down in the quilt, feeling incredibly warm.

Thinking about counting the money, he couldn't wait any longer. He piled up the money under the quilt and in the box on top of the bed.

When Pei Yan came in and saw this scene, he couldn't help but laugh. Holding the oil lamp closer, he provided light for him.

All the money in the house was taken out. From selling vegetables, chicken, duck eggs, and Pei Yan's work, most of it was in copper coins.

Counting the silver pieces was easy, mostly one tael each. Gu Lanshi quickly counted them, totaling six taels and eight mace.

Counting the copper coins strung together was also easy. Each time, they tied them in strings of 100 coins, totaling five strings, or 500 coins.

Adding the remaining loose copper coins and today's ninety coins, they had a total of 367 coins.

After counting, Gu Lanshi said, "This year, we mainly bought a donkey, which cost three taels and fifty coins, and ten catties of cotton, which was 650 coins."

Pei Yan took a hemp rope and sat by the bed, watching Gu Lanshi string the coins. He calculated in his mind and said, "I'll go to town and exchange the 500 copper coins for silver pieces. Together with the six taels and eight mace, we'll have seven taels and three mace."

Gu Lanshi casually said, "We originally had six taels and three mace untouched. Over the course of the year, not counting the copper coins, we earned one tael."

Calculating like this, they indeed hadn't earned much.

Pei Yan said, "Next year, we won't need to buy livestock for catching venomous scorpions, saving us that expense. The cotton clothes will last for a few years, so we won't need to buy more cotton."

Gu Lanshi nodded seriously. "Yes, next year, we'll definitely earn more."

After putting away the money, they blew out the lamp and lay comfortably in the warm bed.

Pei Yan was still calculating. He said, "We'll keep 300 coins untouched. Next spring, it'll be enough to buy tree seedlings. With the seedlings, we can dig them up on the mountain. There are still 67 coins left, which we can use to buy tofu during this period. When the weather clears up, I'll go cut firewood and hunt rabbits to sell, which will be enough for our regular pork expenses."

Country people had low expenses. Their grains and vegetables were from their own fields. Even when they went to the market, they would only spend a little on snacks, not spending too much money.

Although they didn't have much money, they could afford to eat meat occasionally besides their basic needs. They had a few taels of silver saved up, giving them peace of mind.

Gu Lanshi yawned, turned over, and snuggled into Pei Yan's arms. "It's enough."

Feeling secure, his thoughts relaxed. His voice was a bit drowsy as he said, "There's still a lot of rice left. Let's fry it with eggs tomorrow."

"Okay," Pei Yan agreed, hugging him and closing his eyes.

Gu Lanshi murmured, "The salted duck eggs can be eaten now. Boil them tomorrow, and we can slice one to eat whenever we want."

Pei Yan softly agreed, "Mm-hmm."

The wind and snow continued outside, their voices growing softer as they cuddled together and drifted off to sleep.