Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Lu Yun's marriage was arranged through a matchmaker, and Lu Guangsheng personally went to the Wang family to meet them before finalizing it.

The timing was a bit rushed, but this was common for ordinary folk getting married. Once the date was set, the groom’s family would present the betrothal gifts, and the bride’s family would prepare the dowry. On the wedding day, they would have a meal together, and that would be it.

When Lu Yao got married, it was even simpler. Since the Zhao family had no elders, Zhao Beichuan only sent over the betrothal gifts, and Lu Yao came with a small bundle on his back. With few relatives, they only managed to host five tables of guests.

Moreover, the locals did not have the custom of giving monetary gifts at weddings. At most, the elders in the family might give some money, but others wouldn’t contribute anything, coming just to eat and drink. This is why some poor families didn't even hold banquets during weddings, feeling it was too much of a loss.

Lu Yao planned to send some items as a dowry for his younger brother. After all, the original body had been quite harsh to his two younger brothers, almost cruelly so.

In childhood, he often beat and scolded them; when they were older, he bullied them into helping him with work, making them distant from him. Since he had taken over this body, he felt compelled to make amends for the original body.

Currently, they had over twenty taels of silver, which was stored in a clay jar hidden under the bed in the east room. Only he and Zhao Beichuan knew about it, keeping it safe.

Lu Yao lifted the bedding, took out the clay jar, and wiped off the dust. Counting the silver, there were twenty-one taels in total, plus two strings and four coins of copper.

This money came from selling tofu, pork, and hides, gradually accumulating over time. By the end of the month, Xu the shopkeeper would settle accounts, adding more to their savings.

Lu Yao took out one tael of silver and some copper coins, planning to buy some fabric for Lu Yun after delivering tofu tomorrow.

Initially, Lu Yao thought about getting him a silver hairpin, but then reconsidered, thinking it was impractical. It couldn't be worn while working, and losing it would be heartbreaking. A piece of fabric would be more useful.

During dinner, he discussed it with Zhao Beichuan.

"I want to buy a piece of fabric as a dowry for Lao Si."

Zhao Beichuan said, "Do as you see fit. If you buy fabric for Lao Si, don't forget Lao Wu."

"Of course."

Although they had money now, they weren't rich yet. A fine piece of fabric cost around two strings, which was still a considerable expense for them.

After dinner, Xiaodou and Xiaonian cleared the table, while Zhao Beichuan washed the dishes. Lu Yao and Lin Daman filtered the soy milk ground in the afternoon, setting the tofu in molds to press, finishing their work for the day.

After extinguishing the lights, Zhao Beichuan reached out to hug Lu Yao, but was pushed away.

Lu Yao whispered, "Don't touch me, I'm still sore!"

"I'll rub your back." He placed his large hand on Lu Yao's waist and started massaging. "Didn't you want us to consummate? Now you're complaining."

Lu Yao thought to himself: How could I know you were so gifted! It was torture!

*

The next morning, it started snowing lightly!

It was late October, which would be early November by the Gregorian calendar, so it was time for snow.

Lu Yao wore both of his cotton jackets, looking a bit bulky but better than freezing. Zhao Beichuan also dressed warmly, wearing two single-layer shirts underneath a new cotton jacket made by Lu Yao, complete with a rabbit fur collar for warmth and style.

On the mule cart, Lu Yao wrapped himself in a blanket, feeling warm except for his hands and feet, which were freezing. He planned to buy some cotton to make gloves, hats, and boots later.

Halfway to town, they met a few villagers shivering in the cold. Lu Yao invited them onto the cart to get there faster.

"Why don't you sell tofu in the village anymore?" asked an elderly woman who used to buy tofu frequently.

"The town's restaurants need tofu too, so we can't manage both. We've asked Daman to help sell in the village."

"You really trust him with such a profitable business?"

Lu Yao smiled without responding. Trust was the reason he entrusted the village sales to Daman.

The old woman continued, "Truly, different people have different fates. Who would have thought your family would become so wealthy? When Da Chuan's father died, there were only children left, so poor they couldn't afford food. Now you have a mule cart!"

Lu Yao felt uncomfortable but couldn't bring himself to ask them to leave, so he urged Zhao Beichuan to hurry to town.

"Do you earn twenty taels a year from tofu?" asked the woman's husband, coughing to stop her.

Lu Yao pretended not to hear, watching the falling snow, feeling increasingly constrained living in the village.

When everyone was poor, being poor wasn't a problem. But if you suddenly became wealthy while others remained poor, it caused resentment. Villagers, with their narrow-mindedness, harbored such feelings, which Lu Yao understood but despised. His earnings were hard-earned, not windfall gains.

Finally reaching town, Zhao Beichuan asked them to get off the cart.

The woman asked, "When will you return? Can you give us another ride?"

Lu Yao quickly refused, "We can't. We need to visit my family after delivering tofu."

"Even halfway would..."

Zhao Beichuan ignored her and drove the cart away.

Lu Yao felt disgusted, "If I knew they were like this, I wouldn't have let them ride!"

Zhao Beichuan chuckled, "Can't be helped. They're envious of our wealth."

"I'm sick of it. Next time, I won't give any villagers a ride."

They delivered tofu to the restaurant and met Xu the shopkeeper, who hadn't been there yesterday when Zhao Beichuan came alone.

"Zhao brother, are you fully recovered?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Be more careful next time. While you were away, Lu Yao had a tough time."

Zhao Beichuan sighed, regretting his recklessness, "Thank you, Xu shopkeeper, for your support these days."

"No need to thank me. I tend to meddle. Don't mind my words."

"We don't mind, we don't mind." They recognized his kindness and valued him as a major customer, so they tolerated his talkative nature.

Lu Yao suddenly asked, "Xu shopkeeper, how much is the annual rent for shops nearby?"

"Are you thinking of opening a tofu shop in town?"

"We haven't decided yet. If it's too expensive, we'll pass." Lu Yao asked casually, considering the inconvenience of traveling between the village and town, especially during summer rainstorms.

The muddy roads made it difficult for the mule cart to travel, often getting stuck.

"The restaurant occupies two shop spaces and has several rooms behind. Normally, the rent is eighty taels a year. The area near the station is cheaper but larger, costing about a hundred taels annually."

"But both plots of land were bought by me years ago, so there’s no need to pay rent."

Lu Yao was taken aback; it was actually that expensive! He had thought it would be at most fifty or sixty taels.

"Too, too expensive!" Their tofu shop made at most twenty taels a month, and after subtracting the costs and wages, they could barely save sixteen or seventeen taels a month—barely enough for rent.

Xu Bin laughed, "The shops here have good locations, so the prices are naturally high. You don’t need to rent such a large space for selling tofu. In Xiasanli, there are smaller shops, with annual rents of at most twenty taels."

Even this price was not low. The money Lu Yao had was barely enough to rent for a year, and he immediately gave up on the idea of selling tofu in town, deciding to save more money first.

After leaving the shop, Zhao Beichuan asked, “Do you want to sell tofu in town?”

"Wait until next year when I have more money." Moving to town would mean losing business in the village, and the high rent would be a significant expense. It might end up being a loss.

After delivering tofu to the relay station, the two went directly to the cloth shop, where they carefully selected a bolt of fine brownish-red cloth for two thousand six hundred cash. This color looked good on both adults and children, making their skin appear fairer.

A bolt of cloth is one hundred feet long, and buying a whole bolt was four cash cheaper than buying retail. If a family was large, it was more economical to buy a whole bolt.

Lu Yao also bought two catties of cotton and ten feet of coarse cloth to make hats and gloves for everyone back home, to avoid freezing ears when going out.

On the way back, they encountered the same people from the morning. One of them waved to stop the cart, but Zhao Beichuan whipped the horse, passing them quickly.

The woman swallowed a mouthful of snow and spat angrily, "Pah, what’s the point of having a bit of money? Don’t earn if you can’t spend it!"

Lu Yao couldn’t help laughing, his earlier gloom swept away. He hugged his husband and stole a kiss on the cheek, thinking how mischievous his Da Chuan was.

They didn’t go home but went straight to Lujia Village to deliver the cloth.

When Zhao Beichuan carried the cloth inside, Lu’s mother and Hu Chunrong were stunned—it was a large bolt of fine cloth, worth at least two thousand cash!

"What, what is this for?"

Lu Yao brushed off the snow on his clothes, "Isn’t Lu Yun getting married soon? This cloth is for his dowry, to make new clothes."

"But... you didn’t need to buy so much cloth..." Lu’s mother felt a bit heartbroken about the money. She was a traditional old lady who believed that even if life improved, one shouldn’t waste money and should save for emergencies.

Lu Yao replied, "We’ll do the same when Laowu gets married."

Hu Chunrong stood nearby without jealousy. Now that her family had the method to make tofu and could earn several dou of beans daily, this was far more practical than cloth! By the end of the year, selling the beans would allow them to buy any kind of cloth they wanted.

"Third Younger Brother, come in and warm up. Why are we standing outside?"

"Okay." Lu Yao had Zhao Beichuan cover the cotton on the cart with a piece of cloth to prevent it from getting wet.

Everyone took off their shoes and climbed onto the kang bed, discussing Lu Yun’s wedding.

"The Wang family sent over the betrothal gifts a few days ago: two jars of lard, a sheep, half a pig, a pair of chickens, a pair of ducks, and sixty eggs." These items were very respectable in the village.

When Lu Yao got married, Zhao Beichuan only bought two hens and five thousand cash. Although giving money was practical, villagers couldn’t see it, so they thought it lacked face.

Lu’s mother continued, "We kept only half of the gifts and returned the rest."

Lu Yun’s face turned red as everyone discussed his wedding. When the marriage envoy came, he saw his future husband, who looked decent and strong, and he heard he was honest and reliable—he was quite satisfied.

"On the sixth day of the first month, you and Da Chuan come early. We’ll use your mule cart then."

"Okay." Lu Yao nodded in agreement.

In the kitchen, Lu Lin was grinding beans. Lu’s father had made him a small millstone, so he could sit and grind without exerting himself. Zhao Beichuan, having nothing else to do, rolled up his sleeves to help.

"How is the tofu selling in town?"

Zhao Beichuan: "It’s okay, but the distance is far, and it’s inconvenient when the weather is bad."

"If business is good, you could rent a house in town to save the trouble of traveling back and forth."

"Lu Yao has considered this, but for now, the money is tight. We’ll see after the New Year."

The beans were almost ground, and Lu Lin poured out the last bit of pulp, "A few days ago, I heard Mother say your leg was injured. Is it better now?"

Zhao Beichuan held the wooden bucket, "It’s completely healed."

"You must be careful. Look at my leg." Lu Lin pulled up his trouser leg, revealing his disabled leg, "I can’t do any heavy work; I’m practically useless."

Zhao Beichuan was curious, "Elder Brother, how did your leg get injured?"

"When I was young, I climbed a tree to pick peaches and fell, breaking my leg."

Back then, the family was so poor they couldn’t afford food, let alone medical treatment. A village doctor set the leg with two bamboo splints, but the bones didn’t heal properly, leaving his injured leg shorter than the other, causing a limp.

"I really envy you for having a healthy body. Take care of it; regret will come too late."

"Okay."

For lunch, they ate at Lu’s house, where Lu’s mother stewed a hen and steamed gray flour buns.

The snow grew heavier outside. After lunch, Lu Yao urged Zhao Beichuan to leave quickly before the cart got stuck halfway.

At home, Lu Yao hurriedly brought the cotton and cloth indoors, laying them flat on the kang bed to dry. Good cotton shouldn’t be ruined by snow.

Xiaonian and Xiaodou were playing with beanbags in the main room, not daring to venture out in the snow. Lin Daman was grinding tofu in the kitchen, and Lu Yao finished putting things away and joined him to help.

"Hey, Master, I heard something today!" Lin Daman looked mysterious.

"What is it?"

"I heard that Song Guafu seems to have tuberculosis."

"Really?"

Lin Daman shook his head, "I’m not sure, but someone saw him cough up blood. It can’t be fake."

Tuberculosis is a serious infectious disease, requiring treatment in an infectious disease hospital even in modern times. In ancient times, it was incurable, and those afflicted often became emaciated and coughed up blood.

Lu Yao recalled seeing Song Guafu recently; he indeed looked pale and thin. It seemed likely that the rumor was true.

"Stay away from him if you see him again. Tuberculosis is contagious; don’t get infected."

Lin Daman: "I understand."

*

In the Song family’s kitchen, intermittent coughs echoed. Song Guafu covered his mouth, trying to keep the sound down, fearing his mother-in-law would hear and despise him.

The more he tried to suppress it, the itchier his throat felt, as if tiny insects were crawling inside, provoking a harsh cough.

A mouthful of sweet blood spurted out, finally stopping the cough. Song Guafu quickly wiped his mouth clean with a cloth and rinsed his mouth with water from the water jar.

"Is the meal ready yet?" In the room, Song’s mother faintly heard the coughing and frowned. Her eldest daughter-in-law had been out of the nunnery for over two months, yet why hadn’t the cough improved?

During the meal, he couldn't help but say, "Older Brother, what's with your cough? Could it be that you've caught consumption?"

Song Changshun's face turned pale with fright, and he hurriedly shook his head. "I just caught a chill, and my body was worn out from working in the nunnery. That's why I haven't gotten better. It should improve when the weather warms up."

Old Lady Song pursed her lips and didn't mention giving him any money for treatment. She had already spent five strings of coins to redeem someone from the nunnery and was unwilling to spend more on Song Changshun.

After the meal, Song Changshun quickly cleared the bowls and chopsticks. When he was washing the dishes, Song Changshun woke up and, seeing the empty stove, kicked him hard. "You didn't leave me any food!"

Song Changshun hit his waist on the corner of the stove, causing him pain that made him unable to straighten up for a while.

"I made a little less... I'll cook another pot for you."

"No need to cook. Give me the money."

"What money?"

"Don't pretend to be stupid with me. The money we got back from Scholar Xu, give it to me now!" Seeing that Song Changshun didn't hand over the money, he reached out to grab it.

"I used the money to buy medicine. My illness won't go away without it..."

Song Changshun searched for a long time but found nothing. He then cursed and slapped him twice before leaving.

Song Changshun held his swollen face, his eyes filled with venom as he glared at his retreating figure. After a while, his gaze shifted to the basket beside the stove, where a small paper packet lay, its contents unknown...