Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Song Shian was quite the introvert; when it was time to kiss, he was hesitant, but once they started, he had all sorts of tricks up his sleeve, going on and on without end.

By the time they stopped, Jiang Chun was so exhausted she felt like she could ascend on the spot and become an immortal.

It was already the third watch when they finally fell asleep, and the next morning, she had two large dark circles under her eyes, almost comparable to those of a giant panda.

The culprit, Song Shian, had a fair and smooth complexion, his face unusually rosy and healthy-looking.

Jiang Chun was envious to the point of grinding her teeth, glaring at him hatefully.

Song Shian's face turned red, and he quickly averted his eyes, too embarrassed to meet her gaze.

After what had happened last night, something so intimate, it was almost half of the marital act. He thought she would be as shy as he was.

But this woman didn’t seem to know the meaning of shame at all. To her, the dark circles under her eyes were more pressing than what happened last night. She had stood in front of the washbasin and checked her reflection no less than five times that morning.

Since she, a woman, wasn’t shy, why should he, a man, feel embarrassed?

Song Shian straightened his back, all traces of shyness gone from his face. He even dared to make a request to her: “For breakfast, I want the preserved egg porridge you cooked last time.”

Jiang Chun didn’t want to pay him any mind, but thinking back to how she had indeed enjoyed herself last night, and that he had put in the effort, she huffed lightly. “There are only a few preserved eggs left. Once they’re finished, don’t go thinking about it anymore.”

In the end, she still found the clay pot and cooked a pot of preserved egg and white rice porridge.

After breakfast, seeing that it was still early and that it was a cloudy and windy day, she made a last-minute decision to take Song Shian to Hongye County, to have Doctor Cao check his pulse and see how his recovery was coming along.

She should have taken him for a follow-up visit earlier, but it had been too cold in winter, and she was worried he might catch a cold on the way.

Later, when the weather had warmed up, there had been large numbers of refugees gathered outside the county, making it somewhat unsafe, so it had been postponed until now.

If Doctor Cao, after feeling his pulse, determined that he had recovered ahead of schedule…

Jiang Chun rubbed her hands together. Well, she wouldn’t hold back then.

She also went to ask Jiang He, “Dad, do you want to go to the county with us?”

Jiang He firmly refused, “It’s a hot day, so I won’t go. You two go early and return early, be careful on the way.”

And so, Jiang Chun drove the mule cart, taking Song Shian to Hongye County.

It was mid-June, the wheat had already been harvested, dried, and stored in the barn. A few days ago, there had been rain, and now farmers were planting soybeans in the fields by the roadside.

This year in Hongye County, the weather had been favorable, and the wheat had grown exceptionally well, full and plump. The harvest had been under clear skies, making it a bountiful one.

Although affected by the locust disaster in the neighboring Yanzhou Prefecture, the farmers had endured a hard half-year, almost unable to hold on. Now, they could finally breathe a sigh of relief, and joyful laughter could be heard from the fields from time to time.

Song Shian listened and watched quietly.

As they were about to reach Hongye County, he suddenly spoke up. “I’m going to paint a ‘Planting Soybeans’ picture.”

Jiang Chun raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Why do you want to sell another painting? I’ve told you many times, we don’t lack money. There’s no need for you to sell paintings for cash.”

Song Shian said lightly, “It’s not for sale. It’s a birthday gift for you, my dear.”

Jiang Chun was stunned.

A birthday gift? Was her birthday coming up?

It seemed it was. The original owner’s birthday was on the twenty-eighth of June, and today was already the eighteenth, so her birthday was approaching, wasn’t it?

Wait, Song Shian’s birthday also seemed to be in June, and it was exactly on the eighteenth.

For easy remembering, she had used the shopping platform’s 618 sale event as the date when writing.

Wasn’t tomorrow the eighteenth?

Jiang Chun slapped her forehead. Recently, she had been so exhausted from carrying sacks that she had become dull-witted, forgetting such an important occasion as his birthday.

She really deserved a scolding!

She asked casually, “Dear, how did you know my birthday is coming up?”

Song Shian said lightly, “That day, Father inadvertently mentioned it. You know, my memory is good. It’s hard for me to forget things.”

“I see.” Jiang Chun nodded.

The mule cart traveled forward for another fifteen minutes, and Hongye County was now within sight.

Three months ago, when Jiang Chun arrived, makeshift shelters lined both sides of the city gate. Now, most of those shelters had disappeared, with only a few scattered remnants left.

It seems most of the refugees have returned to their hometowns, though a small portion remain in the city for one reason or another, not yet going back.

Fortunately, their numbers are small, and they are under the supervision of the county government, so they likely won’t cause any trouble.

After entering the city, Jiang Chun went straight to Baohe Hall without stopping anywhere else.

[Ding! Check-in successful at the "Hongye County Medical Clinic", received 7 taels of bird's nest, 4 taels of pepper, and 5 taels of Danshen.]

After checking in, she and Song Shian walked into the main hall of the clinic, one after the other.

Seeing that Dr. Cao was seeing patients and that she hadn’t made the trip in vain, Jiang Chun let out a sigh of relief.

After all, it wasn’t easy coming to the county seat in this hot summer weather, and if she had missed him, she would have had to make the trip again another day.

She walked over quickly and said with a smile, “Dr. Cao, my husband has been taking medicine for a full ten months now. Could you please check his pulse and see how well his body has recovered?”

She then returned, took Song Shian’s hand, and led him to sit in the chair in front of Dr. Cao.

Dr. Cao raised his hand and said, “Please, sir, extend your right hand.”

Song Shian lifted his sleeve and placed his fair wrist on the pulse pillow.

After feeling his pulse for a while, Dr. Cao asked Song Shian to switch to his left hand.

After checking both hands, Dr. Cao stroked his beard and said to Jiang Chun with a smile, “This gentleman’s body has recovered very well and is basically considered healed.

If you have enough money on hand, it’s best to continue taking medicine for another two months to consolidate the recovery. If funds are tight, it’s also fine to stop the medication now; it won’t affect his lifespan.”

Song Shian didn’t turn his head to look at Jiang Chun, but he could guess her choice even without seeing her.

Sure enough, she complained bitterly, “You’re such a wasteful man, ten months of medicine and the illness still hasn’t fully healed! I think you’ve brought our family to the brink of begging!”

Then, gritting her teeth, she said to Dr. Cao, “Dr. Cao, does your clinic accept pepper? Our pork stall has closed because we couldn’t get pigs. With a wasteful man at home who needs good food and medicine to be maintained, I had to borrow money from my uncle.

My uncle is also struggling and couldn’t lend me any spare cash. He only gave me a pound of pepper that someone had used to settle a debt with him.

The quality of this pepper is excellent, and it would be a shame to pawn it. If you’re interested, I can sell it to you at a discount.”

She had received four taels of pepper from this check-in and six taels from a previous one, totaling exactly one pound.

Song Shian, being scolded as a "wasteful man," pressed his lips together and remained silent.

He knew she was just pretending to be poor and that this was all an act.

Moreover, he did consider himself quite a spendthrift, spending the silver she had worked so hard to earn.

Although he had also earned a lot of money for her, she had saved it all carefully, not spending a single coin, as she was planning for a future trip to the capital.

Pepper was a rare foreign commodity, and with the influx of refugees in Hongye County over the past six months, no merchant caravans dared to come here, making pepper scarce in the city.

Hearing this, Dr. Cao’s eyes lit up, and he hurriedly said, “Let me see it.”

Jiang Chun removed the pack from her back, reached inside, and, using the pack as cover, retrieved a small handful of pepper from the system storage.

She placed it on the desk in front of Dr. Cao.

Dr. Cao leaned in and exclaimed, “This pepper is excellent!”

Then, unable to wait, he urged Jiang Chun, “Show me all of it. If the quality is this good throughout, I can offer you a high price of thirty-eight taels.”

Jiang Chun reached in again and took out all the pepper from the system storage, then placed the entire pack on the desk for Dr. Cao to inspect.

Dr. Cao examined the pepper carefully, then had his apprentice bring a scale to weigh it.

Satisfied, he said with a smile, “Exactly one pound.”

He then stood up, took the pack, and carefully placed the pepper into one of the medicine cabinets.

After some busy work, he handed the pack back to Jiang Chun, filled with sixty bags of herbal medicine and thirty-two taels of silver, and said with a smile, “After deducting six taels for two months of medicine, thirty-two taels remain. Please check if the amount is correct, Miss Jiang?”

Jiang Chun had been standing by the medicine cabinet, watching him weigh the medicine and silver. How could she be deceived?

She slung the pack over her shoulder and said generously, “What you said is funny. Others might deceive me, but how could Dr. Cao possibly deceive me?”

She was about to turn and tell Song Shian to leave when she suddenly remembered something. She hurriedly stepped closer to Song Shian, stood on her tiptoes, and whispered a few words in his ear.

Song Shian’s face turned red, and he glared at her speechlessly.

Jiang Chun shot a glare back and nodded toward the direction of Doctor Cao.

Song Shian closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and walked heavily toward the medicine cabinet.

Jiang Chun, with her long legs, decisively made her escape.

Song Shian approached Doctor Cao, struggling for a moment before finally managing to ask with difficulty, "Um, excuse me, Doctor Cao, how long after stopping the medication would... um, resuming marital relations not affect offspring?"

Damn Jiang Chun, forcing me to ask Doctor Cao such a shameful question. How impatient is she really?

Doctor Cao, having seen it all before, replied with a smile, "Sir, these two months of medicinal soup are mainly tonics; the medication isn't strong. Resuming marital relations seven days after stopping the medication won't affect offspring."

"Thank you for the information, Doctor Cao." Song Shian politely bowed and then hurried out as if pursued by enemies.

As Doctor Cao stroked his beard, he watched his retreating figure with a smile, thinking this sir's face was far too thin-skinned, completely different from Jiang Missy.

After stepping out of the clinic, Song Shian let out a long sigh of relief.

The next moment, Jiang Chun eagerly approached and asked, "What did Doctor Cao say?"

Song Shian gave her a side-eye but didn't respond, heading straight toward the mule carriage.

Jiang Chun chased after him, complaining, "Hey, don't stay silent. What did Doctor Cao say? Tell me quickly, don't keep me in suspense!"

He climbed onto the back of the carriage, seeing that she hadn't taken the reins but had also climbed onto the back, with 'impatience' practically written on her face.

He teased her, "He said marital relations can't resume for the whole year."

"Impossible!" Jiang Chun refused to believe it. Only half the year had passed; what medicine could be so potent that it required abstaining for half a year before it lost its influence?

Leaning against the sideboard, Song Shian replied calmly, "If you don't believe me, ask Doctor Cao yourself."

Jiang Chun had no intention of asking. She snorted and threatened, "If you don't tell the truth, I'll have marital relations with you tonight, whether you agree or not. I can take charge by force."

Song Shian: "..."

She even said "take charge by force." Truly, only you would say that, Jiang Chun, a real bandit leader in every way.

He sighed in exasperation and finally told the truth, "Doctor Cao said marital relations can resume seven days after stopping the medication."

"Really?" Jiang Chun's face lit up with joy, and if they weren't on a busy street, she would have definitely hugged Song Shian and planted a kiss on his lips.

Song Shian glanced at her beaming face and snorted, "You should rein it in a bit. Anyone would think you found a hundred taels of silver on the street, the way your cheeks are stretched to your ears."

Jiang Chun leaned closer and said with a low laugh, "Finding silver isn't as happy as having marital relations with my husband. Even ten thousand taels of gold couldn't make me trade my precious husband."

"Flowery words." Song Shian snorted, unable to suppress the smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

When Jiang Chun stopped the mule carriage in front of a jewelry shop and said she was going to buy him a birthday gift, the smile on his face became impossible to suppress.

Of course, he still politely declined, "No need for birthday gifts. It's not a milestone birthday; no need to waste money."

Jiang Chun smiled, "Buying a gift for my husband isn't a waste of money. It's called 'a good horse deserves a good saddle!'"

Song Shian: "..."

Well, consider it a compliment that I look good.

[Ding! Check-in successful at "Hongye County Jewelry Shop," received a gilded comb, a jade pendant, and a silver ring.]

After checking in at the jewelry shop, Jiang Chun led Song Shian by the hand into the largest Liao Jewelry Store in Hongye County.

Jiang Chun liked seeing Song Shian wear a hairpin with a pendant. Every time she saw the little gourd swaying with his movements, her heart would flutter.

This time, she planned to gift him a similar hairpin for his birthday. A gold or jade hairpin was beyond her means and not suitable for rural wear.

After all, a hairpin, once inserted into the hair, can't be seen by the wearer himself, so it should please the person who can see it.

So, after entering, she familiarized herself and led him toward the silver hairpin counter.

Coincidentally, they ran into Miss Liu, the former owner of Wang Yiner, in front of the silver hairpin counter.

Jiang Chun didn't know Miss Liu, but last month, when she visited Wang's house to deliver Dragon Boat Festival gifts to her aunt, she happened to meet Miss Liu, who was visiting Wang Yiner, and they exchanged greetings.

"Miss Liu." Jiang Chun nodded at her.

As a country woman, she didn't know the formal curtsy.

Miss Liu, however, was all courtesy and bowed slightly, "Jiang Missy."

Rising to her feet, her eyes swept over Song Shian, who was standing next to Jiang Chun. She was momentarily stunned by his exceptional beauty, her pupils widening slightly in surprise.

The husband of Wang Yiner's cousin, who had been recruited as a live-in son-in-law, was actually this handsome?

Not only was he good-looking, but he was also tall and straight, like a pine or bamboo, with a cool and aloof demeanor. He didn’t seem like the son of a merchant family at all, but rather a scholar from a literati family like theirs.

However, she only hesitated for a moment before quickly regaining her composure. She bid farewell to Jiang Chun, saying, “Lady Jiang, take your time. I’ll take my leave first.”

“Miss Liu, walk slowly,” Jiang Chun nodded again, watching as Miss Liu left with five or six maids and the same number of older women, forming quite a procession toward the entrance.

Once they were out of sight, she turned to the approaching Manager Li, casually remarking, “Someone of Miss Liu’s status shouldn’t be wearing silver hairpins, should she?”

Manager Li, who had done plenty of business in the city and dealt with many families of high standing, was more well-informed than Jiang Chun.

He immediately began a rapid exposé, “Old Master Liu has arranged an excellent marriage in the capital for Miss Liu, and her in-laws will come to marry her next month. She’s personally selecting gifts for her future in-laws.

I hear that in these big families, there are many rules. Not only do you need to prepare gifts for the masters of the household, but also for the important servants around them.

Even though these servants are favored, they are still just servants at the end of the day. How could they deserve gold or jade gifts? Silver is the obvious choice.”

Jiang Chun frowned.

Getting married next month? So soon?

During the Dragon Boat Festival gift exchange, Wang Yiner had secretly told her that the Liu family was looking for a husband for Miss Liu. It had only been a month and a half, and now she was getting married.

In ancient times, there was no such thing as a flash marriage. For large families, the process from matchmaking to marriage usually took at least a year.

In addition to a pile of tedious ceremonial procedures, the groom’s family needed time to prepare betrothal gifts and set up the bridal chamber, while the bride’s family needed time to prepare the dowry.

There were instances of hasty marriages, usually due to the death of an elder or when the couple, or one of them, was of an age where they couldn’t afford to wait and had to marry during the mourning period.

Or, if the groom was gravely ill, they might rush to marry to ward off bad luck...

Given how much Old Master and Old Mistress Liu doted on Miss Liu, it was unlikely they would send her off to marry a sick groom. It was probably the former scenario.

“I see,” Jiang Chun nodded.

She then took a few steps forward and leaned over the counter, carefully examining the silver hairpins inside.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up as she pointed to a hairpin with a lotus-shaped head and a pair of lotus seeds dangling below. “Manager Li, please take this hairpin out for me to have a look.”

Manager Li immediately went around the counter, lifted a side panel, retrieved the hairpin, and handed it to Jiang Chun.

The craftsmanship was exquisite, with the lotus head and seeds looking incredibly lifelike. The more she examined it, the more she liked it.

Manager Li put down the panel, turned around, and began to introduce it with a laugh, “This hairpin was crafted by our master silversmith. The workmanship is far superior to those made by the apprentices. Lady Jiang, you have excellent taste. It will look beautiful on you.”

Jiang Chun turned her head, stood on her tiptoes, and reached up to remove the hairpin from Song Shian’s bun, replacing it with the one in her hand.

Manager Li: “……”

So, it was for her husband, the live-in son-in-law?

He had patted the horse’s back only to hit its leg.

Upon closer inspection, he realized that the small gourd-shaped hairpin Song Shian had been wearing was also a women’s hairpin bought from his shop.

Lady Jiang’s preferences were... indeed peculiar.

He immediately changed his tune, “Sir, your complexion is fair, and your hair is jet black and shiny. No one could be more suited to wear this lotus hairpin!”

Jiang Chun tilted her head to examine it and, finding it quite suitable, nodded in satisfaction.

Only then did she think to ask the person in question for his opinion, “Husband, what do you think of this hairpin?”

What could Song Shian say?

When had he ever had the chance to voice an opinion in this household?

He replied indifferently, “As long as you like it, my dear.”

Jiang Chun considered herself quite adept at reading his tone. His lack of objection meant he liked it, so she promptly asked, “Manager Li, how much is this hairpin? Give me an honest price, no lies.”

Manager Li smiled, “Lady Jiang, this isn’t your first time shopping at our silver shop. Do I even need to say that we always have clear prices and never lie?

For your information, this lotus hairpin is four taels and eight mace of silver.”

Jiang Chun shook the gourd-shaped silver hairpin in her hand and snorted with a laugh, "Shopkeeper Li, you always love to joke. What do you mean by 'clearly marked prices'? Last time I bought this silver hairpin, you asked for three taels and eight coins, but in the end, you sold it to me for three taels and six coins, right?"

Shopkeeper Li gave a forced smile, "That’s because you’re too good at bargaining, Miss Jiang. This old man really couldn’t keep up."

Jiang Chun waved her hand impatiently, "Alright, alright, stop beating around the bush. Give me an honest price, and I’ll buy it and leave. I’ve finally come into town today and have a lot of things to buy. I don’t have time to waste here."

Shopkeeper Li thought for a moment and gritted his teeth, "Four taels and six coins of silver. This is already my bottom price. If you want any lower, you’ll have to talk to our owner."

Knocking off two coins was equivalent to a discount of two hundred wen.

Jiang Chun nodded reluctantly, "I won’t push you too far. Four taels and six coins it is. But next time I come, you’ll have to give me a bigger discount."

Shopkeeper Li nodded vigorously, "Definitely, definitely."

Jiang Chun stood on her tiptoes again, pulled the hairpin out of Song Shian’s hair, swapped it with the old one, and handed the lotus hairpin to Shopkeeper Li to wrap up.

After leaving the jewelry shop, they went to a calligraphy and painting shop to sell the eight copies of the *Analects* that Song Shian had transcribed over the past three months.

[Ding! Check-in successful at "Hongye County Bookstore", obtained 6 reams of xuan paper, 2 huzhu brushes, and 2 ingots of grey ink.]

With no other errands to run and nothing else to purchase, they headed back.

As they passed various shops along the way, Jiang Chun checked in at each one.

[Ding! Check-in successful at "Hongye County Cloth Shop", obtained 3 bolts of fine linen, 3 bolts of gauze, and 3 bolts of silk gauze.]

[Ding! Check-in successful at "Hongye County Pawnshop", obtained a pair of silver bowls and a red sandalwood daybed.]

[Ding! Check-in successful at "Hongye County Bank", obtained 4 taels of silver.]

[Ding! Check-in successful at "Hongye County Pharmacy", obtained 6 liang of silver ear fungus, 1 jin of powdered poria, and 8 liang of honeysuckle.]

[Ding! Check-in successful at "Hongye County Blacksmith Shop", obtained an iron axe, an iron basin, and an iron shovel.]

On the way back, Jiang Chun chatted casually with Song Shian, "Tomorrow is your twenty-third birthday. Do you have any wishes?"

Song Shian was taken aback by the question.

To be honest, he had never thought about it. After all, for him, the future was predetermined. He just needed to redeem his younger cousin early and wait quietly.

The only exception in his life was her.

The future with her was novel but also uncertain.

Uncertainty meant infinite possibilities, some good and some bad.

Every time he thought about this, his heart would feel a little uneasy, a little fearful.

He was afraid that one morning, when he woke up, she would revert to being the Jiang Chun from his previous life.

All the past moments with her would become bubbles, fleeting and gone.

So even if she found it too hot and didn’t want to sleep in his arms, he would still shamelessly hold her as they slept.

As if holding on tighter would prevent her from leaving.

He closed his eyes and sighed, "Wishes stop coming true if you say them out loud."

His wish was for her to always stay by his side and not leave him behind.