Chapter 68

Chapter 68

Throughout the afternoon, Lu Yuan and Qi Cheng were tidying up the new additions to the household and furniture they weren't currently using.

As evening approached, Qi Cheng first moved the tables, chairs, and stools to the night market stall, followed by other miscellaneous items.

With the addition of pots, pans, bowls, and tables—three tables in total—they had to spend twenty wen to rent a larger stall, as the smaller one couldn’t accommodate everything.

Although Qi Cheng’s vision was still blurry and he saw double, it didn’t hinder him from frying youtiao.

Ever since Lu Yuan burned her hand, Qi Cheng had learned how to fry youtiao.

Frying youtiao wasn’t a complicated or tedious process; it only required mastering the heat.

Since Qi Cheng managed the stall, even in the depths of winter, business had been getting better and better.

Most people came to buy youtiao and soy milk because of Qi Cheng’s handsome face.

If she weren’t afraid of upsetting Qi Cheng, Lu Yuan would have jokingly called him the "Youtiao Xishi."

Lu Yuan took a step back to handle odd jobs, though Qi Cheng would take over when it came to washing dishes.

After the past month or so of rest and prolonged exposure to oils, the thick calluses on her hands had significantly thinned. By the end of winter, her hands would likely become soft.

As the night grew later, Lu Yuan grew so cold that she began stamping her feet.

Qi Cheng called her over to warm her hands by the brazier heating the soy milk.

After warming her hands for a while, Lu Yuan lifted the lid of the soy milk bucket and saw there were about a dozen bowls left. There was also some leftover dough for youtiao.

It wasn’t yet midnight, so they estimated it would take another half an hour to sell everything.

"Sir, three bowls of hot soy milk, please."

As Lu Yuan warmed herself by the fire, a delicate, soft voice reached her ears. She immediately guessed who it was.

She glanced up and, as expected, it was Huang Li.

Although Huang Li had stopped trying to persuade Qi Cheng to join their troupe, she would still frequently but slyly bring a few dancers to drink soy milk. During these visits, the dancers would often stare brazenly at Qi Cheng.

Lu Yuan ladled the soy milk into a pot, heated it, and then brought it to their table.

One of the younger dancers looked at her curiously and asked, "How did your husband end up with a woman like you, who doesn’t bother with her appearance?"

Lu Yuan, busy making a living, went without makeup every day. Her hair was usually tied back with a simple ribbon, adorned with one or two wooden hairpins, or wrapped in a headscarf. Even her clothes were plain and unadorned.

Lu Yuan forced a smile and replied, "Well, there’s no helping it. My husband just happens to like me this way."

As she spoke, she glanced toward Qi Cheng and called out in a soft, sweet tone, "Husband, isn’t that right?"

Qi Cheng shivered slightly, recognizing her tone as a sign of displeasure. Though somewhat resigned, he played along and replied with an "Mm."

The dancer’s expression immediately soured, and she let out an affected, disdainful snort.

Huang Li laughed and said, "Don’t underestimate her just because she doesn’t dress up. In her husband’s eyes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. None of us can compare to his wife."

Having visited often, Huang Li had noticed that Qi Cheng’s vision had improved.

Despite their frequent visits, Qi Cheng never paid them much attention, often keeping his eyes fixed on his wife.

Every other day, the dancers from the troupe would bet on whether they could catch his eye. But so far, no one had succeeded.

After drinking their soy milk, the dancers, feeling the cold, didn’t stay long and soon returned to the entertainment district.

Once they were gone, Lu Yuan muttered under her breath, "If I dressed up, I’d definitely be much prettier than them."

Hearing this, Qi Cheng turned to take a closer look at her.

Noticing his gaze, Lu Yuan glared at him and asked, "Do you think I’m not as good-looking as them?!"

Knowing her emotions were particularly volatile these days, Qi Cheng knew better than to provoke her. He softened his voice and reassured her, "I haven’t even looked at them closely. How would I know if they’re round or flat?"

Lu Yuan let out a light humph, then went to collect the bowls and placed them in a basin, planning to wash them later when more had accumulated.

By midnight, when the local officials struck the gong, they packed up and headed home.

Qi Cheng boiled water and brought it into the room for her to soak her hands and feet, then went out to the yard to clean up.

After soaking her hands for a while, Lu Yuan began counting the copper coins while soaking her feet.

When Qi Cheng returned to the room, she exclaimed excitedly, "We earned two hundred and ten wen tonight! Even after deducting costs, we still have about one hundred thirty to forty wen. At this rate, by the end of the year, we could save nearly three guan!"

Qi Cheng said, "I never thought such a small stall could earn so much."

Lu Yuan replied, "I didn’t either."

"But at least we won’t have to worry about food and shelter. Still, even if we work for ten more years, we probably still couldn’t afford a house in the city."

"I’ve asked around. Even a small, dilapidated courtyard with three rooms and a hall in the outskirts would cost several hundred guan."

Qi Cheng sighed and said, "As ordinary folks, we have to live within our means. Buying a house is simply beyond our reach, so there’s no use obsessing over it."

Lu Yuan splashed the hot water in the basin and said, "We can’t afford it now, but who knows? Maybe we will in the future."

She looked at him and suddenly smiled brightly. "As long as we work hard and with purpose, we might be able to afford one in a few years."

Qi Cheng smiled and nodded.

Smelling of oil and smoke, he grabbed a change of clothes and went outside to rinse off quickly before returning to the room.

After soaking her feet, Lu Yuan felt much warmer.

She slipped under the covers, rolled around a few times on the bed, and sighed contentedly. "This big wooden bed is so comfortable to lie on."

The bottom layer of the bed was a mattress woven from rice straw, topped with a soft layer of reed flowers, and covered with a bedsheet.

Although it made slight noises when she turned over, it was firm yet soft and provided good insulation.

Qi Cheng turned off the lamp and got into bed. With the larger bed, the two of them weren’t as close as before.

But after a moment, she snuggled up to him again.

"It’s cold. We’ll stay warmer if we squeeze together," she said.

Qi Cheng thought for a moment and said, "Tomorrow, let’s buy a warming pan. That way, you can hold it while we’re at the stall, and it can also warm the bed at night."

Lu Yuan thought about it and agreed that a warming pan was necessary. "Alright."

"Let’s wake up early tomorrow to look at houses. We should bring the elderly woman and the children to the city as soon as possible."

Qi Cheng responded with an "Okay."

Lu Yuan, feeling cold while sleeping, whispered softly, "This blanket feels kinda thin. I'm a little cold—can you hold me?"

Not that she was trying to take advantage, but it really was too cold.

Perhaps it was because winter had really set in; tonight felt much colder than the previous days.

Qi Cheng paused for a second, but he still held out his arm and let her rest her head on it.

Lu Yuan, shivering, snuggled into his arm and immediately wrapped her arms around his waist.

Qi Cheng’s stomach tightened right away.

Realizing he had reacted too strongly, he quietly took a breath and gradually relaxed himself.

But moments later, feeling her hands sneakily feeling around his waist, he suddenly grabbed her hand.

His voice was low: "Cut it out, let’s sleep."

Unexpectedly, she exclaimed in a surprised tone, "Your waist is really toned!"

A moment later, with a hint of concealed excitement, she asked, "Do you have abs… like a six-pack?" Remembering that terms like "abs" probably didn’t exist in ancient times, she rephrased tactfully, "muscles that are divided into sections?"

Qi Cheng: …

He was quiet for a beat, then, as if without even thinking, directly took her hand and placed it on his stomach, letting her feel for herself.

In the darkness, Qi Cheng’s ears and neck turned red.

Even Lu Yuan, who was touching his stomach, hadn’t expected him to be so direct, and her face burned.

Though a little embarrassed, since she was already touching him, she took the opportunity to get another feel through the fabric.

It was hard, with some definition, like a layer of fit muscle.

After just a few moments, Lu Yuan quickly pulled her hand back and turned her back to him.

For a long time afterward, these two novices didn’t say another word.

After what felt like a long while, Qi Cheng finally asked in a low voice, "You were the one who wanted to touch me. Why does it now seem like I’ve come on too strong?"

Lu Yuan snapped, "Shut up and go to sleep!"

The one who used to blush at the slightest tease was now teasing her instead.

Qi Cheng let out a low laugh.

Seemingly pleased that he had gotten the upper hand, his mood was particularly good.

Hearing his laughter, Lu Yuan was instantly stirred by a competitive streak. She abruptly turned over and reached out, her hands moving over his chest and stomach.

Qi Cheng hurriedly grabbed both her hands, but she wriggled free, determined to touch as much as she could.

She said teasingly, "Go on, laugh! Let’s see if you can still laugh now!"

Qi Cheng indeed couldn’t laugh anymore. He quickly pulled her tightly into his arms to stop her from messing around and gave in, "Alright, alright, it’s my fault. Li Niang, please stop messing around."

Lu Yuan knew better than to push it, afraid that things might get out of hand.

She stopped moving and instead lay against his chest, feeling the strong, steady beat of his heart.

Qi Cheng took a few deep breaths, holding her as he calmly steadied his breathing and heart rate.

A long time later, he called out, "Li Niang."

Lu Yuan responded with a questioning "Hmm?"

After a few moments of silence, he asked carefully, "Do you have a nickname? One that only I can call you when it’s just the two of us?"

Lu Yuan was surprised and asked, "Why are you suddenly asking this?"

Qi Cheng replied, "I want to be different from others—at least, different in your eyes."

Instead of answering right away, Lu Yuan turned the question back on him: "What about you? Do you have a nickname, or a name only I can call you?"

Qi Cheng smiled. "My courtesy name is Mingsheng."

Lu Yuan asked, "What does it mean?"

Qi Cheng answered, "'Sheng' carries the meaning of brightness and prosperity, so it was chosen as Mingsheng."

Lu Yuan tried out the name aloud: "Mingsheng, Qi Cheng… I still think calling you by your given name rolls off the tongue easier."

Qi Cheng laughed. "You can call me whatever you like. What about you?"

Lu Yuan hesitated before saying, "I don’t really have a nickname. Having a proper name instead of being called ‘Eldest Girl’ or ‘Second Girl’ like in poor families is already pretty good."

Qi Cheng sighed inwardly, then said, "It’s fine if you don’t have one. If you ever want to change your name or choose a nickname in the future, remember to tell me."

"Who goes around changing their name for no reason?" she mumbled, then added, "We have to get up early tomorrow to check out houses. Let’s go to sleep now."

Qi Cheng softly acknowledged with an "Mmm," but his arms around her tightened slightly.

In the morning, Qi Cheng had prepared hot porridge and even heated water for washing, but Lu Yuan was still in bed.

He entered the room and said, "Didn’t you say we were going to look at houses today? Why aren’t you up yet?"

This was the third time he had called her.

Lu Yuan whined a few times, her voice slightly nasal, and pleaded softly, "It’s still early. Let me sleep a little longer."

Qi Cheng’s heart had softened several times already, but seeing that the porridge and water were getting cold, he made himself be firm and insisted, "It’s not early. In another hour, it’ll be time for lunch. Get up now."

As he spoke, he brought over her padded jacket, pulled her out from under the covers, and helped her into it.

She shivered from the cold and tried to curl back up under the blankets, but Qi Cheng didn’t give her the chance. After pulling her up, he dressed her and then put on the socks she had made herself while she was still under the quilt.

Lu Yuan, half-asleep, simply let him help her out.

Qi Cheng was remarkably patient. He lifted the quilt, took her feet, put on her shoes, then brought a comb to style her hair and tie it up.

After finishing all this, he said, "Alright, go wash up now."

He led her out of the room, filled a basin with hot water, and handed her a willow twig.

Lu Yuan shook off her sleepiness and, seeing the hot water and willow twig in her hand, suddenly laughed.

Qi Cheng, hearing her laughter, looked at her in confusion and asked, "What's up?"

Lu Yuan chuckled, "Why do I feel like you're taking care of me like I'm your daughter?"

It was as if, you know, he were sending a daughter off to school—getting her up early, dressing her, putting on her shoes, and combing her hair.

Qi Cheng sighed and said, "If you could wake up earlier, I wouldn't have to take care of you like this."

Lu Yuan didn't respond either way. After washing up, she returned to the room to have her morning meal with him.

As she drank the porridge, she said to him, "I like it when you take care of me like this."

Qi Cheng peeled an egg and placed it in the bowl in front of her, replying, "During the time I was unconscious, it was you who took care of me. Now it's my turn to return the favor—that's only fair."

Lu Yuan finished her porridge, picked up the egg, broke off the egg white, and then placed the yolk back into his bowl, saying, "I've told you several times, I don't like egg yolks."

In the past, when they had no means, she was grateful just to have something to eat and couldn't afford to be picky. But now, with a little money in hand, she was feeling a little spoiled and starting to be choosy again.

Qi Cheng didn't want to think too much about why someone from a poor background would be picky about eggs.

He just frowned slightly and said, "What do I have to do to get you to eat the yolk too?"

The good stuff of the egg is in the yolk, and she still needed nourishment for her health. He couldn’t let her be picky.

Lu Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Next time, don’t boil the egg. Just scramble it up in some oil, and I’ll be able to eat the yolk too."

Qi Cheng nodded and said, "I’ll do that next time, but no more being picky."

Lu Yuan nodded and then ate the egg white.

After her morning meal, the two of them headed out together to look for a house.