Chapter 89

Chapter 89

Qi Cheng was boiling water, a smile playing on his lips as he pondered something. After heating the water and adding firewood to both braziers, he left the kitchen and called out to the window, "Li Niang, I’m off to work now."

Lu Yuan, pinning up her hair, emerged from the house and said, "I’ll head back this afternoon. You can come straight home after your shift. Tomorrow, we still need to return to Weishan Village."

Qi Cheng hesitated, then asked, "How about I call an ox cart to take you back later?"

Lu Yuan replied, "No need."

She thought to herself that it was merely a night of intimacy. Though her legs felt a bit weak when she first rose, it wasn’t as if they were broken.

Qi Cheng frowned slightly. "Then wait until I finish my shift, and we can go back together."

Lu Yuan said decisively, "No need, I’ll go back on my own. You should hurry to work."

Observing her demeanor, devoid of any tenderness, he couldn’t help but feel the illusion that they weren’t newlyweds who had just consummated their marriage, but rather a couple married for several years.

He sighed resignedly. "Alright, I’m off to work then."

With that, he went to untie his horse.

Just as Qi Cheng untied the rope and was about to lead the horse out, Lu Yuan suddenly called out, "Wait."

As he turned, a warm figure rushed over and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Lu Yuan hugged him briefly before letting go, then looked at him with a bright smile and said, "Go on, head to work."

For a moment, Qi Cheng was stunned. The next instant, his smile became irrepressible, his eyes sparkling with joy.

"Mm, I’m off to work now."

His tone was completely different from before.

Lu Yuan watched as the man left and couldn’t help but laugh.

Men are so easy to please.

Just moments ago, she had instantly perceived his disappointment at her cool attitude.

Lu Yuan shook her head with a smile and went back inside to continue doing her hair.

When Qi Cheng arrived at the public office, his lips were still curved upward.

After tying his horse to the public office stable, Qi Cheng headed toward the inner office. Just as he entered the side gate, he encountered Scribe Shen, who was about to enter the Revenue Office.

Qi Cheng saluted with cupped hands and was about to leave when Scribe Shen raised an eyebrow slightly and called out, "Stockade Official Qi, come with me for a moment."

With that, he turned and led the way to the Revenue Office.

The inner office of the Guang Kang Public Office was divided into six departments on either side: Personnel, Revenue, Rites, Military Affairs, Justice, and Public Works.

Qi Cheng frowned slightly but followed him inside.

Once inside the Revenue Office, Scribe Shen said, "Since you were able to have the Deputy Magistrate make an exception to appoint you as a Stockade Official, leading patrols to maintain public order and prevent theft, it seems you have considerable ability. I have a few men under me—take them and train them together."

Qi Cheng bowed his head and said, "I have no particular skills. I was merely given the position of Stockade Official due to the Deputy Magistrate’s high regard. The roster for training was decided by the Deputy Magistrate, and I dare not make changes arbitrarily."

Qi Cheng was tasked with training the patrols in mountain and forest combat, and to do so, he needed a title that would command respect. Thus, the Deputy Magistrate had temporarily appointed him as a Stockade Official, though he was not officially part of the public office and did not receive a salary from it. He only held the title and some authority.

Scribe Shen said, with a hint of jest, "What’s this? Are you rejecting my suggestion just like that? Do you think that just because the Deputy Magistrate backs you, you can disregard me, a mere Scribe?"

Qi Cheng bowed his head. "I wouldn’t dare."

Scribe Shen chuckled. "I think you’re quite daring. Fine, since you have the Deputy Magistrate’s support, this lowly scribe wouldn’t dare offend you."

Qi Cheng bowed even deeper. "I would never entertain such thoughts."

Scribe Shen waved his hand. "Forget it, forget it. You may go attend to your duties."

Qi Cheng cupped his hands and withdrew from the Revenue Office, letting out a soft sigh only after he turned away.

He had a feeling that Scribe Shen’s purpose in calling him in wasn’t really about assigning him a few men.

It felt more like a test—a probing challenge.

To see what kind of person he was. If he had agreed, or shown hesitation or fear of offending, the Scribe might have pressed further, becoming increasingly demanding.

The office politics of public service were too full of scheming and intrigue. It really wasn’t for him. He’d be better off running a small business in the market with Li Niang—much more carefree.

Lu Yuan waited for the chicken soup to finish simmering, drank a full bowl, and heated up two meat buns. After she'd eaten her fill, the soup had cooled somewhat, so she used straw rope to secure the lid tightly on the clay pot containing the soup and placed it in her basket. She even stuffed some straw around it to prevent it from shifting.

Once everything was ready, she hoisted the basket onto her back and headed home.

Normally, she could walk for forty-five minutes without feeling tired, but today she had to stop and rest halfway.

By the time she reached home, it was already mid-afternoon.

As soon as she arrived home, her two children rushed over to her with pitiful expressions.

The old woman, who was hanging laundry, said, "These two have been waiting for you to come back. They’ve been sitting on the doorstep all afternoon, waiting and hoping."

Hearing this, Lu Yuan pinched their cheeks and said, "Don’t wait by the door next time. It’s too cold."

Chun Hua said, "We didn’t wait long. Great-Grandma called us back inside."

Lu Yuan smiled, then set down her basket and went to help hang the laundry. "Grandma, let me do this. You go rest."

Since there were only a few pieces of clothing, the old woman didn’t protest.

As Lu Yuan hung the clothes, she added, "By the way, at noon, my husband bought an old hen to make soup. Heat it up, and you and the children can have some to build up your strength."

The old woman said, "Why didn’t you just bring it back to cook here? Carrying it all that way…"

Lu Yuan smiled without answering.

Of course, she couldn’t say that Qi Cheng had bought it specifically to help her recover because he felt he had exhausted her the previous night.

The old woman took the clay pot from the basket and brought it into the kitchen to heat.

As she warmed the soup, she still couldn’t understand why the young couple had to make things so complicated.

Once the soup was heated, she ladled it into bowls and called out to her granddaughter-in-law to bring them to the main room.

Lu Yuan answered and entered the kitchen, carrying two bowls out.

The old woman cautioned, "Be careful, it’s hot."

Watching her granddaughter-in-law leave the room, the old woman suddenly sensed something was off. She followed to the kitchen door, watched her granddaughter-in-law's gait, squinted slightly, then turned her gaze to the chicken soup.

Having been through it herself, she had a keen eye. It seemed she had thought of something, and she suddenly clapped her hands joyfully, exclaiming, "It finally happened!"

The old woman didn’t rush to drink the soup. Instead, she rushed into her room to get some money, grabbed a basket, and headed out.

Lu Yuan asked, "Grandma, where are you going?"

The old woman replied, "Just going out for a while. I’ll be back soon."

With that, she bustled out with her basket.

Lu Yuan was puzzled. The soup had just been heated, and the old woman hadn’t even taken a sip before leaving. What could be so urgent?

After about half an hour, Lu Yuan saw the old woman return. In her basket were two pieces of wood, each about as thick as a child’s arm and roughly a foot long. The cross-section revealed orange-red wood.

Curious, Lu Yuan asked, "Grandma, you went out in such a hurry just for these two pieces of wood?"

The old woman glanced at her meaningfully and said, "You’ll soon find out what this wood is for."

Lu Yuan was baffled. What was so mysterious about two pieces of wood?

Soon enough, Lu Yuan discovered their purpose.

The old woman took a knife, shaved off the bark, split one of the pieces into small strips, washed them, and placed them in a pot with two scoops of water.

After doing this, she went to her room and brought out four eggs, which she added to the pot to boil with the wood.

Lu Yuan: ...

She seemed to understand what the wood was for.

It appeared to be the raw material for making red eggs.

...

Lu Yuan couldn’t help but recall the last time in Weishan Village when the old woman had mistakenly prepared red eggs, thinking she and Qi Cheng had slept together.

Was it happening again?

How sharp were the old woman's eyes? How could she know what her grandson and Lu Yuan had been up to so soon after her return?

Once the eggs were cooked, Lu Yuan noticed they had turned red.

The old woman didn’t explicitly say anything, only remarking, "When Sheng Geer returns, each of you can have two. Make sure to eat them. I’ll boil a few more while preparing dinner for me and the children."

Lu Yuan didn’t respond, as this wasn’t exactly something worth making a big deal over.

Qi Cheng returned late in the afternoon, just in time for dinner.

After washing his hands, he sat down in the main room.

As soon as he sat, his grandmother placed two red eggs in front of him and Li Niang.

Qi Cheng: ...

He glanced at his wife, who calmly picked up an egg, tapped it on the table, and began peeling it with composure.

Chun Hua looked at the egg in her hand, then at her mother’s, and asked, "Mom, why is your egg red?"

Lu Yuan smiled and said, "Red is festive!"

Qi Cheng fell silent, then wordlessly took the egg from Qiu Hua and peeled it for her.

That night, after telling stories to the two children, Lu Yuan returned to her room.

Qi Cheng was sitting by the bed reading. Lu Yuan teased, "Buying new books again?"

Qi Cheng sighed helplessly, closed the book, and showed her the cover. "What nonsense are you thinking? This is a book I brought back from the public office."

Lu Yuan pouted and said, "Well, you have a history of hiding things. If you buy those kinds of books again, you have to share them with me. No more hiding."

Qi Cheng: ...

Lu Yuan sat at the table, let down her hair, and began combing it gently.

After months of careful care, her hair, though not jet black, was soft and glossy.

Even the children’s once-sparse hair had grown thicker and softer thanks to better nutrition. By summer, it would be even fuller.

Thinking of hair, Lu Yuan turned to look at Qi Cheng.

His hair was thick and soft, currently just shoulder-length, loosely tied at the back with a few strands falling loose.

In this state, he looked like a bookish type with subtle muscles.

Lu Yuan couldn’t help but recall the previous night’s events. This usually well-mannered man could be quite wild after dark.

Noticing her gaze, Qi Cheng looked at her questioningly.

Lu Yuan averted her eyes, put on some cream to her face, waited for it to absorb, then turned back to the bed, opening her arms and saying, "Hold me for a while."

Mainly, she wanted to feel his abs. It was a perfectly legitimate reason—what was wrong with that?

Qi Cheng smiled slightly, put down his book, leaned against the bed, and patted the space beside him.

Lu Yuan quickly climbed onto the bed, half-lying in his embrace.

Qi Cheng wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

When a hand suddenly touched his abdomen, his muscles tightened instinctively.

As a woman, she was more lustful than a man—was that really appropriate?

After a while, Lu Yuan stopped, but as she withdrew her hand, Qi Cheng caught it.

"Not going to continue?" he asked hoarsely.

Lu Yuan sat up straight and hurriedly said, "No, no. We shouldn’t overindulge. We can continue tomorrow."

Just as she was about to retreat to her side, her fingers were clasped tightly and pulled back.

Qi Cheng said in a coaxing tone, "It’s fine. I won’t overdo it. Besides, you can sleep in tomorrow, and I don’t have to go to the public office. No need to worry about getting tired."

Lu Yuan tried to subtly pull her hand back, but it was held firmly.

Well, she wouldn’t dare to casually touch him like this again.