Chapter 88

Chapter 88

Having eaten little at noon, Yuanbao devoured a large bowl of noodles that evening, even finishing the poached egg inside without a trace.

Li Shi praised him repeatedly, "Yuanbao is so well-behaved today, and he has such a good appetite!"

Hearing this, the child, eager to show off, held up his bowl and asked for another serving.

Wang Ying said sternly, "If you want another bowl, you must finish it all. No leaving half-eaten food to waste."

Yuanbao quickly put down his bowl and chopsticks, patting his little belly as he said, "I'm full! My belly is round and full, see!"

Everyone was amused by his antics, finding the child quite clever and mischievous.

They didn't want him to eat too much in the evening, worried it would cause indigestion, so they had Wood and Chun Sheng take him out to play for a while after he finished eating.

Once the child was outside, Li Shi said, "I heard from Third Aunt this morning that you taught Yuanbao not to waste food. That’s very good. When Chen Qingyan was about Yuanbao’s age, his father also scolded him for something similar."

"Chen Qingyan was like that too when he was young?"

"He used to eat slowly, taking a few bites before running off to play, often leaving half his food uneaten. When he got hungry, he’d ask the kitchen to make him something else. Once, his father was so angry that he made him go hungry for an entire day without even a sip of water, forcefully breaking him of that habit."

Chen’s father had experienced hardship growing up with the old master, having known times when they didn’t know where their next meal would come from, so he naturally valued food. But Chen Qingyan was different. Since his birth, the family had been well-off, and his meals were much more refined, which led to him developing bad habits.

After that scolding from the old master, Chen Qingyan never dared to waste food again.

Wang Ying couldn’t help but laugh, never imagining that her husband had such a mischievous side.

In the evening, Yuanbao went to sleep at Li Shi’s place. After washing up, Wang Ying went to the experimental field to wait for his husband.

As the weather warmed, the shop had switched from selling vegetables to ice pops. After harvesting the vegetables in the experimental field, they had planted wheat.

Wang Ying exchanged all the vegetables stored in the system for experience points to avoid wasting them past their expiration date.

Now, most of the storage slots were filled with wheat, as it could be stored much longer than vegetables—up to eight years—and could be taken out for use at any time during that period.

Thanks to the experimental field’s ability to adjust weather and speed up time, they could harvest three crops a year, accumulating at least six to seven thousand *jin* (approximately 0.5 kg per *jin*) of wheat annually.

Wang Ying had no intention of exchanging this wheat for experience points, as the experience bar now seemed like a bottomless pit, and a few thousand *jin* of wheat wouldn’t yield much experience. He also didn’t plan to sell it, as they had enough silver on hand. This grain was meant as a reserve for emergencies.

Ancient times were different from modern times; natural and man-made disasters were common. If such a disaster struck, they would have to rely on themselves for survival. Waiting for government relief? They’d likely starve to death before it arrived.

Wang Ying opened the experience bar and was suddenly stunned. A few days ago, it had been stuck at a few percent, but in just a short time, it had jumped to eighteen percent. What had Chen Qingyan done?

After waiting for over an hour, Chen Qingyan finally entered.

Seeing his travel-worn appearance, Wang Ying asked, "Have you left Jizhou?"

"Yes, we set off early this morning and arrived at a relay station to rest this evening."

"Won’t they notice you coming in like this?"

"The teacher has already gone to bed. I told Qing Song I was going to the latrine and slipped in quietly from the carriage."

Wang Ying reached out and smoothed the disheveled hair at his temples. "You’ve had a hard journey."

Chen Qingyan took his hand and pressed it against his cheek. "It's not a hardship. Today is your birthday. Wishing you many more years like this one!" He then took out a hairpin he had bought recently in Jizhou Prefecture. "Open it and see if you like it."

Wang Ying opened the box and examined the hairpin. "It’s very beautiful. I like it a lot." In truth, he had little interest in accessories, but since it was a gift from his beloved, he cherished it all the more.

"Let me put up your hair for you."

"Alright." Wang Ying removed his wooden hairpin, and his waterfall-like black hair cascaded over his shoulders, softening his features.

Chen Qingyan couldn’t resist kissing him. Wang Ying wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed him back. Having been apart for so long, both were eager for intimacy.

As their lips and tongues intertwined, both grew passionate. Wang Ying was never one to be shy, and after such a long abstinence, he was equally eager. He pushed Chen Qingyan to the ground and began undoing his clothes and undergarments.

A male bearer was different from a man; their bodies were naturally suited for intimacy, especially when aroused, when they became almost like women.

The familiar sensation brought pleasure to both. Chen Qingyan held his by the waist and let out a low, husky sigh.

Their shadows swayed, clothes hung loosely on their arms, and sweat dripped down their necks. After what felt like an eternity, Wang Ying felt his voice growing hoarse from crying out before he finally released. They quickly cleaned up.

After the life-threatening experience of giving birth to Yuanbao, Chen Qingyan was unwilling to let Wang Ying go through that again, fearing he might suffer similarly. He always made sure to clean up thoroughly afterward.

Exhausted, Wang Ying leaned against his chest, too tired to keep his eyes open. Chen Qingyan used his fingers to smooth his hair, fastened it with the silver hairpin, and kissed his forehead.

"I should go back now."

"Mm."

"I’m afraid I won’t have much time to come in often these days."

"I understand. Be careful on the road."

"Alright." Reluctantly, Chen Qingyan helped him dress and waited until he returned to the bedroom before exiting the experimental field.

*

June brought the rainy season.

Laizhou, being coastal, experienced particularly heavy rainfall during this time of year, with few sunny days throughout the month.

The morning had been clear and bright, but in the blink of an eye, dark clouds gathered, accompanied by flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder.

Er Shun hurriedly covered the cart with oilcloth, as the books inside were most afraid of getting wet—once soaked, the ink would blur, making the characters illegible.

In the cart ahead, Chen Qingyan quickly closed all the windows to prevent rain from blowing in.

Soon, large raindrops began to fall, pattering noisily against the roof.

The sound of the rain made Liang Boqing’s back and legs ache. The high humidity in Laizhou had given him joint problems over the years, and he already missed the *kang* (heated bed) back in Chen Village.

Traveling in the rain was too dangerous, so Chen Guang led the horses to a sheltered spot to wait for the rain to stop.

With nothing else to do, Old Liang asked the three of them to compose a line of poetry on the theme of rain.

Chen Qingyan was the first to speak: "Fierce winds sweep the land, bending a hundred grasses; torrential rain pours down, rushing through ten thousand valleys."①

Old Liang stroked his beard and said, "Rarely does your poetry carry such grandeur." Previously, Liang Boqing had often criticized his poems for being too soft. While such poems were favored by literati, they held little advantage in the imperial examinations. In contrast, poems with bold and expansive imagery were more highly regarded by examiners.

When it was Chen Qinghuai’s turn, he pondered for a moment before saying, "The urgent rain washes the fragrant carriage; the sky turns, and the Milky Way slants."②

Old Liang clapped his hands in approval. "Excellent! This line is quite fitting to the scene. When we return, complete the entire poem and submit it to me."

"Yes."

Finally, it was Qing Song’s turn. After scratching his head and fidgeting for a long while, he managed to compose a line: "Black clouds, dark as ink, half-veil the mountains; white pearls scatter and dance along the carriage edges."

"Not bad, with the contrast between black and white and the rhymes all in place. It's an improvement from before."

Chen Qingsong grinned; it was rare for him to receive praise from the teacher on this journey, as he mostly got his knuckles rapped.

The rain kept coming down harder, seeping through the cracks. Rain was dripping through both the roof and sides of the carriage, and their clothes were soon soaked.

The three took turns holding an oil-paper umbrella to shield Old Liang from the rain.

The heavy rain lasted nearly two hours before it began to ease. Seeing that it was getting late, they hurried to find a post station to rest.

Most ancient roads were unpaved dirt roads, and after the heavy rain, they became muddy and difficult to traverse. They hadn’t reached the next post station by nightfall.

While the people could endure sitting in the carriage, the horses could not. The horses would surely get sick if they kept going soaked like that.

Noticing an abandoned local deity temple by the roadside, Chen Guang led the carriage over. "Old Liang, I’m afraid we’ll have to rest outdoors tonight."

"Alright, we can rest properly once we reach the post station tomorrow."

The temple wasn't very big and had been abandoned for who knows how long. Its doors and windows were gone, and half of the roof had collapsed.

Chen Guang lit a torch and went in first to check. Only a few rats scurried away; there were no other wild animals.

"You can come down now."

Chen Qingyan jumped off the carriage first, then helped Liang Boqing down slowly. The group entered the temple.

Inside, a clay statue was housed, its paint had long since peeled and faded, making it impossible to tell which deity it was.

Old Liang pressed his palms together and bowed. "We are merely passing through and apologize for the disturbance. We hope the deity will not take offense."

The other three followed suit and bowed as well, then found a dry spot to sit and rest.

After the heavy rain, it was impossible to find dry firewood nearby to boil water, so they had to make do with some dry rations, washed down with cold water from their flasks.

Everyone’s clothes were more or less damp. The others were fine—young and full of vitality, they weren’t bothered by the moisture.

But Old Liang was older, and Chen Qingyan worried he might catch a chill from wearing wet clothes. He quickly rummaged through the luggage. Though covered with oilcloth, the clothes inside were also quite damp. In the end, he found only one half-dry garment.

"Please change into this so you don’t catch a cold."

Liang Boqing didn't object. He took off his wet clothes and put on the one offered, though both were similarly damp.

Chen Guang and Er Shun finished tending to the livestock outside and came in to rest for a while. That night, the two would take turns keeping watch through the night to guard against wild animals or passing bandits.

Er Shun took the first watch, and Chen Guang the second. After dividing the shifts, they quickly settled down to rest.

The others, exhausted from a day of travel, drifted off to sleep leaning against one another.

In the later part of the night, a light drizzle began to patter down again. Toward the end of the *Chou* period (1–3 AM), Chen Guang suddenly shouted, waking everyone.

"Wake up quickly!"

"What’s wrong? What happened?" Everyone rubbed their eyes and sat up.

"The roof might collapse! Get out now!" Likely due to the previous day’s heavy rain, the earthen walls had softened and begun to sink and crumble. While Chen Guang was relieving himself out back, he suddenly heard creaking sounds. Looking up, he saw the wall starting to crumble.

He was so scared he didn't even finish his business and bolted back.

Everyone rushed outside. As they reached the doorway, Old Liang suddenly turned back. "I left my book bag inside."

Chen Qingyan dared not let him go back in. "Please get on the carriage first. I’ll fetch it for you!"

No sooner had he rushed into the small temple than a loud "Crack!" echoed, accompanied by a roar of thunder. The precarious little temple completely collapsed.

-----------------------

Author's notes: ① Adapted from Cen Shen's "Song of White Snow for Wu Panguan Returning to the Capital"

② Chen Shidao's "Bodhisattva Man: Qixi"