Chapter 67 Mountain Home Hearth 67

Chapter 67: Hearth and Home in the Mountains

Business was exceptionally brisk today—perhaps owing to the freshness of the goods. Liu Guyu had prepared eighty meat sausages and fifty pieces of candied sweet potato skin, and every single item sold out. Even the qingtuan, traditional green glutinous rice dumplings specially made for the Qingming Festival, were completely snapped up.

He’d been so overwhelmed that his feet barely touched the ground all day. When he finally returned home, he was utterly spent—too exhausted even to move, nearly ready to eat his meal lying flat on the table.

Cui Lanfang felt deeply for him and gently spooned food into his bowl. “After you finish eating,” she said, “I’ll massage your hands, then heat water for your bath and a good night’s sleep. You can rest at home tomorrow, too.”

Liu Guyu listlessly poked at his food and nodded weakly.

After dinner came the fun part: counting the money.

Liu Guyu instantly perked up, waving his arms and shouting, “Quick! Bring the money basket! And where’s the hemp string for threading the coins? Bring it all—now! Time to count money, count money!”

Following his instructions, Qin Banban quickly gathered everything. She held a basket brimming with copper coins and gave it a vigorous shake—producing a loud, cheerful jingle.

That sound—oh, it truly was something!

The four of them sat around the table, each taking one side, and began sorting and threading the coins.

They strung one hundred coins per strand, completing seven full strands—and still had over fifty loose coins left over.

“Over seven hundred coins!!!”

Banban’s eyes widened in astonishment—round, bright, and startled like a fawn’s.

Liu Guyu nodded with quiet satisfaction, looking proud despite saying, “This is before deducting costs. Making starch sausages is labor-intensive, and we use real meat—so raw materials alone eat up half the revenue.”

Banban exclaimed, “Still amazing!”

Cui Lanfang also nodded in disbelief. “Exactly! Few people in our village earn several hundred coins in a single day!”

Liu Guyu declared confidently, “These are just the beginning. As long as we work hard, we’ll definitely earn even more in the future!”

He carefully stored the coin strands and threaded the remaining dozens of loose coins with hemp string. Then, from the basket, he selected one full strand of one hundred coins and handed two uneven strands to Qin Rongshi.

“Erlang, keep this. Take it with you when you return to the academy in a few days.”

Qin Rongshi frowned immediately. “I don’t need it. The family needs it more.”

Liu Guyu replied firmly, “I’m handling household finances—don’t worry. You’re alone at the academy; you need proper meals and everything else you require.”

But Qin Rongshi insisted, “I’ve already prepaid my meals at the academy—I won’t need extra money for food or lodging.”

Liu Guyu glared, grabbed his hand, pried it open, and stuffed the coins inside.

“People don’t live on food alone,” he said.

“Besides—you’re still studying. Don’t ink, brushes, paper, and inkstones all cost money? And if you want to read or do homework after returning at night, doesn’t the oil lamp cost money too?”

Hearing this, even Cui Lanfang and Qin Banban chimed in to persuade him.

“That’s right, Erlang—just take it.”

“Yes, Second Brother—just listen to Brother Liu.”

Qin Rongshi didn’t refuse further and accepted the money with a quiet nod.

After finishing the count, the family washed up and retired to their rooms, blowing out the lamps before sleeping.

Liu Guyu slept until the sun hung high in the sky. He still didn’t feel like getting up—but Cui Lanfang, worried he’d starve, reheated the corn cakes she’d made that morning and brought them to his room.

He ate breakfast, then lay back down and slept again—this time until noon.

Sunlight flooded the room, dazzling and radiant, bathing every corner in brilliant light.

Liu Guyu lazily dressed and stepped outside. Looking up, he saw an expanse of boundless blue sky and drifting white clouds. A pair of spring swallows had returned beneath the eaves, tenderly preening each other’s feathers.

A gentle spring breeze carried drowsy, soothing warmth, brushing his cheeks with the fresh fragrance of grass and peach blossoms—dispelling his lingering sleepiness. The warm midday sun shone down, dappling his body in soft golden light, wrapping him in the tender, comforting warmth of March.

Banban bounded over, trailed closely by a half-grown dog that playfully pawed at her skirt.

“Brother Liu—you’re finally awake!”

“Mai’er and I are heading to the mountains to play. Want to come along?”

Liu Guyu stretched, his mind blank. It took him a moment to process her words—and then he asked, puzzled, “Mai’er? Didn’t she go with Aunt Lin to set up the stall today?”

Banban shook her head. “Aunt Lin didn’t go to the stall today either.”

“Today is Mai’er’s birthday—her fifteenth-year coming-of-age ceremony (jīlǐ)! It’s a major event! Aunt Lin even told our family not to cook tonight and to join them for dinner!”

Liu Guyu snapped fully awake, rubbing his face. “Coming-of-age ceremony? Today?”

Banban nodded vigorously.

He slapped his forehead in dismay. “Oh no—I had no idea! I haven’t prepared anything at all!”

Though Liu Guyu wasn’t deeply versed in ancient customs, he knew a girl’s jīlǐ was a significant milestone—equivalent to a modern coming-of-age celebration. But since he’d learned of it only now, he was utterly unprepared.

Banban nodded sympathetically. “Exactly! Aunt Lin only mentioned it suddenly today. Mom was shocked too!”

“She’d originally made me a new pair of embroidered shoes—wild cherry blossoms stitched across the toes, absolutely lovely! But since this came up so unexpectedly, Mom decided to give those shoes to Mai’er as her birthday gift instead—and promised to make me a new pair later.”

“Luckily, Mom anticipated my feet would grow fast and made them slightly larger. Otherwise, Mai’er might not have even been able to wear them!”

At the end, she pouted, distressed, muttering, “As for me—it’s such a hassle—I still don’t know what to give!”

Hearing Banban say this, Liu Guyu also felt it was rather troublesome.

“Banban! Banban! Are you ready?”

Just as he was thinking, Luo Mai’er’s voice rang out from beyond the courtyard gate.

“Oh—Mai’er’s calling me! Brother Liu—will you come or not?”

Liu Guyu stretched, reasoning that since he’d already slept away half the day, it was high time to get some fresh air.

Spring was the perfect season—to step outside, bask in the sun, savor the breeze, and admire the flowers.

“I’m coming, I’m coming! Tell Mai’er to wait in the main hall—I’ll wash my face and be right there.” He headed toward the kitchen but stopped after two steps, turning back to ask, “Where’s your brother? Reading again? Oh—tell him to come too! He can’t just bury himself in books all day—he’ll turn dull!”

Banban nodded, first rushing out to greet Luo Mai’er and lead her into the main hall, then knocking gently on Qin Rongshi’s door.

“Second Brother—stop reading! Brother Liu wants you to join us in the mountains!”

Not long after, Qin Rongshi actually emerged. He glanced briefly at his sister, then asked softly, “Where is he?”

His words had barely left his lips when Liu Guyu bounced out—full of energy and vigor.

His dark hair was tied up in a high ponytail, secured with a blue cloth strip. A few damp strands of dark hair clung to his forehead, likely splashed during washing.

His eyes were bright and moist as he gazed at everyone excitedly, exclaiming, "Let's go! Time to set off!"

The group heading out wasn’t just the four of them—Luo Mai’er stopped by her home on the way and dragged Luo Qingzhu out with her. He had been helping his mother prepare dinner and was pulled outside still wearing his apron.

Lin Xingniang chased them to the kitchen door, laughing heartily. "Alright, alright! All of you go have fun in the mountains, but come back early for dinner!"

As she said this, Cui Lanfang also stepped outside, planning to lend a hand across the way. She nodded in agreement. "Yes, yes, today is a special day. You youngsters should enjoy yourselves and relax all day. Just be back in time for the evening meal!"

Hearing this, Luo Mai’er promptly untied the apron from her brother’s waist and pulled him outside, giggling.

The group headed up Little Flow Mountain, not empty-handed. Luo Mai’er and Qin Banban each carried little baskets on their backs, planning to dig up wild vegetables—to them, that was part of the fun.

It wasn’t until they were outside that Liu Guyu noticed the ground was damp; he realized it must have rained overnight. Thankfully, the rain had been discreet, falling only at night and clearing up by morning, so it didn’t hinder their outing.

The mud was soft and moist, and dewdrops hung on the spring grass on either side, filling the air with the fresh scent of tender green leaves.

The air was truly wonderful.

Liu Guyu stretched his arms wide, took a deep breath, and felt completely at ease.

With the recent frequent rains, the mountain stream had swelled, making Little Flow Mountain almost seem like Big Flow Mountain.

The mountain was lush with trees, some in bloom and some not, creating a vibrant scene of reds and greens with petals falling in profusion. Peach, pear, and apricot blossoms were swept by the wind into the stream, swirling away in the currents.

The old willow tree was especially verdant with spring growth, particularly the one by the stream, its soft branches brushing and intertwining with their own reflections in the water.

Their family dog, Lucky, had followed them out, and Mai’er’s two large dogs trailed behind as well.

The clueless little dog wagged its round little bottom and leaped at the willow branches hanging over the stream, nearly tumbling into the water. Luckily, its sharp-eyed mother snapped at the scruff of its increasingly sturdy neck and carried the mischievous pup away.

Qin Banban dug up a dandelion and pushed aside the wild grass by the stream, discovering a cluster of water celery hidden beneath. She clapped her hands in delight and called out, "Mai’er jie, look! Water celery over here!"

The two girls gathered together and began gathering the water celery.

Nearby, Liu Guyu was engaged in a battle of wits with a bee.

With so many flowers in the mountains, butterflies and bees were abundant.

Sure enough, one had taken a liking to Liu Guyu and buzzed insistently around him.

He finally managed to shoo it away, only for another to appear moments later.

He hid behind Qin Rongshi, tugging at his sleeve and insisting, "Erlang, smell me—do I smell like something? Why do bees keep flying toward me?"

He lowered his head, causing his high ponytail to droop and the headband on his forehead to slip down.

Qin Rongshi paused for a moment, then actually leaned in to sniff.

Calmly, he replied, "It’s the scent of soapberries."

Liu Guyu also lifted his sleeve and took a deep whiff, muttering to himself, "Is this what they call ‘manly scent’?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he heard two bursts of laughter—one from Qin Rongshi and the other from Luo Qingzhu.

Luo Qingzhu added, "What ‘manly scent’? You’re a young man, where would you get ‘manly scent’ from! Besides, that so-called ‘manly scent’ is usually just sweat—and it stinks!"

With that, he walked off toward Qin Banban and Luo Mai’er, probably to check on the girls’ foraging progress.

Liu Guyu: "Huh?"

Sweat stink? No way!

Liu Guyu sniffed twice, then tugged at Qin Rongshi’s clothes. "Come here, let me smell you too."

Qin Rongshi’s face still held a lingering smile, but before he could respond, Liu Guyu leaned in, his cheek brushing against Qin Rongshi’s neck. The fresh scent of soapberries wafted over again, and a few strands of hair tickled Qin Rongshi’s bare skin.

Liu Guyu took a sniff and concluded, "Not stinky. You smell just like me."

He patted Qin Rongshi’s shoulder and added, "You’re a fragrant man."

Qin Rongshi: "..."

The "fragrant man" could only feel both amused and exasperated. He opened his mouth to say something, but Luo Qingzhu suddenly called out from ahead.

"Hey, come take a look—what’s this over here?"