Chapter 184: High Spirits

Chapter 184: High Spirits

Zhou Ye was indeed charmed by the address "brother-in-law," so much so that he spoke more to Lin Xiaopu than usual. "Last time I went to the county to sell the black bear, both its bones and fat had medicinal uses, and I sold them to two pharmacies there. Those pharmacies didn’t look much bigger than the ones in town, but they have specialized storage for medicinal ingredients. If someone brings them medicinal herbs, they’d probably accept them."

What Zhou Ye didn’t mention was that the managers of those two pharmacies knew about his skill in hunting black bears and were keen to build a good relationship with him. Whether they’d accept herbs from others was uncertain, but if he went, they’d likely take them, given his reputation.

Lin Xiaopu was overjoyed to hear this.

She thought that while fun was fine, it shouldn't be pointless. If she could lead her little followers to earn money while having fun, and at the same time practice the arithmetic she'd been teaching them through practical application, that would be perfect!

Zhou Ye fully supported Lin Xiaopu’s idea and offered advice: "You and the others can collect cicada molts, pagoda tree buds, and flowers together. Once you’ve gathered enough, I’ll take you to the county to sell them. You can keep all the money you make, but you’ll have to cover my travel expenses for the trip. How does that sound?"

Lin Xiaopu’s excitement waned slightly as she asked seriously, "Brother-in-law, how much does an ox-cart ride from Jingxi Town to the county cost? How much would a round trip for the two of us cost? If we bring our own food, would it be enough for the round trip? If not, I’ll have to cover your meals too. Eating out in the county won't be cheap, so if I treat you to the cheapest steamed buns, you can't object. Also, when we get to the county, should we first check what the pharmacies are paying for cicada molts, pagoda tree buds, and flowers…"

Watching Xiao Pu and A Ye seriously discussing the matter, Lin Shu said to He Guixiang with a smile, "Mom, how come I never noticed before that Xiao Pu is such a little entrepreneur? Listen to her—she’s so articulate when it comes to making money."

He Guixiang was also delighted. "She never had money passing through her hands before, so how could she have shown it? It’s all because you spoil her. Giving her a cut from the ice jelly earnings was one thing, but you even shared the money from the Termitomyces sauce with her. When I was her age, I hadn’t even touched money. Not like Xiao Pu, who’s already saved up more than two strings of cash."

Lin Shu laughed. "Xiao Pu has helped me a lot as my assistant; she deserves it."

Being a hands-off manager felt wonderful. Lin Shu was happy to delegate tasks whenever possible. She didn’t ask for help without compensation—she paid them for it. So far, everyone seemed satisfied.

Moreover, since Xiao Pu started earning money, her arithmetic skills had improved rapidly. Probably because her enthusiasm for earning money had skyrocketed, she, as the little teacher, now wanted to use money-making to motivate her little followers.

Before long, Lin Xiaopu and Zhou Ye came to an agreement. The little money-grubber Lin Xiaopu calculated everything clearly, ensuring she didn’t take advantage of Zhou Ye nor shortchange herself.

Zhou Ye thought for a moment and said, "Before your sister and I get married at the end of the month, I’ll make a trip to the county, avoiding the market day. Gather as many cicada molts and pagoda tree buds and flowers as you can. I’ll take you to sell them once and see how it goes."

Lin Xiaopu jumped for joy. "After tomorrow’s lesson, I’ll share the good news with Wang Yingen and the others!"

Hearing this, Lin Shu smiled and said, "First, get your tools ready. Cicada molts are easy—you can just pick them up off the ground. But the pagoda tree buds are harder to harvest. The pagoda trees in the village and on the mountain are tall, and you can’t climb trees. You can attach an iron hook to a long bamboo pole and secure it with wire."

At this, Lin Shu asked Zhou Ye, "By the way, A Ye, can the blacksmiths in Jingxi Town make things like wire?" The Da Yan Dynasty already had lanterns made from iron wire, which was quite advanced for the capital, but she wasn’t sure if blacksmiths in small towns could produce it.

Zhou Ye nodded. "No problem. If the town blacksmith isn’t willing to make it, I’ll borrow his workshop and make it myself."

Hearing this, Lin Shu remembered that Zhou Ye had once worked as a blacksmith. Given A Ye’s quiet but capable nature, when he said "it’s manageable," it meant he could definitely do it.

"A Ye, is making wire difficult?"

Zhou Ye replied, "It’s not hard, just labor-intensive."

In truth, making wire wasn’t as easy as Zhou Ye made it sound, especially in small workshops without hydraulic wheels, where everything relied on manual labor. From refining wrought iron to forging billets, each step was demanding. The drawing process, in particular, was extremely difficult. After sharpening one end of a forged iron bar, it had to be pulled through holes in a drawing plate manually, requiring immense physical strength—often the combined effort of two strong men. The process involved frequent repositioning and annealing, making it highly inefficient.

The holes in the drawing plate varied in size, with smaller ones being particularly challenging to draw.

Zhou Ye didn’t elaborate on these difficulties, so outsiders like Lin Shu and Lin Xiaopu remained unaware.

Hearing him speak so casually, Lin Shu teased him, "No wonder you’re so confident. Who in this world could match your strength?"

Lin Xiaopu suddenly let out a long sigh and interjected, "I hate to interrupt, but I’m standing right here, you know? You’re acting like I don’t exist, and now you’re even exchanging sweet nothings. What am I supposed to do after you two get married?"

Lin Shu pretended to flick her forehead. Lin Xiaopu, as agile as ever, tried to dodge but unexpectedly miscalculated and got flicked squarely.

Lin Xiaopu didn’t even bother covering her forehead, staring in shock. "I actually couldn’t dodge that?? Sister, when did you become so nimble?!"

Lin Shu was both amused and offended. It felt like a blatant insult.

"You think I couldn’t catch you before? I just couldn’t be bothered."

Although her strength had diminished and her body was far less robust than in her previous life, the combat experience and skills she had gained from numerous near-death encounters were ingrained in her mind, becoming instinctive. How could she truly be weak? It was just that she never exerted full effort in anything, always preferring to take it easy, even during playful scuffles.

Moreover, since coming to Tianshui Village, she had frequently been active—gathering mushrooms and wild vegetables in the mountains, catching loaches and snails in the fields, fishing and shrimping in the water, cooking when she felt like it, and occasionally playing bamboo slingshots or bamboo water guns with Lin Xiaopu, Wang Yingen, and the other kids… All this jumping around had unknowingly improved her physical fitness.

Lin Shu took the opportunity to pinch Lin Xiaopu’s earlobe lightly and twist it, saying, "Let this be a lesson to you: don’t run your mouth so freely in the future, or your forehead and ears will suffer."

Lin Xiaopu’s expression changed instantly, and she immediately adopted a submissive tone. "I’m sorry! I won’t dare do it again. Please forgive me this time, Sister."

Even He Guixiang couldn’t help laughing at this.

As A Shu often said, "One takes on the color of one’s company." The longer Xiao Pu spent with A Shu, the more cheerful and clever she became.

Although Lin Shu had mentioned making an iron hook to get things done, her enthusiasm got the better of her. Without waiting for the hook to be made, she immediately called Zhou Ye and her younger sister Lin Xiaopu, and the three of them went to the back mountain to gather pagoda tree buds.

Pagoda trees were actually quite rare in Tianshui Village, as they were native to northern regions. However, the ancients held these trees in high esteem, so it wasn’t unusual to find them anywhere. Aside from the old pagoda tree the village women loved to relax under, there were a few on the back mountain, though none were seen deeper in the rolling mountains.

Lin Shu speculated, "Maybe centuries ago, Tianshui Village was a secluded retreat for some refined literati family."

Lin Xiaopu chimed in, "That’s possible. Sister, Mom told me that a long, long time ago, Jingxi Town didn’t even exist. Later, the county magistrate had people clear the land, and that’s how Jingxi Town and the dozen or so villages below it came to be. Before the land was cleared, it’s possible some reclusive masters lived here—after all, the scenery here is beautiful."

Lin Shu was slightly surprised. "No wonder many villages under Jingxi Town have mixed surnames."

Lin Xiaopu said, "Exactly! So our ancestors might have been famine refugees from elsewhere. Look at other towns—their villages usually share a single surname, like Li Family Village, Wang Family Gully, or Gao Family Mountain. Everyone in those villages is related, forming one big clan, just like A Ye said about his village."

At this, she looked up at the tall, sturdy man and asked, "A Ye, is your village called Zhou Family Village?"

Zhou Ye suddenly retorted, "Why aren’t you calling me ‘brother-in-law’ now?"

It was rare for him to tease someone like this. Lin Xiaopu was momentarily stunned, almost thinking she had misheard.

Recovering, her face flushed red. "You haven’t given me the ‘change-of-address money’ yet! After you do, I’ll call you brother-in-law all the time. Otherwise, it’d seem like becoming my brother-in-law was too easy, right, Sister?"

Lin Shu’s eyes twinkled with amusement, but she didn’t get involved. "If you think so, then it’s so. Don’t ask me."

Lin Xiaopu pouted. "Sister isn’t even married yet, and she’s already taking his side."

Before Lin Xiaopu could dart away, Lin Shu swiftly grabbed her, flicked her forehead once more, and let go. "Put nicely, it’s me getting married, but everyone knows A Ye is becoming my live-in husband."

She glanced teasingly at Zhou Ye. "A Ye, did I get that right?"

Zhou Ye’s dark face softened, and he nodded. "Yes, that’s right."

Lin Shu laughed at his response. "Silly, would you agree with anything I say?"

Zhou Ye looked at her seriously. "What you said is correct. I’m not humoring you."

Lin Shu’s laughter seemed to spill from her eyes. Seizing the moment, she asked, "Then, if our future children take my surname, would you have any objections?"

At this, Zhou Ye stumbled over a twig underfoot, staggering slightly.

When Lin Shu glanced over, his expression was calm, but a faint blush tinged his dark complexion.

Looking closer at his ears—

Sure enough, they were bright red, and the redness was spreading down his neck.

Lin Shu often thought that if A Ye had fair, jade-like skin, his embarrassment would make him look like a boiled shrimp—bright red all over—which would make teasing him even more amusing.

"A Shu, whatever works. You decide." Zhou Ye responded with steady composure.

But Lin Shu knew him all too well—to her ears, the emphasis wasn't on the question of whose surname our child would take, but on the very mention of the word "child."

Lin Shu had no intention of having a child at this point. She still felt like a child herself—how could a child have a child? She was, of course, just teasing him.

Seeing Zhou Ye's reaction, her eyes sparkled mischievously as she said, "But I don’t want to have a child right now. A Ye, I want to keep it just us two. How can we do that if we have a child?"

Zhou Ye paused briefly before replying, "Then we won’t have one for now."

Lin Shu pressed further, "I’m afraid of the pain. What if I never want to have a child?"

This time, Zhou Ye hesitated a little longer but still said, "No worries—we’re fine without kids."

Unable to hold back, Lin Shu moved closer and wrapped her arms around his waist. "A Ye, you’re so good to me. I can’t wait for our wedding—I want to marry you soon."

She wanted to cherish this man who indulged her unconditionally.

She understood A Ye well—he wasn’t the type to make promises lightly. If he had agreed to her questions without any hesitation, she might have thought he was just caught up in the moment. But his pauses showed he had genuinely considered her words.

In all her life, Lin Shu had cared for others before, but feeling this kind of tenderness for a strong, capable man was a first for her.

People say feeling sorry for a man leads to trouble, and the old Lin Shu would have firmly believed that. After all, women tend to be devoted, while men are often fickle—truly good men are rare, and many who start off well end up changing for the worse.

She didn’t know whether A Ye would change in the future, but at this moment, she felt that this restrained, tolerant man who indulged her endlessly deserved even more of her affection.

Zhou Ye wrapped his arms around her and whispered softly, "A Shu, it won’t be long now."

He, too, longed to marry A Shu as soon as possible—every moment of every day.

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