Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The prey in the basket struggled, making a sound that startled the person in the courtyard.

Zhong Yizhu looked up, still dazed, as if not fully back to his senses. "You're back?"

Pei Mu nodded, looking at what he was holding without saying a word. Zhong Yizhu glanced at the sky and suddenly realized it was already time for dinner.

Zhong Yizhu jumped to his feet in alarm—he had completely lost track of time and hadn't even prepared the meal.

Pei Mu had been busy all afternoon and came home to a cold stove, with no food prepared. Zhong Yizhu felt even more guilty as he hurriedly set down what he was holding to head to the kitchen. But Pei Mu had already set down the basket from his shoulder and walked over to the small table.

Zhong Yizhu looked up. Backlit, Pei Mu's eyes were as deep as ink.

"Did the Pei family come looking for trouble?"

Zhong Yizhu nodded, then, realizing it sounded like tattling, shook his head. "They didn't get anything out of it."

But Pei Mu seemed not to hear him. Fierce anger gathered in his eyes.

"If you're upset, I'll go beat them up. At worst, I'll pay some silver. What's the point of bottling it up?"

Zhong Yizhu's eyes widened as he quickly defended himself. "I'm not upset!"

Afraid that Pei Mu would actually go and start another fight, he knew that once or twice might be justified, but the Pei family had raised Pei Mu after all. The word "filial piety" loomed large. If Pei Mu kept causing trouble, it might lead to village punishment. What then?

Zhong Yizhu's words tumbled out faster in his urgency. "I nearly made Pei Shui cry. What do I have to be upset about? We just need to live our own lives well. Giving people like that any attention is a waste. At most, I'm just indignant on your behalf."

Pei Mu watched Zhong Yizhu's anxious expression, his own eyes tinged with confusion. He looked at the table full of mud-like pellets, reached down, and pinched one. "Then what are you doing?"

"Hey! Don't touch!" Zhong Yizhu's warning came too late. He watched helplessly as the incense pellets, still wet and not yet dried, were pressed two dents into by Pei Mu's careless fingers.

If it's ruined, it's ruined. But Zhong Yizhu knew Pei Mu hadn't meant it, so he wasn't angry. He explained patiently, "These are incense pellets. I got so absorbed in making them that I lost track of time. They're not dry yet, so you can't touch them, or they'll lose their shape."

After hearing Zhong Yizhu's explanation, Pei Mu looked at the "mud balls" he was holding and fell silent for a long moment. Finally, Zhong Yizhu tentatively held out his hand.

"Can I have them? I'll reshape them later. If you like, I can sew you a sachet. Once they dry, you can carry them with you."

Pei Mu looked at this pale, delicate palm, so different from his own and from those of other farming folk.

How could he have forgotten? The Zhong family made their fortune from spices. How could he have thought the young man was so angry he was playing with mud?

When it came down to it, it was just his own lack of worldliness.

"No need." Pei Mu placed the dented pellet into Zhong Yizhu's palm. His rough fingertips brushed against the smooth, soft skin—a brief collision of two worlds.

Worlds apart, ill-timed.

He didn't spare Zhong Yizhu another glance. "The trouble with the Pei family is because of me. Since they dare to cause you trouble, they'll have to bear the consequences. Don't worry about me. I don't care. All I want is for them to be miserable, so I can be content."

Before Zhong Yizhu could respond, Pei Mu turned and walked toward the kitchen.

"You keep going. I'll make dinner."

Zhong Yizhu held the incense pellet, still processing Pei Mu's words, when he heard him say he'd cook. He quickly followed. "Let me do it."

But Pei Mu had already taken out an earthenware basin, ready to scoop out flour. Without turning around, he said,

"I said I'm doing it. Go fix your incense pellets."

Zhong Yizhu returned to the small table, reshaped the damaged pellet, and finished the remaining ones. Smoke curled from the kitchen chimney, and the aroma of food drifted to him on the breeze.

Zhong Yizhu couldn't help but glance at the figure busy in the kitchen.

In all his years of upbringing and experience, no man in the village, let alone the town, spent time around the stove. Cooking and washing dishes were always women's or young men's work. That was simply the way things were.

But Pei Mu was unlike any man Zhong Yizhu had ever known.

When Zhong Yizhu finished, Pei Mu announced that dinner was ready. Zhong Yizhu cleared the table, and they ate in the yard.

Dinner was noodles with some small greens that Zhong Yizhu had washed earlier for stir-frying. The presentation was modest, but when Zhong Yizhu took a bite, the taste was surprisingly good.

As he ate, Zhong Yizhu glanced at Pei Mu across from him. Pei Mu's earlier words still lingered in his mind, furrowing his brows with worry.

Zhong Yizhu thought it over. He knew he was in no position to advise Pei Mu. Just hearing about that experience from others felt overwhelming. No one had the right to tell Pei Mu to let it go.

But if he couldn't let go, how could he live his own life properly?

The past years had been hard enough. Should he waste the days ahead, mired in that hatred forever?

Pei Mu ate his noodles in silence, feeling the occasional glance from the other side. After a few times, he could no longer pretend not to notice.

He raised his eyes to meet Zhong Yizhu's, his face expressionless. "What do you want to say?"

Zhong Yizhu had been stealing glances unconsciously. Caught off guard and put on the spot, he was flustered for a moment. He quickly swallowed, then finally managed to sputter,

"Did you make these noodles?"

Pei Mu's eyelid twitched. "Or did I conjure them from thin air?"

"Can you teach me?"

Zhong Yizhu awkwardly changed the subject. He knew he had little talent for cooking; even his flatbread turned out poorly. Noodles would likely be a disaster.

Flour cost more than rice, and Pei Mu, he thought, would never let him waste it that way.

He looked at Pei Mu without much confidence. Pei Mu met his gaze for a moment, then shook his head.

"When you want some, just tell me, and I'll make them for you," he said.

Zhong Yizhu hadn't expected such an answer. He paused, surprised, then softly said, "Oh."

After finishing the noodles, Zhong Yizhu washed the two bowls. It was quick, and when he came out of the kitchen, it was still not dark.

He had already finished making the incense pellets and placed them in a cool spot to dry. Now he went to check on them.

After being formed, incense pellets needed to be dried in the shade so that the scents could blend better and last longer. Some varieties even had to be stored in ceramic jars for a period to deepen the fragrance.

If cracks appeared during the drying process, the pellets were considered defective and had to be sorted out, either discarded or crushed and remade.

His incense rarely produced defects, but a change in climate could affect the process. The weather in Liushan Village differed from that in Rongyang Prefecture, so he needed to keep a close watch.

When Zhong Yizhu came out of the utility room, Pei Mu had just finished processing his game and walked over from the back courtyard. Pei Mu glanced into the open doorway of the utility room and suddenly asked,

"Are those incense pellets you're making going to be sold?"

Zhong Yizhu hesitated, his tone uncertain.

"I want to give it a try. I don't know if I can sell them."

Pei Mu frowned: "Did you just make them blindly?"

"Of course not!" Zhong Yizhu defended himself with unusual seriousness. "They're all based on fragrance formulas. I just adjusted the ingredients to my own taste. How could that be random?"

"Then why can't you sell them? Fragrances from the prefecture capital are hot commodities even in Songyun County, let alone Chui Liu Town."

At this, Zhong Yizhu's expression fell. "But I can't use the name of Zhong's Fragrance Shop..."

Pei Mu looked at him and said, after a long pause, "Even so, can't you sell them without the shop's name?"

Zhong Yizhu bit his lip, unsure how to express his fear and uncertainty.

Of course, he could sell fragrances without the shop's name, but everyone except his father said his fragrances weren't good. What if they were right?

Thinking of his father and the Zhong family, Zhong Yizhu's mood sank further. Maybe he shouldn't have made this batch of fragrance pills, so he wouldn't have to worry about failing to sell them and shaming his father.

Zhong Yizhu muttered "I'm tired" and turned to head back to his room, but Pei Mu grabbed his arm.

Pei Mu looked at the young man's stubborn and distressed expression, and for once reflected on his own behavior. Maybe he shouldn't speak so bluntly to a young man. He wasn't good at comforting people, so he could only awkwardly complete what he had to say.

"In a few days, I need to go to Songyun County. Songyun County is much more bustling and lively than Chui Liu Town. You can come with me and set up a stall together at the market."

"Nobody knows you in Songyun County. If you're afraid they won't sell, just say I made them. I'm a simple man anyway, I don't mind the embarrassment."

Zhong Yizhu's originally distressed expression became dazed. Although Pei Mu's expression and tone were cold and hard, what he meant was unmistakable.

He hadn't wanted to cry, but the surge of emotions was too much.

This time, even Pei Mu panicked a little. "Hey, don't cry."

Zhong Yizhu obediently sniffled and looked at him, tears threatening to fall from his eyes, making him look even more pitiful.

Pei Mu sighed. "...Go ahead and cry."

Of course, Pei Mu didn't have a handkerchief. Frowning, he pinched the sleeve of his inner robe and wiped his face.

Zhong Yizhu cried silently, like a stubborn fawn. He didn't cry for long—only a few breaths before stopping.

Pei Mu looked at the face he had wiped red, unable to put into words the feeling in his heart.

Zhong Yizhu's voice carried a hint of nasal congestion, tinged with a soft, affectionate tone.

"Thank you, Pei Mu."

"No need."

Pei Mu awkwardly looked away, clutching the tear-dampened sleeve in his palm.

...

The day after Tian Shi and Pei Shui showed up to make trouble, Pei Mu splashed a bucket of blood and animal innards onto the Pei family's front door, causing another uproar in the village.

Pei Mu did it in broad daylight without hiding from anyone, then just walked away.

Tian Shi's screams echoed through the village, but not a single man in the Pei family dared to come out and speak. Pei Shui pinched his nose and cleaned the door with Tian Shi. Unlike Tian Shi's hatred and curses toward Pei Mu, he inwardly grew more resentful of Zhong Yizhu.

Because of this incident, Pei Mu warned Zhong Yizhu to stay away from the village for a few days. Except for one visit to Chen Xiaorong, Zhong Yizhu stayed home without going out.

Pei Mu, however, continued to go hunting in the mountains as usual. Two days ago, he packed dried provisions and set off, saying he would go deeper this time and stay in the mountains for a few days. If he caught something good, he would take it to the county to sell.

Since they got married, this was the first time Pei Mu had gone into the mountains for so long. Even though Zhong Yizhu knew this was Pei Mu's usual routine, he couldn't help worrying.

He spent two days at home embroidering incense sachets, but still felt unsettled. So he put away his sewing and decided to go see if Chen Xiaorong was free.

He had gone to see Chen Xiaorong a few days earlier to ask about growing vegetables, but everyone in the village was busy sowing and transplanting rice seedlings at that time. The Wang family was no exception, so he had come back empty-handed.

Zhong Yizhu locked the door and walked toward the Wang family's place. Lost in thought, he didn't pay attention to his surroundings until someone called out to him, making him turn his head.

"Zhu Ge'er!" Liu Mingtao walked toward him with a big smile. Beside him was a girl slightly older than him, unfamiliar to Zhong Yizhu, and not dressed like a villager.

It had been about half a month since he last saw Tao Ge'er. Meeting him suddenly made Zhong Yizhu happy. He responded and walked over. Liu Mingtao strode quickly, pulling the girl along and soon reaching Zhong Yizhu.

The girl was clearly more delicate than Tao Ge'er, who was used to village work. After walking that short distance hurriedly, she was panting heavily, exclaiming, "Slow down! It's not like he's going to run away!"

Liu Mingtao ignored her and cheerfully took Zhong Yizhu by the hand. "Dad said you came to our house a few days ago looking for me. Unfortunately, I've been busy helping at home ever since I got back and haven't had time to come play with you."

Zhong Yizhu was caught by his smile and couldn't help smiling back. "Are you free now?"

"No, Mom and Dad told me to entertain a guest." Liu Mingtao pouted. "Here, this is my cousin, Feng Xin."

Zhong Yizhu followed his gaze to the girl beside him. Feng Xin finally caught her breath and rolled her eyes. "So you do remember I'm your cousin?"

Liu Mingtao made a face, clearly not on the best terms with his cousin, but it was a playful kind of discord, not real animosity.

He turned and hooked his arm around Zhong Yizhu's, introducing him, "This is Zhu Ge'er, my good friend in the village. He's the one you're looking for."

Zhong Yizhu was about to greet Feng Xin, but at this he looked at Liu Mingtao in confusion. Liu Mingtao wrinkled his nose. "Last time I went to town with mom to visit my uncle's house, she took a liking to my sachet and insisted on asking where I bought it. I said you gave it to her, and she finally dropped it. But she looked all over town and couldn't find the same one, so she came back to me."

Zhong Yizhu hadn't expected such a backstory. Surprised, he turned and met Feng Xin's curious gaze. He nodded first in greeting. "Miss Feng."

Feng Xin had almond-shaped eyes and a round face. She stared intently at Zhong Yizhu, then sighed, "You're the prettiest young man I've ever seen."

Before Zhong Yizhu could respond, Tao Ge'er boasted proudly, "Of course! I told you Zhu Ge'er is much better-looking than that Yu Ge'er of Squire Liu's family in town, who everyone praises to the skies! But you wouldn't believe me!"

"Hmph!" Feng Xin turned away and ignored him, then looked at Zhong Yizhu and finally got down to business. "Zhu Ge'er, do you have any more of the fragrance pills you gave Tao Ge'er? Could you spare some for me? I really like them. Or tell me where you bought them, and I'll go buy some myself."

Zhong Yizhu never imagined that before he even set up a stall to sell, someone would come asking. He pursed his lips to suppress his excitement and said calmly, "I didn't buy them. I made them myself."

"Ah?" Not just Feng Xin, but even Tao Ge'er was surprised. Both of them stared at Zhong Yizhu in astonishment.

Zhong Yizhu smiled. "I just made some new ones. Some have the same scent as Tao Ge'er's, and others are different. Do you want to take a look?"

"Yes!" Feng Xin immediately said yes. Only Tao Ge'er glanced nervously toward the house at the foot of the mountain and whispered, "Zhu Ge'er, Hunter Pei isn't home, is he?"

Zhong Yizhu shook his head, watching Liu Mingtao breathe a huge sigh of relief. He couldn't help but ask, "Is he really that scary?"

Liu Mingtao thought of the stains that wouldn't wash off on the Pei family's courtyard door and nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes."

Zhong Yizhu was speechless.

"What are you two whispering about? Hurry up!" Feng Xin was already walking ahead impatiently. Seeing them slow down, she urged them on.

"Coming, coming! Now you're in a hurry. So demanding!" Tao Ge'er grumbled, but still pulled Zhong Yizhu to catch up, giving in to her wishes.

Zhong Yizhu had been gone for only about fifteen minutes before returning. He asked them to sit down, then brought out the incense pills for Feng Xin to examine.

Feng Xin held them close and sniffed. It was indeed the same scent as Tao Ge'er's sachet. She had been worried that Zhong Yizhu might be tricking her—after all, he was just a young man, only about two years older than her. How could the fragrances he made be better than those in town? Now she was overjoyed.

She didn't waste time wondering whether the pills were really made by the young man. Having found what she wanted, she eagerly asked how much they cost. Zhong Yizhu glanced at Liu Mingtao and said, "Since you're Tao Ge'er's cousin, I usually sell them for twenty wen each. I'll take off five wen for you, making it fifteen wen. Sound good?"

"Wow! That good?"

Feng Xin looked at Zhong Yizhu in pleasant surprise. She had searched everywhere in town and knew the price of incense pills. The price Zhong Yizhu offered was slightly higher than those in town, but the smell was so much nicer, and he had even taken the initiative to deduct five wen, making it an even better deal than the shop prices in town!

"This time I really have to thank you for your connections." Feng Xin looked at Liu Mingtao. Liu Mingtao raised his chin proudly, then turned around and whispered to Zhong Yizhu, "Brother Zhu, don't sell at a loss. She's loaded."

"I won't lose money." Zhong Yizhu also whispered back, imitating his tone.

Zhong Yizhu had already calculated this earlier. The spices for this batch of incense pills were mostly common ones, with expensive incense used sparingly. The cost per pill was fairly low—about ten wen. Such pills sold for thirty to fifty wen in Rongyang Prefectural City, but in the county town, they wouldn't fetch that price. Moreover, if he set up a stall, the price would need to be lowered further. So he planned to start at twenty wen and adjust it after checking out the market at the fair.

When Zhong Yizhu left the Zhong family, the most valuable thing he brought was his box of precious spices. But though valuable, they couldn't be converted into cash.

Because most of the incense he had accumulated was brought by foreign merchants—exotic enough but with little market for selling them.

Besides that, the rest were common spices he used frequently in daily life. That was why Old Lady Zhong had agreed to let him take the box. If it had been a box of expensive incense that could be sold for money, he probably wouldn't have been able to take it out of the Zhong family's gate.

After finishing this batch of incense pills, the common spices in the box were completely used up. Zhong Yizhu had made them with a somewhat gambling mindset, feeling uncertain. Thanks to Pei Mu's support, he had gained courage to move forward, but he was still on edge.

Now Feng Xin's arrival finally gave him a boost of confidence. His incense pills were liked by others—worth someone coming all the way from town to buy them.

Feng Xin ended up picking three incense pills, saying she would buy one for her mother and one for her sister-in-law. She paid Zhong Yizhu forty-five copper coins.

After seeing off Feng Xin and Brother Tao, Zhong Yizhu sat at the table and counted the copper coins twice, his eyes smiling.

This was the first time he had made money himself—so this was what it felt like.

Zhong Yizhu put away the copper coins and, full of energy, set about sewing sachets to sell alongside the incense pills. But then he suddenly heard Chen Xiaorong's voice outside his door.

Zhong Yizhu responded and went to open the door. Earlier, he had clearly seen that no one was at the Wang family's place—had they finished their work?

Outside his house, Chen Xiaorong was a bit out of breath, his expression unable to hide his anxiety. He hadn't even washed the mud from the rice paddies off his legs. Seeing Zhong Yizhu come out, he quickly spoke.

"Brother Zhu, several carriages from the Zhong family have arrived and headed toward the old residence. Do you want to go take a look?"

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Author's note: Dear readers, tomorrow (Wednesday) the novel will be on the new-book thousand-character list, so the update will be a bit later, around 11 p.m. Thank you for your support! Mwah~