Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Chen Xiaorong, being a married man himself, snapped back to reality when he saw Zhong Yizhu's reddened lips and tear-swollen eyes. He coughed and averted his gaze, refraining from pressing further, only blaming himself for being slow on the uptake.

The village aunties and uncles always liked to tease newlyweds, not stopping until their faces were bright red. Chen Xiaorong had been burned by that before, so he tactfully reminded, "Zhu Ge'er, are you going out today?"

Seeing that Chen Xiaorong had changed the subject, Zhong Yizhu breathed a sigh of relief and quickly answered, "No, I'm not. Why do you ask?"

Chen Xiaorong smiled. "Nothing much. Most households in the village have just finished transplanting rice seedlings and are now free, so it's quite lively. If you don't like it, you can steer clear of the crowds."

The lively gossip in the village was probably still about his family's affairs. Even if most people were cursing the third branch and sympathizing with them, Zhong Yizhu didn't want to go out and become the center of attention.

"I understand, Xiao Rong Ge."

Chen Xiaorong had come specifically to bring Zhong Yizhu vegetable seeds. The backyard of Pei Mu's house was large enough for growing vegetables. Pei Mu had once cultivated a vegetable patch, but since he was often up in the mountains alone, he didn't eat much. The tenderest batch would barely be touched, and then he'd have to eat tough outer leaves, and eventually the vegetables would rot in the ground.

Wang Ping'an and Chen Xiaorong had seen this and told him not to bother planting vegetables—he could just pick whatever he needed from their garden.

Chen Xiaorong knew that Zhong Yizhu had never done farm work. He originally wanted to say that the two of them wouldn't eat much, so they could still pick from his garden. But then he thought, isn't a family built step by step?

Even if they couldn't grow well, they could still pick from his garden. If Zhong Yizhu wanted to plant, let him plant.

"Now is a good time for planting Chinese cabbage and head cabbage. I also brought you some scallions and garlic. You don't need to grow them to sell—just enough for yourselves. Don't plant too much. I also brought some radish seeds. Plant more if you like them, less if not."

Zhong Yizhu listened carefully to Chen Xiaorong's advice, took the seeds, thanked him, and invited him in to sit.

Chen Xiaorong had finished his chores at home and wasn't in a rush. He followed Zhong Yizhu inside, saw that the courtyard and main room were empty, and asked, "Pei Xiongdi went up the mountain?"

Zhong Yizhu hummed in acknowledgment. "He left not long ago."

Before that, Pei Mu had grabbed Zhong Yizhu to kiss him when he was about to answer the door. After just a few kisses, a flustered Zhong Yizhu stomped on his foot. Pei Mu acted as if he'd been rewarded, full of energy as he gathered his things and headed into the mountain through the back door.

Zhong Yizhu decided not to think about it, or his face would start burning again. He fetched some candied fruits and melon seeds that his mother had bought for him last time and hadn't finished. He also added honey-sweetened water to a bowl, using wild honey Pei Mu had brought down from the mountain.

Chen Xiaorong smiled. "No need to be so polite. We're not outsiders. You know what happened between our family and Brother Pei. We think of him as a younger brother. You don't have to go to all this trouble, or I'll feel embarrassed to come next time."

But Zhong Yizhu was earnest. "I haven't even thanked Xiao Rong Ge for coming to warn me that day. Why are you being polite with me first? A few snacks are nothing. If only my cooking weren't so poor, I would have made a full meal to properly welcome you."

Chen Xiaorong felt both moved and a bit amused. Thinking of the mess the third branch of the Zhong family had made, he sighed inwardly. These two young husbands—really two bitter gourds thrown together.

He hoped they wouldn't face more hardships.

Thinking of the gossip he'd heard over the past two days, Chen Xiaorong decided he should warn them.

"I heard that the Pei family has been causing trouble again these past couple of days."

Zhong Yizhu looked at him. Chen Xiaorong lowered his voice. "After Pei Jin broke his leg last year, he recuperated for a long time. His original engagement was called off. This year, Tian Shi spent half a year looking for a match but didn't find anyone suitable."

"A few days ago, Pei Jin went out to work with Carpenter Pei and took a fancy to a girl from Caishi Village. Tian Shi sent someone to propose, but the girl was pretty and well-raised, with a bride price alone of ten taels of silver. Carpenter Pei disagreed, but Pei Jin insisted on marrying her, and Tian Shi also pleaded on Pei Jin's behalf. They've argued several times over the past couple of days."

Chen Xiaorong took a sip of honey water to wet his whistle and continued.

"As you know, Carpenter Pei and Tian Shi once tried to extort Pei Xiongdi's hard-earned military wages. Pei Xiongdi couldn't hit his parents, so he vented on Pei Jin. Pei Jin keeps playing that card—claiming he took the beating and suffered for Carpenter Pei and Tian Shi, so they have to settle this marriage for him."

Chen Xiaorong frowned, clearly annoyed with the family. "I'm worried that this might drag Pei Xiongdi back into it. I figured I should warn you, so you can be ready."

"Mm." Zhong Yizhu nodded. "Don't worry, Xiao Rong Ge. I understand."

Seeing how frail he looked, Chen Xiaorong couldn't help but advise, "You're home alone during the day. If they come knocking, just don't open the door. If they hurt you, it wouldn't be worth it. We'll see and come get help, okay?"

Zhong Yizhu appreciated the concern and nodded obediently, though he felt they probably wouldn't dare come again.

Last night, Zhong Yizhu had heard Pei Mu talk about the past. He had thought Pei Song was deeply devoted to Tian Shi, willing to marry her despite two lives lost in between. But now it seemed that wasn't entirely true.

Not only had Pei Song refused to pay five taels of silver for Pei Mu's military exemption back then—they hated Pei Mu and wished him dead anyway—but now, when his precious son Pei Jin, born to Tian Shi, wanted to marry, even that was too much silver for him.

This family had no one decent. The mutual torment was only going to get worse.

Zhong Yizhu recalled his earlier question. Since Chen Xiaorong was here and the topic had come up, he asked, "Xiao Rong Ge, since Pei Mu had already fallen out with his family when he returned to the village, why didn't Pei Song and Tian Shi separate him from the household?"

In the Great Yan, a man could set up his own household at fifteen. But in the village, many families with living parents didn't separate, and large clans rarely divided property while the elders were alive. Yet Pei Song hated Pei Mu to such an extent that they didn't even live together, yet he still refused to separate him. That seemed unreasonable.

Chen Xiaorong sighed. "That's because the imperial court, showing sympathy for the hardships of the war, exempted households of participating soldiers from poll tax for three years."

"The Pei family failed to extort Pei Xiongdi's military pay, so they couldn't bear to lose this exemption. As the father, Carpenter Pei refused to allow the separation, and Pei Xiongdi couldn't divide the household on his own. They intend to leech off Pei Xiongdi for these three years."

"But don't worry, Zhu Ge'er. Whether or not they separate, Pei Xiongdi won't suffer. It won't affect you both."

Zhong Yizhu nodded. So that was the reason.

But the Pei family's relative peace was only maintained because of Pei Mu's martial strength and the fact that they hadn't become wealthy. If they really succeeded in business, the Pei family would surely see money and become greedy. Without separation, the family ties would become a weapon against them. He thought of his father, of the Zhong family—they absolutely couldn't walk that old path again.

They had to find a way to split the household as soon as possible.

Chen Xiaorong didn't stay long. After finishing his honey water, he stood up to leave. Zhong Yizhu had many things to do today, so he didn't press him to stay, just told him to come visit anytime.

After Chen Xiaorong left, Zhong Yizhu didn't rush to plant the vegetables. He had something more important to do today.

He brought out all the spices he had bought yesterday. Business had been good, and with the incident where Tao Ge'er's cousin had specifically come to buy incense pellets from him, Zhong Yizhu felt more confident. He planned to go all out during the Qiqiao Festival.

The Qiqiao Festival occurred only once a year, the only day when unmarried young men could freely mingle with unmarried young women and xiaoge'er. Although the Great Yan's customs were more open than the previous dynasty, many strict families still restricted their daughters and xiaoge'er from going out, except on Qiqiao.

Thus, the Qiqiao Festival arguably saw the highest number of women and xiaoge'er out and about. Zhong Yizhu's incense pellets were very popular among women and xiaoge'er, so if he set up a stall that day, business should be good.

The spices he had bought yesterday could produce four times the amount of his last batch of incense pellets. He hadn't originally planned to make them all.

If they didn't sell, the pellets would lose their fragrance over time, which was a loss. He had intended to be conservative and only make half.

Even though he thought he could sell the full batch, his past experiences made him doubt his own judgment. But that was before.

Now he had more confidence.

If he didn't seize the opportunities, it would be the same as wasting them.

From the si hour to the you hour, Zhong Yizhu worked all day until he had finished all the pellets.

This time, he made several new scents, including ones suitable for men, as he had promised a customer before. But he only made a few—three scents, sixty pellets in total—while the rest were all for women and xiaoge'er.

After all, it was Qiqiao Festival, and he knew for sure that the pellets for women and xiaoge'er would sell well, so he naturally focused on his strengths.

When Pei Mu returned home, the smoke from the kitchen stove was already rising. Due to the angle, the first thing he saw was the utility room filled with drying pellets.

He set down his things and walked to the kitchen door. Zhong Yizhu, focused on stir-frying, looked up at him and smiled. "Perfect timing. Dinner will be ready soon."

Having learned from last time, Zhong Yizhu had kept an eye on the time to avoid forgetting to cook again. Luckily, he timed it perfectly.

Pei Mu had been thinking all day in the mountains, and his heart had been racing even before he saw him. Now, seeing that Zhong Yizhu wasn't angry about his boldness that morning, his mood brightened instantly.

He walked over, took the spatula, and with one arm, lifted Zhong Yizhu out of the way. "Let me. Aren't you tired from rolling pellets all day?"

Zhong Yizhu stood beside him, staying where he was, and nodded. “A little, but you’re tired from hunting too.”

So he didn’t want Pei Mu to come home after a long day to a cold stove and no food.

Pei Mu had long noticed that Zhong Yizhu would often blurt out words that struck a chord. He wasn’t deliberately trying to please or play nice—he was always sincere—and that made his words even more tender.

Pei Mu took Zhong Yizhu’s hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. “From now on, if you’re tired, wait for me to come back and cook. I’m strong, I don’t tire easily.”

Zhong Yizhu made a face. “Are you saying my cooking is bad?”

Pei Mu brought his hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to it, reminding him, “You’ve already used that trick.”

Zhong Yizhu played dead and said nothing.

Pei Mu finished cooking and carried the dishes to the table. Zhong Yizhu also brought over the bowls of mixed grain rice. Pei Mu refused to sit across from him and insisted on eating right next to him. He was hot-tempered and radiated heat, and because his movements were still clumsy, their arms kept bumping into each other. The meal left Zhong Yizhu drenched in sweat, making the half-cooked rice even harder to swallow.

It was almost autumn, and the days were gradually getting shorter. After they finished eating and washing the dishes, the sky had darkened. Zhong Yizhu crouched by the stove, added another piece of firewood, and heated some water for a bath. Pei Mu, meanwhile, took his clothes to the yard and simply doused himself with cold water.

Water splashed noisily in the yard. The firelight flickered on Zhong Yizhu’s face, giving his face a reddish glow.

Before, they hadn’t consummated the marriage because Pei Mu had wanted to let him go. So what about tonight?

Zhong Yizhu couldn’t quite name his feelings. Of course, he wasn’t averse to Pei Mu, but the shadow cast by Lai Laoer was too deep, and the groomsman had described it in terrifying terms. Fear and anxiety still held the upper hand.

By the time Zhong Yizhu finished his bath and returned to the room, he saw Pei Mu lying on the bed in a thin shirt, and his steps slowed.

Hearing the door, Pei Mu turned his gaze toward him, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” The bedroom was small, so Zhong Yizhu had nowhere to stall and quickly reached the bedside. He had already dried his hair halfway by the stove, so there was no need to towel it off now.

He tried to climb over Pei Mu into his side of the bed as usual, but was intercepted halfway and fell into Pei Mu’s arms.

Pei Mu had only intended to hold Zhong Yizhu for a while. He’d been thinking about him all day, aching to be near him.

But the moment the soft, warm body fell into his arms, his breath hitched. The faint scent that drifted into his nose seemed to bear Zhong Yizhu’s name, and instantly he felt a restlessness stirring inside him.

Pei Mu turned them over, placing Zhong Yizhu on the bed, and shifted so that they weren’t pressed so close.

The candle was still burning, and the tips of Pei Mu’s ears were unmistakably red.

Zhong Yizhu had even held his breath, but Pei Mu made no further move after a long pause.

Confused, Zhong Yizhu stole a glance at Pei Mu.

Pei Mu covered his eyes, his voice low and strained. “Go to sleep.”

Zhong Yizhu was completely bewildered, unsure whether he should let out a sigh of relief or hold his breath.

Pei Mu frowned, uncomfortable with the physical tightness. He didn’t know what to do, didn’t want to admit he didn't know, and even less did he want to hurt the one he loved.

He recalled the night before their wedding, when Wang Pingan had come excitedly with a booklet and a box, only to be thrown out by Pei Mu the moment he brought up the subject of the wedding night.

Pei Mu closed his eyes, for the first time feeling that he was a complete idiot.