Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Pei Mu didn't come down the mountain until the day before Qixi Festival.

This trip into the mountains had been fruitful; he was eager to see his sweetheart, so he set off at dawn and hurried down the mountain, arriving back in the village as the sky was tinged with morning glow and the sun had yet to rise.

The main gate of the house was locked from the outside. Pei Mu knew his love wasn’t there. He went to the backyard to drop off his catch, washed his face, changed into clean clothes, then picked up a wild chicken and headed toward the Zhong family’s old residence.

Sun Yunniang had risen early and was cooking porridge in the kitchen when she suddenly saw Pei Mu enter. She quickly went out to greet him.

“You’re finally back,” she said. Zhu Ge’er had been distracted these past two days, and she naturally guessed it was because he was worried about Pei Mu. Seeing him return now put her at ease. “You haven’t had breakfast yet, right? The porridge is almost ready. I’ll get you a bowl.”

“No need, Mother,” Pei Mu said, handing her the wild chicken. “I want to see Zhu Ge’er first.”

Sun Yunniang didn’t take it. “Why do you always bring such heavy gifts? Treat this as your own home—you don’t need to do this. Take it back later and stew it with Zhu Ge’er.”

Pei Mu kept his hand extended. “You are Zhu Ge’er’s mother. There’s no need to stand on ceremony with me. It’s only right that I honor you.”

Sun Yunniang felt a lump in her throat. Seeing his eyes keep straying toward the house, she stopped arguing. She took the wild chicken and said with a smile, “Zhu Ge’er hasn’t woken up yet. Go find him yourself. When he’s up, call him out to eat breakfast together.”

With that, she ignored Pei Mu and went into the kitchen with the chicken.

Unexpectedly, Pei Mu followed her inside.

“I’ll wash my hands,” he said.

Sun Yunniang watched him carefully wash and dry his hands before heading into the house, a smile tugging at her lips. Her Zhu Ge’er, it seemed, was destined for good fortune later in life.

With such a considerate husband, as long as the couple worked together, life would be fine no matter what.

Pei Mu had only entered Zhong Yizhu’s bedroom once before, during the wedding procession. He pushed open the western room’s door, and his eyes instantly locked onto the figure he had been yearning for day and night.

He crept in, then stopped right at the bedside. In the morning light, Zhong Yizhu was sleeping soundly, clutching the sachet Pei Mu had left him.

On the cabinet by the bed sat an earthen jar, the flowers inside nearly wilted, yet the water remained clear and bright.

Pei Mu’s heart ached with tenderness. He reached out and gently stroked Zhong Yizhu’s cheek, then sat down on the edge of the bed, quietly waiting for him to wake.

Previously, because of that rainy night, Zhong Yizhu had developed a fear of sleeping in bed. But Pei Mu had forcibly imprinted himself in his mind—now, when he lay down again, what came to him first before the nightmares was the warmth of Pei Mu’s embrace and the look in his eyes as he called out his name, over and over.

Half-asleep, Zhong Yizhu felt as though someone was staring at him. His consciousness rolled through a soft, drowsy haze before he suddenly jolted awake in alarm.

He looked at the person before him, a bit dazed. Before joy could creep into his eyes, Pei Mu leaned in, pressed his nose to Zhong Yizhu’s, and nuzzled his warm, sleep-soft cheek.

His cold, hard expression softened, filled with sweet affection: “I’ve come for you.”

Zhong Yizhu smiled, looped his arms around Pei Mu’s neck, and murmured sleepily: “You’re finally back.”

Pei Mu lifted him up, still holding him close. Zhong Yizhu was slender, and it took almost no effort. He set him on his lap and inhaled his scent, feeling as if all the past days’ exhaustion vanished in an instant.

Zhong Yizhu touched his cheek, knowing he must not have rested well these days. He whispered, “Sleep here a bit. We’ll head back when you wake.”

“Okay.” Pei Mu turned and kissed his fingers. “Your mother made you porridge. Go eat. I’m not hungry—I’ll rest a little first.”

Zhong Yizhu said okay and stood, but Pei Mu grabbed the hem of his undershirt.

Zhong Yizhu turned back. Pei Mu met his eyes and asked, “Can I have this?”

When Zhong Yizhu came out of the bedroom, Sun Yunniang had already poured the porridge and set it aside to cool. Seeing him alone, she asked, “Where’s Pei Mu?”

Zhong Yizhu kept his head down while washing, hiding his red ears from his mom. “He’s tired and wants to sleep a while. He won’t eat breakfast now.”

Sun Yunniang nodded, understanding. “We’ll kill that chicken he brought later. You two can eat lunch before heading back.”

Zhong Yizhu mumbled in agreement. With Pei Mu asleep in his bed, holding his undershirt, all the nightmares faded away. His mind was full of Pei Mu, and only Pei Mu.

…

The next day was Qixi. After breakfast, the couple took the sachets Sun Yunniang had sewn and walked back to the mountain foot.

Pei Mu readied the game he’d sell in the county town, while Zhong Yizhu gave everything a final check.

At dawn the following day, the two set off from the village and walked to Songyun County.

Hiring a cart once was fine, but if they hired Old Zhang’s oxcart every time they went to Songyun County, it would draw too much attention. Zhong Yizhu didn’t want the villagers to know about his business—not only to guard against the Pei family, but also against any gossipmongers.

After all, the neighboring Riverside Village had relatives of the third branch’s wife. If they found out, it would be as good as the Zhong family in the prefectural capital knowing. The longer he could keep his incense-making business under wraps, the better.

Pei Mu went along with whatever Zhong Yizhu said. The early autumn morning was even colder than the time they had taken the oxcart. He warmed Zhong Yizhu’s hands and led him from the pale light of dawn until the sun rose, only letting go when the roads became busy with pedestrians and carriages.

As soon as they entered the city, they noticed that Songyun County was even livelier than last time. Early in the morning, some stalls were already set up along the roadside. Carriages clattered toward the city gates—young masters and ladies from wealthy families heading out of town for pleasure outings.

The two discussed briefly and decided to head straight to the West Market. After setting up their stall, Pei Mu would go sell his catch.

When they rushed to the West Market, they saw almost every spot already occupied. Some stalls had their goods laid out, others were still being organized.

Last time, Boss Gong at the jewelry stall next door had promised to save them a spot. So they ignored everything and headed straight to their old spot.

They barely knew Boss Gong, so Zhong Yizhu wasn’t counting on it. But as they got close, he saw Boss Gong arguing with a few men.

Gong Laosi came early and rented the tiny stall beside his own. His own stall was paid by the month, so he didn’t need to scramble. But since he had promised the young incense seller and also hoped to benefit from the foot traffic of his stall, he naturally had to show sincerity.

He’d secured the spot early, paid the clerk, and gotten the permit. He wasn’t worried about Zhong Yizhu not showing up—Qixi Festival was a day for making money; anyone who didn’t come would be a fool.

He was sitting at his stall, waiting for the young couple from the village, when a few random men showed up with a clerk, claiming he’d rented the stall but wasn’t using it, which broke the rules, so it should be given to someone else.

Gong Laosi stood up, confused. “Since when is that a rule? You think this market belongs to you?”

The man opposite ignored him and bowed unctuously to the clerk: “Sir, as you see, there aren’t enough stalls today. Shouldn’t we bend the rules and stop people from squatting on them? We small vendors came from a long way and couldn’t make it here early. Please make an exception.”

The clerk first checked Gong Laosi’s permit, verified it, then asked, “What are you holding this spot for?”

Gong Laosi could see these guys were after this spot. So he just called Zhong Yizhu his relative.

“My brother-in-law is coming to set up a stall today. He asked me to rent a spot. Sir, my brother also lives far away and has to leave before dawn to get here—he’s even more of a long-distance traveler than these guys.”

The other man retorted, “His distance is his own problem. First come, first served.”

Gong Laosi was so angry he almost laughed. “First come, first served? I was first, you were late.”

The man was about to argue further when Zhong Yizhu’s voice cut in: “Excuse us, everyone.”

The moment he said that, the man bothering Gong Laosi got shoved aside. Pei Mu casually pushed him out of the way, creating a gap in the crowd, and stepped up to the stall, setting his stuff down.

Zhong Yizhu bowed to the clerk. “Sir, allow me to explain. I asked Brother Gong to rent this for me. We just got here from home—we didn’t intend to leave it empty.”

He lifted the cloth off his basket. “Here’s what we’re selling. We also set up here on the twenty-eighth of last month.”

The troublemakers weren’t about to back down and tried to argue, but the clerk nodded. “I remember you. It’s a misunderstanding. Drop it.”

He turned to look at the few men: "There are still empty spots near the back. If you're genuinely looking to do business, you'd better grab one quickly and stop eyeing other people's stalls."

The men wilted, their spirits dampened, and didn't dare say anything more. The one who had stepped forward earlier hurriedly nodded: "Yes, yes, we'll go pick one now. Sorry for the trouble, officer."

The men followed the clerk away, and the space in front of the stall finally cleared. Zhong Yizhu bowed to Gong Laosi: "This time, it's all thanks to Boss Gong. I'm truly sorry for all the trouble—both for saving the spot and for having to deal with those people's pestering."

Gong Laosi waved his hand: "It's nothing. Since I promised you, Gong Laosi naturally had to handle it properly. No need to be so polite."

He looked at the couple and smiled again: "Good thing you two are so striking in appearance. After nine days, the clerk could still recognize you immediately. Otherwise, we might have had to argue a lot more over this."

After this incident, the two parties had drawn much closer.

Zhong Yizhu waited for Pei Mu to borrow a table and bring it over, then told him to go sell his game first and come back later. Pei Mu nodded and clasped his hands to Gong Laosi: "Sorry for the trouble, Boss Gong. Please look after my husband while I'm gone. I'll be back shortly."

Gong Laosi agreed with a smile, thinking to himself that this couple was worth getting to know. The young man had remarkable insight and eloquence; though he was still a bit green in the ways of business, it wasn't hard to see that he'd become a natural at business in the future.

And his husband was interesting too—looked fierce and unapproachable, but was extremely considerate and attentive to his spouse. Not only did he willingly let his husband do business in public, but he also stayed close by to watch over him. Judging by the heavy bamboo basket of game, he must be quite the skilled hunter.

He marveled to himself, then turned to see Zhong Yizhu had just set out the incense pellets when customers began arriving at the stall. They seemed to be repeat buyers from last time, waiting specifically for him to set up shop.

These past few days, people had been coming to ask him when the incense pellet stall would open again, and he patiently answered each one. Now, the results were clearly showing.

Gong Laosi watched Zhong Yizhu's large bamboo basket full of goods and shook his head in admiration. Having such a thriving stall right next to his, his own business today couldn't possibly be bad.

And indeed, it turned out just as he had thought. Zhong Yizhu's stall had hardly any idle time from the moment it opened.

The early customers were mostly those who had bought his incense pellets before, now bringing others along. Later, many new customers came as well.

The sachets he brought this time were delicately embroidered and eye-catching on display. Combined with the clever design of the oilpaper bags he used to package the incense pellets, they were especially popular with young women and young men.

Because it was a festival, he had put extra care into the packaging and added new scents. Zhong Yizhu raised the price of the incense pellets to twenty-five wen each, and they were still extremely popular.

While busying himself, Zhong Yizhu didn't forget to recommend customers to Gong Laosi's jewelry stall. For a while, both stalls were bustling with people, creating a lively atmosphere.

But in a corner they hadn't noticed, someone's eyes were blazing with envy as they stared at the incense pellet stall, wishing they could overturn it, yet also wishing it were theirs.

Pei Mu shot a keen glance in that direction, but all he saw was the bustling market street. Soon, his view was blocked by the crowd of customers surrounding them. Pei Mu withdrew his gaze and furrowed his brow slightly.