Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Xiao Zhuang was a guy who couldn't make up his own mind, and he had no idea what the right move was. To keep from going down the wrong path, he decided to get a few more people to help him figure it out.

As soon as he got home, the first people he went to were Grandpa Village Chief and Xiao Ruan.

Grandpa Village Chief looked at him and said, "I haven't dealt with him much myself, but seeing as he was willing to give you some meat, he probably thinks pretty highly of you. How about this—go ask the Benefactor about it later. Maybe he can give you some ideas."

Xiao Ruan also said, "Yeah, for something this big, you'd better ask the Benefactor. Even if he can't come up with a plan for you, once he knows about this, you won't have to be scared of that guy messing with you later."

Xiao Zhuang nodded at that and decided to head over to the farm.

He went to the farm in the hottest part of the afternoon.

He couldn't get in, so he just stood at the entrance and yelled inside.

"Uncle Benefactor! Uncle!"

Xiao Zhuang thought the farm was weird—he could see it right in front of him, but he couldn't move a single step closer.

And Uncle was weird too, always popping up out of nowhere. Last time he came back from outside, he just suddenly showed up next to everyone.

The villagers all seemed used to it by now—even when he popped up out of nowhere, nobody was all that surprised.

While he was thinking all this, Xiao Zhuang kept yelling, "Uncle Benefactor! Uncle Xie!"

Xie Licheng and Gu Zhangyuan were napping in the bedroom. The Joy Courtyard was a good ways from the farm's entrance, so of course they didn't hear him yelling outside.

Xiao Zhuang hollered outside for a long time, and it was Xuan Cui, who'd come out to hang laundry, who finally heard him.

Xuan Cui set the clothes down and wiped her hands as she walked toward the entrance.

When she saw Xiao Zhuang, she asked, curious, "Are you here for Master Xie?"

Xiao Zhuang looked at her and said, "Yeah, where's Uncle?"

Xuan Cui: "Master Xie is taking a nap. If you have something to say, you can tell me, and I'll pass it along to him when he wakes up."

Xiao Zhuang blinked and told her how Chen Yaosan wanted to take him in as his son.

Xuan Cui nodded after listening and said, "Alright, got it. You head on back. Once the master wakes up, I'll let him know."

Xiao Zhuang thanked her and trotted away on his little legs.

Watching the kid walk off, Xuan Cui turned and headed back into the farm.

She still had a ton to do—wash the master's clothes, check on the orchard.

Honestly, the farm was so big that with just her alone, it was a bit much to handle.

Xie Licheng hadn't slept well while he was out these past few days, so once he got back to the farm, he couldn't help but sleep in a bit.

He slept all the way until evening and woke up starving.

He sat up in bed and saw that Gu Zhangyuan was still out cold—that guy could really sleep.

It wasn't that Gu Zhangyuan was that big of a sleeper—it was more that the weather in town was hot, totally different from how it felt at the farm.

The temperature at the farm felt lower, and even without ice basins in the room, the bedroom wasn't hot at all.

Plus, with just him, Xie Licheng, and Xuan Cui here, the farm was safer than other places, so he could relax more easily.

Now that Xie Licheng was back, he didn't have to worry about him anymore, which was why he slept so soundly.

Gu Zhangyuan woke up to Xie Licheng's kisses, and when he came to, he was all clingy.

He wrapped his arms around Xie Licheng, grumbling and whining a little, before asking softly, "Are you heading out again tonight?"

"No, and not tomorrow either. I'm planning to fix up the farm and let a few more people in."

Gu Zhangyuan perked up at that. "Who are you gonna let in?"

Seeing his eyes light up, Xie Licheng smiled and said, "I'll let Yuan Qiao in first, so he'll quit griping about me."

Even though Xie Licheng had never actually heard Yuan Qiao complain about him, he knew the guy had definitely badmouthed him behind his back more than once.

Since Yuan Qiao, Xuan Cui, and Gu Zhangyuan had all grown up together, and since the farm needed more hands, he figured he might as well let Yuan Qiao in too. That way, with more people around, there'd be more folks to look after Gu Zhangyuan.

Gu Zhangyuan was thrilled and happily kissed Xie Licheng on the lips.

He said, "Thanks, husband. I'll definitely keep them in line and make sure they don't mess with your stuff."

"It's fine. I'll build a few cellars soon and stash the dangerous stuff down there, so you don't have to be so careful."

"What dangerous stuff?"

Xie Licheng picked him up and carried him over to see the so-called dangerous items.

"These—these are all weapons. If they accidentally fall into the wrong hands, they'd be a huge threat to us."

What Xie Licheng meant was that they'd be a huge threat to "us"—and that "us" included Xie Licheng himself.

Gu Zhangyuan rarely saw Xie Licheng look so serious, and he immediately understood how terrifying these weapons were.

Gu Zhangyuan: "Then you should build the cellar quickly. Once it's built, hide them all away."

At that point, Gu Zhangyuan asked in confusion, "Why is it safer to hide them in a cellar? Should we have some people guard the cellar?"

Xie Licheng picked up a gun and said to him, "No need. The kind of cellar I'm going to build can only be opened by me."

"That impressive?"

A cellar that could recognize its owner?

"Yes, I'll build one to show you in a bit."

Xie Licheng acted on his words immediately. While Gu Zhangyuan and Xuan Cui were making dinner, he built a cellar first.

The cellar was about the size of a classroom, big enough to store a large amount of firearms and ammunition.

Xie Licheng then went to Feng Garden and moved the firearms and ammunition there into the cellar.

In the middle of this, Gu Zhangyuan came by to check once. He found that unless Xie Licheng opened the cellar, there was no way for him to open it. If he couldn't open it, no one else could either.

With that thought, Gu Zhangyuan felt relieved. As long as Xie Licheng put the dangerous things in the cellar, he wouldn't have to worry about them anymore—that was a good thing for him too.

After dinner, Xie Licheng went to the foot of the mountain to cut down trees and quarry stones, and he built three more cellars in the farm.

The second cellar stored gasoline, diesel, gunpowder, and other dangerous items.

The third cellar was for storing cold weapons, and the fourth was for medicine.

Medicine also counted as a dangerous item, since some of the medicines could kill you if you took them wrong.

Xie Licheng worried that with so much medicine hoarded, he might lose track of exactly how much there was. If the farmstead got more crowded later on, someone might secretly stash away medicine from Fengyuan.

Xie Licheng didn't care if they stole it to sell; his main worry was that they'd steal it to slip someone a dose.

By the time he'd moved everything down into the cellars, it was nearly midnight.

Xie Licheng washed up outside and came back to the bedroom with his hair still wet and loose.

By then, Gu Zhangyuan was already in bed. Xie Licheng dried his hair completely before carefully getting into bed.

Then Gu Zhangyuan, who was supposed to be asleep, opened his eyes.

Gu Zhangyuan told Xie Licheng, "Xiao Zhuang came by looking for you today."

Xie Licheng turned to look at him when he heard that, then reached out and pulled him into his arms.

Xie Licheng asked, "What did he want?"

Gu Zhangyuan buried his face against Xie Licheng's chest. "Xuan Cui said Chen Yaosan wants to adopt Xiao Zhuang as his son. Xiao Zhuang doesn't know whether he should agree, so he wanted to come ask your opinion."

Xie Licheng let out a light chuckle. "Chen Yaosan wants to adopt him as a son? So he's not planning on finding a wife anymore?"

The farmstead houses stayed nice and cool in the summer, and Gu Zhangyuan had gotten a bit chilly lying on the bamboo mat. As he talked, he slipped his hand into Xie Licheng's clothes and said with an easy smile, "Who knows? There are plenty of young men and women in the village. If he put in a little effort, he could probably find himself a wife."

Now that he suddenly wanted to adopt a son, it looked like he had no intention of getting married.

"I'm not getting involved in this. With this many people in town and the village now, there's no way I can manage everyone's business. And when it comes to adopting a dad, he'll regret it whether he says yes or not. And once Xiao Zhuang starts regretting it, he'll inevitably end up blaming me. That kind of thankless job—I'd be a fool to do it."

"Then... how should I tell Xuan Cui to reply to him?"

"Just tell her to let him know a grown man makes his own decisions."

Gu Zhangyuan couldn't help laughing at that. "A grown man? He's still just a kid."

Xie Licheng smiled too. Seeing that Gu Zhangyuan was in a good mood and wide awake, he leaned close to his ear and asked, "Want me to hold you?"

Gu Zhangyuan's face instantly flushed at his words.

Xie Licheng's "holding him" didn't mean going all the way. It was like last time—they didn't have to go all the way, but they could still mess around.

Before getting with Xie Licheng, Gu Zhangyuan had no experience with this kind of thing. He'd always thought it would be terrifying, but after one time with Xie Licheng, he found out that even a gē'er could enjoy it.

Xie Licheng had told him before that whether a gē'er suffered or enjoyed it mostly depended on whether his man was willing to look after him.

If a man only cared about his own fun and completely ignored the gē'er's feelings, then of course the gē'er would suffer and end up scared of being intimate with men. But if the man was willing to take care of the gē'er, the experience would be night and day.

Xie Licheng was clearly a man who doted on his husband. Gu Zhangyuan had enjoyed it last time, so naturally he wasn't against being intimate with him.

Still, Gu Zhangyuan had a worry. He said, "Xuan Cui lives in the same house as us. Will she hear anything from that room at the far end?"

"She won't hear a thing. Her room has a door, and it's far enough away."

Hearing that, Gu Zhangyuan blushed and nodded.

When Xie Licheng rolled over and pinned him down, Gu Zhangyuan quickly whispered to him, "By the way, since you build houses so fast here, you should build another one sometime."

Xie Licheng undid all his clothes and leaned in to kiss Gu Zhangyuan's shoulder.

"You want me to build them their own house?"

"Yeah, that way... at night when we're resting, I won't have to worry so much."

Even though they were Gu Zhangyuan's servants, he was still thin-skinned and didn't want them to see too much.

"Got it. Tomorrow I'll build another place and have them all move over there."

As he said that, Xie Licheng found a red silk ribbon and tied Gu Zhangyuan's long hair up. Gu Zhangyuan's hair was gorgeous, but it was a pain during intimate moments.

Early the next morning, Xie Licheng headed up the mountain. He needed to gather materials for the house and also hunt some game while he was at it.

He came back around noon carrying two rabbits and a wild ginseng he'd found up there.

He cleaned the rabbits and had Xuan Cui stew both of them for lunch.

He washed the rabbit pelts and hung them outside to dry, saving them to make something for Gu Zhangyuan in the winter.

Back when he was alone, he could live however he wanted.

He used to just hang his laundry under the eaves to dry.

Now that the farmstead had more people, he built a row of lamp posts in the open space by the entrance.

This pocket world was a game set in ancient times, so the lamp posts Xie Licheng built were ancient-style too.

At the top of the ancient-style lamp posts, there was a hook for hanging lanterns from.

At night, you could hang up a few lanterns for light.

Xie Licheng had solar lights, so he hung those on the lamp posts instead.

These lights weren't rainproof—if it rained, you'd have to take them down by hand.

Actually, there were other versions of lamp posts you could build on the farmstead. One type required finding a night pearl in the pocket world. Lamp posts built with night pearls didn't need lanterns and could withstand wind and rain.

Unfortunately, Xie Licheng had never seen a night pearl in this world, so for now he couldn't build that kind.

After hanging up the lights, Xie Licheng told Gu Zhangyuan and Xuan Cui about them. He told them to keep an eye on the lights outside and make sure to take them down if it rained.

After setting up the lights, Xie Licheng also strung a few clotheslines between the lamp posts. Then he went to Fengyuan and grabbed two iron folding drying racks.

That afternoon, Xie Licheng skipped his nap and built a new house next to Xiyuan.

He could move the farmstead houses around, so while Gu Zhangyuan and Xuan Cui were resting, he rearranged them.

Originally, Fengyuan was next to Xiyuan. After a little rearranging, the new house was beside Xiyuan, Fengyuan was next to the new house, and Xilou was at the far end.

The four residences were arranged neatly, with just small gaps between them. Xie Licheng planned to plant some pretty flowers and plants in those gaps.

With that in mind, Xie Licheng grabbed some money and went to the village shop to buy stuff.

The village shop sold very little—only fields in Taohua Village, a few common grain seeds, and some flowers and trees.

The fields sold at the Taohua Village shop could only be used inside Taohua Village. If anyone wanted to buy fields near Taohua Town later, Xie Licheng would have to buy them through the Taohua Town shop.

Xie Licheng bought three crabapple trees, two bamboo plants, and four autumn chrysanthemums.

These flowers and plants were pretty pricey; the crabapple trees cost nearly ten gold each. Ten gold is a hundred taels of silver, which is basically a sky-high price.

Carrying his new purchases back to the farm, Xie Licheng planted them around the grounds.

Although he only bought two bamboo plants, they grow fast and spread a lot within a couple of years.

He didn't plant the bamboo near the house; instead, he put it in the corner by the chicken coop.

Bamboo gives off shade, and once it grows thick, it tends to draw in snakes and bugs.

Gu Zhangyuan's scared of snakes, so it's better to keep the bamboo farther off.

Hearing the noise outside, Gu Zhangyuan stepped out of Xiyuan and saw Xie Licheng planting a few crabapple trees next to it.

The crabapples were in full bloom, and even just planted, they were loaded with flowers, looking really pretty and festive.

On top of the three crabapple trees, Xie Licheng also planted four autumn chrysanthemums near the house.

It wasn't chrysanthemum season yet, but Gu Zhangyuan had grown them before and really liked them.

Back in ancient times, chrysanthemums stood for longevity, and during peak viewing season, folks would even wear them in their hair.

He walked over to Xie Licheng and asked, "Husband, why'd you suddenly plant so many flowers?"

Xie Licheng turned to look at him at that. "Figured you'd like them."

"I really do like them, thanks, husband."

Xie Licheng reached out, grabbed his hand, and led him over to the new house.

"This is newly built; from now on, Xuan Cui and Yuan Qiao can live here. How about you come up with a name for it?"

Gu Zhangyuan looked up, thought for a second, and said, "Let's call it Fuyuan."

Simple and with a nice meaning.

He hoped his friends would live safe, peaceful, and happy lives from here on.

Xie Licheng nodded and hung the new plaque on the house.

That evening, Gu Zhangyuan found Xuan Cui and helped her move her stuff to Fuyuan.

Fuyuan was laid out pretty neatly, with not just a kitchen but also a bathing area.

There were four rooms that could be used as bedrooms, but only one had a bed and cabinets.

Seeing that, Xuan Cui took the room with the bed and cabinets, and while she unpacked, she asked, "Will Yuan Qiao be moving in soon too?"

"Go back tomorrow and bring him over. When you two come, make sure to bring plenty of your own stuff."

Like beds, bedding, clothes, and some small furniture, so you'll be comfortable staying here.

Xuan Cui said, "Got it, miss. I just wonder when the wet nurse will be able to move here too?"

Gu Zhangyuan replied, "The wet nurse won't move for now. She's getting older, and I don't want her running back and forth."

If the wet nurse came to the farm, knowing her, she'd definitely follow Gu Zhangyuan around Taohua Village and Taohua Town. The wet nurse wasn't young anymore, and Gu Zhangyuan didn't want her wearing herself out.

Besides, there was a lot to do on the farm, and the wet nurse couldn't sit still. If she came, she'd work herself to death.

Xuan Cui said, "But with just me and Yuan Qiao, we can't handle such a big farm on our own."

"Don't overdo the farm work. Your job here is to take care of me and my husband's meals. As for the orchards, fields, and chicken coops, when my husband brings in more people later, I'll have him hire some general laborers."

Xuan Cui felt relieved. "Alright, got it."

That night, all the solar lights around Xiyuan came on.

Gu Zhangyuan wanted watermelon chilled in well water, so he and Xuan Cui went out together to lower it into the well.

As soon as they stepped out of Xiyuan, they saw the whole area lit up bright.

Gu Zhangyuan looked up and couldn't help saying happily, "So bright!"

Xuan Cui added, "With all these lights up, this whole place looks like daytime."

Gu Zhangyuan had wanted to stay out and enjoy it longer, but he hadn't expected so many mosquitoes on a summer night. He couldn't last long and hurried back inside.

Xie Licheng was soaking comfortably in the bath when he vaguely heard footsteps outside, then something getting knocked over.

He stopped soaking, got out of the tub, dried off quickly, and walked out.

As he walked, he asked casually, "What were you running from just now?"

Gu Zhangyuan, in the bedroom, looked toward the door when he heard him. Seeing Xie Licheng in just an open robe, he stammered out an explanation.

Xie Licheng said, "Let me see if you got bit by mosquitoes?"

With that, Xie Licheng sat on the edge of the bed and reached out to pull Gu Zhangyuan closer.

Seeing that, Gu Zhangyuan quickly tied Xie Licheng's robe shut. He wasn't scared anymore of what Xie Licheng might do to him.

After all, he was Xie Licheng's husband; besides not going all the way, they'd done just about everything else.

Now he wasn't scared of what Xie Licheng might do, but a little scared of what he might do himself.

Gu Zhangyuan said, "I got bit right here."

With that, he showed Xie Licheng the mosquito bite on his wrist.

Xie Licheng touched it with his finger. "Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt, but it's super itchy."

Xie Licheng nodded and went to grab a tube of ointment.

Gu Zhangyuan recognized it; Xie Licheng had used it on him before, and he thought it worked pretty well.

Gu Zhangyuan took it and applied the ointment himself.

Seeing how obedient he was, Xie Licheng reached out, ruffled his hair, and kissed him on the lips.

"There, with this, it won't itch anymore, and it won't leave a scar."

Hearing that, Gu Zhangyuan felt like he was being treated like a kid.

Once Xie Licheng got into bed, Gu Zhangyuan automatically snuggled into his arms.

He said, "By the way, about that person you mentioned last time, I think I know where he's from."

Xie Licheng, hearing Gu Zhangyuan say this, smiled and asked, "Really? You know where his family is?"

"I once took some guards out to the countryside to collect wild herbs and passed through a small village called the Xu family village. There was a young man there named Xu Xiahe. I remembered him because he had a simple-minded younger sister. I bought his herbs at the time, and because I felt sorry for his sister, I gave him an extra ten taels of silver."

When Xie Licheng heard Gu Zhangyuan mention that Xu Xiahe had a simple-minded younger sister, he knew that the person Gu Zhangyuan was talking about was indeed the one he had been looking for.

In this world, it was possible for two people to share the same name by coincidence. But it wasn't a coincidence that they both had a sister who was also simple-minded.

Xie Licheng said to Gu Zhangyuan, "Looks like you're my little lucky charm. I thought I would never find him."