Chapter 73

Chapter 73

Gu Zhangyuan didn't think much of this little hiccup. In the following days, he kept himself busy with Steward Xu and the others.

After seven or eight days like this, the population of the pocket world hit five hundred people, and Xie Licheng stopped bringing in more.

Too many people would just make things chaotic.

To make sure the pocket world didn't run into any problems, Xie Licheng not only stopped bringing people in, but he also came back from outside himself.

The first thing Xie Licheng did when he got back was head into town to find Xu Xiahe, planning to get him started on training soldiers.

He planned to train twenty guys first to keep both the village and the town safe.

Twenty people isn't exactly a small number when you've only got five hundred total.

Since most of those five hundred were the elderly, the frail, women, and kids.

And soldiers had to be able-bodied young men.

So under those circumstances, a twenty-man army was actually a decent size.

Xie Licheng set up the training ground along the village road leading from Taohua Village to the town.

There was plenty of unused land there, so they could carve out a spot for training.

The spot wasn't far from either the village or the town, so they could get there in time no matter which side had trouble.

At the training ground, Xie Licheng built two barracks out of stone and wood.

To make it easier for the troops to move around and for the folks on both sides to travel back and forth, he also got everyone together to collect stone, planning to build a road connecting the town and the village.

Xie Licheng could build three kinds of roads: a plain dirt road, a wooden plank road, and a stone slab road.

The wooden plank road looked nicer, but it wasn't practical for outdoor use or for serving as a main road.

The stone slab road was tougher and held up better, and the ones Xie Licheng built himself were also perfectly smooth.

So Xie Licheng had everyone gather stones, and then he used his backpack to haul them and lay the road himself.

Xie Licheng's way of building roads was totally different from how normal folks did it.

Regular people had to cut the slabs, polish them, and pour a foundation first.

Xie Licheng just had to scoop the stones into his backpack, and then he could lay the road down as he strolled along.

No matter what size the stones were, the road he laid came out the same width, the same thickness, perfectly flat, and tightly fitted together.

He finished the road between the village and the town in just one day.

With a better road, not only could folks on both sides get around more easily, but it was also way more convenient for Gu Zhangyuan, who'd gotten hooked on driving his little cart.

Even if it rained later on, Gu Zhangyuan could still drive his little cart back to town without worrying about the mud being too slick.

Watching Xie Licheng lay down a wide, smooth stone road out of thin air left everyone who saw it totally stunned.

Everyone figured Xie Licheng had to be some kind of immortal, but he kept insisting he wasn't.

He didn't have the power to raise the dead, and he didn't have any magic to turn stone into gold.

But he could put up a house in the time it took to brew a cup of tea, and he could build a whole road in a single day.

So saying he wasn't an immortal just didn't add up.

Once the road was done, Xie Licheng took Gu Zhangyuan along to register the newcomers for their household records.

Then, to Xie Licheng's mild surprise, the woman he'd saved from the arrow was still alive.

Apparently, a female doctor had saved her—and that doctor was hurt herself, but she still dragged her injured body over to help.

Xie Licheng was pretty surprised too. He never expected one of the people he'd saved to be a doctor—and a female one at that, which was pretty rare back then.

After getting everyone registered, Xie Licheng still had to pick a town head.

Chen Yaosan was handling things over in the village, so Xie Licheng wasn't too concerned about that side.

But now that the town's population had grown, it needed someone to run it, or things were bound to get out of hand with that many people.

Xie Licheng talked it over with Gu Zhangyuan. "Who do you think would be a good fit?"

Dazhou didn't have a town head position. Towns were usually managed directly by the County Magistrate.

Xie Licheng figured the County Magistrate already had his hands full with the county seat, which was a ways off from the town. So he wanted to create a town head role to handle the day-to-day business of each town.

To keep things clear, the person in charge of a village would be the village head, the one in charge of a town would be the town head, and the top person for the county seat would stay the County Magistrate.

Gu Zhangyuan mulled over Xie Licheng's idea for a bit, then said, "I don't know most of these people, and I have no clue what their character's like. Why not let Steward Xu take charge for now? How do I put this—he's timid, scared of trouble, and a real smooth talker. But it's exactly because he's timid, scared of trouble, and pretty tactful that letting him run the town won't cause any big problems."

Xie Licheng thought about it and nodded.

"Alright, let him handle it for now. We can swap him out later if we find someone better."

Going from a lowly steward of the Gu family to the town head of Taohua Town was a huge jump.

When Steward Xu got the news, he was so touched he nearly teared up.

He knew following the Eldest Young Master had been the right call.

He was also glad he'd treated Xie Licheng decently back then, or else Xie Licheng might not have gone along with the Eldest Young Master's suggestion.

The town head wasn't an official position, but running a town still came with a good amount of power.

Of course, even with all that power, he wouldn't dare step out of line here.

First off, he didn't have the nerve. Even if he was handed a ton of power, he still wouldn't dare do anything shady here.

Second, he wasn't a bad guy. He couldn't bring himself to bully the elderly, the weak, women, or kids. Wasn't all the chaos out there caused by corrupt courts and rotten officials? To keep this place from turning out the same way, he obviously wouldn't do anything stupid.

Once Steward Xu became town head, he couldn't keep living at the Gu estate anymore.

His status had changed, so Gu Zhangyuan had him move out and get his own place.

And people couldn't keep calling him Steward Xu anymore—they had to start calling him Town Head Xu.

...

Once all those odds and ends were taken care of, Xie Licheng brought Gu Zhangyuan back to the farm. The moment they got back, Gu Zhangyuan pulled him over to charge up his precious cart.

He said, "How am I supposed to charge this thing? I've barely even played with it for a few days and it's already dead." Hearing that, Xie Licheng leaned in and kissed his forehead. "Don't worry, I'll set you up with a solar panel. After that, you won't have to charge it at all. If the cart runs out of juice, just leave it out in the sun for a bit, and it'll be charged right back up."

"Is it really that amazing?"

"Of course! Who do you think your husband is?"

Gu Zhangyuan couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle at that.

His smile was gorgeous, like a crabapple blossom in full bloom.

Once Xie Licheng was done with his work, Gu Zhangyuan had him bike him around for a spin.

The sun wasn't too harsh today, and it wasn't as hot as it had been. Xie Licheng grabbed him a hat and then biked him around the village a few laps.

They'd gone out just for fun, but a craftsman spotted their bike and flagged them down for a closer look.

Xie Licheng was in a good mood, so he lifted Gu Zhangyuan off the bike and let the guy check it out.

The craftsman said, "This bike is really something. Would the benefactor be willing to sell one to me? My family of three are all craftsmen; maybe we could copy it."

Xie Licheng smiled and said, "So you're planning to make these to sell?"

If all the roads were as good as the ones between the village and town, a bike would really be a great way to get around.

No electricity, no gas, no feed needed—it was a perfect ride for regular folks.

The craftsman nodded and said, "This thing is yours, benefactor. If we manage to make one, we should naturally cut you in on the profits."

Back then, there wasn't much concept of copyright, but since they couldn't have come up with this themselves and were copying Xie Licheng's design, it was only fair to give him a cut.

Xie Licheng's original plan was to hire a bunch of craftsmen and artisans to work for him.

But after hearing what the craftsman said, he thought the idea wasn't bad either.

If he kept his own crew of craftsmen, it'd be like the government hiring skilled workers—they'd get a fixed wage and wouldn't bust their butts, and over time, most would just coast along.

But if they were independent and could innovate on their own, they'd be motivated to think hard and earn more.

Since Xie Licheng was the one supplying the ideas and samples, he could also get a fair share from them.

Take the bike, for instance: Xie Licheng could hand over a few samples and offer some technical support.

Once their family started raking in money from it, Xie Licheng would take a thirty or forty percent cut.

That way, Xie Licheng got both money and innovative talent, without having to do everything himself—it was a solid deal.

Xie Licheng said, "Here's the deal: I'll give you two bikes, and from now on, no matter how much you make, I take thirty percent."

The craftsman nodded without a second thought, because thirty percent was honestly a pretty low ask.

If they could actually pull off making these bikes, the money they'd earn would be off the charts.

After that, Xie Licheng went back to grab the bikes, and Gu Zhangyuan drew up a contract to seal the deal.

Xie Licheng gave them two bikes: one regular and one small kids' model.

After handing the stuff over to the craftsman, Gu Zhangyuan started feeling a bit tired. He didn't ask Xie Licheng to keep taking him out; instead, he suggested they go fishing at the farm.

Gu Zhangyuan said, "I'm not all that great at fishing."

Xie Licheng smiled and said, "That's fine, I know how to fish. I can teach you."

With that, Xie Licheng had Yuan Qiao fetch his fishing gear.

He set up a separate rod for Gu Zhangyuan, and the two of them fished by the pond at a leisurely pace.

Fishing takes a lot of patience, and Gu Zhangyuan had plenty, so he didn't find sitting around boring at all.

They fished all afternoon—Gu Zhangyuan caught two, and Xie Licheng caught six.

With eight fresh fish suddenly on hand, the wet nurse was over the moon.

She took Xuan Cui into the kitchen and made Gu Zhangyuan some crucian carp soup, plus a braised fish dish that went into the pantry.

Having a pantry that kept things fresh was super handy—they could cook extra whenever they wanted and just grab it when they didn't feel like cooking.

Plus, no matter when hunger hit, they never had to worry about going hungry.

The wet nurse figured that since the young master and his husband had consummated their marriage, a baby might be on the way soon, so she'd been whipping up all kinds of tasty dishes lately.

She also checked out the village's sheepfold and cowshed, planning to slaughter a sheep and a cow to build up Gu Zhangyuan's strength.

Dinner that night was a feast: crucian carp soup, braised chicken, stir-fried mushrooms, scrambled eggs with spring shoots, and sweet fermented rice dumplings.

Xie Licheng had an iron wok, which gave the food a unique taste. There were also little clay pots that were perfect for simmering soups.

After eating in the dining room next to the kitchen, Xie Licheng dragged Gu Zhangyuan off to take a bath together.

Before the wet nurse showed up, they'd eat wherever they felt like it—living room, bedroom, or even sitting on the bed.

Now that the wet nurse was around, most rules could be bent, but meals belonged in the dining area, and the bedroom was for sleeping—the two should never be mixed.

Xie Licheng didn't bother arguing with the wet nurse over such small stuff.

He figured it was nice having an elder around—like suddenly gaining a fussy mom.

As long as she meant well, he was happy to go along with her on a lot of things.

Since Xie Licheng was going to bathe with Gu Zhangyuan, Xuan Cui and Yuan Qiao, who'd heated the water, didn't stick around to wait on them.

Gu Zhangyuan got dragged all the way to the bathroom by Xie Licheng and was already bright red before the bath even started.

Xie Licheng chuckled and said, "Don't worry, I won't mess with you. We'll just have a nice bath."

Gu Zhangyuan took off his hair ornaments and said, "I'm not scared of you messing with me; I'm just not used to it yet."

He was just feeling shy.

It took Gu Zhangyuan forever just to let his hair down, and by the time those silky locks were loose, Xie Licheng had already stripped completely bare.

Seeing that, Gu Zhangyuan turned and shot him a glare, though he had no idea why he felt the urge.

Xie Licheng caught that little look, flexed his increasingly solid arms, and scooped Gu Zhangyuan up completely.

Gu Zhangyuan let out a small gasp and, noticing that Xie Licheng had given him a pinch while lifting him, angrily pinched Xie Licheng's cheeks in return.

Gu Zhangyuan scolded, "Why are you acting like a shameless ruffian?"

Xie Licheng carried him into the bathtub and, upon hearing the scolding, calmly said, "What, are you tired of me?"

Gu Zhangyuan huffed. His clothes were still on, and being pulled into the tub fully dressed made him quite uncomfortable. Gu Zhangyuan said, "Help me take off my clothes first. I hadn't even gotten them all off, and you already pulled me in here."

Xie Licheng: "You're too slow taking off your clothes. This way, you'll get them off in one smooth move."

With that, Xie Licheng grabbed Gu Zhangyuan's top and ripped it open in one go.

He was strong, and since he was in a hurry to get Gu Zhangyuan out of his wet clothes, he was a little careless with his force.

With that single grab, Gu Zhangyuan's white undergarment came apart, and even the layer underneath got pulled down.

Xie Licheng, who really hadn't planned on doing anything, suddenly felt his control slip at the sight.

He pulled Gu Zhangyuan onto his lap and started yanking his pants down from the back.

Seeing this, Gu Zhangyuan quickly said, "What are you doing? Didn't we agree you wouldn't mess with me?"

Xie Licheng kissed his soft, sweet-smelling lips and said, "But you smell so good."

His voice was husky as he spoke, and there was a roughness in the way he kissed Gu Zhangyuan.

Knowing there was no escape, Gu Zhangyuan dutifully adjusted himself to a more comfortable position.

He said, "This bathtub isn't comfortable. Go easy on me."

With Gu Zhangyuan's permission, Xie Licheng grabbed his ankles and hooked them over his shoulders.

Xie Licheng said, "Got it. I'll take real good care of you."

And what Xie Licheng meant by "take good care" was...

Gu Zhangyuan didn't have the strength to go after Xie Licheng until noon the next day.

Pinching Xie Licheng's ear, Gu Zhangyuan began scolding his husband. "You can't do this anymore. Don't you have any self-control? Not only am I wiped out, but you're going to wreck your body too."

Xie Licheng nodded and fed him porridge, one spoonful at a time.

"Also, what you did to me last night—I didn't really like it."

"Which time didn't you like?"

Xie Licheng had taken him twice and wanted to know which time he didn't like, so he could hold back on his kinks a little in the future.

Gu Zhangyuan was shy and embarrassed to say it, but to keep Xie Licheng from doing it again, he leaned close to his ear and whispered.

"It's just... when you had my legs like that, it hurt so bad I couldn't even walk."

Xie Licheng got it and pulled Gu Zhangyuan into his arms to rub his legs.

Xie Licheng: "My bad. I've never been a leg guy before, but yesterday I was like possessed."

He really hadn't been into legs before—in their world, summer meant streets full of exposed legs.

Men, women, even the elderly and kids—in the middle of summer, tons of people wore shorts.

If Xie Licheng had really been a leg guy, he would've figured it out back then.

But thinking about how he was holding his own man's legs, Xie Licheng felt like he hadn't done anything wrong.

Xie Licheng said, completely unashamed, "These legs of yours are so beautiful, they were made to be..."

Before he could say something scandalous, Gu Zhangyuan quickly reached up and covered his mouth.

With one hand over his mouth and the other pulling his ear, Gu Zhangyuan said, cheeks red and annoyed, "Just tell me—are you gonna behave or not? If not, I won't let you touch me anymore."