Chapter 43

Chapter 43

The horse dealer stepped back a few paces, waving his hands repeatedly. "This price ain't gonna work. I'd rather keep this damn beast and feed it myself."

Chen Jue looked at Huo Jilin, and Huo Jilin seemed to understand his intent, turning to walk out with him. Just as they were about to leave the stable, the horse dealer called out from behind, "Thirty taels, and that's final!"

"Throw in a saddle set, and we've got a deal. We don't need anything fancy—a used one will do," Uncle Liu said, half glad, half hurting over the price.

The horse dealer refused to part with the cart, saying with a bitter smile, "This is a fine horse from Dayuan. If it hadn't been returned twice, I'd never have considered selling it at this price. This young fella sure knows how to drive a bargain. I really can't throw in the cart, but I'll give you a brand-new saddle and whip."

And so the horse that had been returned twice was finally sold to Huo Jilin.

Cash and the official registration papers changed hands at the government office.

When it came time to pay, Huo Jilin coughed lightly and said, "Can you spot me some silver? I'll pay you back double."

This was the first time he'd ever hit anyone up for money, let alone Chen Jue. But Chen Jue had already treated him to a meal earlier, so it wasn't that big a deal.

Besides, Chen Jue was now his... husband. By that logic, his silver was Huo Jilin's too.

Huo Jilin reassured himself.

Chen Jue didn't hesitate. He handed over the fifty taels he'd barely had time to warm in his pocket. The ginseng had been appraised at fifty taels, and the extra fifty was what Huo Jilin had earned.

Even brothers settle their accounts, let alone the two of them.

He just sighed to himself—money was hard to come by but went fast. Especially if he planned to settle in the county, money would go out like water.

The temple was his last resort, but if possible, he'd rather live in town. Like Mencius's mom who moved three times for her kid's schooling, he couldn't have his kid grow up to be a Taoist priest.

Chen Jue mused quietly.

On the way back, everyone was in high spirits.

There was a lightness that came with having no debts.

Uncle Liu couldn't help but touch the horse despite its dirty coat—just one pat, not daring to do more, afraid it might kick out.

Looking at the horse's sturdy build, he remarked, "This is a fine horse. Big and sturdy—good for pulling a cart or plowing a field."

Uncle Zhou was just as pleased, though still wincing at the silver spent. But the horse was genuinely good. He'd given it a thorough once-over while it bared its teeth at them, checking its mouth carefully—its teeth were no worse than that sixty-tael horse from earlier.

Hearing Uncle Liu's plans for the horse, he jumped in and said to Huo Jilin, "Don't buy a cart. I'll talk to my brother—he can make you a sturdy and handsome one."

He hadn't had much to do with Dalin before and never figured he had this kind of temperament. Not only did he drop money without blinking, but his no-nonsense attitude was something else.

That hundred taels he'd earned risking his neck in battle was almost gone after just one market day?

Uncle Zhou had no idea that Huo Jilin had not only spent it all but had also borrowed fifty taels from Chen Jue. If he'd known, he'd have given him an earful.

Their eldest brother was a carpenter who couldn't even pull in fifty taels in a whole year.

Huo Jilin, feeling the pinch of his empty pockets, took Uncle Zhou's advice and personally led the horse to Uncle Zhou Dajiang's carpentry shop in the county.

Uncle Zhou offered Huo Jilin a finished cart for free, since Chen Jue had delivered his nephew. But Chen Jue insisted on paying: "Uncle Zhou, I want to ask if you can make something like this. Not a crutch—something better than one. The top part should be hollow, smooth, and rounded so it doesn't rub the skin raw. The lower part should be solid, able to support a grown man's weight. The bottom should be shaped like a foot... 42 inches long..."

As he described it in such detail, Huo Jilin caught on—he was making a prosthetic leg for Zhou Qingshan.

Huo Jilin watched as Chen Jue finished gesturing and pulled a paper from his pocket. He leaned in to look at the drawing of the prosthetic, which was remarkably precise.

Chen Jue had become an orthopedic specialist now. From obstetrics to orthopedics, the guy seemed capable of anything.

Except—was he treating everyone's ailments except his own?

The thought popped into Huo Jilin's mind out of nowhere. He furrowed his brow, feeling like something was off with him too.

Uncle Liu had already caught on, his eyes glinting with hope as he looked at the drawing and then at Uncle Zhou. "Brother, can you make this?"

Uncle Zhou knew Chen Jue's ideas were always out there. He'd understood the crutch last time, but this was way out of his wheelhouse. "Making this... is it strapped to the leg? The joint's gotta move, right?"

Chen Jue wasn't really an orthopedic specialist—he'd only seen prosthetics before. His idea was good in theory, but tough to pull off.

Luckily, Zhou Qingshan's leg was broken below the knee. If it had been at the knee, it would've been a whole lot more complicated.

The knee joint alone would be a pain to replicate.

Huo Jilin saw Chen Jue frowning and leaned in to point at the drawing. "Uncle Zhou, you know how Lu Ban's wooden figures work, right? Treat the ankle joint like those puppet joints."

His family, the Huo pharmaceutical company, made not just medicines but all kinds of Chinese and Western instruments, so he knew this stuff better than Chen Jue.

Uncle Zhou finally got it with Huo Jilin's prompting. Huo Jilin continued, "It doesn't need to be as flexible as a puppet joint—it doesn't need to spin a full circle. Just mimic the motion of lifting and setting down the foot."

Seeing that Uncle Zhou understood, Huo Jilin added, "With this joint, the load when lifting and stepping will be lighter. It should hold up for a year or so without problems."

A wooden prosthetic would wear out faster than a mechanical one, but Huo Jilin's tweak not only fixed the stiffness problem but also stretched its lifespan.

Chen Jue had to give credit where it was due. He didn't like Huo Jilin as a person, but he couldn't deny the guy knew his stuff. The heir of the Huo Group had real skill.

Chen Jue tilted his head to look at Huo Jilin, who was still hovering over his shoulder. He'd finished his instructions—could he get up now?

But Huo Jilin didn't realize how close he'd gotten to Chen Jue. They'd spent the whole day together—hitting the pharmacy, Huo Jilin shielding Chen Jue from the crowd—so this closeness felt natural. He also didn't realize his posture came off as bossy.

He was used to calling the shots, and old habits die hard. When they locked eyes, both stiffened a little, suddenly aware of how close they were. Their relationship had long been one of wary adversaries, and this sudden closeness was hard to get used to.

Huo Jilin slowly straightened up, and Chen Jue gave him an out, pointing to a table and chairs set Uncle Zhou had made. "Why don't you sit here and go over the drawing with Uncle Zhou?"

Huo Jilin nodded coolly and said to Uncle Zhou, "I've already explained everything clearly. Any questions, Uncle Zhou?"

Uncle Zhou sensed his tone had gone cold and quickly said, "I understand. Nephew, please sit and have some tea..."

The carpentry shop was full of wood shavings, but there were chairs and stools everywhere. Uncle Liu and his brother were already sitting.

But Nephew Huo didn't sit. Uncle Zhou figured he wanted to stand behind his husband.

Huo Jilin said flatly, "No need to sit. Since everything's settled, we should get going."

"I was hoping you'd stay for a meal... Well then, I'll have my apprentice hitch up the cart for you right away." Uncle Zhou hurriedly said.

Uncle Liu quickly asked about the cost of making the prosthetic and offered to put down a deposit. He hadn't spent a single coin of Zhou Qingshan's one tael, and with some money from selling autumn harvest grain, he'd scraped together two taels for Uncle Zhou. Uncle Zhou only took one: "I've never made a prosthetic leg before. I can't guarantee it'll work, so I'll just take one tael for labor and materials. Let me mull it over."

Uncle Liu wanted to argue more, but seeing Huo Jilin already leaving, he tucked the remaining coin away and bowed deeply to Uncle Zhou. "I'm counting on you, Uncle, for my son Qingshan."

The cart was loaded up and looked brand new, but no one dared to sit in it. It had taken quite a bit of effort just to harness the horse, which was still kicking its heels nearby.

Uncle Zhou watched in amazement, muttering, "Did we just buy ourselves a little god?"

Yep, they sure did. Everyone there was thinking the same thing.

Uncle Liu kept himself between Chen Jue and the horse, not even letting him get near.

Huo Jilin grabbed the horsewhip and took hold of the horse's reins, saying to everyone, "Leave it to me. You all go on ahead."

Although the carriage couldn't carry people, it could still haul everyone's purchases. Uncle Zhou had bought the most this trip—with a newborn and a pregnant husband at home, he'd stocked up on rice, flour, oil, salt, vinegar, tea—just about everything you could think of.

Uncle Liu had bought basic coarse grains, not too much.

Huo Jilin and Chen Jue had bought a lot. Huo Jilin, flush with a hundred taels of silver, had gone big and bought two bolts of satin. On top of that, he grabbed bags of rice and flour, and even bought an extra jar of salt.

And with the extra horse, they'd also picked up two bags of soybeans for that "ancestor" of a horse.

So the carriage wasn't exactly sitting unused, but that still didn't stop Zhou Shuyao from mocking it.

Because Chen Jue had still ended up climbing onto Zhou Shuyao's oxcart.

Huo Jilin hadn't dared put Chen Jue on that horse that loved to kick up its heels.

Huo Jilin led the horse alongside the painfully slow oxcart, his face dark as a storm cloud.

He was done with Zhou Shuyao's smug, provoking looks—the guy had been shooting them at him all trip.

Zhou Shuyao sat on the oxcart looking like he'd just won a prize, chin tilted up all smug. After a while, he couldn't resist taunting Huo Jilin:

"Hey, Huo Lin, you buy that carriage to worship like an ancestor? All show, no go, huh?"

This Huo Lin better not think new clothes and a new carriage make him better than everyone else. Hmph! Acting like some young lord, like he's never seen a hundred taels of silver in his life. At the rate he's burning through money, he'll be eating nothing but wind in a few days.

Huo Jilin looked at that sneering face and couldn't help but snort coldly. If he'd only suspected it on the way here, now he was certain—this Zhou Shuyao really had the hots for Chen Jue.

Chen Jue was a married man, seven months along, and Zhou Shuyao didn't give a damn.

Huo Jilin shot back coldly, "Still better than something that's neither good-looking nor good for anything."

The women on the oxcart were all: ...

How come they'd never noticed this Huo Lin could dish it out like that?

He'd shut them all up with that one.

Liu Cuier, Zhou Hehua, and Aunt Zhang all turned their gazes to today's Huo Lin in unison.

They'd been eyeing him for half the trip. This Huo Lin in that deep blue satin robe today was something else—the color practically glowed in the light.

And in those clothes, he looked like a whole different man—tall, handsome, the works.

None of the women had much schooling, so they couldn't find the right words to describe him.

Aunt Zhang spoke first: "Not to mention anything else, Dalin, you look really good today. 'Fine feathers make fine birds'—that saying's right on the money. Leading the carriage like that, you look like one of those big households'... that... that..."

Aunt Zhang thought she had plenty of experience, but she just couldn't recall the right term.

Zhou Hehua filled in: "Like a big household's... groom?"

"..." Huo Jilin's lips moved a few times, but he couldn't find a single word. In the end, he simply shut his mouth and didn't want to talk anymore.

Chen Jue turned his head away—he didn't want to laugh either, but he really hadn't expected Huo Jilin to have his day like this.

Liu Cuier patted Zhou Hehua: "What groom? That's called... that's called a page boy."

Huo Jilin shut his eyes. A page boy was even worse than a groom.