CH 12

Bonus chapter for Allison. Thank you for your kofi.

After a while, Lin Cuifen also got up and went into the kitchen. Qiao Yuan secretly glanced at her, feeling a bit worried. After all, in this place, the man in charge never went into the kitchen.  

Unexpectedly, Lin Cuifen only sighed when she saw this, “If your father had been so thoughtful like Dameng, I would have enjoyed it too.”  

Qiao Yuan quickly acted cute and said, “Father is very capable. Isn’t the family business all earned by him?”  

Lin Cuifen pretended to be angry and looked him up and down before saying, “This outfit looks good on you.”  

Qiao Yuan happily said, “Dameng bought it for me!”  

“Oh, this silly son of mine even knows how to take care of his husband!” Lin Cuifen joked.  

Qiao Yuan was not embarrassed, but Yu Dameng was anxious, “Mother!”  

Lin Cuifen smiled, “Alright then, this old lady won’t be a bother and won’t disturb you newlyweds.”  

She finally understood that her foolish son was being controlled by his husband. When she agreed to the marriage arranged by Grandma Qiao, it was for two reasons: one was because of Grandma Qiao’s help in saving her life, and the other was because she saw that Qiao Yuan was obedient and easy to control. Her third son looked intimidating but was actually a softie, so she needed someone even softer to match him, in order to prevent her son from being dominated.  

Unexpectedly, she had misjudged him. Yuan Ge’er was actually a capable and decisive person who could handle things well. However, she saw that the two of them got along well and complemented each other. 

Children and grandchildren have their own blessings1“儿孙自有儿孙福” (ér sūn zì yǒu ér sūn fú) is a Chinese proverb that means “children and grandchildren have their own blessings.” It implies that parents should not overly worry about their children’s future, as they will have their own paths to follow.. With his husband, her third son would definitely have a good life. The heavy burden in her heart gradually lifted, and she felt even happier and more open-minded.  

Qiao Yuan plans to make a meat stew2肉臊子 (ròu sōu zi) – This is a type of meat stew that is popular in northern China. It is made with various cuts of meat, vegetables, and spices. “Meat stew” is a close approximation, but it doesn’t capture the specific flavor and texture of this dish.. While waiting for the dough to rise, he took Yu Dameng to Butcher Zhang’s shop to buy meat and take a walk.  

This was the first time he had stepped out of Yu’s house since he transmigrated. Although he was not unfamiliar with Xianhe Village due to his original memories, most of his memories of this place were bitter. The beautiful scenery that Qiao Yuan sees now was not present in his original memories.  

The small village was surrounded by mountains and water, and there were many jujube trees planted by the roadside, most of which still have green fruit. In the distance, there were long stretches of tea-brown farmland. At this moment, every household was emitting white smoke mixed with various food aromas. Qiao Yuan loved the feeling of being surrounded by the smell of cooking. 

His lifelong wish was nothing more than to have a home with the person he loved, living a simple life with the basic necessities. Qiao Yuan glanced at Yu Dameng walking beside him and couldn’t contain his joy. He tentatively reached out and hooked one of Yu Dameng’s fingers. 

Yu Dameng’s tiger-like body trembled, and he lowered his head to look at the small, fair hand that was holding onto him. After hesitating for a moment, he turned around and wrapped his large hand around the small, delicate hand.  

Qiao Yuan squinted his eyes and curved his lips, his mood brightened.  

As soon as Mrs. Zhang saw them, she warmly greeted them, “Yuan Ge’er is out today! How is your back?”  

Qiao Yuan smiled lightly and said, “Yes, Sister Zhang, my back is much better now. We just went out for a walk. We want to buy one jin of lean meat and half a jin of fat meat.”  

“Okay!” Mrs. Zhang cut the meat for him and whispered some gossip: “Do you know? Your uncle heard about that thing when he came back the other day and beat up his wife. It was quite a scene, and it didn’t stop until midnight.” 

For the past few days, Qiao Yuan had been sticking with Yu Dameng, and didn’t know about it. Lin Cuifen probably heard about it a long time ago, but didn’t want this dirty matter to pollute his ears, so she didn’t mention it at home. Qiao Yuan didn’t care much when Mrs. Zhang informed him of the news. 

Mrs. Zhang continued, “Now that you are married, your uncle’s family is still one step removed from you. It’s not good for you to be too attached to them, as they are not your immediate family. Don’t let them cause you any more distress, take care of yourself and your health should be your top priority.”  

Right and wrong are subjective to one’s own heart3是非自在人心 (shì fēi zì zài rén xīn) – This phrase means that right and wrong are determined by one’s own conscience. “right and wrong are subjective to one’s own heart.” It is often used to describe situations where there is no clear right or wrong answer.. Qiao Yuan accepted Mrs. Zhang’s words and nodded, “What Sister Zhang said is right. I will never do anything foolish again. Today, Dameng and I plan to go to the town to buy some things and bring back a gift for the family. From now on, we will just be ordinary relatives.”  

Mrs. Zhang sighed at his words and said, “Ah, you are a good person.” She looked at Yu Dameng, who had quietly taken the meat first, and joked, “Dameng loves you! Live a good life and have a big, chubby baby as soon as possible!”  

……  

After Qiao Yuan paid the money, he quickly grabbed Yu Dameng and fled.  

As the autumn harvest approached, there was a lot of work to be done in the shop making farming tools. Qiao Yuan was thinking about quickly getting the matter of returning home sorted out, so as not to delay Yu Dameng’s work.  

After wandering around the Yu family’s iron workshop, Qiao Yuan was pleasantly surprised to find a small courtyard behind it. The courtyard had a storage room filled with coal for iron smelting, as well as two rooms. Most importantly, there was a well! The entire Xianhe village only had two wells, and the water used by the Yu family had to be carried back by Yu Dameng every day. Qiao Yuan had complained countless times in his heart about the inconvenience of using water.  

With such a large shop still located in a bustling commercial area, Qiao Yuan was curious, “How much did it cost to buy this shop?”  

“One hundred and twenty taels.” 

Qiao Yuan was shocked. The average household in the village only spent about four to five taels of silver a year on food and clothing, and most families are just barely able to make ends meet. It would take two or three decades of hard work just to earn that much money. Indeed, whether in modern times or in ancient times, houses are a valuable commodity, and real estate speculators are everywhere!  

Qiao Yuan asked Yu Dameng secretly, “How much does the shop make in a year?” 

Yu Dameng calculated for a moment and replied, “Around sixty taels.”  

Here, it is certainly not a low income for a farmer to earn sixty taels a year and the Yu family’s income from their craftsmanship is also very stable. In this way, the Yu family still relied on the silver rewarded to Yu Dameng to acquire their shop. How much gambling debt did Grandfather Yu owe before?  

Yu Dameng saw Qiao Yuan frown and nervously said, “I can support you!”  

Qiao Yuan was taken aback and couldn’t help but laugh when he realized what was going on. “What if I want to wear silk and satin all day and eat delicacies from the mountains and the sea?”  

Yu Dameng stood there blankly, not knowing how to answer.  

Qiao Yuan shook his head and held Yu Dameng’s face in his hands, “You’re always thinking about all sorts of nonsense!”  

Then, he took Yu Dameng’s hand and walked to the street, intentionally scaring him, “This is my first time in the county, I don’t know the way, don’t lose me.”  

Upon hearing this, Yu Dameng became nervous and wanted to hold Qiao Yuan in his arms. This attracted the attention of passersby who watched the lovey-dovey couple, leaving Qiao Yuan feeling both embarrassed and amused. 

The ancient market was bustling with various vendors shouting and calling out to customers. Qiao Yuan found it fascinating to see the sugar sellers, wood carvings, and roadside acrobatics performers. Every time he chatted with a merchant for a few moments, Yu Dameng would promptly pay for whatever Qiao Yuan wanted. Qiao Yuan confirmed once again –  Yu Dameng was a spendthrift who couldn’t save money! 

So, a search was conducted and the remaining seven hundred or so wen belonging to Yu Dameng were confiscated. Finally, Yu Dameng became quiet, and Qiao Yuan had peace. 

He took a quick stroll and roughly estimated that the most common food sold on this street were buns, pancakes, and noodles. It seems that no matter what era it is, the food and beverage industry is still the most profitable. Qiao Yuan had already decided on the food he wanted to sell – vegetable pancakes. They are quick to prepare, have a delicious taste, and are easy to carry.  

There is a large open space right in front of the iron shop, which is located in a bustling street with a good flow of people. Setting up a stall there would be perfect. Besides, this way, Yu Dameng can be seen all day long. Thinking of this, Qiao Yuan sighed, he never thought that he would become a “love brain” one day!  

After deciding on his plan, Qiao Yuan no longer dragged Yu Dameng around aimlessly and headed straight to the cloth shop. He had already thought about it on his way there. Since he was going to visit the original owner’s grandmother, it would be better to bring something practical for her. If he bought food and drinks, it was highly likely that they would all end up in the mouths of the original body’s two cousins.  

As soon as the shop assistant, Mr. Wang, saw Yu Dameng and Qiao Yuan, he warmly greeted them, “Is this the husband of Brother Dameng? He looks really handsome!”  

Qiao Yuan immediately guessed that this was the guy who had taken three taels of silver from Yu Dameng in one go last time. Qiao Yuan thought to himself that he would have to make this swindler bleed a little4 出点血 (chū diǎn xiě) – This phrase literally means “to bleed a little” and is used to describe making someone pay or suffer a loss..

If you like my translation, a cup of coffee is very much appreciated. I will post a bonus chapter for every five kofis received. Thank you!