CH 13

The grandmother of the original owner was also a pitiful person. The villagers called her Qiao Wangshi1Wangshi is a respectful term for a married woman that means “wife of Wang”. The villagers probably called her Qiao Wangshi because they did not know her real name and she was married to a man surnamed Wang. The name Qiao Wangshi signifies her status as a widow and a midwife in the village., and even the original owner did not know her real name. She lost her husband at an early age and then relied on delivering babies for women in the surrounding area to support her two sons.  

Her second son, who was Qiao Yuan’s father, was a promising man and earned some money working at the dock for a few years. She also had a few good years, but they didn’t last long. When the original Qiao Yuan’s parents encountered problems one after another and passed away, the good times came to an end.  

Xu Xiuhua was always a troublemaker. Originally, she had been restrained by the original owner’s father, and dared not to do anything to Qiao Wangshi. But after the original owner’s parents passed away, he thought that both Qiao Wangshi and the original owner would rely on her, so she gradually revealed her true nature. 

Qiao Wangshi was getting older and her health was not good. She only had one son to rely on in the future. She could endure it for the sake of the original owner, but Xu Xiuhua became even more greedy and insufferable. 

For the original owner, Qiao Wangshi was a very important person. Following the original owner’s wishes, Qiao Yuan would do his best to be filial to Qiao Wangshi.  

So, even though he didn’t have much money right now, Qiao Yuan still chose the best cotton clothes for Qiao Wangshi. A deep blue and a purplish-blue one would be most suitable for an elderly woman to wear. Together with Yu Dameng, they also picked out a crimson-colored one for Lin Cuifen. The three clothes cost nine hundred wen. After a bit of bargaining with the shopkeeper, they managed to haggle the price down by fifty wen and even got a hairband that was suitable for Liu Ge-er’s age. 

Even with the bargaining, Qiao Yuan thought that there was still room for negotiation, which was an indication of how much money he cheated Yu Dameng out of last time. But he was in a hurry, and the shopkeeper needed to make a profit too. As long as the price was reasonable, Qiao Yuan wouldn’t argue. 

Thinking of Liu Ge’er, Qiao Yuan naturally also thought of those two stinky boys, Yu Shanwen and Yu Shanwu. Although they were mischievous, they also worked hard and actually listened to him. In front of outsiders, they knew to side with him, so he couldn’t favor one and neglect the other. 

So, he bought a well-crafted slingshot for each of the two kids at the toy stall. Liu Ge-er got a chubby bunny doll, and Old Man Yu got a big tobacco pouch. The three purchases added up to one hundred wen. 

Qiao Yuan held his money bag and complained to Yu Dameng with a heartache, “Money really doesn’t last long!” 

Yu Dameng said, “Then I’ll work hard to make more money!” 

Qiao Yuan suddenly laughed, pulled his hand and teased him, “Oh, I’ve already bought gifts for everyone in the family, except for you…”  

Yu Dameng tilted his head to look at him, pursed his lips and said in a low voice, “As long as you’re okay, I don’t want anything else.”  

With just one sentence, Qiao Yuan’s heart instantly softened. He grumbled in a scolding tone while acting like a spoiled child, “You’re so good at sweet-talking people!”  

He didn’t know why he bothered since he didn’t do anything practical to show his affection2Meaning Yu Dameng does not take initiative to put his affection into action, like sharing their bed lol. He is still clueless!  

Unfortunately, Yu Dameng, who is not good at understanding emotions, couldn’t even hear the flirtatious words and only tightly held Qiao Yuan’s hand, repeatedly assuring him, “I’m telling the truth!”  

“Okay, okay,” Qiao Yuan snorted. He couldn’t help but feel that Yu Dameng didn’t understand romance, but every word he said managed to stir up his heart. It was like the king of hell meeting a little ghost3阎王遇小鬼 (yán wáng yù xiǎo guǐ) – This is a metaphorical phrase that describes a powerful person being outsmarted or defeated by someone who is seemingly weaker or less important., and he was about to be eaten up by Yu Dameng. 

For the gift of returning home4回门 (huímén) – This refers to a traditional Chinese ceremony where a person returns to their ancestral home to pay respects to their ancestors. This is a way of showing filial piety and gratitude to one’s roots and elders. So, bringing gifts for this occasion is a sign of respect, appreciation, and goodwill., what Qiao Yuan wanted to do most was to go up the mountain to pay respects to the original owner’s parents. Originally, he did not believe in ghosts and gods. However, since he inexplicably crossed over to this place, he couldn’t help but believe in it. Moreover, he is currently occupying the body of the original owner, so he should fulfill his filial duty for him.  

So, he asked Yu Dameng to take him to a store that sold wedding funeral supplies. He bought two large bags of gold ingots and a few sticks of high-quality incense. He thought that if a person suffered in the mortal world, they would suffer in the afterlife as well. This caused the shopkeeper to repeatedly praise him for being filial.  

Qiao Yuan: “……” 

In two days, it will be Zhao Gensheng’s big day. The family’s fine noodles and sugar are not enough, so they also bought half a bag of fine noodles and ten jin of brown sugar. Last time, Qiao Yuan promised to bring special buns to Zhao’s banquet, but it was actually flower buns. He learned to make them from his grandmother. From his original memories, he knew that at least there was no flower-shaped bread in Yunshui County.  

If you were skilled, you could make beautiful patterns on the flower buns, and he believed it would definitely catch people’s attention and make them like it at first sight. This is one of his plans to make money. He would charge different fees for different levels of complexity, and he wanted to make more money from the rich. 

So, he also bought two small combs to use for making flower-shaped bread. It was also here that Qiao Yuan discovered that toothbrushes existed in this era, and they cost one tael of silver! 

This strengthened his determination to make money as soon as possible and achieve financial freedom. He went to the county town and almost spent all the money he had earned in the past few days. Qiao Yuan felt heartbroken and couldn’t help but tremble.  

At this hour, there were many women in the village sitting under trees doing needlework. When those women saw Yu Dameng and Qiao Yuan from afar, they started greeting them, “Hey, is Yuan Ge’er feeling better? Where have you two been?”  

Qiao Yuan quickly greeted everyone and said, “I’m feeling better now. I went to town with Dameng to buy some things for my grandmother and to make up for the gift when I return home.”  

As he spoke, he took out the clothes he had bought for Qiao Wangshi from Yu Dameng’s basket. “Aunties, can you help me take a look? I’m not very good at picking women’s clothes. Is the color and workmanship good?”  

Today, he had to let the villagers know what kind of clothes he bought for Qiao Wangshi, so that Xu Xiuhua wouldn’t steal it and wear it herself. Of course, if she had no shame, there was nothing he could do. But he believed that his hypocritical, face-saving uncle would take care of her if she did. 

As soon as the women heard about the new clothes, they all crowded around. 

“This color suits your grandmother perfectly.”  

“This is still cotton, it feels really comfortable to touch, and it’s different from the hemp and mixed cotton that we wear.”  

“The stitches are really tight, and the style is well-cut.”  

“Yuan Ge’er, how much does this cost?”  

As soon as Qiao Yuan announced the price, several women felt that the clothes in their hands were no longer appealing. As experienced individuals, they began to impart their wisdom to the newlyweds, saying, “Young people just don’t know how to live frugally. You can always buy some fabric and have Aunt Liu from the east and Aunt Tang from the south sew them for you. They are both skilled at making clothes. It can save you a lot of money!”  

Qiao Yuan awkwardly touched his nose, thinking that just a few days ago he had just taught Yu Dameng a lesson for spending money recklessly, and now he had become the object of the same lesson. But he was quick-witted and immediately came up with an excuse, half-jokingly saying, “Isn’t it because my aunt couldn’t wait any longer?”  

The incident where Xu Xiuhua caused a ruckus at Yu’s doorstep a few days ago had been spread throughout the village. Upon hearing about it, several women who were present at the scene sighed and advised him, “Yuan Ge’er, you can’t keep acting recklessly and doing foolish things!”  

Although villagers may argue over trivial matters, the vast majority of conflicts arise from poverty and a tendency to be overly frugal. When it comes to major issues, they will ultimately soften their hearts.  

Qiao Yuan expected that he would spend his whole life in Xianhe Village, this small mountain village. With such honest and kind fellow villagers, there will be fewer troubles. Qiao Yuan accepted their kindness and politely bid farewell to several aunts and sisters-in-law before returning to Yu’s house with Yu Dameng to put away their things.  

Even when they had walked far away, they could still hear a few women discussing, “Yuan Ge’er is really filial.” 

“He is really enjoying good fortune after marrying into the Yu family, with such lavish spending at the first opportunity!”  

“Hey! They look quite compatible together!”  

…… 

The tobacco pouch for Old Man Yu was given to him when they were at the shop earlier. Qiao Yuan took out the other gifts one by one. Liu Ge’er held a chubby rabbit doll and a pretty hairband, spinning around Qiao Yuan and chattering happily about how much he liked these two gifts.  

Yu Shanwen remembered what he did with Shanwu before and felt a bit embarrassed to receive the gift. Qiao Yuan directly stuffed it into his arms. 

Yu Shanwen became even more ashamed and sincerely thanked Qiao Yuan, “Thank you, Brother Yuan.” 

Yu Shanwu just took the slingshot happily with a carefree attitude, hollering, “Brother Yuan, how did you know I’ve been wanting a slingshot for a long time? The ones I made myself always broke after a few shots, but this one is well-made! I love it!” 

Qiao Yuan looked like an experienced person and waved his hand, saying, “I don’t know you guys yet, but let me make it clear, don’t use this for bad things!”  

The two brothers repeatedly promised.  

When Lin Cuifen saw that she was given a piece of clothing, she immediately felt sorry and said, “I’m already so old, why do I need to wear such nice clothes? Keep the money and use it to buy things for yourself and Dameng!” 

Qiao Yuan hurriedly said, “Mom, why are you saying you’re old? You look very young to me! Besides, you’ve been worrying about me and Dameng so much lately, so we should show filial piety to you.” 

“You, oh you.” Lin Cuifen accepted it, feeling content. She thought that she had found the right husband for her silly son; he had a kind heart, was filial, and had a clear conscience and had eloquence… She couldn’t count all his virtues! 

Lin Cuifen urged Qiao Yuan and Yu Dameng to hurry up and take care of their business so they could come back in time for lunch. She estimated that Xu Xiuhua would not let them stay for a meal. Qiao Yuan packed four pieces of steamed buns and brought along clothes he bought for Qiao Wangshi and items for worshiping his biological parents, then went up the mountain with Yu Dameng.  

Based on his original body’s memory, he easily found the graves of his parents. Yu Dameng and he paid their respects. Qiao Yuan found an excuse to send Yu Dameng to pick wild fruits, leaving him alone to speak to the grave.  

“I’m sorry to you two elders, I don’t know how I ended up here and became Yuan Ge’er. Don’t worry, I will live well as Yuan Ge’er and take care of Grandma.”  

“Yuan Ge’er, I don’t know if you have reunited with your father, mother, and younger brother now. When I earn money, I will do more good deeds to help you accumulate merit and wish you a smooth and peaceful life in your next life.”  

“If you have any unfulfilled wishes, entrust them to me in my dreams, and I will do my best to help you achieve them.”  

Qiao Yuan burned the sacrificial items he had bought one by one. When he got up to leave, the willow tree by the grave swayed slightly, as if responding to something gently, following the law of fate.  

On the way down the mountain, Yu Dameng stole a few glances at Qiao Yuan, wanting to speak but hesitating. 

Qiao Yuan couldn’t stand being looked at by him, so she glared at him, “Just say what you want to say!”  

Yu Dameng was dumbfounded at first, then said, “I want to say that from now on, my home is your home.” 

After saying that, afraid of causing a misunderstanding, he quickly added, “Even if you don’t become my husband, it still counts!” 

At first, Qiao Yuan was quite moved, but as soon as he heard these words, he became instantly angry and broke free from Yu Dameng’s hand, saying stubbornly, “Fine! Then don’t hold my hand anymore in the future!”  

After speaking, without waiting for Yu Dameng, he walked away angrily on his own.  

Yu Dameng hurried to catch up from behind and loudly reminded him, “Be careful, don’t fall!” 

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!