CH 51

Lin Cuifen quickly found a suitable puppy in the village from a household surnamed Liu at the southern end of the village. They raised a large yellow dog that had given birth to a litter of five puppies just before the New Year. The puppies had just weaned and were ready to be taken to the market for sale.

When they visited, Qiao Yuan and Yu Dameng brought snacks and money, but the family refused to accept the payment. They insisted that Qiao Yuan had already done enough for the village, and if they asked him for money for a puppy, they would be seen as ungrateful.

Qiao Yuan did not want to morally manipulate the people in the village over the matter of building a school. After taking away the puppy, he gave the family a chicken and expressed gratitude.

The little puppy seemed to be a mix of a yellow and a black dog, with predominantly black fur with hints of yellow. It looked a bit messy and chubby and walked with a wobbly gait.

As expected, Qiao Wangshi loved it as soon as she saw it.

Qiao Yuan took the opportunity to encourage, “Grandma, why don’t you give it a name!”

Qiao Wangshi touched the smooth and soft fur of the puppy and thought for a moment before saying, “Let’s call it Meiqiu1Means coal briquette/coal ball. Not sure how to translate that in a cute way to fit a puppy so I’m keeping it as is.!”

Qiao Yuan couldn’t help laughing. The name was quite appropriate. Wasn’t it black all over and round like a ball?!

With the addition of the puppy to the household, Liu Ge’er and the twins visited almost three times every day, bringing joy and laughter to the family. Qiao Wangshi also seemed much happier.

On the eighth day of the year, Qiao Yuan received letters from Pei Yin and Chu Li.

Pei Yin’s letter mentioned the success of the method Qiao Yuan had informed him about, using manure to warm the soil. After harvesting and selling the vegetables and flowers, the profits would be shared with Qiao Yuan. The hot pot business in Shengjing and other prefectural cities had also taken off, earning a considerable amount of money. The first sum of money had been converted into cotton clothes and sent to the northwest, where the military expressed gratitude for his generosity.

Chu Li’s letter was more interesting. He first ferociously complained to Qiao Yuan about his childhood friend, the general, for being shameless.

In the middle, he gleefully recounted how Wen Jingnian was fiercely beaten by Pei You, who had returned to the capital. Currently, he couldn’t get out of bed.

Finally, Chu Li got to the main point. The snack shop in Shengjing had become famous, and because it carried his name, no one dared to make trouble. They made a lot of money and enclosed a thousand silver tickets as a New Year’s gift.

Qiao Yuan burst out laughing, “He’s really interesting.”

Chu Li came from a noble background and was involved in court affairs. When Qiao Yuan learned of his status, he had no intention of becoming close to him. However, Chu Li’s exceptionally warm demeanor and soft personality made it difficult for Qiao Yuan to be firm and distant.

With the addition of this one thousand two hundred taels to the money they had earned recently, Qiao Yuan exclaimed, “We have one thousand and seven hundred taels now!”

After the excitement subsided, Qiao Yuan began planning how to spend this money. “Once spring arrives and it warms up, the most urgent matter is to build a house.”

Although he and Yu Dameng made this small courtyard quite cozy, there is still a big difference compared to his dream house!

“Then we need to customize a new set of furniture.” Qiao Yuan thought for a moment and added, “We’ll design it ourselves.”

Sofas, sliding cabinets, green brick floors – arrange everything!

“We also need to buy a house in the county town.” This was not only for investment but also convenient for their children’s future education.

“We should buy more land as well,” he added. This would allow them to grow crops and plant some fruits he loved!

Qiao Yuan blissfully envisioned a peaceful and beautiful countryside life with Yu Dameng in the future. Overwhelmed with joy, he pounced and pinned Yu Dameng, showing off his prowess, “Quick! Let’s have a baby!”

……

Qiao Yuan took two hundred taels of silver to show filial respect to Old Man Yu and Lin Cuifen, but they refused to accept it no matter what.

Nowadays, the iron shop could earn twice as much silver as it did a year ago. Lin Cuifen occasionally made and sold steamed cakes at home to supplement the family income. Qiao Yuan provided enough financial support for them regularly to show filial piety, and they did not want to accept any more money.

After several attempts to persuade Qiao Yuan, he discussed with Yu Dameng that they should give up their share of the profits from the iron shop this year so that their parents could save more money.

On the tenth day of the new year, Yu Qiao Ji and Shi Li Xiang resumed operations. Qiao Yuan prepared red envelopes for the employees, each containing sixty-six wen. It wasn’t much, but it added to the festive atmosphere.

Qiao Yuan expected that households would have stocked up on delicious food during the New Year, and the first day of business might not see much activity. To his surprise, both Yu Qiao Ji and Shi Li Xiang were packed with customers.

Some old customers even commented, “Your shops opened too late; I’ve been craving your food for a while.”

To show appreciation, Qiao Yuan gave them a twenty percent discount.

On the fifteenth day, the Lantern Festival, Qiao Yuan set up a porridge stall at the Anji Hospital in the city to pray for the blessings of his deceased parents and donated two hundred taels of silver to the hospital.

This act earned him a good reputation, and as a result, both Yu Qiao Ji and the Yu family’s iron shop business thrived even more.

After the porridge distribution, Qiao Yuan and Yu Dameng strolled through the Lantern Festival.

The Lantern Festival was a rare day without a curfew, and after a quiet winter, everyone wanted to join the lively atmosphere in the county town.

Observing the streets, couples either walked with their children, the husband by the wife’s side, or the husband carrying the child with the wife or husband by their side. Only Qiao Yuan and Yu Dameng openly held hands, undeterred by the crowd.

Yu Dameng felt slightly embarrassed, but he held his little husband’s hand tightly. With the large crowd, they didn’t want to risk getting separated.

Qiao Yuan was very excited. He had only seen this kind of ancient and lively Lantern Festival in TV dramas before, but now he was experiencing it firsthand with his loved one by his side. Life is so enjoyable!

Firecrackers and fireworks echoed, and the street lanterns displayed a dazzling array of colors, some of which Qiao Yuan couldn’t even name. There were even large lantern trees and towers. There was the sound of music everywhere, and every few steps, one could see singing girls dancing, wearing flower crowns and colorful attire. Qiao Yuan was enjoying the scene when Yu Dameng pulled him away with a dark expression on his face.

“What are you doing?” Qiao Yuan was not very happy. He hadn’t finished enjoying it yet!

Yu Dameng carried a sullen expression and said in a muffled voice, “What’s there to see?”

“Really?” Qiao Yuan almost doubted Yu Dameng’s taste in beauty. Weren’t the graceful and charming young ladies dancing a beautiful sight?

But then he thought for a moment, a smile appeared on his face, naughty and playful. “Are you jealous?”

Yu Dameng answered immediately in a rough and coarse voice, “No.”

But the eyes darted elsewhere.

Qiao Yuan’s smile widened even further as he pounced into Yu Dameng’s arms teasingly, “You are, you are, you totally are!”

Yu Dameng, with reddened ears, huffed and held his little husband tightly.

He thought, ‘My husband belongs to me, and it’s best if no one else looks at him.’

Afterward, Qiao Yuan finally stopped being engrossed in admiring the dance performances of the young ladies. Instead, he led Yu Dameng to wander around and play various games—ring-tossing, pitching, archery, and lantern riddles. Qiao Yuan tried them all, and though the effort and rewards were not directly proportional, the joy was certainly worth it!

Around midnight, Qiao Yuan ran out of energy, and Yu Dameng piggybacked him home.

They would stay overnight in the courtyard they had rented in the county town, which wasn’t too far away.

Before this, the atmosphere was really joyful. Qiao Yuan’s excitement had not yet subsided. He leaned on Yu Dameng’s back, not very obedient, and played with Yu Dameng’s ears with both hands. He also blew air into his ears occasionally, calling him by different names, “My lord, dear husband, sir.”

Yu Dameng finally couldn’t take it anymore. In a deserted alley, he set Qiao Yuan down and gave him a severe punishment.

Qiao Yuan’s body went limp as he was carried out by Yu Dameng, no longer having the energy to fool around.

On the twentieth day of the first lunar month, Yu Laoda set off for the capital city. This time, he was heading straight for the spring imperial examination. Meng Qiu was pregnant and stayed home to be cared for by Lin Cuifen instead of going with him.

Curious, Qiao Yuan asked, “Then what about Scholar Zhang? Why is he still at home?”

He heard he would be marrying Qiao Yingying in a few days.

Meng Qiu explained, “Your elder brother has been delaying taking the imperial examinations due to mourning, and this time, he will participate in both the spring and autumn examinations. That Scholar Zhang is probably only aiming for the title of ‘xiucai,’ so the academy requirements are different.”

Qiao Yuan nodded, secretly cursing for Zhang Wensheng to fail even getting xiucai.

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