Huo Shu wondered if he was really going to idle around at his father-in-law’s house right after getting married.
"Brother Huo!"
A shout suddenly snapped Huo Shu out of his thoughts. He turned his head and saw Ge Liang.
"Out and about so soon after getting married?"
Huo Shu ignored Ge Liang’s teasing and noticed two or three other men with him.
"What brings you here?"
"I heard a wealthy man in the city is building a tavern and hiring workers. I brought a few lads from the village to apply, but turns out the notice was posted just the day before yesterday, and they’d already filled all the spots by yesterday."
Ge Liang sighed: "Taxes have gone up this year. There are too many people looking for work and too few jobs. Wages are lower than ever, yet folks are still scrambling for them. It’s all because there are too many workers and too few jobs."
Huo Shu glanced at the men with Ge Liang, their sleeves were patched, their faces darkened with dust and weariness from failing to find work.
When he was young, his family had also scraped by on a few meager acres of land. He knew how hard life could be under layers of exploitation.
"What about the docks?"
Ge Liang shook his head: "Those ships come with their own strong laborers. They hardly ever hire outsiders."
"If we can’t find any odd jobs by year’s end, we won’t have time to come out again next spring. Stuck in the fields for half a year with nothing else coming in, and with taxes the way they are, life’s going to be tough."
Hearing how dire the situation was, Huo Shu didn’t mention that he had just lost his own job.
"Keep looking."
"Yeah."
Ge Liang nodded. "Let’s grab a drink some other day. We’ll keep wandering around for now to see if there’s any work to be found."
On his way back, Huo Shu spotted a street vendor selling sugar-roasted chestnuts and bought a bag.
It had started drizzling by the time he returned. Urging his horse forward, he reached the gates of the Ji family residence and saw a figure pacing anxiously under the eaves.
"You’re back! Did you get caught in the rain?"
Ji Taoyu, spotting the man leading the horse inside, happily ran over.
Huo Shu quickly pulled him back under the eaves: "It’s fine. The rain wasn’t heavy."
He then unfastened his cloak and took out the chestnuts he had tucked inside his robe.
Ji Taoyu accepted the still-warm chestnuts, his eyes sparkling. But when he noticed the sugar frost on Huo Shu’s hair and the faint redness on his tall, wind-bitten nose, he tucked the chestnuts into the herb pouch at his side and stretched out his arms to press his warmed hands against Huo Shu’s cheeks.
Huo Shu’s brow relaxed: "I’m not cold."
The two walked inside together.
Ji Yangzong, seeing Ji Taoyu holding an overlong cloak in one hand and the bag of chestnuts in the other, remarked, "You’re back."
Ji Taoyu turned to Huo Shu: "I’ll take the cloak to dry."
"Did your master say anything?"
Huo Shu answered bluntly: "He told me to find another trade."
He briefly recounted the day’s events.
Ji Yangzong slammed the table upon hearing it: "That Lao Qiao, big in stature but petty in heart! Even if you couldn’t become family, you’re still fellow villagers! How unreasonable!"
"Well, if Master Qiao has found a new son-in-law, that’s a good thing for him."
Ji Yangzong frowned. Though Huo Shu had learned most of the butchering trade and could theoretically set up his own shop, starting halfway like this without a master’s connections meant no one would trust him as a proper butcher. Work would still go to the established names.
"Butchering isn’t some grand trade anyway. Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye out for other work. Let’s just focus on getting through the New Year first."
Even as he said this, Ji Yangzong couldn’t help but fret. As the village head, he knew exactly how tough it was to find a job.
They could always fall back on farming, and Huo Shu was strong and capable. But to see such a man buried in the fields, earning barely anything all year, felt like a waste.
Huo Shu gave a noncommittal response.
"If there’s no work, you might as well just peel chestnuts for me. I’ll pay you wages."
Ji Taoyu, watching Huo Shu sit and mechanically peel chestnuts after talking with his father, could tell his mind was elsewhere. His expression was unusually solemn.
Worried that Huo Shu was upset about the incident with Butcher Qiao, he tried to lighten the mood.
"Daily pay, no delays, I promise."
"How much money do you even have to pay me?"
Huo Shu raised an eyebrow at the munching young ger.
"Aside from my own savings, Great-Grandma gave me some money after the wedding. Mother and Father did too."
Ji Taoyu counted on his fingers: "Plus, my husband gave me quite a bit. It’s more than enough. So don’t worry—for now, at least, I can afford it. Just focus on your work."
Huo Shu couldn’t help but smile, his gaze softening.
Seeing this, Ji Taoyu moved behind Huo Shu and began kneading his shoulders, hoping to be a considerate little quilt to ease his hardworking husband’s muscles after a long day.
But some people’s shoulders were just incredibly sturdy, all sinew and muscle. His hands ached after just a few presses.
"Worst case, I can always see patients or make ointments to sell to peddlers. We’ll manage somehow. You—"
Before he could finish, his waist was seized, and suddenly he was pulled into Huo Shu’s lap.
Staring at Huo Shu’s stubbled jaw, his heart raced uncontrollably.
He blinked, not yet processing what was happening, when that stubble scraped against his chin, then his cheek.
Ji Taoyu’s face flushed crimson, his breath quickening. Though seated securely in Huo Shu’s arms, he still clutched at his sleeves, as if needing something to hold onto.
thank you for the update!!!!
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