Chapter 47
When Huo Shu came down from the mountain, he saw the second son of the Zhou family carrying a basket of pond shrimp, chasing after Ji Taoyu to give it to him.
Despite several refusals, the man kept shoving the basket toward him.
"These were just caught from our pond yesterday. Take them home to eat."
Seeing Zhou Zheng’s persistence and unable to refuse, Ji Taoyu hurriedly reached for his purse. "Thank you, Brother Zhou. How much do I owe you?"
Zhou Zheng refused the money. "We’re neighbors from nearby villages. Why bother with payment? Just take them home."
"That wouldn’t be right. Managing ponds and raising fish and shrimp isn’t easy. How can I take them for free?"
"No need to be polite. I own several ponds, giving away some shrimp is well within my authority."
Faced with Zhou Zheng’s insistence, Ji Taoyu was at a loss for how to respond.
Just then, a hand suddenly reached over from above, snatched the basket from Zhou Zheng’s grip, and tossed a piece of broken silver in return.
Zhou Zheng instinctively caught the thrown silver. At the same time, Huo Shu’s cold voice rang out: "We have matters to attend to. We’re heading back."
Without waiting for Zhou Zheng’s reaction, Huo Shu pulled Ji Taoyu away by the hand.
By the time Zhou Zheng came to his senses, the two were already leaving. He opened his mouth, but seeing Huo Shu’s tall, imposing figure and Ji Taoyu being led away, he could only swallow his words.
"How much did you give him?"
With one hand still held firmly by Huo Shu, Ji Taoyu used the other to weigh the shrimp basket.
Huo Shu glanced down at the bent-backed figure shaking the basket and remarked, "You’re quite frugal."
Ji Taoyu looked up. "You’re quite generous."
"At most, two or three qian."
[1 tael = 10 qian]
Shrimp wasn’t cheap to begin with, and this batch weighed about four or five catties—roughly the right price.
He added, "I wouldn’t call myself generous. But that fishpond owner certainly is, giving things away so freely."
Ji Taoyu straightened up. Studying Huo Shu’s expressionless face yet sharp tone, he raised an eyebrow. "Are you angry?"
"If he had any real capability, he wouldn’t be doing useless things like this after someone’s already married."
Huo Shu replied, "Why should I be bothered?"
Ji Taoyu blinked. He was clear-headed about it—too clear-headed, in fact, making the whole thing feel rather dull.
"If you’re not angry, why are you gripping my hand so hard it hurts?"
Huo Shu lowered his gaze to their joined hands. Indeed, his grip was too tight.
He loosened it slightly but didn’t let go. "I was practicing punches earlier. Didn’t realize my strength."
A faint smile flickered in Ji Taoyu’s eyes, but he didn’t press further. Instead, he changed the subject. "How did the discussion with Brother Ge go?"
"I checked their training progress. We’ll plan the route another day."
Most of the lessons were about using spears and blades. Since it was self-defense training, everyone practiced diligently.
The results were better than Huo Shu had expected. He even taught them a set of fist techniques to practice in the mornings for strengthening the body.
After all that, there was no time left to discuss the route.
Ji Taoyu nodded.
By the time they returned, it was already late. Seeing his mother cutting cloth to make clothes, Ji Taoyu rolled up his sleeves and started cooking.
After the Lantern Festival, the villagers gradually settled back into their routines, leaving the festive bustle behind.
In the blink of an eye, it was the end of the month. This year, spring seemed to arrive early, with clear skies day after day.
Ji Yangzong had already begun visiting villagers to ask about their farming plans, how much land they intended to plant and whether the men would stay to farm or seek work elsewhere.
During the winter, snowfall had damaged trees and bamboo in the mountains, breaking many branches. Daniu made several trips up the mountain to gather firewood.
"Huo Shu, come here and see if the shoulders on this robe are too narrow."
Ji Taoyu, who had just finished washing rice and was about to clean the shrimp, poked his head out the kitchen window upon hearing his mother’s voice.
He saw her holding a measuring tape, ready to take Huo Shu’s shoulder measurements.
"When you’re out and about, you’ll need room to move. If the shoulders are too tight, it’ll be uncomfortable. Your godmother said the clothes she made for you were a bit snug."
"I have clothes to wear. There’s no need to make more, Mother."
Huang Manjing insisted, "I know you don’t care much for clothes, but you’re going on a long journey. You’ll need at least two sets to change into. Who knows if your clothes might get damaged along the way? Even if you can buy more on the road, why waste money when we can make them ourselves?"
Huo Shu acquiesced.
After taking his measurements, Huang Manjing smiled. "That should do it. Go on, then."
She returned to the house and soon entered the kitchen.
"How should we prepare the shrimp? Braised or boiled?"
She rolled up her sleeves, ready to help.
"There’s plenty of shrimp today, enough for both braised and boiled. Boiled is simple, so we’ll save some for that. Father likes braised, so we’ll make a plate of that too."
Huang Manjing agreed, inspecting the large shrimp in the basin. "The shrimp from Hongli Village are always so well-raised."
"If the weather stays good, we could salt and dry some to seal and pack. Huo Shu could take them on the road."
Mentioning this, Huang Manjing suddenly remembered something and fetched a large bamboo chest.
"Look, these are all dried vegetables from last year. They’re light and keep well, perfect for long journeys."
Ji Taoyu examined the chest, filled with an assortment of dried vegetables: radishes, cabbage, bamboo shoots, daylilies, glass noodles… Produce from different seasons all gathered together, rustling dryly when touched.
"Such a big chest should last them a while. Before they leave, I’ll make some flatbread. I’ve already asked your father to buy more pork if he finds any suitable. I’ll cure and dry it so they can take it with them."
Seeing his mother already preparing supplies for Huo Shu’s journey north, Ji Taoyu felt an indescribable weight in his heart.
Lately, he’d been preoccupied with inventory and finances, barely sparing a thought for Huo Shu’s impending departure.
Now, faced with the large chest of dried vegetables, it finally hit him that Huo Shu would soon be gone for at least half a year.
With all these supplies prepared, he wondered if Huo Shu would even know how to cook them. Given his culinary skills - limited to boiling eggs, Ji Taoyu’s heart grew heavy.
That night, Ji Taoyu cleared out several chests to start packing for Huo Shu’s trip. It wouldn’t do to rush at the last minute and forget things.
When Huo Shu returned to the room after discussing livestock purchases for transporting goods with Ji Yangzong, he found the place in disarray, crowded with large chests and barely any space to move.
Ji Taoyu was folding lightweight summer clothes into the bottom of a chest, his face tense with obvious displeasure. He hadn’t eaten much of the shrimp at dinner either.
When Ji Yangzong and Huang Manjing asked, he claimed he’d eaten too much treats in town and wasn’t hungry.
His parents might not have noticed, but Huo Shu certainly had.
Stepping over the clutter, Huo Shu said, "Just pack a couple of changes of clothes. No need for too many."
"Even if it’s just a few, they should be enough. You can’t just ignore cleanliness when you’re away."
Ji Taoyu stuffed a pair of large underpants into the chest. "This is a business trip, not a security escort."
"Who upset you?"
"No one."
Ji Taoyu replied, "What a pointless question."
"Then why skip dinner and sulk?"
Ji Taoyu pressed his lips together, turning away to fetch a cloak and avoiding Huo Shu’s scrutinizing gaze.
"I-I was just thinking about what happened in Hongli Village today."
"Zhou Zheng?"
Ji Taoyu shot Huo Shu a look.
"I meant that family that caused a scene earlier."
Thank you for the update!!!
ReplyDelete