Chapter 201
While being held by Fang Zichen and tumbling into the quilt, Zhao Ger was still worried, afraid that Guaizai would act up at night without him. Seeing his distracted state, Fang Zichen grew unhappy.
At such an exhilarating and thrilling moment, what was this Ger thinking about?
His displeasure was written all over his face. Zhao Ger propped himself up with one hand on Fang Zichen’s chest while the other gently stroked his cheek.
"What are you thinking about?" Fang Zichen asked sullenly.
Zhao Ger answered honestly: "I'm afraid the child will fuss in the middle of the night."
"Fuss my foot. Right now, he's enjoying the company of two people at once, probably at the peak of his little life, likely to be happy and forget to return," Fang Zichen said.
"Nonsense. He's only three years old, what does he understand?" Zhao Ger wrapped his arms around Fang Zichen's neck, pulled him closer with a little force, and tilted his head up to kiss him.
It wasn't just Fang Zichen who wanted it; he longed for it too.
Fang Zichen's scorching chest pressed against Zhao Ger's protruding shoulder blades as he kissed him tenderly, his searing lips traversing inch by inch from the corner of his mouth. Zhao Ger's originally slender waist became taut and pliant as a willow branch when he leaned forward, truly seeming too slim to encircle.
Fang Zichen took Zhao Ger's earlobe, flushed a deep crimson, into his mouth. His voice, low and rough, whispered directly into that sensitive ear.
"Zhao Ger, I want you!"
Though he knew Zhao Ger wouldn't refuse, he still asked while restraining his desire at the height of passion. Only after receiving Zhao Ger's consent would he proceed to the next step.
He respected him, even on the bed, even when on the verge of being engulfed by desire—this respect, he still gave to him.
Zhao Ger clung tightly to Fang Zichen's shoulders, gazing into those eyes so close to his own, the smile in his eyes gradually growing radiant.
The two of them were wild all night long.
As the storm of passion began to calm, a knock sounded at the door. Yang Mingyi had brought Guaizai back again.
Guaizai’s eyes were completely red. Zhao Ger hadn't fully recovered yet, his face still showing clear signs of lingering desire. Fang Zichen went to open the door, and the moment he saw him, Guaizai threw himself into his arms. He said he was too small and didn't have enough yang energy to protect two gers, asking Fang Zichen to go instead; he would protect his daddy.
Fang Zichen wished he could give the boy a good scolding.
Zhao Ger had just finished tidying the bed when Guaizai squeezed into his embrace, clutching his clothes tightly with both hands, and only then closed his eyes again.
Zuixiao Restaurant closed early, but their own shop remained open.
It wasn't until the 28th day of the lunar month that Zhao Ger finally closed the shop.
Zhao Ger set aside three roasted ducks for Lin Xiaoxia and his family. Although food and drink had already been purchased for the shop, thinking they might go out for leisure during the festival, he gave them several hundred copper coins to keep for spending. He also gave Zhou Ger two hundred copper coins.
For the women and fulang who helped at home, Zhao Ger gave each of them two jin of meat along with a bottle of chili sauce.
Since they hadn't been working there long, what they received wasn't as much as what Zhou Ger got, but it was still a decent New Year's gift.
The chili sauce sold for a high price—one hundred copper coins for a small jar. Though none in the village had ever tried it, seeing how well it sold at Zhao Ger’s shop, they had long wanted to try it. Now, carrying a jar home and lifting the lid, a rich, pungent aroma burst forth—spicy and sharp, a fragrance they had never smelled before.
"My goodness!" Seeing the pale yellow rapeseed oil floating on top, Uncle Liu swallowed his saliva. Something bought with silver, even if given as a gift, was treated frugally by villagers. This chili sauce wasn't plentiful; the folks in town who bought it could finish it off in just a few days. When Zhao Ger gave it, he had said that if they wanted it to last longer, they should avoid getting any water in it. Uncle Liu remembered this and tasted a bit with a clean chopstick.
He Daleng asked eagerly, "How does it taste?"
Uncle Liu, who was illiterate, couldn't come up with any fancy words. He smacked his lips and finally managed only one sentence: "It's delicious."
He Daleng scooped a little himself to taste. After a while, he sighed, "This flavor is so fragrant, no wonder it sells so well. That Zhao Ger really has a clever mind—to think he could turn the chilies from the field into something like this."
"With so much oil, it doesn't taste too spicy. He must have added sugar," Uncle Liu remarked. "No wonder it's sold at such a high price."
The families who received the chili sauce were overjoyed. Though it was just a small jar, it was worth a hundred copper coins! Getting over ten days' wages for free—who wouldn't be happy? That evening, they sliced some meat to stir-fry with it, and as they ate, they couldn't help but praise Zhao Ger for his generosity.
Though the villagers could be a bit gossipy, they weren't truly malicious. Having received a benefit, they naturally thought about working a bit harder for Zhao Ger in the future.
Early in the morning, just as the sky was lighting up, Wang Damei came knocking. She asked Zhao Ger and Fang Zichen to bring the children over to help with the pig slaughtering.
Normally, slaughtering pigs was a butcher's job, but the only butcher in the village, Liu Gouzi, said he had accidentally injured his hand while chopping wood and couldn't do it. Any families needing to slaughter a pig would have to find someone to do it themselves.
Fulang and children certainly couldn't handle such work. Wang Damei calling them over was just to have them watch the excitement and socialize more.
It was still early, and the children hadn't gotten up yet. Outside was chilly. Under normal circumstances, everyone would definitely not get up so quickly. But Yang Mingyi had never seen a pig slaughtered before. Wang Damei's voice was as loud as a gong and drum. Upon hearing it, Yang Mingyi shook Xiao Feng awake, saying, "Get up, we're going to see the pig slaughtering."
Wang Damei called on several other families. On the way back, someone asked: "Did you also go call for Young Fang?"
"I did, but when I went, they hadn't gotten up yet. They'll probably come a bit later."
"Will he even come?!" someone muttered.
Slaughtering pigs wasn't just a matter of strength; it was also dirty work. Usually, people weren't too willing to do it, let alone a scholar.
Wang Damei was well aware of what everyone was thinking. If it were someone like Scholar Wang from Xiaorong Village, she would never dare to ask him.
First, even if asked, he wouldn't come. Second, he would likely feel insulted by the request.
How could an elegant, refined, and lofty scholar demean himself by doing a butcher's work?
But Fang Zichen was different. He was willing to do all sorts of work. Though he looked and carried himself like a young master from a wealthy family, he was extremely approachable.
Before, when Zhao Ger was with him, people had often whispered, saying he had no money, not even a plot of land, and being from a young master background, he probably couldn't do anything, and in the end, Zhao Ger would have to serve him. But as it turned out, while he indeed wasn't very skilled at manual labor, he was willing to learn and work. He helped the Zhou family harvest corn, helped Zhao Ger with laundry, and even carried heavy sacks when outside—truly remarkable, and so diligent.
The diligent someone, however, was currently lounging in bed. It took Zhao Ger the strength of nine bulls and two tigers to finally drag him out from under the quilt.
Fang Zichen furrowed his brows, very displeased: "Asking me to slaughter a pig? Do I look like someone who knows how to slaughter a pig? No, no, I'm going back to sleep." It was so cold outside; wasn't staying under the quilt much nicer?
"But Aunt Wang came to invite us, and I already said yes." Zhao Ger let go of his hand and began to deal with him, his tone softening: "Well, if you really don't want to go, then don't. It's bitterly cold outside anyway. I'd worry if you caught a chill."
Because of what happened with Aunt He last time, things had become a little awkward between their family and the village chief's family. Even though Zhao Ger had told Wang Damei it was all right, the village chief and Old Man He surely still felt uneasy about it. Now that they had come to invite him personally, if he didn’t go, they would only worry and dwell on it more.
He got up by himself and put on his clothes: "I heard their pig has been raised for almost a year, so it's probably quite big. A few years ago, I heard Uncle Second Uncle He went to help slaughter a pig and got kicked in the kneecap by the pig, and was directly crippled. I don't know how to handle the knife, but I can help hold it down. I hope nothing happens."
As soon as he finished speaking, Fang Zichen sprang up like a carp leaping.
Zhao Ger pursed his lips, suppressing a laugh.
"Don't get up, sleep a bit more."
Fang Zichen silently looked at him, feeling that Zhao Ger must have just taken a sip of green tea: "After you deliberately said all that, do you think I can still sleep? With your slight build, if someone gets kicked, they might become lame, but you'd probably end up lying on the board."
[绿茶 (lǜchá): lit. green tea; fig. a person, typically a woman, who appears innocent and wholesome but is secretly manipulative and scheming]
Zhao Ger laughed and threw the cotton-padded jacket at him: "Then hurry up and get up."
After washing up, dressing, and some more delay, by the time Zhao Ger led the three children and Fang Zichen over, the pig had already been driven out.
In the village, not many families could afford to slaughter a pig for New Year's, only relatively well-off families like the village chief's and He Daleng's could manage it.
Of course, once the pig was slaughtered, they wouldn't keep all the meat for themselves—most of it would be sold. Though villagers rarely ate meat, when the New Year came around, everyone would buy a little for the celebration.
Going to town was inconvenient, so when someone in the village raised a pig, they would place orders with them.
The village price was also cheaper than in town.
The village chief had set up a large pot in the yard; the stove was temporarily built, with a long bench beside it. The kitchen was small, making it inconvenient to slaughter inside.
The pig was now running wildly around the yard. Its limbs were pitch black, with only a bit of white along its spine, and its body was filthy. How were they supposed to handle this?!
Fang Zichen felt at a loss just looking at it.
The pig was wild and unruly. Now chased by eight young men, it didn't back down but instead charged at them, sending everyone scattering.
Guaizai, Yang Mingyi, and the other children watched from outside the yard, giggling, finding it all great fun.
While the men slaughtered the pig, the fulangs and women went to pick and wash vegetables. Zhao Ger went to help. Fang Zichen stood in the yard, reaching out his hand to touch the pig but then pulling it back.
After just one round with the pig, He Xi was knocked to the ground by a charge.
Fang Zichen shook his head: This guy really isn't up to the task, he's only suited for washing out pig intestines.
Several other young men finally managed to catch up, but they couldn't pin it down. Inexperienced and flustered, they grabbed and pulled randomly, then ended up in a chaotic, dog-piling embrace, as if trying to smother the pig with sheer numbers. Unfortunately, this two-hundred-something-jin pig was not to be underestimated either. Watching them get kicked and sent sprawling by the pig, Fang Zichen couldn’t help but find it amusing.
The courtyard gate was wide open. Apparently not expecting the pig to be so wild or to run, in a moment of carelessness, the pig dashed outside. Just as Fang Zichen rushed out after it, he saw his three children—too slow to get out of the way—get bowled over by the charging pig and tumble down the roadside.
"Aiya..."
Dressed thickly, Guaizai rolled like a ball, tumbling far away.
Fang Zichen feared he would cry and was about to jump down to pick him up. To his surprise, after struggling to his feet, the boy burst into hearty laughter, shouting, "That was so fun!"
Fang Zichen: "......"
Yang Mingyi patted his clothes and climbed back up from the ditch. with Xiao Feng.
"Young Fang, hurry, the pig is getting away!" the village chief shouted.
Fang Zichen could no longer mind the children. He chased after the pig, gritted his teeth, and seized one of its hind legs. His grip was strong; no matter how the pig thrashed and kicked, he refused to let go. Relying on his own strength, he managed to subdue the frenzied pig. By then, the other young men had caught up. With everyone pulling together, they hauled the pig back into the yard and pinned it firmly onto the long bench. He Xi brought over a long knife. The pig seemed to sense what was coming and let out a series of frantic squeals, struggling wildly. Fortunately, with so many young men, their combined weight was nearly a thousand jin—they finally subdued this two-hundred-something-jin "dish" through sheer weight advantage.
When its throat was cut, the blood truly spurted three meters far. Wang Damei brought a large basin to catch it, steaming with heat and bubbles. Fang Zichen had experience killing ducks, but thinking the children were still young and the scene too bloody, he wanted them to go play outside first. But when he glanced over, he saw Guaizai covering his eyes, while Yang Mingyi crouched nearby, watching without blinking.
This little ger...
Fang Zichen had a vague feeling that lately, Yang Mingyi was acting a bit out of character.
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