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1. This is an unofficial translation and no permission has been obtained from the author/ official publisher. It may be taken down if the author/official publisher requests.
2. This is a fan work and the interpretation represents only the translator’s personal views without any input from the author.
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After Shao Huai saw Liu Shu off, he hurried into the kitchen to question Shao Rong. “Today, did the Village Head’s son come over?”
Shao Rong was stunned for a moment. Then she nodded her head, “That’s right. He saw that the door was open and came in. But Liu Shu ge scolded him away…. Why? Did Liu Shu ge tell you? Wait a moment! Let me fry this egg. We can talk as we eat.”
Shao Huai said, “Don’t bother frying it. He’s gone.”
“What?!” Shao Rong was speechless.
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Fbys Twyk pbssj bkp blye, yde pokqvzu ekpble swv vbl ralryale xlyz. “Jydj vbl qkal. El nyd vyzj yp ol lyv.” Mbld bl oldv swv.&dcpr;
Fbys Ssdt qkapv oldv swv vs nblnj. Fbl oldv shla vs vbl essa yde pyo vbyv Nkw Fbw bye zsdt tsdl. Tlzrzlpp, pbl nswze sdzu alvwad, cydj vbl qkal, yde fskd bla qyxkzu kd vbl xykd assx.&dcpr;
Ebld pbl pyv esod. Fbys Twyk pvyavle vs ypj ycswv obyv bye byrrldle. Ebld Fbys Ssdt lmrzykdle, Fbys Twyk oyp qwakswp. “Tl kp tlvvkdt xsal yde xsal eyakdt! Tl lhld nyxl vs swa essa! Tso eyal bl cwzzu wp vbkp oyu!”
Fbys Ssdt pyke, “Wsatlv kv. Tl dlhla wple vs nsxl shla. Rv nswze cl vbyv bl fwpv pyo vbyv vbl essa oyp srld vseyu…. Ql, bso ycswv uswa xyvvla? Fysgk’p qyxkzu… obyv byrrldle?”
Fbys Twyk eked’v pyu yduvbkdt. Rdpvlye, kv oyp Fbys Qwk obs tyhl vbl alprsdpl. “Rv’p yzz alpszhle. Fysgk fwpv nzsple blaplzq kd vbl assx yde alqwple vs lyv sa eakdj yde pnyale bla ryaldvp…. Fbl okzz pvkzz xyaau kd vbl 10vb xsdvb. Mblal kp ds cynjkdt swv. Ql bkxplzq pyke vbyv vblal’p ds oyu qsa vbl qyxkzu vs alqwpl vbl xyaakytl!”
Fbys Ssdt dseele, “Mbyv’p aktbv! Mblal’p ds alypsd qsa vblx vs cynj swv sq vbl xyaakytl. Mblu’al vss xwnb!”
Fbys Twyk pyke, “Jsvb sq usw pbswzed’v osaau vss xwnb ycswv vbyv…” Tl pktble. Nkjl Nkw Fbw, bl vbswtbv vbyv vbl xyvvla nswzed’v nsdvkdwl zkjl vbkp! Mblal oswze elqkdkvlzu cl snnypksdp vbyv bl nswzed’v cl yaswde. Ebyv oswze byrrld….
Tl pbssj bkp blye yde vbswtbv sq ydsvbla xyvvla. Tl pyke, “Jsvb sq usw, nsdvkdwl vbl xlyz. R’x tskdt swv qsa y ckv!”
Shao Gui was shocked, “The sky is already dark. What are you going out to do?”
“I’m looking for someone… It’s alright, it’s just nearby. Don’t worry.” Then he headed out.
Shao Rong quickly said, “Wait a moment! Ge, there’s another matter. The reason Liu Shu ge came over today was to lend us 10 taels of silver. He told me it was a loan for us to buy land.”
“What?!” Both Shao Huai and Shao Gui jumped off their seats. Shao Rong had already headed back to the room she shared with her sister to take the silver out.
Shao Huai stared at it, eyes round. Shao Rong then shared what Liu Shu said, before finishing with, “Actually, Liu Shu ge genuinely wants to help us. He was worried that we would be too proud and refuse to accept it, which was why he said so much. He was waiting for ge, to tell him that.”
Shao Huai again sighed before saying, “Shu and his family are all good people…. It’s fine that you accepted it. I was just thinking that we couldn’t continue on this way. Since that fellow dared to come over today, he might decide to do so again in the future! And if we continue to refuse him, he might try something more drastic.”
Shao Gui fretted, “Ge, what should we do?”
Shao Huai thought for a moment, then he stood back up to leave. His two sisters looked at each other, not sure what he intended. Shao Huai left the courtyard door, stood at the little road and shouted, “Pangwa!”
After a while, the door to Yang Youbang’s family home opened. From a distance, Yang Youbang stuck his head out for a look, then he jumped out and ran over to meet Shao Huai. Smiling, he asked, “What’s up, Shao Huai ge?”
Shao Huai waved him over, and the two of them crouched at the little hill in front of his home. Shao Huai then asked, “Pangwa, is your great grandmother doing well?”
Yang Youbang found that strange. He nodded, “She’s fine!”
“Your family…. Are you planning to separate?”
Yang Youbang was even more puzzled. Scratching his head, he said, “How would I know? That would depend on my parents and great grandmother’s intentions… But since my great grandmother is still around, we would probably not be separating?”
“If your family separated, what would you get? Are you able to get a share of your family’s land? Aren’t you working at Liu Shu’s family workshop? What are your plans? In the future, would you be farming or continuing to work at the workshop?”
Although Yang Youbang continued to scratch his head, he was starting to get an idea of where this was going. He grinned sheepishly and said, “Of course I plan to farm! There are four of us brothers, and there isn’t a lot of family land. The work in the fields would never come to me, so I went out to look for work. The work at Liu Shu’s family workshop is good. I will do it for two, three years and save enough money to buy some land. It should be enough to buy another two mu for me to farm…. If the family separates, I would definitely get my share of land.”
Shao Huai nodded his head. He again asked, “My family has already completely offended the Village Head. If Shao Gui were to marry you…. Are you scared? The Village Head would definitely try and make trouble for you!”
Yang Youbang was shocked and delighted. He immediately jumped up, and thumped himself on the chest, “Shao Huai ge, you don’t have to worry! My family are relatives to the Village Head! Why should I be afraid of him?! There are six of us brothers in this generation – if anything were to happen, all of us would fight! If you are willing to give Shao Gui to me…. Hehehe…. I will definitely protect her well!”
Shao Huai laughed and jumped off the little hill. “Alright, I got it. You should consider it quickly. Shao Gui isn’t young any longer, and we can’t afford to delay it by much…. You go home and talk to your parents. The main issue is that my family…. Is poor. Your parents might not agree. If they don’t, let me know quickly so that I can look elsewhere for my sister!”
Yang Youbang got anxious when he heard. Hopping about, he said, “My parents would definitely agree! They have to listen to me! Shao Huai ge, you must give Shao Gui to me…. What’s that, I’m going back now to talk to my parents!” He turned and started to run off.
Shao Huai quickly stopped him. “Wait, wait. I haven’t finished!”
Yang Youbang stood still. A little anxiously, he asked, “What else is there to discuss?”
Shao Huai looked around before pulling him back down to crouch on the little hill. In a hushed voice, he said, “You know what my family’s situation is like, we’re poor as a whistle. You should talk about Shao Gui to your parents. If they are willing, we can discuss the betrothal money. I don’t have much to give my sister in terms of dowry, I only have….”
In an even quieter voice, he said, “I only have the flower field that I plowed. The land has already been farmed for quite a few years; it’s already considered cultivated land. Since I have already offended the Village Head so utterly, there’s no way for that land to become mine. You are relatives with the Village Head, so he cannot really make trouble for you. When it comes time, that land will be my sister’s dowry. You have to think of a plan to get the Village Head to register it with the government office. All that needs to be done then is to pay some money…. Remember, the money to register it will be provided by me, the only thing I need is for you to put it under your name. To anyone else, you are the owner of the land, I gave it to you. Don’t let the Village Head make any trouble for me in this matter! When you head back, you must make this very clear to your parents. The land was cultivated by me, and it was my money used to register it as part of my sister’s dowry. You just need to put your name down.”
Yang Youbang was worried when he heard, “But, that’s your family’s only land! If you give it to Shao Gui as her dowry, what would you do…. Why don’t I exchange a piece of land with you!”
SHao Huai laughed despite himself and shook his head, “Your boss is a good person. He came by my home today to lend me some money. I’ve already thought it through, I will buy some land! I will move away. I can’t stay in this village any longer… Don’t worry, I will still be in Feng County. I will buy two mu of land, and plant flowers.”
Astonished, Yang Youbang said, “Really?”
Shao Huai nodded, “Really. I still need to spend some more time thinking about it. I plan to settle Shao Gui as soon as I can, so I looked for you… You go home and ask, but don’t let on that I’ve spoken to you about it. And don’t go back to ask immediately. You must resist the urge to ask immediately, so that Shao Gui can have a good relationship with your family after she marries. Wait at least two days…. Pangwa, I am only looking for you because I can see how sincerely you treat my sister. Don’t let either of us down.”
Yang Youbang immediately leapt to his feet and banged his chest, “Shao Huai ge, don’t worry! With the Heavens as my witness, I will treat her well!”
Shao Huai laughed and said, “Alright, I got it. Quickly head back. Remember, don’t say anything today.”
Yang Youbang smiled and said, “Don’t worry! I know what to do! I will only mention it after a few days!” Then he stretched his neck out and looked into the courtyard, “Shao Gui, I’m heading home!” and ran off.
Shao Huai looked at his back and laughed, shook his head and headed back into his own courtyard.
When he got to the main room, he didn’t see Shao Gui. When he saw that only Shao Rong was there, Shao Huai immediately understood, “What? Did you both hear what happened?”
Shao Rong smiled and nodded. “You were just outside the door and talking so loudly. Of course we heard….” She smiled and asked, “Ge, are you really trying to settle jie’s marriage? Why so sudden?”
Shao Huai said, “How is it sudden? Originally, Pangwa came to me to ask last year. I was the one who told him not to say anything to his parents yet…. It was only last year that our business started to take off, and I wanted to give your jie more in the way of a dowry, so that his family doesn’t look down on her…. Who knew that the Village Head was planning something so awful.”
Shao Rong nodded, “It’s just as well. Actually, we still have some money at home. Thankfully you’d already sent over all the betrothal money and gifts for saozi, so there is still some for jie’s dowry!”
Shao Huai nodded, “That’s right. It’s enough.” He still had about two strings of cash. It should be enough to cover the dowry. Although the flower field was only about a mu, and even though it could only be considered a low grade field, it was still a very respectable dowry.
“Ge, then what about Liu Shu ge’s money? Do we still use it? Are we really going to buy land?” Shao Rong asked again. She worriedly said, “It’s 10 taels of silver. When are we ever going to be able to return it?”
Shao Huai nodded his head, “Of course we should use it. Liu Shu clearly wants to help us, so we shouldn’t refuse his good intentions! We just have to slowly repay him! And if Liu Shu or his family ever needs any help from us, I will be the first to jump in!” He took a sip of water and said, “With this 10 taels of silver, I’ve decided to buy two mu of medium grade fields for us to plant flowers. If we are hardworking, we should be able to make it back in a few years, and return the money…. I reckon that they won’t accept any interest on the principal, but if the time comes that they need anything, I would definitely do everything to help! No matter what, I will remember their kindness the rest of my life.”
Shao Rong nodded, “Un, actually, Liu Shu ge doesn’t need us to repay him. It would be enough that we help him if he needs.”
Shao Huai nodded his head and thought for a moment before saying, “ Young Master Shi Cheng was right – we cannot stay in this village any longer. When we buy the land, we should also see if there’s any place to stay around there. Since we plan on moving out of the village, I will let your jie and Pangwa stay here. They can help us look after the house. Pangwa’s family is distantly related to the village Head. Actually, his family is of a more senior position than the Village Head’s. Surely the Village Head wouldn’t dare to bully his own relatives? His own clan wouldn’t tolerate that.”
Shao Rong nodded when she heard, “That’s true.”
Shao Huai then said, “We will think about this some more. It’s not that easy to find a house… We should just keep it in mind.”
As the two siblings spoke, they finished their meal.
I’m rooting for Liu Shu and Shao Rong!!!
Thanks for the chapter!!!
🤣🤣 You’re welcome!