SLH | Chapter 19

Living Well

Song Tingzhu said, “Xiaomei, tell me more about my grandfather’s family.”

“Okay.”

Liu Xiaomei folded the drawing paper and tucked it into her small cloth bag before she started talking about her grandfather’s family.

Grandfather Ruan Changhe and Grandmother Li Chunhua have one daughter and two sons. Her mother, Ruan Xiulian, is the eldest. First Uncle Ruan Daniu has two sons, First Cousin Ruan Youjin and Second Cousin Ruan Youyin, both of whom are married with children.

Second Uncle Ruan Erniu has a son and a young boy. Her little cousin was clever from birth and was sent to school at four or five years old. When he was ten, he passed the Tongshi exam, becoming the youngest student in Lianxi Town in nearly a decade. This caused quite a stir at the time.

After learning about the Ruan family’s members, Song Tingzhu asked Xiaomei, “Do you know why the family relations have become strained?”

Liu Xiaomei propped her chin and sighed.

“Isn’t it because of the west courtyard? Grandfather and Grandmother don’t like the ways of my grandparents and Second Uncle’s family. Even before they split the family, they rarely visited. After the split, we thought things would improve, but they got worse. In the first two years, when my parents took me to see Grandfather and Grandmother, Second Uncle didn’t even open the door and just drove us away.”

“What happened after that?”

“After that, my parents never went to Xiahe Village again, and I haven’t seen Grandfather and Grandmother for years.” The little girl sighed again, “I really miss Grandfather, Grandmother, and my uncles.”

“Did your mother ever ask why Grandfather and Grandmother wouldn’t see you?” Song Tingzhu frowned.

Liu Xiaomei replied gloomily, “She wanted to, but there was never a chance. Plus, with the way things are at home, she felt embarrassed to go, afraid people would gossip and say nasty things behind her back.”

“People in the village love to gossip. My mother and I only went back once, and as soon as we returned, we heard people saying that my mother went back to take advantage of the family. After that, she never returned to Xiahe Village.”

The little girl couldn’t help but worry, “Will my mother get scolded for borrowing grain from Xiahe Village tomorrow?”

“Don’t worry, she won’t,” Song Tingzhu reassured her.

He felt there must be some misunderstanding. If it could be resolved, the two families could surely reconcile. But how to do it required a careful plan.

As the sun set, the three Liu family men returned home one after another.

The family sat in the main room, ate dinner in silence, and then went to their respective rooms to rest.

In the west room””

“Wife, this is the money I earned from work today.” Liu Hu took out forty copper coins from his pocket and handed them to Song Tingzhu as usual.

Song Tingzhu took them and put them away, pulling the man’s calloused hand and leaning against his broad chest.

Liu Hu instantly froze, his hands resting on his knees, sitting upright.

“Mother is going to Grandfather’s house to borrow grain tomorrow. I want to go with her.”

Liu Hu, without thinking, furrowed his thick eyebrows and refused, “I don’t agree.”

Song Tingzhu held the callus on the man’s thumb and said softly, “I heard from Xiaomei that Xiahe Village isn’t far from here. Even with slow legs, it only takes half an hour to get there.”

Seeing that his husband still wouldn’t agree, he softened his voice, “I know you’re worried about me. I’ve been feeling much better lately. Today, I went up the mountain with Xiaomei to dig wild vegetables. Although it was tiring, I felt much lighter. Besides, didn’t Doctor Zhou say I need to move around more for a quicker recovery?”

Liu Hu was silent for a while. Just as Song Tingzhu hesitated and was about to use his last resort, a deep, powerful voice came from above.

“I’ll go too.”

Song Tingzhu asked, “Not going to work?”

“Yeah, I’ll have Tianzi tell the boss that I’ll go back to work the day after tomorrow.” Liu Hu held his husband’s thin wrist, his eyebrows furrowing tighter, “I can’t rest easy with you going alone.”

Song Tingzhu smiled, “Mother will be there too.”

“Mother is weak and can’t carry you.”

Song Tingzhu’s wrist was being gently rubbed, and the man’s rough fingertips on his wrist brought a tickling sensation, along with some indescribable emotions that made him press his lips tightly and blush at the ears.

He withdrew his wrist, pretending to tidy the bedding, “Do you plan to carry me all the way there? If people see, they’ll laugh at you for being henpecked.”

Liu Hu’s honest face was full of sincerity, “I don’t care if people laugh. You’re my wife, and I don’t care what others think. I only care about what you think.”

Hearing this, Song Tingzhu felt a warmth in his heart. He turned around, blushing, and placed his hand back into the man’s palm.

“I know you’re doing this for my own good, but there’s no need to carry me all the way. I’ll let you know if I get tired.”

Liu Hu’s brows relaxed, revealing a silly smile, “Wife, you’re agreeing to let me go with you?”

Song Tingzhu nodded with a smile, looking at his husband’s goofy smile, and slowly said, “Husband, shall I teach you how to do business and make money?”

Liu Hu was surprised, “Wife, you know how to do business?”

Of course not.

Song Tingzhu cleared his throat and looked away, “The Song family is in the wine business, with many shops in the prefectural city. Although I was watched by the Song family’s servants from a young age and couldn’t get involved in business matters, I’m not entirely clueless.”

They had stayed out longer today. It didn’t feel tiring during the day, but after soaking his feet, he suddenly felt some soreness in his legs, so he clenched his fists and pounded them a couple of times.

The man saw this and placed Song Tingzhu’s legs on his knees, massaging them with just the right amount of force.

“Wife, do you want to make wine to sell?”

“Mm~”

He intended to respond, but the man’s skillful hands made him so comfortable that his tone took a turn.

Song Tingzhu clutched the sheets, his face flushing red.

Afraid the man would ask more, he quickly said, “My grandfather’s family makes wine. Mother’s wine-making skills are rare in Xunyang Prefecture. I inherited my interest in wine-making from my grandfather and mother. But since I was unwell and they passed away early, I never got the chance.”

“I remember boasting in front of my grandfather and mother at the age of three that I would open the family wine shop in Kyoto when I grew up. This thought was buried in my heart, but now I want to make it happen.”

Looking at the man in front of him, Song Tingzhu softly asked, “Husband, would you be willing to help me?”

Liu Hu nodded, his expression serious and solemn, “No matter what you want to do, wife, I’ll support you.”

A faint smile appeared on Song Tingzhu’s lips. He retracted his legs and leaned against his husband’s shoulder.

For some reason, as long as Liu Hu was by his side, he felt inexplicably at ease.

“The method for making wine yeast is never shared. These days, I’ve copied down many incomplete recipes from books. Only after experimenting will we know if they’re true.”

His wrist was once again held by the man. Enduring the tickling sensation, Song Tingzhu continued, “Making wine is costly and can’t be rushed. Right now, the most important thing is to find ways to earn more money to get through the current difficulties.”

The man listened quietly.

“I’ve copied some herbs from books that can fetch a good price. I’ll have Xiaomei look for them on the mountain. If she can find them, great. If not, it’s okay; it just means earning less.”

Liu Hu said, “I’ll have some free time to set traps on the back mountain. Even if I can’t catch big game, catching wild chickens or rabbits would be good.”

“Good. There’s one more thing. I need to remind Xiaomei tomorrow morning. Digging for herbs isn’t like digging for wild vegetables. She needs to be careful not to damage the roots, or it will affect…”

Song Tingzhu’s voice gradually faded, and before he could finish his sentence, he fell silent.

Liu Hu gently moved him to the inside of the bed, blew out the oil lamp, and lay down as well.

That night, Song Tingzhu dreamt of his mother, whom he hadn’t seen for a long time. This time, he could finally hear what she was saying.

“My little Zhu has grown up. Now you have a husband and family, and I can finally rest easy.”

“I’ve stayed with you for so long, but now it’s time for me to find your grandfather and grandmother to tell them that little Zhu has found a husband who loves him and a family who cares.”

“Mother, please tell Grandfather and Grandmother that Tingzhu is doing well, and they needn’t worry. Also, Tingzhu will definitely open the wine shop in Kyoto, fulfilling the promise made back then.”

“Alright, mother believes in you.”

In his sleep, Song Tingzhu watched his mother’s figure gradually fade away, smiling as tears fell.

Mother, Grandfather, Grandmother, rest assured, Tingzhu will no longer think of dying. Tingzhu wants to live well, better than anyone else.

—

**Author’s Note:**

Finally starting to make money! [Throws confetti][Throws confetti][Throws confetti]