Chapter 10

Chapter 10
Huo Shu arrived at the Ji family’s home about fifteen minutes after Tao Yu left.
Ji Tao Yu had just returned home, fed the chickens and ducks some bran, washed his hands, and was about to make some tea to put under the arbor in the courtyard when he heard a knock at the door.
He wiped his hands and hurried to open the courtyard gate. He saw a young man, almost as tall as the gate, holding the food box he had brought.
“Was it not to your taste?”
Tao Yu couldn’t help but ask.
Huo Shu lowered his gaze and looked at the young man staring intently at the food box. He replied softly, “If I say it was not to my taste, are you not planning to let me in?”
Ji Tao Yu then realized he was standing at the courtyard gate and quickly moved aside. “Ah, please come in, sir.”
“I’ve brought your food box back.”
Ji Tao Yu pursed his lips, closed the courtyard gate, and followed Huo Shu closely.
Seeing Huo Shu’s back turned to him, he asked, “How did it taste?”
Huo Shu sat down by straddling a bench in the arbor. Without answering Tao Yu’s question, he opened the lid of the food box for Ji Tao Yu to see.
Inside, three empty bowls and plates were neatly arranged. The food box had originally contained a stack of osmanthus cakes, a dish of crisp bamboo shoots with cured meat, and a bowl of crucian carp soup.
The taste was beyond question, all of it having gone into Huo Shu’s stomach.
Actually, Zhao’s mother’s cooking could also be considered delicious, but compared to her, Tao Yu was even better. His skills leaned towards the exquisite.
This was not the result of a single day’s work, but the achievement of frequent practice at home.
The Ji family had no worries about food and drink in the village. The ingredients on the dining table were plentiful, allowing them to research flavors.
Naturally, it was also possible that he had practiced cooking diligently for his scholar husband.
Huo Shu raised an eyebrow, wondering why he was thinking about these things for no reason.
“These are all just simple home-style dishes; they don’t compare to the flavors of city restaurants.”
Seeing the empty food box, Tao Yu’s heart immediately brightened. After a polite remark, he took the food box to the kitchen himself.
Huo Shu watched the retreating figure of the young man, his arms around the food box and his steps light as he entered the house. His brow relaxed.
When Tao Yu returned, he immediately averted his gaze and casually picked up a cup of tea to his lips.
“Are your parents not home?”
“My mother is home. My father just went out to record the autumn harvest situation. A mute farmhand also went to work in the fields.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Huang Manqing heard the commotion outside and came out of the house.
She politely greeted Huo Shu. Tao Yu had told her earlier that Huo Shu was coming to discuss something, and it was for Tao Yu.
Huang Manqing asked a couple of questions, but Tao Yu did not say what it was about. Seeing his assurance that it was nothing bad, she did not press for details.
Her children were growing up and had their own matters. It wasn’t a bad thing for them to handle things themselves, and it would be good for them when they were married in the future.
She then came out and said to Huo Shu, “If you have anything to discuss, please talk to Xiao Tao Zi first. His father will be back soon.”
“Alright.”
With that, she went back to her business, not eavesdropping on their conversation.
Seeing his mother leave, Ji Tao Yu sat down in a position slightly opposite Huo Shu. He saw Huo Shu slowly sipping his tea.
He took a breath and said, “Sir…”
Before he could finish, he was interrupted, “You can just call me by my name.”
“Huo…”
Although Huo Shu had never spoken his name to him directly, Tao Yu already knew who he was.
He looked at Huo Shu, who always seemed serious and not like someone his own age. Calling him by his full name seemed disrespectful. He changed the name he was about to say to, “Brother Huo.”
Huo Shu’s hand tightened around the teacup. He didn’t look at Tao Yu, but his gaze softened inwardly.
“What?”
Tao Yu blinked his eyes. “Um, what are your plans afterward? When do you plan to leave?”
Huo Shu put down the teacup. “You want me to leave?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Tao Yu said seriously, “I just wanted to ask about Brother Huo’s plans. I overheard some things on the road today that were not very pleasant to hear.”
This morning, Tao Yu had finished cooking and, without his parents noticing, had gone out to deliver the food box to Huo Shu. On his way to Zhao’s house, he saw Madam Yuan leaving. She exchanged pleasantries with two villagers along the way.
She was polite, but after Madam Yuan left, the villagers started gossiping.
“Do you know? Not long ago, a tall man from the north came to our village, and he’s staying at Yuan Huiru’s place now.”
“Look, in just three to five days, Yuan Huiru’s complexion has improved so much, and she seems much more energetic.”
As they talked, a man chuckled, “You people are too shameless to say such things.”
“Whether it’s shameless or not, you saw how she looked as happy as during the New Year when she passed by just now. Didn’t you see it?”
“Lately, I’ve seen Yuan Huiru buying meat and slaughtering chickens. Her family eats well every meal. Even during past New Years and festivals, I haven’t seen her family like this. It’s different when a man is in the house!”
Although they didn’t say anything directly, Tao Yu understood they were gossiping when he saw their playful smiles.
He felt indignant. These words were directed at his mother and son, which was truly improper.
Tao Yu hid the food box far away and stepped forward to argue, “My father said that the man from the north is a relative of the Zhao family. It’s too unpleasant for you ladies and gentlemen to say such things!”
Seeing Tao Yu, the group stopped talking awkwardly and said with a smile, “We were just making a joke, Brother Tao. Please don’t take it seriously.”
“I don’t take it seriously, but I heard that the man from the north had been to the battlefield before and has a bad temper. He and Brother Chang Sui, who went to guard with the Zhao family, are comrades. If he hears these words later and gets angry and starts a fight, can you ladies and gentlemen handle it?”
Not all of them had met Huo Shu, but they had heard from those who had that he was a tall and imposing man. After hearing Tao Yu say this, they felt a cold sweat break out.
“We won’t say it again.”
Huo Shu’s expression changed as he listened to Tao Yu recount the villagers’ gossip.
Regardless of the north or south, gossip was always unavoidable.
People from the northern regions were more forthright, and their gossip was more explicit and unrestrained. He was actually indifferent to these outside remarks.
However, when his elders and deceased were insulted, his gaze inevitably turned a bit colder. “Who said it?”
Seeing Huo Shu’s cold tone, Tao Yu quickly said, “I’m not telling you this so you can settle scores. Tongues are in others’ mouths. Even if you go and teach them a lesson, they might not stop talking, and it might even cause more gossip.”
Huo Shu looked at Tao Yu. “So you mean I should leave as soon as possible?”
“No.”
Tao Yu said, “They say these things because they don’t know the relationship between Brother Huo and the Zhao family, and that you are living under the same roof. That’s why they’re talking nonsense. If the matter is legitimate and they know the truth, they won’t talk anymore.”
“Legitimate?”
“Yes.”
Tao Yu continued, “Brother Huo can acknowledge Madam Yuan as a relative, and invite the wise elders of the village to be witnesses. Then, the matter will be settled. Everyone in the village will know the relationship, and the villagers will no longer be exclusive. It will be much more convenient for Brother Huo to find people to do business.”
“Naturally, this is just a suggestion I’ve made because I saw Madam Yuan being criticized and feared it would harm her reputation. In Tongzhou, the reputation of women and young men is very important. And since Brother Huo is my savior, I couldn’t help but speak up. Brother Huo might have his own plans.”
Huo Shu looked deeply at Ji Tao Yu.
“You are right. I was careless.”
Seeing that Huo Shu had listened to his words, Tao Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
He was afraid that someone like Huo Shu, who came from the northern regions and had a bold personality, and had fought on the battlefield, would dismiss such gossip and not take it to heart.
When he finished his business and left, he would leave Madam Yuan, a widow, with a lot of gossip.
Under the same kind of gossip, people were always more lenient towards men, and it was the women and young men who ultimately bore the bitter consequences.
“I will discuss it with Auntie when I return.”
Ji Tao Yu nodded.
A breeze began to blow in the courtyard, rustling the camphor leaves and causing many dry leaves to fall onto the roof of the arbor.
Huo Shu looked at the time, realizing it was getting late. He took out the hairpin he had brought back from Zhao Chang Sui and handed it to Tao Yu.
“This is the token. Before Chang Sui was conscripted, he had a lover, who gave it to him.”
“Although he didn’t mention this person to me much, he always kept this hairpin close to him. Before he died, he asked me to return the hairpin along with the money for his parents’ old age.”
“I could have given it directly to Auntie, but from what she said, she didn’t know about such a person. I thought, since it was someone Chang Sui cared about, whether that person had changed their mind or not, I should deliver the item to them personally, to give them closure.”
Tao Yu carefully took the hairpin and looked at it curiously. It was a relatively simple silver hairpin, with a few begonia flowers at the head.
However, two of the flowers had already been chipped.
“This hairpin is ordinary, not very valuable, and it’s an older style. I’m afraid many people have this kind of hairpin. But looking at this hairpin, it’s clear this person is a girl. Generally, young men don’t wear hair accessories of this style.”
Huo Shu’s brow tightened at this.
“Moreover, Brother Chang Sui was conscripted over ten years ago. Calculating his age, that girl should have gotten married long ago, so it’s not appropriate to make a big fuss about finding her.”
“I thought the same way, which is why I found it troublesome.”
Tao Yu asked, “Was this hairpin broken afterward?”
“No, it was like this when it first came into Chang Sui’s hands.”
Tao Yu raised his eyebrows. “That’s quite different from other begonia hairpins of the same style.”
He put down the hairpin and thought for a moment. “How about this? Brother Huo can trust my words and let me keep the hairpin for now. When there’s a gathering or banquet in the village, I’ll wear this hairpin in my hair. Others will surely think it’s out of place on me and will look at it more. If the owner of the hairpin sees it, perhaps they will privately ask me about it.”
“Also, if Brother Huo acknowledges Madam Yuan as an elder, and explains to the wise elders that he is Brother Chang Sui’s comrade and has returned the token, and this spreads through the village, and then appears at a family gathering, it will have the same effect.”
Huo Shu lowered his gaze.
“It seems I’ve found the right person.”
“Then… shall I keep the hairpin for now?”
Huo Shu nodded.
As soon as they finished speaking, voices came from outside the door: “Xiao Tao Zi, come and see who’s here.”
Tao Yu heard the cheerful voices outside and quickly stood up.
As he went to open the door, he said, “Father, you’ve come at the right time. Brother Huo Shu is here. I don’t know what business he has with you. I poured him a cup of tea and asked him to wait.”
Ji Yangzong heard this and said, “It’s probably about Chang Sui’s matters.”
Then, he said to the young man beside him, “Er Lang, come into the courtyard quickly.”
Huo Shu stood with his hands behind his back not far away. He saw a young man of seventeen or eighteen entering the courtyard with Ji Yangzong at the gate. He was dressed in simple green clothes that fit his slender frame.
His hair was tied with a bamboo hairpin, his face was refined, and his lips always carried a faint, gentle smile. At first glance, he appeared to be a refined scholar bathed in spring breeze.
“Brother Er Lang.”
Ji Tao Yu called out to him, his eyes slightly curved, looking like a well-behaved child.
Huo Shu heard the address, and his expression turned cold as he raised his eyebrows.