Chapter 40

He had expected him to cry, but not to be crying before they had even entered.
He looked at the person on the bed, eyes red, lower lip bearing two deep red bite marks from self-restraint, already gasping for breath from crying.
He hastily fastened his clothes, got out of bed, poured a glass of warm water, and helped him up.
Tao Yu was drenched as if he had fallen into a well, sweat beading on his forehead.
The warm water in his mouth soothed his hoarse and aching throat.
Huo Shu let him lean against his chest, gently patting his trembling shoulders.
After his breathing had steadied, he asked, “Feeling better?”
Tao Yu sniffled, unsure if Huo Shu was asking if he felt better after drinking water, or if he felt better to continue.
The thought of the latter sent a shiver down his spine.
He didn’t feel better at all.
He also selfishly thought that it wasn’t Huo Shu who was bad, but the act itself.
He pursed his lips, wanting to say “give me a moment,” but before he could speak, he let out a yelp. His lower lip, which he had bitten, throbbed with pain when touched.
If this were to continue, then…
“Is it, is it not right?”
Tao Yu’s voice was hoarse. He couldn’t hold back any longer, regardless of what was appropriate to say. He sincerely voiced his doubt: “One key opens one lock. If the lock and key don’t match, how can it work?”
Although the bed curtains were drawn and covered with the mandarin duck pattern, he hadn’t seen the exact size of the key. However, by touching himself, he had a general idea of the size.
Thinking of this, his face flushed again. The keyhole was only so big. If the key was too large, it naturally wouldn’t open the lock. If one tried to force it, wouldn’t the keyhole be stretched and damaged?
When he hid under the covers and read picture books, he saw scenes of passionate embraces and union. The text conveyed a sense of divine happiness.
He blushed at the descriptions. Thinking of Huo Shu’s tall and strong physique, he was sure he could do anything. He swallowed and even secretly looked forward to it.
In the days after their engagement, he had many chaotic dreams at night.
He had finally waited for this moment, only for it to turn out like this.
It seemed that even if it worked, it wasn’t good. The picture books didn’t say that; they were all exaggerated.
He felt both surprised and a little sad.
Huo Shu frowned upon hearing his reasoning, “How can a person be compared to a lock?”
“Then, then why did it hurt so much?”
Tao Yu quickly defended his reasoning, his voice trembling.
Seeing this, Huo Shu felt a pang of guilt and admitted his fault, “It’s my fault for being too impatient.”
He comforted him, “It’s understandable that you would be overwhelmed, given your sensitivity.”
Hearing this, Tao Yu suddenly lowered his gaze, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
Huo Shu felt a bit flustered, not understanding how his attempt to comfort him had made the other cry.
He quickly put down the water cup and tucked Tao Yu back into the covers.
Perhaps worried that the person he had finally obtained would refuse to be with him again, Huo Shu said, “It’s like this now, no backing out.”
Tao Yu, with teary eyes, looked up at Huo Shu lying beside him, “I, I don’t want to back out. It’s just, it’s just that I’m afraid you’ll find me troublesome. This is supposed to be a major life event, yet it can’t be perfect.”
Huo Shu tightened his embrace around the soft person, “If I found you troublesome, I wouldn’t have reached this point.”
“We can take it slow, don’t rush.”
These words seemed to be advice for Tao Yu, but also for himself.
Tao Yu buried his face in Huo Shu’s chest for a while, then suddenly looked up at Huo Shu’s unreadable expression.
He reached out, wrapped his arms around the man’s neck, and leaned in to kiss his lips. His head rested against Huo Shu’s forehead, “You won’t return me, will you?”
Huo Shu held Tao Yu’s slender waist, an inexpressible tremor running through him, “Can I still?”
Tao Yu found this response alarming. He snuggled into Huo Shu’s arms and gritted his teeth, “Then let’s try again.”
Huo Shu gently stroked Tao Yu’s soft hair, “There’s plenty of time, no need to rush.”
Tao Yu breathed a sigh of relief, “You said it, you can’t blame me for not being good.”
“Mm.”
Tao Yu snuggled closer to Huo Shu, finding him very easy to talk to.
After a moment, he looked at Huo Shu again, “Then, aren’t you uncomfortable?”
Just as Huo Shu was about to ask what he meant by uncomfortable, he saw Tao Yu’s eyes looking down.
His brow twitched. How could this pure young man now say such things?
“Go to sleep quickly, don’t oversleep in the morning.”
Tao Yu didn’t get an answer but had his eyes suddenly covered by a large hand.
He could only mumble, “Oh.”
Huo Shu didn’t sleep soundly all night. Having a soft young man in his arms was somewhat unaccustomed to.
Even so, when guarding the border and facing life-or-death situations, he rarely had desires.
But now, the person in his arms had skin as smooth as silk, a waist as soft as silk, and was moaning beneath him. The suppressed desires were instantly ignited, yet he couldn’t act on them.
With even the slightest effort, Tao Yu would cry out in pain. He became more aroused, but he knew that Tao Yu truly couldn’t bear it. If he forced himself, he didn’t know what would happen.
In such a situation, he couldn’t be much better off himself.
However, despite the discomfort, seeing the person sleeping soundly in his arms, he was willing to restrain and endure.
The wedding candles burned out, and a faint gray light peeked through the papered window, indicating that dawn was approaching.
Huo Shu opened his eyes. He was accustomed to getting up at this hour to practice a set of punches, but today… it was fine.
As he was about to close his eyes and doze off again, the person in his arms trembled slightly, took a few quick breaths, and suddenly opened his eyes.
Tao Yu’s back was covered in sweat, and he woke up with a start.
“What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?”
Hearing the slightly hoarse voice, Tao Yu came to his senses and remembered Huo Shu was still beside him.
He looked up at the person with concern in his eyes and buried his face in Huo Shu’s neck, sobbing, “I dreamed there was a big snake wrapped around my leg, trying to bite me. I woke up in pain.”
Huo Shu coughed lightly upon hearing this and stroked Tao Yu’s head.
“It’s okay, it was just a dream.”
“It’s all your fault. I never had nightmares like this before.”
Although he was complaining, Tao Yu nestled into Huo Shu’s body for a while. Instead of getting up, he clung to him even tighter.
“You’re so warm, like a big furnace.”
He hadn’t even used a foot warmer last night, but his hands and feet didn’t feel cold at all. The bed had never been so warm.
He liked being close to Huo Shu. No wonder they said they had to get married before the New Year.
Huo Shu smiled helplessly. This silly person was warm.
“I want to sleep more.”
Tao Yu’s voice trailed off after he spoke. When Huo Shu looked down again, he had already fallen asleep.
However, he slept until the sun was high in the sky.
“I’ll wake him up.”
Huo Shu couldn’t lie still in bed after it was bright. He carefully tucked the person in and got up.
He practiced a set of punches in the courtyard, chopped wood, and carried water. Within a quarter of an hour, he had done Da Niu’s work, making Da Niu feel quite embarrassed.
Seeing that it was getting late and preparing for breakfast, Tao Yu had not yet woken up. Huo Shu said something.
Ji Yangzong thought that this young man was truly outrageous. It was one thing to oversleep normally, but on the first day of marriage, to sleep so late, wasn’t he afraid of being laughed at? The son-in-law had already done a round of chores.
He intended to agree to Huo Shu’s request to wake him up, but was glared at by Huang Manqing. He didn’t understand and was about to say that thankfully they were at home. If he had married out, would the mother-in-law tolerate such behavior?
He happened to see Huo Shu, dressed in autumn clothes, walk past carrying firewood and heading to the kitchen. Everyone else was bundled up like brown bears, but he was dressed thinly and was still energetic.
He saw that he hadn’t eaten breakfast and had done a lot of strenuous work since early morning, looking as if he could still plow two acres of land. Suddenly recalling something, he couldn’t help but cough.
“He gets sleepy in winter, so let him sleep. We’ll eat first.”
Huo Shu said nothing, and they ate breakfast in the main hall.
They had noodles with preserved vegetables and braised pork made from leftovers from yesterday’s feast.
“It’s the twelfth lunar month now, and the New Year is just around the corner. The major event at home has been handled, and there’s nothing else to do. Da Niu, you can go back early this year.”
At the dinner table, Ji Yangzong said to the long-term hired hand, “You can start packing up and go back today. There are plenty of good dishes left from the feast. Pack some to take home. You’ve been away for most of the year, and it’s not easy for your family.”
Da Niu was very happy to be able to go back early this year and quickly said, “Thank you, Village Chief.”
He was not from Mingxun Village but was the son of a tenant farmer from another village. Because his family was struggling, he came out to work as a long-term hired hand. He rarely had the opportunity to go home during holidays. He could only go back once a year at the end of the year.
Entering the twelfth lunar month, the sound of firecrackers was everywhere, always making one feel homesick.
After Ji Yangzong finished speaking, he looked at Huo Shu again, “I saw that your master didn’t come to the feast yesterday. I suppose he’s still angry about the previous incident. Since you have some free time, you should go to the city and see him. After all, you’re working under him, and you can’t just not hear from him.”
Huo Shu agreed. Even if Ji Yangzong hadn’t said it, he would have gone.
After the meal, Huo Shu went to the city.
Ji Yangzong had to return the tables, chairs, benches, pots, and pans that he had borrowed from the villagers for the banquet.
Huang Manqing picked out some of the remaining chicken, duck, and pork trotters, and other intact meat dishes, to send to Yuan Huiru. She thought that since Yuan Huiru had finally recognized a godson and they were dependent on each other, and now Huo Shu had come to their home, and she was alone, she felt a little bad.
Now that they were a family, they had to visit each other more often.
After returning from visiting the Zhao family, Huang Manqing found that Tao Yu still hadn’t woken up. She ladled another bowl of noodles and knocked vigorously on Tao Yu’s door.
After a while, hurried footsteps were heard from inside, and the door was opened and then quickly closed again.
Huang Manqing stared blankly at the fast-running young man. After closing the door, she went in and put down the noodles.
“It’s freezing. Mom used to just come in without knocking. Now I have to open the door for you.”
“You child, you’re married now. How can Mom barge into your room? You should come out and eat breakfast from now on. I won’t bring it to you anymore.”
Tao Yu quickly put on his thick clothes, wrapped himself up, and then went to the table to slurp his noodles.
“That’s true, I almost forgot I was married.”
Mainly, they had only gone through the ceremony. He still ate, drank, and slept at home. When he opened his eyes, he was still in his familiar room, without the alertness of waking up in a strange environment after a night’s sleep, so he felt as if he hadn’t gotten married yet.
Huang Manqing sighed. It was fortunate that he hadn’t married out, otherwise, how would he manage with this personality?
She quietly watched the young man slurping his noodles with great relish. His face was rosy, and he looked energetic. She tentatively asked, “Are you, are you feeling unwell?”
Tao Yu honestly shook his head, “No.”
Except for the two times he was poked during their wedding night and it hurt him, he had no other discomfort. But after they stopped last night, it was fine.
However, thinking about it, when Huo Shu’s large body pressed down on him, he could barely breathe. If they had gotten married without seeing each other’s faces, he would have been terrified.
Huang Manqing immediately understood the hidden meaning.
“He really can’t spoil you any further.”
“Hm?”
Tao Yu looked at his mother in confusion.
“Nothing, eat quickly.”
“By the way, where is he?”
“He went to the city.”
——
When Huo Shu arrived on horseback outside the butcher shop, Fang He was opening the door. Seeing him, he was slightly stunned.
“Brother Huo, you’re here.”
“Mm.”
Huo Shu responded, “Has Master Qiao come over?”
As soon as he finished speaking, a somewhat displeased voice came from behind him, “Oh, the groom actually has time to come over today.”
Huo Shu turned around and saw Qiao Tuzhi walking towards them with his hands behind his back.
His brow twitched, and he didn’t argue with Qiao Tuzhi, following him into the shop.
Fang He, seeing the tense atmosphere, followed them in with a worried frown.
“You’re here at the right time. I happen to have something to discuss with you.”
As soon as Qiao Tuzhi entered the shop, he went behind the counter and, as if discussing ordinary matters, took out his knives and began sharpening them on the whetstone.
“My shop is quite small, and I don’t have the capacity to employ many people long-term. Now that you’re married, it’s probably inconvenient for you to run to the city every day.”
Qiao Tuzhi said, “To be honest, this shop was originally planned for my son-in-law. Now that my daughter is engaged, the shop will belong to my son-in-law.”
Huo Shu realized this was a dismissal. Since that was the case, he wasn’t one to be shamelessly persistent. He said, “Alright, then I won’t come anymore.”
Seeing that Huo Shu showed no regret about losing the inheritance of the shop, Qiao Tuzhi felt even more awkward. Seeing him agree so readily, he couldn’t help but say,
“Since you learn things quickly, it won’t be difficult to start anew elsewhere. Even if you don’t continue in this trade, your father-in-law is capable and can find you other work without difficulty.”
Huo Shu ignored these sarcastic words, “Thank you for your care during this time, Master Qiao.”
“What care can I give you? I’m not that capable.”
Huo Shu had no intention of getting into an argument, especially since Qiao Tuzhi had treated him reasonably before. Rather than listen to his complaints here, he simply cupped his hands, “I’ll take my leave now.”
Qiao Tuzhi watched as he left with such determined steps and was stunned, suddenly feeling like he had punched cotton.
He was clearly kicking the person out, but it felt as if the person had voluntarily quit.
Qiao Tuzhi felt even more displeased and slammed his knife onto the cutting board with a bang.
Fang He cautiously looked at Qiao Tuzhi a couple of times and then ran out, “Brother Huo!”
Huo Shu, who had already mounted his horse, looked at Fang He running out, “What is it?”
Fang He looked apologetically at Huo Shu, “That, about Master…”
“It has nothing to do with you.”
“No, no.”
Fang He suddenly lowered his head and said, “When Master returned from the county, I found out that he had favored you from the start. He originally intended to marry Qiao’er to you, so that his skills would be passed down.”
“Master had intended to discuss the marriage with you upon his return, but he suddenly learned of your engagement and was very angry. When he was in a fit of anger, I proposed, and he agreed in a fit of pique. Now both families are preparing for the wedding.”
Fang He felt increasingly uncomfortable as he spoke. Today, Huo Shu was also driven away, making him feel even more apologetic, “I feel truly ashamed for acting that way at that time.”
Huo Shu’s brow twitched, “I have no interest in the Qiao family’s daughter, nor in the shop. It’s a good thing that your marriage is proceeding. Why should you feel guilty? This should have been yours all along.”
“But… but what will you do from now on?”
Huo Shu said, “There are thirty-six trades. Surely I can find a way out in one of them. Go back, it’s fine.”
Fang He watched Huo Shu’s departing horse and called out, “Brother Huo, come visit often in the future!”
Huo Shu waved his hand and strolled away with his horse.
He had never intended to stay in this trade forever. It was just that his previous days had been consumed by Tao Yu’s affairs, and he hadn’t carefully considered his future livelihood.
Even if there were changes, they should have happened at the earliest next spring. This had somewhat disrupted his plans.
Huo Shu wondered if he would be a good-for-nothing at his father-in-law’s house immediately after getting married.
“Brother Huo!”
A shout suddenly interrupted Huo Shu’s thoughts. He turned his head and saw Ge Liang.
“You’re out already, just after getting married!”
Huo Shu ignored Ge Liang’s teasing and saw that Ge Liang was accompanied by two or three other men.
“What are you here for?”
“I heard there’s a wealthy man in the city building a restaurant and recruiting workers. I was leading a few young men from the village to apply, but the recruitment notice was posted the day before yesterday, and they already hired everyone yesterday.”
Ge Liang sighed, “This year’s taxes have increased, so there are many people looking for work and few people hiring. The wages for workers have been pressed lower than in previous years, and yet many people are rushing to take the jobs. There are simply fewer employers and more workers.”
Huo Shu glanced at the men accompanying Ge Liang. Their shoulders and sleeves were patched, and their grim faces were filled with the sorrow of not finding work.
When he was young, his family also lived by farming a few acres of land, and he understood how difficult life was under continuous exploitation.
“What about the docks?”
Ge Liang shook his head, “Those ships already have strong dockworkers and sailors, so they hardly need to hire extra people.”
“If we can’t find any odd jobs by the end of the year, there won’t be any free time in the spring. For more than half a year, we’ll be relying on the meager produce from the fields. Without any other income, with the taxes, life will be tough.”
Huo Shu listened to the grim situation and didn’t mention that he had just lost his job.
“Let’s keep looking.”
“Mm.”
Ge Liang responded, “Let’s have a drink together in a while. We’ll try to find some work while we still have time.”
On his way back, Huo Shu saw someone selling roasted chestnuts by the street and bought a bag.
It started to rain on his way back. He urged his horse back, and at the entrance of the Ji family courtyard, he saw a young man pacing back and forth under the eaves from a distance.
“You’re back! Did you get rained on!”
Tao Yu happily ran over when he saw the person leading his horse in.
Huo Shu quickly grabbed him and pulled him back under the eaves, “It’s fine, the rain isn’t heavy.”
After speaking, he took off his cloak and took out the chestnuts he had placed in his chest.
Tao Yu held the still-warm chestnuts, his eyes sparkling. But then he noticed the sugar frosting on Huo Shu’s head and his slightly red, wind-chapped nose. He put the chestnuts into his side herb pouch, stretched out his arms, and pressed his warmed hands against Huo Shu’s face.
Huo Shu’s brow relaxed, “I’m not cold.”
The two walked into the house together.
Ji Yangzong saw Tao Yu holding the long cloak in one hand and the roasted chestnuts in the other, and said, “You’re back.”
Tao Yu turned to Huo Shu and said, “I’ll go dry the cloak.”
“Did your master say anything?”
Huo Shu replied directly, “He told me to find a new path.”
He briefly recounted the day’s events.
Upon hearing this, Ji Yangzong slammed the table, “That old Qiao is so petty! Even if they can’t be family, aren’t they still fellow villagers? Truly outrageous!”
“Well, it’s a good thing that Master Qiao has found a new son-in-law.”
Ji Yangzong frowned. Although Huo Shu had learned the skill of slaughtering livestock fairly well and could start anew,
leaving midway without a master’s guidance and introduction meant that people wouldn’t fully recognize him as a butcher. They would still look for those two familiar and reputable ones for work.
“This slaughtering job is nothing special, and it’s not a great way to make a living. Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye out for other work. Let’s celebrate the New Year first.”
Even though he said that, Ji Yangzong couldn’t help but worry. Did he, as the village chief, not know the job market conditions?
He said it was fine to just farm, since he was tall and strong. But to bury such a man in the fields, earning little money in a year, was truly a waste of talent.
Huo Shu responded with a “Mm” and didn’t say much more.
“If there’s no work, just peel chestnuts for me. I’ll pay you wages.”
Tao Yu saw Huo Shu return from talking with his father. He was sitting and peeling chestnuts for him, but his mind seemed elsewhere, and his expression was somewhat solemn.
He was afraid that Huo Shu was feeling upset because of Qiao Tuzhi’s matter.
“Daily wages, I definitely won’t delay payment.”
“How much money do you have to give me?”
Huo Shu heard this and raised his eyebrows, looking at the young man smacking his lips.
“Besides my own savings, Grandpa also gave me some money when I got married. Parents also gave some.”
Tao Yu counted on his fingers, “My husband also gave me a lot. It’s more than enough. Anyway, don’t worry. I can afford it for the time being. Just keep working.”
Huo Shu couldn’t help but smile at this, his gaze softening considerably.
Seeing this, Tao Yu stood behind Huo Shu and massaged his back. He wanted to be a thoughtful little helper and relax his hardworking husband after a long day.
However, some people’s shoulders were too stiff, all muscle. His hands would get sore with just one squeeze.
“If all else fails, I’ll go see patients and sell medicinal ointments to peddlers. We can still make a living. You…”
Before he could finish speaking, his waist was tightened, and he was suddenly pulled into Huo Shu’s arms.
Looking at Huo Shu’s slightly stubbled chin, his heart couldn’t help but skip a beat.
He blinked his eyes and hadn’t even reacted when the stubble pricked his chin, and then grazed his cheek.
Tao Yu’s face flushed, and his breathing quickened. Although he was sitting very comfortably in Huo Shu’s arms, he still clutched his clothes tightly, feeling a bit lost.