Dandy Escapes From Marriage - Chapter 13

Hui Shang didn’t explain the reason for staying overnight, and the next day, he even left without having breakfast.

 

When Liu Shu described it, there was no trace of Hui Shang anymore. He habitually went to the kitchen, and upon seeing Shen Ke’s figure in the smoke, it eased some of his morning grumpiness.

 

“Awake?” Shen Ke heard the movement, turned around, and looked at him dazedly. With a slight smile, he said, “Go wash your face.”

 

“Mm, is there anything I can help with?” Liu Shu filled a basin with water, scrubbed his face with a cloth, then washed the cloth before getting up and walking over to Shen Ke, pinching his cheeks.

 

Shen Ke: “?”

 

“There’s dirt on your face.” Liu Shu wiped away a smudge of dirt from his cheek before turning to pour water.

 

Shen Ke subconsciously touched his cheek, chuckled lightly, then picked up the eggs and said, “Hui Shang left early this morning.”

 

Liu Shu paused for a moment, surprised as he turned back, “Oops, I forgot he stayed here last night. Why did he leave so early?”

 

“Maybe he had something to do.”

 

“I’ve always been curious, how did you and Hui Shang meet? Why does he always come to you for alms?”

 

Is it because he’s taken a liking to your empty house, or your terrifying cooking?

 

“Perhaps because I’ve never asked him why he became a monk, how old he is, where he’s from, or if he’s ever considered leaving the monastic life and getting married?” Shen Ke said slowly.

 

“I see.” Liu Shu nodded in understanding. “He’s afraid of being exposed, so coming to you just requires opening his mouth. Even if it’s just a piece of crust, it feels like returning home.”

 

Shen Ke shook his head with a wry smile, then put the peeled eggs into Liu Shu’s bowl. “Eat.”

 

After eating a few bites, Liu Shu almost choked. He picked up the tea and took a big sip, then said with a smile, “But I think the main reason is that you make people feel warm. No matter how poor you are, you’re always willing to help others. Just like now, even if there’s only a little food, you’ll share some with me.”

 

“I don’t share food with just anyone.” Shen Ke looked at him, his gaze falling on the eggs in his hand, which had become overcooked. Meanwhile, the other person kept eating the eggs and drinking tea as if they were some delicacy, with a smile on his face. “I only share with kind little fellows who don’t mind my cooking and eat all my dishes.”

 

“You think I’m kind?” Liu Shu pointed to himself incredulously.

 

“Mm.”

 

“Thank you, thank you, this is really… I only realized these past couple of days that I’m not just a gentleman, but also a kind person!” Liu Shu was a bit excited, ate up the remaining eggs in one go, his cheeks bulging, and then smiled at Shen Ke, but suddenly stopped, coughing violently.

 

Shen Ke casually poured him a glass of water.

 

The weather was nice today, with a gentle breeze.

 

Since he wasn’t selling herbs anymore, Shen Ke had to find something else to do.

 

After feeding the chickens, the two of them went to the fields. Shen Ke had bought some pumpkin seedlings at the market yesterday, so they needed to plant them quickly while the weather was good.

 

“I’ll loosen the soil first.” Liu Shu picked up a small hoe and went to work in the fields, looking quite experienced.

 

Seeing him struggling to dig, Shen Ke thought of something and stood up, saying, “Take a rest, I’ll go find someone.”

 

After a while, Shen Ke returned, carrying two hoes in his hands, each several times longer than the one Liu Shu held.

 

“What’s this?” Liu Shu was astonished, then looked at the small hoe in his hand, suddenly feeling inadequate. “Why are these so big?”

 

“Borrowed them from the basket maker.” Shen Ke felt embarrassed to admit he had seen them carrying hoes and mumbled, “Using these will save some effort.”

 

“Okay.” Liu Shu immediately dropped the small hoe and switched to the larger one. Instinctively, he swung his hand, but found it difficult to move the tool. He laughed awkwardly, “Hey, just a mature fake move.”

 

Shen Ke also took a hoe and went to the field. He gripped the handle and lifted the hoe, looking quite professional. Liu Shu stared in amazement as he forcefully dug into the ground… stopping a few centimeters from the surface and turning back to ask, “Like this?”

 

“Should be, right? Looks quite imposing.” Liu Shu rubbed his chin, speculating.

 

Shen Ke raised the hoe again, this time digging it into the ground with force. Then, with both hands, he pulled it out, causing a loud thud as soil and something else were unearthed.

 

“What’s this?” Liu Shu curiously walked over to inspect and found a stone, quite heavy. He turned to look, noticing Shen Ke’s hand trembling slightly.

 

“Are you okay?” Liu Shu held his hand and rubbed it, “Feeling numb?”

 

Shen Ke nodded, feeling embarrassed, and went to pick up the hoe again. “It’s fine, I can manage.”

 

He swung the hoe again, about to land it, when he suddenly heard someone loudly calling his name. He instinctively turned around, and the hoe struck his shin.

 

“Ugh!” Shen Ke dropped the hoe, holding his leg and hopping in pain.

 

“A’Ke!” Liu Shu hurried to support him, then turned to look at the newcomer, furrowing his brows with a hint of displeasure. “Auntie Zhu, why did you suddenly shout?”

 

“Oh, I didn’t mean to startle you. I just wanted to call out to Brother Ke. Why are you digging up my land?” Auntie Zhu asked.

 

Both of them were stunned. With one hand supporting Liu Shu’s shoulder, Shen Ke slowly stood up, first looking at the ground beneath his feet, then raising his head to ask, “Is this your land?”

 

“Yes.” Auntie Zhu walked over, stood on the edge of the field, and pointed to the boundary line in front, saying, “You’ve crossed the line. This is my land.”

 

Upon closer inspection, there was indeed a depression in the middle, which had been dug by Liu Shu with the small hoe, so he hadn’t realized it was the boundary line.

 

“Sorry, we didn’t know. We’ll fill it up for you right away.” Shen Ke apologized.

 

“Alright, make sure to fill it properly.” Auntie Zhu instructed before going back to work.

 

Shen Ke and Liu Shu glanced at each other, then chuckled awkwardly. “Let’s get started.”

 

“You go rest on the side. This was originally my mistake, and it’s caused you to get hurt.” Liu Shu felt guilty.

 

“It’s okay, I won’t get hurt again this time, and with two people, it’ll be faster.” Shen Ke swung the hoe again, thankful that this time, he didn’t make another mistake. However, he wasn’t very skilled and awkwardly filled the dug-up soil back into the hole.

 

Busy for the entire morning, they finally completed the futile task of digging and filling soil.

 

In the distance, smoke rose, and by noon, the two returned home to cook, agreeing to finish planting the pumpkins in the afternoon.

 

The afternoon sun was intense, not suitable for work, so they took a nap before continuing to work. 

 

Having become familiar with the structure of the hoes, they swung them with some semblance of skill, though their movements were stiff. After laboriously digging the ground, they began sowing the seeds.

 

“At last!” Liu Shu shouted to the sky, pounding his arms and legs, feeling exhausted all over. He leaned on Shen Ke’s clothes as they walked back home.

 

There weren’t many people on the road, and they supported each other, silently returning home. They collapsed onto the mattress, too tired to speak.

 

As the sky gradually darkened, the grayish sky reminded them it was time to make a fire and cook. However, they were too tired even to fetch water, let alone cook.

 

“A’Ke.” Liu Shu weakly patted the wall, calling out to the neighbor, “How about skipping dinner tonight? Skipping a meal won’t kill us.”

 

“No.” Shen Ke could bear skipping a meal if he were alone, but with someone else in the house, he couldn’t let them go hungry. So, he struggled to get up again, went to the kitchen to find something to eat, and pulled out a half basket of sweet potatoes given by the basket maker. He said, “How about sweet potatoes for dinner tonight?”

 

“Sounds good! Just eat them raw!” Liu Shu suggested, lying on the mattress.

 

“Raw? Are they delicious?”

 

“Very delicious.” Liu Shu remembered buying a pound of sweet potatoes from a farmer while outing with friends. They peeled them and ate them raw, juicy and sweet.

 

“I’ll try.” Shen Ke hadn’t eaten them raw before. After peeling the skin, he took a few bites. His eyes gradually lit up, and he quickly peeled another one, bringing it to Liu Shu’s mouth.

 

“…” Liu Shu couldn’t help but ask, “A big sweet potato, and now there’s only a thumb-sized piece left?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“All right.” Liu Shu opened his mouth and took a bite, giving a thumbs-up. “The sweet potato you peeled is indeed delicious, a whole different flavor.”

 

“You have such a mouth…” Shen Ke chuckled. “Did you grow up eating honey?”

 

“Yes, do you want to try?” Liu Shu grinned, then realized what he had said and widened his eyes, sitting up suddenly.

 

Shen Ke raised an eyebrow, suspecting he had misheard. “Hmm? Try what?”

 

Liu Shu immediately covered his mouth, awkwardly forcing a smile. “I was just joking! Although my mouth is sweet, my brain is dumb!”

 

“… ” Surprisingly, he had such a clear self-awareness?

 

After eating raw sweet potatoes and feeling exhausted, Shen Ke noticed Liu Shu was groaning in pain from moving, so he patted his shoulder and said, “Go to ** and wait for me, take off your outer clothes.”

 

“What are you going to do?!” Liu Shu looked at him in horror, fearing what might be coming, and began cautiously covering his lips.

 

“… ” Shen Ke said in a low voice, “I’ll give you a massage to soothe your muscles and bones.”

 

Liu Shu started clutching his chest again, remembering the trauma from last time. “Really going to massage me?”

 

“Last time was acupressure. This time, it shouldn’t hurt.” Shen Ke reassured.

 

“Well, I’ll reluctantly trust you one more time.”

 

The night was dark and the wind was high. There were bird calls in the forest, not particularly melodious, occasionally startling. If travelers were timid, they might be scared.

 

But Hui Shang was already a seasoned traveler, having walked countless times on the night road. Today, he had to stay at Shen Ke’s house again.

 

The courtyard door was not closed, so he walked into the main hall and saw that Shen Ke’s room was empty. Just as he was puzzled, a muffled groan suddenly came from the adjacent room, followed by a long moan.

 

Hui Shang: “?”

 

“How about that? I told you it wouldn’t hurt this time, didn’t I?”

 

Upon hearing Shen Ke’s voice, Hui Shang’s expression turned horrified—It’s barely dark, and you guys… couldn’t you at least close the door!

 

“This time it’s okay, but last time you really almost killed me. Um… please be gentler this time,” Liu Shu said.

 

Hui Shang took a sharp breath, recalling last night when he encountered Liu Shu looking disheveled on the road, and nodded as if he had suddenly realized—I knew it, I just knew it!

 

Feeling it was not suitable to stay any longer, he turned to leave but heard his own name.

 

“Seems like there’s someone outside. Could someone have arrived?” Liu Shu asked.

 

“It might be Hui Shang,” Shen Ke speculated.

 

Brother Ke, you really are my good brother, to guess it’s me just from a shadow, Hui Shang was deeply moved.

 

“It’s perfect timing. Let’s have him try it too,” Shen Ke said.

 

Hui Shang: ??

 

Liu Shu: “Sure, but wait for me to put on some clothes before opening the door.”

 

Hui Shang: !!!

 

You guys are shameless! You don’t even spare monks!!!