Dandy Escapes From Marriage - Chapter 16

In the evening, Huishang hurriedly caught up with their dinner and brought back some good news: “There’s indeed a young master looking for someone to copy books for him, writing a few characters every day, for three or two silver coins a month.”

 

Liu Shu revealed a triumphant look, although it was only a small amount each month, it used to be negligible, but considering the current situation, three or two silver coins were like a godsend for this family.

 

Shen Ke apparently also thought three or two was a lot, but there was a subtle sense of loss. In the end, even the classics had to bow down to earthly needs. What made him more depressed was that many people didn’t have the opportunity to enter the school, and some people didn’t cherish this hard-won opportunity, living aimlessly, which gave him a sense of great disparity.

 

Ignoring their silence, Huishang continued to talk about the situation at home: “The young master surnamed Zhang, his family runs a cloth business. Mr. Zhang wants him to pursue an official career, but his talent is dull, and he just idles away every day. So, tomorrow, you will accompany me to the town to meet him and discuss the details.”

 

As for when they would return, it was uncertain. Shen Ke instructed Liu Shu about the household chores: “I will feed the chickens in the morning. If I come back late in the evening, remember to feed them. Let them out to roam during the day. I’ll talk to Brother Cao about getting you another bowl and chopsticks for lunch. Once I receive the monthly allowance, I’ll reimburse him for the meal expenses.”

 

Liu Shu gratefully grasped his hand, “You take care outside. If that young master surnamed Zhang bullies you, just tell me, I’ll beat him until he’s toothless!”

 

Shen Ke’s lips curved slightly, letting out a faint laugh.

 

Huishang lowered her eyes, staring at their clasped hands on the table, touched by their deep brotherly bond, she also covered their hands with hers: “I—”

 

Before she could finish her sentence, the two men withdrew their hands one after another.

 

“?” Huishang felt wronged, “Are you guys excluding me?”

 

“No, you’re a monk, what’s with the intimacy between us?” Liu Shu asked.

 

Huishang: Where’s the intimacy? Weren’t you the one who started it first?!

 

“Sorry, I’m not used to it,” Shen Ke apologized.

 

Huishang: You’re used to it with him, huh? Haha, I’m still being excluded after all, no wonder I’m always told to sleep on the floor, a man with a soft exterior but a ruthless heart!

 

“Enough, let’s go to bed,” Liu Shu yawned and got up, Shen Ke also prepared to return to his room.

 

The two met at the door, exchanged glances, about to speak, when suddenly they felt someone approaching behind them.

 

Huishang looked at them gloomily, pushing them into their respective rooms with one hand each: “Go to sleep, don’t linger here with sentimental farewells, even Buddha would shake his head!”

 

The two: “…”

 

Early in the morning, Liu Shu woke up promptly, listening to the commotion outside. Huishang was chanting in the main hall, while Shen Ke was feeding the chickens in the courtyard.

 

He got up briskly, put on his clothes, and ran to the courtyard. Shen Ke heard the noise, turned around, and smiled, “Up so early today?”

 

“When are you leaving?” Liu Shu asked blankly.

 

“After breakfast, we’ll set off.”

 

“Okay.” Liu Shu quickly went to freshen up. During breakfast, he couldn’t help but remind again, “If someone bullies you, just tell me, I’ll beat them to a pulp.”

 

Although he suggested this, now that the moment had arrived, he couldn’t help but worry. What if that young man surnamed Zhang had a bad temper? Did he really understand the ways of those spoiled young masters?

 

“We are in a cooperative relationship, why would he bully me?” Shen Ke smiled.

 

No, you don’t understand the world of the spoiled.

 

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. While Shen Ke was packing things in his room, Liu Shu secretly pulled Huishang into a corner, instructing him to closely follow the other party today and not to be alone, always protect him.

 

“Do you know what you look like now?” Huishang asked after a long silence.

 

Liu Shu was puzzled, “What?”

 

“Like his mother, you’re just missing the final stitch before his departure,” Huishang said.

 

“Stitch what?” Liu Shu was confused.

 

“…Forget it.” Huishang glanced at him speechlessly, “You should read more books when you have time.”

 

“Phew, don’t jinx me.”

 

When they left, Liu Shu stood at the courtyard gate and watched them leave. After walking a short distance, Shen Ke turned back and could still see the figure standing in place. He shouted, “Go back.”

 

“Okay, you take care!” Liu Shu shouted back, cupping his hands around his mouth.

 

“I will, you too.”

 

Huishang: …Doesn’t anyone care about me?

 

As the sun rose, people began to go out for work, and Liu Shu went to report to the bamboo craftsman.

 

Last night, Shen Ke specially came to apologize to the bamboo craftsman. Originally, they had agreed to learn the craft together, but now, after just one day, he was quitting.

 

After explaining the reason, the bamboo craftsman was not angry, but rather a bit pleased. His main expression of joy was nodding repeatedly, “Good, good, good, it’s good to have one less person making noise.”

 

Shen Ke was speechless, and he reminded him again about letting Liu Shu freeload for meals. He handed over thirty wen as a deposit, which was almost half of what he had left, and the rest would have to wait until the end of the month to be paid.

 

Liu Shu was unaware of the deposit, and when he arrived at the bamboo craftsman’s place, he looked very dejected. Without Shen Ke accompanying him, he didn’t have the same enthusiasm for work.

 

Today, they continued to split bamboo. After a while, Liu Shu chopped it messily, feeling disheartened. “How long do I have to learn this?”

 

Based on his talent and strength, the bamboo craftsman made a concise evaluation, saying, “Shortest is three years, longest is ten years.”

 

Liu Shu was shocked, “So long?! When will I start earning money then? I want to make money right away.”

 

“You can’t rush it,” the bamboo craftsman said without lifting his head from the stool, “You need to be patient.”

 

Even with patience, you can’t earn much money, Liu Shu thought. Doing this every day, he couldn’t support a family, at most just barely make ends meet. He didn’t understand where this patience came from, being able to sit here all day, sit for a lifetime.

 

Liu Shu lazily walked up to him, squatting down, and curiously asked, “Big brother, don’t you ever get impatient?”

 

The bamboo craftsman’s eyes flickered slightly, and after a long silence, he barely audible said, “Yes.”

 

“When?” Liu Shu asked.

 

“When she wants to buy new clothes, I get impatient,” the bamboo craftsman said in a low voice.

 

It took Liu Shu a while to realize that the “she” he mentioned was his wife. Just as he was considering his words, he heard him say again, “It’s my fault.”

 

Liu Shu looked at him unexpectedly, not seeing any resentment on his face. “Don’t you get angry with her?”

 

The bamboo craftsman shook his head, burying his head and continuing to work on the bamboo strips without stopping, “I can’t afford what she wants. She has suffered enough following me. I hope that man doesn’t let her down.”

 

Liu Shu pursed his lips and suddenly slapped his arm, almost knocking the knife out of his hand, “You work so hard, you’re already one of the wealthier ones in the village. Every household will come to you for business. Keep it up, and you’ll definitely find a good wife.”

 

The bamboo craftsman stiffly twitched the corners of his mouth, paused, and then expressionlessly said, “Are you… being lazy?”

 

Caught off guard by his probing, Liu Shu awkwardly smiled and returned to his seat to continue working, but he seemed to be more serious than before, for some reason.

 

Lunch was prepared by the bamboo craftsman, stir-fried green peppers and potatoes. Although the taste was mediocre, it was much better than Shen Ke’s cooking, which couldn’t even be identified. 

 

Unfortunately, Liu Shu didn’t have any appetite.

 

He glanced at the person sitting across from him. The bamboo craftsman remained silent while eating, chewing quickly, completely different from Shen Ke.

 

Shen Ke’s cooking wasn’t great, but his table manners were excellent—calm, quiet, and refined. When their eyes met, he would think he hadn’t eaten enough and would smile as he served him more food.

 

But the bamboo craftsman, as soon as his eyes met his, he would immediately bury his head, afraid that he would talk to him.

 

Liu Shu didn’t stop his chopping despite the bamboo craftsman’s silence. “Big brother, I miss Ake, do you miss him? Do you think he’s eaten by now? How’s everything going? When will he be back?”

 

“…”

 

The bamboo craftsman pondered for a while, unsure how to answer, but he found that the other party didn’t seem to need his response at all, so he continued on his own, “It’s late, he should have eaten by now. He’s quite clever, things should be going smoothly… He should be back when it’s dark!”

 

In the afternoon, the courtyard was very quiet, with only the sound of knives colliding with bamboo. Liu Shu didn’t like the silence, so he tried to make conversation, “Big brother, let me tell you a story, do you want to hear it?”

 

The bamboo craftsman: “…”

 

“It’s a story Ake told me, about three women and a hundred and five men.”

 

Finally, the bamboo craftsman glanced at him, but it was a brief moment, almost unnoticed by Liu Shu, who continued to happily tell the story.

 

“Oh, so lively today, huh?” a couple passing by outside, Mr. and Mrs. Zhu, who had just returned from the field.

 

“Yeah, we’re telling stories,” Liu Shu replied as he walked to the door.

 

“Oh, is it the story Brother Ke told? I want to hear it too,” Mrs. Zhu said.

 

“Sure, come on in!”

 

Her husband reminded her that they needed to go back for dinner, so Liu Shu said, “We’ll tell you later in the evening.”

 

“Okay, we’ll come over after dinner!” Mrs. Zhu said cheerfully, taking out some freshly picked tomatoes from her basket. “These are just picked, for you guys.”

 

“Oh, how can we accept this?” Liu Shu quickly received them with a smile, “Thank you, Mrs. Zhu. When our tomatoes ripen, we’ll pick some for you too.”

 

“Sure, no problem,” Mrs. Zhu smiled and then looked towards the silent bamboo craftsman. He rarely interacted with the villagers on weekdays, only exchanging a few words when they needed his services. Over time, people stopped talking to him much.

 

She took out two more tomatoes from her basket and handed them to Liu Shu, winking in the bamboo craftsman’s direction.

 

Liu Shu immediately understood and gestured that it was okay.

 

Mrs. Zhu paused, staring at the three fingers he held up, and then somewhat plaintively took out another big tomato and handed it to him.

 

“Wow, you’re so kind, good deeds will be rewarded!” Liu Shu exclaimed happily.

 

Mrs. Zhu couldn’t help but laugh at his words.

 

“Big brother, this is from Mrs. Zhu for you.” After they left, Liu Shu turned around and ran into the house, placing the tomatoes on the table.

 

After a while, the bamboo craftsman walked in, staring blankly at the three big tomatoes, feeling a bit awkward. “I didn’t thank her.”

 

“It’s okay, I already thanked her on your behalf. If you want to express gratitude, why not bring out some sunflower seeds? I’ll continue telling you the rest of the story tonight.” Liu Shu suggested.

 

“Sunflower seeds…” The bamboo craftsman rummaged around the house and finally found a slightly damp packet of sunflower seeds. Since no one usually visited, he hadn’t prepared these things. He hesitated for a moment, then looked at Liu Shu, “Do… do you know how to make a fire?”

 

“I do, but not very well.”

 

In no time, smoke rose from the chimney. Liu Shu stood nearby, watching as the sunflower seeds were roasted again in the pot, finding the process quite fascinating.

 

“Excuse me, have the people inside already eaten?” At this moment, a voice rang out from outside, neither heavy nor light.

 

The bamboo craftsman paused for a moment, before the person next to him swiftly dashed out.

 

He looked outside to see Shen Ke and a monk standing in the courtyard. In the next moment, Liu Shu rushed up, but abruptly stopped just before reaching them.

 

Ah, the friendship of these young men is truly admirable, the bamboo craftsman thought again.

 

“You’re finally back.” Liu Shu looked at Shen Ke happily, then circled around him a few times, examining him closely. “How was it? Are you injured?”

 

“I went to copy books, not to fight,” Shen Ke chuckled. “Have you eaten?”

 

“Not yet, what about you?”

 

Suddenly, Huishang snorted. “Originally, Master Zhang wanted to take us to a restaurant, but he refused, saying there were people waiting for him at home for dinner, missing out on a big meal for nothing.”

 

“What kind of big meal can a monk have?” Liu Shu remarked.

 

Huishang retorted, “Eating a plate of vegetables is also good.”

 

“Let’s go, let’s go home,” Shen Ke smiled slightly, holding up the paper package in his hand. “Bought the roast chicken you like.”

 

“Ah! I love it so much!” Liu Shu couldn’t help but get excited, hugging him tightly, then hooking his neck and leading him out. “Let’s go, let’s go home!”

 

*Cough!* Huishang coughed heavily.

 

The two stopped, Liu Shu turned around, and extended his hand.

 

Huishang glanced a few times, then shrank his neck and voluntarily looped his arm through Shen Ke’s elbow.

 

“Let’s go home!” Liu Shu laughed heartily, hooking one arm each, but soon realized something was wrong. “Wait, aren’t you both much taller than me? My feet can hardly touch the ground!”