Husband, Let Me Touch Your Abs - Chapter 29
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Shangjing is the capitalThat night, as Lu Yao was going to bed, he discussed asking Lin Daman for help with Zhao Beichuan.
“Brother Daman was kicked out by his family after the divorce, and seeing him like that today made me feel really uncomfortable.” Lu Yao had felt guilty ever since the incident with Song Guafu, where he had been used.
“Now he’s living in a broken temple with two children and can’t even have a hot meal. Just right, I’m too busy making tofu on my own, so I thought he could help sell it to the nearby villages.”
Zhao Beichuan nodded. He was not short-sighted and knew that selling tofu could be quite profitable. If it weren’t for the fact that he couldn’t abandon his family’s fields, he would want to help make tofu every day.
Lu Yao continued, “I was thinking that the old kitchen is just sitting there empty. We could tidy it up for him and his children to live in. I’ll pay him ten wen a day.”
Ten wen a day was not cheap, especially for long-term work; that would amount to three hundred wen a month, over three taels a year. For ordinary folks, relying on farming might not earn that much in a year.
“Alright, you make the arrangements. If you need my help, just say so.”
“Tomorrow, could you help him build a kang? It will be cold soon, and it’s not suitable for the kids to sleep on the ground.”
“Sure.”
The next morning, Lin Daman set off for Wangou Village with his two children. On the way, Lin Xiaochun asked, “Mom, are you taking us back home?”
“Do you want to go back?” After the divorce, Lin Daman had changed their surname to his.
Lin Xiaochun shook her head. “I don’t want to go back. Dad drinks and always hits people; I prefer to be with you.”
Young Lin Xiaodong imitated his brother, saying, “I want to stay with Mom too!”
Lin Daman patted the heads of his two children and said, “We’re not going back; I’m taking you to another place.”
Last night he had thought for half the night, and if the Zhao family didn’t agree to let him help, he would send the two children to Grandma Song’s place first. Xiaochun and Xiaodong were her own grandchildren; she wouldn’t possibly kick them out, even if she didn’t particularly like them.
As for himself, he would look for work in the town, and once he found a stable place, he would bring the children to stay with him.
After making up his mind, he felt less lost than he had in the past few days. He was strong and healthy; he believed he could survive!
When he arrived at the Zhao family’s gate, he saw Zhao Xiaodou playing in the yard.
“Xiaodou, is your sister at home?”
“She went to sell tofu. She’ll be back soon.”
Lin Daman sat down on a stone at the entrance with the two children, waiting. After more than an hour, Lu Yao and Zhao Xiaonian finally returned with a wooden cart.
Lin Daman stood up excitedly. “Xiaochun, Xiaodong, call out to her!”
“Auntie!” the two children timidly called out.
“Hey, come into the yard. Xiaonian, go get the leftover soybean milk from this morning for your little brothers.”
“Okay.” Zhao Xiaonian quickly ran inside.
Lu Yao parked the cart under the eaves and wiped his hands. “Yesterday, I discussed this with Dazhuang, and he agreed to let you help with making tofu. If you don’t have a place to stay, you can live in that old house at the back.”
Lin Daman’s eyes turned red with excitement. “Thank you so much!”
Lu Yao waved his hand. “Let me finish. I can’t let you work for free if you’re helping me; I’ll pay you ten wen a day, and you can take two days off each month. During those days, you can take the kids to the town to buy supplies. I’ll also give you an advance for a month’s wages to help support you three.”
Once Lin Daman heard this, he felt completely at ease. Ten wen a day, plus an advance of three hundred wen for living expenses—where could he find such a good employer!
He pulled the two children down to kneel and wanted to bow in gratitude.
“Get up, no need for that!” Lu Yao couldn’t pull him up and had to step back to avoid bad luck.
Lin Daman wiped his tears and snot. “Don’t worry; I will definitely help you make good tofu!”
Lu Yao reached out and patted the heads of the two children. “Xiaochun, take your brother inside to drink the soybean milk. Brother Daman, come with me to check out the house.”
In the backyard, Zhao Beichuan was preparing the kang. There were many adobe bricks left from the house construction, just enough to make a kang. The kang hole connected to the stove, making the house warm in winter while cooking.
The old cauldron that had been broken was repaired by Lu Lin and had been sitting unused, perfect for them to use.
Looking at the small house, Lin Daman felt a sense of satisfaction he couldn’t describe. After these days of bringing his children around, enduring the elements, and sometimes not knowing where their next meal would come from, they finally had a place to stay!
“The earth kang will be dry enough to sleep on in a day or two. You and the children can stay in the empty house in front for now.”
Lin Daman quickly waved his hand to refuse. “This place is fine; we can just sleep on the grass.” As a man who had been divorced, what did it matter if he stayed in someone else’s new house? It would reflect poorly on the Zhao family if it got out.
Lu Yao didn’t insist. There was still a lot of thatch at home, leftover from building the house. He would let Lin Daman fetch it later.
After looking at the house, he took him to see the tofu-making area. “Since I’m hiring you to help, I trust you.”
“Your daily tasks will be to help me grind the tofu and accompany me to sell it in the mornings. If you have free time afterward, you can arrange it as you like; it won’t interfere with your work,” Lu Yao said, handing him the three hundred wen he had prepared in advance. “Take this money and buy what you need. Life will get better.”
“Okay!” Lin Daman felt his nose tingle, and tears streamed down his face again. In times of hardship, he found a true friend; not even his own parents compared to this outsider. He silently vowed never to forget Lu Yao’s kindness in this life!
Lin Daman’s arrival had little impact on the Zhao family. Xiaochun and Xiaodong were well-behaved children, staying in the backyard and not running around, only occasionally playing in the vegetable garden.
With Lin Daman’s strength and diligence, Lu Yao found his burden greatly eased.
On their first day selling tofu in the village, they encountered many acquaintances. Seeing Lin Daman with Lu Yao piqued their curiosity, and they came forward to ask what was going on.
Lin Daman smiled. “The boss is busy and asked me to help.”
“Hey, how much do you get paid for a month?”
“Not much, just enough for the three of us,” he understood the principle of keeping money private but didn’t want to seem insignificant.
“Zhao’s young man, are you still looking for help? I can also lend a hand.”
Lin Daman suddenly became nervous, fearing someone would snatch his job.
Lu Yao smiled and refused, “We have enough people for now; if we need more help in the future, I’ll call you.”
“Alright, remember that.” The person left with a piece of tofu, and only then did Lin Daman breathe a sigh of relief.
With help, they sold the tofu much faster than usual, finishing their sales in less than an hour. Just as they were packing up to head back, they were suddenly called out to.
“Do you have any tofu left? Give me two pounds—oh, isn’t that Lin Daman? Kicked out by your family after the divorce, huh?”
The speaker was none other than Lin Daman’s ex-husband, Song Changshun.
As soon as Lin Daman saw him, anger surged within him. He replied gruffly, “What’s it to you? We’re out of tofu; come back tomorrow!”
“Tsk, still doing business, huh? So, you’ve gone to work for that Zhao Beichuan?”
“Shut your mouth!” Lin Daman glared, reaching out to hit him.
Song Changshun flinched, ducking his head, and spat, “With your ugly temper, no one would want you even if you offered yourself!”
Lin Daman threw off his shoes and swung at him, making Song Changshun cover his head and flee, causing those nearby who were buying tofu to burst into laughter.
“Daman, don’t chase him!” Lu Yao called out, and only then did Lin Daman stop, panting heavily, tears of anger welling in his eyes.
“How could I have married such a beast? I must have had terrible luck!”
“Don’t stoop to his level; you’ve divorced him. Why care about what he says?”
Lin Daman wiped away his tears. “I don’t care. Once I save enough money to raise the kids to adulthood, I’ll show everyone that I’m much better than him!”
“Just the fact that you had the determination to divorce him is better than most.”
Lin Daman sighed, “Actually, I’m not that stubborn… The other day, when I was at my wit’s end, I almost took the kids back. If you hadn’t helped me, I don’t know what I’d be facing now… Let’s not talk about the past; it’s behind us.”
“Next time I see that bastard, I’ll make sure he doesn’t recognize his own mother!”
Back home, the two lifted the second batch of tofu onto the cart. They had made two batches last night, and Lu Yao planned to sell some in Lujia Village today.
Lujia Village was the closest village to Wankou Village, just over a small hill. Although the hill wasn’t high, pushing fifty to sixty pounds of tofu over it wasn’t easy, and with Lu Yao’s strength, he certainly couldn’t manage it.
Around half an hour later, they finally arrived at Lujia Village, and Lu Yao began calling out, “Tofu for sale—”
Soon, someone came over to inquire, “Is this the tofu from Wankou Village?”
“Yes, it’s from Wankou Village.”
The person looked up at Lu Yao, feeling he looked familiar but couldn’t place him.
“How much is the tofu?”
“An ounce of beans for an ounce of tofu. You can also buy it for money, six wen per pound.”
“Wait for me; I’ll go home and get some beans.” The person hurried off and returned shortly, carrying a clay bowl. “I want to trade for two pounds of tofu!”
“Sure.” Lu Yao took the beans, weighed them, and Lin Daman skillfully cut the tofu and handed it to him.
Before long, several more people came over, drawn by the sound. They had never eaten tofu before but had heard there was a place in Wankou Village selling tofu that tasted great. Since it wasn’t expensive, everyone was eager to trade for a taste.
As people returned from working in the fields, the crowd wanting to buy tofu grew larger, everyone reaching out with their clay bowls, jostling to get closer.
“Don’t rush; if you can’t get it today, you can get it tomorrow. We’ll be back to sell again.”
“Lu Yao?” Someone in the crowd called out his name.
Lu Yao looked up to see it was his sister-in-law, Hu Chunrong, and greeted her with a smile. “Sister-in-law, you haven’t eaten yet, have you? Take some tofu home to eat.”
Hu Chunrong was in disbelief. “You’re the one selling this tofu?”
“Yes.” Lu Yao had Lin Daman fill a bowl for her and quickly went back to serve the others.
Hu Chunrong carried the tofu home in a daze. Upon entering the courtyard, Mrs. Lu saw the tofu in her hands.
“Where did you get this?”
Hu Chunrong didn’t answer but asked, “Mother, was the tofu you took last time made by Third Brother?”
Mrs. Lu coughed and nodded.
“I didn’t know Third Brother could make tofu…” She felt a bit uncomfortable; her father, mother, and husband all knew but had kept it from her. Did they look down on her or not consider her part of the family?
Mrs. Lu seemed to sense her thoughts. “That’s the Zhao family’s business; it has nothing to do with us Lu family.”
“I know, Mother. I’m not someone who can’t stand to see others doing well. If Lu Yao can live properly, I’m happy for him.”
Mrs. Lu waved her hand. “Why didn’t Lu Yao come inside? Where is he?”
“He’s at the village entrance; there are a lot of people buying tofu.”
Mrs. Lu hurriedly left the courtyard, while Hu Chunrong couldn’t help but sigh as she looked at the bowl of tofu, amazed at how much Lu Yao had changed since getting married. It was as if he had become a different person.
After selling the last block of tofu, there were still more than ten people surrounding the cart, all asking if he would come back tomorrow and at what time.
Lu Yao replied, “I’ll be back at the same time tomorrow. If you want to buy, come out early.”
Once the crowd dispersed, Mrs. Lu stepped forward. “Impressive; you’ve sold tofu even outside the village.”
“Mother! When did you get here?” Lu Yao happily ran over.
“I’ve been watching you for a while; you’re quite business-like.”
“Hehe, I think it’s going well.”
Mrs. Lu affectionately tapped his forehead and then looked at Lin Daman beside him. “Who is this?”
“This is my hired helper, Lin Daman; he’s also from our village.”
“Hello, ma’am,” Lin Daman greeted awkwardly.
Mrs. Lu scrutinized him and suddenly pulled Lu Yao aside, whispering, “Why did you hire an outsider? Your fourth and fifth brothers are idle; let them help!”
“Mother, making tofu is tiring work; it’s not something just anyone can do.”
Mrs. Lu still felt it was inappropriate. “What if he learns how to make tofu and starts selling it himself? What will you do then?”
“I’ve already thought about that; you don’t need to worry.”
“You… Have you eaten lunch yet? Stay for lunch.”
“No, Dachuan and the others are working in the fields; I need to go back and cook for them.”
Mrs. Lu didn’t insist but warned her son to be careful and keep an eye on things.
After returning from Lujia Village, Lin Daman hesitantly stopped Lu Yao. “Boss, can you not replace me?” He had heard everything Mrs. Lu said. “I swear that if I betray you and go off on my own, I deserve to be struck by lightning!”
Lu Yao was taken aback. “I never thought about replacing you. Daman, don’t think too much; since I promised to hire you, I won’t easily replace you. Just focus on doing your job.”
“Okay!” Lin Daman felt reassured and committed himself even more to making and selling tofu.
In just half a month, the sales of Zhao family tofu had doubled. As Lu Yao had guessed, tofu sold better during the busy farming season. They quickly ran out of the two batches of tofu they made each day, later increasing to three or four batches, but that was the maximum they could manage.
During these busy days of early mornings and late nights, Lu Yao felt exhausted, and after dinner, he would fall asleep immediately, without even thinking about mischief.
On the other hand, Zhao Beichuan suddenly found himself missing that troublesome little hand beside him, feeling like something was lacking, and he had trouble sleeping for several nights in a row.
With the moon high in the sky, Zhao Beichuan tossed and turned on the kang, feeling disturbed by the chirping of crickets in the room.
“What time is it?” Lu Yao groggily opened his eyes.
“It’s the hour of the rat; just sleep.”
“You keep rolling over; I can’t sleep.”
“I won’t move anymore; just go to sleep.”
Lu Yao shifted closer to him, slipping his hand into Zhao Beichuan’s blanket. “Let me touch you before I sleep.”
Zhao Beichuan felt comfortable and held Lu Yao’s hand over his abdomen, curling the corners of his mouth in the dark.
“Sleep now.”
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I’m so glad he helped Lin Daman, poor guy was living in horrible conditions 😞