Husband, Let Me Touch Your Abs - Chapter 86
hii guys, its nini here hope you're liking this novel - if you do please rate this novel on NU too
hi guys im translating nother wn of the same author in another site you can read it here - LINK
Shangjing is the capitalChapter 86
The letter arrived on the final day of the prefectural exam.
This year’s prefectural exam wasn’t going smoothly. While the first day had decent weather, the remaining days were marked by continuous drizzle and a sharp drop in temperature.
Lu Yao sat in a tea house, draped in a cotton coat, feeling cold. He could only imagine how Douzi, wearing just three thin layers, must be faring in the exam hall.
“I wonder how he’s holding up inside. If it gets too unbearable, we can let it go this year. Didn’t Old Master Lin say there’s no rush for Douzi to take the provincial exam, considering his young age?”
Zhao Beichuan, standing nearby, replied, “Don’t worry, Douzi’s tough. Back in the village, when the ice just began to melt, he’d play by the river with Xiaonian, fishing with soaked pants and sleeves, yet never complained about the cold.”
Lu Yao shot him a glance. “That’s because there was no one around to tell him otherwise. If he had parents at home, how could he not cry about the cold?”
Xiaonian, understanding that his sister-in-law was simply worried about her younger brother, tugged at her arm and said, “Sister-in-law, don’t worry. If Douzi couldn’t take it, he’d definitely come out on his own.”
“Ah…” Lu Yao sighed.
To support Douzi’s exam, the shop had been closed for two days, fearing that running it might disturb the child.
Though Douzi and Xiaonian were nominally his younger siblings, in Lu Yao’s heart, he had long treated them as his own children. As parents plan for their children, so did he carefully consider their futures.
By noon, examinees started trickling out of the exam hall. Some collapsed just outside, too exhausted to move. The ordeal over the past few days was akin to enduring punishment — poorly fed, inadequately clothed, and constantly worried about their papers getting wet. Just making it to the last day was a triumph in itself.
In the afternoon, more and more examinees emerged. Lu Yao and Xiaonian stretched their necks to look but couldn’t see over the crowd due to their short stature. Zhao Beichuan, however, took advantage of his height and immediately spotted his younger brother in the crowd.
“Douzi!” He pushed through the crowd, picked Zhao Beidou up, and slung him onto his back. “Tired out, huh?”
Leaning against his shoulder, Douzi weakly murmured an acknowledgment.
Seeing the two come out, Lu Yao quickly reached out to feel Douzi’s clothing, which was damp through and through. His little hands were icy cold, prompting her to wrap her thick coat around him immediately.
Douzi’s cheeks looked flushed, but when Lu Yao touched his forehead, she exclaimed, “Oh no, he’s burning up!”
“We’re heading straight to the clinic!” she said urgently. “He’s caught a cold!”
Zhao Beichuan immediately turned around and headed toward the largest clinic in town, Baoshantang.
However, when they reached the clinic, they were stopped short by the long line outside.
The cold weather had affected many examinees, with at least six out of ten catching a cold. Everyone was there for medicine and treatment.
As dark clouds gathered, signaling more rain, Lu Yao fretted, “What do we do now?”
Zhao Beichuan placed Douzi on her back. “You take the kids home first. I’ll stay and queue for the medicine.”
“Alright, I’ll go home and make some ginger tea for him to drive out the cold.”
Carrying Douzi, Lu Yao hurried home, with Xiaonian following closely behind, holding the exam basket. As they turned into the alley, the rain began to pour.
Lu Yao handed Xiaonian the keys. “You run ahead and open the door.”
“Okay.” Xiaonian dashed ahead while Lu Yao quickened her pace.
But misfortunes never come singly. The muddy road became slippery in the rain, and in her haste, Lu Yao slipped and fell heavily into the mire.
Ignoring herself, she quickly turned to check on Douzi. Fortunately, the child had been lying on her back and wasn’t hurt.
“Douzi, wake up! Don’t sleep yet! Wait until we’re home!”
Douzi groggily opened his eyes and hoarsely called out, “Sister-in-law…”
“I’m here.” Lu Yao gritted her teeth and stood up. She had twisted her ankle in the fall, and every step sent waves of pain through her. Still, she endured it, limping all the way home with Douzi on her back.
The first thing she did upon arriving was to change Douzi’s clothes. His garments were soaked, clinging coldly to his body. After settling him, she changed out of her muddy clothes. Her ankle, now exposed, was swollen like a radish.
“Sister-in-law, is your foot okay?” Xiaonian asked, concerned.
“It’s fine. Help me light the stove in the west room and boil some hot water. Add a couple of slices of ginger.”
“Alright.”
Having Xiaonian’s help was a blessing, as the pain in her ankle was growing unbearable.
Once the water was warm, Lu Yao had Xiaonian bring a half basin over. She wiped Douzi’s face and body, his small frame trembling with fever. Seeing him muttering incoherently in his fevered state brought tears to Xiaonian’s eyes.
In this era of limited medical resources, even a common cold could be life-threatening. Lu Yao was equally on edge, terrified of any dire consequences.
By the third quarter of the afternoon, Zhao Beichuan returned with the medicine.
“Queued forever, and they only sold me two packets of medicine for colds. I doubt those at the back of the line will get any.”
Taking the medicine, Lu Yao said, “I’ll brew it for Douzi right away. You change your clothes and drink some ginger tea too, to avoid catching a cold.”
Noticing her limp, Zhao Beichuan asked, “What happened to your foot?”
“I twisted it when I was in a hurry earlier, but it’s nothing serious.”
Without another word, Zhao Beichuan picked her up and placed her on the kang. “You stay seated. I’ll brew the medicine.”
“Don’t forget the ginger tea.”
“I won’t.”
Douzi’s illness came on fiercely. Though he had always been robust, this was the first time he had fallen so gravely ill.
That night, after feeding him a bowl of medicine and some thin porridge, he vomited it all back up. His face turned pale, and he trembled uncontrollably.
Frightened, Lu Yao didn’t dare sleep a wink. She stayed up all night using cloth compresses to bring down his fever, terrified he might faint from the high temperature.
Toward dawn, Douzi broke into a sweat, and his fever subsided slightly. However, he remained listless, unable to eat. Zhao Beichuan forced him to drink a bowl of sugar water with eggs.
“It’s not sustainable for everyone to stay here,” Lu Yao said. “You and Xiaonian go open the shop. I’ll stay home and watch over Douzi. The bad weather should mean fewer customers. Come back as soon as you finish.”
Zhao Beichuan hesitated. “Can you manage with your foot?”
“I’ll be fine. I’ll also check on the fish in the backyard; we don’t want them all dying.”
“We’ll take a look and come back quickly if there are no customers.”
After they left, Lu Yao hobbled to boil water and prepare medicine for Douzi. His fever kept fluctuating, never fully subsiding. Lu Yao suspected an underlying infection. If this were modern times, a round of antibiotics would solve the problem, but such medicines didn’t exist here.
Around mid-morning, Lin Zijian arrived by carriage. He hurried into the courtyard, asking, “Beidou, how did the exam go?”
Lu Yao met him at the door. “Beidou has caught a cold. Don’t come in, or you might catch it too.”
“What? Is it serious?”
“He burned up all night. The fever broke at dawn but is creeping back up now.”
Lin Zijian frowned. “I’ll bring a doctor over right away.” He climbed back into the carriage and left in a rush.
Lin Jingxian, noticing his return, asked curiously, “Where’s Beidou? Weren’t you going to discuss the exam questions with him?”
“He’s come down with a cold! I’m fetching a doctor to help.”
“Then hurry. Have Zhou Lin bring some herbs for colds too. With this weather, many examinees must be falling ill, and the pharmacies might be out of medicine.”
“Yes.” Lin Zijian quickly called for the doctor.
The doctor Zhou Lin, who had previously treated Old Master Lin in Qiushui Town, was brought along to Pingzhou.
When Zhou Lin arrived, Douzi’s fever had flared up again. Lu Yao was using warm water to wipe his forehead and limbs, trying to reduce the fever.
Recognizing Lu Yao, Zhou Lin greeted her before pulling out silver needles from his kit. He inserted them into Douzi’s Dazhui, Shenzhu, and Feishu acupoints, as well as several points on his hands. Soon, sweat began to bead on Douzi’s body.
Quickly removing the needles, Zhou Lin covered Douzi with a blanket. “Let him sweat it out thoroughly. Once the sweat is fully expelled, he’ll improve. Have him drink plenty of warm water—two pots daily—and brew these herbal packets to strengthen his body and clear the heat. He should recover soon.”
Douzi, nestled under the blanket, nodded weakly, looking slightly more spirited.
Standing at the door, Lin Zijian waved. “Beidou, feeling better?”
“Much better. Thank you.”
“No need to thank me. Rest up, and we’ll study together once you’ve recovered.”
“Alright.”
After seeing off Lin Zijian and Zhou Langzhong, it was almost noon. Lu Yao lit two pots, one for boiling medicine and the other for cooking rice. Once the food was ready, Xiaonian brought back a plate of stir-fried eggs with chives.
“Why are you back? Can your older brother manage the shop on his own?”
“Business isn’t busy today. A few days ago, no reservations were made, so we only had four or five tables of guests today. Everything is prepared, so my older brother told me to bring you food first.”
Lu Yao took the dish and said, “Have you eaten? Stay and eat with us before heading back.”
“I’ve already eaten. My older brother cooked noodles for me. How is Douzi feeling?”
“Much better. This morning, Zijian brought the physician to give him acupuncture.”
“That’s good.” Xiaonian suddenly remembered the letter in her pocket and quickly pulled it out. “When my brother and I opened the shop this morning, Aunt Li next door handed me this letter, saying the courier delivered it yesterday. Since we weren’t home, she kept it for us.”
Lu Yao quickly took it and opened it. Sure enough, it was a letter from home! He eagerly read through the contents.
Since the letter was dictated by someone else, Lu Lin and Hu Chunrong didn’t want to trouble Scholar Xu too much. It was a brief note assuring him that everything at home was fine, asking him not to worry, and hoping they could return soon.
The final words, likely dictated by his mother, asked Lu Yao to take care of his health and not overwork himself. If life there became unbearable, he should return early. Reading this made Lu Yao’s eyes misty, and his heart ached.
Having been away for so long, he found himself missing home.
Xiaonian, who couldn’t read, listened as Lu Yao read the letter aloud. Her eyes reddened as well, and she leaned her small head on Lu Yao’s shoulder. “Sister-in-law, I miss Auntie too, and Lu Miao and the others. When can we go home?”
“We’ll go back next spring, alright?”
“Okay!”
Xiaonian didn’t stay long as she needed to return to the shop to help out.
After Lu Yao and Douzi finished eating, he made Douzi drink another bowl of bitter medicine. By the afternoon, his fever was completely gone, though he still had a bit of a cough. Likely, his lungs had retained some cold air, and he would need a few more days of medication to recover fully.
At Shen Shi (3-5 p.m.), Zhao Beichuan and Xiaonian returned together, carrying a basket with a leftover braised chicken.
As soon as he entered, Zhao Beichuan asked Lu Yao, “How is your foot?”
“It’s fine now.”
Zhao Beichuan carefully checked his foot, ensuring there were no injuries to the tendons or bones, before feeling reassured.
“I heard Xiaonian say Zijian brought a physician over?”
“Yes, they gave Douzi acupuncture and prescribed medicine. He hasn’t had a fever all afternoon.”
“That’s good.”
Lu Yao then asked about business at the shop.
“There weren’t many customers today since people didn’t know we had reopened. Altogether, we served five tables,” Zhao Beichuan said, taking out over a string of coins from the basket.
“We’ve got reservations for nine tables tomorrow. I didn’t accept any more, fearing we wouldn’t be able to handle it.”
“Let’s see how Douzi is doing tomorrow. If his fever doesn’t return, Xiaonian can stay home and play with him while I help you at the shop.”
Zhao Beichuan nodded and started preparing dinner. With the chicken they had brought back, there was no need to cook additional dishes; he only made some vegetable porridge. The family gathered around to eat.
After dinner, Douzi was much more energetic and began recounting his experience during the exam over the past few days.
“The prefectural exam is really different from the county exam. Each person gets a small room called a ‘cell.’ The one I got assigned to had a few broken tiles, and on the first day, it was fine. But starting the second day, rainwater kept dripping in.”
“Couldn’t you change to another room?” Zhao Beichuan asked.
Douzi shook his head. “Each cell has a specific number corresponding to the examinee’s name. If the two don’t match, the results won’t count.”
“Didn’t the officials care about the leaking water?”
“No, they didn’t. My cell was actually one of the better ones since it only leaked in one corner and didn’t soak my exam papers. I heard some other cells had their exam papers ruined by the second day, and those results were invalidated.”
Xiaonian couldn’t help but sigh. “It’s really hard to take the exams.”
“Yes, and some cells near the latrine are called ‘stinky cells.’ With over a thousand people relieving themselves nearby, the smell is unbearable…” Douzi scrunched his nose as if recalling the odor. “People assigned to those cells are considered very unlucky. It’s so overwhelming they can’t even concentrate on the questions, let alone do well.”
Lu Yao chuckled. “In that case, Douzi’s luck wasn’t bad.”
“It really wasn’t. This year’s exam had several questions that I didn’t understand initially but later asked Grandpa Lin about. Luckily, they were spot on!”
Lu Yao quickly cautioned, “You can mention this at home, but don’t say it outside. Grandpa Lin is about to oversee the metropolitan exam. His position is sensitive, and if someone with ulterior motives hears this, it could damage his reputation.”
Douzi nodded seriously. “Got it.” The Lin family had shown them great kindness, and though they couldn’t repay it, they wouldn’t act against their benefactors. It was important to be careful.
Whether or not Douzi passed this prefectural exam, it was a significant milestone in his life and laid a solid foundation for future success in the imperial exams.
—
Half a month later, the prefectural exam results were released. As expected, Douzi didn’t pass.
Out of over a thousand candidates, only the top thirty were selected, earning the title of Xiucai (a licentiate). During this era, being a Xiucai carried significant weight, including exemptions from corvée labor, the privilege of not kneeling before county magistrates, and immunity from corporal punishment.
Those who passed stayed in the prefectural capital to take the academy exam, which ranked the Xiucai candidates into three categories.
The top-ranked were called “Grain Recipients” and received five dou of grain monthly from the government. The second rank, “Incremental Students,” received no grain but had a limited quota. Both groups could study at the Pingzhou Prefecture Academy. The third rank, “Affiliated Students,” were not eligible to attend.
The academy wasn’t exclusive to Xiucai, however. Many officials’ children and nobles also studied there. These individuals were generally less knowledgeable, and while the Xiucai students looked down on them, they often sought to ingratiate themselves with them.
After all, pursuing the imperial examinations was ultimately a path of service to the emperor. If one could forge connections with the powerful while in the prefectural capital, their future prospects were bound to be brighter.
The academy opened in late June. Thanks to Grandpa Lin’s connections, Zhao Beidou surprisingly secured a spot.
However, studying at the academy required living there, with two days off every ten days—amounting to six days off a month.
Lu Yao began to worry, fearing that Beidou, being so young, might struggle to adapt and be bullied there.
Zhao Beichuan felt helpless toward Lu Yao’s concerns. His husband was decisive and bold in other matters, but when it came to the two children, he was always anxious and reluctant to let them face any hardships.
“Beidou is a boy. It’s good for him to venture out and gain experience. Besides, many people would envy the opportunity to study at the academy. If we miss this chance, there won’t be another.”
Beidou also nodded. “Sister-in-law, let me go. I can take care of myself.”
Lu Yao sighed. “Alright, but if you’re bullied or wronged, you must tell your older brother and me. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
In his previous life, Lu Yao had read many news stories about school bullying, with some children driven to depression or even suicide. Most of the academy students were adults, while Beidou was only seven and a half.
Since there was still over a month before the start of the term, Lu Yao decided to let him have fun with Lin Zijian for now. After the metropolitan exam concluded, they would return to the capital.
—
The restaurant business remained booming, especially with the arrival of warmer weather and the harvest of seasonal fruits and vegetables.
Lu Yao added several new dishes to the menu, such as fried lotus root sandwiches, fish-flavored shredded pork, and stir-fried turnips.
While at the western market, he stumbled upon a treasure—taro. Unmodified taro had a mushy texture and little flavor, but before potatoes and sweet potatoes were introduced to China, taro could be used to extract starch! Lu Yao had long been troubled by the lack of thickening agents for his stir-fry dishes.
Dishes without thickened sauces lacked their essential soul, especially those like braised intestines and stir-fried kidney slices. Starch wasn’t just for thickening; it was also crucial for coating and battering. Dishes like sweet-and-sour pork and lotus root sandwiches would be even crispier when fried.
Taro’s poor texture made it cheap, as even poor families avoided eating it unless during famine years. For ten wen, Lu Yao could buy a large basket. He purchased over thirty baskets, cleaned them, chopped them into small pieces, and milled them into taro paste. After filtering, settling, and drying, he obtained purplish-gray taro starch blocks.
These blocks were then ground into powder, producing a starch nearly identical to the one used in modern cooking.
When Lu Yao tested it in his stir-fry dishes, the results were transformative. The sauces became glossy and thick, elevating the dishes’ appearance, flavor, and aroma!
In addition to discovering starch, Lu Yao also began experimenting with brewing wine.
Brewing wine turned out to be more challenging than expected. Lu Yao had assumed that ancient wine-making was similar to modern methods: simply steaming glutinous rice and adding yeast. However, he discovered that yeast wasn’t sold!
When he inquired at a liquor store, the shopkeeper laughed. “Young man, our yeast has been passed down for generations. It’s what we rely on to make a living. If you want to buy it, you might as well buy the whole shop!”
Embarrassed, Lu Yao apologized. “I didn’t realize yeast wasn’t available for purchase.”
The shopkeeper shook his head. “If everyone could buy it, wouldn’t everyone be able to brew wine?”
Lu Yao thought about it and realized the shopkeeper had a point. But then, he remembered—he knew how to make yeast himself. What a coincidence!
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
Yenna02
I’m starting to think I had to learn all this skills, in case, I’ll wake one day in ancient times. 🤣. That would be my motivation from now on.