The Overachieving Little Husband of the Top Scholar’s Household - Chapter 13: Awakening

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“Cough, cough, cough, cough!” Wu Shen choked on his water, erupting into a violent coughing fit.

Who was this? Was this something Du Yunse could say? How did this fake Taoist suddenly become enlightened?

Du Yunse realized he had spoken impulsively and dared not look at Qiu Huanian’s reaction, but he did not regret saying those words.

Qiu Huanian was momentarily stunned, not expecting to hear an ancient version of “I’ll take care of you.”

And the one saying it was a cold and handsome man whose looks and demeanor were exactly his type—quite the heady experience.

He floated in the moment for a few seconds before smiling and saying, “Don’t feel too much pressure, I’ll take care of you too.”

Qiu Huanian only meant that they would support each other, but to others, the meaning was entirely different.

A ripple of emotion flickered through Du Yunse’s eyes, while Wu Shen rubbed his arms and stood up, glancing around awkwardly.

“Ahem, tomorrow is Qingming. Yunse, take out the offerings and fruit I bought before they spoil.”

Du Yunse opened the book chest beside him and took out the items Wu Shen had previously purchased in Zhang County. Qiu Huanian glanced at them and let out a surprised sound.

These paper offerings… weren’t they the ones he had drawn?

“Is something wrong?” Du Yunse asked, looking at Qiu Huanian.

Qiu Huanian shook his head. “No, I just didn’t expect to see my own artwork on these offerings.”

Many people knew he had been drawing for the stationery shop these past few days, and since it wasn’t something shameful, he had no reason to hide it.

“I was commissioned by Wang Cheng, the owner of the stationery shop in town, to draw a batch of Qingming festival offerings. He paid me eight wen per sheet.”

Wu Shen’s expression turned complicated. “But he sold them to me for fifteen wen per sheet!”

Qiu Huanian realized that this young military officer wasn’t very familiar with trade. “It’s normal for merchants to take a fifty percent profit. Eight wen is already a good price for me.”

Du Yunse glanced at the elegant paper on the windows, something he had noticed upon entering. “Did you paint those as well?”

Looking closely, the style of the window paper and the offerings was almost identical, with only the colors differing.

“That’s right. The ones sold outside are expensive and poor in quality, so I made my own.”

Qiu Huanian knew that both Du Yunse and Wu Shen had seen real masterpieces before, so he remained humble. “It’s just for fun. I never formally studied painting, so at best, it’s passable.”

“Then I’ve essentially put money into my own family’s hands. I thought you…” Wu Shen chuckled. “Didn’t expect you to be a scholar too.”

Qiu Huanian responded casually, “My mother was literate. She taught me as a child and also taught me a little painting. If that makes me a scholar, then all of Yu Dynasty is filled with scholars.”

He attributed his literacy and painting skills to his original mother. In the memories of his predecessor, his mother, Mei Xue’er, was indeed literate. However, she had always been in poor health, depressed, and had passed away early, never really teaching him anything.

Du Yunse looked at the ink-painted plum blossoms on the window, now tinted golden-red by the sunset. “You paint very well. Don’t belittle yourself.”

“……” Qiu Huanian was well aware of his own abilities, but being flattered like this still made him happy.

After chatting for a bit, the village chief’s granddaughter, Cunlan, arrived to call them, saying that the food was nearly ready. Jiujiu and Chunsheng had already been taken to the village chief’s house.

Qiu Huanian got up, went to the storage room, and took out a large handful of sorghum taffy and a bundle of spiced dried tofu, wrapping them in straw paper before handing them to Wu Shen.

“These are all homemade. Take them for the road.”

Although Wu Shen held an official seventh-rank position, he was still just a seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth. Qiu Huanian could tell he hadn’t traveled far before and was likely short on money, so he packed a little extra for him.

Wu Shen fetched a cloth bag from his horse and put them in, noticing a bit sticking out. “What are these? I’ve never seen them before.”

“This pack is dried tofu. You slice brined tofu into thin pieces, dry them in the sun, then mix them with a little salt and ground chili powder. That’s it.”

Since the Meng family often gifted him tofu when he sold candy, sometimes he couldn’t finish it in a day. To avoid waste, he had developed this new method of preparation. The dried tofu was thin and crispy, with a fragrant, spicy-salty taste that was very popular with the two children.

Wu Shen took a piece and popped it into his mouth, nodding enthusiastically. “Delicious!”

Ever since his family’s downfall, he had lost his appetite and disliked the coarse food on the road, but unexpectedly, this small piece of dried tofu rekindled his hunger.

Qiu Huanian smiled and pointed to the other package. “This is my homemade candy, called sorghum taffy. Try one.”

Unaware of how rare and expensive sugar was in the countryside, Wu Shen eagerly tasted one. “This is good too! It tastes just like the sweets sold in the capital.”

Qiu Huanian accepted the praise as the three of them locked the courtyard and headed to the village chief’s house for dinner.

On the way, Wu Shen, leading the horses, and Du Yunse, who had been away for years, attracted quite a bit of attention from the villagers. Walking alongside them, Qiu Huanian was also scrutinized.

As they neared the village chief’s house, Qiu Huanian spotted Jiujiu and Chunsheng waiting anxiously outside the door.

When they saw him, the two children immediately ran to his side. Qiu Huanian crouched down, patted each of their heads, and smiled. “Waiting for your brother?”

Jiujiu lowered her head shyly, not saying a word. Chunsheng, the bolder of the two, declared, “We wait for Brother Hua like this every day!”

Qiu Huanian tapped his forehead lightly, then pointed at Du Yunse. “Take a look. Do you know who this is?”

The children had already been told their eldest brother had returned, and now they gazed up at this distinguished young man. But facing a stranger, they hesitated to approach.

Du Yunse stood still, seeing the fear in his younger siblings’ eyes. His heart clenched with sorrow, and he hesitated, unsure of how to bridge the gap.

When he had left home, Jiujiu had just been born. The only time he had returned was for their father’s funeral, when Chunsheng was still in their mother’s womb. He knew very little about these two children, only what little was mentioned in the few letters exchanged each year.

Though bound by blood, years of separation were not so easily erased.

At that moment, Du Yunse suddenly felt a tug on his sleeve. A soft, warm hand pressed against his palm, slipping something inside.

Opening his hand, he found two sugar-coated candied plums.

Turning his head, he saw Qiu Huanian winking at him.

Du Yunse handed the two plums to his younger siblings. The children exchanged glances before cautiously accepting the treats.

“Big Brother, what is this?” Chunsheng turned the plum over curiously in his tiny hands.

“It’s preserved fruit, candied with sugar,” Du Yunse had eaten it at some small banquets before.

“Is it sweet?” Jiujiu mustered the courage to ask.

Du Yunse patiently replied, “It’s both sour and lightly sweet, with a fruity aroma.”

The two children took a bite of the preserved fruit, their eyes lighting up. Du Yunse hesitated, then crouched down, mimicking Qiu Huanian’s earlier gesture by patting his younger sister and brother on the head. Jiujiu and Chunsheng stiffened slightly but did not shy away.

Seeing that he had successfully eased the tension between this family of three, Qiu Huanian nodded in satisfaction. It was worth the extravagant price he had paid for a few pieces of preserved fruit on his way back today.

Wu Shen observed everything and chuckled. “Sister-in-law, you really are…”

“Hmm?” Qiu Huanian didn’t catch what he said.

“Nothing. I’m hungry. Let’s go inside and eat,” Wu Shen said as he rubbed his arms again.

How did Du Yunse get so lucky, managing to find such a wonderful ge’er as his husband in the countryside?

If he kept watching, he might actually get jealous!

Upon hearing that Du Yunse had returned to the village and had even brought along a friend personally appointed as a seventh-rank military officer by the emperor, the village chief immediately instructed his family to prepare a feast.

Meng Fuyue, the eldest sister-in-law, had the second sister-in-law chop up chives and mix them with minced meat to make dumplings, while the third sister-in-law was sent to Baoshan’s house to buy fish. She herself selected a plump rooster, slaughtering it for the meal.

The village chief’s family was large, with more than a dozen people who could help. With everyone working together, the meal was soon prepared. It was as lavish as their New Year’s Eve feast, with fish and meat dishes.

Meng Fuyue handed a dumpling to her second brother’s daughter, Cunlan. “Be a good girl, Lan-jie’er. We’ve already eaten. Go play outside. Your grandfather has things to discuss.”

Cunlan took the dumpling and skipped away. The second sister-in-law chuckled at the sight, tidied up the stove, and also went out to chat with others.

In the village chief’s spacious and tidy main room, a round table was set up with an oil lamp to entertain the guests.

The main guests of this meal were Du Yunse and Wu Shen. The village chief was accompanied only by his eldest son, Baoren, while Qiu Huanian, Jiujiu, and Chunsheng focused on eating quietly.

The village chief, being an experienced elder, knew what topics were appropriate to ask about and what should be left alone. He inquired about life in the capital, to which Du Yunse carefully responded with whatever could be shared, while Wu Shen occasionally added details.

When he learned that Wu Shen was the son of General Wu Dingshan, the village chief sighed deeply. “When I was young, the Tartars frequently raided the borders, and the people in those areas lived in constant fear. Fortunately, His Majesty personally led the army and crushed the enemy, giving us the peaceful days we have now.”

Although Zhang County wasn’t on the border, it was only four or five days’ ride away. If the frontier defenses were breached, this place would become easy prey for the Tartars.

“When the imperial army passed through Zhang County back then, I was among the crowd welcoming them. From afar, I caught a glimpse of General Wu. Seeing the young general now, it’s as if he were carved from the same mold as his father. Truly, a tiger father does not sire a dog son!”

Wu Shen loved hearing people compare him to his father’s heroic image. Upon hearing this, he ate ten more dumplings and talked even more.

Qiu Huanian kept his head down, quietly eating, but his ears were attentively listening to their conversation.

The village chief might not have been highly educated, but as someone who had seen much of life, he skillfully grasped Wu Shen’s interests with just a few sentences. Qiu Huanian felt he had learned something from this exchange.

When the conversation turned to the downfall of General Wu Dingshan and the house arrest of Sir Wen Huiyang in the capital, the village chief did not show fear. Instead, he encouraged them, saying that things could still turn around and that they must work hard to seize opportunities.

As the discussion deepened, they eventually talked about how they had coincidentally caught human traffickers in the county.

“As soon as Yunse heard Huanian’s name, he immediately borrowed a horse from the county magistrate and rushed back to the village. I was worried, so I decided to accompany him,” Wu Shen said after swallowing his food. “I’ve known him for years, but this was the first time I’ve seen him so anxious.”

The village chief frowned upon hearing this. “The Qiu family actually came up with such a scheme? That entire family is rotten!”

Thankfully, he had been cautious and had his eldest son and daughter-in-law escort Hua-ge’er every day. Otherwise, something terrible might have happened!

This was the first time Qiu Huanian had heard that someone had tried to directly kidnap and sell him. A hint of fear crept into his heart, and his chopsticks paused for a moment.

Suddenly, a piece of fish, carefully deboned, was placed into his bowl.

He looked up at Du Yunse, who softly said, “I noticed you like eating this.”

Qiu Huanian smiled at him.

The village chief, realizing that Hua-ge’er was still at the table, cleared his throat. “Hua-ge’er, I wasn’t referring to you. You’ve long cut ties with that family. Don’t grieve over people who aren’t worth it.”