The Overachieving Little Husband of the Top Scholar’s Household - Chapter 41: The Mei Family

To place the name and love for a deceased lover onto someone similar to her, no matter the underlying reasons, is a desecration of the departed.

Du Yunse would never do such a thing for any reason. Fortunately, he was not an emperor, and Hua Ge’er would always be by his side.

“The deer antler and lingzhi that Shiliu brought are just right for the prescription given by Doctor Gu. I’ll go into town later to buy the remaining medicinal ingredients. The earlier we start using these valuable medicines for nourishment, the better the effect will be.”

The medicinal ingredients that Shiliu sent indeed solved Du Yunse’s urgent needs, but they also made him more acutely aware that, as a chess piece, his every move was being closely monitored by that imperial father-and-son pair.

Qiu Huanian had just found out in the prefectural city that his body was constitutionally weak, and Shiliu had already set out from the capital with the medicine. This was both a show of goodwill and care, as well as a subtle reminder and warning.

The Crown Prince was hinting to him that he had not completely lost the emperor’s favor yet. At the same time, he was also implying that the emperor had already placed Du Yunse into his faction. Du Yunse was a smart man, so Shiliu only needed to deliver the medicine without saying or doing anything else.

An imperial order is difficult to defy, and the emperor’s favor is unfathomable—it is not something a subject can refuse at will.

Du Yunse could only strive to continuously prove his worth in this grand game of chess played on the board of the world, making the right moves, seizing opportunities hidden behind risks, and leading his family to a better life.

“Even with the main ingredients, the remaining medicinal herbs are still expensive,” Qiu Huanian sighed.

After careful calculations, the new house, along with furniture and interior decorations, would cost a total of twenty-two taels of silver—far exceeding the estimated fifteen taels for a brick house in the village.

But there was reason for the high cost. The two-courtyard residence with a garden that Qiu Huanian designed was far superior to the ordinary brick houses commonly seen in the village.

An ancestral home is the foundation of a family. If it is built well once, it can benefit future generations for decades. Although the expense was high, it was worth it.

Previously, they had twenty-seven taels of silver at home, but only four taels remained. However, in the past twenty days, the sale of sorghum candy had brought in another four taels, covering the shortfall. With income balancing expenses, they were not facing a financial crisis.

“Lingzhi and deer antler can’t be consumed too frequently. Doctor Gu’s prescription calls for one dose every three days. The medicine Shiliu brought is enough to last a long time. Let’s start by spending two taels to prepare ten doses, and we’ll replenish when needed.”

It is often said that prolonged illness makes a good doctor. Though Qiu Huanian was not yet “prolonged ill,” he had already memorized the prices of the medicinal ingredients in Doctor Gu’s prescriptions.

“Hua Ge’er, don’t be reluctant. Your health is the most important thing.”

Qiu Huanian smiled and hummed in response, then nestled into Du Yunse’s embrace under the night sky. The noisy cicadas’ calls surrounded them.

Du Yunse spread his arms wide, holding Qiu Huanian tightly, as if forgetting they were outside, forgetting his deeply ingrained restraint and decorum.

Qiu Huanian had already silently and imperceptibly changed him.

…

Shiliu had been staying in the back courtyard room, and neither Qiu Huanian nor the others disturbed him. He, in turn, only came to the front during mealtimes, always bringing some game with him—sometimes a rabbit, sometimes a fox—allowing Qiu Huanian to accumulate several pelts.

One evening, when Shiliu did not come for dinner, and Qiu Huanian was about to check on him, Shiliu suddenly dragged in a half-grown wild boar from the back. The boar was as large as an adult’s embrace, with a wound on its neck still trickling blood, a testament to Shiliu’s precise and lethal hunting skills.

Wild boars usually moved in groups, and there were no such large beasts in the mountains behind Du Family Village. Qiu Huanian knew that Shiliu must have gone somewhere farther away, likely not just for hunting. However, he did not ask further.

A young wild boar had little meat, yielding only about fifty pounds after processing. The advantage was that the meat was tender, unlike that of a full-grown wild boar, which was often too tough to chew.

In the hot summer, without a refrigerator, meat was hard to store. Qiu Huanian made ten pounds into jerky, kept five pounds for home consumption, and shared another five pounds with close neighbors in the village. The remaining thirty-plus pounds were sold in town.

Wild boars typically followed their parents, and few in Qingfu Town could hunt young wild boars. The thirty-plus pounds of meat sold quickly, fetching a higher price than regular pork.

Wild boar meat sold for forty wen per pound, while the offal was fifteen wen per pound. In total, it brought in one and a half taels of silver.

Shiliu never questioned how Qiu Huanian handled the game he brought back. He continued appearing only at mealtimes.

Days passed this way until one afternoon when Qiu Huanian was casually sketching in his study, and Wei Liuhua suddenly came rushing in, flustered.

Seeing her covered in sweat, Qiu Huanian invited her to sit and turned to pour water. “Catch your breath first, then speak slowly.”

But Wei Liuhua was too anxious to wait. She took a deep breath and blurted out, “Hua Ge’er, my father-in-law and mother-in-law are back!”

Qiu Huanian raised an eyebrow. Zhao Shi and the others had returned?

After the county exam, Du Yunjing’s family had met their downfall and been detained by Steward Feng of the Feng Family to arrange Du Yunjing and Li Gu’er’s wedding. Now, more than twenty days had passed, and the wedding was likely over.

“All of them?”

“All of them—Du Yunjing, Li Gu’er, and Fu Bao. They came from Zhang County in a mule cart. A neighbor I trust happened to see them and hurried to tell me, so I managed to leave first. By now, they’re probably already home.”

Wei Liuhua had enjoyed a few months of peace and had no desire to return to her previous hardships.

She knew what Zhao Shi and her family had endured in the prefectural city, and thanks to Meng Fuyue’s efforts, most villagers were aware of it too. Given Zhao Shi’s temperament, she would surely vent her frustration on the elder branch of the family behind closed doors.

Wei Liuhua took out a purse from her bosom and placed it on the table. “Hua Ge’er, this is one tael and three qian of silver I saved from selling sugar beets and doing needlework. If they’re back, I won’t be able to keep this money. You’re the only one I can trust.”

She counted the silver in front of Qiu Huanian before putting it back into the purse. Every coin had been saved painstakingly and was her and You Ge’er’s future security. She would not allow anyone to take it away.

Qiu Huanian nodded. “Leave it with me. Come for it whenever you need it.”

Wei Liuhua, having secured her money, hurried home, worried about her child, You Ge’er.

Zhao Shi’s family returned in a mule cart, all wearing sullen expressions. Li Gu’er’s hair was now styled as a married woman’s. Just before entering the village, Zhao Shi seemed to want to scold her or tell her to cover her face, but in the end, she said nothing.

In just over twenty days, she looked as if she had aged more than a decade, her face full of hardship.

As the familiar houses of Du Family Village came into view, Du Baoquan let out a deep sigh, his voice trembling, “We’re finally back.”

Du Yunjing, however, remained grim, his eyes fixed on the rolling cart wheels. His suppressed anger and humiliation boiled over, making him cough up a mouthful of blood.

“Are you alright, my husband?” Li Gu’er tenderly wiped his lips with a handkerchief.

Du Yunjing grasped her wrist tightly, bruising it, yet Li Gu’er remained silent.

He wiped his lips against her hand, smearing blood across his face, then smiled eerily. “Don’t worry, my dear. I’m fine.”

……

After returning home, Du Yunjing’s family shut their doors and did not go out. Although the villagers wanted to watch the drama unfold, they did not want to stir up trouble themselves, so they all kept their distance.

Qiu Huanian had no idea about the current state of that family, nor did he care to know. With the village chief keeping an eye on things, Wei Liuhua would not suffer any losses. No matter how much they stirred up trouble, it would not affect Qiu Huanian’s life in the slightest.

Right now, Qiu Huanian’s focus was entirely on pest control for the cotton plants. The vinegar dregs had already been purchased from the county. Huang Erniang’s spice shop had been transferred to someone else, but that did not affect their ability to buy vinegar dregs.

Qiu Huanian combined the orders from the village chief’s household and Yun Kang’s family to buy in bulk. Since the demand was high, the shopkeeper of the spice shop agreed to have the vinegar dregs delivered to Du Family Village once every ten days from the county, saving them the trouble of making frequent trips.

Besides buying vinegar dregs, Qiu Huanian also made several simple spraying devices to mist the cotton plants with diluted bio-enzyme solution.

Since there was no plastic, the nozzle of the sprayer had to be made of wood. It was delicate work, but fortunately, it was not strenuous, nor was there any rush. Qiu Huanian spent some time on it each day and managed to make four sprayers.

Rubber tubes were out of the question, so Qiu Huanian had to use thoroughly cleaned pig intestines as a substitute. He tied both ends tightly with hemp rope to prevent leaks.

With this setup, modern pressurized spray bottles were obviously not an option. Instead, Qiu Huanian designed a linked mechanical system. To operate it, liquid would be poured into a wooden water tank coated with tung oil. By stepping on a pedal beside the tank, the water would be pumped upwards into the tube and sprayed out through the nozzle.

Though this sprayer did not have the range of modern high-pressure sprayers, it was undoubtedly much more efficient and even compared to manual watering.

Ever since he had decided to grow cotton, Qiu Huanian had been thinking about how to make a sprayer. Each design was the result of lessons learned from previous failures, and the final product embodied all his hard work and ingenuity.

Shiliu found Qiu Huanian’s sprayer and cotton planting process fascinating. When Qiu Huanian tested the sprayer, Shiliu stood quietly beside him, watching intently.

Seeing that Shiliu had been standing there without speaking or leaving, Qiu Huanian took the initiative to ask, “Would you like to give it a try, Master Shiliu?”

It couldn’t be that Shiliu, with a child’s heart still unspent, simply wanted to play with a water gun, right?

Shiliu shook his head and said to Qiu Huanian, “You are very intelligent.”

Over the past few days, he had watched Qiu Huanian adjust every detail bit by bit until he successfully created this remarkably ingenious device.

Qiu Huanian hadn’t expected someone as cold as Shiliu to compliment him so directly. He was momentarily stunned before humbly replying, “It’s just a minor skill.”

But Shiliu said, “Would you be willing for me to report this to my master?”

Report it to the Crown Prince? It was just a sprayer—why would such a figure need to be disturbed? Moreover, if Shiliu truly wanted to report it, could he even stop him? Why bother asking?

Qiu Huanian realized he understood Shiliu less and less.

“Not just the sprayer, but also the cotton,” Shiliu continued, speaking more than usual. “If what you say is true, and with your method, Zhang County’s climate can produce a high cotton yield, my master can petition to grant you the title of County Lord.”

“……”

Qiu Huanian was stunned by Shiliu’s words and, for a moment, didn’t even know what to think first.

First of all, he had never mentioned anything about cotton yielding a great harvest recently. If Shiliu knew this, then he must have secretly investigated a lot about them.

Secondly, while the method of cotton cultivation was indeed valuable, he was just a commoner. There was no way he could be granted the title of County Lord for it—after all, that was a legitimate noble rank.

To make this happen, Shiliu’s master, the Crown Prince of the Yu Dynasty, would have to exert considerable effort. The relationship between Shiliu and the Crown Prince was clearly closer than he had imagined.

Lastly, what exactly was the connection between him and Shiliu? Why would someone like Shiliu suddenly say so much and consider something like this for him?

Qiu Huanian didn’t hide his doubts, but Shiliu didn’t explain. Instead, he asked again, “What do you think?”

Qiu Huanian could only say, “I study how to grow cotton and write agricultural books in order to spread this method freely to all people so that more common folk can afford cotton and live with dignity. Whether or not you report it makes no difference.”

Shiliu nodded. “I will stay for three more days, observe your pest control method, and then leave.”

“……” Even his plan to conduct the first trial of the bio-enzyme pest control method within three days was known to Shiliu. Now, Qiu Huanian finally understood what he had been busy with.

Shiliu turned to leave. Qiu Huanian hesitated for a moment and then called out to him.

“Master Shiliu, I won’t lie and say that I don’t want to be a County Lord at all. But even without that, I can live well on my own. If this matter is difficult for you, if it could put you in danger, then please don’t force yourself. Taking care of yourself is more important.”

“……”

Shiliu didn’t turn back. Several times, Qiu Huanian thought he was about to say something, but in the end, he only quickened his steps and silently left the front courtyard.

Qiu Huanian watched his ghostly, silent figure disappear and, for some reason, felt a faint ache in his heart, an inexplicable sorrow.

……

It wasn’t until he returned to the back room that Shiliu reached out and pressed a hand to his heart. He had thought this place inside him had long since stopped hurting. But now, it was pounding fiercely against his body.

This was no new wound. It was an old pain that had never truly left him. Sealed away for years, it had suddenly been awakened by a long-lost concern, now unwilling to stay silent.

Qiu Huanian…

Shiliu didn’t know how to perceive him, this person who might very well be his last living blood relative in this world.

The one he had been searching for wasn’t him. But his elder sister had already been reduced to a pile of white bones after suffering inhuman torment, waiting in vain for family to come for her, enduring agony until her final moment.

Back then, he had still been struggling through the training halls of the imperial court, enduring brutal drills and beatings, learning loyalty, learning self-sacrifice, becoming a lethal shadow.

The experienced overseers of the training halls never misjudged people. He had indeed become a well-trained hunting dog, willing to give everything for his master’s command. Only by doing so could he leave that place.

He had lost his name—after all, a loyal dog didn’t need a name.

But deep in his heart, he still harbored a desperate, hidden wish: to find the elder sister who had gone missing outside the city while making offerings at the temple before the Mei family massacre. She was the only one who might have survived.

He had found her. But he was too late—thirteen years too late. So late that not even a dream could bring her back.

She had left behind a child—a little boy who resembled her greatly, who was intelligent and diligent, flawless in every way. He bore no trace of his lowly father’s lineage.

And yet, Shiliu still refused to acknowledge him. He stubbornly refused to tell this ignorant child the truth about the Mei family.

But when he unexpectedly heard Qiu Huanian’s words of concern, the pain had struck so fiercely…

Shiliu was closing his eyes, trying to suppress emotions he should not have, when he suddenly heard an unusual sound behind him. His eyes turned sharp in an instant, and he whirled around at lightning speed, his hand already gripping the hidden dagger in his sleeve.

“You?”

Seeing that the intruder was Chunsheng, the young boy from Qiu Huanian’s household, Shiliu smoothly retracted his dagger without a trace and asked what he was doing here.

Chunsheng swallowed nervously. Although Shiliu had seemed calm these past few days, Chunsheng was still somewhat afraid of him.

But for the sake of his wish, Chunsheng gathered his courage and spoke.

“Uncle Shiliu, c-can you teach me how to hunt?”

Before Shiliu arrived, the person Chunsheng admired most was Meng Wudong, who could catch rabbits. But after Shiliu’s arrival, his idol quickly changed.

Shiliu had initially intended to refuse outright, but at the last moment, he changed his mind. “Why do you want to learn to hunt?”

“If I can catch as much game as Uncle does every day, I can earn lots of money. Then, like my sister, I can help support the family. Brother Hua will keep doting on me, and my eldest brother won’t force me to study anymore!”

Shiliu frowned and asked coldly, “Do you think Qiu Huanian treats you badly?”

“No!” Chunsheng panicked at once. “I never said Brother Hua is bad! It’s just… everyone at home is amazing. I can’t cook, I can’t sew, and I’m worse at studying than Yun Kang. I… I…”

Chunsheng’s voice cracked with tears. “I’m so useless. Maybe one day… maybe Brother Hua will want a more capable child instead.”

“……”

Shiliu had fought in deadly battles and survived the treacherous politics of the imperial court. A mere shift in his demeanor was enough to frighten an ordinary child to tears.

Realizing this, he softened his expression slightly. Though he tried to make his tone gentler, his voice remained cold.

“Your brothers are not that kind of people. At your age, you should focus on studying.”

Chunsheng lowered his head. Tears still clung to his face, but he stubbornly refused to leave.

Shiliu looked at him, and for a moment, he saw his younger self. Before the tragedy, he too had been this naïve and impulsive, shielded by his family’s love, unaware of the cruelty of the world. His worries had been nothing more than silly little troubles that made his sister laugh behind her handkerchief.

And at this very age—at seven years old—the border defenses had suddenly fallen, his grandfather had died in battle, the Mei family had been slaughtered, and he had been taken into the imperial court, losing his name forever.

Shiliu stared at Chunsheng. He was so innocent, so foolish, so…

So infuriatingly deserving of protection.

“Hunting is merely the killing of wild beasts in exchange for a few coins. It is not worth my time to teach.”

“Then what will Uncle teach?” Chunsheng asked, his excitement making his breath quicken.

Shiliu flicked his wrist. A hidden blade gleamed as it shot out, piercing the ground an inch from Chunsheng’s feet.

“Killing.”