The Overachieving Little Husband of the Top Scholar’s Household - Chapter 50: Farewell

The new husband had already been welcomed in, and the wedding was about to officially begin. Most of the villagers, upon hearing the commotion, put down their work, locked their courtyard doors, and headed to Yun Ting’s house to witness the ceremony and partake in the joyous occasion.

A red cloth was tied to the door latch of Yun Ting’s house. The courtyard and the small path in front of the door had been meticulously cleaned, and even the potholes commonly seen on village roads had been filled. It was evident that, although they were poor, they took this marriage very seriously, doing their utmost to make it as perfect as possible.

By the time Qiu Huannian’s family arrived, the new husband had already stepped out of the bridal sedan and was surrounded by a group of children clamoring for wedding sweets. He had yet to lift his red bridal veil, so his expression was hidden, but his nervousness was clearly evident through his body language.

Yun Ting, with a large red flower tied to his chest, took a small basket adorned with the double happiness character and squeezed through the crowd to hand it to his new husband. Since the new husband couldn’t see, Yun Ting had to take his hand and carefully place the handle of the basket in it.

The moment they made physical contact, the surrounding adults started cheering and teasing them. Though the children didn’t quite understand why, they clapped and laughed along. Yun Ting, who had no veil to hide his face, turned bright red—quite a sight for a tall and burly man nearly seven feet tall.

Just as he was at a loss for what to do, he suddenly felt a tug on his belt. Turning back, he saw his new husband lift the basket slightly toward him. Yun Ting understood immediately and hurried to distribute the wedding sweets together, using them to silence the lively villagers.

The sweets were sorghum candies that Qiu Huannian had helped buy. In consideration of Yun Ting, Qiu Huannian had only charged the wholesale price. Yun Ting’s family had spent fifty coins to buy a hundred sticks of sorghum candy, then cut each stick into four pieces, each about the size of a fava bean, and filled the small red-cloth-covered, double-happiness-stamped basket with them.

Yun Ting and his new husband stood in the courtyard, handing out wedding sweets. Everyone gathered around to get some, and the children, upon receiving theirs, couldn’t wait to pop them into their mouths. Some of the adults ate theirs, while others handed them to their children.

Qiu Huannian also pulled Du Yunse along to ask for sweets. Someone who saw him laughed and teased, “Hua-ge’er, these candies were made by you. Why are you here asking for them?”

“This is wedding candy—it’s not the same as ordinary sweets, is it?” Qiu Huannian replied with a smile, stretching out his hand. “I want the new husband to personally give me one.”

The new husband, still under the bridal veil, heard the conversation outside and realized that the person now standing before him was Qiu Huannian.

Although he was also a ger from Shangliang Village, his family had a long-standing feud with the Qiu family, so he had never been close to Qiu Huannian in childhood. His deepest impression of Qiu Huannian was from six months ago—the shocking event of exhuming a grave—and the fact that Qiu Fu and others had been missing ever since, their fates unknown.

Some people in Shangliang Village praised Qiu Huannian as formidable, while others called him ruthless and unorthodox, not a good person to be around. The new husband gripped the basket nervously until Yun Ting patted him, prompting him to quickly hand over a piece of wedding candy.

The fingertips he touched were warm and soft, and that clear, melodious voice laughed again. “Finally tricked some candy out of you. Wishing you both love and harmony for a hundred years.”

For some reason, the new husband suddenly felt a sense of relief. He leaned lightly against the tall, sturdy man beside him, a hint of sweetness blooming in his heart.

After paying respects to heaven and earth, feasting, and some more playful teasing, the villagers gradually left Yun Ting’s house. The new husband had long since entered the bridal chamber, and Yun Ting, urged along by his brothers in the clan, was also pushed inside. The rest of the time now belonged solely to the newlyweds, and everyone was sensible enough not to disturb them.

For a brief moment, the joyous wedding of a ger couple lightened the heavy cloud hanging over Du Family Village. However, the corvée labor duty was imminent and unavoidable. Just three days after Yun Ting’s wedding was the departure day for those conscripted to serve in Zhang County.

Early in the morning, the bailiffs who had arrived the previous day began counting the villagers at the entrance of the village. Nearly all the people of Du Family Village had gathered there—no one was working the fields, no one was feeding livestock or sweeping courtyards. Everyone’s heart was tied to their departing fellow villagers.

A total of twenty-eight people from Du Family Village had been conscripted for labor service, including Bao Yi and Yun Lei. Bao Yi, carrying a bundle of dry rations and a change of clothes, stood among the crowd, watching his weeping wife and children, his fists clenching and unclenching.

After speaking with the bailiffs, the clan leader turned back and saw his second son. His heart was heavy. Bao Yi’s departure meant he might have to endure the grief of an old man sending off his son. He loved all three of his sons, and losing any of them would be unbearable. But he had to send one, and in the end, he had chosen Bao Yi.

The clan leader had three sons and two daughters, but his sons had struggled with fertility. His eldest son had only one heir, his second son had trouble conceiving, and his youngest son was the only one who had multiple children. His youngest daughter-in-law was even pregnant again. The clan leader feared that if Bao Li went, and something happened to his wife, their three young sons would be left orphaned. In the end, he decided Bao Yi had to go.

Bao Yi met his father’s gaze and walked over, trembling as he smiled. “Father, I’m leaving now. Please take care of yourself.”

“You… you take care too. Be careful, and come back safely. In two years, Cunlan will be of age to get engaged. As her father, you must be there to support her.”

Bao Yi glanced at his daughter, who was clutching Ye Taohong’s waist in silent tears, and softly replied, “Father, today might be the last time we see each other. I’ve never asked you for anything before, but today, in front of all the villagers, I have one request.”

“… Speak.”

“Yun Zhe should study—I won’t stop him. But Cunlan must also be allowed to study. Whatever Yun Zhe gets, Cunlan must have as well. And her marriage will be decided solely by Taohong, with the condition that she won’t marry before the age of eighteen.”

At these words, those around them were stunned. Bao Li’s family looked at Bao Yi in shock, unable to utter a word.

The clan leader hadn’t expected this. “You’re not asking for Yun Ying, but for Cunlan?”

Bao Yi looked at his son, barely three years old, sucking on his fingers in his mother’s arms. He shook his head. “Yun Ying is still young. Who knows when he’ll be ready to study? But Cunlan’s future is more urgent. And… Father, to be honest, Yun Ying is a son, so you’ll naturally favor him. But if I don’t fight for Cunlan, who will?”

“……” The clan leader was left speechless.

“Father, I know you fear that I will have no heir, so you’ve always hoped I would have a son as soon as possible. I was also very happy when Yun Ying was born, but Cunlan is my first child, and she is the only child Peach Blossom and I have had all these years. In my heart, my fondness for her is even greater than for Yun Ying.”

“Father, promise me, let me leave with peace of mind.”

“……” The clan leader’s pale beard trembled. After a long silence, he closed his eyes and said, “Alright, alright, everything will be done as you say. Bao Yi… you must come back safely.”

“…Father!” Cunlan could no longer hold back and ran over, hugging Bao Yi’s leg as she sobbed. Bao Yi lifted her up as he used to when she was a child, but he quickly put her down again.

“My Lan Jie’er has really grown up; Father can’t even carry you anymore.” Bao Yi stroked her head and said, “Be filial to your mother, take care of your younger brother, and study hard. Father knows how capable you are—you will definitely have a bright future!”

Cunlan nodded while crying bitterly. With her reaction, the sorrow of the other people who came to see him off became uncontrollable. Soon, wails and cries echoed across the village entrance, like a dirge played in advance.

Although Bao Li’s family had objections to Cunlan studying, at this moment, no one dared to speak against it. Otherwise, Bao Yi would certainly fight them to the death, and the villagers’ spit alone would drown them.

Jiujiu held onto Qiu Huanians’s hand, standing to the side, watching Cunlan bid farewell to her father. Her eyes gradually reddened.

“Hua Gege.” She tugged at Qiu Huanian’s sleeve. Qiu Huanian bent down to listen as she asked, “Why must they go to the frontier for labor service?”

Jiujiu was still young and had not experienced the turmoil of twenty or thirty years ago. Qiu Huanian patted her head and pointed to the fields outside the village, where vast patches of crops were beginning to turn yellow. “Jiujiu, look over there. Those are the fields we cultivate. We sow the seeds in spring, toil for months, and finally harvest in autumn to have enough food for the year and live a stable life.”

“If the Tatars from beyond the border invade and ride into Zhang County, they will burn our crops, steal our food, kill the men, and take away the women and ge’er… By then, everyone would perish.”

“That’s why we must guard the frontier and keep the enemy outside. Whether it’s the soldiers at the border or the laborers going there, they all risk their lives to protect Yu Dynasty, their families, and its people.”

Jiujiu’s eyes turned red as she softly murmured, “They are the great men described in books. They are heroes.”

The officers started urging them forward—they had to reach Zhang County before noon to gather and set off together for labor service at the frontier.

The village’s only three mules were all brought out. The mule carts from the clan leader’s family, Qiu Huanian’s family, and Yun Hu’s family lined up to send these twenty-eight men off on their final journey.

Qiu Huanian stood tall, watching them disappear into the distance, until the mule carts could no longer be seen. Twenty-eight men left—how many would return?

……

With twenty-eight people suddenly gone, the village felt emptier, yet life had to go on. The day after Yun Ting’s wedding, he resumed working at Qiu Huanian’s house, and Qiu Huanian met his new husband, a ge’er named Xia Xing, who was about the same age as him.

Xia Xing came from Shangliang Village. However, because the Xia family and the Qiu family had always been at odds, the original Qiu Huanian had no memory of Xia Xing, and Xia Xing didn’t know much about the original Qiu Huanian either.

As they got to know each other, Qiu Huanian found that Xia Xing was timid, soft-spoken, and easily frightened. His features were merely delicate, yet he inexplicably evoked a strong protective instinct.

While Yun Ting worked in the fields, Xia Xing often brought him meals in a basket. Over time, he became acquainted with Qiu Huanian. Upon learning that Xia Xing knew how to spin thread, Qiu Huanian eagerly planned to use the harvested cotton as raw material and witness the process himself.

A few days later, early in the morning, just after breakfast, Yun Ting suddenly rushed over and knocked on the door. Seeing Qiu Huanian, he grinned and said excitedly, “Hua Ge’er, come quickly! There are several cotton bolls bursting open in the fields!”

Hearing this, everyone at home could no longer focus on anything else. They all hurried eagerly to the cotton fields.

Most of the cotton bolls in the fields were still unripe, but a few of the fastest-growing ones had turned dry brown and cracked open, revealing soft, white cotton fibers.

Qiu Huanian carefully walked among the half-person-tall cotton plants and gently plucked an open cotton boll. He carefully pried it apart, pulling out the cotton bit by bit to avoid getting it dirty.

When a fluffy, pure-white ball of cotton, free of impurities, fell into his palm, Qiu Huanian’s face blossomed with joy. Holding this hard-earned first cotton bloom of the year, he turned amid the lush cotton plants and raised his hands high.

“Yunse! Look, cotton!”

The wind rustled through the cotton fields, waves of green undulating. The figure standing in the middle of the fields was like a flower that would never wither, blending with the surroundings to form a naturally unembellished masterpiece, forever etched in Du Yunse’s heart.