Chapter 3
The sundial showed that it was six quarters into the Si hour, leaving half a shichen before the second quarter of the Wu hour. That was more than enough time to prepare a sumptuous meal.
Ling Zeyu carried the bamboo basket into the kitchen, took out the ingredients one by one, and placed them in separate containers.
He rinsed the dozen or so medicinal herbs, arranged them on a bamboo drying tray, and took them to the back yard to dry in the sun. On his way back to the kitchen, he picked a tender luffa.
Having grown up as a left-behind child, Ling Zeyu had been sensible from an early age. By the time he was seven or eight, he was already helping his grandmother with chores, and doing laundry and cooking were no trouble for him.
When he was in middle school, his parents made a small fortune and brought him to the city to attend school. Even during school holidays, he never sat idle at home, voluntarily taking charge of the cooking. The dishes he made were even tastier than his mother’s.
It wasn’t that he had deliberately studied cooking. He simply had a natural talent for it. With the internet being so developed these days, cooking videos were available on every major platform. All he had to do was watch a few, and he could learn the recipes.
Ling Zeyu swiftly stripped away the outer layers of the bamboo shoots and selected the most tender tips. He cut the remaining portions into strips, intending to dry them for storage. Whenever he wanted to eat them, he could simply soak them in water. They would be delicious whether stewed with chicken or stir-fried with meat.
Fresh meat couldn’t be stored for long in summer, so he made smoked meat and cured meat instead.
At room temperature, smoked meat could last seven or eight days without spoiling, while cured meat kept even longer. As long as it was hung in a cool place, it could be stored for one to three months.
Unfortunately, there were no refrigerators in ancient times. Otherwise, the meat could have lasted an entire year without spoiling.
To prevent the little tabby from stealing food, Ling Zeyu hung the smoked and cured meat from the ceiling beams in the kitchen. He had to climb a ladder whenever he wanted to retrieve any.
Just as he finished setting up the ladder, he heard a series of ingratiating meows.
At some point, the little tabby had entered the kitchen. It sat beside his feet, meowing in an unusually sweet voice, looking incredibly well-behaved.
Ling Zeyu laughed. “You little glutton. Hungry again?”
“Meow~~~” The little tabby drew out its cry.
Ling Zeyu gently nudged it aside with his foot. “Go wait outside. I’ll give you some dried fish in a little while.”
Now that he had caught some fresh little fish, he could give yesterday’s remaining batch to the little tabby.
“Meow, meow~” The little tabby raised its head, its glass-marble-like eyes staring intently at the smoked and cured meat hanging from the ceiling beams.
How could Ling Zeyu not know what it was thinking?
Ever since he started hanging meat from the beams, the little tabby had been “passing through” the kitchen seven or eight times a day. If he hadn’t chosen such a difficult spot to reach, it would have climbed up and stolen the meat long ago.
Seeing that its owner was ignoring it, the little tabby grew anxious. It circled Ling Zeyu’s feet, constantly rubbing its head against his legs.
Nobody could resist a cat’s attempts to act cute, and Ling Zeyu was no exception.
“All right, all right. I’ll give you some meat. I’ll give you some.”
The little tabby understood him. It meowed once and obediently sat down to wait.
Ling Zeyu sighed and resigned himself to climbing the ladder, taking down one strip each of smoked meat and cured meat.
After descending the ladder and placing it neatly against the wall, he picked up a kitchen knife, sliced off a small piece of smoked meat, minced it, and placed it on the plate reserved for the cat.
The little tabby rushed over impatiently and immediately buried its head in the food.
Ling Zeyu said helplessly, “Slow down, slow down. Don’t choke yourself.”
The little tabby turned a deaf ear to him. It finished everything in no time, then licked its lips unsatisfied, sending a clear signal that it wanted more.
Ling Zeyu refused to indulge it.
After all, the smoked meat had been salted, and cats shouldn’t eat too much of it.
He took the dried fish from the cupboard and poured them into the cat’s bowl. “You can have all of these.”
“Meow!”
The little tabby protested.
Its protest was rejected.
Ling Zeyu paid it no further attention. After washing his hands, he continued preparing lunch.
The little tabby stared at the dried fish for several seconds. Seeing that its owner remained unmoved, it pitifully picked one up in its mouth.
Ling Zeyu glanced at it out of the corner of his eye. Seeing that it had finally accepted its fate, the corners of his mouth curved upward in amusement.
At the first quarter of the Wu hour, Ling Zeyu carried his homemade insulated food carrier toward the village’s private school.
His home was on the western side of the village, while the school stood on the eastern side, separated by a small stretch of farmland.
At noon, the villagers who had been working in the fields sat in small groups of two or three on the ridges between the plots to eat their meals. When they saw Ling Zeyu, they all greeted him enthusiastically.
“Young Master Ling, bringing lunch to Teacher Xie again?”
“What delicious dishes did you make today, Young Master Ling? They smell wonderful.”
“Young Master Ling really is Teacher Xie’s wonderful Liangjun. So virtuous and considerate!”
“Go on, move aside! Don’t block Young Master Ling’s way.”
Ling Zeyu simply smiled at all their teasing remarks.
At first, he had been easily embarrassed and would respond with a few words, only to invite even more teasing. Later, he grew wiser and learned to say nothing, merely smiling in response.
The villagers meant no harm. Their gazes were filled with goodwill, and some were even grateful to him.
That was because, after Xie Heng became a Worthy Scholar, the villagers registered half their farmland under his name, exempting that portion from taxation.
Knowing full well that he wasn’t suited to farming, Ling Zeyu had discussed the matter with Xie Heng before renting out their two mu of paddy fields and their wasteland to other villagers.
The paddy fields produced two rice crops a year, and he collected fifty percent of the harvest as rent. The wasteland was dry land, which was cultivated to grow potatoes, sweet potatoes, and peanuts, with forty percent of the harvest collected as rent.
Without selective breeding or improvements, the seeds available in this world varied greatly in quality, produced low yields, and weren’t widely distributed. No wonder famine had broken out in the north.
Ling Zeyu had insisted on planting these three crops, which initially met with opposition from his tenant farmers.
He patiently appealed to their emotions and reason, drawing on the agricultural videos he had watched before transmigrating. He summarized the valuable knowledge he had learned and taught it to the tenants step by step, instructing them to follow his methods and guaranteeing that their yields would increase.
The tenant farmers were skeptical, but when the first batch of potatoes matured, they were both astonished and delighted.
Every potato was plump and well-formed, and the yield had doubled. The sweet potatoes and peanuts also produced abundant harvests. Overjoyed, the village headman immediately reported the results to his superiors, attracting the county magistrate’s attention.
The county magistrate hurried to Wanhe Village with his attendants. Upon seeing the mountains of potatoes, sweet potatoes, and peanuts piled up before him, he was delighted and rewarded Ling Zeyu with twenty taels of silver on the spot.
Afterward, he took a thick collection of cultivation notes and a batch of high-quality seed stock, returning triumphantly to the county seat.
Before leaving, the county magistrate instructed the village headman to encourage the villagers to reclaim dry land and plant these three crops, promising to exempt them from taxes during the first year.
The village headman bowed and agreed. Before long, the villagers enthusiastically began reclaiming wasteland and purchasing improved seeds from Ling Zeyu.
Ling Zeyu welcomed every buyer, selling the seeds to the villagers at low prices. The small profits gradually accumulated, allowing him to earn a modest sum.
The two tenant households renting his dry land also made a fortune. They thanked Ling Zeyu profusely and became even more enthusiastic about farming.
As long as they had enough food to eat and clothes to wear, the villagers were the most simplehearted and honest people.
When Ling Zeyu renovated his house, the young and able-bodied men in the village actively volunteered to help. This not only saved labor costs but also shortened the construction period.
After walking along the village paths and exchanging greetings with several enthusiastic aunties, he arrived at the private school.
The school occupied an old building that had been abandoned for ten years. After Xie Heng decided to remain in the village as a teacher, the village headman mobilized the villagers, with every household contributing money or labor. Following a month of renovations, the school looked completely different.
Ling Zeyu stepped over the threshold and entered the courtyard. The sundial showed the second quarter of the Wu hour, and he raised an eyebrow.
Excellent. He had arrived right on time again today.
Before long, the classroom door opened, and more than a dozen children of different ages rushed out, hurrying home for lunch.
Upon seeing Ling Zeyu, they all stopped and bowed respectfully. “Greetings, Teacher’s Husband!”
Xie Heng was their teacher, and Ling Zeyu was Xie Heng’s Liangjun, so there was nothing inappropriate about addressing him as “Teacher’s Husband.”
Ling Zeyu replied without changing his expression, “Hello, everyone.”
Xie Heng was the last to leave the classroom.
If Xie Heng at night was an insatiable, hungry wolf, then during the day, he was a refined gentleman, as virtuous as an orchid and as gentle as jade.
Tall and elegant, as handsome as a slender bamboo stalk, he held a stack of books and scrolls in his arms as he stepped leisurely over the threshold. Upon seeing the person waiting for him, the corners of his eyes lifted slightly. His gaze softened like water, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
“You’re here?”
His voice was cool and clear as frost and snow, but a trace of tenderness softened his tone.
“Mm, I’m here.” Ling Zeyu took a few steps forward to approach him.
Xie Heng naturally took the food carrier from his hand and headed toward the teacher’s quarters.
With both hands now empty, Ling Zeyu watched as Xie Heng carried the books in one hand and the food carrier in the other, feeling not the slightest bit guilty.
After living together for more than a year, he knew perfectly well that his partner possessed extraordinary strength. Such a small amount of weight was nothing to him.
Looking at the man’s tall, straight figure, Ling Zeyu couldn’t help sighing inwardly once again.
A Heng possessed both the scholarly refinement of a learned gentleman and the noble bearing of a young master from an aristocratic family. He truly seemed out of place in this tiny village.
Ordinary people couldn’t help feeling inferior in his presence.
But Ling Zeyu didn’t.
He came from modern society and had received an education based on the principle that everyone was equal. Even after transmigrating into the novel and witnessing the rigid distinctions between the noble and the lowly in ancient society, he had never accepted them. Instead, he kept his true thoughts hidden, assessed each situation carefully, and adapted accordingly.
Besides, he had seen Xie Heng at his most miserable.
When they had just left the mass burial ground, Xie Heng had been covered in wounds, unable to move, and incapable of controlling his bodily functions. Ling Zeyu hadn’t minded the filth or stench. He had found ways to obtain clean water, washed his body, bandaged his wounds, and cleaned up after him whenever he relieved himself.
Being handled by another person while stripped of all dignity was something anyone would find difficult to accept.
Ling Zeyu had no idea what Xie Heng was thinking at the time. Whenever he busied himself tending to the man’s needs, Xie Heng would lie quietly with his dark eyes open, resembling a lifeless doll.
Three days later, when Xie Heng could finally move and control his bodily functions again, he thanked Ling Zeyu in a hoarse voice.
Ling Zeyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
It was also thanks to Xie Heng’s tenacious vitality. With his limited knowledge of first aid, Ling Zeyu had simply tried every possible method as a last resort, yet somehow, the man had survived.
Once Xie Heng regained the ability to move, the burden on Ling Zeyu’s shoulders diminished considerably.
After all, caring for an injured person while searching for food during a journey as refugees was an extremely difficult task.
After spending more time with Xie Heng, Ling Zeyu gradually realized that he was a cold and emotionally detached person.
During their journey, Ling Zeyu would often feel sorry for other refugees and want to lend them a hand. However, Xie Heng would firmly restrain him, refusing to let him meddle in other people’s affairs.
Because of this, Ling Zeyu gave him the silent treatment for two days.
On the third day, he witnessed a wealthy young lady distributing food to refugees out of kindness, only for her carriage to be destroyed and everyone with her to be killed. Ling Zeyu was so frightened that he curled up in Xie Heng’s arms, trembling uncontrollably.
At that moment, he came to a profound realization. The refugees traveling alongside them were no longer behaving like human beings. They were like frenzied zombies, swarming toward living people and brutally tearing them apart.
For the next several days, Ling Zeyu remained silent. Xie Heng held his hand tightly and quietly stayed by his side.
Having finally understood the situation and recognized his own circumstances, Ling Zeyu came to terms with reality.
He was merely an ordinary person, not a saint. When he lacked the ability to help others, all he could do was save himself.
After figuring this out, Ling Zeyu pulled himself together and worked hard alongside Xie Heng to escape from the freezing north to the warmer south.
Perhaps because they had been through life and death together, he and Xie Heng came to trust each other completely. They shared hardships, depended on each other, and remained inseparable.
Even now, he couldn’t quite explain when their feelings for each other had changed into something more.
One night, the weather was bitterly cold. Unable to endure the freezing temperature any longer, he suddenly threw his arms around Xie Heng.
Xie Heng froze for a moment. Every muscle in his body tensed, and he remained stiff for a brief while.
Ling Zeyu paid no attention to his reaction. He burrowed into the man’s embrace, wrapped himself around him like an octopus, and greedily absorbed his warmth.
Xie Heng’s body gradually relaxed, and he silently returned the embrace.
The night made people vulnerable. Thinking about how he had inexplicably transmigrated into a novel, become trapped in a grueling journey as a refugee, and now faced an uncertain future, Ling Zeyu couldn’t help feeling overwhelmed by sorrow.
Without Xie Heng accompanying him throughout the journey, he probably would have given up long ago and simply waited to die.
It was this man who had repeatedly given him courage, led him away from danger, and taught him how to survive.
Once people lost control of their emotions, they sometimes did things that even they themselves found unimaginable.
Ling Zeyu suddenly cupped Xie Heng’s face and pressed a fierce kiss against his lips.
Xie Heng’s reaction was unexpected. He allowed Ling Zeyu to kiss him for several seconds before abruptly pressing a hand against the back of his head, turning from passive to active as he fiercely claimed his breath.
At that moment, Ling Zeyu truly understood what it meant for sparks to ignite an uncontrollable blaze of passion.
Once their desire was unleashed, adrenaline surged through their bodies, warming them from the inside.
Neither knew who started it, but their hands slipped beneath each other’s clothes…
If their circumstances had allowed it, they would already have become thoroughly entangled.
Bathing was inconvenient while fleeing famine, and both were filthy and disheveled. Apart from embracing and kissing, it was difficult for them to take their intimacy any further.
From that night onward, it was as though their Ren and Du meridians had suddenly been opened. Every night, they held each other tightly, offering mutual comfort and affection, adding endless warmth and tenderness to their arduous journey.
It wasn’t until they settled in Wanhe Village that the two finally consummated their relationship.
That night…
Ling Zeyu abruptly stopped himself from thinking any further, unwilling to recall it.
Who would have imagined that this teacher, whose every gesture radiated scholarly elegance, would transform into a ravenous wolf at night, nearly devouring him whole?
When he woke up the following day and saw the lingering glow of the setting sun, he had been immensely grateful that he was still alive.
“What are you thinking about?”
Xie Heng’s gentle voice sounded beside his ear. Ling Zeyu returned to his senses and watched as the man opened the food carrier and arranged the dishes on the table one by one.
“Ahem, nothing.” Ling Zeyu’s ears grew hot. After washing his hands, he helped take out the chopsticks.
How could he possibly tell Xie Heng that he had been thinking about such improper things?
Xie Heng’s gaze swept over Ling Zeyu’s reddened earlobes, but he chose not to expose him.
“Are you satisfied with today’s dishes?” Ling Zeyu changed the subject, gesturing toward the four dishes and one soup on the table.
Stir-fried bamboo shoots with cured meat, deep-fried small fish, boiled crabs and shrimp, steamed smoked meat, and luffa and egg soup.
It was an exceptionally sumptuous lunch.
“Excellent.” Xie Heng had never been stingy with his praise. “Thank you for your hard work, A Yu.”
Meeting his tender, affectionate gaze, Ling Zeyu felt sweetness bloom in his heart. “I haven’t worked nearly as hard as you, A Heng.”
In front of outsiders, they followed local customs and usually addressed each other as “Little Husband” and “Husband.” In private, however, they called each other “A Heng” and “A Yu.”
Especially when they were overwhelmed by passion and lost all sense of reason, they used whatever affectionate forms of address came to mind. Ling Zeyu had even called him “Older Brother” and “Daddy.”
Of course, the response he received was an even fiercer assault.
—Why was he letting his imagination run wild again?
Ling Zeyu reined in his wandering thoughts, picked up his chopsticks, and considerately placed some food in Xie Heng’s bowl.
Xie Heng accepted it gladly and returned the gesture by serving him food as well.
They thoroughly enjoyed their meal. Although Xie Heng had a rather slender build, his appetite was surprisingly large.
After lunch, Ling Zeyu returned the empty plates to the food carrier, while Xie Heng brewed a pot of light tea on a small stove.
They had plenty of time during the midday break, so Ling Zeyu was in no hurry to return home. Instead, he stayed in Xie Heng’s quarters to practice calligraphy.
Xie Heng poured him a cup of tea and sat beside him to read.
Although neither spoke, the silence between them conveyed more than words ever could.
Comments 0
You must be logged in to comment.
No comments yet. Be the first!