After all the tossing and turning, Cao Wen finally figured something out.
Previously, when he talked about divorce, it was more of a test, but Xu Duoyan’s reaction was truly a wake-up call.
He was honestly so angry that he could only think about one thing: Xu Duoyan was leaving!
Thinking about how she had no affection or attachment for him, how she wanted to escape from him as quickly as possible…
Thinking that everything before was just his own wishful thinking.
But once he calmed down, he realized—he suggested divorce, and Xu Duoyan agreed without even thinking.
This showed she really wasn’t satisfied with this marriage, wasn’t satisfied with her husband.
She didn’t like him, so why should he be disappointed?
In fact, he should be happy.
Xu Duoyan disliked the original person, but he wasn’t the same as that person.
He was an upright and responsible man; fundamentally, he was different from the original!
In other words, if Xu Duoyan liked someone, wouldn’t it be the original one?
That would be something to cry over.
Anyway, he had no doubt that he liked Xu Duoyan.
Since he liked her, he should pursue her.
Although the way they met was a bit twisted, with the divorce, he and the original body were now completely separated.
From now on, he wouldn’t have to fulfill the original’s obligations as a husband to Xu Duoyan.
He could treat her well purely because he liked her, from the bottom of his heart.
The house collapsing was frightening, but thinking back, it actually happened at just the right time.
Cao Wen glanced at the inner room with the light out, listening to the noisy wind and rain outside.
He had never slept so well as he did tonight.
The next morning, Cao Wen was woken up by a loud clucking sound.
He rolled off the bed, followed the noise to the kitchen, and saw the hen standing proudly on the windowsill, crowing with all her might.
Cao Wen instantly lost all sleepiness.
Thinking the chicken wanted to jump onto the water jar by the window to peck at the fish, he rushed over.
“Tsk tsk! Are you trying to climb onto the roof?”
The chicken flew down from the windowsill, and Cao Wen pulled open the kitchen door.
The hen quickly ran out, her steps hurried.
“I really need to make a chicken coop soon and let you sleep outside.”
After grumbling, Cao Wen followed her out of the kitchen.
The sky outside was still dim and gray.
But the rain had completely stopped.
The early morning wind carried moisture, and it was a bit cold against the skin.
Standing in the yard, he could hear the sound of water flowing in the flooded fields far away.
After nearly a whole day of rain, the village’s paddy fields must all be filled.
Though they weren’t his own fields, he had worked hard to raise the seedlings and transplant the rice, so Cao Wen planned to go out and check on them after breakfast.
He stretched his body and went back inside to prepare breakfast.
Just as he reached for some kindling under the stove, he found a yellow-shelled chicken egg on the haystack.
It was about a size bigger than a baby’s fist and still a bit warm.
Cao Wen let out a sound of surprise and bent down to pick it up carefully.
No wonder the hen was making such a fuss—she had just laid an egg.
He was about to place the egg on the stove when he saw Xu Duoyan come out.
“Look, the chicken laid an egg.”
Xu Duoyan looked a bit tired.
She lifted her eyes to look at the egg in Cao Wen’s hand. It was a rather large egg, but in Cao Wen’s broad hands, it looked especially small and delicate.
He smiled slightly and nodded.
“Let’s beat it and steam some Egg Custard for Elder Mother.”
Cao Wen stood up and put down the egg.
“How is Elder Mother?”
Xu Duoyan pressed her lips together and said,
“Mother was frightened yesterday and caught in the rain, but fortunately she hasn’t developed a fever. She’s weak and can’t get out of bed, so she’ll probably need a few days to recover.”
“Then let her rest well. There’s nothing in the house that needs Elder Mother’s help. When it gets brighter, we should go to town and get some medicine, just in case something comes up.”
Xu Duoyan thought the same.
Originally, there were some common medicines at home, but after that disaster, everything was gone.
Other than that, a lot of daily necessities were also lost and would need to be replaced.
The two discussed it.
Xu Duoyan knew well what medicine her mother needed, so it would be more convenient for her to go to town to buy things, while Cao Wen stayed at home to tidy up.
There was a lot to buy, so Cao Wen made a list of things to get.
Now that there were more people, and three rooms to sleep in, they needed extra bedding.
Other than that, everything else was still usable, and even Rice was stocked up—a whole stone’s worth, because Cao Wen had planned ahead.
“Here’s some money for you. When you buy—”
Cao Wen hadn’t even taken out the money when Xu Duoyan waved her hand, refusing.
She was already eating and living here for free; most of the things they needed were for her and her mother, so how could she take Cao Wen’s money?
Seeing her mind was made up, Cao Wen had no choice but to let her have her way.
After everything was settled, breakfast was almost ready.
Xu Duoyan first took the food into the room for Lu Lingbi.
Lu Lingbi hadn’t had breakfast for many years.
When she saw the Egg Custard and porridge brought in, she was a little dazed after just waking up.
She hadn’t eaten this since she was young, back when she lived with the Lv Family of Yi’an.
Seeing it now, she wondered if she’d slept until noon.
“It’s still early. Mother, eat some food and sleep a bit more. I’m going to the market to buy some things.”
Lu Lingbi heard this and frowned.
Xu Duoyan knew what she was worried about.
“Don’t worry, Mother. I’ve already discussed it with Cao Wen. Just stay here for now. We’ll stick to our plan.”
Lu Lingbi had no other choice.
Xu Duoyan was the only one she could rely on.
“Eat, then.”
Xu Duoyan scooped a spoonful of Egg Custard and fed it to her.
The tender Egg Custard entered her mouth, without any fishy taste, only a rich, soft flavor.
Lu Lingbi looked at Xu Duoyan in surprise.
“This is?”
Xu Duoyan saw her mother’s expression and answered awkwardly,
“Cao Wen made it.”
Lu Lingbi figured it out immediately.
One taste and she knew this steamed egg wasn’t her own child’s handiwork.
Xu Duoyan had never been good at cooking.
Later, pretending to be a girl, she had to learn a bit, but she never really developed the knack for it.
Besides making simple porridge or stewing vegetables, everything else was barely edible.
But fortunately, they were a poor farming family and didn’t have good ingredients anyway.
Cooking meant washing things clean, throwing them in the pot, and adding a bit of salt for taste—and even then, they tried to use as little salt as possible.
Xu Duoyan’s skills were just enough to get by for a regular family.
“I didn’t expect he could cook, and he’s pretty good at it, too.”
Lu Lingbi had been groggy last night, and now realized that the Fish Soup from last night was also made by Cao Wen.
After years of drinking bitter medicine, her mouth was filled with delicious flavor when she went to sleep last night—a rare treat.
“He seems like a good kid. How did he end up mixed up with Zheng Kui?”
Lu Lingbi noticed Xu Duoyan didn’t respond and, realizing she might have upset her by praising Cao Wen, was about to change the subject when Xu Duoyan said,
“He won’t get involved with Zheng Kui anymore. He borrowed money from him before and had no choice but to listen. Besides, he was young and it was normal to be led astray by his cousin. Now that it’s over, it’s a good thing he’s stopped in time.”
Lu Lingbi’s eyes widened slightly.
She didn’t say anything, but Xu Duoyan felt awkward and quickly said,
“Mother, eat your food.”
After helping Lu Lingbi eat, Xu Duoyan came out and saw Cao Wen still moving things out of the storage room.
For a moment, cockroaches and rats scurried everywhere, as if their nest had been overturned.
Cao Wen, holding a broom, spotted one and swung at it, but there were too many insects to get them all, so he let them run out as long as they didn’t run all over the house.
He gathered up any usable wooden planks and sticks from the storage room.
Many of the Bamboo Baskets and Dustpans had holes, and though they could be patched with new bamboo strips, they’d been stored so long they were rotten—one squeeze and the Dustpan broke into pieces.
So he tossed them all into the kitchen to use as firewood.
He worked quickly, and soon the once cluttered storage room was almost completely emptied.
Seeing Xu Duoyan holding an empty bowl, he said,
“Come take a look. Do you want to sleep on the bed or the cot?”
“Either is fine.”
Cao Wen knew she’d say that, so he led her to look at the rooms and let her choose the left or right side.
“I’ll use planks to put up a partition in the middle later. The bed’s on the left, so if you pick that side, you’ll sleep on the bed. If you want the right, I’ll move the cot in—saves moving everything around.”
Xu Duoyan pointed to the right, which was directly across from her mother’s room—more convenient for coming and going.
Cao Wen agreed.
The room hadn’t been lived in for ages, and smelled of mold and rot.
Cao Wen planned to air it out first, and put up the partition later in the day.
By the time Xu Duoyan got back from shopping, the bed would be ready to make.
Luckily, it wasn’t hot today.
Otherwise, cleaning out a room that hadn’t been used for so long would have raised a cloud of dust.
Since Xu Duoyan needed to go to the market, Cao Wen planned to check the fields.
They didn’t disturb Lu Lingbi’s rest and went out together.
The air after the rain was so fresh it made people feel more energetic than usual, though the road was slippery, and the water in the fields had almost covered the rice seedlings.
Cao Wen used a hoe to open a gap and let the excess water drain out.
He saw that the other tenants’ fields were also full of water, but strangely, no one was letting out the water.
“Hurry up and get to the riverbank, don’t just stand there!”
“Be careful when you fish! If a single fish is missing, none of you will have a good time!”
As Cao Wen and Xu Duoyan walked onto the main road of the village, they saw several tenants with their pant legs rolled up, bent over in the river, being yelled at and supervised.
At the same time, a furious voice rang out above the noise.
“That sounds like your cousin,”
Xu Duoyan frowned, glancing at Cao Wen.
Cao Wen, hands behind his back, was humming a tune.
When Xu Duoyan said that, he replied,
“We’re not planning to associate anymore, so what cousin?”
“What’s all that commotion about? Did something happen?”
Actually, even without looking, Cao Wen could guess what was going on.
But who doesn’t like a bit of drama?
He led Xu Duoyan to crouch nearby and watch the action.
“Steward Zheng, when did the Fish Pond get washed out? With all this rain, the fish must have been swept away. With such a long river, I doubt we’ll catch any,” a tenant said kindly.
Zheng Kui didn’t reply—instead, he kicked the man, nearly knocking him into the river.
“Just do what I tell you! Who asked you to talk so much?”
Zheng Kui had been beaten badly yesterday.
When he ran from the Cao family, his face only had a little bruise, but after a day, the swelling had spread, making his whole face look both purple and ridiculous.
He stood on the bank, hands on his hips, looking fierce, but all the tenants in the river couldn’t help sneaking glances at his battered face.
“What are you looking at! Want me to dig your eyes out?”
The tenants shrank back, heads lowered even more.
Cao Wen guessed that if it weren’t for the Fish Pond being washed out, Zheng Kui wouldn’t have swallowed his pride and called the tenants to help catch fish.
It had been a whole night—who knew if there were any fish left in that pond?
The fast ones had probably already swum into the river.
Cao Wen shook his head.
Working for the Qian Family and getting their favor, but being lazy and hiding from the storm instead of checking the pond—now that disaster struck, he was scrambling to fix it.
Not a good sort at all.
“Were the fish in the water jar at home caught from the river?”
Xu Duoyan suddenly remembered last night’s Fish Soup.
She’d thought Cao Wen had caught a few during the flood, but saw plenty of fish still in the jar this morning.
She realized how those fish got there.
Cao Wen briefly explained how he’d caught the fish yesterday.
Then he saw four or five quick, capable men escorting a man in long robes rushing over.
“Zheng Kui, how did you watch over the pond!”
“We put in three thousand fish fry—go see how many are left!”
Before the man arrived, his voice was already shouting at Zheng Kui.
Cao Wen recognized him at once—it was the Qian Family’s Caretaker, Zhao Guangzong.
He was the top man in the Qian Family, but he and Zheng Kui hadn’t gotten along for years.
A few years ago, Zhao Guangzong had passed a lucrative procurement job meant for Zheng Kui to his own relative, leaving Zheng Kui to manage tenants and the orchard and Fish Pond at the estate.
He could have stayed at the Qian Family’s Main House in the city, but ended up being sent to the estate to do all the hard, thankless work.
Naturally, Zheng Kui resented Zhao Guangzong deeply.
“Steward Zhao, what brings you here? If you’d let me know in advance, I’d have sent someone to meet you, especially with the roads so slippery after the rain.”
Seeing Zhao Guangzong arrive in a hurry, Zheng Kui felt a pang of dread.
After all, he was already at a disadvantage.
Before, there was nothing for others to use against him, so he could keep up appearances, but now that something had gone wrong, he didn’t dare act tough.
He tried to placate Zhao Guangzong with polite words, but inside, he cursed the man for not staying at the Main House and instead coming to the village to cause trouble.
If he found out who tipped him off, he’d make them pay.
“If I hadn’t come to the estate, I wouldn’t have known about your blunder! The August Feast is coming, and the master wants fish from the estate’s pond. You sure know how to do things—letting the fish go early. What are we supposed to serve at the August Feast? You tell me—what fish?”
Zheng Kui was completely cowed.
“I didn’t let the fish go. Even if I had a hundred times the nerve, I wouldn’t dare touch the master’s fish. It rained all night—I spent the whole night with people checking the fields and the pond. Everything looked fine, I don’t know how the bank collapsed this morning.”
Zhao Guangzong wasn’t moved by his pitiful act and said coldly,
“I don’t care how the bank collapsed. If you can’t give me a proper explanation, you can forget about working for the Qian Family!”
With that, Zhao Guangzong flung his sleeve and led his men away.
No matter how much Zheng Kui begged and pleaded, they ignored him.
It was the first time the tenants had seen Zheng Kui scolded like this by a superior.
They forgot to laugh and just stood there, dumbfounded.
Zheng Kui clenched his fists tightly, anxious and furious, with nowhere to vent his anger.
He wanted to take it out on the tenants, but the most urgent thing was still the fish.
After nearly an hour of searching the river, they’d barely caught anything, which only made him more upset.
Cao Wen and Xu Duoyan watched the drama from a distance.
Seeing Zheng Kui scurrying about like an ant on a hot pan, and after several moments of hesitation, hurrying off with his hands behind his back—probably looking for another solution.
“I think he’ll have to pay for fish out of his own pocket to put back in the pond. Zhao Guangzong has never liked him; if he doesn’t take this chance to get rid of him, I’d be surprised.”
Xu Duoyan glanced over and saw the person beside her curve his lips in a not-so-kind smile.