Author Archives: Thingyan

Catching a Thief

“Brother! Are you okay, brother?” Chang Hao ran as fast as he could, like a little bullet, rushing into the crowd and standing in front of Chang Le, looking up nervously, observing his brother’s expression, afraid that he might be at a disadvantage or treated unfairly.

When Chang Le saw him approaching, his eyes brightened slightly, shaking his head to indicate that he was fine.

Chang Hao breathed a sigh of relief, then turned around and looked at the people around, furrowing his brows as he asked a man in his forties, “Village Chief uncle, what’s happening?”

His brother couldn’t speak, and even if he had a valid argument during situations, he couldn’t explain it clearly, and others couldn’t understand his gestures, which would put him at a disadvantage. Chang Hao had encountered it a few times, so whenever he saw someone surrounding his brother, he became extremely nervous.

At that moment, Grandfather Chang also arrived, pushing his way into the crowd and standing in front of his two grandsons, partially shielding them. He asked the people around, “What’s going on? Why are you all gathering together?” Why are you crowding around my grandson?

Seeing the grandfather and grandsons arrive, someone said, “Hey, Chang Hao and his grandfather are here. We can find out what’s going on.”

The Chang brothers’ uncle, Wen Li, was also present. He still remembered how Chang Le and Chang Hao gave him a hard time yesterday, so when he saw Chang Le being surrounded by people, he had no intention of stepping forward to help. He crossed his arms and watched the commotion from the outskirts of the crowd.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

At that moment, seeing Grandpa Chang and Chang Hao arrive, Wen Li immediately pushed through the crowd and went to the center. He said to his grandfather, “Dad, you finally came. I don’t know what trouble Brother Le has gotten into this time.”

Grandpa Chang glared at Wen Li and coldly said, “How can Brother Le get into trouble? Can’t you hope for something good for once?”

Chang Hao also gave his aunt a disdainful look and then turned his gaze to the village chief.

The village chief cleared his throat and gestured for everyone to be quiet by raising his hand. He said, “Everyone, stop talking and be quiet!”

As soon as the village chief spoke, the villagers fell silent and looked at him.

The village chief looked at the grandfather and grandson and said, “Uncle, here’s the situation. When we came to the fields this afternoon, we saw Brother Le holding down a man from another village, not letting him go. You know, Brother Le doesn’t speak, so we don’t know the reason. The man kept cursing Brother Le, saying that he was inexplicably pinned down by him. They have been arguing, so we waited for you to come and ask Brother Le what happened.”

When Chang Le was young, he was introverted due to his physical condition and rarely interacted with the villagers. It was only after his parents passed away that he had to shoulder the heavy burden at home, forcing himself to interact with outsiders and gradually becoming more outgoing.

Although many years had passed, besides his grandfather and younger brother, no one in the village understood his gestures. So now, the villagers relied on the grandfather and grandson to translate.

While the village chief was speaking, Yu Qingze finally approached and squeezed into the crowd, standing beside Grandpa Chang.

Upon hearing the village chief’s words, Chang Hao, Grandpa Chang, and Yu Qingze noticed that Chang Le had one hand gripping the wrist of the man tightly, rendering him unable to move.

The man had a dark complexion and was tall and sturdy. He had a pair of triangular-shaped eyes, and his clothes were covered in mud. Upon seeing his mute relative approaching, he immediately started threatening them.

“I’ve been saying that this mute is going crazy for no reason! I didn’t do anything. I was just passing by, and he grabbed me! He’s about to break my wrist! You better make him let go of me, or I won’t let you off!”

The man was much taller than Chang Le and had a larger physique, yet he couldn’t break free from Chang Le’s grip.

Some villagers around them voiced their opinions, saying, “Brother Le wouldn’t just randomly grab you. You must have done something to provoke him!”

“Yes, Brother Le never causes trouble! Quickly, tell us, what did you do?”

Someone nearby sarcastically said, “Well, you never know. Maybe Brother Le did something.”

Another villager immediately retorted, “Huzi Ama, just because your chicken pecked at the vegetables in Brother Le’s garden and he chased you out, doesn’t mean you can speak ill of Brother Le like that. We all know Brother Le’s character.”

*(T/N: Ama = Older female, like aunty, but here, it is for older gers.)

“What do you mean? What are you saying! Am I such a petty person?”

“Well, then I don’t know.”

“…”

As the argument escalated on one side, the man with triangular eyes became bewildered.

“What? Ger!” The man with triangular eyes stared at Chang Le as if he had seen a ghost. How could a Ger have such great strength?!

Immediately, he thought of something and scolded Chang Le, “You, a Ger, grabbing onto a man and not letting go. Have you no shame? Ah! Let go of me!”

Chang Le glanced at him and silently exerted force with his hand. The onlookers could hear the man cry out in pain, saying, “Ouch, it’s going to break!”

Everyone burst into laughter. Brother Le was born with incredible strength, yet this man dared to provoke him. Ridiculous!

“Tell us! What dirty deed did you do to provoke Brother Le?”

The man screamed, “What did I do? Which eye of yours saw me do anything? You didn’t see anything, yet you open your mouth and spew a bunch of shit!”

The villager was also hot-tempered and rushed forward to kick the man with triangular eyes, but someone quickly grabbed him.

“Enough, stop arguing for now!” The village chief shouted, and silence fell. The village chief looked at Chang Le and said, “Brother Le, you explain what happened.”

Everyone watched Chang Le expectantly, waiting for him to speak up.

Chang Le glanced at his right hand. If he wanted to explain clearly, he needed both hands to gesture. But he was afraid that if he let go, the man would run away, so someone had to hold onto him.

“I’ll hold onto him. You talk to Xiao Hao,” Yu Qingze walked over to Chang Le’s side and grabbed the man’s hand, saying to Chang Le.

Chang Le looked at Yu Qingze suspiciously.

Yu Qingze chuckled. He felt underestimated by Chang Le. So he handed his wooden crutch to Chang Hao to hold and used his other hand to grip the man’s other wrist. With a swift move, he subdued the man by pinning his hand behind his back, effortlessly forcing him to kneel down.

The man exclaimed in pain as his body involuntarily dropped to his knees. He tried to stand up, but his shoulder was held down, and his wrist was tightly restrained, preventing him from getting up.

“What are you doing! I didn’t do anything! Is there no justice anymore?” The man shouted.

“Behave yourself!” Yu Qingze lifted his injured leg and pressed his knee against the man’s back, keeping him firmly in place.

“Great skills!” The villagers praised Yu Qingze for his swift actions.

Chang Le also stared with wide eyes, wearing an incredulous expression. He had used brute force to restrain the man, but Yu Qingze had effortlessly handled the situation with a simple pull and press!

Impressive!

“Wow! Big Brother Yu, you know martial arts too!” Chang Hao, the young boy, looked at Yu Qingze with admiration in his eyes.

Not only did he cook delicious food, but he also knew martial arts! So amazing!

The two brothers synchronized their thoughts, and Chang Le also felt the same. He secretly admired Yu Qingze’s skill and strength.

Seeing that the man had stopped resisting, Yu Qingze looked up and smiled at Chang Le, saying, “Brother Le, you can let go now.”

Chang Le’s face blushed slightly. He had initially doubted Yu Qingze, but now…

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thingyan: lol Yu Qingze, show off.

Threshing

“Wow, Big brother Yu, you’re amazing! You’ve already threshed so much!” Chang Hao exclaimed with delight as he saw the grains in the thresher.

Grandfather Chang also praised, “Well done, you’re a skilled hand!”

Chang Le brought over a water jug, poured a bowl of water for Grandfather Chang, and then poured another bowl for Yu Qingze. He also gave him a thumbs-up as a sign of praise.

After being showered with compliments from the entire family, Yu Qingze started feeling a bit embarrassed. A rare blush appeared on his handsome face as he waved his hand and said, “If you keep praising me like this, I might just float away. I’ll be able to pluck the clouds from the sky!”

Everyone burst into laughter, and the atmosphere became warm and joyful.

After resting for a while, they began threshing the rice.

As it approached noon and the time was about right, with enough rice to fill a bushel, they decided to take a break and go home to rest and have lunch before returning in the afternoon.

The sunlight was scorching, and after a busy morning, the work was still just as strenuous. The clothes of everyone involved were soaked through, and their hair was wet.

At this moment, Chang Hao envied Yu Qingze’s short hair. Not only was it easy to clean, but it also felt super cool!

They had been curious about Yu Qingze’s short hair before and asked him about it. Yu Qingze came up with an excuse, saying that before coming to the south, he followed a horse convoy to the northern region to purchase fur. He got infested with lice and couldn’t clean it properly, so he had to shave it all off.

The explanation seemed logical and reasonable.

So they believed him and comforted him, leaving Yu Qingze both crying and laughing.

Because of the heat, when Chang Le scooped the grains from the threshing bucket using a winnowing basket, Yu Qingze noticed a secret hidden behind Chang Le’s thick, long bangs.

The sweat moistened his forehead and caused Chang Le’s bangs to stick together, revealing a scar about four to five centimeters long. It extended from the middle of his left eyebrow all the way up to his forehead. Upon closer inspection, one could also see that the middle of his left eyebrow was interrupted, but it was partially covered by the longer eyebrow hairs, making it less noticeable.

Yu Qingze was taken aback. Such a long scar, and right below it was his eye. He didn’t know how Chang Le got injured, but he could imagine how dangerous it must have been at the time.

The scar actually looked quite old, with the color having faded. However, it still protruded slightly, making it somewhat sinister when observed. At first glance, such a long scar crawling across his fair skin appeared somewhat ferocious.

No wonder Chang Le wanted to keep his bangs thick and long.

It also explained why his uncle said he had an unfortunate appearance. He had truly suffered a disfigurement; otherwise, Chang Le would indeed be very good-looking.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Yu Qingze couldn’t help but feel a sense of regret for Chang Le. This scar on his face probably scared away many potential suitors.

Even though it had been less than 24 hours since he woke up, Chang Le had already left a good impression on Yu Qingze. Hardworking, gentle, kind, loving towards his family, and even gentle towards a stranger like Yu Qingze.

Such a good young man deserved to find happiness.

Perhaps Yu Qingze’s gaze was too focused because Chang Le noticed it. He turned his head in surprise and looked at Yu Qingze. After seeing the surprise and pity in his eyes, Chang Le paused for a moment, swiftly turned around, and with his back facing Yu Qingze, he reached up to tidy his bangs covering his forehead. Then, carrying the grains, he quickly walked away.

Yu Qingze: …Oops, I unintentionally made it awkward again. Thankfully, Grandpa Chang and Chang Hao didn’t notice.

On the way back, Chang Hao accompanied Yu Qingze as they slowly made their way. Grandpa Chang went ahead to cook, while Chang Le carried the grains home and went to the vegetable garden to pick vegetables. The division of labor was clear.

By the time Yu Qingze and Chang Hao arrived home, Chang Le had already finished picking the long beans and washed the hollow-heart vegetables, ready to start cooking.

Upon seeing this, Yu Qingze quickly said, “Brother Le, take a rest, I’ll cook.”

Chang Le, feeling a bit embarrassed, was afraid that his scar would scare Yu Qingze.

In the past, many people would be frightened when they saw the scar on his forehead. Children of the same age would mock him, calling him an ugly monster. That’s why he kept his bangs long, to cover the scar. It had been more than ten years.

However, seeing that Yu Qingze’s expression seemed unaffected, he felt a slight relief and gratefully glanced at him.

Then, he quickly made gestures in response to Yu Qingze’s words, while Chang Hao translated beside him.

The message was that Yu Qingze was a guest, and breakfast was already prepared by Chang Le, so it wouldn’t be appropriate to let him cook lunch as well. Although Yu Qingze’s cooking was delicious, it didn’t align with their way of treating guests.

Yu Qingze smiled and said, “Cooking is my hobby, it’s the only thing I’m good at. I’m just freeloading here, and if you don’t let me do some work, I’d feel too embarrassed to stay.”

Chang Le was initially going to refuse, but Yu Qingze played his trump card. “Look, Grandpa and Xiao Hao both really enjoy eating my food. Let me show off a bit.”

Grandpa and his little brother were Chang Le’s weak spots. Once they were brought up, he had no choice. Who asked him to be bad at cooking? After hesitating for a moment, he nodded and silently went to start the fire.

Chang Hao saw his brother looking a bit dejected and quickly said, “Brother, I really love the food you cook!”

Upon hearing this, Chang Le patted his brother’s shoulder with a deep expression.

If you hadn’t tasted the food Yu Qingze cooked, if you hadn’t been so eager to lick the bowl clean with sweet potato stalks in the morning, then maybe I would believe you.

Yu Qingze quickly washed his face and hands, then began cooking.

Even though it was just ordinary beans and hollowhearted vegetables, lacking other ingredients, the taste of the dishes cooked by the master chef was fundamentally different from what an ordinary person could make.

If it were Chang Le cooking, he would simply boil the beans in water.

But Yu Qingze stir-fried them. Without ginger, garlic, Sichuan peppercorn, or dried chili peppers, and considering the need to save oil, he still managed to stir-fry them. Although it didn’t have the authentic flavor of dry-fried beans, it was far superior to boiled beans. It was like the difference between a toad and a frog prince.

Chang Le followed Yu Qingze’s instructions while tending to the fire, sneakily glancing up at his actions, striving to memorize the cooking process and the desired heat.

Improving his cooking skills, step one: learning from others!

Yu Qingze hadn’t noticed Chang Le secretly observing him. He was solely focused on cooking. It could be said that he was used to being watched while cooking. He had taught a few apprentices before, so being observed while cooking was a common occurrence.

He cooked quickly, and soon the meal was on the table. Chang Le’s family of three graciously praised the food as they finished every dish.

After a tiring morning, they ate and took a short rest, enjoying the coolness. Chang Hao opened the back door of the main hall, dragged out two bamboo mats, spread them on the floor, and invited Yu Qingze to join them for a nap.

The summer sun was scorching, especially at noon, making it unsuitable for outdoor work. Everyone was accustomed to taking a short nap after lunch, resting their bodies before resuming work after noon.

The three men lay on the bamboo mats in the main hall, enjoying the breeze. The floor was pleasantly cool. Yu Qingze, who had a restless night’s sleep and had worked all morning, fell asleep. Chang Le went to the creek to wash clothes and returned to the kitchen, laying a grass mat on the floor near the water tank, enjoying the coolness.

By the time half of the afternoon had passed (around 2-3 PM), Chang Le woke up and went to the fields with a winnowing basket.

Grandpa Chang also woke up and went to the kitchen to chop pig fodder and boil pig feed. Chang Le didn’t want him to go to the fields during the hottest time of the day, fearing he might suffer from heatstroke. So he insisted that his grandfather wait until the afternoon (3 PM) before going out, and each day he would cook the pig feed in advance.

Yu Qingze and Chang Hao overslept a bit. When they arrived at the fields with Grandpa Chang, they found a large crowd gathered around the path leading to their fields, and Chang Le was surrounded in the middle. It seemed like something had happened, with people arguing and making a fuss.

Chang Hao and Grandpa Chang rushed over when they saw the commotion.

Yu Qingze was momentarily stunned, but ignoring his sprained ankle, he hastened his steps, alternating between quick strides and hops, and hurriedly joined them.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Threshing

Chang Le’s house is on the east side of the village, and the rice fields are on the west side. A small stream separates the rice fields from the village.

Chang Le walks ahead alone, carrying a threshing machine on his back. He looks very strong!

The so-called threshing machine is actually an open wooden box made of several large boards nailed together, shaped like an inverted three-dimensional trapezoid. There are no wheels or lids inside. Yu Qingze is curious about how they will thresh the grain.

Grandpa Chang follows behind, carrying a bamboo basket with a jar of water and a winnowing basket inside. The bamboo basket is also specially made, super-sized, clearly meant for Chang Le.

Yu Qingze has a foot injury and cannot walk fast. He walks slowly with a wooden crutch, accompanied by young Chang Hao. Yu Qingze takes this opportunity to observe the situation in the village. With Chang Hao around, he has gained some understanding.

For example, the name of the village, Niu Tou Village, is because the mountain behind it looks like a bull’s head. Yu Qingze glanced sideways and indeed, it did resemble one.

There are two main surnames in the village, Yu and Chang. The Yu family has over thirty households, mostly living near the creek. The Chang family has only sixteen households. They moved here during the war and settled in the eastern part of the village, a distance of one to two hundred meters from the Yu family. However, over the past ten years, the Yu family has become familiar with and accepted the Chang family.

Most of the houses are still thatched cottages. There are only two adobe brick houses and a large brick and tile house, which can be considered the wealthy households in the village.

Yu Qingze became curious and asked about it.

Chang Hao explained, “The large brick and tile house belongs to one of the Yu families. The head of the household is the scholar.”

When the young boy mentioned the scholar, his face showed respect and longing.

Yu Qingze had a thought and asked, “Xiao Hao, do you want to go to school?”

Chang Hao didn’t hide his desire and replied, “Yes, there is a small school in the village. The scholar is the teacher, and people from nearby villages come here to study. But it costs 200 wen per month, and we can’t afford it.”

Upon hearing this, Yu Qingze fell silent for a moment and then said, “If you want to learn how to read, I can teach you.”

Chang Hao immediately turned his head, staring at him with excitement, and exclaimed, “You can read? And you can teach me?!”

Yu Qingze nodded confidently, “Yes, I can.”

“Great, great! I want to learn!” Chang Hao’s face blossomed with a radiant and bright smile.

After a while, he asked again, “Big brother Yu, can my brother learn how to read with you too? My brother is very smart and has a good memory!”

In the village, almost no one has the opportunity to go to school. Only the boys go to the school. Afraid that Yu Qingze might refuse, Chang Hao praised his brother once again.

“Of course!” Yu Qingze smiled. These two brothers had such a good relationship, always thinking about each other’s benefits. He felt envious.

They agreed to start studying after they finished their busy days of harvesting. With this matter settled, Chang Hao was extremely happy and eagerly answered all of Yu Qingze’s other questions.

“That tiled house belongs to the village chief. He is skilled in woodworking, and his son is also good at it. They make various furniture for the neighboring villages. Our big wooden barrel was also made by them. My brother went to the mountains and brought back the best wood, and they didn’t charge our family any money. Instead, they gave us a wooden basin, the one we use for washing vegetables.”

Upon hearing this, Yu Qingze had a clear understanding and silently formulated a plan in his mind.

The two of them walked through the village, and suddenly, everything became clear in front of their eyes.

A golden field.

The golden rice paddies seemed to have laid a carpet of golden color over the earth. The gentle breeze brushed through, causing the rice stalks to sway and rustle, joyfully singing a song of abundance.

This season’s early rice harvest was decent, and the villagers were happily busy harvesting the rice. Although the weather was hot, with sweat covering their bodies as soon as they stepped outside, as if they had just emerged from hot water, the joy of a bountiful harvest overshadowed the fatigue.

The thought of the harvested grains filled them with inexhaustible energy.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

By the time the two of them reached the field, Chang Le and Grandpa Chang had already harvested a long stretch of rice.

Chang Hao picked up the sickle and started cutting the rice. Yu Qingze, due to his injured foot, couldn’t squat down like them to cut the rice. However, he could stand beside the thresher and help with the threshing work.

But the problem was, facing the empty thresher, he didn’t know how to operate it. He turned his head and looked at the other villagers nearby, but it seemed that everyone was busy cutting the rice, and no one was threshing. Moreover, the threshers in other households looked the same as the one in front of him.

In the end, it was Chang Le who brought over a large bundle of rice and placed it next to him. Yu Qingze took the opportunity to ask for guidance. He watched as Chang Le took a handful of rice, raised it above his head, and smashed it down onto the inner wall of the thresher.

Rustling sound…

“…,” Yu Qingze heard the sound of the grains falling into the bottom of the box.

Then he saw Chang Le shake his hands, shaking off the loose grains from the rice ears. When there were no more left, he raised them up again and gave another forceful strike!

After several strikes like this, it was mostly clean, with only a few remaining grains that could be removed by hand.

Yu Qingze: “…” No wonder it’s called “threshing,” it couldn’t be more fitting!

It was extremely primitive and rough, and it looked very exhausting. This made him more determined in his idea of making their future harvests less tiring.

In any case, Yu Qingze now knew how to thresh the rice.

Chang Le, considerate of his leg injury, kindly moved all the rice beside the thresher for him before going back to cutting.

The field was quite large, probably about 70-80 percent done. Chang Le was cutting the rice swiftly, with extremely skillful and proficient movements.

He squatted in front of the rice stalks, feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. In his right hand was the sickle, and his left hand held the rice stalks. Swish, swish, swish… His body moved from right to left along with the movement of his hand, and within seconds, he cut from the right side to the left side. With a flick of his left hand, he shook the rice ears, then neatly arranged the handful of rice on the left side, turned back, and continued cutting…

When he went to harvest the rice, he could probably cut eight or nine sheaves in one go.

After about two hours, the entire field was harvested, and Yu Qingze didn’t take any breaks.

Grandfather Chang and Chang Hao would stand up and move around when their feet became numb from squatting, taking short breaks. But Chang Le never stood up. As soon as he finished cutting in one direction, he smoothly turned and cut in the opposite direction.

Yu Qingze had no doubt that if they let him cut the entire field alone, it would probably end up looking like a circle of incense or a dragon.

After finishing the harvest, they sat down by the threshing machine and rested for a while, and Yu Qingze took a break as well.

After more than two hours of work, even if he was strong and robust, his arms were sore, and he was drenched in sweat.

He deeply realized that cutting the rice was relatively easy, but threshing was the real challenge! Especially under the scorching sun of midsummer, it felt like a saltwater bath! He was practically producing and selling salt!

He particularly missed modern harvesters.

When he was a child, his grandfather’s house had a diesel-powered thresher with rolling wheels. At that time, their village was the envy of others because they didn’t have to use a foot-operated thresher.

Now, let alone harvesters and diesel-powered threshers, even if there was a foot-operated thresher, he would be ecstatic!

He quickly recalled the structure of a foot-operated thresher and some commonly used agricultural tools, as well as some simple and useful agricultural tools he saw in the agricultural museum. He planned to go back and draw them, and find someone to make them!

Although he was tired, his hard work yielded satisfying results. There was already a large pile of straw behind him, and the bottom of the thresher was covered in a thick layer of grain.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

About to swallow the tongue

“What’s wrong?” Yu Qingze noticed the intriguing expression on the young boy’s face and asked.

Chang Hao wiped his face and shook his head, saying, “It’s nothing, please continue.”

Usually, sweet potato vines were mainly used as pig feed, and they would only cook and eat them when they were short of food. Recently, they had been eating sweet potato leaves quite often, and they didn’t taste good, similar to pig feed. But he didn’t say anything.

In fact, dried radish wasn’t tasty either. When there were no fresh vegetables from the garden, they often ate it at home. The young boy had a natural aversion to dried radish, sweet potato leaves, and oh, there was also luffa, which was soft and lacked any chewiness, with a bland taste.

But he was sensible and felt he had no right to complain. He never said anything, and he would eat whatever his brother made. He was very easy to please.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

However, when the stir-fried sweet potato stems were ready, Chang Hao couldn’t find words to say. He felt fortunate that he hadn’t spoken earlier, or his face would have been swollen from being slapped.

With the intention of giving face to Yu Qingze, the young boy tentatively picked up a piece of sweet potato stem and tasted it. He was instantly astonished and couldn’t believe it. He quickly picked up a big chopstick full and put it into his mouth.

“Wow, Big brother Yu! It’s delicious!” Chang Hao’s eyes sparkled as if he had discovered a precious treasure.

Although he had watched Big brother Yu cook the entire time and had only added oil, salt, and a little chopped chili pepper, the taste of the dish was incredibly good. There was no trace of pig feed whatsoever!

It was super delicious!

Even though he used to dislike eating it, now he wished he could swallow his tongue!

Yu Qingze smiled and said, “It’s nothing. I’m glad you like it. Don’t eat it all, save some for Grandfather and your brother.”

They were just simple home-cooked dishes with limited ingredients. They couldn’t fully showcase his extraordinary culinary skills. Yu, the former chef, didn’t consider them anything special.

“Yeah, let me have another bite.” Chang Hao took another secret bite, reluctantly put down his chopsticks, and urged, “Big brother Yu, what you made is so delicious. Grandfather and my brother will definitely love it! Hurry, let’s cook the dried radish too.”

For the dried radish, Yu Qingze didn’t use chopped chili pepper. Instead, he stir-fried it with a green pepper. When it was ready, Chang Hao tasted it and gave Yu Qingze a thumbs-up.

“It’s even more delicious than what my brother made!”

Yu Qingze chuckled, “Your brother would be sad to hear that.”

Nervously, Chang Hao glanced outside, saw no one, then put his index finger to his lips and whispered, “Don’t tell my brother. Actually, my brother’s cooking is considered good. You don’t know, the dishes my uncle Wen Li makes are terrible, no flavor at all, just like pig feed.” He couldn’t hide his disgust on his face.

Yu Qingze laughed and took the opportunity to inquire about their daily meals. He learned that most of the dishes in the households here were boiled or stir-fried, and the main dishes were usually stewed. The cooking methods were relatively simple, and the way of eating was straightforward.

Yu Qingze’s eyes brightened. There was great potential here!

After experiencing Yu Qingze’s cooking only once, Chang Le’s culinary skills were easily recognized by Yu Qingze. No wonder Chang Hao had such a big reaction to these three simple home-cooked dishes.

Soon, the sun came up, and Chang Le returned with his grandfather, carrying a load of water. They were pleasantly surprised to see the three bowls of dishes on the table.

And unsurprisingly, their breakfast received a warm welcome too.

“I never expected your culinary skills to be so good!” Grandfather Chang praised without hesitation and went to get another bowl of porridge.

Yu Qingze smiled and replied, “I used to cook frequently, as long as it suits your taste.” A chef, by trade, wouldn’t survive if their skills weren’t good.

At first, Chang Le felt a bit hesitant about letting Yu Qingze, their guest, cook. However, after tasting his dishes, that hesitation turned into a feeling of extreme embarrassment.

How could the culinary skills of another man be so much better than his own? He was supposed to be the older brother!

A sense of competitiveness, fueled by the unwillingness to admit defeat, quietly took root within young Chang Le.

The result of having excellent culinary skills was evident—the porridge was finished, the dishes were wiped clean, even the saltier dried radish was devoured. Then, the whole family successfully ate to their hearts’ content.

Chang Le looked at the empty pots and bowls, feeling a mix of emotions. It used to be that there would always be half a bowl of porridge leftover in the mornings, but now it was all gone! A single bowl of dried radish used to last for two days, but now it was gone!

Even Grandfather, who had never had a good appetite, drank an extra bowl!

And judging by their expressions, both Grandfather and his little brother seemed more satisfied than when they had eaten the newly harvested rice last night!

Chang Le felt a pang in his heart. Although he was happy that his grandfather and brother enjoyed delicious meals, he still felt a pang and once again realized his own culinary shortcomings and the importance of having good culinary skills!

If he wanted his grandfather and brother to eat well and be satisfied in the future, he had to work hard to improve his cooking skills!

From then on, whenever Yu Qingze cooked, he noticed that Chang Le would often discreetly observe him while tending to the fire, thinking he was secretly learning from the sidelines. Little did he know that his small, observant eyes had long been caught by Yu Qingze.

At that time, everyone was in a very joyful mood.

After breakfast, Chang Hao took the initiative to wash the dishes, while Chang Le went to feed the pigs.

Grandfather Chang took out a tobacco stick, filled it with tobacco, and sat under the eaves, enjoying his post-meal smoke. He also took out the herbs he had collected from the mountain the previous day, picked a few plants, washed and dried them, and then started pounding them in a mortar to make medicine.

The herbs were for Yu Qingze, who took them and chatted with Grandfather Chang while pounding.

As Grandfather Chang finished smoking his cigarette and Yu Qingze finished pounding the herbs, with the help of Grandfather Chang, they changed the dressing on Yu Qingze’s foot.

“Hmm, the recovery is going well. Two more days, and it will be fine. Young people have a strong foundation.” Grandfather Chang checked his ankle and applied the new medicine.

“Thank you, Grandfather,” Yu Qingze expressed his gratitude and added, “I exercise regularly. I used to rarely get sick.”

Before studying cooking, Yu Qingze served in the military for two years. He went through rigorous training, and even after his discharge, he maintained some habits he acquired during his military service. He exercised every morning, ran, practiced boxing, and had excellent physical fitness.

Grandfather Chang looked at Yu Qingze with surprise. People from the countryside usually didn’t specifically exercise; their daily farm work served as their physical exercise. But he soon smiled and said, “Exercising is great! Money can’t buy good health!”

Yu Qingze nodded in agreement and sighed, “Yes, my grandfather had poor health and suffered a lot in his later years.”

Thinking of his grandfather, Yu Qingze’s mood became a bit low. His grandfather passed away when he was 16 years old due to illness. He had heart disease and advanced lung cancer, and he was extremely frail when he passed away. It was because of his grandfather that Yu Qingze paid special attention to exercising and had good physical health until his last life.

Hearing this, Grandfather Chang sighed and consoled Yu Qingze, telling him to look at things from a different perspective.

Meanwhile, Chang Le finished feeding the pigs and the chickens, and Chang Hao finished washing the dishes.

Because they needed to sun-dry the harvested grain, several chickens were kept in cages, clucking and demanding to be let out to roam. Chang Le threw some sweet potato leaves and husked grains into their cage and filled an empty bowl with water. Then, everything was taken care of.

After finishing the household chores, the whole family set off to harvest the rice. This time, Chang Hao was also going along. Yu Qingze insisted on joining them and managed to persuade them.

It was during the process of harvesting rice that he found a good way to make money!

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

The author has something to say:

Small Theater

Chang Le: If we continue to eat like this, we will not have enough rice at home. #worried

Yu Qingze: … Blame me (I’m so good at cooking).

Chang Hao: Brother, do you think I have gained some weight?

Chang Le: Really? It seems that the cheeks are a little rounder, which is great! Eat more later!

Yu Qingze:  …

About to swallow the tongue

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Yu Qingze heard Grandpa Chang and Chang Hao, who shared the same room with him, getting up. He quickly got up as well.

“Did we wake you up? It’s still early, go back to sleep,” Grandpa Chang said hurriedly when he saw Yu Qingze getting up.

Since the hosts were already awake, Yu Qingze felt awkward continuing to lie down.

He slept on a small bed last night because he didn’t want to inconvenience Grandpa Chang and Chang Hao by squeezing onto the small bed with them. That small bed was only as wide as a bench, about a meter wide. He didn’t know how the two of them managed to fit on it during the two days he was unconscious.

In fact, he didn’t sleep well last night. Firstly, the environment was unfamiliar. He had just arrived in this world, and his worldview had been shaken, causing his mind to be filled with various thoughts. He didn’t even know if he had fallen asleep or not, experiencing a half-dream, half-awake sensation. Secondly, it was simply too hot. The bed curtains were not made of gauze, so they didn’t allow much airflow. On top of that, mosquitoes got in and buzzed incessantly, but he couldn’t locate them, which was extremely annoying.

It was currently the height of summer, and in this ancient era without air conditioning or fans, it would be strange if he could sleep well.

He knew that Grandpa Chang and the others were going to the fields to harvest the crops, so he volunteered to help.

Grandpa Chang glanced at his injured leg and said, “No need, focus on healing your injury first. If you want to help, you can assist Xiao Hao in drying the grain later.” Worried that Yu Qingze might feel uncomfortable, Grandpa Chang assigned him a task that didn’t require much physical effort.

“…Okay.” The morning work wouldn’t take long, and knowing that he had difficulty moving around, once he reached the field, Chang Le and the others would probably be back. It wouldn’t be feasible for him to join them, so he agreed.

When he went outside, Chang Le had already spread out the straw mats for drying the grain and poured the harvested grain onto the mats, forming piles on each mat.

Then, Chang Le instructed Chang Hao to watch the fire while he cooked porridge in the kitchen. He picked up two large buckets and headed out with Grandpa Chang.

“Xiao Hao, is your brother carrying the buckets filled with grain? Don’t you have baskets?” The wooden buckets were as big as the one his grandfather used to bathe him when he was a child. The weight of just the two solid wooden buckets alone was probably around twenty to thirty catties, and when filled with grain, they would be even heavier.

Yawning, Chang Hao brought out a basin of water and placed it on the stone beside the kitchen door. He replied, “No, those are water buckets. My brother will bring back water while he’s coming back.”

(Note: “catties” is a unit of weight commonly used in East Asia, equivalent to approximately 500 grams.)

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

“…Oh. That wooden bucket is so big.” Yu Qingze sighed again, wondering how heavy it must be.

“Yeah, it’s specially made. It can be filled with enough water to fill the water tank in one trip. My brother finds ordinary buckets too small and troublesome to go back and forth,” Chang Hao explained.

Yu Qingze: “…That’s a really impressive reason!”

“Your brother is amazing!” Yu Qingze sincerely praised. Despite his slender frame, he was so strong!

Chang Hao, proud of his brother, eagerly introduced his brother’s “great achievements,” saying, “Yeah, my brother is probably the most capable. None of those guys can match him! They need three people to lift a big tree, but my brother can do it alone!”

Yu Qingze: “…That’s really impressive!”

Pleased with the praise for his brother, Chang Hao turned around and took out some cloth towels and willow twigs from the kitchen. They were prepared in advance by Chang Le.

“Big brother Yu, you can actually sleep a bit longer. You don’t have to get up so early. My brother and Grandpa won’t come back for breakfast until the sun is up.” After saying that, Chang Hao picked up a willow twig and handed one to Yu Qingze. He took another one for himself, bit it a few times to peel off the bark, revealing the inner fibers of the willow twig, and then began brushing his teeth.

“It’s fine, I usually get up early too,” Yu Qingze said, relieved to see how Chang Hao was brushing his teeth. He learned from Chang Hao’s actions and used the willow twig to brush his own teeth. The willow twig had a unique green and woody taste, which wasn’t bad.

After finishing their morning routines, Yu Qingze asked Chang Hao to keep an eye on the fire while he used a grain rake to spread out the grains on the four large straw mats for drying. He also used the rake to remove the grass debris from the grain.

He had done these tasks before at his grandfather’s house, so he knew how to do them. After roughly removing the grass debris, he would wait for the grains to dry a bit more before doing a thorough cleaning. Once they were fully dried, he would use a winnowing fan to blow away the chaff, leaving behind plump grains.

After finishing the grain-drying task, Yu Qingze went into the kitchen. The porridge had already been cooked and was being cooled in cold water. Chang Hao was cleaning the soaked dried radishes.

“Is this what we’re having for breakfast?” Yu Qingze asked.

Chang Hao nodded. “Yeah, I’m not very good at cooking, so I’ll clean them first. Once my brother comes back, we can cook it right away.”

Yu Qingze said, “I’ll do it.”

Chang Hao’s eyes brightened as he looked at Yu Qingze, “Can you cook?”

Yu Qingze nodded, “Yes.” He was quite skilled, having been a chef before and making a living from it.

Chang Hao was delighted and said, “Then, Big brother Yu, please cook. I’ll start the fire, and we can eat when Grandfather and my brother return.”

The two of them quickly agreed.

Observing the condiments on the table, Yu Qingze saw only oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. Next to the cutting board were a few chili peppers, four cucumbers, and a sweet potato vine in the corner. Everything was fresh, probably obtained by Chang Le early in the morning.

He was taken aback. Early in the morning, he had tended to the pigs, harvested vegetables, started a fire, cooked porridge, and even spread the straw mat and poured the millet. He wondered just how early Chang Le had gotten up.

What a diligent little brother he was.

After consulting with Chang Hao and learning that they preferred spicy food, Yu Qingze took two cucumbers and skillfully made a smashed cucumber dish, adding a little chopped chili pepper. Then, he picked a bunch of fresh and tender sweet potato leaves from the vine, removing the leaves and keeping only the stems.

Chang Hao watched as Yu Qingze quickly made a cucumber salad and swiftly cut the sweet potato stems into sections. He also minced the dried radish and put it in a bowl. Just by watching his knife skills, it was convincing. However, Chang Hao looked at the sweet potato stems with a complicated expression.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Old Leftover

Chang Le froze for a moment, quickly lowered his head, and turned towards the kitchen. Yu Qingze also touched his nose and quickly averted his gaze.

At that moment, the courtyard gate swung open, and an old man rushed in with a burden basket on his back. He immediately asked, “Has Wen Li come again?!”

Upon hearing the old man’s voice, Chang Le stopped and turned around.

Seeing the old man, Chang Hao’s previously suppressed tears started flowing. He wiped his eyes forcefully and rushed over to hug the old man’s waist, complaining, “Grandfather, Uncle Wen was here earlier, talking about that widower from Majia Village again. He said his family is so good and wealthy, and they can even provide a dowry of ten taels of silver. That man is so old, if he’s really that good, why doesn’t Uncle Wen let him marry his own son? I heard that man can’t even see with his eyes anymore, and he just wants someone to take care of him and be his servant!”

Upon hearing this, the old man became angry as well. However, since Wen Li had already left and they couldn’t scold him anymore, and he didn’t want his two grandsons to be upset, he could only hold them and console them, saying, “Don’t pay attention to him! Xiao Le, don’t worry. With Grandfather here, he won’t even dare to think about it!”

Chang Le smiled at the assurance and nodded before entering the kitchen.

Chang Hao, the young boy, heard his grandfather’s promise, and after venting a bit and complaining, his emotions gradually calmed down. He secretly wiped away his tears on his grandfather’s clothes and then sheepishly let go of his grandfather, running back to continue harvesting the grain.

After comforting their two grandsons, the old man turned to Yu Qingze, who was standing at the door. Seeing that he had awakened, the old man immediately greeted him, “Hey, young man, you’re awake? How’s your body feeling?”

Witnessing the previous scene, Yu Qingze initially felt a bit embarrassed, but seeing the old man’s relaxed attitude, he smiled and said, “Grandfather, I’m fine. Thank you for your concern and for taking care of me.”

The old man put down his burden basket under the eaves and waved his hand cheerfully, saying, “No need to thank me. Who goes out and doesn’t encounter some minor difficulties?”

The life-saving favor was casually regarded as a minor difficulty encountered while being away from home. Yu Qingze admired the old man’s nonchalant attitude, but he couldn’t possibly think of it that way himself. So, he expressed his gratitude sincerely.

The old man waved his hand again and then bent down to take a look at Yu Qingze’s left foot, which had improved quite a bit. He casually said, “Speaking of which, you were lucky. We generally don’t go into the mountains after heavy rain due to slippery paths. It just so happened that day, Chang Le wanted to go up the mountain to pick mushrooms for some reason and discovered you.”

Pausing for a moment, the old man asked, “Why did you go up the mountain during such heavy rain?”

Yu Qingze knew that the old man was asking about his background, and he couldn’t reveal his true origins. So he recited the prepared explanation.

In essence, he was alone, originally from the northern region where the environment was harsh and life was difficult. Hearing from traders that the south was prosperous, he followed them to the south, hoping to settle down there. As soon as he arrived, his luggage was stolen, leaving him penniless. He then planned to hunt for some wild game in the mountains to sell for silver coins. However, he got trapped on the mountain by the heavy rain and accidentally got buried.

Upon hearing this, Grandfather Chang sighed with sympathy, understanding that Yu Qingze had nowhere to go at the moment. He kindly said, “You can rest and recuperate here. Once your injuries have healed, you can make proper plans. You’re still young, and there’s a long future ahead of you.”

Yu Qingze nodded repeatedly in agreement.

By the time Grandfather Chang and Chang Hao finished harvesting the grain, dinner was also ready.

Chang Hao seemed very excited. He washed his hands and eagerly pulled Yu Qingze to sit on a stool, then grabbed an empty bowl from the table and ran to serve the rice.

Freshly harvested rice!

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

“Smells delicious!”

“This little rascal has been looking forward to this day since the grain started ripening!” Grandfather Chang said, smiling at his grandson and Yu Qingze.

Yu Qingze also smiled and said, “I can understand.”

For dinner, they had stir-fried eggplant and fish. When Chang Le brought the dishes to the table, Chang Hao had already quickly scooped four bowls of rice. The translucent and plump grains of rice filled the room with a delightful fragrance. Chang Hao sniffed incessantly, his mouth watering uncontrollably.

But they couldn’t eat just yet.

Yu Qingze was still a bit confused, but then he saw Chang Le take another set of chopsticks, scoop a bowl of rice, topped it with the dishes, and placed it on the offering table. He also poured some wine into a small cup and placed it there. Chang Hao went to the kitchen, lit three incense sticks, paid respects to his parents, and then inserted them into the incense burner.

The two brothers silently finished paying their respects and returned to the dining table.

Chang Hao looked at his grandfather with sparkling eyes.

Grandfather Chang smiled and announced, “Let’s eat.” With that, he picked up his chopsticks and first served a generous portion of fish to Yu Qingze, then to Chang Le and Chang Hao. Only then did he start eating himself.

Once Grandfather Chang started eating, Chang Le and Chang Hao picked up their bowls and began to eat.

The four of them sat on their respective stools, enjoying the newly harvested rice with a joyful atmosphere, savoring the joy of the harvest.

For Yu Qingze, it was his first meal in this foreign world.

The rice was fragrant, but the taste of the dishes… well, let’s just say it was quite ordinary. The eggplant was boiled in water, and as for the fish, the fishy smell was still present. With Yu Qingze’s professional chef standards, he was certain that no seasoning had been added to remove the fishy smell.

It seemed that during his time here, while recovering from his injuries, he could take good care of their taste buds and stomachs. Yu Qingze silently thought in his heart that he would make repaying the kindness of Chang Le’s family his top priority.

After dinner, Yu Qingze chatted with Grandfather Chang and Chang Hao, finally clarifying his previous doubts.

In this world, there are no women, only men. Men are divided into “汉子” (hànzi) and “哥儿” (gēr), with the main distinguishing mark being a red birthmark on the brow. Men are usually tall and robust in physique, while gers are also men but comparatively weaker in terms of body size and strength. However, gers possess a special ability—they can give birth!

Chang Hao is a little man, while his brother Chang Le is a ger.

Yu Qingze finally understands what the middle-aged man meant when he said Chang Le was getting older. If we consider the role of “gers” equivalent to women on Earth, and calculate based on the normal marriage age range of 14-18 for ancient women, then at 22, Chang Le is considered a late bloomer.

However, in Yu Qingze’s view, 22 is just the age when one graduates from university, still young.

He deeply feels the magic of this world, especially for a gay man like him, it truly is a friendly and beautiful world.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Author’s note: Yu Qingze: To capture someone’s heart, you must first capture their stomach! Operation Wife Hunt begins!

Chang Hao: Go, go, throwing flowers~~

Old Leftover

Upon hearing Chang Hao mention “marriage,” Yu Qingze, who naturally preferred men, thought that this era might have a more open-minded and accepting attitude towards same-sex relationships. He hadn’t realized yet the differences in this world.

In Yu Qingze’s eyes, Chang Le was still so young and handsome. Even if he were to get married, it wouldn’t be to an old widower in his fifties or sixties. But judging by Chang Hao’s reaction, there seemed to be some hidden secrets that were not meant for outsiders to know.

“Hey, what do you, a little kid, understand? Don’t block my way, move aside. This is an adult matter, children shouldn’t get involved! Brother Le, come out quickly, I know you’re at home…” The middle-aged man scolded Chang Hao for a few moments and then shouted.

Yu Qingze, as an outsider, didn’t feel it was appropriate to continue watching this situation unfold. He stood up, intending to go back to his room. However, on the other side, Chang Hao was like an enraged little leopard, pushing the middle-aged man and trying to drive him out. His expression seemed as though he would bite at any moment.

Caught off guard, the middle-aged man took two steps back, growing irritated. He reached out and grabbed Chang Hao’s little arm.

Yu Qingze was stunned. Chang Hao’s reaction was too intense. Afraid that something might happen, he stood still, thinking he could lend a hand if needed.

Chang Le heard the commotion and hurriedly came forward to pull his younger brother away.

Chang Hao wanted to chase after the man, but Chang Le held him back, rendering him immobile. He could only glare fiercely at the middle-aged man with his angry round eyes.

“Oh, Chang Hao, this kid, is becoming more mischievous and unruly as he grows older! Brother Le, you too, you should manage and teach him properly. This lack of manners is unacceptable. How can things continue like this?” The middle-aged man scolded the two brothers while straightening his clothes.

Chang Le, feeling displeased that his beloved younger brother was being scolded, had a dark expression on his face. He furrowed his brows as he looked at the middle-aged man. Even without asking, he knew why the man had come.

Seeing Chang Le’s less-than-pleased expression, the middle-aged man chuckled and immediately changed his demeanor. Softly, he asked, “Brother Le, the person from Majia Village has sent someone to inquire again. How are you considering it? What do you mean?”

Chang Le shook his head blankly, gesturing refusal with his hand.

Seeing this, a hint of disdain flashed in the middle-aged man’s eyes, but he quickly covered it up, pretending to be patient and concerned. “Brother Le, it’s not just me saying this. You know your situation. If you can’t speak, that’s one thing, but your appearance is also a concern. The color of your cinnabar mole is so dim. How can a young man’s family agree to it? Which man wouldn’t want a handsome and fertile partner? Besides, you’re already twenty-two, soon to be twenty-three. Each year, you’re getting older. It’s not easy to find a man who would want you. Do you think it’s easy to find a suitable partner?”

After those impolite words were spoken, there was a moment of silence.

Chang Le lowered his head, not saying anything, while Chang Hao couldn’t help but tear up.

Although those words were all true, he couldn’t stand anyone saying anything negative about his brother. In his heart, no one’s brother could compare to his!

He jumped out from behind Chang Le, gritting his teeth and shouting, “My brother is the best! We don’t need you to meddle! Leave, hurry up! Get out!”

“Hey, you little brat, don’t tug at my clothes. I just had them fixed a few days ago! You two don’t know what’s good for you. That man from Majia Village may be a bit older, but he doesn’t have any children. His family conditions are good, and he lives in a tile-roofed house. He can even provide a dowry of ten taels of silver! To put it bluntly, how many more years can he live? Once he’s gone, won’t everything be yours? You’re foolish. Where else can you find such conditions…?”

“You leave! Go away!”

“…”

The quarreling continued over there, but Yu Qingze was somewhat astonished.

This man’s words were too harsh, and his thoughts were difficult to comprehend. He was openly exposing people’s scars and sensitive spots right in front of them, especially with an outsider like Yu Qingze present. It was truly difficult to feel favorably toward him.

In Yu Qingze’s opinion, not being able to speak might be inconvenient, but it didn’t mean one couldn’t live. As for appearance, it wasn’t such a big deal for men. Abilities and character were more important. Moreover, although Chang Le’s skin was a bit tanned, he was still handsome, and he didn’t… Yu Qingze paused and looked at Chang Le’s thick bangs…

Yu Qingze’s gaze swept across Chang Le’s bangs, feeling a bit puzzled. However, his focus quickly shifted to two other strange aspects in the middle-aged man’s words.

In ancient times, it was common for people to marry early, which Yu Qingze was aware of. However, what did he mean by “cinnabar mole” and “fertility”? Also, why did he switch between “man” and “gerr”? Based on the middle-aged man’s words, could Chang Le still have children? Was it because the color of his birthmark/cinnabar mole was dim, so he wasn’t considered fertile?

A man being able to have children?

Confused, Yu Qingze deeply felt that there might be something important about this world that he hadn’t figured out yet.

The middle-aged man left, grumbling all the way, and from afar, one could still hear him complaining about the lack of vision and discernment of the two brothers, Chang Le and Chang Hao.

The two brothers stood silently for a while. Then, Chang Le patted Chang Hao on the shoulder and gestured to him, seemingly comforting his younger brother.

Chang Hao looked up at his brother, wanting to say something but hesitated. However, in the next moment, he lowered his head and muttered, “Brother, I’m fine. I’ll go and collect the harvested grain.” After saying that, he quickly took a few steps and started picking up the dried rake to collect the grain.

The middle-aged man was the wife of the two brothers’ uncle, named Wen Li. Since Chang Le turned fifteen, he had been enthusiastic about introducing potential marriage prospects to Chang Le. However, every time he introduced someone, they were either widowers or had questionable character or physical defects. They were definitely not suitable matches.

Chang Le rejected every one of them. On one hand, his younger brother was still young, and on the other hand, their grandfather was in poor health and he couldn’t rest assured. Moreover, his own physical condition was also a significant obstacle. Chang Le was well aware that over the years, he hadn’t considered his own marriage anymore. He only wanted to take care of his grandfather and younger brother, and live a good life as a family.

That was his thinking, but Wen Li didn’t understand. He continued to search for those unsuitable matches.

At first, Chang Le thought Wen Li was doing it for his own good and was grateful to him. However, he and his brother accidentally overheard a conversation between Wen Li and their uncle, and that was when he realized Wen Li had ulterior motives.

Chang Le looked at his brother, sighed lightly, and prepared to go back to the kitchen to continue cooking. But as he turned his head, he met Yu Qingze’s gaze.

Chang Le: …

Yu Qingze: …

Now, it was truly awkward, as no one wanted others to witness their embarrassing moments.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Just as Xie Yu was about to speak, Xu Qing spoke up, “Brother Xie, can you introduce him? Although this person knows me, as you know, I rarely go out, and this young man has such ‘distinctive’ looks! I haven’t seen him before, otherwise, I wouldn’t easily forget!”

Hearing Xu Qing emphasizing the word “distinctive,” Zhonghua’s face turned extremely ugly. He hated it when others talked about his appearance!

Xie Yu understood Xu Qing’s intentions. He suppressed the displeasure caused by Zhonghua’s earlier words and cooperatively said, “Indeed, Zhonghua and I grew up together as childhood playmates. We are a few years older than you, so it’s understandable that you don’t remember.”

Zhonghua and Xie Yu were born in the same year. Zhonghua’s parents’ home was not far from Xie’s family. Since they were both gers, they often played together or did farm work. However, as they grew older, the gap between them grew larger.

Although Xie Yu was a rural child, he had the same refined and dignified appearance as the gers who grew up in the town. He carried a sense of sophistication and attracted the attention of unmarried young men in the village. They would try their best to please Xie Yu, thinking that if they were chosen by him, it would be a great fortune. So during Xie Yu’s marriageable years, the threshold of the Xie family was trampled by numerous suitors.

Zhonghua was also a big topic in the village, but in a different way. The older he got, the uglier he became, and when he and Xie Yu were still young, adults often praised Xie Yu specifically, saying how good he was in this and that. Gradually, Zhonghua started to keep his distance from Xie Yu because he felt that whenever he was with Xie Yu, he was always overshadowed.

Feeling Zhonghua deliberately distancing himself, Xie Yu was saddened for a while. Their relationship faded after that, but it didn’t end there. Xie Yu was good-looking, capable, and had a gentle temperament. Besides the secret admiration from unmarried young men, many other gers in the village were willing to spend time with him because they believed that by being around someone as outstanding as Xie Yu, they would also gradually become better. So Xie Yu’s social circle didn’t become as lonely and pitiful as Zhonghua had maliciously imagined.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

However, it was only after Zhonghua distanced himself from Xie Yu that he realized he only had Xie Yu as a friend. Because of his unattractive appearance, strange temperament, and often offensive remarks, no one wanted to stay with him. Zhonghua even secretly thanked Xu Qing because Xu Qing’s face had a condition that people referred to as “ugly ger.” Zhonghua always felt that although he wasn’t good-looking, at least he didn’t have that condition on his face.

But even so, the destinies of Xie Yu and Zhonghua took completely different paths. Xie Yu was sought after by families in the town and married off in a splendid manner, causing envy and resentment among unmarried young men in the village. They hid away, shedding tears in secret. As for Zhonghua, things were miserable. No one came to propose marriage, and the suitors chosen by the Zhong family were not to his liking. He believed that he could marry someone better than Xie Yu!

So, when Zhonghua reached the age of official marriage, he was paired with a hunchbacked man from Anle Village who had lost his partner. Zhonghua was almost dragged onto the donkey cart, crying and resisting fiercely. The hunchbacked man didn’t mind Zhonghua’s unattractive appearance; he only cared about having children and someone who could help with farming. After marrying him, Zhonghua gave birth to three children and worked in the fields every day, which made him look much older than his peers.

Yesterday, when Zhonghua went to town to sell eggs, he happened to overhear Ma Ama chatting with someone while buying vegetables. He heard that Xie Yu had been divorced by the Ma family and returned home. The feeling Zhonghua had at that moment was like being liberated after years of oppression. In a good mood, Zhonghua sold his precious eggs at a low price and finally enjoyed a good night’s sleep. Early the next morning, he hurried back from Anle Village, eager to see how wretched Xie Yu looked after being divorced.

However, to his surprise, Xie Yu was not the pitiful, wretched man he had imagined. Although he had a sickly appearance, his demeanor and aura were that of a beautiful person. As for the former “ugly ger” of the village, his face had been healed just as the rumors outside claimed. Zhonghua’s anticipation of a good show vanished completely.

“So, that’s how it is! I knew I couldn’t possibly forget someone like ‘Big Brother Zhong’ who has such ‘distinctive’ looks!” Xu Qing emphasized the words “Big Brother Zhong” and “distinctive” with a deadly clarity, intending to choke Zhonghua with his malicious intent.

Although Xie Yu didn’t agree with Xu Qing’s words, in Zhonghua’s eyes, Xie Yu was intentionally embarrassing him! Intentionally trying to make Xu Qing shiver in fear!

“You! All of you!” Zhonghua’s chest was heaving with anger. “Xie Yu, what do you have to boast about?! What right do you have to team up with ‘Ugly ger’ Xu Qing to mock me?! Yes, I’m not as good-looking as you! I married someone inferior to you! But at least I have three children! At least I can be a normal mother! And you? Pah!”

Xie Yu’s face, which had started to regain some color after drinking the spiritual spring water, turned pale and terrifying as Zhonghua’s words pierced his heart.

“Who told you that?! Explain it to me!” Just as Xie Ama, holding hot water and preparing to give it to Zhonghua, heard his vicious words, he slammed the bowl onto the ground. He stepped forward and grabbed Zhonghua, who had a frightened expression on his face. “My son is doing fine! Who are you to say such things about my child?! Even as his parents, we have never said anything like this about our little Yu!”

Uncle Xie, who was tending to the medicine on the stove, heard the commotion in the main room and rushed in as well. “What’s going on? What happened?!” Seeing the displeased expressions on his son’s face and wife’s face, and Zhonghua being held onto by Xie Ama, he didn’t need to think twice to know that Zhonghua must have said something he shouldn’t have!

“Get out!”

Xie Ama no longer cared about the etiquette of being an elder. He forcefully grabbed Zhonghua’s hand and dragged him towards the courtyard gate.

“What are you doing?! What kind of attitude is this?! No wonder Xie Yu was divorced and sent back home! No wonder the Ma family wants to marry someone else!”

“What?!” Everyone was stunned by these words. While Xie Ama was in disbelief, Zhonghua took advantage of his stunned state and forcefully pulled his hand back. It hurt so much!

Xie Yu pushed away Xu Qing, who was supporting him, step by step, slowly walking into the drizzling courtyard, looking at Zhonghua who was still rubbing his wrist.

“Say it again, Ma Fugui is marrying who?”

Zhonghua rubbed his wrist in pain and angrily shouted at Xie Yu, “Why haven’t you heard?! Ma Fugui is marrying a new person tomorrow! I thought you were so capable, but you can’t even keep hold of your own man!”

“Ah! Help! Murder!”

Xie Ama picked up a stool and threw it at Zhonghua, scaring him so much that he started hopping in panic. Xie Ama forcefully threw the screaming Zhonghua out, and he fell miserably, like a dog eating shit, as Xie Ama slammed the courtyard gate close.

“Brother Xie.”

Xu Qing gently tapped the umbrella on top of Xie Yu’s head and softly called his name. The drizzle had already dampened his hair, and his clothes were quite wet. His eyes were filled with pain and sorrow, just like when he heard the news from Zhonghua. He had just divorced Ma Fugui yesterday, and the day after tomorrow, Ma Fugui would be marrying someone new. In such a short time, the Ma family had already prepared everything. After all these years, what did he really mean to Ma Fugui?

“Brother Xie!”

“Xiao Yu!”

“Xiao Yu!”

Seeing Xie Yu sway slightly, Xu Qing felt that something was wrong. Then, Xie Yu began to collapse to the ground! Xu Qing desperately reached out to catch him, and the falling umbrella landed on the ground, splashing water droplets all around.

***

That person had come again.

Xie Yu looked through the slightly opened courtyard gate and saw the thin young man who had been frequently sitting across from his house for the past few months. He was tall but very skinny. He was the one who came to propose a few months ago. Because his family was in town, it caused quite a stir in the village. During this time, Xie Yu often asked himself privately how he even attracted someone from town to come and propose to him.

Xie Yu gently closed the courtyard gate, feeling somewhat helpless. He had never seen or spoken to Ma Fugui before he came to propose. It was his own mother who said Xie Yu had to agree and find it suitable before accepting the proposal. So for the past few months, Ma Fugui had been waiting at the door whenever he had the chance. As soon as Xie Yu stepped out, he would come forward and help him with various things, making Xie Yu feel uncomfortable. He couldn’t adapt to this sudden enthusiasm.

Xie Ama came out holding a basin of vegetables and saw his son in the courtyard with the gate tightly closed. “What’s wrong? Has that person come again?”

Xie Yu heard the teasing tone in Xie Ama’s voice and nodded helplessly. To be honest, he had never planned to get married and leave. Moreover, Xie Yu was the only son in the family. He had initially wanted to marry in a husband, but Xie Ama and Uncle Xie did not agree. They said they were not too old and could live on their own. Xie Yu was so outstanding, he should marry into a good family and not waste his prime years.

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Translator’s rant: Pssssh, some people be like that, before they get what they want, they be acting all invested and crap like that Ma Fugui guy.

“Wait, you don’t know about this place? Then how did you end up in our back mountain?” Chang Hao blinked his round eyes and explained to Yu Qingze, “We’re in Niutou Village, which belongs to Tongshan County. Tongshan City is about twelve or thirteen miles away from here, not too far. It takes a little over half an hour to walk there.”

The boy’s response confirmed part of Yu Qingze’s speculation. He remained silent for a moment and then started conversing with him, coaxing more information.

By the time Chang Le arrived with the doctor, Yu Qingze had gathered quite a bit of information. He learned that this was a country called Dasheng, which had been established just fifteen years ago. Niutou Village had around forty to fifty households and was dominated by two prominent surnames, Yu and Chang. The parents of Chang Le, the two brothers who had saved him, had passed away when Chang Hao was only two years old, leaving them with their grandfather behind.

Chang Hao was still young and only had knowledge of his village and some distant places like Tongshan City, Yunzhou above it, and the capital city, Jingcheng. Beyond that, he had no knowledge.

Yu Qingze wasn’t in a hurry. He could gather more information later. For now, the most important thing was evidently how to explain his identity to the Chang brothers.

An unidentified stranger, regardless of the era, always raised concerns.

After the doctor examined him and confirmed that Yu Qingze was fine, he advised him to rest for a few days and left.

Yu Qingze’s mind was still spinning with possible explanations, but the brothers didn’t ask him where he came from or what he was doing here. Chang Le saw off the doctor and went to cook, not returning, while Chang Hao was sent away by his brother to attend to something else.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Yu Qingze breathed a sigh of relief and decided to go outside for a look. On the floor, there were a pair of wooden clogs and a pair of straw shoes. He felt a warm sensation in his heart, thinking that the hosts didn’t know his preferences and had prepared both.

He put on the straw shoes and slowly made his way to the door. His left foot was twisted badly, and the entire top of his foot was swollen, making it impossible to exert any force. He could only walk slowly on tiptoes.

Just as he reached the entrance, Chang Hao came back with a forked tree branch and hurriedly exclaimed, “Hey, Big Brother Yu, why are you out? Here’s a wooden crutch my brother just made.”

Yu Qingze accepted the makeshift wooden crutch and thanked him with a smile, saying, “Thank you, you went through the trouble.”

Chang’s house wasn’t large. In the middle was the main hall, with two rooms on the east side and a kitchen on the west side. Behind the kitchen were the pigsty and bathing area.

Yu Qingze exited his room into the main hall. Against the north wall of the hall, there was an altar table with two memorial tablets placed on it, accompanied by a clay incense burner. When he looked at the characters on the tablets, he was pleasantly surprised to find that the writing here was the same as the writing in his world, albeit some of it in traditional forms.

Along one wall was a square table with four wooden stools. On the other wall, there was a pile of rice, still containing bits of straw, indicating that it had just been harvested and hadn’t been dried or stored yet. In the corner of the wall, there was a partially woven straw mat and some strips of bamboo.

Everything was simple and easy to understand at a glance.

On the other side was the kitchen, from where the crackling sound of firewood burning could be heard. Yu Qingze made his way over, and Chang Le was behind the stove, cooking. He saw Chang Le casually snap a dry tree branch, which was as thick as his arm, into two pieces with a loud snap.

“…,” Yu Qingze’s mouth hung open as he stared at Chang Le’s thin arms, then looked down at his own, speechless. That’s some strength.

After a moment of bewilderment, Yu Qingze saw Chang Le looking over. He leaned against the door frame, raised the wooden crutch in his hand, and smiled as he expressed his gratitude, “Chang Le, thank you.”

Chang Le shyly smiled in response, waving his hand to indicate that there was no need to thank him, and then he gestured towards the outside.

“My brother wants you to sit outside. It’s smoky in the kitchen,” Chang Hao timely translated.

Yu Qingze understood and didn’t want to trouble the two brothers any further, so he went outside and sat down by the door.

Outside was a small courtyard enclosed by a fence. On the right side of the courtyard, there was a thatched shed filled with a lot of firewood. The courtyard had already been cleaned up, and several large straw mats were placed on the ground. They were used to dry golden rice, arranged in small, rippling waves using a sun rake. On the other side, there were two racks, where clothes and a fishing net were being dried.

After Yu Qingze sat down, Chang Hao picked up the sun rake from under the eaves and began to gather the rice. As he gathered the rice, he said to Yu Qingze, “My brother says we’re having freshly harvested rice for dinner today. I can already smell the fragrance of the new rice! Ah, it smells so good!”

Chang Hao tilted his head back and took a deep sniff, thoroughly enjoying the moment.

It was already dusk, and the sun was gradually setting, casting an orange hue that colored everything. The young boy’s face, lifted towards the slanting sun, glowed with an incredible radiance, exuding a sense of wonder, hope, and happiness.

It was tranquil.

That was the only thought in Yu Qingze’s mind as he looked at everything before him.

“Is the rice in the house all harvested?” Yu Qingze moved closer and picked up a broom nearby, ready to help sweep the rice. Chang Hao quickly stopped him.

“Eh, Big Brother Yu, please sit down. I’ll do it. It’ll be done in a moment.” The boy took the broom from Yu Qingze’s hand, not allowing any refusal, and helped him onto a stool. He rolled up his sleeves and pants, deftly gathering the rice from the straw mats while still answering Yu Qingze’s question.

“Not yet, it will take a few more days. We have three acres of land, and we just finished harvesting one plot. After the harvest, we still need to transplant the seedlings. We have to finish it before the beginning of autumn. We finished early today, but we’ll be busy again tomorrow.”

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Hehe, it’s not hard. After harvesting the rice, we can have rice to eat and won’t go hungry.” The boy’s face was filled with a satisfied expression, full of anticipation.

“Where is your grandfather?” Yu Qingze asked.

“Grandfather went to the mountain to gather medicinal herbs. The herbs for your ankle and the medicinal drink you had are all gathered by grandfather,” Chang Hao replied.

The two of them chatted casually.

As they were talking, a middle-aged man with slightly flamboyant clothing and a dark red birthmark on his forehead pushed open the courtyard gate and walked straight in. He noticed Yu Qingze and paused for a moment before smiling and saying, “Oh, the young man is awake?”

Yu Qingze didn’t recognize the man, so he could only smile and nod, discreetly observing the man’s peculiar attire.

However, as soon as Chang Hao saw this man, he immediately stopped what he was doing, cautiously watching the middle-aged man. His joyful expression from earlier instantly turned cold, a hint of annoyance flashed in his eyes, and he frowned, calling out, “Uncle.”

The middle-aged man acknowledged the greeting and asked, “Is your brother home? Brother Le, Brother Le…” Without waiting for Chang Hao’s response, the middle-aged man continued towards the kitchen on his own.

Seeing this, Chang Hao dropped the sun rake and quickly rushed in front of the middle-aged man, blocking his way with both hands, and shouted loudly, “My brother is not home, he went to cut pig grass! Uncle, you should go back!”

“You, child, why are you talking like this? I’m looking for Brother Le for something. Don’t block my way.”

“I’m telling you my brother is not here! He’s not going to marry that old widower in his fifties or sixties! If that person really wants to marry, why don’t you just marry him!”

“…”

Yu Qingze: “…” Marry? What’s going on?

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The author has something to say:

Yu Qingze: As soon as I appeared on the stage, my wife was targeted, can you write something better!

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Thingyan: I’m picking up another farming/ger novel while working on The ugly ger’s farming story. Actually, I have been working on this novel for awhile even before the ugly ger, just feeling lazy to put them up on the website.

This one is going to be more food-centered and have some business management elements. Hope you’ll like it ☺️