Chapter 27: Gift, Wuyou Grass

Jia Qingshan picked up two bags of pastries and headed toward the end of the village. When he reached the Li family’s house, he found the door tightly shut with no sound coming from inside.

It was Grandma He who saw him standing by the door and told him that the Li family had gone to the fields.

Jia Qingshan returned home, dropped off his things, and changed into his usual work clothes—a short brown jacket—then pushed the cart toward the Li family’s fields.

As Jia Qingshan worked hard loading the cart, Li Youyin and his wife couldn’t help but admire him.

“Still, it’s the young man who has the strength,” they remarked. “In just a short time, he’s managed to load two carts of sorghum.”

Jia Qingshan didn’t want his young wife to do such heavy work, so he insisted she stand by and wait instead.

Li Guo’er felt a warm sweetness in her heart. Although her husband seemed a bit silly, he truly cared for her. Unlike the other men in the village, who treated their wives like servants, ordering them around all day, Jia Qingshan was a man who truly cared for his wife.

When she noticed the look in his eyes, Li Guo’er couldn’t help but feel even more fond of him.

Her parents, Li Father and Li Mother, watched the busy couple and couldn’t help but think how well they suited each other.

They thought about how they had raised their daughter for over ten years and soon, she would be married. The thought made them feel a bit melancholic.

After lunch, Jia Qingshan and Li Guo’er sat beneath the gourd trellis in the yard.

Watching the long eyelashes of his young wife fluttering like tiny brushes, Jia Qingshan felt a tingling sensation inside. His throat inexplicably became dry.

Li Guo’er noticed the way her husband was staring at her, and her face turned red. She wondered how he could be so bold. The look in his eyes seemed to hold something she couldn’t quite understand.

Jia Qingshan, captivated by the beauty of his young wife, tentatively reached out to touch her hand. When he saw no reaction, he became bolder and lifted her hand to his lips, planting a kiss on it.

At first, Li Guo’er thought there was nothing wrong with a couple, soon to be married, holding hands. But when he kissed her hand, it startled her, and she quickly pulled her hand away, too embarrassed to look him in the eye.

Seeing his young wife looking down at her feet, no longer paying attention to him, Jia Qingshan thought he might have upset her with his earlier action.

He quickly said, “Guo’er, please don’t be mad at me. It’s just that you’re too beautiful, and I couldn’t control myself.”

When his wife still wouldn’t acknowledge him, Jia Qingshan became truly anxious.

Jia Qingshan raised his hand as if to slap himself, looking at his own actions with frustration.

Seeing this, Li Guo’er couldn’t hold any resentment. She quickly said, “Don’t hurt yourself. I’m not angry with you.”

“But why didn’t you respond to me just now?” Jia Qingshan asked, feeling wronged.

Seeing his pitiful look, Li Guo’er couldn’t help but feel a bit of amusement, though she hesitated, not wanting to hurt his pride. She took a deep breath and held back her laughter.

She stepped forward and said, “I was just a little shy, not angry with you.”

When Jia Qingshan heard this, he sighed with relief, patting his chest, “You scared me! I thought you wouldn’t speak to me anymore!”

He seemed to recall something, then asked, “Guo’er, can you close your eyes?”

Li Guo’er nodded obediently, shutting her eyes as she felt Jia Qingshan lightly touch her hair.

Looking at the silver hairpin in her hair, Jia Qingshan thought she looked even more beautiful.

“You can open your eyes now,” he said, and Li Guo’er slowly opened her eyes.

She looked up at him, asking, “What did you just put in my hair?”

Jia Qingshan, feeling embarrassed, replied, “It’s a hairpin I bought from the silver shop. I thought it would look good on you, so I bought it.”

Li Guo’er hurriedly removed the hairpin from her hair. The hairpin was exquisite, a beautiful plum blossom design with delicate beads set in the center, shimmering like stars in the night sky.

Seeing such a precious gift, Li Guo’er didn’t know how to express her feelings. Part of her was overjoyed, but another part felt a little upset. She was happy because this man treated her so well, even though she still lived in a thatched hut, and he was willing to buy such an expensive gift for his fiancée.

But she was also angry at him for not being frugal, for spending money on something so unnecessary instead of saving it.

Noticing her conflicted expression, Jia Qingshan cautiously asked, “Do you not like it?”

“I do like the hairpin,” Li Guo’er replied. “It’s just that looking at its weight and knowing it must have cost a lot, I feel a little heartache over the money.”

Jia Qingshan smiled warmly, “As long as you like it, I’ll spend any amount of money for you.”

Li Guo’er wasn’t one to easily enjoy sweet words, but hearing Jia Qingshan’s sincere words, she could no longer control the joy in her heart. She looked around to make sure no one was watching, then stood on tiptoe and gently kissed Jia Qingshan on the cheek.

Feeling shy, she quickly lowered her head, her heart fluttering with the soft sensation of the kiss.

Jia Qingshan felt a surge of surprise, as if his head had exploded with joy. His little wife had just kissed him! Her lips were so soft, so sweet—he could already imagine how sweet they must taste.

With that thought in his mind, he couldn’t help but act on it. He turned, gently wrapped his arms around his little wife’s waist, and planted a light kiss on the lips he had longed to taste.

Sweet. It was indeed as sweet as he had imagined.

Seeing the man licking his lips after the kiss, Li Guo’er shot him a fierce glare and ran back to her room.

Jia Qingshan smiled faintly at the sight of her retreating figure. He got up, went back to the house, and said goodbye to his in-laws.

Jia Qingshan continued helping the Li family with the harvest every day, staying until all the corn and rice were safely brought home.

This made the other families with daughters in the village envious. Why hadn’t they noticed such a good son-in-law? The Li family had gained such a hardworking and capable young man who not only excelled at farm work but also had a skill in hunting.

Some families with daughters already engaged even criticized their future sons-in-law for being lazy and useless. “Look at him, not even thinking about helping out before marriage. If they get married, he’ll probably never set foot in our house!”

But the Li family didn’t care about other people’s opinions. They were busy threshing rice in their own yard.

Threshing rice was tough work, but luckily, Jia Qingshan was strong and capable. Without him, Li Fu feared he would have collapsed from exhaustion.

Li Fu was already panting with fatigue, while Jia Qingshan still looked as calm as ever. Li Fu couldn’t help but admit that he was truly getting old; his body wasn’t what it used to be.

The effort and the rewards were always proportional, and the harvest was a testament to that. The Li family’s hard work hadn’t gone to waste. When the villagers heard that the Li family’s rice yield had surpassed five dan per mu (a unit of area), they were utterly shocked.

Elder farmers who had grown rice for their entire lives said they had never heard of such a high yield. The average rice yield in the village never exceeded four dan per mu, and Li family’s harvest was a full dan higher than the rest.