Chapter 15

Zhou Jing had eaten a bit too much, so he didn’t let Shen Mo sleep. Instead, he lit the new oil lamp.

The dim light of the lamp illuminated Shen Mo’s face in the twilight, casting a flickering glow that gave him an ethereal beauty. Without realizing it, Zhou Jing became entranced by the sight.

As Shen Mo spoke, he suddenly noticed that Zhou Jing had stopped responding.

He looked up and saw Zhou Jing staring at him intently.

The gaze was so direct and unembellished that it made Shen Mo feel quite embarrassed.

He couldn’t help but reach out to touch his face, but in the light of the oil lamp, he saw the cracks on his own hands.

Cuts of various sizes covered the back of his hands, and some areas had even started to peel as if they could never be cleaned properly.

He thought of Zhou Jing’s hands—it was so delicate and smooth.

Shen Mo quietly withdrew his hand and lowered his head.

“Not a pretty sight, don’t look. My face is cracked too,” he said.

Suddenly, Zhou Jing seemed to think of something. He didn’t respond but instead bent down to rummage around.

This silent attitude made Shen Mo’s heart sink, prompting him to sneakily hide his hands behind his back.

A young man with hands as rough as his must look very unappealing; what about his face? Wouldn’t it be long before Zhou Jing lost his interest in that too?

Shen Mo’s spiraling thoughts didn’t last long before Zhou Jing returned with something in hand. Suddenly, he felt a chill on his skin. He looked down to see Zhou Jing squeezing some liquid from a tube and applying it to his hands.

That item was exactly the “treasure” they had found on the mountain, which could be sold for a high price.

“Ah, that’s precious! Why are you using it on me? Put it away; we should save it to sell later!” Shen Mo exclaimed, trying to pull his hands free from Zhou Jing’s grip.

But Zhou Jing’s hands held him tightly, like iron shackles, refusing to let go.

“It’s precious, sure, but it’s meant to be used. If others can use it, why can’t you? Besides, this stuff is mine!” Zhou Jing said while holding the cream in his hand. He took a quick look and realized that even in the future, it would cost hundreds. Having dealt with some skincare companies, he knew a thing or two about prices.

Zhou Jing’s attitude was firm and left no room for argument.

However, for Shen Mo, it was still something of great value. After all, he was just an ordinary farmer; if it weren’t for Zhou Jing, even touching something so expensive would likely be out of the question, let alone using it.

In Shen Mo’s deeply ingrained mindset as a farmer, valuable items were meant to be sold, not wasted on oneself.

“No need for that,” he said uneasily. “This stuff is too expensive; we should save it for money. We could use it to fix up the house or buy some household items later. I can just use a bit of lard instead.”

But no matter what Shen Mo said, Zhou Jing continued to carefully apply the layer of hand cream on Shen Mo’s hands.

After finishing, Zhou Jing asked, “How does it feel?”

‘It was moist and smooth, not greasy at all, and quite comfortable. There was also a faint fragrance, somewhat like medicinal herbs.’

However, Shen Mo didn’t dare to say this. He feared that if he spoke the truth, Zhou Jing would want to apply more. Still, this was Zhou Jing’s heartfelt gesture, and he worried that saying something negative would hurt Zhou Jing’s feelings.

In the end, he managed to squeeze out a response: “It’s fine.”

Zhou Jing had already seen through him and decisively stated, “For the next few days, whenever you’re not working, just use this. In no time, your hands will be better.”

“Ah? No way! That lipstick sold for fifty taels; this must be even more expensive. I can’t afford fifty taels for hand cream. When we sell it, just buy me some fish oil hand cream for a few hundred coins!” Shen Mo replied anxiously.

Zhou Jing’s expression suddenly grew serious.

“Xiao Mo, you are my wife, and now you’re saying you can’t use something worth fifty taels. Are you slapping my face, or do you think I’m incapable of providing for my wife that I can’t even afford something like this?”

“This… no, I didn’t mean it that way,” Shen Mo stammered, feeling at a loss for how to explain himself.

Once Zhou Jing had been rescued by him, it was clear from his clothing that he came from a world of immense wealth. The fine fabric suggested that Zhou Jing was indeed a rich young master, even in another world.

If that were true, then fifty taels was nothing more than a meal or a cup of tea to him.

Shen Mo did not mean to offend him; he simply spoke without thinking. Even the men in their village cared deeply about their reputation, fearing that outsiders would say they couldn’t afford to raise their own wives and children. It was unthinkable for someone as capable as Zhou Jing to face such scrutiny.

At that moment, Shen Mo realized he had misspoken. Having just used deceit to gain Zhou Jing’s trust, his own heart was already unsettled.

Now, he feared Zhou Jing might come to dislike him.

Panic surged within him as he struggled to find a way to explain himself.

Seeing Shen Mo like this, Zhou Jing’s heart softened instantly. He had only been trying to force Shen Mo to comply, but the sight before him changed everything.

With a deep sigh, Zhou Jing tightened his grip on Shen Mo’s hand. Almost immediately, Shen Mo responded by grasping back with equal strength.

“Xiao Mo, don’t be afraid. No matter what you do or what happens, remember you are my wife, and I am your man. Even if it means dying, I will crawl back to your side and stay with you until your last breath. So don’t be scared; don’t think I would leave you because of anything you say. In this life and the next, I will protect you until we die together. I will never leave first.”

Shen Mo was by no means a coward. He had grown up struggling under the harshness of a stepmother and had faced challenges after marrying a man like Wang Jing.

His heart had become so hardened that he hardly dared to imagine it. Yet, whenever he faced Zhou Jing, this person had a way of piercing straight to his softest spots with just a few words.

Refusing to let the sourness in his eyes turn into tears, Shen Mo forced himself to nod.

Zhou Jing continued, “Xiao Mo, right now it may seem like I haven’t done anything, and you might feel anxious, thinking that this is all we have. But believe me, your man is not as incapable as you think.”

“Actually, the last time I went to the town, it may have seemed like I was just wandering around, but I was really looking for opportunities to make a living. Although our family’s belongings are treasures here, they are too conspicuous. Without the strength to back them up, having too much on display will eventually attract trouble. That’s why I’ve been considering opening a shop.”

“After looking around, I noticed that our town seems to have only one or two sausage shops, and their business is exceptionally good. Coincidentally, I know how to make sausages myself, so I plan to try selling some. Regardless, we can’t just sit idly by and eat up our savings,” Zhou Jing explained.

Shen Mo asked, “Brother Jing, you can actually make sausages? That stuff is considered a luxury; only wealthy families can afford it. It costs thirty-five wen for a single pound!”

Zhou Jing smiled and said, “Wife, I told you before, your husband is quite capable.”

In his previous life, he had risen from nothing and become a top figure in the business world, someone even the most powerful dared not underestimate.

Many prominent figures sought to win him over, eager to match him with their daughters.

“Mm, I believe you,” Shen Mo said sincerely, placing his trust in Zhou Jing.

“Then, as a sign of your sincerity, you must use this every day.” Zhou Jing added.

At this, Shen Mo felt a pang of reluctance.

Zhou Jing had made a bold statement. “Xiao Mo, look at my skills. Our family still has capital. I can assure you that our life will get better. By then, when we have money, all those beautiful women outside will come flocking to me. They won’t be like you, holding back on this and that. At that time, each of them will be dressed beautifully, their skin radiant like lotuses, jumping to …”

Shen Mo did not need Zhou Jing to finish his words.

He could imagine the rest.

He looked down at his rough hands, filled with doubt. He had no question that life at home would get better.

When the time came, with his coarse and unattractive appearance, how could he possibly compare to those enchanting women outside?

Zhou Jing could not be taken away by someone else; he had worked hard to win him over!

Shen Mo gritted his teeth and said, “Fine, I’ll use it.”

Zhou Jing seized the moment and opened another box of face masks for Shen Mo to use. Shen Mo was initially reluctant, but Zhou Jing once again used the excuse that the enchanting women outside would jump to their family, aside from that he also said to Shen Mo that the masks were about to expire and would go bad if not used soon. He insisted that they couldn’t afford to waste money like that.

Shen Mo was unsure whether Zhou Jing was telling the truth, but seeing Zhou Jing’s earnest behavior, he was convinced by him.

As Shen Mo applied the face mask, he relaxed and closed his eyes comfortably. Zhou Jing took the opportunity to discuss their future plans with him.

“We need to fix our house; it’s too run-down. Tomorrow morning, while the villagers are still asleep, I’ll go find the village chief to discuss buying this plot of land we’re living on. I plan to get a bigger piece since our place is too small—there’s not even a yard. But I won’t mention it right away, because I also intend to build a new house. If I talk about buying land and building a house at the same time, someone will surely be jealous.”

Shen Mo nodded, and the thought of finally having his own house made him so excited that he could hardly contain himself—he wanted to jump up and shout.

He suppressed his joy and asked: “How big of a plot are we going to buy? What kind of house will we build?”

Deep down, he really wanted a large, traditional house with blue bricks and big tiles, but in the village, only two families could afford that—one was the village chief, and the other was the wealthy Wang family.

Zhou Jing replied, “I’ve inquired about it. A 300-square-meter plot of land costs about twenty-five taels of silver. A good three-room blue brick house with a big tile roof will take around seven to eight taels. I plan to build five rooms: three bedrooms, one living room for receiving guests, and one kitchen. If we do it well, fifteen taels will be enough. That adds up to just forty taels. We’ll still have less than ten taels left for working capital, which is plenty for a small business or a stall.”

No matter how expensive it was to buy land and build a house, Shen Mo felt it was worth it.

The thought of finally owning his own home, especially one of the few blue brick houses in the village, made him beam with joy. His beautiful phoenix eyes sparkled with happiness, and that radiant joy stirred something within Zhou Jing.

“Okay, time’s up, take off the mask. I want to see if your skin is smooth,” Zhou Jing said, not giving Shen Mo a chance to respond.

He quickly removed the face mask and started to squeeze Shen Mo’s skin, not minding its softness.

Instead, he pressed in closer, like a hungry wolf, and bit down on Shen Mo’s neck. Before long, they were tangled together.

—o—o—o—

The next day, before dawn, Zhou Jing got up.

He first made a pot of pork porridge for his little wife and steamed a big bowl of egg cake. Then, he grabbed a piece of meat and headed to the village chief’s house.

The village chief had not yet gotten up when he heard a knock at the door.

He shouted in response, then slowly made his way to the entrance.

Upon seeing Zhou Jing, he paused for a moment.

Zhou Jing had a notorious reputation in the village, one he had earned himself, and the village chief did not think highly of him.

Seeing him at his door, especially holding a large piece of meat, made the village chief wary of potential trouble.

He blocked the entrance, asking Zhou Jing what he wanted without letting him inside.

Zhou Jing was not offended by the village chief’s attitude.

He spoke directly, “I’ve managed to save some money this time and want to buy the land where we currently live. I’m not sure if it’s convenient for you later, but could you accompany me to the government office for the transfer of ownership?”