Chapter 24: Leaving the Village

Fener was no longer walking as fast as before, and she had stopped sweating.

She glanced inside Lu Jinnian’s house and asked Liuli, “Is Fourth Master here? The Old Madam wants him to come over.”

Liuli replied, “Not today. It’s the last day of Mr. Zhang’s vacation, so Fourth Master just went out to have some fun.”

“When will he be back?”

Seeing her concern, Liuli asked back, “Is there something urgent the Old Madam wants to discuss with Fourth Master?”

Fener thought for a moment before saying, “Not really. It’s about that Zheng Qiao. I heard he used to be close with Second Master. Now that Fourth Master often hangs out with him, the Old Madam thinks it’s not a good look and wants to give him a heads-up.”

After all, there was no real issue on Lu Jinnian’s side, and the Old Madam wouldn’t go as far as to beat her own son just because of Zheng Qiao.

“It’s the last day of vacation, so I can’t say for sure when he’ll be back. Probably around dinner time. He still has school tomorrow, so our Master knows his limits.”

Lu Jinnian was not like Lu Bainen—he had a bit of sense and knew how to keep his mother happy.

“Then I’ll head back for now. When Fourth Master returns, please let him know the Old Madam is looking for him.”

Liuli nodded. “Of course. It rained this morning, so the roads are slippery—be careful.”

Fener waved her hand and noticed Liuli was dressed lightly. “Got it. You should go inside before you catch a chill.”

Fener then returned to Wen Ruyu’s house and relayed the message that Lu Jinnian had gone out.

“Who did he go out with?” Wen Ruyu asked.

“I’m not sure, but he’s usually with Huanzi,” Fener replied.

Since he wasn’t home, Wen Ruyu had no choice but to wait for him to return.

At noon, it started raining again.

In Lujia Village, Qinghe County, Lu Bainen had been plowing the fields for half a day. His once pampered hands were now gripping an iron hoe, rubbing against the wooden handle until blisters formed. The pain and itchiness made him grit his teeth in frustration.

It hurt so much that he wanted to throw the hoe away and go home.

But then he remembered that iron tools were expensive. If he left it in the field, someone might take it. So he reluctantly bent down, picked up the hoe, slung it over his shoulder, and hurried home.

At the start of spring, people had already told him that the fields needed plowing and fertilizing before planting could begin.

He had never worked in the fields before, so he was naturally slower than the others. That’s why he had to start early.

Lu Bainen was determined this time. He had gotten up at dawn to start working.

He even ran into some relatives in the village while working. They offered him a few words of encouragement, which made him feel motivated.

But after working for half a day, he hadn’t even finished a quarter of a mu of land, and his hands were covered in blisters.

He had set out full of enthusiasm, only to return home feeling utterly defeated.

When he arrived home, he saw Liu Suqing washing rice. Near the well in the yard, a basket of wild vegetables was sitting in the water. She must have gone out to pick them when she had free time.

These wild vegetables weren’t as crisp as homegrown ones, so people didn’t eat them often.

But since they were free, many still gathered them. If they didn’t eat them, they could at least mix them into pig or chicken feed to improve the livestock’s diet.

Once one batch was picked, another would sprout in a few days. Since few people ate them, they were never completely harvested.

Lu Bainen, however, had been eating these wild vegetables for more than ten days now—so much that his face seemed to have turned green like the vegetables.

Meat in the household mostly came from the clan leader’s occasional generosity.

Just last Lantern Festival, they had finally bought a small piece of meat. Liu Suqing had carefully weighed out three taels—less than half a pound.

Whenever Lu Bainen craved meat, Liu Suqing would remind him of the need to budget carefully.

They had set a rule: meat was only allowed on the first and fifteenth of each month.

Even during the New Year celebrations, Lu Bainen had barely had two proper meals with any meat in them.

Now, not only was farm work exhausting, but even walking made his legs feel weak.

At this moment, he desperately missed the pastries and sweets from his family’s kitchen—especially the sugar-coated fritters deep-fried in oil. He used to find them too greasy and sweet, often giving them to the servants.

Now, just thinking about them made his mouth water.

His boots weren’t suitable for farming, so when he last went to town, he had bought two pairs of black cloth shoes. Now, they were covered in mud, and he had to wipe them clean with a cloth.

After enduring ten days of hardship, Lu Bainen finally realized just how fortunate his previous life had been.

But life was too busy for him to dwell on it for long.

At lunch, he had a few bites of wild vegetables and some watery porridge.

His stomach wasn’t full, but his mouth was already tired of chewing.

He glanced at Liu Suqing—she had always been thin, but in just a few days, she had grown even more frail.

She was the woman he had fallen for. While he could endure his own suffering, watching her silently cook and clean every day made him feel guilty.

Although Liu Suqing came from a bad background, she had been well-trained in her youth—taught poetry, music, and calligraphy to prepare her for a wealthy man’s favor.

Now, her delicate hands were picking wild vegetables, and her once eloquent mouth was discussing mundane things like firewood and oil.

How could Lu Bainen stand this?

After lunch, he got up to leave.

Liu Suqing took out the medicine box, ready to apply ointment to his blistered hands.

Seeing that he was about to go out, she said, “Don’t go to the fields this afternoon. Wait until your hands heal. ‘As long as the green hills remain, there will be wood to burn.’ If you push too hard now, how will you work in the coming days?”

Lu Bainen walked to the wardrobe, took out a proper outfit, and replied, “I’m not going to the fields. I’m heading to town.”

“What are you buying now?” Liu Suqing asked anxiously, worried about him spending money.

As he changed clothes, he replied, “Nothing. I’m going to see a friend.”

In reality, he was planning to borrow money. But he knew he wasn’t close enough to his friends to be sure they’d lend him anything.

“How much do you need?” she asked.

To prevent himself from spending recklessly, Lu Bainen had given all their money to Liu Suqing, only taking what he needed.

“Just enough for the ride. Let me know if you need anything, and I’ll bring it back.”

The town wasn’t far—only a half-hour walk. But most people preferred to take a bullock or donkey cart for two copper coins.

“Nothing else. Just buy half a pound of meat. I’ll cure it so we can eat it next month.”

Lu Bainen nodded. “I’ll check the meat stalls.”

Though he wasn’t sure if there would be good meat left.

Liu Suqing handed him fifty copper coins, giving him extra just in case.

As a former young master, it wouldn’t look good if he had no money on hand.

Lu Bainen took the money, put on his boots, and prepared to leave.

“Come here, let me treat your blisters before you go,” Liu Suqing urged.

“I’ll do it when I get back. Walking around with ointment on my hands looks bad,” he said before walking out the door.

Liu Suqing watched him leave, worried but unable to stop him.

Meanwhile, Lu Bainen boarded a bullock cart to town.

As he walked, debating who to borrow money from, a voice called out behind him—

“Bainen, my brother!”

Turning around, he saw Zheng Qiao, dressed elegantly, carrying a roast chicken and a jar of wine, grinning at him.

Lu Bainen forced a smile.

Perhaps luck was on his side today.