NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9: The Wisdom of Age
Chapter 9: The Wisdom of Age
Xu Lian drove the donkey cart back home.
As soon as Wang Cuiyun saw the donkey, her face lit up with a grin that nearly split it in two. She almost jumped for joy. “Brother Lian, you’re getting better every day! Where did this donkey come from?”
“Call me ‘Master’,” Xu Lian corrected her, his confidence bolstered by his growing status.
Wang Cuiyun stroked the little black donkey happily. “Master!”
Only then did Xu Lian explain, “A friend lent me over ten taels of silver to buy this donkey. I’ve started working as a stone transporter in the mine.”
The mention of stone transport made Wang Cuiyun’s eyes shine even brighter.
However, Li Xiya looked worried. “Brother Lian, there’s no such thing as free friendship in this world. Over ten taels of silver is not a small amount. You’d better be careful – this ‘friend’ might have ulterior motives.”
Xu Lian couldn’t help but give her an approving look. Sister Xiya was truly astute, guessing the truth at a glance.
On the other hand, Wang Cuiyun waved away her concern. “Who cares what their motives are? With a donkey and a stone transporting job, we’ll earn more grain! That’s what matters!”
Her eyes darted toward Xu Lian’s chest like a snake homing in on its prey. “Master, where’s today’s grain?”
Xu Lian pulled out a small bag of grain from his chest and handed it over.
Wang Cuiyun opened the bag, glanced inside, and weighed it in her hands. Her cheerful expression quickly turned sour. “Don’t think that I don’t know that a donkey cart driver earns three servings of grain a day, four and a half pounds! This is nowhere near that. You’re holding back, aren’t you?”
Sometimes, Xu Lian truly admired her cunning. “Manager Han said that this little black donkey isn’t fully grown yet. So I’ll only get two portions, three pounds.”
Wang Cuiyun huffed, obviously dissatisfied. “When he reports to his superiors, he’ll claim three portions, no doubt about it. The scoundrel pocketed one portion for himself!”
“Mother, two portions are already enough. You should be content,” Li Xiya interjected, pulling her into the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Xu Lian fed the little black donkey some hay and some grain before lying down comfortably on the bed in the outer room and waiting for dinner.
Soon, dinner was ready – flat bread and some beef.
As they ate, Wang Cuiyun gnawed on her food and chuckled. “Master, you worked hard today. Eat more.”
“All right,” Xu Lian replied, playing along.
Li Xiya had gotten used to this dynamic.
Just as Xu Lian was pondering how to bring up Yang Chan’er, Wang Cuiyun beat him to it.
“You’re a transporter now, earning three pounds of grain a day. It’s time to support another wife. If we tighten our belts, we can bring another woman into the household. With three women taking turns giving blood to the night patrol, Xiya and I won’t have to work so hard. What do you think?”
In Green Bamboo Town, families had long since perfected their survival strategy: the “one-to-three” rule.
One able-bodied man worked during the day to earn grain, while three women took turns at night to give blood to the night patrol.
This way, the man’s earnings were barely enough to feed everyone, and the women’s shared burden of bloodletting minimized damage to their health, allowing for long-term survival.
Too many women meant too little grain. Too many men meant more blood demanded by the Night Patrol, whose tribute was based on the number of adult males.
Thus, the “one to three” rule became the optimal formula.
Xu Lian’s heart leapt with joy, though his face remained reluctantly agreeable. “Fine…”
Li Xiya’s expression softened with worry. “Mother, Brother Lian has only just begun to enjoy a better life. Asking him to support another woman now – it is too much. Let’s wait a little longer.”
Xu Lian smiled gently. “Sister Xiya, transporting stones isn’t tiring. If taking in another woman will ease your burden, I’m willing.”
“But you borrowed the silver from a friend,” Li Xiya countered. “We need to save up grain to sell to pay off the debt.”
“My friend is a good person,” Xu Lian reassured her. “They haven’t set a repayment date, so I can take my time.”
Wang Cuiyun showed no such concern. She eagerly clapped her hands. “Master is right. Let’s live well first and pay back the silver later. The family at the old maple tree lost their man today. Tomorrow, I’ll pay them a visit and bring one of their women here.”
She paused, her weathered face breaking into a sly grin as she looked at Xu Lian. “Don’t worry, Master. I’ll choose a young one for you to enjoy at night. That way, you won’t feel left out, right?”
Although tempted, Xu Lian had already set his sights on Yang Chan’er and had even paid her deposit. “No need for that. I’ll bring someone back tomorrow myself.”
Li Xiya looked at him suspiciously. “Brother Lian, do you already have someone you like?”
Xu Lian quickly shook his head. “No… but there are many families in need of grain. If I ask around the quarry, I should be able to find someone suitable.”
Li Xiya nodded slightly. “That makes sense.”
Seeing Sister Xiya’s calm reaction, Xu Lian felt a bit emotional. His worry about damaging their relationship was completely unnecessary. Women in this world didn’t know what jealousy was – survival was the priority, and everything else was secondary.
For the ordinary families of Green Bamboo Town, survival boiled down to two essentials: grain and blood!
What was jealousy?
Wang Cuiyun fixed her gaze on Xu Lian, then reminded him, “It’s fine if you bring a woman home yourself, but don’t bring back a young, naive one. They’re not easy to come by.”
With her experience, Wang Cuiyun saw right through Xu Lian’s little thoughts.
Xu Lian didn’t want to explain. He’d rather wait until tomorrow and handle it then.
He couldn’t always go along with her-she needed to know who was in charge of the house now!
“It’s getting late. You should rest. Tonight, it’s your turn to give blood,” Xu Lian reminded Wang Cuiyun.
He clearly remembered that on his first night in this world, Li Xiya gave blood. The second night, they received blood from a man who broke into their house. Tonight would be the third night.
Wang Cuiyun took a small porcelain cup, unwrapped the cloth around her wrist, cut the skin and let the blood flow. She placed the cup at the door and closed it after she entered the inner room.
Xu Lian’s gaze turned toward Li Xiya, and his desire slowly began to grow.
Li Xiya knew what he was thinking. She blushed and patted him gently. “You have been working in the quarry for a whole day. You can’t go on like this. Your body won’t take it.”
“Mm, we’ll rest well,” Xu Lian murmured as he gently embraced Li Xiya, not pushing further.
He had the body of a martial artist, so he could handle it, but he was worried about Li Xiya. She had to give blood to the night patrol every other day-her burden was heavy, and he didn’t want her to wear herself down.
Besides, the growth of affection wasn’t tied to physical encounters. It was about emotions, and he couldn’t put his own desires before Li Xiya’s health.
The night passed quietly.
The next day, Xu Lian drove the donkey cart back to the quarry.
Early in the morning, Yang Ye jumped on the cart. “Did you talk it over with the women?”
Xu Lian replied, “They agreed. I’ll bring Chan’er home tonight after work.”
Yang Ye chuckled. “I told you, adding another woman to take turns giving blood, how could they disagree?”
“Brother Lian, Brother Lian!”
At the intersection, Zhang Yuan waved frantically, obviously waiting for Xu Lian to pass.
Xu Lian slowed down the cart so that Zhang Yuan could hop on.
There was no doubt about it-Yang Ye and Zhang Yuan would be waiting for him every morning. The fewer steps they had to take, the less energy they’d use, and that meant less grain consumption… so clever.