Chapter 11: Support
Su Yaoguang applied a bit of lip balm to Zhang Zhaodi’s lips and handed her the bronze mirror to look at.
Zhang Zhaodi’s originally plain appearance surprisingly became vibrant because of this bit of red.
“These few days when Mom has nothing to do, I can help you make them. You teach Mom how to do it.” Zhang Zhaodi immediately became interested.
“Besides lip balm, I also want to make stone eyeliner, scented powder, rouge, flower paste, facial cream, and so on.” Su Yaoguang said, “These things also have many varieties. Make two or three of each kind, and ten boxes of each variety. Once we have enough of these, send them to the city to sell.”
“Mom will help you.”
“Mom, aren’t you going to ask me how I know these things?”
“I’m often not at home, and you’re always by yourself. I hear them say you always like to eavesdrop on the teacher lecturing outside the private school, and they say once you enter the city, you disappear, so they want me to keep an eye on you to stop you from going wild. One time I secretly followed you and found you helping in the kitchen at Steward Li’s house. The things you know must be skills you’ve learned from different people. Mom has nothing to ask. I believe you.”
Su Yaoguang was somewhat dazed.
Yes! It was so long ago that she almost forgot how her former self had run around everywhere for a living, desperately finding work everywhere to help share Mom’s pressure as a little girl.
Zhou Wangshu got out of bed and walked around on the fifth day.
His external injuries had already scabbed over. As long as he didn’t get injured again, he could also help with some handiwork.
Seeing that Zhou Wangshu had recovered well, Zhang Zhaodi no longer treated him coldly. She mentioned several times about writing the marriage contract and recording it at the government office. Zhou Wangshu said he would fully cooperate, but Su Yaoguang put it off on the grounds that the two of them were still too young.
“You’re coming with me up the mountain?” Su Yaoguang saw Zhou Wangshu following her and sized him up. “Your injuries haven’t fully healed yet. You’d better not risk going up the mountain.”
“I’m very good with my slingshot. If we encounter wild beasts, I can still help scare them away.” Zhou Wangshu said as he took out the slingshot he had made long ago.
Zhang Zhaodi was fiddling with flower petals nearby and said, “Let him come along. He’s a big man—if he doesn’t protect you, do you have to support him?”
Zhou Wangshu was wearing Su Yaoguang’s father’s clothes, which were a bit too big on him. He rolled up his sleeves, revealing his arms covered in scars.
This body was unscathed except for the face; it was covered in injuries everywhere. It was impossible to imagine what kind of life he had lived before.
Su Yaoguang had suffered at men’s hands before and knew that pitying a man led to no good end. But the despairing youth from her previous life memories overlapped with this current youth.
“Then follow me, but don’t wander off.” Su Yaoguang said, “Don’t carry the back basket. You still have injuries, so just carry a basket and dig some wild vegetables.”
Su Yaoguang took Zhou Wangshu up the mountain. Passing through the village, many people looked over. Only then did they clearly see Zhou Wangshu’s appearance, and they exclaimed in amazement one after another.
“Yaoguang girl really got a good deal. Such a handsome young man for just ten copper coins. No wonder she took the risk to buy him.”
“Before, they said she lost out a bit by not buying the Jiang family one. Now it looks like the Jiang family one costs one and a half taels of silver, has no strength to tie up a chicken, and is useless at everything. This one only costs ten copper coins, and he’s not one bit worse looking. Most importantly, this one’s sweet-mouthed! Look how sweetly he smiles at Yaoguang girl—it’s just lovable.”
“Auntie, hello… Older sister, hello… Elder brother, hello… Old man, hello…” Zhou Wangshu greeted people along the way, charming the villagers so much they didn’t know which way was up.
He was good-looking, with clear eyes. Because of his injuries, he looked somewhat pitiable. When he smiled, it was like mountain flowers blooming, exceptionally gorgeous.
Xiao Yanci had a cold and aloof style, and with his self-important identity, he was proud and aloof overall. In her previous life, his pretentious attitude had offended many people, but she and her mom had protected him. Later, he entered her commoner status and got the opportunity for the imperial exams. The villagers saw he was good at studying and fawned over him, making him even more aloof.
Compared to Xiao Yanci, Zhou Wangshu’s quick integration made her feel extremely reassured. Sure enough, this time she had kept her eyes open and hadn’t chosen wrong.
After going up the mountain, Su Yaoguang began picking flowers. Her cosmetics required a large amount of fresh flowers, so she had to go up the mountain every day to pick fresh blossoms.
“Don’t wander off.” After warning Zhou Wangshu, she began searching for her targets.
Zhou Wangshu aimed his slingshot at a wild chicken in the bushes. With a bang, the wild chicken clucked twice and fell to the ground.
Su Yaoguang: “…”
She jogged over, picked up the wild chicken from the bushes, and said in surprise, “It’s dead just like that?”
Her traps hadn’t caught a single prey yet, but he hunted with just a slingshot. This boy’s value kept rising, making her look at him in a new light.
Zhou Wangshu blushed and said embarrassedly, “Just luck.”
“Then you have good luck.”
Su Yaoguang found a patch of flowers and began picking petals.
She had no time to pay attention to Zhou Wangshu’s side, only occasionally looking up to make sure he was nearby and not wandering off, then bending down to continue picking.
By the time she finished picking this patch, her back basket was full. She dug up a dozen flower plants and put them in the basket Zhou Wangshu had brought, planning to transplant them to the courtyard.
She planned to do this business long-term and needed a large amount of flowers. The mountain was one source, but she also needed to plant some herself, or she might run out of stock.
“Where did these rabbits come from, and two of them?” Su Yaoguang asked curiously.
Zhou Wangshu pointed to a rabbit hole not far away: “Caught them there. Perfectly one male and one female. Take them back to raise!”
“Are you a little lucky star? Bringing you out and we get a full harvest?” Su Yaoguang said, “Can you carry them?”
“Though I’m injured, I still have the strength to carry two rabbits and one wild chicken.” Zhou Wangshu said, “Heading down the mountain now?”
“Yes, let’s go!”
When Su Yaoguang and Zhou Wangshu returned fully loaded, they encountered Xiao Yanci at the foot of the mountain. Xiao Yanci was carrying firewood, his face full of dust and sweat dripping everywhere.
Seeing Su Yaoguang and Zhou Wangshu, he stopped wiping his sweat. His gaze lingered on the things they were carrying, a flash of frustration in his eyes.
These past few days, he had been eating corn buns. Only Jiang Yihuan secretly gave him some other food each day—sometimes an egg, sometimes a couple pieces of meat.
That Zhong Lanhua was pretty good-looking but extremely stingy, nowhere near as kind-hearted as her daughter. He had to find a way to change his current situation and stop being ordered around like this. He heard her son was about to come back from rest and recuperation; the other was still studying at the private school—perhaps this was his opportunity.
Su Yaoguang walked past Xiao Yanci.
Zhou Wangshu glanced at Xiao Yanci, picked up the rabbits, and caught up to Su Yaoguang.
“Yaoguang, I don’t want chicken soup. I want braised. Is that okay?” Zhou Wangshu said.
“Sure.” Su Yaoguang said, “It’s the chicken you caught, so eat it however you want.”
Xiao Yanci listened to their conversation, and a trace of envy suddenly welled up in his heart.
Hmph, nothing to envy. That village girl was a shrew too, even cruder and ruder than Zhong Lanhua.
