BYBOTE Chapter 10: The Gift

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The next morning, Luo Fei woke up and didn’t see Luo Ji. He thought Luo Ji had gone up the mountain early to clear land again. But after asking around, he found out that Luo Ji had gone to town with Xi Yanqing.

Luo Fei was so anxious that he almost knocked over his bowl of porridge. “Why didn’t they call me?! I wanted to go too.”

He had been here for so many days but hadn’t been to town yet. His impression of the town was entirely based on old memories. He really wanted to see it, especially the fabric shops and embroidery houses, to check out their current level of craftsmanship.

“How was I supposed to know you wanted to go? Besides, they left at the hour of the ox (around 1-3 AM). That’s so early! Could you even wake up?” Li Yuehua tapped Luo Fei’s head with her chopsticks. “Just drink your porridge! You’ve never been an early riser!”

“What did they go for, Mom? Were they buying something?”

“Yeah, that’s what Xiao Xi said. I didn’t ask for details, but I guess they’re buying things for the betrothal gifts.”

“Didn’t they already give the betrothal money?”

“No, silly child. What they gave before was the bride price, not the betrothal gifts. Those are two different things. Once the betrothal gifts are given, your marriage with him will be officially settled, and the whole village will know.” Li Yuehua said, “Our family may not be extravagant, but I can’t let you be treated unfairly. You should have what’s rightfully yours.”

“Does he even know what to buy?” So it wasn’t just about giving money?

“He should know. Xiao Xi is a thoughtful person; he won’t mess things up. Besides, even if he doesn’t, your big brother is with him.” Li Yuehua glanced at Luo Tian and added, “Oh, and another thing, Erbao. Your father and I discussed it, and we’ve decided that your wedding will be on the sixth of next month.”

“The sixth of next month?!” Luo Fei was dumbfounded. “That’s way too soon! It should at least be a month away! I haven’t even stayed home long enough!” Today was the 25th, which meant he had only 11 days left before marrying Xi Yanqing?!

At least let him see the vegetables Xi Yanqing planted grow first! Otherwise, he might end up starving there!

Li Yuehua’s smile instantly disappeared. “Why are you making such a fuss? Have your father and I ever done anything to harm you? We picked that day because it’s the best one available. Any other date would bring bad luck either to you or to Xiao Xi. So, which one do you want me to choose?!”

Luo Fei still felt unwilling. Yesterday, he had trusted Xi Yanqing’s words, thinking he could handle things, but clearly, that wasn’t the case!

Damn! Totally unreliable!

He wanted to negotiate for a few more days, but when he turned and saw Luo Tian glaring at him, he immediately backed down.

A wise man doesn’t fight a losing battle! Fine, a wedding it is!

“Erbao, don’t worry. Xiao Xi is a good man. Before heading to town today, he even said he wanted to check out the furniture stores to make sure he builds something beautiful for you. Isn’t that thoughtful? Besides, you’re already eighteen. You can’t stay with us forever, right? Listen to Mom—get married early and start a family soon. Xiao Xi lost his family at a young age; he’s been alone for a long time. He must be hoping for a lively home.”

“Hah.” Starting a family? More like drawing a clear boundary.

Luo Fei drank his porridge and asked after a while, “Mom, what exactly needs to be included in the betrothal gifts?”

Li Yuehua said, “That depends on the family’s means. At the very least, he should bring a fish, two chickens, two jin (about 1 kg) of pork, and two jars of wine. That’s the basics. If they can afford more, they’ll add tea leaves, wedding cakes, red dates, peanuts, longans, sunflower seeds, and candies. There are many things! Don’t you remember what we prepared when your big brother got married?”

Luo Fei had actually forgotten. But hearing Li Yuehua list all these things made his mouth water. Back in his previous life, he ate at least two kinds of fruit every day, but since coming here, he hadn’t seen any.

Now he just hoped Xi Yanqing would buy plenty of good food.

Meanwhile, Xi Yanqing had just arrived in town. On the way, he had told Luo Ji that he wanted to buy a cow as a betrothal gift, so Luo Fei wouldn’t have to envy other families for having one. But buying a cow wasn’t that simple.

First of all, buying a cow was a big deal. The cow had to be docile—some were bad-tempered and even attacked their owners. Some might be sick but not show symptoms right away, requiring careful observation.

Xi Yanqing had brought plenty of money, but after visiting the cattle market, he found nothing suitable. There was a promising young bull, about a year and a half old, well-fed and healthy, but it was a spotted one, and the price was steep—seven taels of silver.

He was eager to buy a cow but didn’t want to be ripped off!

Luo Ji also thought it was too expensive and stopped Xi Yanqing from buying it.

Xi Yanqing wanted to look for more options, but this was a small town with only one cattle market. If they couldn’t find one here, there weren’t many other places to go.

“If you really want to get one to make Erbao happy, I’ll take you to Han Yang later,” Luo Ji suggested. “Remember him? His uncle used to trade cattle for years after you left. He knows all about this stuff. We can ask him to find a seller in one of the nearby villages. If we buy from a trusted person, we won’t get scammed. Some dishonest traders feed sick cows medicine to make them look healthy, but they die within days after being bought.”

“That sounds terrible. Alright, let’s not rush into buying a cow today. But Ji-ge, please make sure to ask around for me,” Xi Yanqing said. “I haven’t been home for years, and Erbao has already suffered enough. I don’t want the only wedding of my life to make him unhappy.”

“I get it, you fool! You’re even more devoted than I am! Erbao is lucky to have you.” Luo Ji patted Xi Yanqing’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s see if there’s anything else we need to buy.”

“There’s a lot, I just hope we can carry it all back.”

“Relax, it’s just the two of us. What can’t we carry?”

Xi Yanqing chuckled but didn’t reply. His original plan was to leave early, buy the cow first, and then use it to carry the rest of the items home. But now that the cow wasn’t bought, they had to start with the lighter items.

He bought tea, wedding cakes, red dates, peanuts, longans, sunflower seeds, and other snacks. After grabbing a quick meal and buying two bowls of hot tea from a teahouse, he went on to purchase fish, pork, and a pair of chickens. According to Luo Ji, the number of chickens should match the number of living parents on both sides. If both parents were alive, two pairs were needed; if not, they had to adjust accordingly.

In the end, Xi Yanqing bought two chickens, two fish, six jars of wine, and six jin of pork. Adding all the small snacks and sweets, they filled four large baskets! Even Luo Ji, who was strong, started worrying about how to carry everything back.

At the time, Xi Yanqing told Luo Fei that he was looking for someone with shared interests to live together with. However, when it came to actual arrangements, he followed the proper customs of a formal marriage. As for the reason, perhaps only he himself knew.

"That should be about it, right?" Luo Ji was now carrying, hanging, holding, and tying things all over his body. He looked less like a person and more like a walking shelf.

"We should still buy some fabric and cotton. We don’t have a new quilt yet," Xi Yanqing said. Although he had never been married in either of his two lifetimes, he knew that getting married required a new quilt.

"Let’s leave the quilt for tomorrow. We can’t carry any more today," Luo Ji said. Just the alcohol and meat alone needed one person to carry. "Besides, we don’t know how much fabric and cotton to buy yet. And with all this fish and meat, we don’t want to get the fabric smelling fishy."

"That makes sense. I’ll ask Erbao to take measurements when we get back, and then I’ll bring him with me to pick out a style he likes. But there’s still one more thing I need to buy. Brother Ji, wait here for me. I’ll be right back!" Xi Yanqing said and ran off. When he returned shortly, he was holding a small cloth bundle.

"What did you buy now?" Luo Ji asked curiously.

"It’s for Erbao, but I can’t tell you what it is," Xi Yanqing carefully put it away and then hoisted the wine jars back onto his shoulders.

The two struggled back home with all their purchases, and by the time they arrived, it was almost dark.

Since the betrothal gifts had to be delivered from the Xi family to the Luo family at dawn, Luo Ji helped Xi Yanqing bring everything to the Xi household. The only exception was the small cloth bundle that Xi Yanqing had given to Luo Ji to bring back. He didn’t know what was inside, but it wasn’t heavy at all.

"Do I just give this directly to Erbao?" Luo Ji asked before leaving.

"Yeah, just give it to him," Xi Yanqing said. "Thanks for your help today, big brother."

"You called me ‘big brother,’ so of course I’d help! Get some rest."

"Alright, don’t forget about the ox."

"Don’t worry," Luo Ji waved as he left. Seeing that it wasn’t too late, he made a stop at the Han family’s house before heading home.

"Father! Mother! I’m back!" Luo Ji called out from outside.

"Oh, you’re back?" Li Yuehua hurried out to greet him. "Tired? Have you eaten?"

"I had some food. Where’s Father?"

"Don’t even mention it. He’s comforting Sibao right now."

"What happened to Sibao?" Luo Ji had just asked when he heard his sister’s loud, hearty laughter. "Hahahahaha! Serves you right!"

"Ugh!" Luo Yi was crouched next to a slop bucket, retching. Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked at Luo Ru. "Sis, do you have any sympathy at all?!"

"What happened?" Luo Ji asked.

"Ahem, it’s nothing," Luo Fei tried hard to suppress his laughter. "It’s just… Sibao used the porcelain dish that Xi Yanqing gave me to hold soy sauce for dipping his pancakes."

"The funniest part," Luo Ru said between fits of laughter, "is that Second Brother told him that dish was actually his personal toilet scraper! Hahahaha! Si Bao actually used something Er Ge uses to wipe his butt as a dish and poured soy sauce into it! Oh my god, my stomach hurts from laughing! Hahahaha!"

"Big Sis! If you laugh one more time, I’ll really get mad!" Luo Yi was practically about to explode from frustration. He was already upset, and she just kept laughing at him!

"This… This really is your fault, Sibao. Why didn’t you ask Second Brother before using it?" Luo Ji said as he handed the cloth bundle to Luo Fei. "Er Bao, this is from Brother Xi. He specifically bought it for you. I wasn’t even allowed to look at it. Check it out."

"What is it?" Luo Fei was curious. Before opening it, he thought it might be food, but instead, he found rows of neatly arranged sewing threads in various colors. The quantity was large, and the texture felt amazing.

He had received many gifts since childhood, but he vaguely felt that none had made him this happy before.

—

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