BYBOTE Chapter 13: Measuring

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After delivering the betrothal gifts, the Luo family should have invited Xi Yanqing to stay for a meal. However, the ox cart needed to be returned, and they planned to go up the mountain to cut wood, so once the crowd had dispersed, Xi Yanqing prepared to leave with Luo Tian. Han Yang also intended to go along since his family needed new chopsticks and a chair for the children. Plus, the more hands they had, the better.

Luo Fei had originally wanted to go too, but he had other things to do. Li Yuehua had assigned him a task.

Normally, when bringing betrothal gifts, the groom’s side should also include fabric. That way, the bride’s family could sew the bedding, which would then be included in the dowry and taken to the groom’s home—making everything neat and proper. However, Xi Yanqing and Luo Ji had already brought so many things that they hadn’t bought fabric.

What now?

Li Yuehua decided to handle it herself while Luo Tian was busy. Since this wasn’t a man’s responsibility anyway, she didn’t expect Luo Tian to take care of it.

So, before Luo Tian left with the ox cart, Li Yuehua announced, "I’m taking Erbao to town today to buy fabric. We need to start making the bedding soon."

"Alright." Luo Tian had no objections. "Go early and come back early. Be careful on the road."

"It was careless of me not to prepare for this sooner. I’ve troubled you, Auntie," Xi Yanqing said apologetically.

"Oh, it’s no trouble at all. You’re a young man without much help. You’ve already done plenty. Don’t overthink it," Li Yuehua reassured him. "By the way, have you made your wedding outfit yet? You’ll need to get that done soon."

"Come inside," she added, "Erbao will take your measurements."

"He's making it for me?" Xi Yanqing asked, surprised.

"Right? What's the problem with that? My second son may be a little lazy, but his needlework is top-notch. I'm not just boasting—there aren't many in the whole area who can match his skills!" Li Yuehua suddenly called out, "Erbao, bring the measuring tape!"

"Got it, Mom!" Oh boy, straight to a big job—making a wedding outfit for Xi Yanqing! Good thing he had been thinking about practicing his needlework, otherwise, he wouldn’t have bothered!

"Hey, you're charging for labor, right?" Luo Fei asked unceremoniously.

"You brat!" Li Yuehua happened to hear him and smacked him on the back. "What do you mean charging labor? That's your man, and you're asking him for money? Has your brain been muddled by pigs?"

"Ouch, Mom! You're starting to act just like Dad! Next time, can you hit a little softer?"

"This is already too soft!"

"He’s just joking, Auntie, it's fine. Besides, I can’t let him work for free," Xi Yanqing said, actually taking out some money—a whole tael of broken silver. He handed it to Luo Fei. "This should be enough for fabric and cotton. Whatever’s left, buy something you like."

"Are you sure?" Luo Fei was a bit stunned. A tael of silver! He no longer thought a tael was a small amount, having realized that the sums of hundreds or thousands of taels in TV dramas had nothing to do with common folk. To him now, a tael of silver was equivalent to several months’ living expenses—a lot of money!

"You’re my fiancée. In less than half a month, we’ll be officially married. Giving you money to spend is only natural," Xi Yanqing said so matter-of-factly, as if he had always thought this way.

Luo Fei had no rebuttal. Looking at Xi Yanqing’s smiling face, he suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. He turned his gaze away. "Then I won’t hold back."

He had originally wanted to add, "I'll pay you back once I earn some money," but since others were around, he didn’t dare say it.

Li Yuehua packed up two portions of dry food, one for Luo Tian and one for herself. She also reminded Luo Ru and Luo Yi to watch the house and prepare dinner so they could eat as soon as they got home. Then she pulled Luo Fei along and set off.

"Luo Fei! Wait a moment!" Xi Yanqing suddenly called out just as Luo Fei reached the gate.

"What now?" Luo Fei stopped at the entrance.

Xi Yanqing went into the kitchen and came back out. Luo Fei didn’t notice anything unusual, but the next thing he knew, a hand swiped across his face.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Luo Fei felt like something had been smeared on him.

"Pfft! Brother Xi, you really can't bear to let my second brother go, huh?" Luo Ru giggled. "Second Brother, Brother Xi just made your face dirty. Now you don’t look as handsome, but at least it’s safer for you to go to town like this. You’re too good-looking!"

"Exactly. I just put down the betrothal gifts; I haven’t even married you yet. If you get abducted, wouldn’t I suffer a huge loss?" Xi Yanqing said as he returned the small pouch he had taken earlier to Luo Fei. "Take this with you, just in case—"

"In case, my foot!" Luo Fei quickly cut him off, his ears reddening as he glared at Xi Yanqing. "Mom, let’s go, let’s go! If we don’t leave now, we’ll be late!"

"Alright, alright, we're going." Li Yuehua, practically dragged by Luo Fei, left the village at a brisk pace.

Xi Yanqing watched them go, unable to hold back a smile.

"Tsk, hurry up, Xi boy. If you don’t get going, I think your soul will follow Erbao all the way to town, and how will you help us chop wood then?" Luo Tian patted Xi Yanqing’s shoulder. "Let’s go."

"You really are sweet as honey now that the wedding is near. But it’s fine, we understand!" Han Yang chuckled, then hopped onto the ox cart and drove it forward.

Luo Fei and Li Yuehua couldn’t walk as fast as Luo Ji and Xi Yanqing, given their longer legs. Plus, the journey wasn’t short—it would take them until almost noon to reach town. However, for Luo Fei, the toughest part of the trip wasn’t the distance; it was his mother’s relentless nagging.

She kept reminding him to be more respectful to Xi Yanqing in the future and to stop speaking to him so casually. She also told him that after getting married, he couldn’t be lazy anymore—he had to wash clothes properly, cook well, and keep the house clean. A couple had to balance responsibilities, one managing the household and the other working outside, so they could build a prosperous life together.

By the time she was done, Luo Fei’s head was spinning!

But Li Yuehua still wasn’t finished. "You’ve been spoiled by your father and me, but you must remember what I’m telling you, understand? You can’t act like a child anymore. Also, there’s still time before the wedding, so besides making clothes for Yanqing, you should learn how to cook from Sanbao. Honestly, you and Sanbao should have swapped skills—then both of you would know needlework and cooking. Why did one of you end up with one skill and the other with the other?"

"Oh, Mom, no one is perfect! As long as I’m good at something, it’s fine." Luo Fei waved his hand. "Let’s not talk about this. Help me check if this fabric is good."

"It should be fine for making quilts. Boss, how much for this fabric?"

"Are you measuring by the foot or buying by the bolt? A bolt is 90 wen, a foot is 9 wen," the shopkeeper said. "If you’re making a quilt, buying by the bolt is more cost-effective."

"Give us a discount. We’re buying two bolts."

"Yeah, Uncle, make it a bit cheaper," Luo Fei added. He had never been good at bargaining before, but poverty had now made him just shy of becoming a miser. The key issue was—he was broke! It was rare to have a tael of silver, and now he had to spend it immediately!

One bolt was about 13 meters long, and two bolts would be enough for six single-person quilts. In this area, double quilts were rare because fabric wasn’t as wide as modern cloth, so single quilts were more common. Luo Fei figured he’d make two quilts, two quilt covers, and a mattress. That should use up nearly two bolts of fabric since mattresses needed to be made from a single piece of fabric—cutting them apart was considered unlucky. He doubted he could sneakily make a separate one since everything had to be finished before the wedding.

"88 wen per bolt. That’s the best I can do," the shopkeeper said.

"Come on, just 85 wen, and I’ll take three bolts."

"Three? Mom, do we really need that much?" Luo Fei was shocked. Three bolts? At 85 wen each, that was over 250 wen! He only had 1,000 wen in total from the silver tael, and he still needed to buy fabric for Xi Yanqing’s clothes. Would there be anything left? This fabric was too expensive! Even in Yu Qing Country, where cotton production was low, this seemed like robbery—a whole cow was only five taels!

"We need it! Two bolts are from Yanqing’s betrothal gifts, and one bolt is my contribution to your dowry."

"Oh!" That was acceptable! Luo Fei felt guilty about taking from his family, but adding a bolt of fabric to his dowry seemed reasonable.

In the end, Li Yuehua managed to bargain it down to 255 wen for three bolts. Luo Fei also spent 10 wen on fabric scraps, which amounted to about a meter of cloth with various materials, including a piece of silk that he could use for crafts. He planned to make household items like pillowcases.

Li Yuehua carried the fabric while Luo Fei carried the cotton. Seeing that his mother’s load was heavier, Luo Fei quickly shouldered the fabric himself. "Mom, let me take it. The cotton is lighter; you carry that instead."

Actually, Li Yuehua was no less strong than Luo Fei—in fact, she was even stronger. But at this moment, she still accepted the child's goodwill. Besides, as she had said before, she couldn't spoil him.

Luo Fei carried the fabric all the way back to Huaping Village. As for the remaining money, he didn’t spend a single cent. He had wanted to buy some candied fruit, but after counting the money in his hand, he decided against it. Xi Yanqing at least had some money, but he had absolutely nothing. Back in modern times, he had never lacked money. Whenever he was about to run out, his mother or grandmother would notice and give him some, ensuring that he never had to go without. But now, he couldn't even bring himself to buy a simple snack.

He had no choice—being used to having money, suddenly having none gave him a sense of insecurity. So, he had to endure it and not spend.

Holding back his desires all the way home nearly drove him crazy. Fortunately, he had meat waiting for him at home, which was the greatest comfort.

Luo Ru’s sewing skills were in stark contrast to his cooking skills. The moment Luo Fei stepped through the door, he was greeted by a delicious aroma. Luo Ru had not only steamed buns and cooked porridge, but she had also made a large bowl of braised pork, adding a handful of rehydrated dried string beans at the end to balance out the richness and enhance the flavor.

Luo Fei felt that if he could have a bowl of white rice, his day would be absolutely perfect. But rice was definitely out of the question. Even this meal was already a treat reserved for the New Year.

Luo Tian and Xi Yanqing hadn’t returned yet, so Luo Fei could only sneak a few bites in the kitchen. It wasn’t just him—Luo Yi and Luo Ru were also tempted. After all, they rarely got to eat meat throughout the year.

"Mom, can we raise a few more chickens this year?" Luo Yi asked while sucking on his fingers.

"Of course," Li Yuehua agreed readily. "We’ll raise more this year." In truth, they always raised quite a few, but they had to sell most of them to supplement household expenses.

"Mom, let me know when you buy the chicks this year. I want to buy some too." By then, he should have already moved in with Xi Yanqing. If the Luo family was raising chickens, he would also raise some—maybe even some ducks and big white geese.

"Second Brother, don’t you hate raising poultry? You always complain that feeding them is a hassle," Luo Yi asked in surprise.

"I'll have Xi-ge feed them!" He would supervise while Xi Yanqing did the feeding, and they’d split the earnings fifty-fifty at the end of the year!

"What am I feeding?" Xi Yanqing happened to return at that moment and asked Luo Fei.

"Chickens. I want to buy some chicks and raise them when the weather warms up," Luo Fei said. "Is that okay?" After all, he was going to be living in Xi’s house, so he needed to ask for his opinion.

"Of course, my home is your home. Why wouldn’t it be okay?" Xi Yanqing patted the dust off his clothes. "It smells amazing in here."

"Of course! I made braised pork!" Luo Ru said proudly. "Thanks to Xi-ge and Second Brother. Haha!"

"Weren’t you guys out cutting wood? Where’s the timber?" Luo Fei asked, not seeing any wood.

"Some of it was thrown into the river, and the rest was delivered to my place. Han Yang took some too," Xi Yanqing said, still feeling a bit dirty. "Erbao, could you fetch me some water? I need to wash up."

"Sure." Luo Fei went out with Xi Yanqing and fetched him some water. "Why did you throw the wood into the river?"

"To remove resin and insects. Soaking it before drying makes it more durable and prevents warping. But waiting a few years is too long for now, so we’re sun-drying some of it to make simple furniture. Later on..." Xi Yanqing glanced around to make sure no one was nearby before continuing, "When things get better, we can replace them."

"Hopefully, that day will come," Luo Fei said as he poured water for Xi Yanqing. "Oh, by the way, I bought fabric for you today. I’ll measure you later." Earlier, when his mother asked him to take Xi Yanqing’s measurements, he had dodged the task by bringing up tailoring fees. But his mother had insisted—the measurements had to be taken the next day, or he would be punished by having to clean up chicken poop every day.

"Alright, I’ll let you measure me after I wash up." Xi Yanqing looked exhausted but kept smiling.

Luo Fei watched him and suddenly felt a sense of admiration. Even now, he still occasionally dreamt about his past life, but Xi Yanqing seemed to have fully adapted. He lived alone in a small clay house, kept it tidy, cooked for himself, washed his own clothes—nothing seemed to faze him. Well, except for patching clothes.

"Hey, do you really not want to go back at all?" Luo Fei asked impulsively. As soon as Xi Yanqing finished washing his face, his father and older brother came over to wash too, so Luo Fei followed him back inside to take his measurements.

"Not at all," Xi Yanqing replied, looking directly at Luo Fei. "You have no idea how grateful I am for this arrangement."

"What the hell, dude? Are you sick?!" Luo Fei couldn't believe it. Grateful for going from flush toilets to pit latrines? From running water to hand-dug wells?!

"Even if I were, it wouldn’t matter—I’ve already found the cure," Xi Yanqing smiled. "I think you should do the same. Forget about your past life and start fresh. You might find that this life isn’t so bad after all."

"I’ll try my best," Luo Fei muttered. As he measured, he suddenly glared at Xi Yanqing. "Hey, can you breathe a little softer? Your breath is all over my face!"

"Nope," Xi Yanqing said. "Look at where you’re measuring."

Luo Fei glanced down and saw that he was measuring… the hip circumference.

His hand was right in front of Xi Yanqing’s "bird." (it's his d*ck)

Awkward!

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