BYBOTE Chapter 26: The Big Tiger

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On the way to the cornfield, Luo Fei hardly spoke to Xi Yanqing. Xi Yanqing walked ahead, and Luo Fei followed behind like a little wife. Whenever Xi Yanqing walked, he walked; whenever Xi Yanqing stopped, he stopped. And every time Xi Yanqing glanced at him, Luo Fei would quickly look away.

The little hedgehog who used to be so prickly seemed to have suddenly tucked in all its spines. He no longer acted all defensive but was now as docile as a little rabbit. However, Xi Yanqing wasn’t sure whether this change was just temporary or if it would last long-term.

Though it was still early, people were already working in the fields. When they saw Xi Yanqing and his companion walking one behind the other, someone greeted them, saying, “Young master Xi, heading to the fields?”

“Yeah, just going to weed the corn,” Xi Yanqing replied cheerfully, smiling at everyone.

“Of course, there’s so much to do at home. If we don’t get to it quickly, it won’t get done. I'm not like you young folks, with all that energy to get things done fast.” The man called Uncle He bent down to continue his work, occasionally glancing at Xi Yanqing, “By the way, Xi, is your land next to Old Zhang’s place?”

“Yes, Uncle He, it is. Why do you ask?”

"Earlier, when I was heading over there, I noticed your corn looks a bit too sparse. That might affect your harvest," Uncle He said, well-meaning. He thought that with the way Xi Yanqing planted, it would probably result in a 20% lower yield. Imagine, if the space meant for ten plants only has seven or eight, the ears of corn would definitely be fewer.

"I’m trying planting corn and beans together this year, so I’ve spaced the rows a bit wider," Xi Yanqing explained.

"Oh, can that work?"

"It’s hard to say if it will affect the harvest. It’s just this one acre, so I’ll give it a try," Xi Yanqing said. "We’re going over there now. Uncle He, if you have time, come visit us sometime."

"Alright, alright, go on," Uncle He said, scratching his head and thinking about what corn and soybeans together might look like. "Can that work?"

"Such a waste of good land," someone nearby muttered. "In the end, it’s still about having too little land. Otherwise, who would do this? Planting corn and soybeans together is like two kids fighting over milk—nobody will get enough to eat."

"That’s a good point," Uncle He nodded, then bent down again to continue weeding.

As for Xi Yanqing, he was willing to try growing corn with soybeans because he knew the land was good. The soil quality here was excellent, and there was no need for chemical fertilizers or pesticides; the natural soil and organic manure did all the work. If the land were poor, he definitely wouldn’t have tried such a method.

The corn plants they planted last time had mostly grown out, with two leaves and a sprout, making it the perfect time for weeding. After reaching his land, Xi Yanqing began teaching Luo Fei how to do it, and then the two of them each worked on their own row.

Their land was really good—excellent soil and a great location. But there was one downside: it was next to Old Zhang’s field.

Though Zhang Yangfan didn’t come to work in the field, and Jiang Baining, who claimed to be pregnant, wouldn’t be coming either, almost every time Xi Yanqing and Luo Fei came to the field, they’d see Qin Guizhi. The Zhang family had so much land that they had people working there every day, while Xi Yanqing and Luo Fei, with their smaller plot, would run into them from time to time.

Qin Guizhi had already noticed their land. She couldn’t help but secretly laugh. She didn’t know that Xi Yanqing had left space for the soybeans, so she thought that after Xi Yanqing came back from the war, his brain wasn’t working quite right. Planting corn so sparsely was a waste of land!

But fortunately, the Zhang family had so much land, and Qin Guizhi didn’t have much time to focus on Xi Yanqing and Luo Fei.

Xi Yanqing was weeding and lightly nudged Luo Fei, who was working beside him, with his elbow: "So, are you really not going to talk to me?"

Luo Fei didn’t even look at him, keeping his head down and working: "What’s there to say?"

Since Xi Yanqing’s hands were dirty, he couldn’t touch Luo Fei, so he just looked at him and quietly asked, "Did you sleep well last night?"

Luo Fei’s face immediately turned red. He glared at Xi Yanqing and lowered his voice: "Stop being annoying! Don’t talk about that!"

His expression clearly showed that he was both embarrassed and angry.

Xi Yanqing just found work a little dull, so he teased Luo Fei. Plus, thinking about what happened last night, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement inside. Though they hadn’t truly been intimate, just seeing Luo Fei relax under his teasing felt good. And once it happened once, it would get easier next time. The key was to make Luo Fei enjoy it.

Thinking about what happened last night made Luo Fei feel so embarrassed that he didn’t dare to treat it as small talk. He quickly worked faster, so much so that he was even ahead of Xi Yanqing.

Xi Yanqing hurried to catch up: "Luo Fei, if you have time, can you make me a half-sleeve shirt? It’s too hot."

His clothes were mostly for spring, autumn, and winter, and they were made for cooler weather. Now, working in long sleeves in the heat was just torture. He’d be in the field almost every day for the next month, and if he kept wearing them, he’d end up with heat rashes.

"I’ll have to wait until I go to town and buy some suitable fabric," Luo Fei replied. "Han Xu is getting married next month. I’ll ask him if he’s going. If he is, I’ll go with him, and we can buy fabric then." He also planned to buy some red fabric to make a pair of mandarin duck ornaments as a thank-you gift for Han Xu for the furniture they helped with.

"Then I want gray," Xi Yanqing smiled. "You’re such a good wife."

"Get lost! Who’s your wife?" Luo Fei threw a corn seedling at him. "You can’t even shut up while working!"

"I don’t need to talk while working, so of course, I can’t shut up. But at night, I can…"

"Don’t say it!" Luo Fei raised the corn seedling, as if to shove it in Xi Yanqing’s mouth.

"Tsk tsk tsk, good wife, where did your mind go? What I meant was, after dinner tonight, you can shut my mouth, right? You must’ve thought of something dirty, didn’t you?"

"Shut up!" Luo Fei blushed again and fluffed up in anger. Even a rabbit bites when it’s cornered. How dare he call him dirty?

"Alright, alright, I won’t say anything," Xi Yanqing laughed, shaking his head. Seeing the sun getting higher, he hurried to work. It was cool in the morning, but it would start to get hot soon, and he didn’t want Luo Fei to suffer.

With little land, the work was done quickly. Luo Fei and Xi Yanqing finished by noon. But Xi Yanqing still needed to check on the rice field, so after sending Luo Fei home and having a quick bite, he left again.

Luo Fei locked the door and then freaked out, his body shaking as if something snapped. He hugged his head: "Ahhh, damn, he actually kissed me!"

But that feeling... it was so pleasant, like floating, almost like going to heaven...

But no more thinking about that!

I can’t control myself...

But I have to control it!

Oh.

Luo Fei’s expression changed awkwardly from excitement to calm, and he didn’t realize that Grandma Zhou had witnessed this whole sequence of personal activities and looked completely confused.

"What’s wrong with this kid?" Grandma Zhou thought.

Luo Fei, sensing the odd look, smiled and looked at Grandma Zhou: "Grandma Zhou, are you hanging clothes?"

Grandma Zhou smiled. "Yes. What were you just doing? Is something wrong?"

When Luo Fei heard the word "comfortable," he immediately thought of what Xi Yanqing had said in the field: "No, no, I’m fine. Hehe, just messing around. Grandma Zhou, aren’t you worried about the chicks getting cold if you leave them outside?"

"They can’t be left outside too long, but it’s sunny now, so they can get used to it. It’ll help them get used to being outside. Then, in a few days, they’ll be easier to raise."

"Oh, then I’ll bring them outside to get some sun too." Luo Fei had thought that the chicks shouldn’t be exposed to the wind these days, so he kept them inside. But then he remembered they were all bought on the same day, and if they could handle the wind, he’d follow suit. So, he took the chicks outside and even added some food for them.

Since he had gone to the field early, he didn’t have time to wash clothes at noon. After feeding the chicks, he hung the clothes to dry, then began to think about what to do next. He had bought everything needed for the house, and the thread Xi Yanqing had bought was almost used up. There was still plenty of the less commonly used colors, but the more practical ones were running low. He estimated that there wouldn’t be enough to make the mandarin duck ornaments for Han Xu, even though they couldn’t be too big.

But was it okay to spend the family’s money on these? Necessary items were understandable, but these threads weren’t essential. Yet he still wanted to see if he could sell them. If he could bring a couple of things to the embroidery shop when he went to town, maybe they’d buy them.

But what if no one buys the embroidery? What if he couldn’t even make back the cost?

Then… then just play dead! At worst, I’ll just do more work to make it up to Xi Yanqing!

After making up his mind, Luo Fei went to the back vegetable garden. He noticed that some of the small cabbages had grown quite tall and looked ready to be dipped in sauce and eaten. So, he went back to the Luo family home, thinking of grabbing some soybean paste so he could have cabbage with sauce that evening.

Normally, when Luo Ru saw him, she would be all smiles, calling him “Second Brother” repeatedly. But today, for some reason, she looked like she had been crying. This girl had always been as bold and cheerful as a boy—she rarely cried.

“What’s wrong, Sanbao?” Luo Fei didn’t see anyone else at home, so he had no one else to ask. He could only ask her directly.

“Nothing.” Luo Ru kept her head down as she helped Luo Fei pack the sauce, saying no more.

“If it’s nothing, why are your eyes red? If something’s bothering you, tell your Second Brother. I’ll help you.”

“It’s really nothing.” Luo Ru quickly wiped her eyes before any tears could fall. “Second Brother, is this enough?”

“It’s enough.” Luo Fei took the small jar but hesitated, deciding to stay a little longer to keep her company.

“Second Brother, you should go back.” Luo Ru seemed unwilling to have anyone around. She pushed Luo Fei toward the door, saying, “I don’t want to see anyone right now. I’ll just go do some work.”

“Ah… Well, just don’t do anything foolish!”

“I’m not you! I wouldn’t do something stupid!” Luo Ru pushed Luo Fei out the door and shut it behind him.

Luo Fei returned home looking completely baffled. Even as he cooked, he was still distracted. What exactly was going on?!

When Xi Yanqing came back from the fields and finished washing up, the aroma of food filled the house. He took a deep breath, feeling like the exhaustion of the day had been washed away. But when he looked at Luo Fei, he found the boy lost in thought.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Sanbao was acting weird.” Luo Fei took out some steamed buns as he spoke. “I went home to get some soybean paste and found that she looked like she had been crying. But no matter how I asked, she wouldn’t say. When I tried to push for answers, she looked like she was about to cry again, so I didn’t dare ask further.”

“Oh, that. I know about it.” Xi Yanqing grabbed a big steamed bun. “Someone was proposing a marriage match for her—some farming family in the neighboring village, the Fang family. The Fang elders seemed to really like Sanbao and sent a matchmaker to the Luo family. But their son apparently didn’t like how strong Sanbao looked and kept opposing the match. Still, his parents were insistent, and he couldn’t fight them forever. This morning, he finally went to the Luo family himself and said something. Whatever he said, it must have been unpleasant, because the match was called off.”

“How do you know this?” Luo Fei looked at Xi Yanqing in surprise.

“I heard it from Big Brother when I was working in the fields.” The paddy fields Luo Fei brought as dowry were right next to the Luo family’s land. While working, Xi Yanqing had seen Luo Ji looking upset and asked about it. Since Luo Ji saw Xi Yanqing as family, he shared the news.

“Damn, who is this guy? He thinks Sanbao is too strong? Does he look like some kind of deity himself? If they didn’t want the match, why send a matchmaker in the first place? So annoying!” Luo Fei had grown close to the Luo family after living with them for a couple of months. Since they treated him like family, he couldn’t help but feel attached to them. Seeing Luo Ru suffer made him upset too.

“Fate is a funny thing. Maybe Sanbao will find someone even better in the future.” Xi Yanqing put some cabbage into Luo Fei’s bowl. “Don’t be angry. Eat.”

“Mm.” Luo Fei chewed on a steamed bun for a while before asking, “Qing-ge, if we hadn’t gotten married back then, would I have been gossiped about for a long time?”

“Of course. If it weren’t for that concern, I originally wanted to wait until you were completely willing before marrying you.” Xi Yanqing pinched Luo Fei’s ear. “You’re so slow.”

“You’re the slow one!” Luo Fei shoved a bun into Xi Yanqing’s mouth. “I’m not that hungry. You eat slowly. I have something I need you to do later.”

“What is it?”

Luo Fei went inside and brought out a curtain meant for the dish rack. “Help me hang this up.”

Xi Yanqing took one look and said, “No.”

Luo Fei was stunned. “Why not?”

Xi Yanqing pointed at the embroidered tiger on the fabric. “I don’t like it. If you cut it off, I’ll hang it up for you.”

Luo Fei: “…”

What’s wrong with you, Xi Yanqing?!

At first, Luo Fei thought Xi Yanqing was joking. But seeing his serious expression, he realized the man meant it.

“Are you saying I made you look ugly?” Luo Fei asked, puzzled. He had used yellow and green thread, but the embroidery was quite decent!

“Wait, you mean… this tiger is supposed to be me?!” Xi Yanqing was shocked. What part of him looked like a tiger?!

“Of course! You’re strong, look mighty, and swing that hammer around like it’s nothing. Who else could it be?”

“I thought it was Bo Yuan… You didn’t know he’s a Tiger in the zodiac?”

“I didn’t know that.” Luo Fei grinned. “But now I do! So he’s a Tiger, huh?”

“Even if you know, you’re not allowed to think about him. Only think about me from now on!” Xi Yanqing grabbed Luo Fei’s face and gave him a firm kiss on the forehead. “You should make our pillow longer. I want to share the same pillow with you from now on. And the same blanket.”

“I’m not sharing a blanket with you!” Luo Fei’s heart started pounding at the thought of bedtime. “Tonight, we sleep separately!”

“Oh…”

Luo Fei was cleaning up the dishes when Xi Yanqing secretly grabbed a bowl of water and went inside. Moments later…

“Oh no! Wife, I messed up!”

“What happened?”

“I was trying to help you make the bed, but I accidentally spilled water all over it! A huge patch!”

“Then just take it outside to dry. We still have the thick quilt. We’ll manage for one night.”

“The thick quilt?” Xi Yanqing glanced at the remaining half bowl of water. With a splash—“Oops! Now the thick quilt is wet too!”

“You—!” Luo Fei tiptoed over, only to find Xi Yanqing smirking with the empty bowl. Furious, he took off his shoe and aimed at Xi Yanqing. “Xi Yanqing! I’m going to beat you up!!!”

“Hey, don’t! The festival is coming up! You don’t want me to have bruises on my face, do you?”

“Festival?” Luo Fei put his shoe back on. “What festival?”

“The Dragon Boat Festival. Didn’t you realize it’s almost here?”

“Oh yeah! The Dragon Boat Festival!” Luo Fei was suddenly excited. He had been thinking about what to do, but now it was clear—he could make small rice dumplings and sachets to sell!

This was perfect timing!

Excitedly, he ran off to buy materials, with Xi Yanqing tagging along just in case. At the Han family’s house, Xi Yanqing went to ask Han Yang about buying a cow, while Luo Fei excitedly chattered with Han Xu.

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