BYBOTE Chapter 43: A Small Shop

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Luo Ru hadn't expected that on her way back from Mu Ling’s place, she would run into the man from the riverbank again. What baffled her even more was that this guy was walking with her Xi-ge! What was going on?!

Both of them instinctively slowed their pace, glancing at each other—Luo Ru at Xi Yanqing, and Luo Yong at Luo Ru. Luo Yong even shot a pleading look toward Xi Yanqing and Luo Fei.

By then, Luo Fei and Xi Yanqing had also noticed Luo Ru. The couple exchanged a glance, barely holding back their laughter.

"Sanbao, what are you doing over here?" Luo Fei spoke first. "Have you eaten? Er-ge made fish stew. If not, you can eat with us before heading home."

"No need, Er-ge, I already ate." Luo Ru's eyes were full of suspicion. "Er-ge, you and Xi-ge know this guy?" She tilted her chin toward Luo Yong.

"Of course. Didn't you hear Sibao say earlier? Xi-ge has a friend who moved to Huaping Village. His hometown was flooded, so he came here to settle down." Luo Fei pointed at Luo Yong. "That's him."

"I'm Luo Yong," Luo Yong said awkwardly. "Earlier at the riverbank, I didn’t realize you were Xi-ge and Qi-ge’s sister. If I was rude, please forgive me."

"Wh-what did you call me?!" Luo Ru clenched her basket tightly, her expression darkening. "Since you’re Xi-ge and Er-ge’s friend, I’ll let it go! And besides, you weren’t even rude to me, so it’s not my place to forgive you!" With that, she shot Luo Yong a glare and stormed off.

The main reason she was angry was that this guy had called her fierce at the river! So what if she was fierce?! He hadn’t even assessed the situation properly and had the nerve to ask if her parents had taught her kindness! What nonsense!

And then he even called her "female warrior"?!

If not for the fact that she didn’t want to bring up Er-ge’s past with Jiang Baining and make him upset, she would have chewed him out! This so-called "friend" of Er-ge and Xi-ge was really something!

Ugh!

What a pain!

When Luo Ru got home, she vented to Luo Yi. Luo Yi thought for a moment and said, "Sis, it’s probably just that Er-ge and Xi-ge never told Luo Yong about Jiang Baining. He didn’t know about the grudge between Jiang Baining and Er-ge, so it makes sense that he helped him, right?"

Luo Ru thought about it and admitted that made sense, but she was still mad. And Jiang Baining? Just thinking about him made her sick!

Meanwhile, Luo Yong chuckled awkwardly. "Looks like I pissed her off."

Xi Yanqing shook his head as if to say: You finally realized?

Luo Fei smiled. "It’s fine. My sister is straightforward—once she gets to know you, she won’t hold a grudge. Besides, this is my fault for not explaining things clearly. I have a bit of a history with Jiang Baining. It’s embarrassing, but if you have time, you can ask Xi-ge about it."

A big bowl of fish stew with vermicelli and vegetables was quickly finished by the three young men. Luo Fei was now cleaning up the kitchen.

Xi Yanqing, feeling full and wanting to do something, said, "Come on, Luo Yong, help me dig up the potatoes."

Without hesitation, Luo Yong followed him to the backyard.

The weather was cool. Xi Yanqing rolled up his sleeves and went barefoot into the potato field, carefully digging to avoid damaging them.

As he worked, he told Luo Yong about Luo Fei, Zhang Yangfan, and Jiang Baining. He figured it was better for Luo Yong to hear it directly from him rather than getting a distorted version from the village gossip. Truthfully, he should have mentioned it earlier, but he wanted Luo Yong to first get to know Luo Fei properly before hearing about his past. After all, in ancient times, Luo Fei’s past deeds would have been enough for many people to criticize him.

"Basically, Jiang Baining isn’t a good person. Don’t be fooled by his delicate appearance—he’s not some innocent victim." Xi Yanqing glanced toward the house, thinking about how Luo Fei was probably still tidying up inside. That thought warmed his heart. "Your Qi-ge may have a sharp tongue, but he has a kind heart. And so does his sister. She must have been really provoked by Jiang Baining to react that way."

"It was reckless of me," Luo Yong admitted. "But I really didn't expect San-guniang to be so… uh… strong. I thought—"

"You thought she'd be more delicate?"

"Yeah. But, actually, I don’t mind. A strong woman is great too!" Luo Yong hesitated, then lowered his voice, "Xi-ge, don’t laugh at me, but I’m actually a little scared of delicate girls…". "I was beaten up beaten up before by a servant of a young lady because i bumped into her".

“Huh? Really? You never mentioned it before.”

“What’s there to say about getting beaten up? Too embarrassing.” Luo Yong effortlessly dug into the soil with a shovel, carefully loosening the earth around the potatoes before pulling them out. “I used to think, when I find a wife, I better not pick someone too weak, or I might accidentally crush her at night.”

“Hahahahaha! You’re something else.” Xi Yanqing was thoroughly amused.

The two brothers finished digging up all the potatoes and set them aside. Luo Fei brought over a basket to collect them, and thanks to Xi Yanqing and Luo Yong’s efficiency, they managed to finish before nightfall.

That evening, Luo Yong stayed for dinner at Xi Yanqing’s place. Afterward, he told Luo Fei, “Qi-ge, I didn’t know before that Third Miss was your sister. Some of the things I said earlier weren’t too considerate. If you see her, could you help me explain? I really didn’t mean any harm.”

Luo Fei readily agreed. “Sure. But you don’t need to worry too much—Sanbao has a good temper. She’ll forget about it after a while.”

Luo Yong chuckled sheepishly. “That’s good. To be honest, Third Miss is really like a warrior. She’s fearless. Most people get nervous around me, but she didn’t even blink.”

Luo Fei gave him a look of exasperation. “Luo Yong, let me give you some advice as a brother. Next time you see my sister, don’t ever call her a ‘female warrior’ again, or I guarantee she’ll beat you until you’re picking your teeth up off the floor. You think she’s fierce now? You haven’t even seen her at her worst. Besides, my sister is strong, and that’s exactly why that man came making a scene earlier. It’s a sore spot for her—don’t bring it up again.”

Luo Ruo was indeed strong, but she also knew that this strength made it difficult for her to find a husband. No matter what, she was still a woman, and hearing comments like that would only make her feel worse.

Luo Yong realized his mistake.

Back in the army, there had been an older woman who was particularly strong—she could even take care of horses better than many of the soldiers. People called her “female warrior,” and she always laughed about it, so he never thought it was an offensive nickname. But thinking about it now, it might not have been so appropriate.

Still, what was the point of realizing this now? He had already said it.

Luo Yong figured he hadn’t even had the chance to apologize properly yet, and now he had probably made things worse. He needed to come up with a way to fix this, or else things would be awkward whenever they met in the future. After all, she was the sister of both Qi-ge and Xi-ge—he couldn’t afford to truly offend her.

With this in mind, he finally went to sleep.

The next morning, the weather was still clear. Luo Fei got up, cleared out the ash from the stove, and began sorting the potatoes. He picked out the smaller ones, washed them, and set them to cook, while the larger ones were saved for winter.

Their family had a deep underground storage pit, just like the other households in the village. Xi Yanqing made a few trips up and down, carrying the potatoes into storage. Afterward, he told Luo Fei, “Today, Luo Yong and I are going to catch fish. We should dry them before we start harvesting the rice so we’ll have some preserved for winter.”

Luo Fei thought it over and agreed. “Alright, just be careful.”

Xi Yanqing put on an old set of clothes and went to find Luo Yong at Doctor Liang’s house, as their fishing spot was closer to there.

Meanwhile, Luo Fei used the time while the potatoes were still warm to do some laundry. After washing the clothes, he peeled the potatoes, sliced them into thin pieces about three to four millimeters thick, and laid them out on drying racks to sun-dry.

Next door, Aunt Zhou was cutting radish strips, and the two of them chatted while they worked. The three little beans (pets) followed Luo Fei closely, as they had grown attached to him since he was the one who fed and played with them the most.

After finishing with the potatoes, Luo Fei wondered if he should take a trip to town.

The Mid-Autumn Festival was coming soon, and the clothes for Li Siyuan’s family were nearly finished. Their own family needed to buy some food for the festival as well—after all, this was their first Mid-Autumn Festival since moving here.

Plus, Xi Yanqing’s injuries had completely healed, so he could finally go visit Madam Ruyi and see if there were any embroidery designs to bring back. The upcoming days would be busy with drying vegetables, but after that, there would be time.

Luo Fei decided to discuss it with Xi Yanqing once he returned.

Xi Yanqing and Luo Yong’s fishing trip turned out to be quite a success—they caught over forty fish, weighing more than twenty jin in total. Luo Fei was shocked.

“Where did all these fish come from?! You didn’t even have a net!”

“The past few days had heavy rain, and the river’s water level rose. When it receded, a bunch of fish got trapped in the cracks between the stones near our field. I just reached in and grabbed them.” Xi Yanqing changed into dry clothes. “I’ll start cleaning them. You can pick some to send to Father, Mother, and the Han family.”

“What about Luo Yong?”

“He took three fish home and left the rest for us,” Xi Yanqing said with a smile. “We can always invite him over when we cook them.”

“Alright. You clean the fish, and I’ll help wash them when I get back.” Luo Fei grabbed some willow branches to string the fish together. After thinking for a moment, he picked out a couple of extra fish and grinned. “I’ll let Sanbao eat them first and tell her they’re from Luo Yong.”

“You little troublemaker.”

“You big troublemaking tiger!”

Luo Fei delivered the fish to his parents’ home and then to the Han family. He figured that once he left the fish there, someone would take them to Han Xu’s place as well.

On his way back, he noticed a faint fishy smell on his hands. Spotting some dried flower petals on the roadside, he plucked a handful and rubbed them between his hands to get rid of the odor.

Unexpectedly, someone nearby sneered, “Is that your flower? Just plucking it however you like?”

Luo Fei turned to see Qin Guizhi and Matchmaker Wang. He deliberately plucked a few more handfuls. “Yeah, I plucked them. Did the flowers have your name on them?”

It was just a wildflower—why was Qin Guizhi making a fuss?

Qin Guizhi resented Luo Fei, blaming him for the discord in her family. If it weren’t for that little vixen bewitching her son, her son wouldn’t have lost interest in Jiang Baining. And if Jiang Baining hadn’t tried to smear her son’s reputation, things wouldn’t have escalated. Now, her son had divorced Jiang Baining, but she still didn’t have a grandchild!

“Rub all you want! No matter how much you rub, you won’t change what you are!” Qin Guizhi snapped. “Married for so long and still haven’t popped out a single fart!”

“Yep, I can’t even pop out a fart.” Luo Fei laughed. “But your family can—everything they pop out is just a fart!”

“You—!” Qin Guizhi fumed. “Just you wait, Luo Erbao! When my son Zhang Yangfan passes his exams, you’ll be sorry!”

“Whether he passes or not, I’ll still look good. That has nothing to do with him.” Luo Fei smirked. “Crazy old lady.”

Qin Guizhi nearly choked on her rage.

"Little vixen!" Qin Guizhi was so angry she wanted to yank the flowers out of the ground, roots and all, and fling them at Luo Fei!

"Come on now, sister-in-law, calm down. Why stoop to his level?" Matchmaker Wang, who also disliked Luo Fei, chimed in, saying exactly what Qin Guizhi wanted to hear. "Your Zhang Xiucai will be an official in the future, after all. Unlike some people, who are just unwanted nobodies."

"Hahaha, unwanted nobodies?" Luo Fei clapped his hands. "Ain't that the truth? Already married, yet still wearing a green hat. 'Unwanted nobody' is the perfect term for someone like that."

"Luo Erbao! You—I'm going to tear your mouth apart!" Qin Guizhi shouted and lunged forward.

Luo Fei immediately took off running. He didn’t have to run far before Qin Guizhi fell behind. Then, he slowed to walk, deliberately swaying his hips and twisting his waist as he went. The sight nearly made Qin Guizhi cough up blood, while the onlookers at the banquet, including Xi Yanqing, couldn’t help but chuckle.

"What are you doing, wife? Walking the runway?" Xi Yanqing asked in a low voice.

"No, just playing." Luo Fei entered the house, closed the main door, glanced at the neighboring front yard to make sure no one was around, and quickly pecked Xi Yanqing on the face. "Are you done cleaning up?"

"Yeah, just finished. You got back just in time—help me water the fish while I rinse them thoroughly." Otherwise, he'd have to change the water multiple times to get the fish completely clean, which was too much trouble.

Luo Fei quickly scooped up some water and helped wash the fish. Then, together with Xi Yanqing, he strung them up to dry.

That night, after some intimacy on the kang bed, Luo Fei asked Xi Yanqing if he wanted to go to town. Xi Yanqing thought it over and agreed, "Sure, let's go early in the morning. Luo Yong mentioned he has something to do tomorrow as well."

Luo Yong hadn't told Xi Yanqing exactly what he needed to do; he had only said that he wouldn't be coming over the next day.

In fact, Luo Yong had considered gifting some fish to Luo Ru to apologize to her properly. However, since Xi Yanqing had also handled the fish, he was certain that they would already be sending some to the Luo family. Sending more would seem excessive, so he decided against it.

But if not fish, what should he give instead?

Luo Yong rummaged through his bag and found some hazelnuts. He had gathered them earlier with Xi Yanqing while they were up in the mountains. There weren’t many, as he had originally planned to save them up and sell them for some extra money. But now, he changed his mind—he figured he could give them to Luo Ru instead. However, he needed to gather more since he didn’t have enough.

So, the next morning, while Xi Yanqing and Luo Fei dressed in matching outfits and headed to the Shi residence, Luo Yong went into the mountains to gather more hazelnuts and walnuts. The mountains had plenty of walnuts as well.

Luo Fei and Xi Yanqing also brought some hazelnuts and walnuts, keeping half for themselves and taking the rest to the Shi residence. The Shi family had shown them great kindness, so Luo Fei never hesitated when it came to them.

Little Changle hadn't seen Luo Fei for many days but still remembered him and greeted him with a smile, "Uncle Luo!"

Luo Fei scooped up the little one in his arms. "Changle, you still remember Uncle? That makes me so happy!"

"This is too generous." Li Siyuan saw the clothes and genuinely liked them. However, the fabric was expensive, and the intricate craftsmanship surprised him.

"We had only mentioned making clothes for Change, but Luo Fei, you've really gone above and beyond," Shi Shi felt a little embarrassed. He had originally brought up the idea of making clothes, but he hadn’t expected Luo Fei to make outfits for the whole family. Even more impressively, without taking any measurements, they all fit perfectly.

"As long as you and Brother Shi don’t mind, I’m happy." Luo Fei smiled. "Changle, do you like it?"

"I love it!" Changle immediately put on the outfit. Luo Fei had asked them to try on the clothes in case any alterations were needed. However, they all fit surprisingly well—not too small, but not so big that they looked awkward.

Luo Fei had put a lot of effort into these clothes, choosing three different colors. Shi Shi’s outfit was dark blue with embroidered cloud patterns, making him look dignified and composed. Li Siyuan’s was moon-white, giving him a refined, otherworldly aura, also adorned with cloud patterns. As for little Changle, he got a soft yellow outfit with cloud embroidery as well.

A starry sea, a moon, and a little sun—each outfit had the same design but slight variations.

When Li Siyuan took off his clothes, he noticed a small embroidery inside—a stone?

"Luo Fei, is this a stone?" he asked.

"Heh, Brother Li, you noticed! Yes, that’s a stone." Luo Fei had intended for this detail to be a little secret for them to discover on their own, but Li Siyuan found it right away.

"Then mine… is this a plum?" Shi Shi noticed a small embroidered design inside his own clothes.

"Yes, Brother Shi, that’s a plum."

"Why did you give me a plum and him a stone?" Li Siyuan was puzzled. His surname was Li (which sounds like 'plum' in Chinese), and Shi Shi’s surname was Shi (which means 'stone').

"Brother Li, look at where I embroidered the patterns."

"The closest place to…" His heart? Li Siyuan suddenly understood. It symbolized that Shi Shi was in his heart, and he was in Shi Shi’s heart. Realizing this, he felt even more touched. "You’re really thoughtful." Li Siyuan smiled, a little bashfully.

"What about mine?" Changle tugged at his clothes, unable to find the embroidery. He grew anxious, almost to the point of tears. Luo Fei helped him find it, and only then did he settle down.

"Yours is a little sun. Uncle hopes you’ll be warm and bright like the sun. Okay?"

"Okay!"

After delivering the gifts, Luo Fei and Xi Yanqing were about to leave, but Shi Shi and Li Siyuan insisted they stay. Eventually, they relented and had lunch at the Shi residence.

Li Siyuan was a generous host. After lunch, he packed some Mid-Autumn Festival pastries for Luo Fei.

Luo Fei didn’t refuse—after all, courtesy goes both ways.

Carrying the pastries, Xi Yanqing and Luo Fei went shopping for festival food before stopping by Ruyi Embroidery Workshop. Luo Fei bought a lot of thread and spent a long time convincing Xi Yanqing to let him buy some embroidery materials.

When Luo Fei finally got his supplies and walked out of the shop, he saw Xi Yanqing staring at a storefront across the street.

"Qing-ge, what are you looking at?" he asked.

Xi Yanqing pointed across the street. "That shop is for sale—only 110 taels."

Luo Fei was surprised. "Are we buying it?"

Xi Yanqing looked at the bustling street. "Let’s go ask for more details first."

Unlike modern times, where new commercial buildings are constantly being developed, buying a shop or house here required luck.

The shop had a good location but was small, which explained the relatively low price of 110 taels.

Xi Yanqing was seriously considering it.

With all their savings combined, they had around 130 taels of silver. Buying the shop would leave them with some money, enough for daily expenses, but if they wanted to build a house next year, they’d have to find another way to earn more.

The shop could generate around six taels of rent annually. Given its location, unless some major disaster struck, the value was unlikely to drop. Six taels were enough to cover a family’s yearly expenses.

Luo Fei said, "Why don’t we just buy it? Worst case, we wait another year to build the house."

He figured he could just embroider more, and with Xi Yanqing’s hard work, they’d definitely have enough to build a house in a couple of years.

Xi Yanqing, however, wanted to build a new house sooner to raise their donkeys and other animals, so he hesitated. "Let’s go talk to Uncle Jing before deciding."

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