BYBOTE Chapter 48: Life Before Winter

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In an era where people couldn’t openly express their feelings, liking someone was no easy feat. Getting married was actually simpler—so long as both families agreed and the couple had no objections, it could happen. But if a man and a woman wanted to be just friends? That was as difficult as reaching the heavens. And if they dared to fall in love? Then suddenly, the whole country would act as moral enforcers, and one careless move could earn them the label of "improper."

Luo Yong was a kind-hearted person and naturally didn't want Luo Ru to be the subject of gossip. That matchmaker, Wang, had already caused enough trouble, making people talk about Luo Ru behind her back—saying she was strong, fierce, and had an overly high opinion of herself. Luo Yong certainly didn't want to add fuel to the fire.

He had always been careful to avoid meeting Luo Ru alone. However, the more he avoided it, the more he found himself wanting to see her. It was a strange psychological effect—the more he restrained himself, the stronger the desire became. That thought constantly circled in his mind.

Luo Yong found it odd. Initially, he had only wanted to maintain a good relationship with his brother and avoid conflict. But after unintentionally seeing Luo Ru a few times, he started finding her more and more pleasing to the eye. It even reached the point where, if he didn't see her at least once a day, he felt restless.

To be honest, Luo Ru wasn't particularly beautiful. Most men, upon seeing her for the first time, wouldn’t feel the urge to protect her. Instead, they might worry about being beaten by her.

However, Luo Ru had a kind heart. She was also incredibly capable and, most importantly, an excellent cook.

Who in this world wouldn’t want a wife with a good heart and exceptional cooking skills?

But what really made Luo Yong realize his feelings was that he couldn't stand hearing people gossip about Luo Ru. What kind of emotion was this?

Luo Fei told him, "That’s love. If you can’t stand seeing someone get bullied, and you absolutely won’t allow anyone to bully the person you like—then that’s love!"

Luo Yong thought Luo Fei made sense. In fact, he felt like Luo Fei was talking about him. But now the problem was that Luo Ru didn’t understand his feelings. He was utterly frustrated. Even fighting on the battlefield wasn’t this painful! But he was too embarrassed to tell Luo Ru directly.

Maybe he should find a matchmaker to propose marriage?

But what if Luo Ru didn’t want that and ended up liking him even less? She was already upset with him over the Jiang Baining incident, and recently, she seemed even more annoyed with him for some unknown reason. If he messed up again, he might as well give up all hope.

He needed to ask Xi Yanqing and Luo Fei for advice!

To Xi Yanqing, Luo Yong was a diligent and loyal man. But to Luo Yong, Xi Yanqing was both loyal and intelligent. As for Luo Fei, he was like a cunning little fox, always full of clever ideas.

Asking them would definitely be the right choice!

At that moment, Luo Fei was just about to start cooking lunch when Luo Yong arrived.

Luo Yong didn’t come empty-handed—he brought two blocks of tofu. Tofu wasn’t rare in the city, but in the countryside, it wasn’t something people ate every day. Luo Yong knew that both Xi Yanqing and Luo Fei liked fried tofu, so he figured this would be a safe choice. Fried tofu was a favorite at the Xi household. Apparently, Luo Ru had taught Luo Fei how to make it, and Luo Ru’s version was even better—but Luo Yong had never had the chance to taste it himself.

"You could’ve just come over, why bring anything? You think I wouldn’t let you eat if you came empty-handed?" Luo Fei joked, laughing. "Luo Yong, you’re hilarious."

"Qi-ge, stop teasing me." Luo Yong rubbed the back of his neck. "I actually came to ask you and Xi-ge for advice."

As he spoke, his ears turned red.

"What’s up?" Xi Yanqing put down his brush and looked at the rare sight of Luo Yong getting flustered.

"It’s… it’s just…" Luo Yong stumbled over his words. In battle, he could take down an enemy with one punch, but speaking about this matter? That was a different story. "It’s…"

"It’s what?" Luo Fei teased. "If you don’t say it now, I won’t tell you the answer later!"

"Fine! I just want to know—if I find a matchmaker to propose to Luo Ru, will she be mad at me?" Luo Yong finally blurted it out in one breath. "Xi-ge, Qi-ge, I won’t hide it anymore—I like Luo Ru!"

Xi Yanqing smiled. "The way you said that—have you ever actually hidden it from us?"

Luo Fei added, "She might get mad, but if you're sincere, she probably won’t stay mad for long."

"What does that mean?" Luo Yong frowned. What did 'she might get mad, but not for long' mean?

"It means she might seem upset at first, but she won’t stay upset for too long," Luo Fei explained. "Right, Xi-ge?"

"Yeah. It depends on how you act," Xi Yanqing said. "I suggest you stop doing things like carrying ten buckets of water just to fill one vat. If you keep doing that, Luo Ru will notice, and she might just take over the work herself."

"If she takes over, that means she thinks you’re too weak," Luo Fei added. "Luo Ru is strong because no one has ever been strong enough to protect her. If you like her, you have to be stronger than her. Women actually want to be protected."

"So, what should I do?" Luo Yong was distressed. Just getting a chance to see Luo Ru was hard enough—now he had to find opportunities to prove himself stronger? This was too difficult!

"I’ll give you an example," Luo Fei said. "Whatever Luo Ru does, you need to do it better and faster. If she faces a problem, you have to step up and handle it more bravely than she does. But don’t overdo it—if it looks too intentional, it’ll seem fake."

"People can sense sincerity," Luo Fei continued. "If someone truly cares for you, you can feel it. But if you try too hard, it won’t seem genuine anymore."

"Just follow Qi-ge’s advice," Xi Yanqing added. "Look at me—Qi-ge used to want to kill me, but now? He treats me so well."

Xi Yanqing held up a drawing and asked, "Wife, what do you think of my design?"

"What’s this?" Luo Yong looked at the drawing. It looked like some kind of mechanical contraption.

"It’s a toy for kids," Xi Yanqing explained. "Winter is coming, and there won’t be much farm work. I thought of making wooden toys—building blocks, geometric puzzles, that sort of thing. There’s always extra scrap wood at Chen Huazhang’s workshop, and instead of wasting it, I figured we could make toys. Our kids can play with them first, and if they’re popular, we can sell them too."

"Xi-ge, what kind of brain do you have? You think of everything!" Luo Yong was impressed. The drawings weren’t overly detailed, but he could clearly see the shapes of the toys. Some were easy to figure out, while others required more thought to play with.

"After lunch, I’ll make a more detailed version," Luo Fei said. "But first, I’m cooking!"

Luo Fei had promised to make Guo Bao Rou (sweet and sour pork). Last time, he couldn’t make it because the meat wasn’t suitable. But yesterday, Xi Yanqing had personally bought pork tenderloin from town—perfect for Guo Bao Rou.

A rich, sweet aroma filled the air.

Xi Yanqing had always loved Guo Bao Rou. The moment he smelled it, he felt nostalgic. But instead of eating first, he picked up a piece with his chopsticks, blew on it, and offered it to Luo Fei.

Luo Fei took a bite. The sauce was the perfect balance of sweet and sour, the crispy coating gave way to tender meat inside.

"Mmm! This is so good!"

It was delicious to the point of tears!

Although it couldn't compare to what his grandmother made, for a first attempt, this was definitely impressive!

Luo Yong had long grown accustomed to these two showing affection in front of him, but every time he witnessed it, he still found it unbearably cheesy. Especially lately, he had developed a new feeling—different from before—he was a little envious! No, very envious!

Affectionate atmospheres are contagious, which is why people say that when your friends have harmonious marriages, you are influenced to strive for the same. Humans are creatures that learn; they subconsciously absorb things that benefit them.

"Brother Qi, did Third Miss teach you this?" If so, that would be incredible! It was delicious!

"No, I figured it out myself." Luo Fei wasn't being thick-skinned—he genuinely didn't know who originally invented guobaorou (sweet and sour pork).

"Has Third Miss tried it?" It would be a pity if she hadn't tasted something so delicious.

"She hasn’t. Why don’t you bring her some?" Luo Fei said. "My family should all be home right now. If they eat something you brought, they'll naturally say good things about you."

"But this is something you made, Brother Qi. Wouldn't it be a bit shameless of me to take credit for your cooking?" Luo Yong felt like he would be benefiting from someone else's hard work, which seemed a bit dishonorable.

"Tsk, if you don’t say anything, I don’t say anything, and Brother Xi doesn’t say anything, who would know? Besides, the vegetable oil used was yours, right? Just take it!" Luo Fei packed a portion—enough for everyone to have two or three pieces.

"Wait." Xi Yanqing put down the paper he was holding and came over. "Use a different container. If you use this plate, they’ll immediately know it came from here."

"Right! Brother Qing, you really think of everything!" Luo Fei suddenly remembered that they had paper bags from when they bought pastries. The oil from the pastries had already soaked into the bag, so the meat shouldn’t stick too much. Plus, the bag had no labels or markings—perfect!

"When you deliver it, don’t say too much. Just say it's for Sanbao and the others to have a taste. Make sure to mention Sanbao first." Xi Yanqing instructed, "If anyone asks, just say it was a gift from a friend from far away."

Luo Yong felt like this couple was too scheming, but since they were helping him, he decided to go along with it.

He wasn’t afraid to fight on the battlefield—why should he be afraid of delivering food?

So what if Luo Tian was at home? What could he do? Turn into his father-in-law?

Encouraging himself, Luo Yong carried the bag of guobaorou and headed for the Luo household.

At that time, the Luo family was just about to eat when they heard Luo Yong calling from outside. Luo Ji said, "I’ll go check it out."

Luo Yi, who had the day off, chuckled and said, "Bet you anything, he's here to bring my sister food again."

Every time Luo Yong visited, he always brought food for his sister. At first, it was hazelnuts, walnuts, and pine nuts. Later, he even brought candy, pastries, and fish!

Luo Ru, munching on a steamed bun, shot Luo Yi a glare. "Can’t your mouth be shut even when you’re eating?"

Luo Yi grinned. "But it's true."

When Luo Ji returned, he was carrying food—a dish with a tangy, sweet aroma that filled the room.

Even Luo Ru couldn't help but take a second look. "What is that? I’ve never seen it before."

"Luo Yong said it’s called guobaorou. He brought it for Sanbao and us to try. We’re lucky to have Sanbao to thank again," Luo Ji said. He often worked with Xi Yanqing and had grown close to Luo Yong, forming good relationships with him, Han Yang, and Chen Huazhang.

"I have to admit, it's really good," Luo Tian praised after taking a bite. He usually didn’t say things like that.

"Back when Second Brother hadn’t married yet, we often benefited from him—eating fish and wild fruits from the mountains. Now that Second Brother is married, we’re benefiting from my sister. Our family is truly blessed." Luo Yi placed a piece in his mother’s bowl, then another in Luo Ru’s. "Sister, you should try it too."

"Mother, should we send something back in return?" Luo Ji felt it wasn’t right to keep accepting gifts without reciprocating. "Courtesy goes both ways. This is Luo Yong’s goodwill—he probably didn't expect anything in return, but we shouldn’t take it for granted."

"Let’s give him some of Sanbao’s sticky rice cakes," Luo Tian suggested.

Sticky rice was rare at this time. Most people grew regular rice, wheat, or soybeans, depending on rainfall. The Luo family specifically planted sticky rice because the children liked it. It was available for purchase if one had money, but it was more about the sentiment.

Luo Ru silently finished her portion of guobaorou, took the empty bag from Luo Ji, and went to pack some sticky rice cakes. Once she was done, she handed the bag to Luo Yi.

Luo Yi understood his sister’s intent and went outside with the bag. "Brother Luo, this is my sister’s sticky rice cake. There’s not much, just a little for you to taste."

Luo Yong was waiting at the door because Luo Ji had told him to wait a moment. He hadn’t expected a bag of sticky rice cakes—and that Luo Yi would specifically mention they were made by Luo Ru.

If Luo Ru made it, then it was precious! Just like how, in the eyes of a lover, everything their beloved does is golden.

Luo Yong clutched the cakes. "Did your brother have something to tell me? Should I wait a bit longer?"

Luo Yi chuckled. "My brother just wanted to give you some food. There’s probably nothing important. Do you want to come inside and sit for a while?"

Luo Yong thought, "Your family still has an unmarried daughter. How could I just waltz in?" He shook his head. "Then, Fourth Brother, help me thank Third Miss. I'll head back now."

"Take care, Brother Luo!" Luo Yi called after him.

Luo Yong took the cakes back to Xi Yanqing’s house and shared them with Xi Yanqing and Luo Fei. But he made it clear—they could only have one each. No more!

As Luo Fei chewed on a sticky rice cake, he suddenly asked, "Oh, by the way, Luo Yong, did anyone see you when you were delivering the food? Did anyone in my family see you?"

Luo Yong thought about it. "I don’t think so. I didn’t really look back much after leaving."

Xi Yanqing, however, remained unbothered. "Even if they did, it doesn’t matter. Luo Yong was bringing food, so even if they saw him, they’d just think he was being generous and sharing with us. They’d only see him as kindhearted."

"Kindhearted, my foot!"

Luo Yong felt anything but kindhearted.

Meanwhile, at the Luo household, when Luo Yi recounted what had happened, Luo Tian commented, "That boy Luo Yong has a good heart. Whenever he gets something, he doesn’t eat it himself first—he takes it to Yanqing and Second Treasure. He must really want to share it with them."

Luo Yi nodded. "Father has a point."

Luo Ru: "…Is that so?"

Why did she feel like he was just looking for an excuse to freeload at her second brother’s house?

Later, Luo Yong actually regretted his past actions. Thinking back, he realized he had been foolish—carrying water so many times like that. Wasn’t he just proving Xi Yanqing and Luo Fei right? That he was unreliable? Who would trust a man who couldn't even carry water properly? Of course, no one would.

But it was too late to change things now. The fieldwork was done—the rice and soybeans were harvested, the grains were threshed. If he wanted to prove himself now, there was only one job left: collecting manure.

Farmers used manure mixed with ashes to ferment into fertilizer for the next year. But could he really go pick up manure and give it to the Luo family? That would definitely get him beaten up.

Seeing Luo Yong looking troubled, Xi Yanqing laughed. "Forget it. Stop thinking about it. Once the weather clears up in a few days, let’s go to the mountains and cut some trees. Aren’t you planning to build a house next year?"

Next year, his family’s situation is uncertain, but Luo Yong will most likely be building a house since he can’t keep staying at Doctor Liang’s place. So cutting down trees is inevitable.

Generally speaking, when farmers build houses, they mostly cut the wood themselves. However, freshly cut wood cannot be immediately used for construction or making furniture. So, they either leave it to air-dry or soak it in water to break down the resin and glue. Some who are in a hurry will exchange new wood for old wood. Of course, this is not a free exchange—some extra money is given to the other party, as managing the wood also takes effort and time.

Xi Yanqing planned to cut the wood first and then exchange it later.

Cutting and exchanging their own wood was still better than buying everything ready-made. Right now, they were saving as much money as possible, so Luo Yong naturally had no objections.

Three days later, the weather was calm, with warm sunshine, and a group of young men headed into the mountains.

Luo Fei also wanted to go and take a look. However, in his current condition, he was in no shape to climb mountains, so he stayed home and focused on food instead.

Han Xu was also there. Before Chen Huazhang went into the mountains, he brought Han Xu to Luo Fei’s house, thinking the two could keep each other company. After all, leaving Han Xu alone at home during the day made Chen Huazhang uneasy, and Xi Yanqing felt the same way about Luo Fei.

So now, the two of them were sitting together, drawing on paper.

Luo Fei was sketching a baby carrier—the modern kind that could be worn on both the front and back. He also wanted to embroider some designs on it. It was a bit early to be making one, but it would take time to finish. Besides, as Han Xu had pointed out, the further along he got, the heavier and clumsier he would feel, making things even more inconvenient. So, it was better to prepare early.

Luo Fei agreed with this idea, so he planned to finish making the baby’s clothes and carrier in advance. He also needed to prepare diapers and other essentials.

"You’re going to embroider a little dog on the carrier?" Han Xu asked when he saw Luo Fei sketching a puppy on the largest part of the fabric.

"Next year is the Year of the Dog, so I’m drawing a dog," Luo Fei replied. At first, he thought about drawing a little tiger, but then he considered, What if the baby turns out to be a little donkey instead? A dog was a safer bet—no matter what, it wouldn’t go wrong.

"Then I’ll draw a dog on mine too," Han Xu said as he measured and planned his design. "Hey, have you heard? Zhang Yangfan came back the other night."

"I hadn’t heard, but now that you mention it, I already know—he must have failed the exam," Luo Fei said, carefully outlining his drawing.

"How did you guess that?"

"Isn’t it obvious? With his personality, if he had passed, he would have come back in broad daylight when there were the most people around—he’d want the whole village to know. And if he really had passed, wouldn’t Qin Guizhi be bragging about it all over town? How could there be no news at all?"

"You really got it right. Zhang Yangfan failed, so he sneaked back at night. If my mom hadn’t gone out to gather firewood this morning and overheard people talking, even she wouldn’t have known," Han Xu chuckled. "Let’s see how Qin Guizhi keeps acting all high and mighty now."

"Still, he’s better off than us—at least he doesn’t have to pay land taxes," Luo Fei said. "My family has to pay eight dou of rice and one dou of soybeans. Just thinking about it hurts."

"Yeah, they’re coming to collect it tomorrow," Han Xu sighed. "My family is doing okay. Since my carpenter brother-in-law doesn’t rely on farming, we don’t have too much land. But my mother’s family has to pay a lot. Every year at this time, they just wish the tax collectors would forget about our village. My sister-in-law is even funnier—she says it’d be best if the tax collectors got lost on their way here."

"Hahaha, like that would ever happen!" Luo Fei laughed, finding Han Xu’s words amusing. But he also understood why people felt that way. After working so hard all year, the money earned from selling grain wasn’t much. Take his family, for example—they had four mu of paddy fields and two mu of dry farmland. After setting aside enough grain for two people’s food, the rest was sold for barely one liang of silver—actually a little less. Granted, he liked eating rice, so Xi Yanqing had kept more for them, but the fact remained: the money was too little. If it were a couple who carefully managed expenses, they might make it work, but in his household? Ha, that money wouldn’t even last half a year. And now, with Xi Yanqing spoiling him—wanting him to eat rice and meat every meal—it was even harder to save. Plus, they had a baby on the way. Clearly, they needed to find another way to make money.

"By the way, Erbao, is Luo Yong interested in Sanbao?" Han Xu suddenly asked.

"Pretty much. Why?" Luo Fei replied.

"My carpenter brother-in-law told me he has an apprentice who’s a good guy and asked if I wanted to introduce him to Sanbao. I told him I had to check with you first. Also, my mom said she saw Luo Yong bringing fish and wild goods to your mother’s house twice. You got married, and your mother only has Sanbao left—so obviously, Luo Yong is bringing them for her."

"Luo Yong does like her, but there’s a bit of a misunderstanding between them. It might take some time," Luo Fei said, putting down his pen. "Ugh, I’m done drawing. My back is sore, and my neck hurts. Let’s make something to eat."

"I’m not eating meat," Han Xu declared, quickly distancing himself when he saw Luo Fei had meat in his bowl. So, the two friends ended up eating lunch several meters apart.

When Xi Yanqing and Chen Huazhang returned, Luo Fei and Han Xu were still sitting in separate rooms—one in the main hall and the other in a smaller room. Luo Fei, feeling hot, stayed in the smaller room, while Han Xu, who felt cold, stayed in the warmer main hall. They had to shout across the house just to talk, which made Xi Yanqing laugh.

"Are you two practicing long-distance communication?" Xi Yanqing wiped his face. "Why aren’t you in the main hall?" he asked Luo Fei.

"He says I smell like meat," Luo Fei pointed at Han Xu and sniffed his sleeve. "Smells great to me."

"You think it smells great, but to me, it’s sickeningly greasy," Han Xu said before turning to Chen Huazhang. "How did it go today?"

"Pretty smoothly."

"Then why are you back so early?" Han Xu asked, puzzled. Normally, they would return at dusk, but it wasn’t even an hour past noon yet.

"We caught a wild boar," Chen Huazhang said. "We were worried the blood would attract bears, so we came back early."

"A wild boar?!" Luo Fei’s ears perked up instantly. "Is it edible?"

"Darling, have some restraint," Xi Yanqing chuckled. "If it weren’t edible, would we have brought it back?"

"It’s huge. We were startled when we saw it. Luckily, Xi Yanqing reacted quickly—one axe strike, and the boar was down," Han Yang marveled.

"I’ll boil water and start processing it while there’s still daylight. Then we can divide it up," Xi Yanqing said. "Luo Yong, help me bring in some firewood. I’ll sharpen the knives."

Han Xu took one look at the boar, saw its dark body and the blood still seeping from its neck, and immediately ran off to throw up.

"My family won’t take a share," Chen Huazhang laughed. "If I bring back pork, Han Xu might kick me out."

While Han Xu suffered, Luo Fei was circling the boar excitedly. "I’m making cured meat!"

Xi Yanqing gently patted Luo Fei’s stomach. "Alright. We’ll get Auntie and the others to help. Once we’ve sorted the meat, you can pick which parts to cure."

The days were getting colder—making some cured meat to store away seemed like a great idea.

Luo Fei responded with a simple “Mm,” pulled over a chair, and sat down beside the wild boar, his eyes glowing as he stared at the pork ribs without even glancing at Xi Yanqing.

Xi Yanqing: “…”

What the hell? Right now, he wasn’t even as attractive to Luo Fei as a wild boar?!

T/N: Please give support on my ko-fi page, it's a big help, thank you🌰🌰🌰