BYBOTE Chapter 51: Roll Up Your Sleeves and Work Hard

| Previous | Table of Contents | Next |

Luo Fei had no idea that Xi Yanqing deliberately gave him such a troublesome task, hoping he wouldn't be able to embroider much or even start at all. Otherwise, he would have had many other options. However, Xi Yanqing wasn’t lying when he said that this embroidery was highly profitable. Although it wasn’t in high demand in their town, it was incredibly sought-after in nearby counties and states. Many people secretly wanted this item, yet very few were willing to embroider it.

It was common knowledge that embroidery was typically done by women, though some men did it as well. However, it was still predominantly a female craft. Asking a woman to embroider something like this—well, most of them probably wouldn’t have the mental resilience for it. Imagine having to stitch a vividly realistic male reproductive organ… Damn! What a trap!

If no one found out, that would be fine. But if word got out, even without thinking too hard, one could guess what kind of reactions it would provoke.

But… Xi Yanqing said the money was good!

Luo Fei was torn. He wasn’t exactly obsessed with money, but who in this world would complain about having too much of it? Still, embroidering that kind of thing was just too embarrassing!

That bastard Xi Yanqing! He was clearly making things difficult on purpose!

Luo Fei shot Xi Yanqing a glare, hesitated for a moment, then suddenly smirked mischievously. Fine! Xi Yanqing wanted to see him embarrassed? Let’s see who gives in first!

"You’re really going to embroider it?" Xi Yanqing walked in after finishing some work outside and saw Luo Fei seriously matching threads, completely focused.

"Of course! You made a special trip to bring this to me, after all. Besides, like I said, I have nothing better to do, so why not? And there’s money to be made." Luo Fei held up one of the designs for Xi Yanqing to see. There were four pictures in total, forming a series depicting the same two people in various positions. The one he held up featured the two of them in a bathtub, engaging in… certain activities.

"Hey, Qing-ge, take a look at this guy here…" Luo Fei pointed at the dominant figure in the image. "His physique is a lot like yours—broad back, strong build. Just looking at him, you can tell he’s reliable. And it’s obvious he’s, well, well-endowed and skilled in bed."

"Hmm…" Xi Yanqing subtly shifted his posture, his mind replaying Luo Fei’s words: ‘Broad back, strong build! Well-endowed and skilled in bed!’

"Come to think of it, we haven’t tried doing it in a bathtub yet…" Luo Fei teased, lightly hooking his toe against Xi Yanqing’s leg. "What do you think? Should we try it sometime? I could lean forward against the tub like this…" As if possessed by a mischievous fox spirit, Luo Fei bit his finger lightly and flashed a seductive smile at Xi Yanqing.

"Stop right there!" Xi Yanqing had barely stepped inside when he suddenly felt like he was burning up. He finally realized—this little rascal was doing it on purpose! Luo Fei was spouting all these suggestive things in that soft, alluring voice that melted right into his bones. Damn it!

"Qing-ge, I kind of miss the time before we had kids…" Luo Fei wasn’t done yet. He put down his embroidery, straddled Xi Yanqing’s lap, and gently ran his fingers over the stubble on Xi Yanqing’s chin before licking his lips. "Nights were so much more satisfying back then."

Xi Yanqing’s breath instantly grew heavier. His hands hovered around Luo Fei’s waist, torn between pulling him closer and letting go. Half of him wanted to restrain himself, but the other half was screaming that this wasn’t nearly enough!

Even with his eyes closed, Luo Fei could feel the heat radiating from Xi Yanqing’s body. He chuckled inwardly—serves you right for bringing me those erotic embroidery patterns! Let’s see who suffers more!

Well, truth be told, he wasn’t faring much better himself. After staring at those images, he was already visually stimulated. Now, hearing Xi Yanqing’s deep, ragged breaths only heightened the effect. And those strong, calloused hands kneading his waist—neither too soft nor too firm—were really making things worse…

Xi Yanqing slowly lowered his head and bit Luo Fei’s neck. He was like a vampire, his movements deliberate yet impossible to ignore. His teeth gently grazed Luo Fei’s fair skin as he murmured, "Do you really think I can’t handle you?"

Luo Fei let out a soft whimper. "No… You—you’re so powerful…"

That did it. Xi Yanqing nearly lost it right then and there. A fierce urge surged through him—a deep, overwhelming desire to hold Luo Fei close and never let go.

Of course, he couldn’t actually take Luo Fei right here and now, considering the little one was around. But he had to teach this naughty brat a lesson—who did Luo Fei think he was, teasing him like this?

Xi Yanqing narrowed his eyes, his lips curling into a wicked smile as he reached for Luo Fei’s waistband.

"Hey, hey, hey?!" Luo Fei had only meant to tease him, fully convinced that Xi Yanqing would hold back. But now—wait! Xi Yanqing was actually trying to take off his pants?!

"W-wait, Qing-ge! Hold on a second!" Luo Fei had set the bait and reeled in a big fish, but now he was the one panicking. "I—I was just joking! What’s with that look in your eyes?!" Was he really about to get pinned down and ravished?!

"What do you think?" Xi Yanqing smacked Luo Fei’s rear lightly. "Dare to tease me?"

"You brought me those ridiculous embroidery designs first!" Luo Fei poked at the pictures. "Tell me, how am I supposed to embroider these?!"

"Why not?" Xi Yanqing pulled Luo Fei into his arms, nibbling on his ear from behind. "Let’s start with this one…" He picked up a particular image—one that almost perfectly matched their current position. "Let’s see if it feels especially… immersive."

"Damn it!"

Luo Fei really wanted to say this out loud with confidence, but, but—those hands skillfully reached for his little donkey...

Damn! It’s over, it’s over! I have no self-control!

That night, Luo Fei had an unprecedented experience. Although Xi Yanqing held back for the sake of the children and didn't go all the way, Luo Fei still felt more embarrassed than ever!

Doing embroidery while being caressed and fondled—ahhh! That’s just too much bullying! If it weren’t for the fact that they were the only ones home (Jing Rong had gone out to check the fields and hadn’t returned), Luo Fei would have beaten Xi Yanqing up.

After having his fun, Xi Yanqing quietly went outside to cool off in the night air…

Calm down. Calm. Down!

Who the hell came up with that phrase, anyway? Xi Yanqing suspected that whoever it was must have been in a similar situation—so cold that their heart just… settled down. Damn it.

That night, for the first time since they started sharing a bed, Xi Yanqing didn't dare to hold Luo Fei while sleeping.

The main reason? His body was burning with too much desire.

He spent the whole night having those kinds of dreams—dreams of him and Luo Fei. Luo Fei kept seducing him in every way possible, and he responded by pressing Luo Fei down and trying out all four positions from the diagrams he had seen. Amazing.

The dream was great, but waking up left him feeling empty—almost crazy. The only way to deal with it was to find something else to distract himself.

_

Earlier, Luo Fei had experimented with making three different kinds of ice cream, and in terms of taste, the pure egg yolk version turned out best. It also looked the nicest—because egg yolk was naturally golden, and when mixed with milk, it turned into a soft, creamy yellow, which made it look especially appetizing. Compared to the others, this ice cream was also smoother, though still far from the creamy texture of modern ice cream.

Xi Yanqing wondered if he should try thickening the milk before adding the egg yolk. Would that make a difference? He decided to test it out. After breakfast, he got to work again, frequently discussing his ideas with Luo Fei.

"I remember a lot of ice creams contain condensed milk, but I don’t know how it’s made. Maybe it’s like you said—just simmer the milk until it thickens?" Luo Fei didn’t know how to make condensed milk, but he had bought it before. It was delicious when used as a dip—he had tried it with bread and steamed buns, and it had a rich, sweet, milky flavor.

"And what about the egg yolks? Should we just beat them and mix them into the milk directly?" Xi Yanqing wasn’t convinced that was the best method. He vaguely recalled that some ice creams had tiny air bubbles in them when first unwrapped, which meant there was some kind of aeration involved. But how did eggs produce bubbles? There was only one possibility: whipping. He had seen Luo Fei make sponge cake before, and when he whisked the eggs, they got foamy.

"Let’s try whipping the egg yolks more and see what happens," Luo Fei suggested. "And let’s also cook one separately and mix it into the milk to see how it tastes. The more experiments, the better." Even if the results weren’t perfect, everything would still be edible, so they wouldn't be wasting ingredients.

The two of them spent the entire morning in the kitchen working on this. After lunch, they went to visit Chen Huazhang.

Originally, Xi Yanqing had wanted to help make some ice cream sticks, since he wasn’t skilled in mold-making but could at least handle simple wooden sticks. However, he was surprised at how quickly Chen Huazhang had finished making the ice cream molds. Because they were shaped like hearts, paw prints, and flowers, it was child's play for someone like Chen Huazhang, who had years of experience in carving and furniture-making. By the time Xi Yanqing arrived, he had already completed a good number of them.

"Yanqing, let me know if these are enough. If not, I’ll make more," Chen Huazhang said, pointing to two separate piles of molds. One pile was plain and round—the simplest design—but these had an extra little wooden tab attached to them. "I also added these wooden tabs as markers. Since you and Luo Fei said you wanted to experiment with different flavors, I thought this would make it easier to keep track."

"I was just about to suggest this, but you beat me to it! This will definitely make things more convenient. Thanks, brother!" Xiyanqing patted Chen Huazhang’s shoulder and picked up a few of the molds with numbers carved on them.

"Erbao, you know what? This stuff is actually really good," Han Xu chimed in.

At first, Han Xu had thought it was too cold for ice cream, so he refused when Luo Fei offered him one. But after seeing it a few times, he got curious and took a bite—and then he couldn’t stop! Sure, the weather was cold, but the house was warm thanks to the heated floor, and eating a small ice cream felt incredibly refreshing.

"There’ll be even better ones in the future. This is just the simplest version," Luo Fei said. It was just milk, eggs, and sugar—he hadn’t even added dried fruit yet. He was really excited to see how the ice creams they made that morning would turn out.

"Erbao, are you sure you want to sell these?" Han Xu was a little skeptical. The ice cream was good, sure, but who would buy it in the middle of winter? Plus, it was highly seasonal—winter was fine since it could freeze outside, but what about summer? Would they just stop selling it? And milk wasn’t cheap either.

"How much are you even planning to charge for these? Milk and eggs cost a lot, and in winter, eggs are even pricier," Han Xu pointed out. Hens laid fewer eggs in cold weather, so winter eggs could cost almost twice as much as summer eggs.

"We’ll just test the waters first," Luo Fei replied. "We’re not expecting to sell a huge amount right away."

He and Xiyanqing had already done some calculations:

Eggs in winter: about 1 wen per egg

Milk: sold in bottles (500 ml per bottle = 6 wen)

Sugar: varied in quality; they used a mid-range option at 26 wen per jin (about 500g)

Fuel and water: negligible costs

Right now, their ice cream cost about 2-3 wen each to make. If they added dried fruit, it would be closer to 3 wen. Selling them for 4-6 wen each would be profitable. Selling just 10 a day could earn them 20 wen, meaning 600 wen per month—definitely a decent income.

"At least it’s better than when I was selling embroidered pouches!" Luo Fei sighed. Back then, he had worked himself to the bone just to make a tiny profit, mostly because his old employer was stingy. Selling food was way better—people always needed to eat. And wealthy families? They loved new and trendy treats.

"Bring me two more next time," Han Xu said, licking his ice cream stick. "I feel like I haven’t had enough."

"Sure, I’ll bring you more. But don’t eat too many at once—it’s cold, and my big tiger only lets me have one every three days," Luo Fei grumbled before heading out. "Damn, why is your house so hot?"

"I don’t like the cold, so I burn extra fuel," Han Xu replied.

At that moment, Xiyanqing walked in. "You ready to head back?"

"Yeah, let’s go."

By the time they got home, Jing Rong was already waiting for them at the door. He had just returned from the neighboring village, rubbing his hands for warmth.

"Xiyanqing, Qi-ge, you’re finally back," he said.

"Cold?" Xiyanqing chuckled. "Did you find a better location while you were out?"

Jingrong shook his head. "Not really. I ended up going too far and couldn’t make it back in time yesterday. But after checking out the surrounding villages, I realized that Huaping Village is still the best spot. Liuya Village was decent, but there aren’t as many people there."

He hesitated before adding, "I do have a small problem though. Xiyanqing, I need your help."

"What trouble?"

"My sheep need a place to settle if I want to bring them here. Even though my sheep are a hardy breed that can withstand the cold, they can't get through the winter without a proper shelter. So, I'm thinking about buying a house here first. But since I'm unfamiliar with this place, I'll have to rely on you to help me check it out."

Jing Rong was now truly alone. He had already decided to settle in Huaping Village, so he saw no reason to hesitate any longer. The house and land he owned in Huangtan Town wouldn’t be easy to sell immediately, but there were already people interested in buying his land to build an estate. As long as they negotiated, it shouldn’t be a problem. He was now thinking that it would be best to move both his people and sheep over before spring next year. If he could manage it before the New Year, that would be even better.

"No problem, I’ll ask around for you. If it comes to it, you can temporarily use my yard," Xi Yanqing offered.

"I’ll have to trouble you and Brother Qi to help me with this, then. I plan to stay here until the day after tomorrow. Otherwise, Luo Yong might not be able to hold on much longer."

"Then let’s go ask around," Luo Fei said. "There are still some vacant houses in our village."

For example, the house they were staying in now had no permanent residents. The elderly had passed away, and the younger generation had moved away and never returned. Some homes were left under the care of relatives, but if buying wasn’t an option, renting one temporarily would also work.

After discussing it, they didn’t waste any time. That same night, Xi Yanqing took Jing Rong to find the village elder, while Luo Fei stayed home to taste and record the texture of various ice creams.

Before leaving, Xi Yanqing warned, "You can take notes, but only take one small bite of each. If you eat too much, I’ll have to eat you when I get back."

As it happened, there was indeed a house for sale in the village. Surprisingly, it was being sold by none other than Zhang Yangfan’s family.

It was a classic case of "thirty years the river flows east, thirty years the river flows west." Zhang Yangfan’s family had once been the wealthiest in Huaping Village. But when Zhang Yangfan left for the imperial exams, he took a large sum of money with him. His marriage had also cost a fortune. They had planned to use their grain stock as financial support, but Zhang Yangfan got caught cheating on the exam and had to pay a fine. Even their grain money wasn’t enough to cover the tax, and Qin Guizhi still had to pay wages to the hired laborers.

The laborers who had worked for them after the spring planting weren’t doing it for free. Qin Guizhi had promised to pay them after selling the autumn harvest, so they had waited. But now that the grain was sold, they all came knocking, demanding their wages—they had been counting on that money to celebrate the New Year.

No matter how much Zhang Yangfan had tried to convince Qin Guizhi, she had refused to go to the grain market. Eventually, tax officials came right to their doorstep and, in front of a large crowd of villagers, confiscated their grain. The sheer humiliation still haunted Zhang Yangfan in his nightmares.

And that wasn’t even the end of it. The laborers came back, this time demanding their wages! A group of burly men surrounded their house, refusing to let them leave or even get a good night’s sleep.

What could they do? Qin Guizhi was terrified of those men. She couldn’t afford not to pay them, but they had no money left. Her only option was to sell the house her mother’s family had left her.

The house, also in Huaping Village, wasn’t where they normally lived; they had only used its garden to grow vegetables.

Qin Guizhi was asking for eighteen taels of silver. It was an old house, so she knew she couldn’t ask for too much. Even then, she was worried that no one would buy it.

When Xi Yanqing arrived at the village elder’s house and learned about the sale, he asked, "Grandpa Lin, do you think this house is worth buying? My friend wants to settle down in our village."

"It’s worth buying," the elder nodded. "But that house is a bit out of the way. You know where it is, right? Near the Zhao family’s tofu shop. To be honest, Zhang Yangfan’s mother mentioned this to me a while ago, but I never brought it up. Their family… isn’t well-liked around here."

"If they had paid their taxes properly, it wouldn’t have dragged on until now!" The old man shook his head. "At my age, dealing with this kind of mess isn’t easy."

"Grandpa Lin, my friend is raising sheep, so having a place a little farther out isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I know the spot you’re talking about. But I’m thinking, if Qin Guizhi finds out we’re the buyers, she might not be willing to sell to us."

"That was in the past. Now, she’s desperate to sell," the village elder said, explaining how the laborers were demanding their money. "But I think eighteen taels is too expensive. If you’re serious about buying, try negotiating. I think you can get it for sixteen taels."

"That would be great. I’ll have my friend check it out tomorrow. If he likes it, I’ll have him come to you," Xi Yanqing said.

Then, he took Jing Rong to find Han Yang and asked if he was free the next day to take Jing Rong to see the house. Xi Yanqing wanted to avoid going himself, fearing Qin Guizhi might make trouble.

Han Yang had no pressing matters—his family had just finished building their corn-drying racks, and winter was the only season when he could spend more time with his wife and kids.

When Xi Yanqing explained the situation, Han Yang chuckled. "You’re really trying to drive Qin Guizhi up the wall, aren’t you?"

Xi Yanqing shrugged. "She just happened to be in this situation."

Jing Rong cupped his hands in respect. "I appreciate your help, Brother Han."

Han Yang replied, "No need to be so formal. Since you’re a friend of Xi Yanqing, you’re my friend too. Rest up for now, and come find me early tomorrow morning—I’ll take you to see the house."

Jing Rong thanked him, then returned with Xi Yanqing. The next day, he woke up early and went to meet Han Yang as planned.

Meanwhile, Luo Yong, who had been taking care of the sheep for only three days, was already on the verge of losing his mind.

The sheep had to be herded out every day. The night before, when he counted them after bringing them back to the pen, they were all accounted for. But somehow, when he counted them again today, one was missing!

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight..." Luo Yong counted for the seventeenth time in frustration. "Damn it, stop moving around! How am I supposed to count properly?! One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight... forty-six? Wait, why is there an extra one?"

"One, two, three, four, five, six... forty-four?! Still missing one!"

He didn’t notice that a small lamb had curled up on the ground, hidden behind the larger sheep.

"One, two, three, four, five, six... To hell with it! I give up!"

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