TTLJDFL Chapter 12

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Li Jin had gotten up before six in the morning and eaten a bowl of plain noodle soup.

Now, it was past nine o’clock. His body was, after all, that of an eighteen-year-old youth—still growing—and he already felt hunger gnawing at his stomach.

Perhaps he could buy a couple of buns to eat.

He walked along the street where the clinic was located until he reached its end. Then, turning right and walking for less than three minutes, he arrived at the town’s main street.

This area was at a lower elevation but was exceptionally level, making it easy to build houses. Since it was surrounded by seven or eight small villages, the main street was always bustling, regardless of the time.

Right at the entrance of the main street was a steamed bun shop. The buns were as large as an adult’s fist, their dough white and fluffy, with hot steam rising from them—just the sight of them was enough to whet one’s appetite.

The shopkeeper, a woman, found Li Jin’s face familiar. She felt as though she had seen him somewhere before but couldn’t quite place him.

That didn’t stop her from greeting him warmly. "Young man, would you like some buns?"

Li Jin wasn’t short on money now, so he asked, "Boss lady, how much are the buns?"

The woman answered cheerfully, "Two vegetarian buns for one penny, one meat bun for one penny."

She thought to herself, Such a handsome young man—if I had seen him before, there’s no way I’d forget.

After all, her own ge’er was already fourteen, and once the New Year passed, she’d have to start making marriage arrangements for him. As a mother, she had been keeping an eye out for potential husbands.

Li Jin said, "Then I’ll have two vegetarian buns."

The woman smiled. "Young man, why not try our meat buns? The filling is minced meat mixed with lotus root—everyone in town praises them!"

Li Jin paused for a moment and said, "I'll buy the vegetarian ones first."

After speaking, he took out a copper coin and handed it to the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper packed the buns for him and then shook her head. The young man was handsome, but he was poor.

Although her child was a "ge’er" (a term for a male who can give birth in some historical Chinese fiction), she still hoped he could marry well—at least ensuring a life free from worry.

What use was a good-looking face? Handsomeness couldn’t be eaten.

After finishing his two vegetarian buns, Li Jin walked through the main street.

He couldn’t help but appreciate the ancient flour, free from bleaching agents or leavening chemicals. The buns' dough was purely handmade, rolled out, then steamed in bamboo steamers. The filling's juices slightly soaked into the fluffy bun skin, making the tofu, cabbage, and vermicelli filling taste even better.

After eating, Li Jin entered the nearest general store.

At the entrance, there were bags of salt, dried chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, bay leaves, and other seasonings on display.

The shopkeeper had been dozing off but slightly lifted his eyelids when he noticed someone entering.

Li Jin asked directly, "Boss, I saw the sign outside saying you sell vegetable seeds. What varieties do you have?"

The shopkeeper rummaged through the deepest cabinet in the shop and pulled out several paper-wrapped seed packets.

"I have all sorts of seeds. Any seasonal vegetables you see sold on the street, I probably have them here—cucumbers, winter melons, scallions, cabbage, radishes, garlic sprouts… Once the busy farming season is over, eggplant seedlings will be available too. If you want those, come back later."

Li Jin picked up a packet, opened the wrapping, and rubbed some seeds between his fingers to check for worm damage.

The shopkeeper assured him, "You can take your time checking my seeds. I never sell old stock. If nothing grows after planting, you can come back and get a refund."

Li Jin thought, Although many merchants are dishonest, stores with a fixed location still have to maintain their reputation. Otherwise, they wouldn’t last long.

He asked, "How much do they cost?"

"Depends on how many you want. Since it's still the farming season and not many people are buying seeds, I’ll give you a discount. One packet for four pennies, two for seven, four for thirteen."

In the end, Li Jin chose garlic sprouts, radishes, cabbage, and cucumbers—easy to grow and quick to harvest.

Once planted, it wouldn’t take long before he had homegrown vegetables to eat.

As he paid, he suddenly recalled how happy the young boy had looked drinking sweet soup last night. So he asked, "Do you have sugar?"

"Of course! I have maltose, honey, and even candied fruit and pastries."

Li Jin thought, Maltose is just malt sugar—the same kind I added to the boy’s bowl yesterday.

"Young man, who are you buying the sugar for? One packet of sugar costs as much as six packets of vegetable seeds. Maybe you should discuss it with your family first?" the shopkeeper suggested.

Li Jin replied, "No need. I'll take one packet of maltose and one of honey."

The shopkeeper handed him two small bags of sugar. Since he bought so much, the shopkeeper even threw in a tiny bag of candied fruit as a freebie.

After spending thirteen pennies on seeds and forty on sugar, Li Jin had spent a total of fifty-three pennies.

Next, he went to the butcher's shop and bought a pound of pork and a pound of pig trotters. Beef and lamb were rarely sold here—those had to be pre-ordered in advance.

That cost another twenty-seven pennies.

Finally, he returned to the bun shop at the street entrance and bought two steaming hot meat buns.

The shopkeeper’s wife recognized him and said, "I knew you'd come back for our meat buns. I promise, they're worth it!"

Li Jin nodded slightly but didn’t put the buns in his basket. Instead, he carried them in his hands.

The weather was warm, so by the time he got home, the buns would still be hot.

By the time Li Jin returned home, it was already past eleven.

Meanwhile, the young boy had secretly opened the door just a crack, so that when sitting on the bed, he could see outside. That way, he would immediately know when Li Jin returned.

Qin Muwen blushed slightly after doing this.

He… he didn’t really have any ulterior motives. He just felt a quiet anticipation whenever he listened to the sounds of people passing by outside. But every time his hope rose, it was followed by disappointment, leaving his heart feeling empty.

Still, once the child woke up, he had no time to stare at the door anymore. He had to hold the child in one arm while feeding him rice porridge with the other.

When Li Jin entered the house, placing his purchases in the kitchen, Qin Muwen finally realized his return.

"A’Jin, you're back."

"Mm."

Li Jin was still holding the warm meat buns. He had walked quickly all the way home—normally, the trip would take others two and a half hours, but he had made it in just under two hours.

And that was only because his current body was still weak. If he had better stamina, he could probably keep pace with Li Zhuzi’s ox cart.

Li Jin set the buns down and took the baby from Qin Muwen’s arms. "Was he good this morning? Did he give you any trouble?"

Speaking of the baby, Qin Muwen’s face softened, his eyes filled with a warmth and tenderness unfitting for a young man his age.

"He didn’t make a fuss at all. He was very good and slept the whole morning. He only just woke up when you returned."

Although this was only Qin Muwen’s second time feeding the baby, he had already figured out the child’s eating rhythm.

One spoonful after another, he kept a steady pace—just right so that as soon as the baby swallowed the first spoonful, the second was ready, leaving no chance for the baby to spit it out.

Now full of energy, the baby recognized Li Jin’s scent from the night before.

He stretched out his little arms as if to hug Li Jin’s neck.

Being held so close, the baby’s mouth, still sticky from rice porridge, smeared against Li Jin’s face.

Li Jin wasn’t annoyed at all. Instead, he naturally lifted the baby into his arms and stood up, walking back and forth across the room.

The baby had never been held so high before and became excited, grinning happily.

Facing away from Qin Muwen, Li Jin said, "There are meat buns on the table. Eat them quickly before they get cold."

The child's sense of possession was very strong. If he saw his father eating without sharing, he would probably start crying.

That’s why the child had to face away while Qin Muwen ate the bun.

Qin Muwen was momentarily stunned as he looked at the oiled paper-wrapped buns on the table. His heart felt sour, full of complex emotions.

He knew about the buns from town—one copper penny per meat bun…

Back when he used to go to town to sell the handkerchiefs or pouches he embroidered, he would earn ten or fifteen coins at a time.

Every time he passed the street corner, he could smell the fragrant meat buns.

But he had never eaten one.

There was a time when Qin Muwen’s dream was to eat a single meat bun.

But even though a meat bun only cost one coin, it was still too extravagant for him. The money he earned had to support the household and buy liquor for Li Jin…

How could he afford a meat bun?

Qin Muwen felt that the part of him who once dreamed of eating a meat bun had long been crushed by life, too exhausted to think about it anymore.

Yet, time passed, and fate took its turns. His husband had brought back two steaming hot meat buns for him.

Qin Muwen held back his tears and dared not look at Li Jin.

He took small bites and finished one bun, but no matter what, he refused to eat the other one, insisting on saving it for Li Jin.

Even when Li Jin said he had already eaten, Qin Muwen stubbornly replied, “One is enough for me.”

So, after the child was back in Qin Muwen’s arms, Li Jin finished the remaining bun in just a few bites.

Then he said, “Let’s give the child a nickname.”

That morning, when Li Jin was riding on the ox cart with Li Zhuzi, they chatted about various things. Li Zhuzi mentioned that in the village, a child shouldn’t be given an official name before their first month, or their soul might be lured away.

They had to first give the child a humble name to suppress bad luck.

This was a village tradition, and since this was Qin Muwen’s first time having a child, he wasn’t aware of this custom.

Li Jin said, “A humble name… I don’t really have any experience with this.”

Qin Muwen’s heart suddenly clenched in his throat, terrified that Li Jin would suggest names like ‘Dog Leftover’ or ‘Little Dog’—names that were too crude.

Li Jin thought for a moment and said, “Just now, when he hugged me, he looked like a little leopard. How about calling him Leopard?”

Qin Muwen: “……” His heart turned to ashes.

The child was a ger who would have to marry in the future. How could he be given a name like Leopard?!

Anyone who heard it would think of a fierce tigress, aggressive and wild.

Li Jin asked, “Do you have any ideas?”

Qin Muwen glanced at Li Jin. His small face looked even more pitiful, and he shook his head, saying, “I think… it’s a good name.”

Although Li Jin was much better than before, Qin Muwen was still afraid of him.

Li Jin seemed to consider something and said, “Leopard sounds too aggressive. Since he’s a ger, let’s call him Bun instead. How about that?”

This time, Qin Muwen thought the name was great. Thinking of the meat buns he had just eaten, he instantly found his child incredibly cute.

Seeing Qin Muwen smile, Li Jin finalized the name.

He was about to fetch the malt sugar, honey, and preserved fruits to give the young man as snacks when he suddenly noticed that the basket where Qin Muwen kept his sewing supplies had a lot more items in it.

Qin Muwen saw Li Jin squat down and suddenly felt guilty.

Before Li Jin left that morning, he had told him to rest well… but he had secretly taken on some embroidery work.

Would Li Jin be angry?

Tl Notes:

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