TTLJDFL Chapter 15

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Since Li Jin had made up his mind to integrate into this society, he naturally made an effort to talk and interact with the people around him.

It was as if he had a special kind of magic—whenever he took the initiative to converse, he could quickly blend into any group.

Of course, there was no actual magic involved.

It was simply a matter of emotional intelligence.

As Li Jin stepped into the courtyard, he saw the dim glow of an oil lamp flickering by the window.

At that moment, he fully realized—this was a world without phones, without computers, without the internet, and without electricity.

All that was left were mudbrick houses, oil lamps, paper-covered windows, and a spouse waiting for him to come home.

A person who had once been a complete stranger, but who, in just a couple of days, had become a source of warmth and comfort in his heart.

A doctor who had always been lonely in the modern world had suddenly found a home in ancient times.

Li Jin rinsed the sickle with water and hung it on the kitchen wall to dry.

Then he rolled up his sleeves, washed his hands thoroughly, and stepped into the room.

Qin Muwen had been anxiously waiting for him.

After all, cutting grass required a sickle.

Li Jin had never used one before—he probably didn’t even know how to hold it properly.

—What if he accidentally cut himself?

If it weren’t for his own poor health, Qin Muwen would have wanted to take Li Jin’s place.

As long as he knew Li Jin cared about him and had the heart to help, that was enough. He could do all the hard and tiring work himself.

The moment Li Jin entered the courtyard, Qin Muwen eagerly listened for his footsteps.

But after they reached the bedroom, they turned toward the kitchen, followed by the sound of water splashing.

Qin Muwen was anxious, but he didn’t say anything.

When Li Jin finally entered the room, Qin Muwen immediately reached for his hands.

Under the dim glow of the oil lamp, he carefully examined them.

The burns from the hot soup the night before were still there. Today, new wounds had been added.

Qin Muwen had once had the same kinds of injuries.

Two years ago, he had also been a pampered young master who had never done any hard labor.

After marrying Li Jin, he had been forced to learn how to harvest wheat.

That first time, his hands had been covered in wounds—cuts from the sharp wheat stalks, blisters from gripping the sickle too tightly.

Now, Qin Muwen used his own calloused hands to gently trace over the blisters and the reddened cuts on Li Jin’s fingers.

These wounds were just like the ones he had suffered back then.

But no one had cared for him at the time.

They had only demanded that he keep working, faster, harder.

After countless cuts, bleeding, and pain, Qin Muwen had eventually stopped getting injured when harvesting wheat. His hands had developed calluses, protecting him.

And silently telling the story of everything he had endured over the past two years.

Yet, Qin Muwen never complained—he had long since grown used to it.

Seeing the concern in the young man’s eyes, Li Jin reassured him, "It’s just a few small cuts. They’ll be fine after a night’s rest."

When he had been a doctor, he had cut himself a few times with scalpels during his hospital internship. After enough practice, he had become proficient and stopped making mistakes.

Every profession had its difficulties, and Li Jin wasn’t the type to act spoiled. He truly didn’t think these small wounds were a big deal.

For the past two days, Qin Muwen had spoken very little.

Because in the past, Li Jin had despised him for being a ger.

Had looked down on him.

Had even refused to speak to him, as if talking to a ger would lower his own status.

So when Li Jin spoke to him now, Qin Muwen still mostly answered with nods or shakes of his head.

The boy couldn't respond with just this action, so he softly spoke up.

At this moment, he forgot the rules that Li Jin had set for him earlier and said, “Even small wounds shouldn't be treated so casually, and they must not come into contact with water!”

Once he started talking, he couldn't stop. “These wounds definitely won't heal by tomorrow. Why don't you take a break from working in the fields? Wait until I can get out of bed, and we can do it together.”

Li Jin withdrew his hand, lightly brushing the boy’s nose as he did so, and smiled. “I’m not that delicate. We’re both children of farmers. It was my mistake for not doing this kind of work before, but now I need to learn.”

The boy felt a tingling sensation where their noses had touched, unsure if this was a normal reaction during his recovery period or something else entirely.

Perhaps it was because Li Jin’s demeanor had become gentler, his once sharp and violent features now replaced by the refined elegance of a scholar.

The boy soon voiced what was on his mind. “Ah Jin, before Mother passed away, she said that after you completed the 27-month mourning period, you should take the imperial exam...

“It’s been two years now. It’s currently June, so by September this year, your mourning period will be over. Next February, when spring starts, it’ll be time for the scholar exam.”

The boy had studied literacy and had read books before. His older brother had even taken the imperial exam in the past.

So he was quite familiar with the examination process and explained it in a well-organized manner.

Li Jin: “……?”

Wait, wasn’t this supposed to be a story about farming and making a living? Why was there suddenly an imperial exam subplot?!

Seeing the slight confusion on Li Jin’s face, the boy hesitantly asked, “Ah Jin, did you forget?”

Li Jin didn’t say anything—he wasn’t used to lying.

He had genuinely never known about this.

Now that the boy had reminded him, Li Jin recalled how the villagers had praised him in their conversations, saying things like, “Truly worthy of being a scholar” and “A person who has read the classics is indeed different.”

Back then, he hadn’t taken those words seriously, assuming they were just polite compliments—just like how he used to praise other people’s kids for being smart and studious.

Now, with a blank expression, Li Jin realized that the people in this ancient village were so honest that they only gave straightforward compliments.

Since the villagers said he was a scholar, he should have realized they expected him to take the imperial exam...

Li Jin rubbed the boy’s head and said, “I drank too much the other day and blacked out. My mind’s been muddled since then.”

The boy didn’t doubt him and proactively suggested, “Ah Jin, since you’re a scholar, why don’t you spend these days reviewing your studies? Once I’m able to get out of bed, I’ll go cut grass.”

…So after all that roundabout talk, his real intention was just to say he wanted to cut grass.

Worried that Li Jin might not agree, the boy stretched out his hands. Compared to Li Jin’s, his hands were noticeably smaller, with soft calluses on the palms and fingertips.

“My hands aren’t afraid of wheat bristles. They won’t get cut.”

Li Jin tucked his hands back into the blankets and said, “Your hands are too small—you can’t even grip the sickle properly. Request denied.”

Now it was the boy’s turn to be stunned.

It was true that he couldn’t fully grasp the sickle with its thick handle wrapped in hemp rope, but he knew how to harvest wheat and cut grass!

Qin Muwen had a naturally obedient personality. Although he wanted to insist on his opinion, since Li Jin had already refused, he listened quietly and pulled his hands back into the blanket.

Li Jin was amused by how well-behaved he was.

Looking at the low table, he noticed that the syrup-coated sugar and honey candies were almost untouched, with only two pieces of preserved fruit missing.

Li Jin thought to himself—maybe it wasn’t that the boy didn’t like sweets, but rather that he considered them too expensive and couldn’t bear to eat them.

So he went to the kitchen and made a soft-boiled egg, adding a piece of syrup candy to the soup for a slightly sweet taste—just the way the boy liked it.

As for himself, Li Jin found a basket of potatoes stored under the cutting board. He placed them by the fire to roast, occasionally turning them over.

Potatoes would be his staple food for now.

Now that he had put fitness on his agenda, he wasn’t planning to eat pork or pork trotters anymore. But he could make pork trotter soup for the boy, and he could use pork to make braised meat—those were for the boy to eat.

For himself, since he was working on muscle gain, he could only eat lean meats like beef, fish, and chicken breast. Pork had too much fat and wasn’t suitable for building muscle.

Unfortunately, beef was hard to buy, so for now, he could only rely on boiled eggs and chicken breast for protein.

Li Jin brought the rice porridge and sweet egg soup to the boy’s room.

Since the boy had a small appetite, whatever was left over would be for him to eat.

Then, Li Jin returned to the kitchen to eat his roasted potatoes and a boiled egg.

At this time, Li Zhuzi had just returned home after driving the ox cart. When he heard his wife say that Li Jin had been out cutting grass in the fields today, he immediately went to Li Jin’s house without hesitation.

For the first time, he felt that this younger man, who wasn’t even related to him, was truly living like a proper person now.

Standing outside the door, Li Zhuzi called out a few times, and Li Jin went to open it.

Li Zhuzi was aware of Li Jin’s household situation—there was only one main room, where his husband was resting, so it wouldn’t be appropriate for him, an outsider, to go in.

Not minding at all, he followed Li Jin into the kitchen.

As soon as he stepped inside, Li Zhuzi was stunned. Seeing the half-eaten potato, he stammered, “You… You’re just eating this?”

In the past, when taxes were high and harvests were low, every household survived on potatoes.

But now, thanks to the kind emperor reducing taxes, the farmers in the village hadn’t relied on potatoes as a staple food for a long time.

Li Jin remained composed, showing no embarrassment at being seen eating such a simple meal.

He said calmly, “For now, this is all I can eat.”

Once he sold the next batch of herbs, he would be able to afford some beef and lamb. Since fitness was 70% training and 30% diet, he needed to balance both aspects.

But to Li Zhuzi, this sounded like: “I’m poor, and this is all I can afford.”

Li Zhuzi pointed at the pork and pork trotters to the side and said, “But you have meat! If you’re out of rice and flour, just take some from my house.”

Li Jin took half of the pork belly and handed it to Li Zhuzi, saying, “Brother Zhuzi has always looked out for me—consider this my thank-you gift.”

"As for rice and flour, I can't take them for free. I made money selling medicinal herbs today, so I can't keep accepting Brother Zhuzi's help. Naturally, we have to settle the accounts properly."

Li Zhuzi quickly waved his hand in refusal. He was relatively well-off in the village—he owned an ox cart, and cutting firewood for a day could earn him more than thirty wen.

Not to mention, his wife often did needlework to earn money, so their family lived in relative comfort.

Li Jin said, "I used to be a reckless person and made many mistakes. Thank you, Brother Zhuzi, for always helping me. You must accept this token of gratitude.

Though it's a small gift now, there will be greater ones in the future."

Li Zhuzi had no choice but to accept it. As for the so-called "greater gifts," he didn't think much of them.

After all, wasn’t this just how neighbors helped each other? He accepted Li Jin's pork, and tomorrow he would help Li Jin cut some grass—it was only fair.

Over the next few days, Li Zhuzi noticed that Li Jin's breakfast always consisted of potatoes. If not for the fact that Li Jin also ate two boiled eggs, Li Zhuzi would have dragged him to his house for a proper meal.

It wasn’t like he was so poor that he couldn't afford rice and flour—who would treat themselves so harshly?

Even with eggs in his diet, Li Zhuzi couldn’t help but sigh.

"Li Jin has really learned to care for others. He gives all the good food to his child and husband, while he himself eats nothing but potatoes every day!"

Li Jin: "???"

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