TTLJDFL Chapter 32

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Knowing the tiles were expensive, Li Zhuzi deliberately drove the ox cart slowly to ensure a smoother ride.

Even so, Li Jin had to constantly hold onto the basket to keep the tiles from knocking into each other.

Li Zhuzi cracked his whip over the ox’s back and said, "Li Jin, you and that young master seem to be quite close?"

Li Jin chuckled. "We are both students of Master Song, so we’re classmates."

Li Zhuzi sighed, "That’s good. Your mother used to come to my house often, telling me to keep an eye on you whenever I went to town—make sure you don’t fall in with the wrong crowd.

"But that young master seems like a good person. He doesn’t look down on farmers like us. It’s good that you’re friends with him."

Li Zhuzi was seven or eight years older than Li Jin. In ancient times, farmers often married at fifteen, so given their age gap, he had the right to speak to Li Jin in this tone.

It was midday now, the hottest time of the day. Li Jin felt a little dizzy from the heat.

He steadied himself by holding onto the wooden cart and took a while to recover.

Fragments of broken memories surfaced in his mind again.

Li Jin closed his eyes slightly, and a vision of a small, thin woman dressed in coarse cloth appeared before him.

He knew that was the original owner's mother.

In the newly surfaced memories, the woman seemed to have endless energy every day, yet no matter how hard she worked, she could never finish all the farm labor.

Li Jin could also see glimpses of the original owner at the age of seven or eight—skinny and dark, like a mischievous child.

At that time, the Li family had many members. The father, grandfather, and grandmother were all alive, and the family owned a large share of farmland.

Yet, not a single one of them was willing to do any farming.

All eight acres of land were cultivated solely by that small woman, who gritted her teeth and persevered. And after planting, she still had to water the fields.

The young Li Jin would stand by the ridge, waiting for his mother to finish pouring out a bucket of water before taking the empty bucket back to refill it. A while later, he would return with another full bucket.

A seven- or eight-year-old boy had some strength, but lacked the skill to carry water properly. A full bucket, by the time he reached the field, would have only a little over half left.

Seeing this, his mother couldn't help but laugh through her exhaustion. She would pat his head and tell him to go play with his friends.

But little Li Jin shook his head. "Mother, don't work so hard."

He was still young, hadn't attended school yet, and could only express himself in his own simple words. If he had been older, he might have said, "If I help you with the work, you won’t be as tired."

Although the small woman in his memory was constantly exhausted, she always smiled at the original owner.

Occasionally, when someone in the village gave her eggs, she would secretly hide them away to save for him.

At that time, the original owner would share half with her, and they would eat together.

But the woman, smiling gently, never took more than a single bite, leaving the rest entirely for her son.

Li Jin opened his eyes, pushing aside the distracting thoughts.

Every time he interacted with Li Zhuzi, the man would always bring up the original owner's mother, repeatedly saying things like, "Your mother was a pitiful person" and "She asked me to look after you."

Before, Li Jin hadn't felt much about it. After all, he was just a transmigrator and couldn’t truly grasp the weight of those words from a few brief sentences.

He had thought that the fragmented memories he had gained of the original owner's past two years were already enough.

But now, after being dazed under the scorching sun, he had unexpectedly recalled even earlier memories.

Li Jin said, "Brother Zhuzi, my mother…"

He opened his mouth but suddenly felt at a loss for words. Even after seeing those memories and being deeply moved, he still lacked a true sense of immersion.

Besides, the original owner's mother had been gone for two years already. Bringing it up now would only add to the sorrow.

Li Zhuzi said, "If your mother knew that you've achieved something now and even have a child, she would be very comforted."

Li Jin adjusted the basket on his back, his gaze falling on the distant farmland. He said, "I hope so."

Li Zhuzi chuckled, "You’re speaking so elegantly now. I, a rough man, feel embarrassed talking to you."

Li Jin smiled bitterly. "I was just thinking about my mother… It made me feel a little down."

Scratching his head, Li Zhuzi said, "It's my fault for bringing it up.

But your mother was truly a good woman. I remember… it was about ten years ago, right? You were still little. I was already married, and you were still running around the village naked."

Li Jin: "…"

Why was he bringing up the most embarrassing things at the worst time?

Li Zhuzi continued, "You were a really good kid back then. Your mother was exhausted from farming, and you tried to fetch water for her. Your father wouldn’t let you help, so you did it in secret.

I remember it was also around June or July, really hot.

You fell into the well while carrying water. When your mother noticed you had been gone too long, she got anxious and started searching for you.

Your father said you had probably gone off to play somewhere.

But your mother insisted that was impossible. In the end, she noticed the rope for drawing water was still hanging on the well and turned pale as a sheet. She begged the villagers to help search the well."

Li Jin was momentarily stunned—he hadn’t known about this at all.

Ironically, before transmigrating, he had also nearly drowned at the age of seven or eight. He had fallen into a river and was hospitalized for a long time before finally regaining consciousness.

Li Zhuzi said, "In the end, I was the one who went down to get you. The villagers tied several ropes around me, and I climbed into the well.

Luckily, you were still small and thin at the time. You had curled yourself up inside the water bucket, so I was able to lift you out.

Although you were unconscious, thankfully, you survived in the end."

Li Jin said, "Brother Zhuzi, not only did you save my life, but you've also taken care of me all these years. I will never forget your kindness."

Li Zhuzi waved his hand dismissively. "If you had seen your mother’s expression when she realized you had fallen in… you would have done the same as me."

That usually gentle and hardworking woman had looked at the Li family with an expression as if she were staring at demons.

It was as if, had Li Jin really died, she would have immediately ended her own life by smashing her head against a wall.

At first, Li Zhuzi had only pitied them. But later, in gratitude, the woman had arranged a good marriage for his younger brother.

That was when Li Zhuzi truly took Li Jin’s affairs to heart.

Over time, he had come to see Li Jin as his own younger brother.

As they spoke, the village came into sight.

Li Zhuzi said, "Li Jin, I know you have a bright future ahead. The people around you are all remarkable.

Saying this might make me sound like I'm trying to curry favor with you.

But I still mean it—if you ever need anything, just come to me."

Li Jin thought back on all he had experienced since transmigrating, and his expression became solemn. "Brother Zhuzi, please don’t say things like that anymore. I remember all the kindness you’ve shown me. Even if I become a scholar one day, you will always be my brother."

—

Li Jin composed himself and carried the tiles into the courtyard.

Hearing the noise, a young man quickly stepped outside. His health had been steadily improving, and now, when he walked, his legs barely trembled anymore.

At a glance, he no longer looked like someone who had just given birth. His limbs were long and slender, his frame well-proportioned.

Li Jin pondered over where all the meat had gone recently.

However, it had only been a short time; with more nourishment, the boy would naturally gain some weight. That was what Li Jin thought.

The boy, unaware of Li Jin’s thoughts, twirled twice in front of him, innocent and carefree.

He completely failed to notice the way Li Jin’s eyes darkened slightly.

Then, he took out a fan he had woven from rattan earlier and, like a child presenting a treasure, had Li Jin sit down while he fanned him.

Li Jin asked, "Did you weave this in the morning?"

Qin Muwen nodded, then suddenly recalled that Li Jin had instructed him not to move around too much.

He explained, "Xiao An brought the rattan over. He said he wanted to weave some fans as gifts for his husband but didn’t know how, so he asked me to teach him."

In the end, Qin Muwen thick-skinnedly asked for the one he had woven back and brought it to Li Jin as a gift.

Li Jin praised him, "Not bad."

Though it only had the fan ribs and let the wind pass through.

Hearing this compliment, the boy's eyes sparkled, and even the cinnabar mole at the end of his brow seemed to glow with delight.

So, he put even more effort into fanning Li Jin.

However… his efforts were ineffective.

Li Jin asked, "Who taught you how to weave fans?"

Qin Muwen replied, "There's a shop in town that sells bamboo baskets, woven baskets, and rattan fans. I used to work there, and the master taught me."

However, the master only taught each person one skill—otherwise, if everyone learned all his crafts, how would he make a living?

Li Jin recalled that shop and asked, "Is it the one with two red lanterns hanging at the entrance?"

Qin Muwen nodded. "Yes, the craftsman who works there is also a ge’er. He treated us very well."

Li Jin thought to himself, That shop, huh?

That shop was nothing like what the boy described—it didn’t just sell bamboo baskets and woven goods.

It sold all sorts of seasonal trinkets.

In spring, it sold kites and cuju balls; in summer, fans; in autumn, baskets and winnowing pans; and in winter, lanterns.

But since the boy rarely went out, he didn’t know the shop’s true nature.

Also, proper fans were always covered with two layers of paper to prevent wind from passing through—clearly, the master had kept some secrets.

Li Jin said, "Next month, when you’re feeling better, I’ll take you to town for a visit."

The boy’s round apricot eyes widened into perfect circles.

"Really?"

Li Jin nodded. "Of course. Next month, I’ll be taking shifts at Xinglintang. I’ll bring you along to visit Doctor Wu."

The boy hesitated. "Will I have to take medicine?"

His expression immediately showed reluctance, and he fanned with noticeably less enthusiasm.

Li Jin found his reaction amusing. "No, I just want to introduce you to him. He has helped our family a lot by purchasing my herbs."

Though the boy was indeed physically weak, he wasn’t at the point of needing medication.

Hearing Li Jin’s words, Qin Muwen realized he had misunderstood.

He obediently scooted closer to Li Jin and resumed fanning him diligently.

Li Jin felt like he had accidentally discovered something new. He asked, "Do you hate bitterness?"

The boy hesitated, seemingly debating whether he should act spoiled and admit that he disliked bitterness.

After all, his father had always taught him not to be delicate.

Seeing his reaction, Li Jin already had his answer. He changed the question. "Do you prefer honey or malt sugar?"

The boy replied, "Honey."

After answering, he noticed that Li Jin didn’t say anything else and grew confused.

If Li Jin already knew, why did he ask?

Then Li Jin said, "In the future, if you drink your medicine obediently, I’ll reward you with honey."

The boy: "???"

Weren’t we not talking about taking medicine?

Li Jin chuckled and lightly pinched his face, which had yet to regain much flesh. He realized that the boy’s obedience was completely natural—it wasn’t something he had to force himself into.

He was simply innately well-behaved.

It was so obvious, and yet he still didn’t realize Li Jin was joking.

A moment later, the boy seemed to have figured something out. Li Jin assumed he had realized it was a joke.

But then he heard the boy say, "If I have to drink medicine, I’ll drink it."

Author’s note:

【Qin Muwen: If you pinch my cheek, I’ll drink medicine.】

【Li Jin: I refuse.】

【Qin Muwen: (Tears welling up) Okay… I’ll still listen and drink the medicine.】

【Li Jin: No, I’ll kiss you instead, okay?】

Tl Notes:

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