TTLJDFL Chapter 57

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At the word exceedingly, Chen Xiran even set down his brush and leaned over curiously.

For once, Mr. Song didn’t reprimand him. Instead, he said, "Chen Xiran, take a moment to appreciate this poem."

The fact that Mr. Song had used the word appreciate showed just how highly he regarded it.

This poem depicted a scene from Li Jin’s own life: finishing farm work and taking the family to climb the hills in prayer. There were no elaborate literary embellishments—it read almost like a diary entry.

Li Jin himself hadn’t thought much of it. He had focused all his efforts on crafting the "elegant" regulated verse, intending for this one to merely fill space.

Yet, ironically, Mr. Song had covered that first poem in so many corrections that the number of suggested changes nearly exceeded the original word count.

Meanwhile, the simple, unassuming pastoral poem was the one he valued most.

Perhaps this was truly a case of "a willow planted unintentionally grows into a shade-giving tree."

After reading it, even Chen Xiran clapped his hands in admiration.

"This poem may seem plain, but the mindset it expresses is truly admirable.

It’s not about feigned detachment or pretending to be above worldly concerns, but rather the idea that one must keep striving to make life better."

This philosophy, though simple, harmonized perfectly with the pastoral theme.

In contrast to the prevailing trend of sorrowful, nostalgic verses about parting from loved ones, this poem easily stood out.

Mr. Song said, "Li Jin, sign your name on this poem. I'll have someone display it at the teahouse."

Li Jin didn’t fully understand, but he still agreed. He knew that before the Tongsheng examination, the more famous a candidate was, the better—after all, it was the county magistrate who determined the results of the county-level exam.

In many similar examination papers, a person’s reputation could decide whether they became the top scorer!

After Mr. Song left, Chen Xiran explained, “You weren’t in town yesterday, so you probably don’t know. Every year on the Double Ninth Festival, the town’s teahouse displays poems written by people from the surrounding areas. I even saw a few students of Scholar Huang hanging up their poems yesterday, and the storytellers were reciting them for everyone.”

Li Jin asked, “Then where’s your poem? Hurry up and write it.”

Chen Xiran: “...I can’t think of anything. Even following your method, I still can’t make it as clever as your quatrain.”

Li Jin was helpless about this and could only continue transcribing poems. He left Chen Xiran alone to compose—no, struggle with—his poem.

Half an hour later, Mr. Song didn’t give Chen Xiran any more time. He began explaining the requirements for writing eight-legged essays.

“You don’t have much time left. From now on, I will teach you two at the hour of Si (10:30 AM), while the students next door will be practicing transcription.

“But in exchange, after they finish copying, you two must correct their mistakes before you can leave.”

Li Jin and Chen Xiran were overjoyed!

Li Jin had been worried that since he had been mostly self-studying, and Mr. Song’s daily lessons were so brief, he wouldn’t be able to learn much in the end.

But hearing this, he felt as if a heavy stone had been lifted from his heart.

However, the downside was that by the time class was over, he was so hungry that his stomach felt like it was sticking to his back.

Chen Xiran invited him to his house for a meal, and Li Jin didn’t bother refusing. Although he had potatoes and eggs in his basket, he was too hungry and needed some porridge to settle his stomach.

Chen Xiran said, “Tomorrow, I’ll prepare some pastries so we can eat before class. That way, we won’t be so hungry.”

Li Jin agreed. “Then I’ll bring some meat pies that my wife made.”

Chen Xiran nodded enthusiastically. He still remembered the cold-dressed wild vegetables made by Li Jin’s husband—so delicious!

After eating, Li Jin went to buy some sugar cubes. They cost twenty wen per jin, a reasonable price.

He noticed that a new pastry shop had opened in town, so he bought some delicate-looking silver-thread candy and peach crisps.

Silver-thread candy, also known as dragon’s beard candy, was made from sugar syrup, peanuts, sesame seeds, and coconut shreds.

Legend has it that an emperor, while traveling in disguise, fell in love with the candy, so he renamed it “dragon’s beard candy.”

The two bags of pastries cost sixty pennies, but Li Jin didn’t mind at all.

He felt that any expense that brought joy to the young man was completely worth it.

Next, Li Jin went to Xinglintang pharmacy to buy Jiao Sanxian and Shenqu—both common and inexpensive medicinal ingredients used to make hawthorn pills.

Zhou Gui was puzzled. “Doctor Li, you only need these two ingredients?”

Li Jin replied, “Yes. I’m working on a pill-form medicine that can be taken directly. It will treat indigestion and bloating, and it also helps with appetite. This way, patients won’t have to drink bitter herbal medicine.”

Doctor Wu, upon hearing this, immediately asked, “You know how to refine medicine?”

Li Jin felt that the word “refine” was a bit exaggerated—he wasn’t making alchemical elixirs…

He explained, “It’s just an ordinary pill for specific ailments, and there are still dietary restrictions to consider.”

Doctor Wu muttered to himself, “It really is refining medicine…”

Li Jin found it difficult to continue explaining.

Doctor Wu quickly grabbed his arm. “Once you’ve made it, can we sell it at Xinglintang? I’ll go talk to the shopkeeper right away.”

Li Jin stopped him. “Right now, it’s just an idea. If I can actually make it work, of course, I’ll sell it here. Why don’t I bring it over in a few days so you can test it first?”

Doctor Wu readily agreed. He had no doubt that Li Jin could successfully make medicine.

After all, if he were being honest, Li Jin’s medical skills were far superior to his own. Even the prescriptions Zhou Gui memorized had all been left by Li Jin.

=

When he got home, Li Jin saw that the red beans had finished soaking, so he put them in a pot to cook. Once they were soft, he stir-fried them with sugar to make sticky red bean paste.

In another pot, he began melting the sugar cubes.

After feeding their baby, Qin Muwen placed the little one on the inner side of the bed. Then, he sat with Li Jin in the courtyard, helping to remove the seeds from hawthorn berries.

Li Jin said, “I’m making candied hawthorn for you, yet I’m still making you help with the preparation. I shouldn’t be doing this.”

Qin Muwen looked at him, smiling with curved eyes. “There’s a wage for this, and I’m happy to do it.”

“What’s the wage?”

“Silver-thread candy and peach crisps! Thank you, husband.”

Li Jin was momentarily stunned, and his wooden stick poked his own hand, leaving a red mark.

This was the first time the young man had called him “husband.”

Before, he had always called him “Ah Jin.”

After the words slipped out, Qin Muwen turned his face away, but the redness at the tips of his ears betrayed his shyness.

He thought that he had avoided saying “husband” or “darling” before because of fear. But ever since last night, these terms had been lingering in his heart.

And now, they had slipped out by accident.

Li Jin had always found terms like “husband,” “darling,” or “spouse” too affectionate—unsuitable for two men to call each other.

But hearing the young man say it, his mind felt like fireworks had exploded. By the time he came back to his senses, he had already pulled Qin Muwen into his arms and didn’t let him go until his eyes were slightly red from teasing.

As a result, their work efficiency plummeted.

Qin Muwen’s round apricot eyes had a faint red at the corners, like they had been brushed with rouge, yet softer and more translucent than any fine makeup.

“Be good, call me that again.”

Qin Muwen pursed his lips, not daring to speak. He… he was afraid that if he did, Ah Jin would completely ignore their kitchen work and drag him into a bath and then to bed.

But he had never outright disobeyed Ah Jin before, so he whispered a compromise, “I’ll call you that tonight, okay?”

Li Jin couldn’t resist pulling him into another embrace and kissing him.

His husband was just too adorable.

But he acted like a ruffian who had seized a good young man from a respectable family, saying, “Then it won’t just be this one title, nor just this one sentence.”

Qin Muwen’s face paled slightly, but he still obediently replied, “Alright.”

It was just three jin of hawthorn, and the two of them quickly finished removing the seeds. Meanwhile, the red beans were perfectly cooked. Li Jin wrapped them in a clean piece of coarse linen cloth, squeezed out the excess water, and mashed them into a bowl.

The sugar in the pot had been rinsed several times until most of the impurities had evaporated. After further boiling, it turned into a light golden syrup.

Li Jin first strung eight hawthorns onto a prepared jujube twig, ensuring that the seeds in the first and last fruit were smaller so that the skewer would stay intact.

Then, he quickly rolled the hawthorns in the syrup and placed them on a white porcelain plate.

“My little steward, this is today’s extra payment.”

Qin Muwen held the plate, inhaling the sweet scent of sugar. A smile bloomed on his face—one that seemed to say, This farmhand is willing to sell himself to you. Li Jin couldn’t help but pinch his cheek.

His face had some flesh, making it incredibly satisfying to squeeze.

The little steward was easily won over by a skewer of candied hawthorn and happily carried it away.

Li Jin had tasted this household’s hawthorn before—moderately sour, pleasant to eat directly without hurting the teeth, and even better with a layer of syrup. After eating one, the young man couldn’t stop.

Fearing he might eat a second one too quickly, he hurriedly fed one to Li Jin. Only when Li Jin mentioned making large hawthorn pills did Qin Muwen reluctantly carry his plate away.

At home, there was a stone garlic mortar that hadn’t been used in a long time. Since they hadn’t eaten garlic lately, the mortar no longer had a lingering smell. Li Jin decided to use it to pound the hawthorn into a paste to make a small batch of large hawthorn pills.

If he wanted to make more, he’d have to borrow a larger mortar and pestle.

Qin Muwen ate while he pondered. Ah Jin didn’t seem to have any particular favorite dish and always preferred light flavors.

He had worked hard to cook so many different dishes before, and while Ah Jin ate them all, he never showed a clear preference.

But Qin Muwen wanted to make something Ah Jin truly loved.

Ah Jin treated him so well, catering to all his preferences.

Yet he didn’t even know exactly what Ah Jin liked or disliked. Qin Muwen felt useless—how had he failed to notice these things?

By the time the sun set, Li Jin had already made thirty large hawthorn pills, and the red bean paste had been stir-fried with maltose.

Looking at the still-moist hawthorn pills arranged neatly on the plate, Li Jin knew they would be dry by morning, ready to take to Xinglintang for sale.

If people bought them, that would be great—he could get some feedback before deciding whether to buy more hawthorn.

The young man took on the task of washing the pots and then cooked noodles for Li Jin.

The bowl of noodles had a poached egg on top and a few green vegetable leaves.

Afterward, Li Jin went to practice calligraphy, paint, and transcribe texts.

Qin Muwen sat in the courtyard, hugging the jar of red bean paste Li Jin had made, watching the silhouette of Li Jin reflected in the study window. Every once in a while, he scooped a spoonful of bean paste into his mouth.

It was delicious. The sweetness of maltose and the fragrance of the beans blended perfectly—it was clear this had been stir-fried nonstop for a long time.

Only when Li Jin’s light went out did Qin Muwen realize, with a jolt, that he had already eaten nearly half the jar of bean paste.

Staring at the remaining half, guilt suddenly washed over him.

Ah Jin had bought him sweets, but he definitely wouldn’t allow him to eat so much sugar at night!

Qin Muwen hastily put the jar back in place before brushing his teeth and taking a bath.

Just then, Li Jin came over with fresh water and asked, “Wenwen, are you waiting to bathe with me?”

T/N: Thank you for the support, it's a big help really🌸🌸🌸