TTLJDFL Chapter 64

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Li Jin, despite unconsciously "bending" (referring to his developing feelings for men), still retained a very straight-laced sense of aesthetics. He was naturally insensitive to skincare products and beauty items.

He couldn't even tolerate strong-smelling powders.

In his village, most men dressed simply, tying their hair back with a silk ribbon or a hairpin. Li Jin never thought much of it.

But the county town was different—it was much more prosperous, even having specialty jewelry shops.

A shop assistant stood at the entrance, calling out, "Honorable guest, would you like to buy some accessories for your wife or husband? We have bracelets, earrings, and more!"

Li Jin refused to imagine Qin Muwen with a dangling hair ornament and jingling accessories all over.

He didn’t even slow down as he passed by and instead stopped in front of a woodcraft shop.

Ancient woodcarving techniques were incredibly refined, and Li Jin had a special love for wood carvings.

Back in his previous life, many legendary ancient techniques had been lost to history.

He remembered reading an essay called The Boat in a Grain of Rice, which described a master craftsman who could carve an entire palace, complete with furniture, people, birds, and beasts, into a single inch-sized piece of wood.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, Li Jin had given Qin Muwen a small wooden rabbit.

Qin Muwen loved it so much that he carried it with him every day. Later, Li Jin found it bothersome during intimate moments and told him to take it off at night and place it on the bedside table.

As soon as Li Jin stepped into the woodcraft shop, his eyes were drawn to a delicate silk ribbon.

It was threaded with several small beads. At first glance, it seemed ordinary, but upon closer inspection, the first bead was engraved with a tiny rabbit sitting upright, ears perked up.

Each bead had a different rabbit engraving, but every single one looked adorably chubby.

Qin Muwen was born in the Year of the Rabbit, and he himself was as gentle as a little bunny.

Li Jin thought this silk ribbon suited his husband perfectly and bought it without hesitation, spending the equivalent of one night's lodging fee.

After making his purchase, Li Jin stepped outside, looked up at the sky, and realized it was getting late. He left the inner city and returned to the inn.

The little bun was still too young to play with toys. He’d wait until the child grew a bit older before bringing back gifts for him.

Downstairs, Chen Xiran was drinking porridge. When he saw Li Jin approach with a rare smile on his lips, he quickly finished his meal and said, "I haven’t seen you this happy in a long time. Did you find something good?"

Li Jin nodded. “Yes, it's for my wife.”

Since it was for Qin Muwen, Chen Xiran didn’t insist on seeing it, only remarking, “Married people are really different. Before, I was worried that your serious face would scare your husband.”

But it turned out that all of Li Jin’s tenderness and smiles were reserved for his husband.

The two of them then packed their belongings and got on the ox cart. Having learned from their previous experience, they simply wrapped themselves in blankets and leaned into a corner.

Li Jin took out a mathematics book from his trunk and began reading in the light coming through the window.

This book was quite different from the ones he had studied in his previous life. It rarely listed formulas directly and was mostly written in long descriptive passages.

No wonder most scholars disliked mathematics.

The subject was already difficult enough, and the wording made it even more convoluted. Understanding the concepts alone took quite some time.

A bold idea suddenly occurred to Li Jin—what if he compiled a book that combined concepts, diagrams, and formulas like the elementary mathematics textbooks of his past life?

Wouldn't that make mathematics easier to spread?

After all, not everyone had the means to pursue official examinations. The existing math books were so difficult that ordinary people could hardly understand them.

If he could simplify the content and promote basic arithmetic, even farmers could learn simple calculations and abacus use, giving them more ways to make a living.

But then Li Jin reconsidered. To accomplish this, he would first need some reputation. Otherwise, not only would he be unable to publish a book, but no one would even adopt his ideas.

Chen Xiran saw that Li Jin was already reading on the cart and felt a pang of sorrow. However, his hands were cold, so he decided to just lean in and continue sleeping.

Li Jin only read for half an hour before putting down the book and gazing at the snow-covered peaks in the distance.

He knew that reading on a moving cart was bad for the eyes, so he took breaks to relax.

For lunch, they had mushroom chicken rice brought from the inn.

The cart driver stopped at a roadside teahouse to warm up their meal before handing it to Chen Xiran and Li Jin.

The rich flavors of chicken broth and mushrooms had completely soaked into the rice, and paired with half a bowl of osmanthus wine, the meal warmed them up in the winter chill.

However, because they had departed late that day, it was already completely dark when they arrived back in town.

Chen Xiran invited Li Jin to stay at his house for the night. Since it was late, he didn’t have the servants prepare a separate guest room and simply let Li Jin sleep in his own room.

The next morning, Li Jin finally met Chen Xiran’s parents.

Both were warm and friendly. Since Chen Xiran’s father was good friends with Mr. Song, and they knew that Li Jin had been helping Chen Xiran with his studies, they welcomed him kindly.

“I’ve heard Mr. Song mention you before. You truly are a fine young man.”

“You flatter me, Uncle. I came uninvited and may have disturbed you. Please forgive me.”

“How could you be a bother? You and Xiran are classmates. No need to be so formal—just tell Xiran if you need anything.”

“Thank you, Uncle.”

After breakfast, Li Jin bought cured meat and ceremonial gifts before heading to Mr. Song’s house with Chen Xiran.

Mr. Song called them into his study. “Why did you two return so late? The three students of Scholar Huang hurried back overnight and arrived yesterday morning.

I heard from Scholar Huang that this year’s county exam will include arithmetic?”

Li Jin and Chen Xiran quickly shared what they had learned, omitting only the part where Li Jin helped Chen Xiran predict the test topics. Since it was a bit of a shortcut, they didn’t want to make it widely known.

Mr. Song was momentarily stunned before his expression brightened. “So, you managed to buy the mathematics book issued by the magistrate?”

Li Jin nodded. “Yes, we signed up on the first day. When we heard the news, we thought it was better to be safe than sorry, so we bought the book.”

Mr. Song said, “Good, good. You two should stay here today and discuss mathematics. Copy down anything you don’t understand, and bring it to me after class.”

“Yes, sir.”

The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art was one of the most widely circulated arithmetic books. Mr. Song had been using it in his teachings.

It contained 246 practical problems and solutions, divided into nine chapters, covering a broad range of topics.

The book recommended by the bookstore in the county town was similar to The Nine Chapters, but with more difficult problems, more detailed classifications, and a greater variety of solutions.

However, its main flaw was that it was even more obscure in its wording—even Li Jin had to reference The Nine Chapters while reading it.

To him, this was similar to modern education—gradually progressing from elementary school to university-level learning.

Without The Nine Chapters as a foundation, fully grasping this book would be incredibly difficult.

_

After class, Li Jin bid farewell to Chen Xiran, shouldered his luggage, and headed back to his village.

Before he even reached the entrance, he spotted a familiar figure standing quietly at the village gate.

The person was wearing the cotton coat Li Jin had given him before, though it had been altered to fit better at the waist and shoulders.

Li Jin quickly stepped forward and grabbed Qin Muwen’s hands, finding them ice-cold.

He frowned. “Why aren’t you at home?”

Qin Muwen replied, “Brother Zhuzi came back a while ago. He saw you in town but didn’t call out since you were talking to someone, and he was in a rush to deliver goods.

But he told me when he got back. Sister-in-law also said she’d watch Baozi for me, so I came here to wait for you.”

Hearing Qin Muwen’s well-reasoned explanation, Li Jin found it impossible to be angry. “Next time, don’t wait out in the cold. If you get sick, I’ll feel terrible.”

Qin Muwen’s heart skipped a beat. “Okay, I understand.”

Back home, Qin Muwen cautiously looked up at Li Jin’s expression and said, “Ah Jin, I was wrong. Don’t be mad.”

Li Jin set down his trunk and pulled him into an embrace. “Which eye of yours sees me being angry?”

After a pause, he added, “How could I ever be mad at you?”

Qin Muwen hugged him back, his body carrying the soft, sweet scent of milk from feeding Baozi.

"A Jin, I miss you."

In the first two years after their marriage, Qin Muwen’s greatest hope before falling asleep each night was that Li Jin wouldn’t come home.

Because whenever he did, Qin Muwen would get beaten. And he couldn’t cry—if he did, the villagers would look down on him.

But the villagers weren’t blind. When Qin Muwen went to wash clothes and they saw the bruises on the backs of his hands, they understood everything.

Qin Muwen had never imagined that one day, he would stand at the village entrance in the biting wind, anxiously waiting for Li Jin’s return.

When passing villagers saw him, they would greet him, “Is Li Jin coming home today?”

Qin Muwen would nod subtly. “Mm.”

Hearing this, Li Jin felt deeply content. After all, he had been thinking about Qin Muwen and their little bun since yesterday.

Li Jin took out the gift he had prepared for the young man. Qin Muwen’s eyes lit up, and he happily accepted it.

Li Jin said, “It’s a hairband. Tie it around your hair.”

Qin Muwen hesitated for a moment but decided to put it away first, unwilling to use it just yet.

Seeing his careful manner, Li Jin helplessly ruffled his hair and asked, “Is there still food at home? Just heat up anything.”

Only then did Qin Muwen remember the fish porridge he had warming in the pot, along with some cold shredded radish salad.

Winter vegetables weren’t plentiful, but thanks to the young man’s culinary skills, even simple side dishes were delicious.

The next day, when Scholar Huang’s students heard that Li Jin and Chen Xiran had bought new books, they all came over, eager to borrow them.

Li Jin and Chen Xiran were generous and allowed them to make copies.

With three people copying one book, they finished quickly and returned the original before Li Jin’s class ended.

They had originally planned to offer a gift in return, but Li Jin and Chen Xiran declined.

“The five of us have a mutual bond of support. If we start talking about gifts, it makes us seem like strangers.”

Previously, when Mr. Song was teaching The Nine Chapters on Mathematical Art, Li Jin hadn’t stood out.

Chen Xiran had assumed that Li Jin was just a diligent student, suited for rote memorization and writing.

But when Chen Xiran casually asked him about a math problem he didn’t understand, Li Jin explained it in at least two different ways.

Mr. Song had been listening outside the window, planning to step in and clarify when they couldn’t figure it out.

But as he listened, he realized he had been overthinking it.

Li Jin was unexpectedly gifted in mathematics. Despite having only recently started learning, he was already able to infer new concepts and apply knowledge flexibly!

Mr. Song thought to himself, Why am I standing in the cold eavesdropping? I could use this time to supervise Dalang’s recitation instead.

Meanwhile, Chen Xiran’s initial surprise had turned into quiet acceptance.

Fine. He admitted defeat.

He gathered all the math problems he hadn’t understood that morning and, when Li Jin set his brush down, naturally placed them on his desk.

Then, he just listened attentively.

T/N: Thank you for reading, I will try to update here daily🍊🍊🍊