Miss and farmhand

On the second day of his marriage, Huang Chu felt refreshed and invigorated, as if he had absorbed all his energy, and for the first time, he experienced the pleasure of this kind of thing.

Well, I guess that's not quite right to say it.

I wouldn't say my past life was uncomfortable, just psychologically; now is definitely the best.

Huang Chu was somewhat surprised that Shen Yurui had sent her a congratulatory gift, wondering what she was thinking. Upon opening the gift box, she found that the contents were surprisingly tasteful.

Shen Xuying said, "Just accept it. Your older sister... after all, you're a junior, she's not related to you."

She seemed to understand Shen Yurui a little, but Huang Chu still didn't.

Then she also saw the gift Luo Shutao had given her, a sturdy incense burner decorated with lotus flowers in Sanskrit, probably because of her current situation.

"It was delivered by my older sister," Shen Xuying said.

Huang Chu was a little surprised: "They are now..."

Shen Xuying remained silent, as it was not an inside story she could know.

Huang Chu thought for a moment, "Then can I still visit my aunt at the nunnery later?"

Shen Xuying hesitated for a moment, but finally said, "Ask your aunt. Since they sent a gift, you should return the favor. It's a way for her to save face."

"That's strange, Auntie has never had this kind of temper."

"Who can argue with that? But it's a good thing too..."

Shen Xuying paused, then frowned. "...Isn't this a good thing?"

Huang Chu remained silent.

Even if you don't like Shen Yurui, with her temperament, it's still a pity to see her become like this after suffering from her.

Fortunately, Shen Yurui wasn't a piece of clothing, but a person, and Huang Xingyu was like that, so she could make her own decisions.

Huang Chu knew that Luo Shutao had gone to the nunnery. Seeing how she had suddenly developed such a relationship with Shen Yurui, Huang Chu was no longer worried about her.

"Where's Changzhi? I haven't seen him today. Is he with your father?"

"He can't get out of bed," Huang Chu said, then seeing Shen Xuying's shocked expression, he immediately smiled and explained, "What are you thinking, Mother! The bed isn't wide enough, and he wasn't used to it, so he didn't pay attention and accidentally bumped his ankle on the railing, which is now swollen. I told him not to move around, and Mother and Father won't blame him."

Shen Xuying was both amused and exasperated, muttering, "...It's not about whether he's to blame or not. He couldn't get out of bed on the second day of his marriage. It would be so embarrassing for him if word got out..."

Huang Chu didn't care; she felt this was Huang Muyun's retribution. A dent appeared on his slender ankle, and after the swelling subsided, the wound healed, leaving only a light-colored scar on his dark skin, like the one she had burned on her shoulder by an oil lamp in her past life.

Because of this, Huang Chu believed that God had been kind to her.

Shortly after Huang Chu and Huang Muyun's marriage, they achieved a great naval victory. Zhao Yuze returned, and Huang Chu asked him about Azhu's situation, always assuming that Azhu, given the opportunity, would want to leave Ji Zheng. But Azhu didn't. Zhao Yuze said that the naval battle had taken a heavy toll on Ji Zheng, and he was growing increasingly old. He had begun to rely on Azhu for many things, especially his longing to return home, because he suspected others would try to take advantage of his old age. Everyone felt this way, but only Azhu wouldn't, because Azhu was a woman.

Huang Chu then realized what Ah Zhu was about to do, and was greatly shocked and admired her decisiveness.

Ah Zhu and Ji Zheng actually understood each other. Ji Zheng didn't say that because he looked down on Ah Zhu for being a woman, but because he knew that Ah Zhu needed him to build her own identity. So he made a deal with Ah Zhu: Ah Zhu would help him fulfill his dying wish and take care of his funeral arrangements, and in return, he would allow Ah Zhu to inherit his estate, as long as she had the ability to get it.

The seemingly extremely unfair conditions were enough for Ah Zhu.

Sure enough, not long after, I heard that Azhu had officially married Ji Zheng. Azhu's surname was Li, and she became Mrs. Li of the sea.

Zhao Yuze took Huang Xingtong away, and the whole matter took a long time to come to a conclusion. It wasn't until the second half of the year that Huang Xingtong was reinstated and remained in the capital. He went to the Ministry of Personnel to bring his relatives to the capital.

After discussing it at home, neither Huang Chu nor Huang Muyun wanted to go, so Shen Xuying took Huang Song to the capital. Huang Xingtong wrote a letter scolding the two married men for being so lazy, not missing him at all, and only knowing how to hide in their own little world.

After Shen Xuying arrived, she brought a long scroll painting by Huang Muyun. The painting depicted the same mountains, lush bamboo, and flowers in full bloom. She and Huang Chu were enjoying the summer in the pavilion, which could be seen as an apology or as a way of being affectionate.

Huang Xingtong was at his wit's end with the couple. He also missed home; this garden was one he had personally decorated, but it had all gone to his eldest daughter and son-in-law. He was thinking of retiring and going home.

His dejected look was only lifted after Shen Xuying stepped on his foot. Huang Xingtong picked up his youngest daughter: "Rongniang, don't be like your sister. When you grow up, you enjoy your own happiness and don't care about your old man, do you understand?"

Before Rongniang could speak, Shen Xuying stepped on his foot again.

This long scroll was later hung in the study of Huang Xingtong's residence in the capital. Those who knew him well had all seen it. It was painted really beautifully. They also heard that it was painted by his son-in-law, which was a bit of a compliment to Huang Xingtong. Of course, it also had the effect of genuine talent. Gradually, people asked Huang Xingtong to have Huang Muyun paint for them. But that's another story.

After Shen Xuying and Huang Song left, the house became Huang Chu's domain. In particular, Shen Xuying took most of the servants with her. People always want to move to higher places, and the servants always hoped to go to the capital. Huang Chu thought it was a good idea. Since there were only two of them, they didn't need many people to serve them, so fewer and fewer people stayed behind.

Stone still loved the adventures at sea. Huang Chu asked him if he wanted to start his own business, but Stone shook his head. He wasn't interested in business, but later he took the money and started a fishing ground in Xiaoshidang. He often led his own fishing team out to sea, and the boats he used were not the small sampans, but proper Fujian-style boats.

According to him, the adventures on the high seas were not just about robbing merchants; sometimes it was just about catching a fish, a big fish. He would lead a ship full of people to chase after a fish for more than half a month. That kind of joy was more exciting than finding gold and silver treasures.

Huang Chu went with him. Later, he received fish and fish bones from Shi Tou, the origin of which was unknown, and they were taller than a person.

Shi Tou had also invited his brother to go out to sea with him. Huang Muyun accompanied him a few times, but then stopped going. He wouldn't say why. Later, one year during the Spring Festival, Shi Tou came back and got drunk and let it slip. Huang Muyun was too tall, and the rough seas affected him more than the average person. Shi Tou's fierce way of chasing fish turned the boat into a cradle. While the others were fishing, Huang Muyun vomited so badly that he refused to go again.

Huang Chu laughed so hard he fell off the table.

Huang Muyun, who is not yet famous in Beijing, is constantly being asked to paint, but he continues to paint, and he is currently painting Huang Chu.

It was already a huge honor for him to paint a long scroll for his father-in-law. The study in the house now belonged to him, and the large celadon jar was full of scrolls depicting Huang Chu. There were also many small doodles, which Huang Chu collected one by one, and even more.

When Huang Chu was teaching him to read, he asked, "Do you still want to learn? Do you still want to take the exam?"

"I learned it," Huang Muyun replied, her wrist twirling, without writing a single word.

The brush tip flicked across Huang Chu's hand, leaving an ink stain. Just as Huang Chu was about to get angry, he grabbed her arm, picked up the brush, and added two more strokes to her hand, turning it into a budding peony.

Huang Chu wanted to curse him, but she froze and couldn't bring herself to say it. Her skin was fair and smooth, as if it were a natural texture, and a peony seemed to grow out of her body, making her feel itchy, and her heart felt itchy too.

This was no longer just Huang Muyun's one-sided nonsense; she had also become an accomplice.

The following summer, the study had long been connected to the flower hall, becoming a huge, spacious room. All the windows were raised, and the lush, dripping green Jianshan Mountain and garden outside became a moving, scroll-like backdrop.

Summer thunderstorms come in torrential downpours, like a gauze curtain drawn over a bed. The servants all close the doors and windows to avoid the rain and steal a moment of leisure indoors. The raging wind blows wildly, lifting Huang Chu's long hair. She lies half-naked on the couch in the middle of the room, silently allowing Huang Muyun to draw a series of floral and vine patterns on her body.

The weather was too hot, and even the rain made it feel stuffy. Huang Chu felt a bit dizzy and disoriented, and vaguely felt that he shouldn't have agreed to Huang Muyun's suggestion. He was being a bit too demanding, and had become increasingly bold in the past two years.

But the cool pen tip brushed against her, leaving a damp ink residue that felt refreshingly cool in the breeze. She felt comfortable again, and told herself that it wasn't impossible. In the end, as long as she wasn't allowed to, Huang Muyun still wouldn't dare.

Huang Muyun's habit of piling jewelry on her in her past life has changed. Now she likes to paint large clusters of flowers on her body, and she prefers that no flower is as fresh and delicate as her.

Sometimes, when Huang Chu got tired of lying down, she would roll over, and Huang Muyun's unfinished drawing would be smudged by Huang Chu, making him look a little unhappy. Huang Chu would then pinch his chin and pull him closer, squinting at him for a while. Just looking at him, Huang Muyun would immediately forget all his dissatisfaction, as if he were bewitched, and only want to lean down and kiss her. At this moment, even if he were slapped, he wouldn't come to his senses; instead, he would become even more eager, which was really ridiculously stupid.

Because of this, Huang Chu gave Huang Mujun a nickname, Erjun, and this was the signature on every framed painting. Huang Chu also carved a seal for him.

"What does 'Ear Lord' mean?" Huang Muyun asked, after all, it was a subject that even a scholar couldn't pass the imperial examinations for.

Huang Chu didn't hide anything from him, "Huang Er is a dog, and you're obedient, so I'm praising you and calling you Ear-kun."

It's just that using the surname together would be too easy to expose him, so let's give him some face and not say it together.

Huang Muyun thought for a moment, and it seemed that she should be angry, but she really couldn't be angry, so she fell on top of her, pressed her down, and held her hand against her face, a small, white and tender hand that was completely different from her own.

"I'm going to rest for a while," he mumbled in his sleep.

Huang Chu then ran her fingers through his hair, smoothing it and occasionally pressing it, not minding the pressure. Before long, she herself fell asleep.

In the same year, Huang Chu met Li Mama again, who came to the city looking for work. Out of gratitude, he let her work in the Golden Pavilion and take care of the piece of sunken wood, as a way of supporting her in her old age.

At first, Li's mother thought she had been tricked. What kind of family would be so strange as to hire someone to serve a piece of wood? But later, after seeing the mistress of the house and the laboring master of the house in the Huang family, and the stone who only came back occasionally and whose relationship with the family was unclear, she gradually got used to it. Anyway, she couldn't find such an easy job again. The master of the house was kind and paid her wages on time. What could she complain about?

Many years passed in this carefree manner.

Finally, one year, when Stone returned from his voyage, he brought back Ah Zhu.

As promised, Azhu saw Ji Zheng to his death. Later, she continued to maintain contact with the general's side, picked up the things Ji Zheng hadn't finished, and became the powerful Madam Li, who commanded respect on the seas. Once her work was done, she didn't linger, nor did she wait for anyone to kill her. She made a graceful exit, disappearing in a flash. Even the general didn't know where she and her wealth had vanished.

Ah-Zhu has aged considerably in the years due to the wind and sun at sea, compared to the pampered days she spent with Kobayashi, but her spirits are much better now.

She never expected Huang Chu to give her a place to go on Earth, and Huang Chu never expected to have the chance to hear her side of the story firsthand.

Overjoyed at the long-awaited reunion, Huang Chu suddenly remembered that there was also a piece of wood. He wanted to inform the wood brother that Ah Zhu had returned safely and that they would have a banquet that night to chat all night long.

Then Ah Zhu met Li Mama in the Golden Pavilion.

Whether they are related by blood or not, Ah Zhu won't say, Li's mother won't say, and Huang Chu doesn't want to guess.

It could also be two women who were complete strangers who met, hit it off, and supported each other to survive.

There's nothing wrong with that. Huang Chu heard that Shen Yurui occasionally goes to the nunnery to have tea with Luo Shutao.

Later, Ah Zhu moved into the Golden Building to live with Li's mother.

Like a missing piece of an arc, it met another piece, and together they became a perfect whole.