Accompanied by a Fool To Do Farming

Chapter 82: 婚事

(Wedding/Marriage) 

Time passed very quickly, while Zhao Zheng’an and Zhong Ziqi’s business was on track, it was already the time for ‘Grain in Beard1‘ season again. 

 

        Now, Zhong Ziqi’s pregnancy was almost six months old, so it was impossible for him to go into the field and help to transplant the rice seedlings. Even if he wanted to help, Zhao Zheng’an and his family would not agree.

 

        The good thing was that their family didn’t have that much land, just three mu of land. Zhao Zheng’an was able to find two people to work it all in one day. 

 

        Now, Father Shen and Shen Amu were officially living in this small village and dressed like ordinary people. Hong Ying had gone back while the head housekeeper stayed behind to help take over various kinds of chores.

 

From the initial surprise at the sudden appearance of three strangers, until later they knew that they were Zhong Ziqi’s grandparents, the villagers had become used to their frequent visit to the village. At some point, they noticed that Li Zheng would often talk to the man who was said to be Zhong Ziqi’s grandfather. Some people were curious and asked Li Zheng what they were talking about. They had never seen Li Zheng being such pleasant countenance to anyone before, especially when it was a stranger from outside the village. 

 

         Li Zheng said something that made people become muddleheaded, “Mr. Shen Zhuowen is a man who has profound knowledge…”

    

From the random conversation with Father Shen, Li Zheng realized that he was a man of learning. Then from time to time, the more Li Zheng came into contact with him, the more he felt that Shen Zhuowen was very knowledgeable. His style of conversation and his mannerism were extraordinary. Li Zheng had a hunch that he was not simple. Shen Zhuowen did not look like an ordinary countryman at all. His good-looking, elegant and noble Fu lang, all showed that both of them were not simple but Li Zheng could not guess what kind of identity this person had.

 

        “Have you found nice people to help you with the rice planting? The work will start tomorrow.”

 

That night, Zhong Ziqi said that as he lay on the Kang bed, chatting with Zhao Zheng’an. 

 

Zhao Zheng’an touched his belly, felt the movement inside and said : “I’ve found it, when the time comes, we can just pay several wens for the work.”

 

        Zhong Ziqi nodded his head, after that he slapped away Zhao Zheng’an’s increasingly unruly hand : “Why are you still touching ah? Go to sleep!” 

 

Since he had been pregnant for almost six months, he didn’t know when it started that the little one in his belly had become lively. He could roll over, kick and punch to declare his existence. Zhong Ziqi felt very new and odd. From the initial dislike to a new and complicated feeling. Now, he is looking forward to the baby and loves him. It could even be said that Zhong Ziqi had gone through several changes in his heart.

 

        All of these didn’t escape from Zhao Zheng’an observation. Zhao Zheng’an was happy to see this. He always felt that at the beginning, Zhong Ziqi did not like the child but slowly, after he got used to him, gradually he could not see the boredom in his eyes anymore. Instead, he was filled with love, the anticipation of the baby’s arrival.

        

        “Sleep … sleep …You still have to get up early tomorrow to work!”

 

        Zhong Ziqi glared at him as he warned him not to mess around but what Zhao Zheng’an thought at certain times was not something he could control.

 

        Zhao Zheng’an wrapped himself around Zhong Ziqi like an octopus, undressed skillfully. After that, he began to do regular exercise. 

 

        Since Zhong Ziqi was pregnant, he had been forbidden to have intercourse for the first three months. This made Zhao Zheng’an suffered from the unspeakable misery. As soon as it was finally time to eat meat again after a period of great difficulty fasting, yet Zhong Ziqi’s body was too weak to be tossed around. Each time, he was left wanting more and dissatisfied. 

 

        The next day, when Zhong Ziqi got up, Zhao Zheng’an had already left. In the house, he and Shen Amu were the only ones left.

 

“Grandma, where is grandfather?” Zhong Ziqi yawned and rubbed his back as he walked out the door.

 

Shen Amu brought him the warmed-up food to the table. Now that he had completely followed the customs here and he even learnt how to cook! Although it was far away from being as good as Zhong Ziqi’s cooking, it was still good enough to eat. It was the first time he had been in the kitchen to cook in almost 50 years. He came from a prestigious family background. Jiangnan’s famous Jiang family that almost monopolized the silk business was his family. He had been spoiled and pampered since he was a child so he never cooked before. He even almost had to be fed to eat. Now he is here, slowly he is also learning something. Watching people eat his food, somehow he felt a sense of accomplishment.

 

“Him ah, he’s gone to the braised meat workshop. Don’t worry about him, he can’t stay idle.”

 

“Hn….grandma, have you eaten yet?” Zhong Ziqi asked as he ate.

 

Shen Amu smiled, “I’ve eaten. Zheng’an got up early, cooked the rice, ate some and left.”

 

“En… Let me cook lunch! After that I’ll send it to him then. If their movements are quick, three people will probably be able to finish it in one day.”

 

The reason their family kept the three acres of land and didn’t sell it was because it had enough food for him and Zhao Zheng’an. Now that they had three more people and three mouths to feed, naturally the supply couldn’t keep up. However, it didn’t take much time to keep the three mu of land, so they just kept it.

 

After eating, Zhong Ziqi and Shen Amu went out of the house. They went to the stewed meat workshop to take a look. There was nothing wrong there since the head housekeeper and Father Shen were keeping an eye on it. Both of them were experienced old men, they knew how to grasp people’s hearts.

 

They could tell when someone was not looking right or when there was something strange in their little gestures. This was a level (realm) that Zhao Zheng’an and Zhong Ziqi were unable to reach.

 

Zhong Ziqi and Shen Amu came out from the workshop and went to their family’s field to have a look around, but as far as their eyes could see, there were basically all people, except for the elderly and children. As long as their families had fields, they were all busy in the fields at the moment.

         

On the way, they rarely met other people but occasionally, they would encounter villagers passing by, they would say hello to each other as long as their relationship was not too difficult.

 

Their land was close by, it didn’t take them long to get to the land. Zhao Zheng’an and the three of them had already gone far away. Zhong Ziqi didn’t call them either. Instead, Wang Cuihua’s family, who lived not far from their land, saw them. Wang Cuihua and Zhao Cheng both pulled long faces as they continued to plant rice seedlings like they hadn’t seen them.

 

Wang Cuihua’s mouth opened a few times, probably cursing and saying something unpleasant.

 

A while ago, when they heard that Zhong Ziqi’s grandparents had come to visit, the annoying in the extreme Wang Cuihua and the Zhong family had come over and tried to get closer2 but they were scolded by Father Shen and Shen Amu who had already understood what had happened. There had been no contact between the two sides since then.

 

After a walk around the field, Zhong Ziqi and Shen Amu went back to clean up the house and handled some trivial matters. At noon, Zhong Ziqi cooked a stir-fried meat dish and a vegetarian dish. Zhong Ziqi knew that Zhao Zheng’an was a pure meat eater. Eat meat, then he would have the strength to work so he cooked a meat dish as a treat for him.

    

The people who had come to do the work were so pleased because they had a delicious lunch and even told Zhao Zheng’an after they had finished eating that he could call them immediately for  future work.

 

Zhao Zheng’an laughed and didn’t reply.

 

When he returned home in the afternoon, he talked to Zhong Ziqi about the incident: “Didn’t you see the way their eyes glowed? They told me that they will be coming next time, if there is a next job so they ask us to inform them. I think, next time if you show your skill, we won’t even have to pay for the work.”

 

“Next time, you do it.” Zhong Ziqi said, not in a good mood. It was because they didn’t want to owe anyone a favour so they just directly hired someone and paid them the money. 

 

“He he, hey, actually this rice planting is quite tiring. It’s a good thing you didn’t go. My back is about to break.” Zhao Zheng’an said as he twisted his waist.

 

“Get on the Kang bed, I’ll give you a message.” Zhong Ziqi patted the bed and told him to come up.

 

Zhao Zheng’an immediately took off his shoes and lay down on the kang bed. Zhong Ziqi sat on him and gave him a massage.

        

“How’s that? Is it strong enough?” Zhong Ziqi messaged and pressed his waist hard.

 

Zhao Zheng’an squinted his eyes and moaned continually, “Mmm … comfortable … That’s the place…mmm.”

 

Outside the door, Father Shen and Shen Amu looked at each other before then both of them shook their heads. 

 

The young people nowadays ah, why do they know so little about restraint? In the daytime, to show obscene scenes (publicly) is not decent.

 

In the room, Zhong Ziqi slapped him hard : “Can you not scream so… much like you’re in heat?”

 

Zhao Zhengan lazily said, “Indeed, it’s a little …”

 

Zhong Ziqi thought through for a while before then speechlessly, pinching him several times. 

 

Zhao Zheng’an immediately ‘Ouch, ouch!’ begged for forgiveness. 

 

The fifth month passed. In June, Zhao Amu and Huang Amu’s family officially set the date that in July, Zhao Ning and Huang Jinlei were going to get married.

 

At the same time, there was even better news ; An Ning is pregnant. It could be said that there were two simultaneous happy events in the family. Everyone who knew them well was happy for the family.

 

At the end of June, Shen Yubei arrived from the south, again without a word, so when he suddenly appeared at the Zhao family’s doorstep, this surprised everyone. 

 

“Uncle… you didn’t even tell us that you are going to come!” Zhong Ziqi said.

 

“If I said it, you and Zheng’an would still come and pick me up. Why should I bother you guys with that? It’s not like I can’t find where your house is.” Shen Yu Bei said with a smile. 

 

“Then uncle, you come here…Is everything okay over there?” Zhong Ziqi knew that the Shen Family’s business couldn’t be left for too long.

 

“That’s right! Uncle … this time, how long can you stay here?” Zhao Zheng’an also asked him. 

        

“This time…I can probably stay for four or five days. I came to see how you guys are doing.”

 

Father Shen frowned, he suddenly opened his mouth and said, “Is there something wrong? Everyone here is our own people, if you have something to say, you can just say it! Is there any problem with the business?”

 

Everyone was startled by his words, they didn’t expect Father Shen to say something like that. Could it be that something really had happened?

 

“Son ah…what’s wrong? You don’t have to hide it from me and your father. Just say it!” Shen Amu also asked anxiously. 

   

Shen Yubei waved his hand, not knowing whether to laugh or cry: “You guys don’t have to worry. The business is good!”

 

They were relieved after they heard this.

 

“Then what’s wrong? There must be something that you hide from us.” Shen Amu still knew his son very well because he knew he must have something that he wanted to say.

 

Shen Yu Bei muttered to himself irresolutely for a moment before he slowly said : “There is one thing I want to discuss with you guys.”

 

        “What is it?”

 

        Shen Yu Bei smiled, “My matter…”

 

        “Ah?” Several people took the same action by chance, dumbfounded for a moment. 

 

        “What is the situation? Brat, you better give me a clear explanation!” Father Shen slapped the table and asked him, this matter was too sudden, so many years they had introduced him to many gers, yet he immediately rejected all of them. 

 

Why does he suddenly want to open up today? Strange! Who has such a great charm? 

 

“Son, which family’s ger have you fallen in love with? Tell Amu about it…” Shen Amu asked happily, everyone he knew of the same age as Shen Yubei was now already having a child that could run all over the place. But their family’ son didn’t even have someone he liked. How could they not be anxious? They want to hold their grandchildren too!

 

“This person… Father, Amu, you also know him, he is Gao Hanjin from the Gao family.”

 

“What? Isn’t Han Jin a man? You, you… He… he…” Shen Amu was a little unsure of what to say.

 

Father Shen knit his brow while looking toward Shen Yu Bei: “What’s going on? Speak clearly!”

 

Shen Yu Bei knew the two would react this way, somewhat helplessly, he said,”Father, Amu, Han Jin is a ger, not a man.”

 

“What? He…he is a ger? What is this all about?”

 

“It’s like this, when he was a child, Gao Amu injured his health. The doctor said he might not be able to conceive or have children again. Uncle Gao and his big household family and business need an heir. They can’t have no one to inherit the family business after their one hundred years old history of business . They raised Han Jin as a son and they never told anyone about it so no one knew about it. However several years ago, they didn’t expect that Gao Amu was miraculously pregnant again and the child was a boy. Han Jin’s heavy burden was slowly lifted up, so he could resume his status as a ger and get married.”

 

Father Shen and Shen Amu instantly shook their heads in disbelief, no wonder, they always thought that despite being a man, why Gao Hanjin’s appearance was so soft and reserved? So actually he was a ger ah!

 

    

 

1

[芒种 /Máng zhòng :  Mangzhong or Grain in Beard, 9th of the 24 solar terms 二十四節氣|二十四节气 6th-20th June]

2

(worm their way into being friends with sb),