Miao He didn’t regain full clarity until evening. He had been tormented the entire morning, ending up with red eyes pleading for a break, only to be met with more fervent gasps and invasions. Initially, he had held back from struggling too much, mindful of Yang Dalang’s injury, but Yang Dalang, like a mountain, pressed him down until his spirit nearly left him.
Thinking back to the events before falling asleep, Miao He felt his body heat up again. He sluggishly realized that he felt fresh and clean now, without the stickiness from sweating. The bedding seemed to have been changed to an older set, indicating… Miao He blushed, shrinking under the blanket.
The door creaked open, and Yang Dalang walked in with a bowl of porridge. Their eyes met briefly before Yang Dalang paused and said, “I made porridge. Eat some.”
At this moment, Yang Dalang seemed calm and taciturn again, a stark contrast to his earlier dominance and urgency, and the stubborn way he had called Miao He’s name softly.
Holding onto the blanket, Miao He awkwardly asked, “What’s wrong?”
Yang Dalang didn’t answer. He first placed the porridge on the table, then approached the bed. As he bent down to lift Miao He up, he felt Miao He’s body tense up. His eyes caught sight of the faint marks on Miao He’s fair neck, and a flash of regret crossed his eyes. Nonetheless, he helped Miao He sit up against the wall.
“I’ll feed you.” Yang Dalang went back to get the porridge.
Miao He watched Yang Dalang in a daze. He wasn’t angry. From the moment he agreed to be with Yang Dalang, he had mentally prepared himself for this day, mixed with a bit of curiosity and fear of the unknown.
Now, it wasn’t exactly as he had imagined; it just felt sudden.
He hadn’t expected Yang Dalang to make any declarations of love or speak sweet words. In this era, marriage was about living peacefully together, which typically lasted a lifetime. He constantly felt Yang Dalang’s care and attention, which was enough to make him fall for him.
He wanted to give Yang Dalang the same feeling in return. However, Dalang had seemed a bit anxious and uneasy earlier.
Just like the occasional frustration and restraint he had sensed in Dalang’s touches before. Why was that?
Miao He stubbornly asked again, “Why?” His voice was warm, without any accusation, just confusion.
Seeing the perplexed look in Miao He’s eyes, Yang Dalang, for the first time, avoided eye contact by lowering his gaze.
He scooped a spoonful of porridge, blew on it to cool it, and then gently fed it to Miao He.
Miao He sighed inwardly. This man really was like what Second Aunt had said—a closed book. If he wouldn’t speak, Miao He could only guess.
As he was fed spoonful by spoonful, Miao He tried to recall any potential triggers.
Right, before he was thrown onto the bed, hadn’t he just discovered the strange change in the magic soil?
Magic soil… magic soil? Magic soil!
A flash of understanding left Miao He speechless.
Could Yang Dalang have thought he was going to ascend to immortality again? But Yang Dalang usually seemed like a rational person.
Although the matter with the magic soil defied rationality, could it be that ancient people really couldn’t accept anything unusual?
He glanced at the man in front of him, who was as immovable as a mountain.
Why did he find this kind of cute? Miao He tilted his head, only to be fed another spoonful of porridge.
Once the porridge was finished and Yang Dalang had cleaned the bowl, Miao He looked up at him in the same posture. Finally, Yang Dalang, slightly uncertain, asked, “Rest a bit more?”
This time, it was Miao He who didn’t answer. After a moment of hesitation, Yang Dalang decided to bend down and lay him back down. Miao He took the opportunity to let his arms slip out from under the blanket, revealing more of his fair skin covered in bruises, marks from their earlier passion. Just like when he was moved by Yang Dalang before, he wrapped his arms around Dalang’s neck.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Miao He said.
Hearing this, Yang Dalang tightened his embrace. Miao He felt the slightly painful grip and realized he had solved the puzzle. He still didn’t fully understand, but he was touched by Dalang’s concern for him.
“Doesn’t your injury hurt?” Miao He asked.
“It doesn’t,” Yang Dalang replied gruffly.
“Don’t be stubborn like this next time,” Miao He said.
Yang Dalang’s last bit of tension finally eased.
Even now, his ger still worried about him.
***
The next day, Miao He walked like an elderly person, with Yang Dalang insisting he rest in bed all day. The day after, aside from some muscle soreness, Miao He felt fine and pulled Yang Dalang to study the two clumps of magic soil. Seeing Dalang’s wary look, Miao He thought it better to make him fully understand, to avoid any misunderstandings.
Through multiple experiments, they found that the two clumps of magic soil functioned just like the original one, only now there were two. It was like a farming game where the plots gradually increased. Unfortunately, the two clumps couldn’t merge into a stronger one. The advantage was doubled efficiency.
However, Miao He still couldn’t figure out how the magic soil had upgraded. Was it due to the planting frequency? Or the variety of plants? In his past life, he had planted frequently but had never encountered this situation. Could it be that planting in pots versus in the ground made such a big difference?
In any case, having two clumps of magic soil meant their garden could expand even more. The “fertilizer” produced by the magic soil was really effective, and they could even consider preparing a larger orchard. First, though, they needed to go to town to formalize the land deed gifted by the Liang family.
But on the day they planned to go to town, a child from the village chief’s house came knocking, informing them of a village meeting at the Miao family ancestral hall that afternoon. With the planting season over, and fields only needing weeding and fertilizing, it wasn’t too busy. The meeting was probably to announce something important.
The deed transfer could wait another day or two, so in the afternoon, Miao He and Yang Dalang went to the Miao family ancestral hall for the meeting.
When they arrived, most people were already there. Chairs were set up in the open space in front of the ancestral hall. Miao He recognized a few people, including the village chief and several elderly figures from prominent families in the village. The village chief liked to have them as a backdrop to show that his decisions were supported by the majority.
Naturally, Miao Jue was among the elders. He sat next to the village chief, dressed in dark blue scholar’s robes, with a slightly arrogant expression. The village chief kept leaning over to talk to him, looking very cordial.
Miao He glanced to the side and was slightly surprised.
Yang Dalang, noticing Miao He’s reaction, asked, “What’s wrong?”
Miao He shook his head. He had just seen the brother who had been with Miao Yuan on the street last time, standing behind Miao Jue.
Second Aunt Yang walked over and greeted them, “You two are here too. By the way, He Ge’er, I forgot to ask what you wanted done with the cloth you sent last time.”
“Just make everyday clothes. One set for me and one for Dalang,” Miao He replied, thinking all ancient clothes looked the same.
Second Aunt Yang waved her hand, “That cloth is really good. It would be a shame to make something ordinary. How about I make you a long robe? There are always occasions where you need to dress neatly throughout the year.”
Before Miao He could understand what a long robe was, Yang Dalang had already agreed.
Satisfied, Second Aunt Yang changed the topic, “By the way, your second brother’s work with the reclining chairs has brought in more orders, thanks to Dr. Ji’s recommendations. When you go to town, come by our place. I want to send a gift to thank him.”
Before Yang Dalang could reply, Miao He quickly said, “There’s no need to go to so much trouble, Second Aunt. Dr. Ji loves the tomatoes from our garden. I’ll send him more next time and tell him it’s from you. After all, you’re already making clothes for me and Dalang, which is perfect.”
“That won’t do. Just sending tomatoes is too little, even though yours are indeed delicious. I want to send some eggs and meat; the clinic could surely use them!” Second Aunt Yang waved her hand dismissively.
Before Miao He could continue persuading her, the village chief stood up to speak.
“Dear villagers, thank you for coming despite your busy schedules! I won’t waste your precious time. I have some great news to announce to everyone today.”
At the mention of good news, the villagers started talking amongst themselves.
“Good news? Does it mean fewer taxes? Didn’t Yuanjia Village get tax relief last winter because of the snow disaster? Are we included?”
“Mrs. Yu, Yuanjia Village is far away. You’re dreaming. My guess is the county magistrate has changed, and the tax collectors won’t be those two rascals anymore!”
“How is that good news? What if the new one is worse? Heaven help us!”
The village chief quickly gestured for silence. “Everyone, please calm down! Let me speak!!”
He continued loudly, “This good news actually started with Mr. Miao’s family! You all know that our village’s Miao Yuan is very talented. He passed the first-level scholar exam last year and went to Miao Shui Town to study under a teacher. This child is diligent and recently discovered a valuable recipe from an ancient book, called Tofu pudding!”
Miao He was taken aback.
So the Tofu pudding at Dahe Restaurant originated from Miao Yuan’s family?
But was Doufuhua really recorded in ancient books… why did that sound so familiar?
“Those who have been to town recently know that Doufuhua has become Dahe Restaurant’s signature dish, bringing in a lot of money! The main ingredient of Doufuhua is soybeans, which are needed in large quantities! Mr. Miao is kind-hearted and wants to benefit the village. He has set up a workshop in the village to produce Doufuhua and now wants to hire workers and buy soybeans from everyone! The price for the soybeans will definitely be higher than taking them to town!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd erupted with enthusiasm! Villagers clamored to ask questions.
“Is he really hiring? That’s great news! What are the conditions? How much will the wages be? How many people will he hire!?”
“Really buying soybeans? I still have a few bags at home! I’ll move them over right away. How much per pound!?”
“I just want to know if the job includes meals? How many meals? Does it include breakfast? Can my son go!?”
Of course, there were also dissenting voices among them.
“I knew Mr. Miao’s family seemed to be doing well lately. Turns out they had this going on behind the scenes.”
“I’ve seen people going in and out of that workshop mysteriously lately, not letting anyone ask questions. Turns out they were getting rich behind closed doors!”
“Yeah, look at Miao Liang. His clothes have gotten better lately, probably because he’s already working there!”
“Hey, they’re buying soybeans from us? Sounds nice, but in the end, aren’t they just making money off of us?”
The village chief pretended not to hear these comments and respectfully turned to Miao Jue, “Mr. Miao, your family is the main player in this. Please say a few words to the villagers.”
Miao Jue nodded with authority, hands behind his back, and stepped forward. In the village, those who could read and teach literacy had a certain status.
His presence immediately quieted the crowd.
“As a member of Miao Village, I, Miao Jue, believe in sharing both fortune and hardship with my neighbors. Some might say that my family wants to monopolize this recipe and make everyone else work for us. But have you ever thought that if the recipe is spread, other villages can also grow soybeans and make Tofu pudding ? What benefits would Miao Village have then?”
He paused for effect, his stern expression sweeping over the crowd.
Under his gaze, the dissenting voices fell silent.
Only then did Miao Jue continue, “With this reason alone, I, Miao Jue, am willing to bear this responsibility, to protect this recipe and use it as Miao Village’s asset, to make our village prosper! This also requires the understanding and support of all villagers. I hope everyone will contribute to our village!”
Some villagers were convinced and started cheering. “Well said, Mr. Miao! A learned man indeed speaks differently from us mud-legs! He’s right!”
“Let’s make our village prosperous! That’s a great idea! I’ll plant more soybeans instead of corn next season! I fully support this!”
Seeing the positive reaction, Miao Jue smiled modestly and straightened his back even more. “With everyone’s participation, I believe Miao Village will certainly surpass other villages in the future!”
He concluded to another round of applause and cheers.
The village chief, very pleased with the scene, added with a smile, “There’s still some uncultivated land around the village that can be used to grow soybeans. As long as they’re grown, not just this year, but every year, Mr. Miao’s workshop will keep buying them! This is a long-term, profitable business! If this isn’t good news, then what is!?”
This was followed by another round of cheers and lively discussions.
The inspiring assembly ended with villagers crowding around Miao Jue and the village chief, seeking more details.
After hearing the whole thing, Miao He couldn’t help but wonder if someone else from the modern world had come here too?
The idea of Tofu pudding and making the village prosperous were all very familiar.
If he met them in the future, should he reveal his identity?
Seeing Miao He deep in thought, Yang Dalang took his hand, looking at him with concern.
Miao He, unable to explain, just shook his head.
Second Aunt Yang, standing beside them, noticed their clasped hands and the almost faded birthmark.
No wonder their eyes were glued to each other.
With a delighted heart, Second Aunt Yang began planning to put extra effort into the clothes He Ge’er had asked her to make.
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