Before dawn, Ye Yun opened his sleepy eyes and found himself lying in Rong Zheng's arms, while Rong Zheng still slept with his eyes closed. He quietly studied Rong Zheng's sleeping face and boldly reached out to touch his handsome cheek. Remembering their intense kisses last night, the tips of his ears turned red.
"Isn't your husband handsome?"
When Ye Yun woke, Rong Zheng had woken too. As a martial artist, he was alert to the slightest movement.
His husband was very shy, and Rong Zheng dared not tease him further for fear of upsetting him again.
"Sleep a little longer. I'll make breakfast."
Ye Yun's eyes widened in astonishment. In this village, he had hardly ever seen a man enter the kitchen to cook; their wives or ger husbands always waited on them. He hurried to get up, saying, "I'll get up and cook now."
Rong Zheng tucked him back under the covers. "Be good. You were busy with the wedding yesterday, and you're tired too. Rest a little longer."
"But, but husbands don't usually go into the kitchen. People will laugh."
"That's other people's husbands. Yours is willing to cook for you." He looked gently at his husband, then lowered his head to give his forehead a quick kiss before getting dressed and going out.
Ye Yun's heart bubbled with happiness. He felt so fortunate to be Rong Zheng's husband. Then he remembered their intense kisses last night again, and his face gradually reddened. He hurriedly pulled the quilt over his head.
That morning, Rong Zheng made plain rice porridge and simply stir-fried a plate of wild greens. Seeing that the villagers who had come to the wedding feast yesterday had brought plenty of eggs, he fried one for each of them.
For village weddings, people generally gave eggs, homegrown vegetables, and the like-very simple, practical gifts.
As he brought the food to the table, he saw Ye Chen rush out of his room, his eyes bleary and hair a mess. His voice was full of anxiety. "Sorry, the bed was too comfortable. I, I overslept."
Last night had been his first time staying in a spacious room, and the bedding was so soft that he had slept far too comfortably and overslept that morning. Afraid Rong Zheng would be displeased, he hurried to apologize. "Brother-in-law, I'll get up early to tend the fire next time."
Before, he had gotten up early with Brother Yun every day to help tend the fire. Ye Yun had wanted his little brother to sleep longer, but Chen Guihua could not stand it and would launch into a string of pointed, indirect insults.
Seeing Ye Chen's anxious expression, Rong Zheng's heart ached. This child was only eight, yet years of living under someone else's roof had made him sensitive and excessively cautious.
He probably did not even realize that, consciously or otherwise, he was trying to please Rong Zheng for fear of making him angry.
Rong Zheng smiled. "Morning, Xiao Chen. Go wash up. Breakfast will be ready soon." He set the food on the table, then turned to look at Ye Chen, who was still following nervously behind him. With a sigh, he bent down and ruffled his hair.
"Xiao Chen, we're family now. Don't be so reserved. Make yourself comfortable. Go wash up and come eat breakfast."
"Mm, thank you, Brother-in-law."
For some reason, being called brother-in-law always felt a little strange to Rong Zheng. He said, "Oh, call me Brother Rong from now on."
Ye Chen nodded in agreement, then ran off to wash up.
At the table, Ye Yun stared wide-eyed at the thick porridge. It was made entirely of white rice, without a single grain of coarse rice mixed in.
In ancient times, farming families generally ate very watery porridge made with a mixture of brown and white rice, and often ate steamed buns with vegetables. When did they ever get porridge this thick?
Rong Zheng noticed his husband's astonishment and guessed what he was thinking. From the original owner's memories, his family had also eaten thin porridge at every meal, so he explained, "We need to eat our fill to have the strength to work. From now on, whether we're making porridge or rice, we'll use white rice, and the porridge needs to be thick. You two are still growing. You can't go without proper food."
Ye Yun winced at the expense. "But eating like this at every meal will cost a lot."
Rong Zheng placed a chopstickful of wild greens in Ye Yun's bowl. "Could you bear to let your husband go hungry?"
Hearing Rong Zheng call himself his husband, Ye Yun felt his face grow hot again. He explained, "That's not what I..."
"We have enough money for food. Don't worry. Eat before it gets cold. Look how much Xiao Chen is enjoying it."
Watching the thin, frail Ye Chen concentrate earnestly on his meal, Ye Yun felt Rong Zheng was right and began eating contentedly.
When they were nearly finished, Rong Zheng said, "I get up early every day to carry water and water the vegetables as exercise. I've thought about it, and Xiao Chen should get up early with me from now on." He finished his last mouthful of porridge and was about to continue.
At that, Ye Yun's chopsticks paused as he reached for the vegetables. He thought Rong Zheng also wanted Ye Chen to do a great deal of work and treat him as a servant. Remembering their former life, he panicked and looked uneasily at Rong Zheng.
Seeing that he had frightened his husband, Rong Zheng hurried to finish what he had been saying:
"I know some martial arts. Starting tomorrow, Xiao Chen can train with me and get up early to practice the horse stance. It'll strengthen his body and teach him to defend himself."
Rong Zheng had come up with this idea after seeing Ye Chen's insecure, ingratiating expression that morning. He hoped learning martial arts would help Ye Chen become more confident.
Before transmigrating, Rong Zheng had devoted himself to martial arts. Transmigrating was like getting a different life, so he might as well try something else.
Now that he had decided to pursue the imperial examinations, he could not divide his attention between two things. He wanted to teach what he knew to someone suitable, and Ye Chen was undoubtedly his first choice. This was his little brother-in-law, after all.
Of course, if Ye Chen was not interested, he would not force him, but he would still have to learn basic self-defense.
After hearing Rong Zheng's earnest explanation, Ye Yun felt embarrassed about his misunderstanding. Rong Zheng was so good to them. How could he mistreat them like their eldest uncle's family had?
"Xiao Chen, thank Brother Rong."
Ye Chen looked at Rong Zheng with shining eyes. "Thank you, Brother Rong."
After they finished eating, Ye Yun rushed to clear the dishes and went to work in the kitchen.
Rong Zheng went into his room and bent over the desk, carefully drawing up plans for a house. He intended to build a large house with gray bricks and tiled roofs. Winters here brought heavy snow and were terribly cold.
He planned to build a large fireplace in the new house's main hall, both attractive and practical, and heated brick beds in the bedrooms. They would certainly be warm to sleep on during winter nights. That would make for a comfortable home.
While preparing for the wedding, he had also approached the village chief and bought around two mu of vacant land in front of his current house as a building plot. Building land was worth less than farmland, so it had cost ten taels in total.
Village Chief Ye had stared at Rong Zheng in astonishment as he bought the land without batting an eye. This was no ordinary financial means. Not only had he held a grand wedding, but he was also buying land to build a house at the same time. Buying two mu at once meant he must be planning a large house.
As he drew up the deed and had Rong Zheng sign and put his fingerprint on it, he praised him repeatedly. "Ye Yun will have a good life with you. You're a fine man. Your parents' spirits in heaven will be happy for you too."
That very day, the village chief took Rong Zheng to the government office to have the deed stamped and registered, finalizing the purchase of the building plot.
Soon, Rong Zheng came out with the plans and called over Ye Yun and Ye Chen, who were wiping down the furniture. Before, Ye Chen had spent all day either working at home or accompanying his brother to work in the fields. He was reserved and lacked confidence, and had few friends in the village, so he did not go out to play, instead helping Ye Yun with his work.
"I plan to finish the new house before winter. This is my preliminary design. Take a look."
"We're building a new house?" Ye Yun looked surprised and lowered his head to examine the plans. Ye Chen also leaned closer, his eyes wide.
"Yes, my little husband. Now our whole family can discuss the layout of our new home together."
Rong Zheng patiently explained his ideas to them:
The house would have five main sections, with the main hall in the middle. Immediately beside the main building would be the east and west wings, followed by the kitchen and storeroom.
Inside the main hall, the left and right sides would be symmetrical, with two rooms on each side: the master bedroom and study on the left, and a secondary bedroom and guest room on the right.
The five sections would be connected by covered walkways, with a large courtyard serving as an activity area, where he planned to plant flowers and greenery. An outer wall would enclose the entire house.
Ye Yun was astounded. This house would be twice as large as the village chief's, and could rival a landlord's home. Even Ye Chen, young as he was, understood that the house would be enormous, his mouth forming an O.
"This will cost a lot, won't it? We got fifteen taels back from Eldest Uncle's family, and I made five taels selling medicinal herbs. That adds up to twenty taels..." The earnest Ye Yun was already counting on his fingers.
"Don't worry. I'm here. First, see if there's anything you'd like to add."
Seeing how calm Rong Zheng was, Ye Yun put aside his concerns about money for the moment and gave it serious thought. "Could we partition off a bathing room inside the room?"
"Of course."
He really had overlooked that. Gers were unlike men, who could simply wash by the river or in the courtyard and be done with it. They had to carry buckets of water into their rooms to bathe, so a dedicated bathing room would be convenient.
Rong Zheng revised the plans, adding a bathing room.
After examining the revised plans, Ye Yun found them very complete, but he was still worried they would not have enough money, his brows furrowing.
Seeing his husband's tightly knitted brows, Rong Zheng explained his plans. "I still have twenty taels left. Keep it for now. Tomorrow I'll go hunting in the mountains and come back in about three or four days. Then I'll contact the builders and get ready to start work."
"You're giving it all to me?"
"Of course. You'll be our little housekeeper from now on."
Ye Yun accepted the money without refusing, his eyes curving into happy crescents. "Mm. I won't waste it."
Rong Zheng smiled without speaking, thinking that he should earn more money so his husband could spend freely.
Seeing his brother-in-law give the money to Brother Yun, Ye Chen's lips lifted happily. Though young, he was mature for his age, sensitive and able to read people's expressions.
That was also why Rong Zheng had called him over to listen. The child was a little withdrawn. Having him participate in family decisions would give him a sense of belonging and show him that his Brother Yun controlled the household finances, so he did not need to be so cautious.
Childhood trauma could follow a child for life. Rong Zheng hoped he could make some changes while there was still time.