The Missing Husband Returns (01)

The July wind rustled through the rice paddies.

Every few acres, people in cloth clothes worked barefoot in the fields, creating a picture of pastoral leisure.

A few hundred meters farther east stood the only bus stop in Zhou Family Village. Four buses traveling between the town and countryside stopped there each day, and most villagers caught the bus into town there.

A bus slowly pulled up at the stop across the road.

Among the passengers who got off was a woman in her forties, wearing a dark blue cloth outfit with a tiny dotted pattern. Because of the heat, she had tied a cloth over her head to shield it from the sun.

She had gone into town to collect her nephew Song Xueci's developed photos. After getting off the bus, she needed to hurry to the other end of the village and take the photos to the carpenter's house to arrange a match.

On the way, at the boundary between two villages, stood a parts factory that mainly produced furniture such as tables, chairs and sofas. It was small, but it was the only factory in the village, and its owners were the Zhous, the village's wealthiest family.

After Song Liu's husband became physically unable to do farmwork, he had started working at the factory. It provided two meals a day, and the pay was good. Since she was passing by, she stopped to give him the malt candy she had bought in town.

But as she rummaged through her cloth bag, she accidentally pulled out a photo.

Song Liu was just about to pick it up when a pair of hands beside her beat her to it.

"Auntie Liu, you dropped something." The voice sounded very young.

Song Liu looked up to see Zhou Qize holding the photo out to her.

The tall young man had a crew cut, a straight nose, and a hint of youthfulness in his features. Though he still had the look of a boy, his shoulders and limbs were well developed, and it was clear he would grow into a sturdy, handsome man.

Song Liu smiled at him with the gratification of an elder. "You've grown so tall! What year of university are you in now?"

"Third year," Zhou Qize said.

Song Liu said, "You're the only university student our village has produced. Factory Director Zhou must be so proud of you!"

Zhou Qize was Factory Director Zhou's son. He had gotten into university a few years ago, bringing his family a great deal of honor, and the delighted director had invited the whole village to a celebratory feast.

Recently, though, the father and son had reportedly been at odds. After going to university and broadening his horizons, Zhou Qize wanted to stay in the city, while the older generation was more traditional and wanted him to return and take over the factory after graduation.

They had even quarreled over it, and afterward, Factory Director Zhou had collapsed on the spot and been confined to bed. Seeing that his father was ill, Zhou Qize had not dared argue anymore. He was spending some time at the factory during summer break to get used to it in advance.

Now he wore the same blue work uniform as the factory workers, but he stood out in the crowd.

Song Liu praised him. "You've grown into such a fine young man!"

Embarrassed by the compliment from an elder, Zhou Qize scratched his hair, the tips of his ears turning slightly red.

He had just picked the photo up and hadn't had a chance to look at it, but when he glanced down-

Zhou Qize froze for a moment.

Noticing him looking at the photo, Song Liu chatted casually. "That's my younger sister's son. His name is Song Xueci."

Zhou Qize had met all of Auntie Liu's relatives, but he had never seen the young man in the photo. "Really? I don't think I know him."

"You haven't met him. He only came back a few years ago, when you happened to be studying in the city."

Song Liu's younger sister had married far away and died of a serious illness a few years ago. Her husband had fallen ill from missing her and passed away less than a year later.

Song Liu sighed at the thought. "Sigh, anyway, the poor child has had a hard time. He moved to our village six months ago and lives in my sister's old house."

Zhou Qize wasn't very good at dealing with his elders. After saying "Oh," he asked nothing more.

But he was still curious about the person in the photo.

He was so... Zhou Qize couldn't think of an adjective.

In any case, it was the most beautiful face he had ever seen.

Song Xueci.

After walking only a few steps away, Zhou Qize wanted to go back and ask Auntie Liu which characters were used for "Xue" and "Ci." Then he heard her telling her husband about arranging a match between Song Xueci and the carpenter's son from the neighboring village.

He had met the carpenter's son. His father often dealt with him because of work at the factory. The man seemed terribly taciturn, and whenever Zhou Qize saw him, he was working in a tank top.

Song Xueci didn't even look twenty yet.

Zhou Qize felt a little sorry for him, but then he thought it was none of his business.

After leaving the factory, Song Liu wasted no more time and walked straight to the carpenter's house.

The carpenter's house stood at the far end of the village, with few other homes nearby. The buzzing of a wood plane could be heard from a long way off.

When Song Liu reached the door, something got in her eyes. She stepped back twice before making out a tall, muscular figure amid the flying wood shavings.

"Zhao Ying?"

The man stopped working, and the roaring noise came to an abrupt halt.

Working in the summer heat had left him covered in sweat, and the flying shavings had settled on his hair and body.

For ease of work, the man wore only a tank top. But his back was straight, his shoulders broad, and his build imposing, with smoothly defined, muscular arms. He didn't look sloppy; instead, he was full of masculine vigor.

Seeing a visitor, Zhao Ying put down his plane, picked up the towel draped over a stool and gave himself a quick wipe. Then he put on a shirt and brought her a clean stool before saying quietly, "Auntie Liu."

Zhao Ying had bold, handsome features, a hooked nose, sword-like brows and bright eyes-a classic Chinese handsome man's looks. But his skin was dark and he was awkward with words, so he wasn't the type most popular with young people these days.

After sitting down, Song Liu explained why she had come. "Have you thought about what I brought up last time I came? Would you like to meet him today?"

Zhao Ying poured her a cup of tea, then lowered his face. "Auntie Liu, I don't want to start a family just yet."

Song Liu said, "You're already twenty-five, and you're on your own now. If you don't get married soon, all the good ones will be taken. You ought to think about your own future."

Zhao Ying was the carpenter's son, but not his biological son.

People in the surrounding villages all called the carpenter Old Zhao, and over time, no one used his real name anymore. Old Zhao had been born with a disability and was missing a leg. He had been a bachelor all his life until, at forty, he found a child in a mountain ravine. No one knew how many days the child had been unconscious by the roadside; his skin had festered from soaking in water, and an eagle was perched nearby. Old Zhao adopted the child and named him Zhao Ying.

Old Zhao was skilled at carpentry and passed all his craft on to Zhao Ying. He had also hoped to have someone to care for him in his old age, but last year he had gotten drunk, tumbled down to the foot of a mountain and died.

Song Liu glanced around. Much of the whitewash had fallen from the walls, the roof beams hadn't been renovated, and the furniture was old. It looked as though he was living in straitened circumstances.

Though father and son had worked together as carpenters, Old Zhao had spent their earnings on alcohol, leaving them with little to their name.

Fortunately, Zhao Ying seemed honest and hardworking.

She had actually wanted to find someone well-off for her nephew, but the young people of marriageable age in the village had either married early or, upon hearing about Xue Ci's family debts, hurried away before she could finish speaking.

Only Zhao Ying had shown neither surprise nor disdain when he heard about Xue Ci's situation last time.

But he seemed to want to mourn Old Zhao for a few years and had no plans to marry for the time being.

"What age are we living in? Who doesn't have elders in the family? If everyone kept mourning, would nobody ever get married and get on with life?" Song Liu pressed her advantage and pulled the cloth bag off her shoulder. "Oh, right, my nephew had business in the city a few days ago and had his picture taken while he was there. I picked it up today. Would you like to see it first? My nephew is exceptionally good-looking!"

People arranging matches usually praised the other party to the skies, only for the reality to be nothing like it. Zhao Ying wasn't interested in seeing the photo, but Auntie Liu had made a special trip in the sweltering heat, so he couldn't very well refuse.

He wiped the sweat from his palms and took the photo, only to freeze.

Auntie Liu really hadn't lied to him.

The photo had a red background. The young man wore a white shirt and sat stiffly in a chair, his expression a little blank, but his features were delicate and beautiful.

If not for his family's debts, Zhao Ying believed he would have better choices.

Song Liu saw the amazement in Zhao Ying's eyes. "Xue Ci has had a hard life, really. He's frail, and he even quit school to pay off the family debts. He does handicrafts for people every day, and I'm afraid he'll ruin his eyes from overworking them. He speaks softly to everyone. He looks delicate and precious, but he hardly has a temper, and he's very honest! You'll see once you spend more time with him."

Everything she said was true. She was quite fond of Xue Ci, but other relatives saw that he was easy to bully and asked him for money. She couldn't always be there to watch over him, so she decided to find him a partner and let him marry and lead a stable little life of his own.

Seeing that Zhao Ying was beginning to be moved, Song Liu continued persuading him. "He's still at home today. I told him he might have a guest this evening. He might even be waiting for you at home right now."

For some reason, when he heard that they would meet, a layer of sweat broke out on Zhao Ying's palms.

He glanced down at himself. Sweat and wood shavings were mixed together, and his arms were covered in grime too.

Too embarrassed to keep holding the photo, Zhao Ying returned it to Auntie Liu and agreed to the meeting.

Now that Zhao Ying had agreed, a weight lifted from Song Liu's mind, and her trip hadn't been in vain. "All right. It's hot now, so you can set off at six this evening. I'll wait at the village entrance and take you to see him."

After Auntie Liu left, Zhao Ying continued working on what remained, but Song Xueci's face kept appearing in his mind.

Unable to concentrate, he stopped working and tidied the house instead.

After showering and changing into clean clothes, Zhao Ying brought a gift for the person he was about to meet before setting out.

They were several little animals he had carved with a woodcarving knife in his spare time: a kitten, a puppy, a rabbit...

Thinking Song Xueci might like them, Zhao Ying placed them one by one in a clean bag.

That evening, Song Liu met Zhao Ying on time, and the two walked to a bungalow at the eastern end of the village.

The bungalow had undergone simple repairs, but its age was still apparent.

Song Liu stepped forward and knocked. "Xue Ci? It's Auntie. I've brought someone over!"

Soon, a faint sound came from inside.

Then a very soft young voice answered, "Okay."

Zhao Ying's breath caught. His body was so tense that sweat broke out on his back.

He heard footsteps drawing closer.

The door opened, revealing a strikingly beautiful, dewy face through the gap.

His skin was soft and fair, as though water would come out at a touch.

He looked nothing like a country person exposed to the wind and sun, but more like a pampered scion of noble birth.

Zhao Ying looked at Song Xueci for a few seconds before looking away. His dark skin didn't reveal that the tips of his ears had turned completely red.

But those few seconds had been enough for him to see what the other looked like.

The photo hadn't captured Song Xueci's air at all.

He wasn't merely beautiful. His skin was cool and fair, his lips a deep red, and his features had a natural allure.

The corners of his eyes tilted upward. If not for his innocent, slow-witted expression, one might have suspected he was a male fox spirit in disguise.

Zhao Ying didn't dare look directly at him again. He kept his head down and only spoke when Song Liu asked him something.

"Don't just stand there. Come inside," Song Liu said, urging Zhao Ying in.

Xue Ci switched on the fan and brought the tallest stool in the house over to Zhao Ying, then sat down opposite him.

"I'll go have a look in the kitchen. I brought some food from home; it just needs heating up." Song Liu had noticed Zhao Ying staring at Xue Ci, so she had to hurry and give the young people some time alone.

The main room fell quiet for a moment.

The young man sat obediently in his chair, his hands and feet held together.

His gaze rested on Zhao Ying, and when their eyes met, he wasn't embarrassed. He curved his lips into a friendly smile.

"Hello, my name is Song Xueci."

Zhao Ying's voice was stiff-or rather, his whole body was stiff under the young man's scrutiny.

"Hello, my name is Zhao Ying... Ying as in eagle."

Is that how I should introduce myself...? Xue Ci immediately added, "My Xue is the xue in snowflake, and my Ci is the ci in farewell."

After the brief introductions, the man opposite him fell silent, though his gaze remained fixed on Xue Ci's chest.

Xue Ci felt a little aggrieved. [He's looking at the patch on my clothes.]

That couldn't be helped. He didn't want to wear patched clothes when meeting someone for the first time either, but this time he had transmigrated into a small rural world, playing a poor country person whose parents had both died.

The family was in debt, and all his money went toward paying it off. He had only two outfits to alternate between, and they had quickly worn out from washing.

11: [After Host marries the protagonist, you can use his money to buy new clothes!]

Xue Ci nodded.

This time he was playing the protagonist Zhao Ying's spouse. Of course, as cannon fodder, he would divorce the protagonist later on.

This was an alternate-universe rural wealth-building novel, set in a fictional world where same-sex marriage was legal. So no one would find it strange that Song Liu was arranging a match between him and Zhao Ying, who was also a man.

Zhao Ying had been abducted and trafficked as a child. He escaped on the way, fell off a cliff and lost his memory, then was found by the village carpenter. After growing up, he married Xue Ci.

One day after the marriage, he went into the city and was hit by a car. The blow restored his memory, and the Lu family recognized the child who had been missing for many years.

Zhao Ying had inherited the carpenter's skills. With funding from his family, he energetically opened a furniture factory.

As the protagonist's spouse, Xue Ci was sickly and lacked ability, so the Lu family naturally looked down on him and offered him money to send him away.

He was already insecure and felt unworthy of his husband. On top of that, a relative's child needed surgery, so he ultimately took the money and signed the divorce agreement.

When Zhao Ying learned that he had divorced him for money, he was disheartened. What little affection he had left dwindled even further, and from then on, they went their separate ways.

In short, he was a character forcibly cobbled together to enrich the protagonist's romantic storyline.

Xue Ci's current task was to get a marriage certificate with Zhao Ying as soon as possible.

But the protagonist seemed born for building a career and had no interest in him at all. He wouldn't even look at him.

It was understandable... He had walked over from the neighboring village in such hot weather and was sweating all over. Though it didn't show on his face, he was probably impatient by now.

Thinking of his task, Xue Ci felt he should still be a good host.

"Are you very hot?"

At the sound of the soft voice, Zhao Ying looked up to see the young man opposite him tilting his head at him.

The man was so nervous that every muscle in his body was tense. His voice was dry and low, and he could barely get the words out. "I... I'm all right."

Xue Ci stood up. "I'll get you some water."

Zhao Ying wanted to say there was no need to trouble himself, but when he raised his head, he saw Xue Ci's two fair, shapely legs.

His heart gave a violent leap, and he immediately looked away.

Oblivious, Xue Ci poured the cooled tea into a cup and brought it to him.

Zhao Ying gulped the water down in two or three swallows, and the burning sensation in his throat eased considerably.

"What's that?"

The man looked up and saw Xue Ci pointing at the bag by his feet.

"Oh..." Zhao Ying had nearly forgotten the gift in his nervousness. He held out the bag.

"It's for you."

Xue Ci took the bag curiously and opened it, his face lighting up with pleasant surprise.

Even his voice turned cheerful. "Did you make these yourself?"

Seeing his eyes widen into beautiful round circles, Zhao Ying looked away uneasily. "Mm."

Xue Ci picked up one of the wood carvings at random. It was a lifelike puppy lying on the ground. "You're amazing! I love this gift!"

Faced with Xue Ci's praise, Zhao Ying didn't know what to do. In the end, unable to think of an answer, he could only clench his broad hands.

Xue Ci really did love them, but he declared to 11, [Before we divorce, I'm going to get him to make me a few more!]

11 rolled into his arms. [Then can he carve an 11 too, so Host can hug 11 to sleep every night? Boo-hoo!]

Xue Ci agreed. Full of delight, he picked out the wood carvings from the bag one by one and examined them carefully, asking Zhao Ying questions about them from time to time.

Though the man was taciturn, he could still say a thing or two about something he was good at.

"You two are getting along well!"

Song Liu came out of the kitchen, and Xue Ci immediately turned around and held up the little carving in his hand to show her.

"Look at this!"

The young man's proud little expression made Zhao Ying's face burn.

It was as if he had been shown off as a source of pride.

Song Liu patted Xue Ci on the head. "Xiao Zhao, eat here tonight. Try Auntie's cooking, and you two can talk while you eat!"

Zhao Ying felt awkward and instinctively wanted to refuse, but then he met the young man's expectant gaze.

"Then... thank you, Auntie Liu."

Xue Ci sprang to his feet in high spirits and was about to help carry the dishes out of the kitchen when someone knocked on the door.

Song Liu was closer to the door, so she went to answer it.

A tall man stood outside. He was much bigger than an ordinary man, with solid blocks of muscle. Song Liu nearly jumped in fright before she got a good look at him.

Once she saw him clearly, she realized he was the butcher from down the road.

The butcher had originally been a hunter who lived in the mountains and rarely came down. He wasn't familiar with anyone in the village, and all they knew was that his name was "A Hui." The villagers had once been quite afraid of him, and to keep their children from running into the mountains, they had even frightened them with the lie that A Hui liked to deep-fry children.

After hunting was banned, A Hui became a butcher. But on days when he didn't set up his stall, he stayed home alone and didn't talk to anyone. He had a strange personality.

Song Liu didn't know why A Hui had come knocking at Xue Ci's door, and she immediately grew nervous.

"Don't be afraid of him!" Xue Ci had seen A Hui too and hurried over. "He's here to bring me fruit."

Song Liu could hardly believe it.

She had never heard of the butcher being close to anyone, so why had he taken the initiative to bring Xue Ci something?

As for A Hui, he had kept his eyes on Xue Ci from the moment he arrived at the door.

He said nothing and simply held out a basket.

Zhao Ying glanced at him.

The moment Xue Ci took the basket, it looked much bigger in his hands. Inside were seven or eight soft peaches. Xue Ci smiled. "Thank you, but I have guests right now. I'll bring the flowers over later, okay?"

The tall butcher listened to him and nodded a little awkwardly before leaving.

Song Liu was still worried. "Xue Ci, how did you end up talking to him? He has a very strange personality."

Especially just now, when Xue Ci stood in front of him, he had looked exceptionally small and frail, as though he could be picked up with one hand.

"He seems to like the flowers outside my door. He said he'd trade vegetables and fruit for them."

Xue Ci had transmigrated into this world half a month ago. At first, he had cooked for himself, but his cooking was so bad that he ate reluctantly every day.

One day, he was weeding the little vegetable garden outside his door when he saw A Hui staring at his flowers, so he asked if A Hui wanted some. After taking the flowers, A Hui soon brought him vegetables and fruit. Seeing that, Xue Ci simply suggested trading the flowers he grew for meals and fruit.

A Hui agreed, and Xue Ci was very satisfied with his cooking. That was how he had been getting free meals for half a month.

After he finished explaining, Song Liu was still uneasy and gave him a few words of warning.

The two stopped talking about it and got ready for dinner.

The porcelain bowls that had been steaming in the iron pot were very hot. Xue Ci had just reached for them when Zhao Ying beat him to it.

The man didn't seem bothered by the heat at all. He didn't even use a cloth.

During dinner, Zhao Ying noticed that Xue Ci really liked the stir-fried pork with chili peppers. He ate while drawing little breaths, his lips red.

Xue Ci also noticed the protagonist watching him.

He thought he had made a mistake. The other man must think he was putting on a brave front even though he couldn't handle spicy food.

After that, he didn't take any more of the dish, but his lips were still a little swollen, and he occasionally licked them to ease the discomfort.

After dinner, Zhao Ying helped tidy the kitchen before leaving.

Xue Ci took the flowers to A Hui's house. After he came back, he began to worry about how to get Zhao Ying to marry him.

In the original plot, he and Zhao Ying had gotten their marriage certificate after meeting a few times, but he didn't seem to have made a good impression on him today.

Xue Ci hadn't properly studied how to pursue someone in the last world, so he started rereading the little tips 11 had compiled.

When he was alone, he liked to chatter to 11. Today, however, they had barely exchanged a couple of words when 11's voice disappeared.

Xue Ci froze for a moment, then puffed out his cheeks.

Soon, a deep, magnetic voice rang out.

[How can baby marry another man?]

[Baby, you can't pay attention to anyone else.]

Here we go again.

Xue Ci covered his ears in displeasure, then realized that the other party's voice was being transmitted through his brain.

After the last small world was recovered, 11 had said that it contained several fragments of the invading virus, which could be exchanged for quite a few points together.

Xue Ci had eagerly exchanged them for points, but the fragments had returned to his space afterward. They often bothered him, calling him baby and spouting crazy nonsense whenever someone gave him an extra glance.

[Baby, baby, baby!]

[Baby! You've already kissed me, and you've seen my body too!]

[I'm going to kill all those men who covet you!]

When Xue Ci ignored him, the voice pleaded again, [Baby, can you not marry another man?]

Xue Ci turned to the next page of his book and said coldly, [No.]

This time, the low, husky voice sounded very muffled. [Oh.]

Finally, some peace and quiet.

Xue Ci thought the fragments would return to his space and let 11 come online.

He called out tentatively, [Little Ball?]

The reply was still the low voice of a man-

[Then, baby, don't sit on his face and let him drink your sweet water, okay?]

Author's note:

Baby is going to let lots of people drink his sweet water.

Three tops have already appeared, and there's another very important top who starts out really badass but ends up a simp who hasn't appeared yet~