Rebirth: Not Being a Waste - Chapter 44

When Zhang Shu wakes up early, he finds that half of his shoulder and arm are sore and numb. But these minor discomforts fade the moment he sees the person sleeping in his arms.

He gazes tenderly at Li Mujin’s rosy face. Last night was the happiest time of his two lifetimes—the unity of body and soul is simply intoxicating.

Li Mujin blinks awake. At first, he is a little shy upon meeting Zhang Shu’s eyes, but when Zhang Shu leans over and kisses his forehead, a sweet smile spreads across his lips.

“Getting up?” Li Mujin sits up. He is still wearing his underwear—Zhang Shu helped him put it on last night. The morning air is chilly, and it isn’t time to light the brazier yet. Catching a cold now would be troublesome.

“Yeah.” Zhang Shu climbs out from under the quilt first, walks to the cabinet, and takes out two sets of clothes. He presses Li Mujin back down when he tries to get up, stuffing one set of clothes into the quilt to warm it before putting on his own.

Once he is dressed, he hands Li Mujin his warmed-up clothes, helping him put them on piece by piece. Li Mujin feels a little sore, but it doesn’t affect his movement.

Zhang Shu notices his discomfort and reaches out his large hand to massage his waist. Li Mujin stiffens for a moment before relaxing, leaning into Zhang Shu and letting him work out the soreness.

The warm atmosphere is short-lived, interrupted by Zhang Rong’s voice from outside. “It’s already noon, and you’re still not up? Don’t you know we just traveled a long way back? Unbelievable.”

Then comes Grandma Zhang’s voice. “If you’re impatient, go ahead without them!”

Zhang Shu frowns. It’s clearly still early, but Zhang Rong is just looking for something to complain about. From the two times he has seen her, she has become much sharper with her words—bitter and sarcastic. He can’t understand what kind of mother would push her unmarried daughter to act as her mouthpiece just for the sake of her own reputation. Does she really think this will help her find a good marriage prospect?

Li Mujin also hears the commotion and feels a little embarrassed. He quickly sits in front of the dressing table and tidies himself up. Zhang Shu ties up his own hair, and the two of them go out hand in hand.

Zhang Shu fetches hot water from the kitchen, then hangs a bucket of well water to cool. The two of them squeeze together at the stone table, washing up intimately.

Zhang Rong lets out a disdainful snort before going inside to call her parents.

“Ignore them. If they make things difficult for you, don’t just endure it—treat them the same way they treat you,” Zhang Shu whispers to Li Mujin. In this family, only his grandparents deserve respect. There is no need to tolerate the others’ nonsense.

Li Mujin nods. He and Zhang Shu have always stood on the same side since childhood; there is no need to quarrel over irrelevant people.

Once they are ready, the rest of the family gathers in the main hall. Zhang Shu helps bring out the teapot, pouring two cups of tea onto a tray before handing it to Li Mujin.

Li Mujin kneels before Grandpa Zhang and Grandma Zhang, holding the tea with both hands. “Grandpa, Grandma, please have some tea.”

“Good, good!” Grandma Zhang beams, taking a red cloth pouch from her sleeve and placing it on the tray. A crisp sound rings out, making everyone else tense—there are clearly silver ingots inside!

Li Mujin smiles and thanks them before Zhang Shu helps him pour another two cups of tea. Li Mujin kneels before the memorial tablets of Zhang Shu’s parents, offering them tea. Grandpa Zhang then places another red pouch on the tray on behalf of the deceased.

Next, Li Mujin serves tea to Zhang An and Wang Cuilan. There is no need to kneel this time. They accept the tea without causing trouble.

Wang Cuilan takes out the hairpin from her head and smiles. “Your second uncle and I don’t have much money. This hairpin was part of my dowry, and now I’m giving it to you.”

It is a simple wooden hairpin, with only two tiny silver beads embedded at the top. The surface has darkened with age, and it is clearly a woman’s hairpin.

Li Mujin maintains a polite smile and accepts it without showing any change in expression. Wang Cuilan seems disappointed—if he had shown any reluctance, she could have started lamenting about her hardships.

Li Mujin then serves tea to Zhang Yun and Scholar Zhang. They drink it without fuss. Zhang Yun hesitates for a long time before pulling out a string of eight copper coins tied with a bright red thread and placing it on the tray.

Grandpa Zhang and Grandma Zhang’s expressions darken at the sight of the gifts from these two families. But since it is Li Mujin’s first day in the household, they hold back their displeasure. Otherwise, they would surely scold her sharp-tongued daughter-in-law for being so stingy.

Zhang Shu has long expected this and isn’t surprised. Li Mujin also now fully understands what Zhang Shu meant earlier.

After the tea ceremony, it is time for the new couple to give gifts. Li Mujin and Zhang Shu return to their room for a moment before coming back with two sets of brand-new cotton-padded clothes, pants, and shoes. The fabric is dyed in festive colors, and the cotton is freshly harvested that year. The style matches the latest fashion among the elderly in the city, showing how much thought has gone into the gifts.

Grandpa Zhang and Grandma Zhang each receive a set, their faces lighting up with joy. Everyone else can tell how sincere the gesture is.

Then, the couple return to the room again and come back holding pairs of insoles—gifts for the second uncle and aunt’s family. Originally, they had planned to give shoes, but after seeing the earlier attitude, insoles are deemed sufficient.

Wang Cuilan and Zhang Yun’s expressions darken further, while Zhang An and Scholar Zhang remain indifferent. Women’s affairs should naturally be handled by women, after all.

As for Li Mujin’s younger brothers and sisters, each receives a string of copper coins—eight per string. Logically, he should give more, considering he has five younger siblings. However, when comparing the value of his own gifts received, his total barely amounts to twenty coins.

“At home, my father always taught me about human relationships. I didn’t learn much, but I did understand one thing—reciprocity. That means giving back in kind. A gift shouldn’t be too light, or it’s impolite; but if it’s too heavy, it makes future interactions difficult. Husband, did I give too much?”

Seeing their sour expressions, Li Mujin looks at Zhang Shu with innocent eyes.

Zhang Shu nearly laughs. Let’s see how his second aunt and aunt respond to this.

“It’s fine, husband. We’re the younger generation, so our gifts should be a little heavier,” Zhang Shu replies. Sure enough, Wang Cuilan and Zhang Yun’s faces turn purple.

After a while, the guests prepare to leave. Before leaving, Zhang Yun even takes away a pot of leftover stewed meat from the previous night.

Once they are gone, Grandma Zhang quietly says to Grandpa Zhang, “I thought Jin’er was soft-hearted, but I didn’t expect him to be so sharp. It seems we don’t have to worry—he’s someone who can protect this family.”

Grandpa Zhang nods. “And he’s good to Ah’shu.”

That afternoon, Li Mujin and Zhang Shu cook a few dishes together. Grandpa and Grandma Zhang keep praising the food and tell them there is no rush to take on household chores while they are still young. Instead, they should focus on resting and, if possible, try to give them a grandchild soon.

Hearing this, both young men blush, lowering their heads to eat in silence.

After lunch, with nothing else to do, they return to their room and sort through Li Mujin’s dowry.

Li Mujin openly displays everything without hiding anything from Zhang Shu. From the betrothal gift, there are five small silver ingots and various silver utensils. Then, there is the private silver given by his family—five taels each from his father and mother, three from his brother, and half of his father’s dowry.

By the end, Zhang Shu estimates they have nearly a hundred taels in assets.

Li Mujin’s eyes sparkle with joy. Zhang Shu, too, feels at ease—trust like this is worth more than gold.