Traveling Through Those Years Of Farming (Quick Transmigration) - Volume 4 Chapter 22

“Shinian, heading home?”

“Shinian will surely have great prospects. I heard you will sit for the imperial exam next year. If you pass and become a xiucai, don’t forget your auntie here.”

“That’s right, don’t forget your neighbors.”

A group of women were washing clothes by the river when a young scholar walked past, drawing laughter and teasing from the crowd of women.

“I still remember, Auntie—you were the one who saved Baobao back then.”

This young man, who looked sixteen or seventeen, was Fu Shinian all grown up.

He had grown much taller. His complexion was fair, and he appeared refined and handsome. As he grew older, he looked more and more like his aunt, Ge Feiyan, but because he had studied diligently since childhood, his features lacked Ge Feiyan’s bewitching charm. Instead, he looked bright and clear, like a gentle youth stepping straight out of a painting.

If someone said he was a young master raised in an influential household, people would believe it.

The group of women admired him more the longer they looked. Why wasn’t such a fine boy one of their own?

“Oh, Shinian even remembers. You really still think about your sister Baobao, don’t you? I say, once you finish next year’s exam, we might soon be drinking your wedding wine.”

The aunt he referred to was Aunt Daniu, the woman who had rescued Baobao from the deep pond years ago.

Hearing this, Aunt Daniu laughed. She hadn’t expected Shinian to remember such an old matter. After she saved Baobao, Ge Shiyan had brought many gifts to thank her, and even until now, whenever New Year or festivals came, Ge Shiyan would bring Baobao with generous gifts to visit her.

To Aunt Daniu, she had merely saved a child—she would have saved whoever fell into the water. But to Baobao, that was her life. And to Ge Shiyan and Fu Shinian, she had saved their entire family.

Such gratitude was not something a few gifts could repay.

“Exactly. I’ve always said these two kids were destined. Look at how nervous Shinian is over Baobao—he hasn’t even married her yet, and he’s already guarding his little wife.”

“Hahaha, the smartest thing Ge Shiyan ever did was getting Shinian a little child bride. Look how good these two are.”

Hearing Aunt Daniu’s words, everyone burst into laughter. Everyone in the village knew Baobao was the child bride Ge Shiyan had arranged for her son. 

But as Shinian grew older and showed talent in his studies, there were fewer people who mentioned the engagement.

They thought Shinian might have his own aspirations and might not accept it when grown. But clearly, he was more than willing.

“Hey, Shinian, don’t go! Tell us—when is your mother planning to hold the wedding?”

“Shinian—”

The cheerful teasing chased after him like invisible hands tugging at his ears. Shinian could not endure their enthusiasm and hurried home, cheeks red.

Even after he walked far, he could still faintly hear words like Fu family, child bride, and fate drifting behind him.

“You’re back?” When Shinian arrived home, Ge Shiyan was feeding chickens in the courtyard. Seeing her son, she smiled. “What happened to your face? Why is it so red?”

She set down the feed basin and reached out to check his temperature with the back of her hand.

“I hurried home. I’m a little hot.” Shinian dodged. 

He could not say he was teased by a group of aunties and had gotten flustered.

“Home is right here; it won’t grow legs and run off. Running like that in this cold weather—you’re not afraid of tiring yourself out?” Ge Shiyan scolded lightly, already thinking whether she should stew another pot of ginseng chicken soup.

Her son studied at the academy in town. Every month he returned home by the ox cart, and the only distance he had to walk was the less-than-one-kilometer stretch from the village entrance to their house. If such a short walk made him break into sweat, did it mean his health was lacking?

Probably from studying too hard.

She sighed inwardly. A man must not be weak. If he was weak, how would Baobao’s future be secure?

She silently added the Nth round of chicken stew to her future schedule.

Over the years, the ginseng whiskers had been plucked nearly bald. A few more times and only the body would remain. But thanks to those whiskers, the entire family had remained energetic and rarely fell ill with seasonal colds.

Ge Shiyan’s younger brother and sister-in-law—and even Ge Feiyan—had also drunk plenty of her tonic soups and grew robust and healthy.

Even Fu Dayan, living off the leftovers, looked no different from a man in his fifties despite nearing sixty. He still ate well, slept well, and worked in the fields without tiring.

“Mother, where is Baomei?”

Shinian glanced into the house. If Baobao were inside, she would have come out upon hearing his voice.

“Oh right, and cousin.”

The second half was perfunctory, but compared to the siblings and nieces in the old house, Lin Yu was unquestionably one of the closest people to him.

“Baobao can’t sit still. Some days ago, didn’t a woman return to our village? The one who was sold to an official household years ago? Her master was reassigned and couldn’t bring all the servants, so some received their freedom back. She was one of them. They trained her as an embroiderer when she was young, and her needlework is exquisite. Many unmarried girls have been sitting with her to learn. Even a little skill will benefit them their whole life.”

Ge Shiyan did not care whether Baobao learned needlework or not. Her Baobao owned several shops and estates—what work did she need to do?

They were only in the countryside now. Once her son passed the xiucai exam, they would move to the county town. Then she would buy Baobao a maidservant—her own little lady would finally have someone attending to her.

Speak of the devil.

Baobao had already calculated the day Shinian would return home. She stayed only a short while at the old embroiderer’s house before dragging Lin Yu home.

In nearly ten years, both Baobao and Lin Yu had changed greatly.

Baobao’s changes were smaller—she still had round cheeks and a youthful appearance. Lin Yu looked more mature, with an oval face, willow brows, and phoenix eyes brimming with sharp spirit.

Many who saw Lin Yu could not help saying this niece, who shared no blood with the Fus, looked more and more like Ge Shiyan. People who didn’t know better assumed they were mother and daughter.

Besides living under the same roof, Lin Yu had intentionally modeled herself after her aunt. She wanted to be like her—no matter the hardships, her aunt always built a prosperous life and made those who looked down on her raise their heads in admiration.

She wanted to be that strong too, unafraid of any storm.

“Brother, where is my dragon’s-beard candy?” Baobao let out a cry of delight, hopping toward Fu Shinian and holding out both hands.

Sanhua, perched on her shoulder, almost fell. Its two paws clung desperately to her clothing, its fat little body trembling like a scared puppy.

“Here.”

Everything else—books and belongings—was stored in his travel box. Only Baobao’s candy was kept in his hands. Before she even finished speaking, a big packet of dragon’s-beard candy landed in her palms.

“Dinner is soon. Don’t eat too much sugar. Dabao, keep an eye on Baobao.” Ge Shiyan dumped the feed into the trough, washed her hands at the well, and walked toward the kitchen. The pot on the stove was still boiling; she needed to watch it.

“Aunt, let me help you.” Lin Yu followed her into the kitchen.

Now that Shinian and Baobao were older, the two women often created opportunities for the pair to be alone.

Fu Shinian was slow to understand, but Baobao had realized it long ago, though she never thought to refuse.

“After we eat, I’ll draw a picture for you. Teacher said my paintings now carry spirit and are no longer stiff and mechanical.”

He had rehearsed this line in his mind more than twenty times. Now that they were alone, he finally managed to say it.

Accepting Baobao as a future wife felt natural to him. They had grown up together; intimacy came without effort. But Shinian always felt that something about their current interactions was not right, though he could not pinpoint what.

Until he observed how classmates interacted with their wives. Suddenly, he understood what was missing—

A bit of subtlety. A bit of shy entanglement when gazes met.

He felt he should try to change.

He read some romance books. They depicted a scene called “red sleeves adding fragrance”—said to be the best way for feelings to grow.

He had a plan: ask Baobao to accompany him while he painted, then claim he was out of ink, and ask her to grind ink for him.

That should be red sleeves adding fragrance… probably.

“Okay! Okay!”Baobao munched on candy and even shared some with Sanhua.

After lunch, Shinian returned early to the study to prepare. He adjusted the placement of the inkstone more than ten times.

Placed here, Baobao might block his hand. Placed there, she couldn’t see his face. The storybooks said eyes must meet occasionally. Moved farther, Baobao would have to lean over the table…

He became so nervous that a thin sheen of sweat formed on his forehead. When footsteps approached, he shoved all the poorly arranged tools aside and stood stiffly at the table.

“Does this outfit look good? Is it too flashy?”

“It looks good. Mother looks good in anything.”

These were Baobao and her mother’s voices.

“Cousin, hurry and put that silk flower on. This is our first family portrait—it must be beautiful to pass down to future generations.”

Judging by the voices, Lin Yu had come as well.

Fu Shinian’s face stiffened as Baobao entered the study with her mother and cousin.

All three wore their finest clothes. Especially Baobao—she had clearly used some of her mother’s cosmetics. Her lips were tinted red and looked especially pretty.

Shinian’s heart skipped a few beats, but that could not hide the fact that his carefully prepared romantic setting had become a full-family portrait session.

He stared resentfully at Baobao, who was completely oblivious. Even Sanhua, perched on her shoulder, wore a little dress made from scrap cloth and had a silk flower bigger than half its body pinned to its head. It squeaked happily at him.

It probably understood too—it was now an acknowledged member of the family.

Shinian lifted his brush with a polite smile and silently mourned his doomed attempt at romance.

Trying to create “red sleeves adding fragrance” was so difficult…

The private school in town was the largest in the region. Four teachers taught there. One was still young—just past forty—and still intended to pursue the exams. The other three had already given up their exam prospects and dedicated themselves to teaching.

Fu Shinian’s teacher was the oldest and also the head of the school. He had an unmarried daughter at home.

Because the imperial exam was approaching, Shinian stayed home only one day before returning to the academy early the next morning. This time, Ge Shiyan accompanied him because the headmaster had asked him to bring his parents to discuss matters regarding the exam.

Once they arrived, Shinian brought his mother to the headmaster’s residence. 

The teacher and his wife were already waiting.

“Madam Fu.”

The scholar’s wife was a full generation younger than Ge Shiyan. She looked elegant and proper.

“Shinian is not young anymore, is he? I heard you arranged a child bride for him a long time ago and have raised her at home?”

Since only the scholar’s wife and Ge Shiyan were present, she did not bother to beat around the bush. She openly voiced the true purpose of this visit.

Her husband thought highly of this student and wanted to marry their youngest daughter to him. After inquiries, they learned the Fu family were simple farmers. Shinian had neither married nor formed any official betrothal—only a nameless child bride.

“My husband often praises him. He even says that among next year’s xiucai, Shinian will certainly be one of them. A young xiucai has limitless prospects. I personally believe the wife he marries in the future must be compatible with him. What do you think?”

She assumed that as Shinian’s mother, Ge Shiyan would naturally want her son to marry upward. Compared to an orphan with no background, her daughter was far more suitable.

After all, their family was not just home to one xiucai. Among her husband’s relatives, one cousin was a juren, and another distant uncle was a second-rank jinshi who now held a sixth-grade official post. That was how her husband had the qualification to open a school in town.

By marrying into their family, Shinian would be considered marrying up. So the scholar’s wife believed Ge Shiyan would not refuse.

“Indeed, not very compatible.”

Ge Shiyan smiled. If her son failed to become a xiucai, then he truly did not deserve her Baobao at all.

Author’s Note:

Fu Shinian: Yes… another day of being a child husband.