ABPUBALC - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Preparing for the Wedding

The next morning, the two of them checked out of their room and bought breakfast on the street to eat by the roadside. The inn’s breakfast was too expensive; it was more economical to eat out on the street.

The meat buns were two wen apiece, and Gu Qiming bought five buns and also ordered two bowls of soy milk. The soy milk was freshly ground and cooked on the spot, having a somewhat strong bean flavor, but it was not unpleasant to drink.

After finishing their meal, the two headed straight for the cloth shop.

“Boss, do you sell wedding clothes here?”

“I do, but our sizes might not quite fit... you”

Seeing the two rush in, the boss, without a second word, grabbed the largest wedding robe in the shop and held it up against Gu Qiming’s body, only to find, as expected, that the size didn’t match.

Lin Xing tugged at Gu Qiming’s sleeve and whispered, “Just buy some red fabric for the wedding attire; I can make it myself. There’s no need to purchase ready-made clothes.”

In the village, when a Shuang’er’s was married, their wedding clothes were all handmade by themselves. Not only did they have to embroider their own bridal gown, but they also had to make new shoes for their husband before the wedding.

“Wouldn’t it be too troublesome to do it yourself?”

Lin Xing shook his head, “Summer clothes are simple in style, and even ceremonial attire isn’t much of a bother.” Moreover, since it’s only worn once, buying something too extravagant would be wasteful.

“Alright, it’s also fine to bring back two pieces of red cloth and make it ourselves.” Gu Qiming waved his hand to catch the owner’s attention, “Boss, bring us a few pieces of red cloth suitable for making wedding garments, please.”

“Yes!” The boss laughed, “Many villagers come to my shop for the fabric when they’re getting married. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied!”

Lin Xing tugged at his sleeve and added, “Grab a few more pairs of soles as well; I’ll see if any fit properly.”

Upon leaving the cloth shop, both of them were carrying quite a few items in their arms: red fabric for wedding clothes, the new cotton cloth that Gu Qiming had chosen for him, and several pairs of shoe soles that Lin Xing had picked out. In total, they had spent more than half a tael of silver.

The owner of the cloth shop was a chatterbox, constantly babbling on and on about how well-matched the two of them looked together, showering them with compliments. Even Gu Qiming found it a bit too much to handle, not to mention Lin Xing.

He usually liked to make cheeky comments to Lin Xing, but those were just to tease the young man. Now, being teased by his boss, he finally understood how Lin Xing must have felt back then.

Before heading home, the two of them went shopping and bought quite a few things, stuffing their packs to the brim. Indeed, not a single coin was left in their purse.

Lastly, he visited Lin Xing’s rented out shop[e/n: did this confuse you? Me too- IT WAS LAST MENTIONED IN CHAPTER ONE....] to collect the rent. Gu Qiming discovered for the first time that the tenant was a funeral parlor. The cramped shop was filled with white candles and coffins.

Alright, this can indeed be considered somewhat related to carpentry.

“Tomorrow, I’ll head to the mountains to hunt, and I might not return for two or three days. Please be careful at home on your own.”

He planned to ascend the mountain to capture some game to raise at home as they will be getting married next month. That way, he won’t need to buy meat to use for the wedding feast. At most, he will just need to order half a pig.

When Lin Xing heard that his husband-to-be would be gone for two or three days, he was immediately disappointed. “Do you want me to accompany you? The mountain isn’t safe,” he asked with a frown.

As their bond grew stronger, Gu Qiming was reluctant to part ways with him. However, the mountain nights were teeming with insects and posed potential hazards, and Gu Qiming didn’t want him to suffer alongside himself.

He pulled Lin Xing into an embrace, holding him on his lap and coaxing, “I’ll be back in a couple days. It’s not comfortable on the mountain at night, filled with insects and mosquitoes. What’s more, if you meet danger, I won’t be able to protect you.”

Lin Xing hung his head low, sitting on his lap and fidgeting with his fingers nervously. He wasn’t trying to do anything to Gu Qiming; he just couldn’t stand the thought of him having to stay up on the mountain for several nights, and his heart raced just thinking about it.

With a sigh, he compromised, “Alright, I will get started on dinner and go out to the fields when the sun sets. We should start planting the rice paddies in a few days.”

For lunch, they enjoyed a sumptuous feast. In the morning, they bought plenty of spare ribs and pork loin at the butcher’s, preparing both sweet and sour spare ribs and pork loin.

Lin Xing chopped the ribs into pieces, blanched them to remove any unpleasant odor, and then stir-fried them to perfection.

The sweet and sour spare ribs were simple yet exquisite, requiring precise control of the heat to avoid bitterness and dryness.

In a hot pan with vegetable oil and maltose, Lin Xing continuously stirred until the maltose melted. Then, he swiftly poured in the prepared ribs and pork slices, ensuring each piece was coated in the sauce. Adding salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, he finally poured in his pre-mixed starch solution to thicken the sauce before serving.

Additionally, Lin Xing whipped up a plate of vinegar-glazed shredded potatoes. With two main dishes and pickled cucumbers on the side, they were sure to have a satisfying meal.

As for the staple, they bought three savory and sweet buns from the town, each sprinkled with sesame seeds[e/n: I suffer the pain of loving cold sesame noodles but feeling nauseous when eating most nuts/seeds...] for an enticing aroma.

Gu Qiming picked a salty bun and, while eating, discussed with Lin Xing, “We still need to make a trip to Auntie Zhang’s house today to ask how the calculation for an auspicious date is coming along.”

With a weary sigh, he grumbled to Lin Xing, “Sigh...I truly wish I could get married right now.”

Lin Xing responded jokingly, “Marriage is not something that can be decided upon and carried out on a whim. There still needs to be enough time to prepare for everything.”

Inside the room, it was hot. After dinner, Lin Xing moved the table to the doorway of the main room, opened the door, and sat down under the eaves to start hemming a pair of cloth shoes.

The shoes on Gu Qiming’s feet had been altered by him, and were almost worn out.

He spends all day climbing mountains, so his shoes wear out very easily.

As the leaves rustled in the wind, the two leisurely chatted beneath the eaves. Gu Qiming silently watched him stitch the soles of his shoes. Unable to be of assistance, he washed a peach and sat to the side, contentedly nibbling on it.

Lin Xing was not only skilled at tailoring clothes but also remarkably fast at sewing shoe soles. His fingers kept moving, flipping through his tasks with agility. He used an awl to puncture neat holes for the stitches, and with his needle and thread, he sewed round after round tightly together. Finally, he finished by applying a layer of wax to the shoe sole, and with that, the task was complete.

Because the soles were rather hard, it took a lot of effort to stitch them. After finishing one, Lin Xing’s hands were so sore he could hardly bear it.

Gu Qiming pushed a bowl of peaches he had cut in the kitchen toward him, eagerly offering to massage his wrists, but Lin Xing ruthlessly declined.

“I’ll head to the fields first to check if the melons are ripe. You should finish your peach, take a rest for a while, and then continue with your work.”

Lin Xing nodded and urged, “Hurry up and go. Take a bamboo hat with you; the sun is too harsh today.”

Gu Qiming was discontent and complained, “Why are you in such a hurry to get rid of me? Am I in your way?”

Lin Xing couldn’t help but feel helpless. How did he stimulate this ancestor of his again?

“You’ve been staring at me this whole time; I... I can’t concentrate.”

This person was staring at him without blinking. Just now, he had made several mistakes in his work, and now, here he was, being wrongly accused.

So it was like this. Gu Qiming felt comforted and didn’t continue to make a fuss with him. He also realized that he was the one at fault.

After Gu Qiming left, Lin Xing picked up a piece of washed and cut peach. It was sour and sweet with a hint of coolness, but the more he ate, the warmer his heart felt.

Gu Qiming didn’t bring a bamboo hat, but made sure to avoid the sun as much as possible on his way. The fields were mostly empty now, as the harvest this year had been good, and the villagers were all in high spirits. The people Gu Qiming encountered along the way were all smiles, their grins almost reaching their ears.

Farmers always look forward to the harvest from their fields. With hardly a few days of rest throughout the year, they rely on this bit of land to make a living. A good harvest means a somewhat easier year ahead, but if they encounter a season of poor yield and there’s no surplus grain at home, it can truly cost the family half their lives.

Gu Qiming observed that the fields were still in decent condition. It hadn’t rained for a few days, so the rice stalks had been harvested, leaving the ground somewhat dry. However, it wasn’t a significant concern. Watering the fields before planting the seedlings in a few days would suffice.

On his way back, he took a detour to the dry fields to check on the muskmelons. Before the farming season, the melons were not yet ripe, but these days, they should be almost ready.

The fragrant melons were planted by Lin Xing. They are easy to grow and a single plant can produce quite a few fruit, making them a favorite among the countryside folk.

Apart from the melons, the rest of the land was entirely planted with sweet potatoes by Lin Xing, presumably for selling. It would still be two months before they were ready for harvest.

Gu Qiming picked a few ripe ones and wrapped them in his clothes, leisurely making his way home.

On the way back, he did come across quite a few people chatting under the trees, with some even taking the initiative to greet him. Gu Qiming waved his hand in response, which served as his acknowledgment.

Everyone in the village knew that Lin Xing was going to marry the hunter, and this topic occasionally became the talk of the town.

Gu Qiming returned home and set down the melon, only to find Lin Xing already working diligently, having nearly completed two pairs of shoe soles. As he entered, Lin Xing was busy evening out the bottoms with a mallet to ensure the shoes would retain their shape in the future.

Seeing him return, Lin Xing set aside his work and picked up a towel, raising his hand to wipe away his sweat.

“How are the fields? Can we transplant the rice seedlings in a few days?”

“They’re okay. If it doesn’t rain by then, we’ll need to fetch some water for the rice transplanting.”

Gu Qiming’s hands were covered in mud. He dumped the fragrant melons on the ground and went to fetch a bucket of water, saying, “A good number of melons in the fields have ripened. We can start picking them in a few days.”

Lin Xing looked up at the sun; for more than half a month, it had been clear skies, making rain seem unlikely. However, the weather in summer can change rapidly; sometimes, it’s sunny in the morning, only for a downpour to occur in the afternoon.

The peaches in the bowl were all eaten, and Gu Qiming gathered two crooked fruits to feed the chickens in the courtyard. He also chilled the melon in the well, having not rested all day, and now he felt somewhat tired.

Gu Qiming came to the main room to rest, while Lin Xing was about to sit down and start busying himself again.

He frowned at Lin Xing and said, “Can you take a break? Staring at it constantly will strain your eyes.”

“I know. Let’s tidy this up and deal with the rest tomorrow.”

Lin Xing got up and gathered the remaining cloth on the table into a bamboo basket. Tomorrow, with Gu Qiming away, he could take the opportunity to embroider the wedding clothes. Today, he had made it his goal to work on two pairs of shoe soles. He needed to hurry and finish a pair for Gu Qiming to wear when he went up the mountain tomorrow.

When Gu Qiming saw him obediently respond, he couldn’t help but give him a peck on the cheek, which he emphasized with a ‘pop’ sound. Lin Xing gave him a bashful glare, hurriedly gathered his things, and scurried back to his room.

By the time Gu Qiming woke up, the day was already far gone, and he could see a few birds circling in the distance against the sky.

Since Gu Qiming arrived, the household has become accustomed to three meals a day, which is why Lin Xing would often prepare dinner late at night.

Before dinner, Gu Qiming took Lin Xing to Da Niu’s house. The day before, in town, they had purchased an assortment of pastries, including Cloud Cake[e/n: 云片糕 Yun Pian Gao .Traditionally, these mooncakes are white in colour just like the snow or cloud in the sky. It is usually round like the moon or a rectangular shape. For the rectangular white colour cake, you can eat the cake by peeling cake piece by piece (like kuih lapis) and hence it is also called a book cake..These cakes were usually offered to the moon and after offering to the Goddess of the Moon, Chang E (嫦娥）, some dialects believed that eating the book cake would help the students to get good results in the examinations.. Source!], which Lin Fu was particularly fond of. Lin Xing had made sure to package a few extra pieces.

“Uncle Lin!”

As soon as Lin Fu saw Lin Xing approaching, he came running over on his short legs. Lin Xing hugged him in his arms and pinched his little nose, saying: “A’Fu, why have you gotten fat again? Have you been sneaking off with the Little Uncle and eating all the good food?”

The little guy pursed his lips, “No, A’Fu didn’t get fat.”

As the Da Niu family had been eating dinner in their courtyard, Lin Fu still had some drippings of oil around his mouth. Lin Xing laughed so hard that his shoulders trembled incessantly.

“Come in quickly. He’s so plump now, it’s so tiring to hold him.”

Aunt Zhang saw Lin Fu clinging to Lin Xing’s neck and refusing to let go. She asked Da Niu to carry him back and sit him at stone table to continue dinner.

Lin Xing handed over the pastries he had brought, and Aunt Zhang knew that they were for Lin Fu, so she did not refuse. She greeted the two of them and invited them to sit down and eat together.

Gu Qiming didn’t forget the purpose of his visit. He sat down and said to Aunt Zhang, “I came today to inquire about the marriage proposal…”

Upon hearing the question, Aunt Zhang beamed, “I’ve already found an auspicious date for you, the third of August.”

Finished speaking, she gave Lin Xing an intentionally scornful look. “Such a grand event like your marriage, why didn’t you tell me earlier? If Xiao Gu hadn’t come and asked me to pick an auspicious date, when did you plan on telling me?”

Unexpectedly, there was such a twist. Lin Xing knew that he was in the wrong: “It’s not... I hadn’t thought about getting married at that time. It was only when the farming was busy that we decided to marry. Later, I forgot about it again.”

“I thought you had forgotten about your aunt. Anyway, now that you’re married, your aunt can rest easy. We’ve all seen Xiao Gu’s character, and we’re sure there’s nothing to hesitate over.”

The people at the table knew that the two were about to get married and discussed going over to help out. Da Niu and Er Niu’s wives specially picked some duck eggs for them to take back, suggesting they preserve the eggs as salted duck eggs to eat.

Lin Xing and Gu Qiming did not stay for dinner. They sat and chatted for a while longer and only invited the family to drink wedding wine before leaving.

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______e/n________ |Next Chapter Title: Chapter 16: The Wedding
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