ABPUBALC - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Slacking Off

In the beginning of August, The Lin FamilyMany villages were named after the family who started it (not a real note, testing my system) Village experienced several consecutive days of rain, leaving the chickens and ducks in the yard listless and devoid of their usual energy.

Lin Xing provided a larger cage for them, and only after bringing it into the inner chamber did things seem to improve.

In the courtyard, there remained a single rabbit, which was originally intended for use in the banquet. However, Gu Qiming later deemed it too small and thus it had been left there until now. Lin Xing also brought it into the house.

By the end of July, the heat was unbearable. Typically, the beginning of August should have been oppressively hot, but this year, thanks to several bouts of rain, August turned out to be exceptionally refreshing.

The rain is a blessing. Since transplanting the rice seedlings, the two of them had made several trips to the fields to irrigate them, fearing that even a moment of inattention would leave the fields parched.

The entire village was steeped in worry, for although there was no longer concern over the seedlings suffering from drought, the incessant rain now posed the threat of rotting the young plants.

Alas, the livelihood of peasant families is entirely at the mercy of the heavens; they all hope for favorable weather, with gentle winds and timely rain. Should they encounter a severe drought or devastating floods, truly, it could cost lives.

Outside, the wind rustled the leaves, and as the rain swept them to the ground, the lotus leaves in the water jar, drenched by the rain, seemed even more vibrant with life.

Outside, the wind and rain swirled tumultuously, yet the two inside the house reveled in their leisure. Lin Xing sat in the central room, sewing clothes for Gu Qiming. There wasn’t much cotton left in the house, barely enough to make a thin autumn garment.

Gu Qiming set up a stove in the main hall, atop which a pot of old-fire soup simmered over a low flame, prepared by Lin Xing using mushrooms. The weather was too damp; one needed to drink more warm liquids.

Ever since their marriage, Gu Qiming had become even more clingy than before. These past few days, rain had prevented him from hunting, so he spent all day holding Lin Xing in his arms, displaying an affectionate and inseparable demeanor.

At this moment, Lin Xing was busy embroidering clothes, preventing Gu Qiming from being handsy. He leaned on the table, casually twirling a strand of Lin Xing’s hair around his finger, playing with it idly.

“After the rain stops, I’ll go to the river and catch some fish to bring back.”

Yesterday, Er Niu came to him and said that the water in the village had risen high, and many people were taking their fish baskets to the river to catch fish. In just one night, they could catch more than a dozen fish.

The stream running through the village was quite shallow. For someone of Gu Qiming’s stature, even when the water levels rose at their highest, it reached no more than his waist. Thus, there was hardly any need for concern.

“Wait until the clothes are properly made, then layer up before you go.”

Lin Xing’s hands moved tirelessly; the garment he was working on was nearly complete. Observing that the rain seemed poised to stop but would likely continue for a while longer, he estimated that in another hour, he would be able to finish the piece of clothing. Over the past few days, Gu Qiming had still been wearing the thin shirts suitable for summer. While this was fine at home, stepping outside would surely result in catching a chill.

The two of them spent their time chatting away, not feeling bored in the slightest.

After the rain had stopped, Gu Qiming picked up his bamboo hat and fish basket and went to Aunt Zhang’s house to look for Er Niu.

Er Niu wasn’t one of the villagers who was anxious about the rain, instead becoming more and more excited to go fishing.

He had had originally planned to go down last night to give it a try, but his mother, holding him by the ear, dragged him back, saying it was unsafe to venture out late at night and suggested he should go with Gu Qiming instead.

Gu Qiming chuckled, “Who knows, maybe today you’ll also be able to bring back more than a dozen.”

“It’s hard to say if we can get a dozen or so, but even bringing back two or three fish to make a fish soup would be great. It has been raining for several days now, and a bowl of fish soup would warm the whole body.”

“Rest assured, with Brother Gu here, we will definitely not return empty-handed.”

Gu Qiming, after all, was an adept hunter. His aim was true and his hands swift, making fishing naturally effortless for him.

After they walked by the riverside for more than fifteen minutes, quite a few people could be seen rolling up their trousers to grope for fish in the river.

It was not easy to get meat during the off-season. How could someone refuse free fish?

The river water was not yet as high as Gu Qiming’s thighs. He tucked away his creel[e/n: creel, a wicker basket usually used for carrying fish or blocks of peat.] at his waist, and against the river current, he bent over to fumble for fish in the river.

He cupped his hands, gently probing the riverbed with cautious movements. His fingers traced the cool, smooth stones, searching for a telltale bump or resistance. When his touch finally met something different, something alive, he pressed his palm down, a practiced ease in his gesture. The fish, caught off guard, was easily trapped in the confines of his hands.

Gu Qiming placed the caught fish inside the fish basket—it was a small carp, a little bit bigger than the palm of his hand.

During this time of year, it was difficult to find large fish in the river. The most common was this carp. If one was lucky, they could catch grass carp weighing two to three jin.

“Brother Gu, look!”

Gu Qiming lifted his head at the sound of his voice, and saw that Er Niu was holding onto a large grass carp, his eyes curving with such excitement that they almost dissapeared. Gu Qiming gave him a thumbs up, signaling that he had done well.

Although he was already married, Er Niu was still a youngster at heart, able to be happy for ages over the smallest of things.

That’s the allure of fishing –– once you catch one, you’ll be motivated to catch more. Gu Qiming continued to bend over and search in the river.

Roughly an hour passed, and as the sky turned dark, Er Niu rose to call Gu Qiming back. After bending over for so long, both of them were getting tired.

Er Niu showed Gu Qiming what he had caught – thanks to his good fortune, he had a haul of seven or eight fish of assorted sizes, enough to feed everyone at home.

Gu Qiming was no less fortunate, but he only caught small fry, eight in total. Since only he and Lin Xing were at home, this was more than enough.

On their way back, Er Niu suddenly remembered something. He clapped his hands together and turned to Gu Qiming. “That’s right, Brother Gu, there’s something I forgot to tell you, CuiCui is expecting; she’s already two months along.”

He rubbed the back of his head, his mind racing. He had forgotten such an important matter, only remembering it as they neared home.

“Really! That’s great, congratulations!” Gu Qiming was also happy for him. This was great, he was going to be a father.

Gu Qiming still hadn’t returned; Lin Xing had been sitting in the living room and waiting. As soon as he heard a sound, he hurriedly ran out to open the door for him.

“Is it chilly out? Hurry up and change your clothes.”

After a trip to the river, Gu Qiming’s body was drenched, and the thin shirt clung to his skin, looking cold.

Lin Xing first asked him to go into the house to change clothes, then ladled out a bowl of hot soup to ward off the cold. Only then did he pour the fish into the water tank in the yard.

Originally, he wanted Gu Qiming to wear the newly tailored autumn clothes, but Gu Qiming refused, saying that he didn’t want to get the new clothes dirty. He claimed that his body was fine wearing just a short shirt, making Lin Xing so angry that he almost hit him.

Currently, Gu Qiming, dressed in the clothes Lin Xing had just sewn for him, cradled the nourishing broth in his hands and took two sips, feeling warmth spread through his entire body.

Lin Xing stood behind him, massaging his shoulders to alleviate the soreness in his back and waist from idling around. While kneading, he asked, “Are there many people by the river? It’s been raining for a few days; I reckon the water level must have risen quite a bit.”

Gu Qiming replied, “There are many more fish in the river these days, possibly swept down by the rain. Everyone’s been catching fish, and the water level hasn’t risen much.”

That’s right. Some households in the village don’t even get to eat meat a few times a year, so how could they pass up this rare opportunity to catch fish in the river?

Gu Qiming squeezed his hand and whispered, “Er Niu is going to be a father. He says the baby is already over two months old. When the weather clears up, we’ll send them something and visit.”

“Really!” Lin Xing exclaimed in excitement, “That’s wonderful, I’ll have to pick out some nice things to send over in a few days.”

Lin Xing hadn’t expected Brother Er Niu to have a child so soon. He pondered over what gifts to bring Sister CuiCui to help her recuperate.

He was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice he was almost entirely draped over Gu Qiming’s back, nor did he realize that the person beneath him was holding a bowl, wearing a joyful smile.

Days started getting dark sooner as winter approached. Because Lin Xing had already stewed a hearty soup earlier today, he hadn’t touched the few fish Gu Qiming had caught. Later that night, he cooked the stir-fried rabbit that Gu Qiming had been craving for dinner.

The rabbit was one that Gu Qiming had brought out to be slaughtered. It was the last rabbit left, yet he hadn’t properly fed it. Originally lean, the rabbit had become even less fatty after being kept for a few days.

The rabbit cages that were made at the time were not discarded; they were all stored in the side room, ready for use again should live rabbits be captured in the future.

Preparing stir-fried rabbit is fairly simple. Start by cleaning and preparing the rabbit and cutting it into small pieces. Marinate with beaten egg and salt, then fry in a hot pan until golden brown. Add chopped green peppers and lettuce stalks, stir-frying until just tender. Pour in a rich sauce, letting it coat every piece. Turn up the heat and cook until the sauce thickens and clings to the ingredients. Transfer to a plate, and enjoy.

Gu Qiming loved spicy food, so Lin Xing would always add a lot of dried red peppers to any dish he made.

This rabbit was thin, barely enough to make up a single plate when cooked, its meat not even as abundant as the greens accompanying Lin Xing’s meal.

However, for the pair of them, it was more than enough.

Gu Qiming carried the dinner into the hall, a plate in one hand and a steamer in the other.

During the rainy days, the two ate in the main hall every day.

The diced rabbit meat had been braised until it became fragrant and crispy, and Gu Qiming used a spoon to put some in a steamed bun, using the bun instead of chopsticks.

Lin Xing loved eating lettuce. Stir-fried until soft, the lettuce soaked in the soup from the dish tasted both fresh and delicious.

By the time they reached the last bit of rabbit meat, he hadn’t eaten much of it; however, he did consume a significant amount of lettuce.

After washing up for bed, Gu Qiming pulled the covers over them and chatted with him softly.

Gu Qiming whispered in his ear: “If the weather’s clear tomorrow, I’ll ask around the village to see if any of the families are raising wolfhounds. When the puppies are born, I’ll bring back a couple of them.”

“Really!?” Lin Xing sat up excitedly, almost bumping his head into Gu Qiming’s chin.

He turned around and asked Gu Qiming: “Why do you suddenly want to raise a dog?”

Gu Qiming knew the suggestion was a good one after seeing how excited he had gotten. “It is somewhat dangerous for me to hunt alone up in the mountains. If I could train two hunting dogs, they could help me out and also protect the courtyard at night.”

Lin Xing nodded, he was right.

It’s certainly not safe for Gu-ge to go into the mountain to hunt, but it would be more comforting if he took two hunting dogs with him.

Taking advantage of the other’s good mood, Gu Qiming pinched his face to satisfy his craving, and asked, “You like puppies so much, why don’t you raise one yourself?”

“I used to have a little pup, Da Shan’s big brother brought it back. I raised it for over a year, I think.”

He seemed to recall an unpleasant incident, resting his chin on Gu Qiming’s shoulder. He wrapped his arms tightly around his neck, then said, “When Lin Qing and his group made trouble at our house before, Xiao Hua bit one of them. The next day, Xiao Hua disappeared. I searched for her all afternoon and finally found her body outside the Lin family’s courtyard wall.”

In fact, Lin Xing did not find Xiao Hua’s body outside. When he found the Lin family, they were already boiling water and preparing to skin the dog and cook it.

Lin Xing was furious to the point of madness. His eyes were red, and his foot kicked the pot, sending it flying. He threw heavy punches and kicks at Lin Qing. The Lin family thought he had gone mad. They were so scared they didn’t dare to move a muscle.

In the end, Lin Xing cried as he brought Xiao Hua home and buried her in the backyard.

Gu Qiming patted him on the back. He could understand how upset Lin Xing was and could only comfort him, “It’s all in the past. We’ll avenge Xiao Hua in the future.”

Lin Xing shook his head: “I’ve already avenged Xiao Hua. Lin Qing is a bully who fears the strong and domineering. He thought I was crazy and didn’t dare fight back.”

“Mmm, our XingXing is truly formidable.”

Gu Qiming couldn’t bear to see him so upset, so he pulled him back into his arms, let him lie down, and began to tell a story.

He didn’t know many, but the most vivid one in his mind was of “Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio[e/n: 聊斋志异 Liáozhāi Zhì Yì , an actual Qing dynasty book of 500 short stories, written by 蒲松龄 (Pú Sōnglíng) during the Qing Dynasty. The author passed the county exams but failed to go further, afterwhich he pivoted to writing these stories that seemed to combine criticisms of the current era with supernatural elements, giving both moral lessons and entertainment. Seems pretty cool actually...
LibraryofCongress article].” He picked out the most complete stories from his memory and slowly began to share them with him.

Lin Xing listened attentively, occasionally asking “why” about certain elements while resting on his arm. Gu Qiming found this listener quite satisfactory and pinched his nose, saying, “It’s too late now. I’ll continue the story for you tomorrow. Let’s sleep for now.”

Lin Xing pouted. Though he still wanted to listen closely, he knew that the hour was getting late, and he closed his eyes before long, falling asleep.

Gu Qiming wrapped his arms around the person, burying his head into Lin Xing’s neck and taking a deep breath. He thought that he should find time to seize an opportunity to make trouble for Lin Qing and the others; they couldn’t just be let off so easily.

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qq remarks[qq: thank you new members Akai and Mirajh, hope you enjoy the stories ^^
I'll be working to catch up on ABPUBALC and IWYTBW ~]