coobybook Chapter 157 Do you have to be related by blood to be brothers?
Chapter 157 Do you have to be related by blood to be brothers?
Going back to Guihua Village would give me some free time to cut some wood and bamboo, and I could ask Shuisheng, who was free at the time, to help me make the bed.
Lin Xiaotang thought it was perfectly fine. Her father would prepare the big pot for her, and all she had to do was add firewood and watch the fire to braise the pig's trotters. She could make up for the lack of sleep at night by sleeping half a day during the day.
So she readily agreed, "Okay, let's hold on for three to five days until his wounds scab over, then I'll have him accompany me to the county to deliver it."
By evening, Lin Qingchuan had settled everything at home, so he drove his carriage back to Guihua Village and headed straight for Shuisheng's house.
Shuisheng rolled up his bedding and opened the courtyard gate. When he saw Qingchuan, whom he hadn't seen for many days, his eyes were filled with surprise and joy.
"Brother Qingchuan, why are you back so late? Is something wrong?"
Lin Qingchuan glanced at the bedding Shui Sheng was carrying and said, “I’m a little worried about you watching the fields alone. Quite a few people in the village know that our two families are growing turmeric. Maybe some of them have already secretly inquired about turmeric and learned something about it. If someone gets interested, you definitely can’t defend yourself alone. If the two of us watch the fields together, firstly, we can encourage each other, and secondly, we can look out for each other. If anything happens, someone can inform the village head.”
Shuisheng felt that what Qingchuan said made perfect sense. He secretly admired how much Qingchuan's thinking and vision had changed after doing business for more than half a year.
"Brother Qingchuan is so thoughtful, but now that you're back, what will happen to your wife and Xiaotang? Who will help deliver the braised pig's trotters to the county?"
"I'll come back this evening and go check on the fields with you. We'll head back before dawn, but I'll have to trouble you to look after our two families' fields."
Shui Sheng suddenly realized and immediately waved his hand to say it was nothing. "Brother Qingchuan, don't be so polite with me. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to grow turmeric. Besides, you gave me these turmeric seeds for free. I didn't spend a single copper coin. I would feel really bad if I couldn't help you."
Seeing that Shui Sheng agreed, Lin Qingchuan didn't hesitate. "Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony with you. It's already dark, so let's go and keep an eye on things so we can have peace of mind sooner."
The brick and tile house had been uninhabited for months, and everything inside had been moved out. He dared not put the carriage inside, lest someone steal it. So he led the carriage and Shui Sheng to the edge of the field.
Along the paddy field ridges, every household planted rice, but his and Shuisheng's turmeric stood out.
Shui Sheng was incredibly excited as it was his first time growing turmeric. He remembered how Qing Chuan's family had made some money from turmeric, and how the couple were both very capable, and Xiao Tang was clever. The family of four had expanded their business to the town and county, which he greatly admired.
But as much as he envied her, he was just a widow and her mother, and he was lucky to have the opportunity to grow turmeric and make some money from the harvest. He couldn't envy anything else.
Under the cover of darkness and with the dew heavy, Lin Qingchuan felt a chill in the air outside and suggested, "Shuisheng, why don't you spread your blanket in the carriage and lie down for a while? I'll just sit by the carriage door wrapped in a quilt and keep watch. The turmeric isn't ripe yet, so it shouldn't be a big problem. It's just better to keep an eye on it than to be caught off guard. The most important thing is to wait until it's ripe in the next few days."
Shuisheng refused, saying, "Brother Qingchuan, you're busy delivering braised pig's trotters to Dushui County during the day. If you don't sleep at night, how will you have the energy to drive the carriage to deliver them during the day? You can lie down and sleep in the carriage, and I'll keep an eye on you. Just keep me company and give me courage."
Lin Qingchuan thought for a moment and said, "How about this, I'll keep watch for the first half of the night while you sleep, and you keep watch for the second half while I take a nap. When I wake up, I can go back in time and deliver the braised pig's trotters to the county."
Shui Sheng nodded, thinking it was a great idea.
"Okay, I'm going to sleep now. Don't forget to wake me up later."
So Lin Qingchuan wrapped himself in a blanket and leaned against the carriage door frame, while Shui Sheng lay inside and fell asleep in no time.
Listening to the snoring in the carriage, Lin Qingchuan pondered to himself. From childhood to adulthood, his father and brothers had never accompanied him like this when he was working. Even though all the money from selling the grain went into his father's and stepmother's pockets, Shuisheng was different. Before he had made a name for himself, Shuisheng had helped him a lot because of the friendship he had formed when they went to town to repair houses and do odd jobs together. What exactly is a brother?
Do you have to be related by blood to be brothers?
Aunt Xiangqin is in poor health and takes medicine every day. Shuisheng takes care of the fields of both families by himself, but he doesn't complain. He even thinks about how he has to deliver braised pig's trotters to Dushui County during the day and wants him to sleep a little longer. How can he bear to see his brother suffer because Aunt Xiangqin takes medicine every day, and he can only farm and do odd jobs, and can't even get a wife?
He decided to go home and ask Tang'er if there was any way for Shuisheng to find a way to make money on his own.
Perhaps because Shui Sheng was still thinking about the replacement, he woke up on his own after just over an hour and insisted that Lin Qingchuan go to sleep in the carriage while he watched over him.
"Brother Qingchuan, you get some sleep. I'll definitely wake you up when it's almost time so you can get back to town without delay."
"It's still early, why are you in such a hurry to change shifts?"
Shui Sheng smiled and said, "Don't worry, it's warm in the carriage. I slept very well. If you hadn't come back, I would have had to make do with sleeping on a quilt on the edge of the field."
Lin Qingchuan shook his head and chuckled, no longer offering any more politeness. He lay down in the carriage and fell asleep instantly, not even hearing what Shui Sheng said afterward.
Shui Sheng didn't hear a reply, turned his head to look, and couldn't help but sigh, "Brother Qingchuan must be really tired. It seems that his money isn't easy to earn."
At the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), Shui Sheng woke Lin Qingchuan up.
"Brother Qingchuan, wake up, you should go back to town."
Hearing Shui Sheng call him, Lin Qingchuan immediately woke up, not groggy at all, as he was already used to this kind of routine.
"Okay, I'll head back to town now, but I might need to ask you for a favor."
Shui Sheng was somewhat surprised, "Brother Qingchuan, I don't know much, how can I possibly help you?"
"When you have nothing to do during the day, go to the foot of the mountain and cut some wood and bamboo. I want to make a bed. I'll pay you for the work, okay?"
Ah, chopping wood and bamboo is such a simple task, but Brother Qingchuan should still pay him for it?
He immediately shook his head, "No need, no need to pay wages. Making a bed doesn't require much wood or bamboo. I'm going to chop firewood at the foot of the mountain anyway, so I can just chop a little more while I'm at it."
Lin Qingchuan said seriously, "Let's keep things separate. You helped me, and if I don't pay you, how can I ask you for help again in the future?"
Shui Sheng felt a surge of emotion. He knew that Qing Chuan was trying to help him because he hadn't been able to find any odd jobs and was just sitting idly in the village.
"Okay, I'll listen to Brother Qingchuan."
After the two agreed, Lin Qingchuan drove the carriage at breakneck speed all the way back to town, knocked on his own door, and immediately loaded the carriage.
Lin Xiaotang thought for a moment and said, "Dad, I'll go to the county with you today. I can catch up on sleep on the way there, and when we come back, you can teach me how to drive the carriage. Once I've learned, you can catch up on sleep in the carriage too."
He hadn't originally intended to bring his daughter, but when he heard she wanted to learn to drive a horse-drawn carriage, he thought it was a good idea. Jiu'er, whom he had just bought, might not know how to drive a carriage. If one of the two children learned, he could have them deliver the turmeric to the county when it was time to harvest it, and he would feel at ease.
“Okay, if Tang’er wants to learn, then let’s go together.”