Seeing the self-recommended Liu Shusheng, Cheng Duo was somewhat surprised. "You say you want to be my accountant?" he asked.
Liu Shusheng hesitated and nodded, "Although I haven't worked as an accountant before, I've read books on mathematics and can do calculations. If you don't believe me, you can test me."
Although Liu Shusheng was a bit old-fashioned, he had a great passion for reading. Since he had limited access to books, he would usually read the same book repeatedly. When he came across something he didn't understand, he would ponder over it himself, earning him the nickname of a bookworm.
Cheng Duo casually gave him several arithmetic problems, and although Liu Shusheng solved them slowly, he got the answers right in the end. Of course, Cheng Duo didn't give him those difficult problems like the one with chickens and rabbits sharing a coop, as that wouldn't be fair.
In the entire area of ten miles, there were only a few literate people, and even fewer had passed the government exams as Liu Shusheng had. A "talent" who came to him voluntarily was not worth being too picky about for Cheng Duo.
"Alright then, you can try it out for a month. During the trial period, you'll be paid one tael and five wens. If you do well, I'll increase it," Cheng Duo said with a smile.
"One tael… five wens?" Liu Shusheng's lips trembled, suspecting he had misheard.
"What's wrong? Do you find it too little?"
"No, no," Liu Shusheng shook his head repeatedly and gradually realized, his face showing a mix of surprise and joy, "Thank you for valuing me. I'll do my best!"
One tael and five wens for a month's work! That was too generous! How much firewood would he have to chop to earn this much silver?
"Let's go. I'll take you to the place where we gather firewood. Money Da will handle the weighing from now on, and you'll be in charge of bookkeeping and payments. Also, you'll need to keep track of how much firewood the brickyard uses in a month and report it to me at the end of the month. Currently, the brickyard doesn't have any orders, but when there are orders, you'll be responsible for the accounts…" Cheng Duo explained the job duties as they walked.
Initially, Liu Shusheng was a bit afraid, but he felt relieved listening to Cheng Duo's clear and gentle explanations. Compared to some uncouth men in the village, Cheng Duo was entirely different. Liu Shusheng paid careful attention and listened earnestly.
Looking beyond Cheng Duo's intimidating appearance and the fierceness he showed when dealing with others, Liu Shusheng was astonished to find that Cheng Duo was one of the few in the village with a clear mind and with whom he could communicate smoothly. Cheng Duo was also reasonable; whenever Liu Shusheng didn't understand something, he asked carefully, and Cheng Duo answered patiently without getting angry.
Thinking of how gentle and indulgent Cheng Duo was with Yong Ge, Liu Shusheng began to understand that his initial impression was wrong. He had always thought of Cheng Duo as a violent and brutish man who only knew how to fight and kill, but he realized now that despite not looking like a scholar, Cheng Duo was not someone with a simple mind.
While they were talking, they passed by the storage room where clay tiles were made, and Yong Ge saw Cheng Duo and greeted him with a smile, "Brother Cheng."
However, when he saw Liu Shusheng, his expression became less welcoming, "What are you here for?"
His unwelcoming attitude was apparent.
Yong Ge still held some grudges; when he was in difficult times, Liu Shusheng would always nag him with comments like, "Being exposed and not adhering to moral principles, no one will marry you in the future," stabbing him in his already vulnerable heart.
Did Yong Ge want to be exposed? If it weren't for being forced to do so, who would want to struggle and scavenge for food in the mountains and rivers?
Liu Shusheng's eyes flickered, avoiding Yong Ge's gaze. "I've come to apply for the position of accountant."
He had just been hired, and he was extremely satisfied with the salary. What if Yong Ge said something, and Cheng Duo decided not to keep him? He still remembered how much Cheng Duo doted on Yong Ge, and there were rumors in the village that Cheng Duo had directly driven away workers for Yong Ge…
"Heh, didn't you say that scholars treat money like dirt? Why are you willing to 'expose' yourself now?" Yong Ge taunted.
Liu Shusheng's head sank even lower, his face turning red. "I… I…"
Their positions were reversed, and Liu Shusheng realized how excessive he had been in the past. Before his parents passed away, he had never earned a single penny with his own hands, and even after their deaths, he mostly relied on selling family assets to survive.
On the other hand, Yong Ge, at a young age, knew how to support his family and was more filial than him, despite claiming to be a scholar.
Cheng Duo watched the scene with a smile, seeing his younger brother teasing the newly hired accountant. When Liu Shusheng blushed and seemed embarrassed, Cheng Duo stepped in to defuse the situation, "Alright, that's enough about the past."
Cheng Duo winked at Yong Ge, implying that they were now the masters of Liu Shusheng, and they could do whatever they wanted with him in the future. If they scared him away all at once, it wouldn't be profitable…
Yong Ge understood Cheng Duo's meaning, and he narrowed his eyes with a smile, his expression clean and radiant, not showing any trace of the previous gloom.
In fact, Yong Ge was just teasing him for fun and didn't really want to do anything to Liu Shusheng. Now that he had such a good husband, Liu Shusheng's verbal attacks were like passing clouds, blown away by the wind, leaving no trace behind.
Cheng Duo wiped the sweat from Yong Ge's forehead with his hand. "Look at you, all sweaty. I've told you so many times before, you don't need to do the clay tiles yourself. If it gets too busy, just hire someone."
With so many people around, and Liu Shusheng standing there, Yong Ge blushed due to Cheng Duo's actions but didn't want to move away. He could only raise his arm to wipe his face and try to cover up, "I'm fine…"
Cheng Duo shook his head, noticing Yong Ge's slightly dry lips. He turned to Liu Shusheng and said, "Wait here for a moment," then walked into the storage room.
The storage room had one side connected to the warehouse and was well-ventilated on three sides. Aunt Qian and the others were making mud tiles while secretly glancing outside. When they saw Cheng Duo come in, they quickly lowered their heads.
In truth, they dared to tease Yong Ge, but they absolutely wouldn't dare to do anything behind Cheng Duo's back and were even afraid of him.
They listened to Cheng Duo's footsteps as he walked around them and went to the table where the water cups were placed. They heard the sound of Cheng Duo pouring water and then personally handing it to Yong Ge.
"Here, drink some water. The cup is a bit dirty; I'll bring a clean one from home tomorrow."
Yong Ge glanced at Aunt Qian and the others, then reached out to take the cup, saying, "I'll do it myself…"
Cheng Duo insisted, "Your hands are all muddy, just drink it like this. I've fed you before."
Liu Shusheng, who was trying to act as if he knew nothing, said, "…"
Should he move away a bit? Yong Ge wasn't happy to see him, and what if he got even more angry later?
Yong Ge felt a flutter in his heart. Having spent time with Cheng Duo, he knew that Cheng Duo occasionally said surprising things. He didn't want Cheng Duo to say something that would embarrass him further, so he quickly moved closer and drank the tea.
Because he drank too quickly, Yong Ge accidentally choked on it, "Cough, cough, cough…"
Cheng Duo patted his back again, his tone still gentle and low, like comforting a child, "Be careful, there's no rush."
Seeing that Yong Ge had stopped coughing, Cheng Duo put down the cup and told him before leaving, "Don't make any more mud tiles. I'll come back to pick you up later."
"Okay." Yong Ge was both sweet and shy, nodding his head shyly. Cheng Duo looked at his fluttering eyelashes and really wanted to kiss his eyes, but seeing Yong Ge blushing like this, he thought better of it.
Cheng Duo left with Liu Shusheng. Aunt Qian and the others suddenly became lively again, teasing Yong Ge.
"Hey, who would have thought, when Yong Ge took charge, that he would be so caring after marrying a husband!"
"That's right, I thought he would always be quick to fight."
One of the guys blushed and said, "Did you hear what the boss said the other day? He said that Yong Ge can make decisions for the entire brickyard. Our men in the village don't treat their wives like this."
Aunt Qian also joked, "Yong Ge hit the jackpot. Did you hear what he said when he was in charge? Don't make any more mud tiles, go wash up. He's cutting him a deal."
Another guy leaned over to Yong Ge and asked, "Is he like this at home too?"
Yong Ge, though embarrassed, couldn't help but answer, "Yes. Cheng Ge always insists on doing the work at home. He says anyone can do the household chores, and I don't have to serve him. He's so strong that I can't compete with him in anything except cooking…"
"Is there really such a man in this world?" The guy speaking couldn't believe it and blurted out, "My husband just lies on the kang every day doing nothing."
He regretted saying that when he realized, and someone chimed in, "That's right, mine is the same. Except for going to the fields, he wants me to feed him every meal!"
This remark struck a chord with the other wives, and the topic shifted from admiring Yong Ge to criticizing their own husbands. They now had work to do every day, and their husbands didn't have to go to the fields every day. Why should they do all the housework after a day of making mud tiles?
Of course, despite the complaints, most of them were still afraid of their husbands' fists. But some of the younger wives, who were strong-willed and hot-tempered, were different now that they were earning their own money. They would go home and cause trouble. This had caused several family disputes.
"""
While everyone was enjoying the discussion, on the other side at Yu Fang mountain.
Li Wang set up a tea stall under an old tree, and Li Changrong, with his broken leg, lay on a rudimentary bamboo chair, looking relatively well. Li Changgui sat on a tree, chewing on a straw, feeling drowsy.
After a while, the sun became too scorching, and a soldier came over to buy cold tea, saying, "Old Li, give us three bowls of cold tea!"
"Coming!" Li Wang responded and skillfully took out three clay bowls. Before he could bring the tea over, someone on the city wall shouted, "Someone fainted again, quickly carry him to Old Li and give him a bowl of cooling soup."
Li Wang heard the urgent shouts from the other side. He took out a pot of herbal medicine, added some herbs to it, and heated it up. At the same time, he asked Li Changgui to help him serve cold tea to the three soldiers who had come earlier.
Li Changgui ignored him and pretended not to hear, even when he heard his father calling for help. He quickly closed his eyes. While his relationship with Li Wang had improved a bit, his lazy habits didn't change overnight. At most, he would ask Li Wang for money, and if Li Wang refused, he wouldn't resort to physical violence like he used to.
Of course, there wasn't much entertainment in Yu Fang mountain either. Although the overseers and soldiers occasionally played cards, their money was hard-earned, and no one would risk losing it all in a game of cards.
Li Changgui wanted to leave, but he couldn't. He was getting bored to death.
The three soldiers saw that Li Wang was busy, so they came over to serve themselves cold tea. One of them glanced at Li Changgui and said without hesitation, "Old Li, your two sons don't seem to care much about you. You came all the way here to find them in vain."
Li Changgui opened his eyes, angry but unable to speak. He and his elder brother had suffered a lot under each other's control. Although their father now had a letter from a wealthy person, he had admitted that he didn't know that person well.
Therefore, Li Changgui could only glare at the soldier and dare not say anything. Li Changrong, with a broken leg, was in the same situation; he couldn't even stand up.
Another soldier echoed, "Exactly! With only these two sons, if they treat you so unfilially, what will you do when you're old?"
Li Wang thought that the current situation was already good enough. As long as these two unfilial sons didn't cause trouble for him and Yong Ge, he would be grateful. The relationship between the two sides had only recently improved, and he didn't want to expose their flaws, so he just smiled politely and said, "Sir, they are still recovering from their injuries. Please don't mind."
Just then, the two prisoners brought an unconscious person over. Li Wang quickly poured out the hot soup he had prepared and served it to them.
The three soldiers shook their heads at Li Wang's response. They believed that Li Wang would definitely come to a bad end.
As they were drinking cold tea, a group of people suddenly arrived, led by a well-built bodyguard with a long knife at his waist and a weathered face, indicating his skill in combat. Behind him were three or four donkey-drawn carts, carrying quite a bit of goods.
The three soldiers were curious. Was this group trying to leave the checkpoint? Why did they come here?
As they were observing, a person suddenly emerged from the group of laborers, pointing at Li Wang excitedly, "Boss Ding, that's my uncle Li!"
Li Wang turned to look at him and was stunned, "Zhao Shugen, why are you here in Yu Fang mountain?"
Before Zhao Shugen could respond, Boss Ding warmly greeted Li Wang, "Uncle Li, we are entrusted by your son-in-law to deliver supplies to you. Take a look, all these things are for you!"
Li Wang was baffled, "Son-in-law? When did I get a son-in-law?"
"Of course, it's Master Cheng! Don't you know? Master Cheng has a great relationship with Young Master Xie from Xie's Restaurant. These guards escorting us are Young Master Xie's men."
Li Wang was still confused, "Master Cheng? But isn't he engaged to someone else? Did he marry Yong Ge secretly?"
Zhao Shugen, with his straightforward nature, nodded, "Yes, that's Yong Ge's husband. Master Cheng is the hunter from our village. He also fought with you guys before." He looked at Li Changgui and Li Changrong.
Li Changgui & Li Changrong: "…"
"What? Yong Ge married Cheng Duo?" Li Wang became anxious. Wasn't Cheng Duo engaged to someone else? Did they have a secret marriage?
"Uncle Li, don't worry. Master Cheng and Yong Ge had a proper wedding. The reason they didn't wait for you to return was that something happened…" Boss Ding had already inquired about the situation and now eagerly explained the events leading up to Cheng Duo saving Yong Ge and agreeing to marry him in place of Li Mancang. He emphasized how Cheng Duo had single-handedly fought off over twenty of Hong family's men with a steel spear.
As men, they couldn't help but admire such heroic actions. Boss Ding described the events vividly, hoping to improve Cheng Duo's reputation in the eyes of his father-in-law and brothers-in-law.
Li Changgui: "…"
Li Changrong: "…"
How on earth did this happen?