Chu Qing didn't want to be taken advantage of. If he really had a lot of money, it would be nice to take Xia Xia to get some new clothes made. There were still many things to buy for the house.
Wei Yutang was a hunter, so he didn't have to worry about eating meat, but he eventually got tired of eating so much of it.
On the way back, Chu Qing thought about it carefully. The original owner didn't care much about money, but judging from Wei Yutang's appearance, his family should have more money than ordinary families.
He would be relieved if he had some savings. Xiaxia is three years old this year, and in two more years she will be old enough to go to school, and the expenses will gradually increase.
The gate to the small courtyard was pushed open from the outside, and Wei Yutang, who had just sat down on a stool, casually wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.
Xiaxia, on the other side, continued to look at his spoon, clutching the flower-patterned spoon in her palm and happily swinging her legs.
"I'll cook lunch."
Wei Yutang came over and took the dishes. If it was still early, he could go out again in the afternoon.
When he was at home doing nothing, he simply couldn't bear to watch Chu Qing busy herself.
When an aunt in the village wanted to arrange a marriage for him, Wei Yutang's first reaction was to refuse. After all, back in the capital, even the Emperor wanted to marry his own sister to him, but Wei Yutang simply had no such intention.
This is true even in the capital, let alone in this place.
But after seeing Chu Qing, Wei Yutang suddenly changed his mind. The moment he saw him, he wanted to bring him back and let him stay comfortably at home.
Wei Yutang has always done this for many years.
Chu Qing didn't argue with him. After playing with Xia Xia for a while, she suddenly remembered that she had forgotten to tell Wei Yutang about that matter. She coaxed Xia Xia to play by herself first and then got up and went to the kitchen.
Upon hearing the footsteps, Wei Yutang didn't even need to turn around to know that it was Chu Qing.
"I can handle this, you don't need to help."
"Steam an egg for Xiaxia at noon."
"Oh, okay."
Wei Yutang thought he came to help, but he didn't expect him to just be reminding him of this.
In the afternoon, Wei Yutang went hunting in the mountains again. Before leaving, he specifically told Chu Qing that he would be back early today and that Chu Qing did not need to prepare dinner.
Xiaxia was a little unwilling, thinking that his father's cooking was better than his father's.
Chu Qing outwardly agreed, but in reality, she did not intend to do as Wei Yutang said.
Wei Yutang is still unsure what caused Chu Qing's sudden and drastic change, but it does not affect his good health.
Most of the men in the village find the various demands annoying. When Wei Yutang went out in the afternoon, he heard a family arguing. Apparently, the man felt that he had worked hard enough all day, but when he got home, his wife still asked him to do this and that.
After listening to a few words, Wei Yutang turned around and went up the mountain.
His thoughts were different from these people's. He didn't find it troublesome at all. On the contrary, he quite liked Chu Qing's arrangement of these details, probably because these details just showed that Chu Qing wanted to be with him and have a home.
If you don't plan to live here long-term, you can certainly tolerate those dissatisfactions for the time being.
Wei Yutang didn't linger on the mountain for too long today. He hurried back before the sun had even set, and on his way home, he ran into that aunt again.
Although the aunt was somewhat afraid of Wei Yutang's antics, she was still very curious about the matter, so she took the initiative to go up to him and said with a smile:
Have you heard about Chu Qing's father breaking his leg?
These words gave Wei Yutang a sense of "I knew it was true."
Chapter 107
Chu Qing suddenly became too nice, which always made Wei Yutang feel uneasy. He couldn't help but wonder if he could give Chu Qing what he wanted. Now, after hearing these words, his heart was at ease.
It's that kind of thing again; it can be solved with money no matter what.
"I already talked to Chu Qing about it at noon today, and guess what Chu Qing said?"
Wei Yutang, who had originally planned to go back and have a good talk with Chu Qing, stopped in his tracks upon hearing this.
Noon? Chu Qing prepared dinner last night.
"Um?"
"Chu Qing didn't seem to be in a hurry as usual, and didn't say anything about going back to check on things."
This auntie is just a bit gossipy, but she doesn't actually have any bad intentions, and she certainly doesn't want to ruin other people's relationships.
"I understand, thank you, Auntie."
Even after Wei Yutang had walked quite a distance, the aunt was still in a daze. This was the first time in her memory that Wei Yutang had spoken to her at such a long length.
Chu Qingshi planned to start preparing dinner at the same time as yesterday. In the afternoon, he played with Xiaxia for a long time and also tended to the vegetable garden.
No matter how good a vegetable garden looks, it still needs regular care for the vegetables to grow well.
On the way back, Xia Xia saw Wei Yutang coming towards home from afar. Xia Xia, who was walking ahead, was a little further away than her father, but she ran over to him happily the moment she saw him.
"Father!"
"Um."
Wei Yutang had already sold the prey before returning, and his body still smelled of blood, but his hands were clean from washing them by the river.
When Xiaxia ran up to her, she reached out and picked him up.
"Father~"
This little guy doesn't hold grudges. Although the spoon his father made for him this morning was really ugly, he forgot about it completely by the afternoon and is now hugging his father's neck.
"I also want steamed eggs~"
"Okay, I'll make it tonight."
Wei Yutang never liked to talk much, not even to his son. He carried Xiaxia to Chu Qing, and when he noticed Chu Qing was still standing there, he couldn't help but urge him on:
Aren't you going home?
"Return."
That evening, Wei Yutang looked into the cupboard and saw that he had actually accumulated quite a few eggs. He had only raised those chickens to eat them when the time was right, but they kept laying eggs, and it would be a waste to eat them directly, so he bought roast chickens from the county town.
And so, we've kept raising it until now.
Xiaxia ate only in the morning and at noon. In the evening, Wei Yutang added two extra eggs and steamed two portions, one of which was placed in the seat where Chu Qing usually sat.
Wei Yutang wouldn't let him into the kitchen, so Chu Qing could only wait outside. When it was time to eat, he saw an extra serving of steamed eggs and, thinking about their current situation, felt a pang of heartache.
"Why didn't you save some for Xiaxia to eat tomorrow?"
The little guy looks cute now, but that's entirely because of his two fathers' good genes; he's not actually the kind of chubby, round cutie.
"a lot of."
Wei Yutang gave a brief explanation and placed the very crudely made spoon in front of Chu Qing.
Before there was any comparison, they were just two spoons, but now that they are placed together, even Wei Yutang himself finds them rather ugly.
"Rework it tomorrow."
Chu Qing paused for a moment before realizing what he meant, and then smiled helplessly while holding the spoon.
"No need, it's fine as it is."
They're all spoons. It's normal for Xiaxia to want something nicer because she's young, but she really doesn't need to do that.
He scooped some of the egg from his own bowl into Wei Yutang's bowl. Given the family's financial situation, Chu Qing preferred to prioritize the child, since Xiaxia was still growing.
But Wei Yutang's behavior tonight reminded Chu Qing that he usually goes hunting in the mountains, so he should also prepare a portion of what Xiaxia should eat.
Wei Yutang sat down at the table. The light in the room was not bright, not even as bright as the moonlight outside the window. He used this light to stare at Chu Qing's profile.
Now, no matter what Chu Qing does, Wei Yutang assumes it's all in an attempt to get money from him to save his father.
Thinking of this, Wei Yutang's previously decent mood suddenly turned quite cold.
After Xiaxia fell asleep that night, Wei Yutang didn't wait until very late to go in like he did the night before. He went in as soon as Chu Qing finished taking a shower.
"Come out, let's talk."
Although Chu Qing wasn't quite sure what he wanted to talk about, she nodded and followed him outside. The two of them stayed in the courtyard together.
Wei Yutang has lived here for so long that he is quite clear about many things, such as slipping and falling while going up the mountain and breaking his leg.
They either give up on treatment, or if they really want to treat it, it could very well bankrupt a family.
Fortunately, he hadn't spent all the silver notes he had with him, and he had also sold quite a few game he hunted in the mountains, so he had saved up a lot of silver. If Chu Qing really wanted to treat his father's illness, the silver he could get from him should be enough.
Wei Yutang didn't care about the money; to him, it wasn't much.
If he could really use this money to get Chu Qing to settle down and start living with him, it would actually be a pretty good deal.
"What?"
Standing in the courtyard, Chu Qing noticed that Wei Yutang's attitude was a bit too serious. She seriously reflected on whether the original owner had done anything excessive that Wei Yutang had just discovered.
"I already know about that."
Wei Yutang's words confirmed Chu Qing's guess, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't think of anything else the original owner had done. After a long silence, he decided to ask directly.
"Which matter?"
He asked the question because he really didn't know, but Wei Yutang felt that he might be too embarrassed to say it directly.
"I already know about your father's leg injury. Tomorrow, when I go to sell the game I hunted, I'll call a doctor back. You don't need to worry about the money."
Chu Qing had been thinking about how to deal with what the original owner might have done, but he didn't expect it to be just this one thing.
"Silver, how much silver do you have on you right now?"
"That should be enough to heal your father's leg."
Wei Yutang hadn't seen it in person, so he wasn't sure how badly the leg was injured. Based on his previous experience, the cost of treating a leg injury wasn't actually the most troublesome thing.
Leg injuries generally require proper care, and even after recovery, they cannot be as bad as before.
As for the situation of Chu Qing's family, it was indeed very difficult to handle.
The more Chu Qing looked at it, the more he felt that Wei Yutang might not be very smart in this matter. If his family really had that much money, he wouldn't feel comfortable leaving it with Wei Yutang.
"Then you'll give it all to me?"
Give them all? Wei Yutang's first reaction was not very willing, after all, he had other places where he needed them.