kvmb Chapter 16: The Beginning of the Chapter
Chapter 16: The Beginning of the Chapter
When Shi An returned, he found that Chu Ci had already started a fire to cook. He immediately went into the kitchen, took the work from the woman, and chased her out.
"My lady, go hang the clothes out to dry. I'll cook."
"okay."
Chu Ci didn't pay much attention and obediently went out to hang up the clothes.
Days passed by, and before we knew it, more than a month had gone by.
In mid-May, the air was warm, and even wearing just a single layer of clothing didn't feel thin.
During this month, Chu Ci would deliver live deer to the Tian family roughly every eight or nine days.
Every time Tian Jiang, the steward of the Tian family, saw her, he would smile and wish he could worship her.
Over time, Chu Ci became famous in Lianhua County, and many people knew that a hunter had appeared in Sanyuan Village, who often delivered deer to the Tian family.
Song Zhao frequently visited Chu Ci's home, and on several occasions when they were eating together, he would join them without any hesitation.
After all, Chu Ci's husband was a very good cook, and there was meat in every meal, which was much more delicious than the food at home.
That day, Song Zhao came over again. Chu Ci had just finished hunting and was feeding the rabbits nearby.
She raised her hand to greet her, "Chu Ci, you're busy."
Chu Ci didn't even turn her head, just said "Mm".
Song Zhao skipped over and showed off what he had brought, saying, "Look what good stuff I brought you."
Hearing this, Chu Ci looked up at him and said, "You actually brought something this time?"
Song Zhao scratched his head sheepishly, "I can't just eat at your house every day, can I? Here, a top-quality bow."
Chu Ci became interested, took the bow, pulled back the string, and nodded, saying, "It is indeed a good thing. How did you get it?"
"Hey, guess what."
“.............” Chu Ci ignored her and continued to adjust the bowstring.
Song Zhao pouted and crossed her arms. "You're so boring. Aren't you going to guess?"
"Just say what you have to say."
"Alright, alright, I got this bow from a weapon shop's lucky draw event. You tell me, am I lucky or not?"
"Oh, so that's it."
“I spent 100 coins to buy a dagger from them, but I didn’t expect to get a better weapon for free. As soon as I saw this bow, I thought of you, so I sent it to you right away.”
Chu Ci's eyes softened after hearing this, "Thank you for thinking of me."
Song Zhao blushed and quickly waved his hand, "No need to thank me, no need to thank me. I've eaten so many meat meals with you. If you don't give me something, I won't dare to come anymore."
After she finished speaking, she cautiously peeked at Chu Ci from the side.
Since marrying her husband, Chu Ci has changed completely. Not only has her personality become more assertive, but her appearance has also become more and more refined.
Not to mention his overall demeanor, like a resilient pine tree on a precipice, handsome and proud, completely different inside and out, with a charm that has been revitalized.
"Chu Ci, you're getting more and more beautiful."
"Really?" Chu Ci herself didn't seem to feel anything; her face was still the same, unchanged.
Shi An prepared the food and served it on the table, then called everyone to come and eat.
"My lady, Sister Song, come and eat!"
"Coming, coming!" Song Zhao, who was always the most enthusiastic about eating, dashed over in a flash.
"Thank you so much, brother-in-law. You've worked so hard to prepare such a sumptuous meal. I'm so touched I could cry."
Shi An found her amusing, "It's not hard work, hurry up and eat."
"Ah."
Chu Ci first hung the longbow on the wall of his bedroom before going to eat.
Shi An and Song Zhao were both waiting for her, and no one picked up their chopsticks first.
This morning, Chu Ci went to the river and caught several fish. He then asked Shi An to stew one of them for him at noon.
The fish and pepper were fragrant and delicious, making Song Zhao's mouth water.
Seeing her like that, Chu Ci took the first bite of the fish and said, "It's really delicious."
Upon hearing this, Shi An was delighted, thinking, "I'm glad my wife is happy."
Song Zhao couldn't wait to take a bite and exclaimed repeatedly, "Chu Ci, you are so lucky! Your brother-in-law's cooking is so delicious. I want to marry such a good husband in the future."
Chu Ci knew that Song Zhao had been worried about marriage, so she asked, "Isn't there a young man in the weapon shop who's supposed to be a trial marriage partner? Didn't you see him when you were buying things?"
"I saw him. He's incredibly handsome, but not quite as good-looking as my brother-in-law."
Chu Ci frowned, "Are you that picky about appearance?"
"No, it's that young master doesn't think much of me, but I quite like him."
"If you like something, you should go for it."
"But I feel I'm not good enough for him. I don't even have any official title, and I'm just average-looking."
Shi An listened to their conversation while silently eating the stir-fried bamboo shoots in front of him.
Seeing that he hadn't eaten any meat, Chu Ci offered him a piece of rabbit meat.
Shi An smiled, feeling very sweet inside.
But then he remembered that he was leaving, and his smile faded.
He can now earn about 400 coins a month by selling embroidery, and with the pocket money Chu Ci gave him, 500 coins a month is not a problem.
In this way, you can save enough for the travel expenses in a little over a year.
Because Shi An was deep in thought and had his head down, Chu Ci didn't notice his mood and continued chatting with Song Zhao.
"Time will tell. You're quite good-looking, so don't underestimate yourself."
Song Zhao sighed, "Sigh, you don't understand."
**
After the meal, Song Zhao wanted to learn some self-defense skills, so he took the initiative to learn archery from Chu Ci.
However, she had absolutely no talent for archery, and despite Chu Ci's long-term instruction, she made no progress whatsoever.
"Why don't you give up archery and I'll teach you some martial arts instead?"
"Okay," Song Zhao said with an awkward smile, realizing she had been incredibly stupid.
The two practiced in the yard for a while with great enthusiasm, and Song Zhao, who never exercised, was covered in sweat.
"Shu, let's rest for a while, I'm tired."
Chu Ci noticed Song Zhao's stamina and frowned.
"That's enough for today. You've finished learning one set of boxing techniques. From now on, just follow what I've taught you and practice it three times every morning."
Song Zhao looked utterly hopeless. "Ah! Three times!"
Chu Ci's expression was indifferent. "No slacking off. I can tell. If you slack off, you'll have to practice extra from now on. I'll personally come to your house to watch over you."
"........."
Good heavens! Why did she have to provoke Chu Ci in the first place?!
She regretted it!
After Song Zhao left, Chu Ci took out the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone he had bought a month earlier and began to write.
In her past life, when she was a female knight-errant, she had a close friend who loved reading storybooks.
I often tell her about the contents of the book when I have nothing else to do.
After hearing it a lot, you'll get the hang of the routine.
Therefore, writing vernacular stories was not difficult for the Chu Ci (Songs of Chu).
She picked up her pen and wrote for an entire afternoon, only stopping when Shi An called her for dinner in the evening.
Looking at her work, Chu Ci felt uncertain, unsure whether she had written it well or poorly.
Or, after we finish eating, should we ask Shi'an to take a look?
Dinner tonight was rather light: porridge, steamed buns, and two stir-fried dishes, one meat and one vegetable.
After finishing her meal, Chu Ci paced back and forth in her bedroom with the storybook in her hand, looking somewhat nervous.
This is her first time writing, and she hopes to receive good reviews.
When Shi An heard the knock on the door, she was embroidering shoes that she would be selling in the next few days.
He got up and opened the door. When he found it was Chu Ci, he was still somewhat moved.
After all, the two had not yet consummated their marriage.
"My lady, it's so late, is there anything I can help you with?"
"Ahem," Chu Ci coughed twice first.
"Well, I've written a storybook myself, and I'd like you to give me your feedback."
"A storybook?" Shi An was a little surprised, never expecting it to be like this.
Chu Ci handed the storybook to Shi An, her face slightly flushed, "I just wrote it randomly, you... just give an objective evaluation."
"Yes, my wife, I will definitely read it."
"Then I'll leave first."
"Ah."
After the woman left, Shi An began reading a storybook by the light of an oil lamp.
In this world full of mystery and romance, the Chu Ci (Songs of Chu) tells a captivating love story.
The story's protagonists are a beautiful and brave female knight-errant and a noble young man from a prestigious family.
One day, while the female knight was strolling in the mountains, she happened to hear the sounds of fighting coming from afar.
Following the sound, she arrived at a valley and discovered a group of bandits attacking a caravan. Without hesitation, the heroine intervened and rescued a young nobleman who was traveling home with the caravan.
It turns out that this young man came from the capital and came to Jiangnan to visit relatives and friends and to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Jiangnan.
However, he never expected that he would encounter such misfortune on his way home.
After learning about the young master's situation, the female knight felt pity for him and decided to escort him safely to Yangzhou.
Along the way, the two chatted happily and gradually developed a deep affection for each other.
However, the young master's family background presents numerous obstacles to this relationship.
Because of the many rules and regulations of a noble family, his parents strongly opposed his marriage to a woman from the martial arts world.
Ultimately, they forced the young master of the aristocratic family to marry his cousin.
Upon learning of this, the female knight-errant was filled with grief and indignation, and resolved to steal the groom on the wedding day.
She successfully stormed into the wedding banquet and took the young master of the wealthy family away.
However, when they tried to leave the city, they were unfortunately surrounded by the pursuing army.
Amidst a hail of arrows, the female warrior was severely wounded while protecting the young master of a noble family, and eventually collapsed to the ground, unable to rise again.
The young master of the noble family was heartbroken. He tightly embraced the heroine's body and wept bitterly. Finally, he raised his long sword and committed suicide in front of the city wall.
After reading it, Shi An couldn't stop crying and was deeply saddened.
Chu Ci was originally a person of the martial arts world, and was very familiar with the affairs of the martial arts world. His description of the female knight-errant's unrestrained life in the text is very exquisite.
Because he grew up in a wealthy family and had some understanding of the lives of scions of prominent families, this article was well-written and did not contain any major logical problems.
Shi An put down the storybook, wiped away her tears, and remained unable to calm down for a long time.
It is truly tragic that lovers cannot stay together.
Then he thought of himself, and tears streamed down his face.
Chu Ci slept well that night, but Shi An cried for half the night before finally falling asleep.