Chapter 19 — Spending money is like cutting off a piece of flesh
“Jingxuan, how did you end up bringing a man back home?”
With the help of his younger brother Ling Jingpeng, the two brothers exhausted themselves before finally managing to bring both the man and their things back to the house. The man was covered in dense wounds, though none were deep—likely abrasions from fighting a wild animal. The only truly fatal injury was a blow to the back of his head. Ling Jingxuan crushed some agrimony and applied it to the wound to stop the bleeding, then wrapped it with cloth. He treated the other injuries as well.
When Ling Chenglong and his wife heard that he had brought an injured man home, they dropped what they were doing and hurried over. Before they even stepped into the courtyard, their voices rang out.
“Don’t ask me. It was the little buns who insisted on saving him.”
Ling Jingxuan, who was processing herbs in the courtyard, shrugged shamelessly and decisively pushed all responsibility onto the two little buns.
“You’re really something. What do Xiao Wen and Xiao Wu know?”
Ling Wangshi shot him a hard glare and moved as if to walk past him into the house. Ling Jingxuan took a quick step forward to block her.
“Mother, there’s nothing to see. He’s still unconscious. I’ll have him leave once he wakes up, okay?”
If they saw that man’s face, he wouldn’t be able to explain himself even if he had a hundred mouths.
“I just want to take a look. Jingpeng said he was badly injured. What if he dies here…”
As she spoke, Ling Wangshi’s eyes reddened. Her eldest son had finally returned to normal, no longer minding the rumors and gossip. If someone died in their house now, who knew how the village would explode? And who knew whether those cold-hearted elders of the clan would drag him off to be drowned again? If something happened to him, what would happen to the two children?
The more she thought about it, the more heartbroken she became, wiping away tears again and again. Beside her, Ling Chenglong clearly shared the same worries—his dark, gaunt face full of concern, his brow tightly furrowed.
“Mother, what are you saying? If he were really going to die, would I have brought him home?”
Ling Jingxuan said weakly. He knew this would happen. What had occurred five years ago had turned the whole family into startled birds—any little thing sent them into panic. If it were someone else, saving a life would be a good deed. Why so many worries?
“Then let us take a look. Jingxuan, your father and I are getting old—we can’t take this kind of shock anymore.”
“This…”
Ling Jingxuan didn’t want to stop them, but… that man’s face looked far too much like the little buns’. If his parents saw him, who knew what they’d say? Damn bastard—couldn’t he do anything besides causing trouble?
At this moment, Ling Jingxuan resolutely began to resent a certain someone.
“What’s wrong? Is he not fit to be seen?”
His refusal was obvious. Ling Wangshi wasn’t blind, so her tone sharpened, her gaze full of naked suspicion.
“It’s not that… it’s just…”
For the first time in both this life and his past one, Ling Jingxuan found himself at a loss for words. His eyes instinctively avoided their probing looks. After a long moment, he clenched his teeth and spoke as if throwing caution to the wind.
“Father, Mother, promise me this: no matter what you see later, don’t tell anyone. Until things are clear, I don’t want to scare the children.”
So be it. It would come out sooner or later anyway—better sooner than later.
“You silly child. He’s just an outsider. What does this have to do with Xiao Wen and them?”
After he said that, Ling Chenglong and his wife were even more confused. Ling Jingxuan took a deep breath and didn’t bother explaining further. He simply turned and led them to the room where they usually stored odds and ends. Earlier, when they had returned, the two little buns had wanted to place the man in the room they lived in—the only one with a bed among the three thatched huts. But Ling Jingxuan had refused. In the end, they spread straw on the floor of the storage room and casually dumped the man there.
“Hah… my heavens, he… he is…”
Following him inside, still full of doubt, Ling Chenglong and his wife nearly jumped in shock the moment they saw the man’s face. Their fingers trembled as they pointed at him, their faces and eyes filled with fear.
Ling Jingxuan said helplessly, “Now you know why I didn’t want you to come in. He might be Xiao Wen and Xiao Wu’s biological father.”
If the man didn’t have a twin brother, then without DNA testing, anyone would assume their relationship just by looking at how identical they were.
“What do you mean ‘might’? Don’t you know for sure yourself?”
Ling Wangshi completely lost control, her shrill voice filled with unmistakable accusations. That man had ruined her son’s life. If she could, she would never want to see him again.
“Jingxuan, he… what happened back then spread all across the villages. If he were truly a man, he should have stood up and faced it with you. Since he didn’t, it means he was just playing with you. Why would you still—sigh…”
Ling Chenglong trailed off with a helpless sigh. In his view, his son had taken such a huge risk to save the man only because he still had feelings for him.
“Father, Mother, what are you talking about? It’s not what you think. Back then I—can we not talk about the past? I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
Ling Jingxuan’s tone turned stiff. How could he tell them that their son had been raped? The one in charge now was him, not the former Ling Jingxuan. Whether or not the man was the children’s father, he had no intention of accepting him. In this life, having loving parents, close brothers, and two adorable sons was enough. He didn’t need anything else.
“You… you… how can you be so foolish? Anyone with eyes can see your relationship. If people find out he’s Xiao Wen’s father, what do you think they’ll say about you?”
Whether from anger or fury, Ling Wangshi trembled all over. Ling Chenglong remained silent, but the reproach in his eyes was unmistakable. Ling Jingxuan rubbed his forehead weakly, his head aching. He personally didn’t care much about gossip, but his parents and siblings did. For the children’s future, he had no choice but to care. What kind of mess was this? Was heaven deliberately messing with him?
“Father, Mother, I worry about the same things you do. Don’t worry—once he wakes up and I get the answers I need, I’ll send him away.”
In this situation, he had only two choices: send the man away, or openly announce his identity and marry him. The latter was absolutely impossible, so there was only one option. But first, he had to confirm the little buns’ origins—otherwise everything he’d done so far would be meaningless.
“Send him away now. The farther the better. I’ll have your father and Jingpeng help you.”
“Mother—”
“Don’t call me Mother. Unless you’re willing to marry him? Jingxuan, I won’t let him hurt you a second time.”
“But I—”
“But what?”
Mother and son argued over the man’s fate. None of them noticed that the man lying on the straw pile stirred—his eyeballs moving beneath his lids. His tightly closed eyes slowly opened, the brief haze fading. A pair of almond-shaped eyes identical to the little buns’ fixed on them unblinkingly. As their argument grew more heated, a glimmer of understanding flashed in his gaze. Then he closed his eyes again, as if he had never woken up at all.
“Xiao Wu, what we just heard must never be told to anyone—especially not Daddy.”
What they also didn’t realize was that the little buns, who had just returned from outside, had heard everything. Taking advantage of the adults’ distraction, the older bun quietly pulled the younger one toward the backyard.
Though still very young and unable to fully understand the conversation—or the adults’ worries—he knew two things: first, that man might be their father; second, Daddy didn’t like that man. He didn’t like him either. Young as he was, he understood better than anyone that their miserable life had been caused by that man.
“Why? I want a father.”
The younger bun lowered his head, twisting his fingers in grievance, tears welling in his eyes. The villagers all called them fatherless, motherless bastards—little monsters. Now that Daddy was better and their father had returned, shouldn’t their family only get better? Why hide it?
“Xiao Wu!”
Ling Wen’s childish voice suddenly rose. Ling Wu flinched instinctively, tears spilling down in large drops. Seeing this, Ling Wen quickly softened, wrapping his thin arms around him.
“Don’t cry, Xiao Wu. We don’t need a father. Having Daddy is enough.”
“W-wah… mm…”
Still confused and unhappy, the crying little bun nodded through his sobs. Ling Wen copied the way Ling Jingxuan usually comforted them, gently patting his back. In his small, round almond eyes shone a firm determination—he would protect Daddy and his little brother.
After Ling Jingxuan’s forceful insistence, the man was ultimately allowed to stay. As a result, Ling Chenglong and his wife were furious. When they left, they even declared that they would no longer concern themselves with him. Yet the very next morning, Ling Chenglong still came by with Ling Jingpeng to collect fish. After all, he was their son—how could they really stop caring?
“Father, Jingpeng—after you sell the fish later, please help me buy twenty ceramic jars in this shape,” Ling Jingxuan said while gesturing. “Also get a few jars about the size of salt containers, two of the largest wooden barrels, ten jin of cornmeal, and two jin of pork.”
After serving his father and younger brother breakfast, Ling Jingxuan went over the list again. Yesterday’s fish had sold for five hundred copper coins—about half a tael of silver. It was time they had some meat to nourish themselves… but—
“Oh my heavens, Daddy! We’ve only earned a little money and you’re already buying things and eating pork again? No way! We can’t buy anything. The little bit of money we have can’t be squandered like this!”
The older bun shrieked dramatically, his face full of pain as he glared at Ling Jingxuan in strong disapproval. Ling Jingxuan rubbed his forehead helplessly. After a long moment, he patiently explained,
“Well, Xiao Wen, those jars are for storing the wild grapes outside. Didn’t I tell you? We’re going to turn them into a lot of silver. Before that, a small investment is necessary. As for cornmeal and pork—aren’t we out of food? We can’t just eat nothing, right? Look how skinny you and Xiao Wu are. Shouldn’t you eat some pork to nourish yourselves?”
If Ling Jingxuan had one regret in this life, it was handing over financial authority without a second thought. Now, trying to spend even a little money was like trying to take the older bun’s life—absolutely pitiful.
“Daddy, you really don’t know how to live frugally. Small ceramic jars are expensive—why not just buy two big ones? Eating cornmeal every day is already luxurious. We should buy black flour instead. And pork—forget it. It’s expensive. We haven’t earned much yet, and we don’t even know if those wild fruits will make money. If we can save, we should.”
After hesitating for a moment, the older bun added his objections. Ling Jingxuan felt utterly stifled but still tried again.
“Xiao Wen, think about it—does a piece of cloth sell for the same price at a street stall as it does in a shop? Of course not. The rarer something is, the more expensive it becomes, right? And expensive things need exquisite packaging. If you only sell two big jars, even good stuff gets wasted. Something that could sell for ten taels of silver ends up selling for just one tael. Do you know how big that difference is? If we want to make big money, we have to understand investment. So the conclusion is—small jars are a must.”
He must have lost his mind, explaining investment returns to a five-year-old. Ling Jingxuan felt indescribably defeated.
“You’re really sure the stuff made from those wild fruits can sell for ten taels of silver?”
After a long silence, Ling Wen finally asked tensely. That was the only part he truly understood—how much money they could make.
There’s hope!
Seeing this, Ling Jingxuan’s eyes lit up and he nodded eagerly. “If nothing goes wrong, it’ll definitely be more than ten taels.”
“Alright then. We’ll buy the jars the way you said.”
As if cutting his own flesh, the older bun finally agreed—but then—
“Grandpa, Uncle, besides the jars and big wooden barrels, please also buy some black flour—the cheapest kind.”
Ling Jingxuan hadn’t even had time to celebrate when the older bun turned to Ling Chenglong and his son. Ling Jingxuan instantly felt like crying. Would he ever eat white rice again in this lifetime?
“Alright.”
Ling Chenglong, who had watched the whole scene, chuckled honestly. He affectionately patted Ling Wen’s head, then looked at Ling Jingxuan’s gloomy face.
“Let’s do it this way. Xiao Wen is afraid of being poor. How long can you keep catching fish from Yuehua Ditch? What can be saved, we should still save.”
“I know, Father. Then I’ll trouble you and Jingpeng. Oh right—Jingpeng, go ask the grocery shop if they sell rock sugar. If not, buy a few jin of white sugar. I need it as a medicinal ingredient for Second Brother.”
What else could he do? Take it slow. One day, he’d correct the older bun’s miserly habits.
“Got it, Big Brother. Our fish are big and fat—easy to sell. Once we’re done, I’ll come help you. Didn’t you say yesterday you wanted to dig a pond in the backyard?”
Hearing that there was hope for Second Brother’s illness, Ling Jingpeng patted his chest and smiled brightly, his wheat-colored skin glowing with youthful vigor.
“Sure. Then hurry up—you’ll be late once it gets hot.”
“Alright!”
Ling Jingxuan and his two sons personally walked Ling Chenglong and Ling Jingpeng to the door. Only after watching them disappear from sight did Ling Jingxuan turn back. He had plenty to do today. He planned to ferment the wild grapes into wine; if there were leftovers, he’d make jam. Even if it didn’t sell for money, at least the children would have something extra to eat.
“Hm?”
Feeling someone tug at the hem of his clothes, Ling Jingxuan looked down in confusion. The older bun released his grip, turned away awkwardly, and said stiffly, “Father, I know you want to eat better, but we don’t have money. When we’re rich in the future, I’ll definitely let you eat white rice every day.”
“Heh… then I’ll wait for that day,” Ling Jingxuan said with a helpless laugh. “Go on—didn’t I teach you two characters yesterday? Take Xiao Wu and practice.”
Ling Jingxuan smiled despite himself. Whether or not it was just empty promises, at least his son meant well. Since the child was afraid of poverty and needed money in hand to feel secure, then he’d just work harder to earn it. Once their money piled up beyond use, the older bun would naturally stop being so stingy.
What Ling Jingxuan didn’t yet know was that some habits are impossible to quit for a lifetime. Even if they later possessed mountains of gold and silver, the stingy little bun would still be the same stingy little bun—unchanged in the slightest.
“Daddy, after we finish practicing writing, can I go play with Tiewa?”
“Of course. Just remember to come home at noon. For your health, you must develop the good habit of taking a midday nap!”
Ling Jingxuan nodded with a smile, affectionately tapping his nose. After the two little buns obediently went to the backyard to practice writing, Ling Jingxuan finally turned and headed toward the room where the man was staying.
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Translator: LazyHermitGal
Author: LazyHermitGal
A Lazy Hermit Gal. A little support goes a long way! If you’d like to help me keep creating, you can do so at https://ko-fi.com/lazyhermitgal
