TIPS – Chapter 117

“Kid, who’s this for? It’s so finely made. Don’t tell me it’s for General Yuan?” the cook asked curiously. He knew that Song Jingwei was a new recruit highly favored by Yuan Qingsui lately—so favored that everyone in the camp was speculating about their relationship. No one believed they were just comrades.

But Yuan Qingsui always ate the same food as everyone else, never getting special treatment.

“Just make it like you were paid to. Why ask so many questions?” Song Jingwei couldn’t be bothered to answer. He waited on the side, and once the dish was ready, he took it back to the tent.

Shen Junxi finished the fried rice happily, licking the oil off his lips. He looked at Song Jingwei a little awkwardly.

“What is it?” Song Jingwei took the empty bowl from his hands, puzzled.

“…” Shen Junxi gestured: “I must look terrible right now.” He was dirty and messy—exactly the kind of appearance Song Jingwei usually couldn’t stand.

“Pretty average kind of terrible. Now lie down and sleep. We’ve got a journey tomorrow,” Song Jingwei said, watching as the young man lay down. He took the empty bowl back to the kitchen.

It was still the heat of August. Though this area was relatively cool, overly sunny days could still be oppressively hot. In the evening, Song Jingwei brought the young man to the riverside to wash off the dust of travel.

Seeing how many soldiers were already at the river, Shen Junxi frowned and pulled Song Jingwei back, not letting him go in.

“What, didn’t you say you wanted a bath?” Song Jingwei asked.

“You usually bathe here? With them?” Shen Junxi gestured toward the shirtless men.

“What’s the problem?” Song Jingwei raised an eyebrow. Was the young man actually jealous over this?

“…” Shen Junxi stared at him, then—just as expected—pulled him forward. There was no way he would let his “wife” strip right here.

Song Jingwei understood what he meant. Helplessly, he followed, since the young man was gripping his hand tightly and wasn’t letting go.

They found a spot that was relatively less crowded, and Shen Junxi finally stopped. He began to undress, though he kept on his underwear, planning to change properly once they returned to the tent. Then he watched, wide-eyed, as his “wife” started undressing—wondering if he’d keep on his underwear like usual… or if he’d strip completely…

The very thought made Shen Junxi furrow his brows.

“We’re all men here. Why be so fussy about a bath?” Song Jingwei said. Though he had his quirks, when it came to strangers, he didn’t really mind. Everyone was used to it, and no one paid special attention to anyone else.

“You don’t understand me,” Shen Junxi mouthed and gestured. Maybe one day, if Song Jingwei ever fell for someone the way he did, he’d understand. But for now, Shen Junxi didn’t expect him to.

“Alright, hurry up and wash,” Song Jingwei said, dropping the subject. He focused on cleaning himself in the water.

Shen Junxi moved closer, scooped water into his hands, and splashed his face, enjoying the rare comfort of cool water flowing over his body. Then, with great care and attention, he scrubbed himself clean. Over the past year, being around Song Jingwei had made him more and more intolerant of dirt—now he couldn’t go a day without feeling the discomfort.

“How are your parents? And the baby?” Song Jingwei asked as he washed.

Shen Junxi turned and gestured, “They’re well. The baby is, too.” Not waiting for further questions, he proactively gestured to tell him everything about home.

Upon hearing that the first batch of fish, shrimp, and lotus roots had already sold, Song Jingwei nodded and said, “I thought you spent your whole day thinking about me and didn’t even bother with the fields.”

“…” Shen Junxi froze, stunned that Song Jingwei would tease him like that. But then he smiled and gestured back, “It’s true. I missed you so much I didn’t want to work at all—just wanted to come find you.” After revealing this honest confession, he turned his head shyly, facing away as he continued washing. His face had flushed red.

“Good thing you didn’t ruin my lotus roots,” Song Jingwei chuckled. After rinsing his arms, he turned to the young man and said, “We’re going home tomorrow.” His words were steady and comforting, filled with longing and anticipation. He missed Benben.

“Mm.” Shen Junxi responded as he gazed into the distance, a joyful smile blooming on his lips.

“This time, once I’m back, I’m not going out again. It’s all the same out here,” Song Jingwei said with a sigh.

The young man turned around sharply, eyes filled with disbelief and a mix of emotions. But mostly, he couldn’t believe it. Was this real?

“Yeah. I don’t want to go out anymore,” Song Jingwei confirmed, dispelling all uncertainty.

“…” Shen Junxi couldn’t express the joy he felt just on his face. He slowly let go of his astonishment and returned to calm. But in his eyes, happiness and delight continued to surge and stir.

Gazing quietly over the broad, peaceful water, he gestured: “That’s great. I’m really happy.”  More than happy, in fact. He thought he finally understood what Song Jingwei meant. If he wasn’t mistaken, it meant exactly that.

“Oh,” Song Jingwei smiled faintly.

“You won’t regret it?” Shen Junxi couldn’t stop himself from asking, even though he really wanted to. This decision was too important and too difficult to stick with. He was always unsure, always lacking confidence—was the other person truly willing to stay for him?

“Mm, there’s nothing to regret,” Song Jingwei said slowly. “It’s not entirely for you. I’ve been thinking about the baby, about my tea garden and lotus pond, the school where the kids read.” And also: “Your parents have treated me very well. They’re good parents.” He added sincerely, “And lastly, Xiao Hei’s not bad either.”

Shen Junxi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It felt like he wasn’t even on the list—Xiao Hei made it, but not him.

“What about me?”

“You’ll do.”

“…”

After bathing by the river, they put on clean clothes and returned to the tent, changing out of their wet undergarments into dry ones, and took the dirty laundry to the washhouse. It would probably still be wet the next day, but the weather was dry, and after a night of wind, it should be close enough.

The next morning, after breakfast and registering with the chief clerk, they were free to leave the camp.

After saying a proper goodbye to Yuan Qing, Song Jingwei and the young man left the camp together. They got into the familiar ox cart from home and began the journey back.

When Shen Junxi had come alone, he was filled with thoughts of his wife far away in a strange place, so he had pushed himself hard on the road. Now, with his wife sitting behind him, there was no need to rush. Partly, it was to keep Song Jingwei from getting too tired; partly, it was because his heart had finally relaxed. They could take their time.

So while the trip there had taken two days and three nights, the return took three days, three nights, and an extra morning. Before lunchtime, they arrived at Chashan Village. The ox cart slowly rolled into the area that belonged to Song Jingwei and came to a stop in front of the house.

Yang Shi had been keeping watch at the door with Benben in her arms, having calculated the timing. She had even argued with Shen Dongming that morning—she insisted they’d be back by noon, while he had insisted they wouldn’t return until the next day.

Now, the moment she saw the familiar ox cart, saw her son driving it, and a vague figure seated in the back, her heart began to pound. She turned back to shout into the house, “Husband! Our son and daughter-in-law are back!”

Xiao Hei barked excitedly, prompting Shen Dongming to walk out of the house. “What?” he asked in surprise.

“Our daughter-in-law is back!” Yang Shi repeated.

“Huh? He’s back?” Shen Dongming ran out quickly. When he saw his son driving the ox cart, his face split into a wide grin. “Great, great, you’re back! Let’s get lunch ready—they must be starving after traveling!”

“I already made lunch—it’s just waiting for them to come in,” Yang Shi said, smiling so broadly her face nearly split. Holding the baby, she spoke to him: “Benben, look! Your little daddy is back!”

Benben was over eight months old now. He could sit, crawl, and had several baby teeth. He could gnaw and bite, and sometimes bit Yang Shi’s shoulder with quite a bit of strength.

“Ah! Ah!” The little one waved his hands and babbled loudly toward the outside.

“Call for Daddy! Come on, Benben, be good, say Daddy…” Yang Shi coaxed. Lately, Benben had started to babble frequently, so she and Shen Dongming had begun teaching him to talk.

As Shen Junxi drove the ox cart closer and closer, they finally reached the doorstep. The couple had already spotted their parents and child from afar. As soon as they stopped at the door, they happily jumped down from the cart, greeted their parents, and picked up the baby with unrestrained affection.

“It’s so good to have you back, so good,” Yang Shi said, her eyes red as she watched her daughter-in-law hold the baby. Her emotions were difficult to describe—only “overwhelmed” came close.

“Dad, Mom, thank you for all your hard work.” Now back home at last, Song Jingwei held his heavy son, kissing him several times, and happily told Shen Dongming and his wife, “Benben’s gotten a lot heavier—I almost couldn’t lift him.”

“Of course! You’ve been gone for months. His teeth have come in too,” Shen Dongming said, quickly asking if their journey had gone smoothly.

“It went very well. I saw my wife as soon as I arrived,” Shen Junxi replied with a cheerful gesture.

“That’s great,” the elders said, visibly relieved. Hearing that everything had gone so smoothly made them happy. Ever since Shen Junxi had left, they’d been worried—what if he couldn’t bring his wife home?

“Sorry for making you worry,” Song Jingwei said to everyone, sighing apologetically. If he hadn’t been delayed at the military camp, he would have returned home long ago. “Let’s talk inside. We got up very early today and are a bit tired.”

“Yes, yes, come inside and rest first,” Yang Shi quickly said, walking and muttering as she went: “I already made lunch, just waiting for you to come home. I said you’d be back today, but your dad wouldn’t believe me.” She was secretly quite pleased at having guessed correctly.

“We could’ve arrived yesterday if we pushed a little harder,” Song Jingwei said, following the two elders inside, side by side with the young man. Seeing that the young man was eyeing the baby, he handed Benben over. “Here, hold him. He’s heavy.” After months apart, the baby now felt solid and heavy in his arms—a sturdy, chubby little one.

“……” Shen Junxi smiled at him and took Benben into his arms. He knew Benben was heavy, which was why he had wanted to carry him for Song Jingwei.

“Everyone sit down and have some water to moisten your throats. I’ll go bring out the food,” Yang Shi said as soon as she entered the room, worried they might be starving. She quickly headed to the kitchen to bring out the dishes.

Shen Dongming began brewing the tea, but Song Jingwei took over, saying, “Father, let me do it. You can rest.” He poured tea for the three of them, then took a comfortable sip himself, soothing his dry throat.

“Tea from home really is the best.”

“Hehe, of course it is.” Shen Dongming eagerly opened a conversation. “Jingwei, where all have you been these days?” His eyes were full of curiosity, no longer shadowed by the worries and gloom he’d carried before. The family was also tacitly avoiding the topic of the past—now that Jingwei was home, that chapter was closed. No one brought it up again; what mattered was living well from now on.

“I’ve been to quite a few places…” Song Jingwei replied, then picked a few locations and incidents from his travels to share with them.

Shen Dongming and Shen Junxi listened with great interest. What Jingwei spoke of were all experiences they’d never had. For people here, such long journeys were mostly made by those in business. As a farmer like Shen Dongming, it was entirely possible to live an entire lifetime without venturing far from home. His roots were planted in Chashan Village, and he would live there till the end, never entertaining the thought of going elsewhere.

Still, hearing about the strange and wonderful things in other places from Song Jingwei, they couldn’t help but feel a bit of longing.

When Yang Shi called them for dinner, Song Jingwei stopped talking. He helped set the table and lay out the dishes and utensils, then served everyone a big bowl of white rice. They shared this long-awaited reunion meal in warm, cozy harmony.

“It’s been a long time since the whole family was together like this,” Shen Dongming said with emotion.

Thinking of the gloom that had once hung over their home, Yang Shi just smiled without saying anything. That was all in the past—no point in talking about it anymore. What’s more, the delay with her daughter-in-law had been due to travel, not what they’d feared. Though the family had harbored resentment toward Song Jingwei’s actions before, thinking back on it now made them feel ashamed.

“Things outside are interesting, but when it comes to eating and sleeping, nothing beats home,” said Song Jingwei. Aside from the brief comfort in big bustling cities, the rest of the journey really hadn’t been as comfortable as home.

“Of course,” Shen Dongming agreed firmly. Though he had never traveled far, he could easily imagine. At home, everything was convenient—eat whatever you wanted, take a hot bath whenever, sleep in a cozy bed. Could you do that out there? Eating in the wind and sleeping in the open… with a daughter-in-law as picky as his, he must’ve endured a lot out there.

“……” Shen Junxi thought the same. He turned his head to look at his wife and placed a piece of meat into his bowl. If the hardships outside made him no longer want to leave, then that was a good thing too.

Of course, Song Jingwei knew what was on his mind. But he didn’t explain—his reluctance to travel wasn’t really because of the hardships. He didn’t toss the piece of meat back into Junxi’s bowl, either. Instead, he calmly ate it and said, “It tastes really good. Mother’s cooking has improved.”

“Oh! Really?” That made Yang Shi beam with joy. “If you like it, eat more! You must’ve had a hard time outside these two months. Don’t worry, I’ll make lots of good food to make up for it!”

“Mm, thank you, Mother.” Song Jingwei nodded and lowered his head, eating seriously.

Shen Junxi gazed tenderly at his wife, occasionally adding food to his bowl. Seeing him eat with such an appetite—it almost rivaled how he was during pregnancy. The young man glanced at his seriously-eating wife, then at his gratified parents, and shook his head with a smile.

Yang Shi cheerfully fed her eldest grandson, all the while smiling at her son and daughter-in-law and coaxing Benben to eat more. Today, everyone was truly happy—happier than they had been in a long time.

After traveling in hardship for so long, Song Jingwei went to take a bath after dinner. Washing away the dust from his body, he finally felt much lighter.

He was about to lie down and rest when he saw the young man standing inside the room, right in front of his bed. He said to him, “You should wash up too and get some rest.” Yang Shi, wanting them to get a good night’s sleep, had taken Benben to her own room.

Shen Junxi nodded and glanced at him before heading out to change the water in the bathing room. Though he didn’t feel especially tired, after bathing, he washed both of their dirty clothes clean and hung them out in the courtyard to dry. Looking at their clothes fluttering together in the wind, he shielded his eyes from the dazzling sunlight with his hand and smiled.

Back inside, he looked at his usual sleeping place—the narrow daybed—piled with thin blankets left untouched for days, along with Benben’s clothes and diapers. Then he looked at the big bed where Song Jingwei was resting comfortably.

Shen Junxi hesitated for a moment, then walked over to the big bed. He couldn’t tell if the person on it was asleep yet. He lay down gently beside him and stayed quiet, closing his eyes.

Song Jingwei had noticed him come in long ago. He’d thought Shen Junxi would go to his own bed—he hadn’t expected him to come here. In the past, unless explicitly invited, Shen Junxi would never have crossed over. Maybe it was because of the words he’d said by the river a few days ago? Perhaps now, Shen Junxi felt they had reconciled, and were truly together again?