TIPS – Chapter 124

It was his first time being a father, and after being scolded by Yang Shi, Wu Xi felt nervous and uneasy. He had no choice but to find a moment to consult Shen Junxi, asking him what it truly meant to be a qualified father.

Shen Junxi shook his head with a smile. Their situations were completely different. Song Jingwei was a strong-willed person—even right after giving birth, he didn’t like him fussing over him too much. So, most of the time, he took care of the baby instead, and he did a good job of it. But Wu Xi was different. If Yang Shi came to help with the baby, Wu Xi would definitely end up tending more to Pei Hongxuan.

So he gestured to Wu Xi and said, “If you want to be a good father, start by being a good man.”

But honestly, even he didn’t know whether he himself counted as a good man. Most likely, in other people’s eyes, he never would be. But that didn’t matter—he only cared about one person’s opinion.

After that day, out of concern for the lack of help at Wu Xi’s home, Yang Shi came by daily to help take care of the child. She even suggested, “In a few more days, let’s bring Hongxuan over to our place. That way I can take care of him more easily and won’t have to run back and forth every day.”

Wu Xi thought she made sense. He’d already felt bad making her come over every day. But he was also worried about whether going out would be bad for Pei Hongxuan’s health, so he asked, “Can Hongxuan go out?”

Yang Shi replied, “Just bundle him up well—why not? The roads are clear now anyway. I’ll ask your Uncle Dongming to bring the ox cart over.”

Wu Xi asked Pei Hongxuan for his opinion. Pei Hongxuan also felt it was troublesome for Yang Shi, but if she didn’t come, they really wouldn’t be able to manage on their own. So he said, “Alright then, we’ll go with Auntie’s plan. Sorry to trouble Uncle Dongming.”

Two or three days later, once Pei Hongxuan was feeling better, Shen Dongming brought the ox cart and took the three of them—father and sons—back to his home.

It was perfect timing too, as they could start digging the cellar. With so many people at home, they didn’t have to worry about the child or Pei Hongxuan.

“Aiya, we should’ve come here earlier. Look at our big kitchen—we can stew all sorts of nourishing food for Hongxuan and the baby and still have time to cook properly,” Yang Shi said after arriving. She had never gotten used to Wu Xi’s narrow little kitchen—it was too cramped to move around in. Her own big kitchen was much better.

“Ugh, this stuff tastes awful,” Pei Hongxuan said to Song Jingwei after Yang Shi turned around and left, pinching his nose in disgust.

“Just drink it. It’s necessary,” Song Jingwei said. As someone who had been through it already, he didn’t need to drink it anymore and could remain calm and composed.

“You actually like this taste?” Pei Hongxuan asked, incredulous.

“No,” Song Jingwei replied. “I never said I liked it.”

“Heh, wait till you have a second one—you’ll be the one suffering then.” Pei Hongxuan downed it in one gulp, grimacing at the sour-spicy taste. “Anyway, this is the only one I’ll have in this life. Wu Xi can have the next one.” He looked up at Song Jingwei with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “It’s not like Shen Junxi would give you one, and you can’t let Benben grow up all lonely without a blood sibling, right?”

“Doesn’t Benben still have your chubby kid?”

“I’m talking about a real sibling.” Pei Hongxuan chuckled as he watched the other man struggle helplessly.

“……”

While Song Jingwei looked after Benben, Shen Junxi went down to help Shen Dongming and the others dig the cellar. It was hard work, going at it from morning till afternoon, sometimes even into the evening. He was often exhausted, and after dinner and a bath, he would quietly climb into bed. At most, he’d give Song Jingwei a tired smile before falling asleep.

“You really don’t have to push yourself this hard.” After two days of working past sunset, Song Jingwei decided to set an end time for the workday: they would stop before it got dark.

There was also the lotus pond to keep an eye on. Running between the two places was too exhausting.

“We’re running out of time. The sooner, the better, right?” Shen Dongming said. The cellar was big and had great benefits. When it was done, they could secretly move valuable things from the few close families there for safekeeping.

One evening, while everyone was having dinner together, Song Jingwei noticed the young man next to him was so tired he was dazed while reaching for food. He quickly picked up some food for him and urged him to eat.

Back in their room, after putting the already sleepy Benben to bed, Song Jingwei walked over to the side of the bed they shared, nudged the young man, and asked, “Tired?”

“Mm…” The young man opened his eyes and looked at him gently, nodding.

“Turn over. I’ll give you a massage,” Song Jingwei said, rolling up his sleeves.

“……” Shen Junxi was a bit surprised but soon smiled and did as told.

Song Jingwei began slowly massaging his back. His technique wasn’t exactly professional, but the goal was simply to loosen up Shen Junxi’s muscles and joints so he’d feel less stiff the next day.

“Anywhere else sore besides your back?” After finishing with his back, he moved on to his arms, neck, and shoulders.

“……” Shen Junxi patted his thigh—his muscles were sore.

So Song Jingwei began to massage his thighs and calves, moving up and down, kneading back and forth.

“……” Shen Junxi suddenly lifted his head, looking at him with embarrassment.

“Sorry,” Song Jingwei said, realizing immediately what had happened, and quickly stopped. He had been too focused on the massage and hadn’t noticed.

“Mm.” Shen Junxi smiled and signed to him, “It’s fine. Thank you, wife.”

“You’re welcome.” Song Jingwei took off his outer robe, lay down in just a thin inner shirt, and lay side by side with the young man.

Shen Junxi leaned in, gently kissed his lips, then lay back down, resting his cheek on the side as he looked at him. His expression was tired but peaceful and content. The day’s hard work had left him with a sense of fulfillment and a restful kind of fatigue.

“After the war is over, I’ll think about what you said,” Song Jingwei said as he reached for the hand beside him, giving it a light squeeze.

“……” Despite how tired he was, Shen Junxi immediately lit up with a delighted smile. He reached out and hugged the person beside him tightly, overjoyed to the point of disbelief. Then suspicion crept in—Was this real? Why had his wife suddenly brought this up?

“It’s real. I wouldn’t lie to you.” Seeing his sudden joy turn into doubt, Song Jingwei reassured him.

If he had previously doubted whether he had misheard, now he was certain—it was real. Shen Junxi nodded vigorously, like pounding garlic, full of trust, anticipation, and happiness.

“And, just so you know—it’s not necessary to have a little brother in order to do that,” Song Jingwei added, purely for educational purposes.

“Mm…” Of course Shen Junxi understood. If no “river water” was prepared, then doing that sort of thing wouldn’t result in a baby brother. With shining eyes, he hugged his wife tightly. If he weren’t so exhausted tonight, he would’ve asked his wife right away—Would he be willing?

“Alright now, get some sleep.” Knowing how much the young man would need to exert himself again tomorrow, Song Jingwei coaxed.

But Shen Junxi, high on joy and excitement, couldn’t sleep just yet. He rested his chin on the curve of Song Jingwei’s shoulder, savoring this rare tenderness and affection. Lately, Song Jingwei had been treating him better and better. He believed it would only continue to get better—until they grew old together, surrounded by children and grandchildren, still happy as ever.

“I don’t want to sleep yet. I want to talk to you.” He gently signed in front of Song Jingwei’s eyes, movements intimate. When he signed you, he tapped Song Jingwei’s cheek.

“You’re this tired and still want to talk?” To communicate with him, Song Jingwei had to keep his eyes open—if he didn’t pay attention, he might miss something the young man was saying.

Fortunately, every time Shen Junxi wanted to say something, he would tap him first—either on the shoulder or the face. Now he signed: “Anything is fine. As long as I get to talk to you, I’m happy.” He really wished Song Jingwei would talk to him more—share his thoughts, his feelings. But Song Jingwei was a man of few words. If it wasn’t necessary, he usually didn’t speak.

If one day they could just chat about nonsense and joke around, Shen Junxi would secretly be happy for days.

“Alright then. Go ahead.”

“Mm.” Shen Junxi signed gently, “I first met you on April 9th of last year. It’s now been a year and five months.”

“Benben is already nine months old.”

“The first time I saw you, I really liked you.”

“I liked your face.”

“……” Shen Junxi poked him helplessly, then shook his head and signed, “Not like that.”

Song Jingwei didn’t know how much effort the young man put into defending his sincerity, and before long, both of them drifted off to sleep. That night, Benben didn’t wake up at all—as if he understood that his papa was exhausted and didn’t have the strength to care for him—so he slept straight through till morning.

Until the cellar was finished, life continued as usual. Soon, another ten-day period had passed.

That day, Shen Dongming and the others had finished the cellar and were busy at the lotus pond. Those going to the dock to deliver goods included the Shen father and son and Chen Xianggui. Song Jingwei didn’t go—there was too much to do at home, and he had to take care of little Benben.

After being busy for several days, Wu Xi finally had some free time to properly bond with his son. More importantly, he and Pei Hongxuan still hadn’t chosen a good name for the baby, and they planned to decide today.

Pei Hongxuan had been racking his brain these past few days, throwing out random name ideas now and then for Song Jingwei and Yang Shi to weigh in on. Each one seemed good—but none felt perfect.

He was even tempted to flip through every book in Shen Junxi’s house just to find the best possible name for his child.

“I’m sick of myself already. Ugh, maybe I should just pick one at random,” Pei Hongxuan said, embarrassed as he looked at the room full of books.

“It’s fine. It was the same when we named Benben—Shen Junxi read tons of books,” Song Jingwei replied. He remembered that time well—the young man had practically buried himself in the study, flipping through pages. But only when he had free time—if anyone needed him, he’d always appear at their side in an instant.

“Mm… I’m thinking… let’s call him Wu Wenjia. Wenjia—‘literary excellence and martial strength’. If we ever have a little brother for him, we’ll call him Wuyi—Pei Wuyi.” Pei Hongxuan smiled and asked, “What do you think?”

“Not bad. It has a good meaning,” Song Jingwei said.

Pei Hongxuan was very happy. When Wu Xi came over, he immediately told him the two names and asked, “What do you think? Will these work?”

Wu Xi had just stepped out to bring some food for his spouse. Hearing this, he quickly nodded. “Of course! They sound great.” He couldn’t manage more praise and said a bit bashfully, “You’ve read more books than I have. If you think they’re good, then they really are good.”

“Then it’s settled,” said Pei Hongxuan, genuinely relieved. The names were finally decided—and he’d even managed to sort out both in one go.

“So, you’re saying the two brothers will have different surnames—one Wu and one Pei?” Song Jingwei raised an eyebrow. Was that really okay? But considering Wu Xi and Pei Hongxuan’s unique situation, there didn’t seem to be any precedent in the village.

“Why not? Is there a problem?” Pei Hongxuan glanced at Wu Xi, then said to Song Jingwei, “I gave birth to his, so the child takes Wu’s surname. He’ll give birth to mine, so naturally, that child will be named Pei. What’s wrong with that?”

Song Jingwei had nothing to say to that. Wu Xi seemed completely on board as well, so he said, “There’s nothing wrong. As long as you two are happy.” It seemed that after more than half a year of living together, the bond between the pair had deepened quickly, and they’d become a lot closer.

Seeing them living so happily, Song Jingwei felt a bit emotional. There was nothing bad about this at all. As long as one was happy, that was enough.

Around noon, Shen Dongming and the others returned home in high spirits, with joyful smiles all around.

Yang Shi had been anxious all morning. She still had her apron on when she eagerly rushed forward to ask, “How did it go? Was it okay this time?”

Shen Dongming’s grin stretched from ear to ear—whether or not it had gone well, it had to sound good. He laughed and said to his wife, “Good! Even better than last time—we made more silver this round!” He quickly added, “Come on, let’s go inside and tell the daughter-in-law!”

“Alright!” Yang shi beamed with joy upon hearing that and followed her husband and the others inside.

Back in Pei Hongxuan’s room, Song Jingwei had guessed that the people from the dock had returned, so he said to Pei Hongxuan, “Sounds like they’re back. I’ll go take a look.”

Wu Xi gently said to him, “Go on, I’ve got things here.” The shy young man smiled warmly at his spouse and their baby. “We’re fine.”

Song Jingwei carried Benben out into the main room and saw a houseful of beaming faces. “You’re back early today. How did it go?”

Shen Dongming was already bursting to share. Now that his daughter-in-law had asked, he grinned even more widely and said, “Great—better than last time! The second-in-command at the shop said our goods have gone up in price again—especially the lotus roots.” As he spoke, he pulled out the money and handed it to Shen Junxi. “Give it to your wife.”

Shen Junxi smiled as he took it. His wife was holding Benben, so it was fine for him to hold onto the money. He’d bring it back to their room later. This money was to supplement the long-term workers’ wages—it would be stored until needed at year’s end.

“You can hold onto it for now. Put it away safely later,” Song Jingwei said with a smile. Hearing the lotus roots had risen in price, he felt quite pleased.

“Heh, yes, this is the money for year-end expenses,” Shen Dongming said with a sigh, though he was still very happy. If things kept going this way, there would still be profit left from the lotus roots—it wouldn’t all need to be used to subsidize the tea fields.

After their conversation, Yang shi brought out lunch. Everyone ate together before heading out in the afternoon to continue digging the cellar.

The large cellar had been under construction for a few days already. With a few more, it should be roughly complete. If there was time in the future, it could be renovated, but for now, it would have to do.

Once the cellar was finished, everyone worked together to move the valuable items from the house into it.

Song Jingwei asked Shen Dongming to speak with Chen Xianggui and suggest that, if he didn’t mind, he could also store his family’s valuable large items in the cellar.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xianggui laughed and said, “There’s nothing valuable or large in my house—just some smaller valuables. Easy to pack.”

That settled, they stored everything and began preparing for the mountain retreat.

Shen Dongming and Shen Junxi first made a trip up the mountain to scout a good location. If it could be cleaned and prepared properly, it might be livable.

Song Jingwei said, “There’s more rain in the third lunar month of winter—and even more in the spring third month. We need to choose a good spot—something that blocks wind and rain, but not damp.”

Shen Dongming scratched his head at that. “If that’s what we’re looking for, then we’ll need to find a cave.”

Once they found a spot, they brought Song Jingwei up to see it. The terrain was fairly flat, with a narrow path leading in. Inside was a small valley-like depression, nestled beneath a rock wall. A slab of rock jutted out from above, forming a naturally dry cave. It wasn’t windproof yet, but with a little effort, it could be made quite good.

“Not bad,” Song Jingwei said, looking around. “If we stack some stones around and hang up some fabric, we can block the wind. We got here early enough to claim a good spot—when the time comes, we’ll have plenty of room.”

The area was fairly large, offering a lot of flexibility. If the villagers really had to flee into the mountains later, the space might not be enough once too many people showed up.