Chapter 16 - Transmigration: The Farm Life of a “Fool”

Translator's Note:

Hello, I hope you've all been doing well.

Here you go, and I wish you a good read.

And, as I said before, if you wish to read ahead, you can head over to my Patreon to get early access to all the translated chapters.

Planning

 

 

After sending Doctor Liu off, Wu Mei returned to the house, where Tangtang and Guoguo were still playing and running around joyfully with Dahu and Yueya'er.

 

Inside, Xu Ran was seated alone on a chair, while Liu Qing was helping Liu Tong apply medicine to his injured back.

 

As soon as Wu Mei walked in, he saw the dark, bruised mark on Liu Tong's back. The ointment must have stung, as sweat beaded on his forehead, but he gritted his teeth and didn't make a sound.

 

Seeing the painful sight, Wu Mei and Liu Qing felt a deep sadness. Compared to Liu Tong, they both lived much easier lives.

 

Wu Mei said nothing, watching for a moment before silently stepping back outside.

 

Meanwhile, Xu Ran was sitting in the yard, lost in thought.

 

Wu Mei smiled softly to himself, thinking how fortunate Xu Ran was to have someone like Liu Tong.

 

That evening, Xu An returned from the town with meat and an assortment of treats and snacks. Seeing Liu Tong and his family at his house didn't surprise him. He had already heard from the villagers about what happened on his way back and knew how close Wu Mei and Liu Tong were. Their presence made perfect sense.

 

Though Xu An said nothing, Liu Tong still felt a little awkward about staying.

 

Wu Mei prepared a large meal, and not long after, Wu Lan and Liu Qing's families both arrived.

 

When Liu Tong saw the two families, he immediately understood that Wu Mei had invited them to discuss his situation.

 

He felt an overwhelming desire to express his heartfelt gratitude. These people were his true support, especially in his darkest moments.

 

As they began eating, Wu Lan couldn't hold back his curiosity and asked, "So, Liu Tong, what exactly happened today?"

 

Everyone turned their expectant gazes toward him.

 

Liu Tong sighed and recounted everything from start to finish.

 

The moment Wu Lan heard how Xu Houcai had insulted Liu Tong, he slammed his hand on the table in anger. Then, upon hearing how Xu Ran threw the rabbit onto the dining table, he cheered, slamming his hand again, this time in approval. By the time Liu Tong recounted how Xu Houcai had refused to share the family property and even how Xu Hui, and Xu Qiang resorted to biting, Wu Lan was so enraged it was as if he had been personally wronged. He looked ready to grab a bench and storm over to the Xu family's house to teach them a lesson.

 

Watching Wu Lan react with such fury filled Liu Tong's heart with a bittersweet mix of emotions. On one hand, he was deeply touched that his friends would stand by him in his time of need. On the other, the pain of knowing that it was his own family who had driven him into such a corner stung.

 

Finally, Liu Qing spoke up to calm the situation. "Alright, let's set that aside for now. We need to talk about what to do next. Liu Tong's family doesn't have a place to stay right now. Staying with any of our families long-term isn't a solution. We don't mind, of course, but people in the village are bound to start gossiping."

 

His words brought an uncomfortable silence to the room. It was a real dilemma.

 

After a moment, Liu Tong finally broke the silence. "Yesterday, I went up the mountain and cut some bamboo. I've hidden it in a cave for now. I plan to buy a piece of land and build a small house. It's hot right now, so we can manage. I'll go hunting in the mountains to sell game so my family won't go hungry."

 

Wu Mei, listening to his plan, nodded. "A bamboo house could work. There's plenty of bamboo on the mountain, though it's a bit troublesome when it's windy or rainy. Still, it's the best option we have right now. Tomorrow, we'll all go up the mountain together and help cut bamboo. The house needs to be built as soon as possible."

 

Even though Wu Mei was a ger, his word carried significant weight in his household. Unless it was something major, Xu An usually deferred to him. The other two families were in similar situations, and given their friendship with Liu Tong, everyone quickly agreed to help build the bamboo house.

 

"Hmm, we can handle the bamboo part ourselves, but the roof needs tiles. Wu Mei, can you help me find out which villagers might be selling tiles? I've saved up two taels of silver for Ah Ran's medical treatments, so I can afford to buy the tiles. For the rest, we might have to wait a bit."

 

Wu Mei waved off his concern. "Don't worry about it. We'll help you get through this. Once you're back on your feet, you can repay us however you like. For now, the important thing is building your house."

 

"Thank you, all of you," Liu Tong said, his gratitude evident. He didn't say much more but made a note of everything in his heart.

 

While they discussed their plans, the children continued playing outside. As night fell, Wu Lan and Liu Qing took their children home, and Liu Tong's family stayed at Wu Mei's house.

 

Wu Mei's house had three beds. He took Yueya'er to sleep with him and Xu An, while the two other children squeezed in with Dahu. The last bed was left for Liu Tong and Xu Ran.

 

It had been a tiring day, but before going to sleep, Xu Ran insisted on helping Liu Tong apply the medicine again.

 

Liu Tong lay face down on the bed, unable to see Xu Ran applying the ointment to his back, but his heart was full of warmth. A healed Ah Ran truly was different.

 

Xu Ran had wanted to share his plans with Liu Tong, but seeing how exhausted he was and knowing he would need his strength for cutting bamboo the next day, Xu Ran held back his words and closed his eyes, falling asleep.

 

Once Xu Ran was deeply asleep, he instinctively rolled into Liu Tong's arms.

 

Liu Tong, though not fully asleep, immediately noticed the extra weight in his embrace. He smiled to himself. He had thought that once Xu Ran recovered, he wouldn't cling to him like before—but clearly, some habits were hard to break.

 

Despite the pain in his back, Liu Tong couldn't help but feel that today had been one of the happiest days of his life. Xu Ran had gotten better, and that was all that mattered.

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