The Fortunate Lady and Her Mountain Man

Chapter 248: Chapter 248: What an Honor

With the fifty-tael franchise fee and the thirty taels returned by the Cao Family, Ji Huan suddenly found herself with an extra eighty taels.

She accepted the fifty taels but left the thirty taels for the Hu Family.

After all, she had only made the demand because the Hu Family had been extorted in the first place. Besides, this money was what they had earned coin by coin, toiling from dawn till dusk; it was completely different from the fifty-tael "licensing fee."

Widow Xie, of course, refused to accept it, insisting that her family already owed Ji Huan her share of the profits.

However, just as Widow Xie was aware of Ji Huan’s situation, Ji Huan was also crystal clear on the Hu Family’s financial state.

Over the past six months, the hot and spicy soup stall’s total earnings were likely around fifty taels. After deducting the fixed monthly costs for oil, flour, spices, and other miscellaneous ingredients, plus daily expenses and Granny Xie’s medicine, their net profit was much, much lower.

Now that the Hu Family had lost their livelihood, they had no income. Losing these thirty taels on top of that would leave them with very little ready cash.

"What’s the rush? When Liangzi makes it big someday, you can have him pay me my share then."

Widow Xie couldn’t win against her.

Ji Huan was right. ’The family, young and old, had to be taken care of first. But... they owed Ji Huan too much. A monetary debt is easy to repay, but a debt of gratitude is hard to settle.’

"We’ve recovered the thirty taels, but what about the fifteen-tael betrothal gift..."

Ji Huan had originally wanted to ask for a huge sum, but she was afraid it would be more than the Cao Family could bear, which might push them to do something desperate.

’It was the same principle as not pursuing a desperate enemy. You couldn’t push people into a corner, or you’d just be forcing them to fight you to the death.’

"I understand. No matter what, we were the ones who broke off the engagement. That Cao family’s daughter will have a hard time in the future, too. If we demand the betrothal gift back, people who don’t know the whole story will gossip and curse our family for being indecent. Who would want to arrange a marriage for the boys after that?"

At this, Widow Xie suddenly sighed.

"I’m just so afraid the truth will accidentally get out. What will Ximei do then? Her fate was already hard enough, being stuck with a widow for a mother. If on top of that..."

Without understanding the context of the era, it would be difficult to comprehend Widow Xie’s worries.

Never mind that the engagement wasn’t finalized; even if it had been and was later broken off, so what?

In the current circumstances, however, Hu Ximei already had one less-than-ideal "experience," meaning she no longer had any advantage in the marriage market.

Ji Huan didn’t know how to console Widow Xie, either. She could only advise her to try and look on the bright side, that there was plenty of time, as Ximei was still young.

They chatted until noon. Hu Dacheng had already picked up Dabao, and they were having lunch at the Hu Family’s home.

It was hot, and the kitchen felt like a steam room; just stepping inside made you break out in a sweat. Ji Huan wanted to help but was shooed out by Widow Xie.

Hu Dacheng, however, wasn’t so lucky.

"Doesn’t Dabao like tending the stove the most? Dabao, come over here! I’ll give you my spot!" Hu Dacheng said, sitting in front of the stove. He shot Dabao what he thought was a clever wink.

Dabao, holding Ji Huan’s hand, stood in the cool shade under the eaves and stared at him quietly, as if looking at an idiot.

Hu Dacheng finally figured it out. ’If he wanted Dabao to tend the stove, the person cooking had to be Ji Huan.’

He was muttering under his breath when, out of nowhere, Widow Xie whacked him on the back of the head with a utensil. "Tend your stove! A lazy mule always has to piss when it’s time to work!"

Hu Dacheng was speechless.

After lunch, they returned home. The large basin of water left in the courtyard had been warmed by the sun, so Ji Huan gave Dabao a bath.

Outside the window, the incessant chirping of cicadas was grating. Combined with the scorching heat, the air felt stifling and made one irritable.

Dabao was tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Ji Huan took a cattail fan and began to hum a lullaby while fanning him. Soon, Dabao’s breathing slowed.

Ji Huan was covered in sweat, but she couldn’t take a bath herself yet because she still had to deliver a meal to the vagrant.

After the cast on his right leg was removed, the long casts on his right hand and left leg were replaced with short casts at the beginning of July. The area of confinement was greatly reduced, and it became much more convenient for the vagrant to move around.

Today, however, he was clearly eating much more slowly than usual.

Ji Huan noticed and couldn’t help but smile to herself.

’Lunch was made by Widow Xie, so the quality was... predictable. And on top of that, she wasn’t in a good mood today...’

"Is this stir-fried squash good?" Ji Huan asked deliberately.

The vagrant didn’t speak.

Ji Huan continued, "If you don’t say anything, that means you think it’s good. If it’s good, then eat more. I worked so hard to make it, you know."

The vagrant’s chopsticks paused. He looked up at her. "You didn’t make this."

"You could tell?"

Ji Huan was surprised at first, then she slapped the table and burst out laughing.

"Aunt Xie just has that special talent. Anyone who’s eaten her cooking will never forget it!"

Previously, when she had helped the Hu Family bag wheat at the threshing ground, they had insisted she stay for dinner. That meal had also been cooked by Widow Xie. One of the dishes... the taste was indescribable. All she knew was that it made her shiver as she ate it.

In the spirit of ’good things must be shared,’ she had even specifically set aside half of it for the vagrant.

The expression on the vagrant’s face after the first bite, and the look he gave her—Ji Huan still chuckled whenever she thought about it.

"Forget it, the squash is too salty. Don’t eat that one. Eat this instead."

Ji Huan pulled the stir-fried squash away and pushed another dish—bitter melon with scrambled eggs—in front of him.

’What could she do? Widow Xie’s specialty was just randomly stir-frying all kinds of gourds.’

"But I’ll give you credit for being considerate; at least you didn’t say it was bad. Aunt Xie made all this food. And the new clothes you’re wearing—she sewed those for you, too."

As the weather grew warmer, his old clothes were no longer suitable, and the Hu Family couldn’t find any more old clothes to spare. Since Ji Huan and Dabao also needed summer outfits, she bought some extra fabric and asked Widow Xie to make two sets of men’s clothing.

Although it wasn’t high-quality material, when the vagrant wore it, it inexplicably looked quite distinguished.

It was probably because he had a good physique. Although he had originally been so thin he was almost unrecognizable, he had slowly filled out after two months of being nourished with chicken, fish, and bone broths.

Now, with his broad shoulders and wide back, everything he wore looked crisp and well-fitted. Moreover, his posture, whether sitting or lying down, was remarkably disciplined, giving him a surprisingly imposing air.

He himself, however, probably didn’t care about such things. In his eyes, there seemed to be no difference between old, patched-up clothes and clean, new ones.

When the vagrant finished eating, Ji Huan collected the bowl and chopsticks. Before leaving, she reminded him:

"I left a basin of water warming in the sun for you. If you want to wash up, wait until after your nap, or you’ll just wake up covered in sweat again. I bought you a new cattail fan; it’s at the head of the kang. Also..."

The vagrant suddenly spoke up. "When can the casts be removed?"

Ji Huan sighed, looking up at the ceiling.

"I know you’re anxious—I am too—but we have to make sure you’re in the best possible condition first. Your right foot’s cast came off very quickly, after all."

After the bandages were removed from his left hand and the cast from his right foot, Ji Huan would apply a hot compress to both areas daily, or have him soak his Achilles tendon in warm water, followed by a massage. At the same time, she taught the vagrant to practice active and passive flexion exercises for his fingers.

It hadn’t been a complete break to begin with, and now it was almost fully recovered.

But the situation with his right hand and left foot was different. Ji Huan wasn’t certain, so she had only just started having the vagrant do some light ankle dorsiflexion and plantar flexion exercises in the past few days.

Later, she gradually added the motion of pedaling an imaginary bicycle while lying in bed.

The training process was tedious and boring. Combined with this god-awful weather, the vagrant’s impatience was understandable, but there was nothing to be done about it.

"In any case, keep doing these exercises for now. A week at the soonest, half a month at the latest, and I guarantee we’ll get them off," Ji Huan said, making an OK sign with her hand.

The vagrant’s gaze shifted from her hand to her face, lingering for a moment before he gave a reluctant nod.

"You decide."

’There it was again. That lordly attitude of his.’

Ji Huan put on a fake smile. "Well, aren’t I honored."

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