Chapter 8: Entering the City

Xu An was deeply worried about Su Yan'er and prepared to go out to look for her. It was truly a rare occurrence to fall asleep in the middle of the night and wake up to find one's wife missing. However, just as Xu An stepped out of the courtyard gate, he saw a small figure walking toward him through the dim light of the early morning. On that small figure's back was a bundle of firewood.

Xu An hurried to meet her, and upon closer inspection, he realized the figure was indeed Su Yan'er. The firewood on her back was not heavy, yet the little girl’s forehead was beaded with fine sweat.

"Yan'er, why did you leave without telling me?" Xu An asked, feeling a bit upset.

The little girl looked up, and seeing it was her husband, she quickly explained, "Hu... Husband, please don't be angry. When I woke up, I saw that you were sleeping so soundly, so I didn't want to disturb you."

"Sigh, it's barely dawn. Why did you go out to gather firewood?" Xu An sighed. Seeing her like this, he couldn't bear to scold her.

"The firewood from yesterday was all used up to boil water. Since you're heading to town this morning, I thought I'd find some wood to cook you a meal. I didn't go deep into the mountains; I just picked up some dry branches I saw on the road. These should be enough for your meal. I'll go gather more from the woods later, and that will be enough for your dinner and tomorrow’s breakfast." The little girl looked at Xu An, her large eyes filled with pure, luminous affection.

Xu An suddenly remembered that they had indeed used up all the firewood boiling water the previous night. This girl was truly sensible. "From now on, leave these things to me. Let's go back." As he spoke, he reached out to take the firewood from her.

The little girl stepped back, saying, "Husband, it's fine, I can carry it."

"Let me handle it." Regardless of her protest, Xu An took the bundle from her and carried it with ease. Seeing this, the little girl looked on in astonishment. Her husband was so strong! He could lift such a heavy bundle with one hand without the slightest effort.

Back home, the little girl immediately said, "Husband, I'll go cook for you now." Xu An smiled and replied, "Alright!" The girl beamed and began to work nimbly, starting the fire.

Xu An did not sit idle. This firewood was only enough for one meal; if she had no fuel for lunch, the poor girl would likely have to go hungry while searching for more. Thinking of this, he turned his gaze toward the wobbly-legged chair. Without a second thought, he grabbed a rusty axe from the corner and began chopping it up. This broken chair had tripped him yesterday anyway; he might as well chop it into firewood. A chair should be enough for the little girl to cook another meal.

Hearing the commotion, the little girl turned her head and, seeing Xu An chopping the chair, looked completely bewildered. She hurried over and asked, "Husband, why are you chopping up the chair?"

Xu An didn't even look back as he said, "I'm chopping it up so you can cook lunch!"

"Ah???" The little girl’s eyes widened, bright and clear. Her husband was chopping a chair just so she could make lunch? "Such a nice chair, it's a pity. Husband, I could have gone to find firewood myself." The sweet girl felt both touched and heartbroken over the loss of the chair. Her husband was truly good to her. Knowing there was no fuel left, he feared she would go hungry and sacrificed the chair.

Xu An looked up and smiled, "It's fine. The chair was already broken; we can just make another one later."

"But, if we just replaced the leg, it would have been fine. It's such a waste." The little girl said, feeling a bit guilty. "It's all because of me that you had to chop the chair."

"Don't overthink it. Go and cook; I'm hungry. The town is far, so I need to leave early," Xu An said with a smile.

"Mm, okay." The little girl took one last look at the pile of debris that used to be a chair before heading off to cook.

Xu An checked the weather. There was no sun today; the sky was veiled in thin, dark clouds. He took the original owner’s book basket and an oil-paper umbrella from the room, preparing for his journey. The thought of walking over twenty li to town gave him a headache. Modern times were better; if you wanted to go somewhere, you just drove. At the very least, there were buses and subways. Here in ancient times, he had to rely on his own two feet, which was exhausting. Once he made some money, he would have to buy a mule or a donkey to pull a cart. The house needed repairs, too; if he wanted to transport wood or stone from the mountains later, it would be a massive project impossible to complete by human strength alone.

Before long, the little girl had finished breakfast. It was a pot of white porridge and a bit of leftover side dish from yesterday. While eating, the little girl said, "Husband, please come back early when you go to town. I'm thinking of going to the mountains to pick some mushrooms and wild vegetables, and bringing back some firewood."

Xu An patted her head and smiled softly, "Don't go deep into the mountains; it's not safe. As for firewood, just pick up whatever you can find on the outskirts. People work there during the day, so wild beasts won't come out. Just come back early. As for the mushrooms and vegetables, don't bother; it's too dangerous. I'll just buy some in town."

The little girl looked at Xu An, a tiny drop of rice porridge caught at the corner of her mouth, glistening. "But husband, we haven't earned any money yet. How can we do that? And you need to study; it will cost a lot of money in the future. We need to save."

This little girl really thought of everything for his sake. Xu An said gently, "Yan'er, wealth isn't something you save up."

"Ah? Not saved?" The little girl was confused.

Xu An didn't explain further, smiling as he said, "Eat up, you'll understand later."

"Mm, okay." The little girl picked up her bowl and drank the porridge. After she finished, she naturally used her small, pink, nimble tongue to lick the remaining droplets from her lips, looking completely satisfied.

Xu An sighed. He could clearly see that the porridge in Su Yan'er’s bowl was much thinner than his. Or rather, there were hardly any grains of rice in her bowl at all, while his had nearly half a bowl of rice. The silly girl must have skimmed the top when serving him, trying to save all the rice for him. How could one not feel heartache for such a sensible, sweet girl?

After breakfast, Xu An put on his book basket, took his umbrella, and said goodbye to Su Yan'er. She stood at the courtyard gate, hugged him briefly, and then quickly let go. She stepped back and waved, "Travel safely, husband, and come back early." Her expression was filled with reluctance.

Xu An smiled, "Yes, I will return early."

With that, Xu An turned and left, his heart brimming with happiness. By now, the sky was bright, and a sliver of morning light had emerged from the horizon. Many villagers who were heading to town to sell farm produce had already departed; Xu An was starting quite late. On the road, he greeted the villagers he passed on their way to the fields, polite and courteous. However, the villagers looked at him as if they had seen a ghost.

Xu An was the only scholar in the village. His talent for study was arguably the best in the entire community. At first, everyone thought the village would produce an official, so they treated the original Xu An with great respect. But perhaps from hearing too much praise, the original owner became increasingly arrogant. Influenced by his so-called classmates, he began to look down on the villagers, feeling that these "mud-legged" folk were beneath him and that talking to them would lower his status. Consequently, he had always acted with his nose in the air, speaking in a pretentious, convoluted way that no one could understand. Over time, the villagers grew distant, and many even started giving him mocking nicknames behind his back—"Scholar Lord," "Great Official," "Literary Genius," and so on. The original owner, however, remained oblivious, believing they were still praising him. He was, to put it mildly, a total fool.

Xu An walked quickly and arrived at the Linyuan County town in about two hours. By then, the sun was high in the sky. The town was bustling, with crowds of people coming and going and the sound of peddlers crying their wares rising in waves. Xu An did not linger in the streets. With a clear purpose, he followed his memories directly to a bookstore.