The Second Young Master’s Obedient Husband : Chapter 49

Su Qingyu calmed his emotions, and the mother and son sat on the heated bed calculating accounts together. Life was better this year, but both Su Qingyu and Su’s mother lived frugally, and they had actually saved up quite a bit of silver.

When the accounts were done, the remaining silver was more than enough for the two of them to live on. Su Qingyu put the silver to be returned to Liang Yu into a cloth bag, and only then let out a breath.

Su’s mother watched Su Qingyu’s movements, then took another two taels of silver and put them into the cloth bag. “The work he did for our family, chopping firewood, carrying water, repairing the fence. Those are hard to put a price on. Pack another two taels of silver, as… a thank you gift.”

Su Qingyu nodded. Su’s mother touched Su Qingyu’s head and sighed, “Go.”

Su Qingyu raised his head, his eyes blurry with tears.

“Go find him, give him this money. Not meeting before the wedding, that’s a wealthy family’s rule. Our family doesn’t have so many fussy ways. You have something on your mind, and if you don’t say it clearly, these days you won’t sleep, and he won’t sleep either.”

Su’s mother wrapped up the bundle and stuffed it into his hands. “Go, be quick and come back quick.”

Su Qingyu carried the bundle out of the wicker courtyard and walked toward the Liang family.

The sky was completely dark, the moon hidden by clouds. The village was pitch black, the northwest wind blowing hard, stinging his face. There was no one on the road. In the winter slack season, every household was huddled indoors keeping warm through winter.

Su Qingyu dressed thickly, the bundle tucked in his chest, and circled around to the alley behind the Liang family.

Liang Yu was crouching in the courtyard putting things in order when he heard a sound at the back door. He walked over and pulled it open.

Su Qingyu stood outside, a bundle in his arms, the redness around his eyes not yet faded.

Liang Yu was startled, reached out and pulled him in, closing the door. He hadn’t let go of his hand yet, and that hand was cold as a block of ice, so cold that Liang Yu frowned deeply. Liang Yu held Su Qingyu’s hand in his palm, and for a long time it wouldn’t warm up.

“Why did you come? Didn’t they say no meeting.”

Su Qingyu didn’t speak, and Liang Yu wasn’t anxious. He first brought the person into the room and closed the door. Shut out from the outside cold wind, the room had a charcoal fire burning, warm and cozy. Liang Yu poured hot water for him to drink to warm his body, then fetched a small hand warmer and gave it to him.

Su Qingyu finished the water and got over the chill, took the hand warmer to warm his hands, but kept his eyes lowered and didn’t speak. The charcoal fire crackled in the room, the wind howled outside, making this room especially quiet.

After quite a while, Su Qingyu raised his head. “Brother Liang, I have something to tell you.”

Liang Yu looked at him without speaking.

Su Qingyu sniffed, and handed over the bundle in his hands.

Liang Yu took the bundle, feeling its weight. He opened it and saw inside was a cloth bag, faintly visible full of copper coins and silver, and beside it a paper with densely packed characters, recording what things, when they were sent, what they were worth.

Liang Yu lowered his head looking at those things, his brows slowly furrowing.

Su Qingyu stood by the table, his fingers gripping his clothes, his voice trembling badly, yet speaking clearly word by word. “This past year, the things you sent, firewood, charcoal, meat, medicinal herbs, clothes… and the work you did for my family, are all converted to silver and inside.”

Liang Yu’s heart sank, his face changing too. He raised his head, his eyes dark and heavy, staring at Su Qingyu, silent.

“Things can be calculated clearly, but human feelings cannot.” Su Qingyu’s voice grew lighter and lighter, his eyes growing redder and redder. “But those things I must return.”

“Brother Liang, what happened between us on the mountain, it wasn’t a clean start. But I don’t want our marriage to be mixed with these.” Su Qingyu raised his sleeve and wiped the tears from his face, his voice hoarse and heavy. “I want to marry you with a clean conscience. Not because I owe you silver, not because I received your kindness, not because a widow and orphan couldn’t survive and needed someone to lean on.”

He raised his head and looked at Liang Yu very earnestly. “Simply because I am willing.”

Su Qingyu wiped his tears and continued. “What you helped me with, I remember, for my whole life I will remember. But I want to marry you, just… just wanting to live a good life with you.”

“The rouge, the jewelry you gave me… I didn’t count those in, because those are your feelings toward me… things are easy to return, but feelings cannot be calculated.”

As he spoke, tears wouldn’t stop falling. Su Qingyu quickly raised his hand to wipe them, but tears fell again, the more he wiped the more there were.

Liang Yu looked at this little one before him whose tears could never be wiped dry, looked for quite a while, then suddenly smiled, reached out and pulled Su Qingyu into his arms.

Su Qingyu buried himself in his arms, crying until his whole body shook. Liang Yu’s palm pressed against the back of his head, patting lightly again and again, speaking warmly to coax the person in his arms. “Good Qingyu, don’t cry, no need to say more, I know you do this because you like me, you like me so much it hurts, right?”

Su Qingyu’s crying paused for a moment, then still obediently nodded, nuzzled against him in his arms, slowly getting over his crying fit. He raised his head from Liang Yu’s arms, his eyes swollen and red. Liang Yu lowered his head to look at him, using his thumb to wipe the tears from his face.

“Fine. I’ll take the silver.” Liang Yu pressed his face against Su Qingyu’s and kissed him. “You, this person, I take too.”

“Those things weren’t charity from me, they were what you deserved. But you want this clean conscience, I give it to you.” He paused, then Liang Yu added, “After you come through the door, I’ll spend that silver back on you.”

Su Qingyu’s tears flowed even harder hearing this, and he buried himself in Liang Yu’s arms and cried for a long time.

When Su Qingyu stopped crying, Liang Yu brought warm water to wipe his face, then held a compress to his eyes for a while. When his eyes weren’t so swollen anymore, Liang Yu lowered his head and kissed him again.

“The eighth day of the twelfth month, I come to marry you.”

Su Qingyu nodded, leaned in Liang Yu’s arms for a while longer, then spoke. “I’ve been out so long, Mother will worry. I should go.”

Liang Yu pinched Su Qingyu’s face, walked Su Qingyu to the door, and only stopped at Su Qingyu’s pleading. Su Qingyu kissed Liang Yu’s chin, turned and pushed open the door, looked at Liang Yu standing in the courtyard and smiled, closed the door and left.

Liang Yu stood in the courtyard, looking at that closed door, looked for a long time before returning to the room.