SLH | Chapter 59

Not Tonight

Xia Ge’er just woke up, his hair bun all messy. Seeing a little guest at home, his face turned a bit red. He tugged at the hem of his jacket and asked softly, “Shuyang Gege, what’s fun to play with?”

“It’s a puzzle ring.”

Yin Shuyang ran over excitedly, waving his sleeves in front of him. Xia Ge’er had never seen a puzzle ring before, and his little face was full of curiosity at the sound.

“Alright, it’s cold outside, you two shouldn’t stand out there. Come inside.”

“Grandma, Xia Ge’er needs to wash his face.”

“Come inside first, and then I’ll bring the washbasin in for you.”

“Okay.”

Yin Shuyang took Xia Ge’er’s hand and led him inside. “Come on, I’ll teach you how to play the puzzle ring.”

Xia Ge’er, holding his hair tie, looked at his jingling sleeves and said, “Shuyang Gege, wait for me. Let me find Xiaoshu to do my hair first, then you can teach me, okay?”

“Alright, you go ahead.”

“Shuyang, come along too,” Song Tingzhu said, holding a few eggs as he came out from the backyard.

The little guy’s hair bun was quite a mess, clearly tied haphazardly by himself.

Yin Shuyang happily replied, “Thank you, Xiaoshu.”

Song Tingzhu smiled, “You’re welcome.”

After doing the hair for the two little ones and helping Xia Ge’er wash his face, they went to play with the puzzle ring. Xia Ge’er held a sugar cake, nibbling on it while watching the new toy in Yin Shuyang’s hands with bright eyes.

After fiddling with it for a while, not only did they not solve it, they managed to tangle all nine rings together.

The little guy furrowed his brows, “Huh? That’s how Dad taught me, why can’t I solve it?”

After a while, Xia Ge’er, burping, asked, “Shuyang Gege, did you solve it?”

He finished a whole sugar cake.

“No, I’ll ask my dad when he comes back to teach me again. I’ll definitely solve it tomorrow.” Yin Shuyang handed the puzzle ring to Xia Ge’er, “You try it, just like I did.”

Xia Ge’er quickly shook his head, “I can’t.”

Song Tingzhu saw this and closed his book, walking over. “Do you want to solve it?”

Yin Shuyang nodded, “Xiaoshu, can you solve it?”

Song Tingzhu smiled, “It’s been a while since I played with it, I don’t know if I remember how.”

He took the puzzle ring, and before his brain could react, his fingers were already moving quickly. In no time, he managed to solve three or four rings.

The two little ones’ eyes lit up, and when all nine rings were removed, they clapped their hands and cheered.

“Xiaoshu is amazing, can you teach Xia Ge’er how to play?”

“Sure.”

Song Tingzhu played with the two little ones for a while, then returned the puzzle ring to them, letting them play on their own while he went back to his desk to read his book.

Liu Xiaomei, after delivering wine to the Cai family, heard laughter as soon as she entered the courtyard.

“Sister-in-law’s husband, what are they playing that’s so engrossing?” she asked as she entered the house.

Song Tingzhu, looking at the two, smiled, “It’s a puzzle ring. You can try it later.”

Xia Ge’er heard this and looked up, smiling, “Auntie, come over, Xia Ge’er will teach you how to play.”

Liu Xiaomei, curious, said, “Let me see, I’ve never seen this toy before.”

The two little ones, full of mischief, didn’t say a word and handed the puzzle ring to Liu Xiaomei, letting her figure it out on her own.

Liu Xiaomei held the strange toy, looking at it from all angles but couldn’t figure it out.

She looked puzzled, “You must be tricking me. How can you possibly solve this with so many rings tangled together?”

Xia Ge’er giggled, “You can, Auntie, we’ll teach you～”

Xia Ge’er was so engrossed with his new toy that he didn’t even take a nap after lunch, playing with Yin Shuyang until the sun was almost setting. Only when the Yin family couple came to fetch him did the two little ones reluctantly say goodbye.

“Brother Zhu, there’s still half a jar of yellow wine in the cellar. When are you going to sell it?” At the dinner table, Tang Chunxing couldn’t help but ask.

They had decided not to brew turbid wine earlier, but there were still a few bags of old grain that couldn’t be wasted, so they brewed half a jar. By right, the turbid wine should have been sold long ago, but now it’s spring, and a whole jar of clear wine has been sold, but the yellow wine hasn’t been opened yet.

Not only was Tang Chunxing puzzled, but the whole family was curious. Ruan Xiulian asked, “Yes, Brother Zhu, there’s so much yellow wine, we can’t finish it all at home.”

Song Tingzhu explained, “Mother, Big Sister-in-law, don’t worry. There’s a reason for doing this. Our family doesn’t have connections in town, and we can’t talk to the merchants. If we want them to do business with us, we have to let them taste some benefits. This yellow wine is the stepping stone.”

Ruan Xiulian frowned, “Will this work? There are many shops selling yellow wine in town, how do you know they’ll like ours?”

“That’s the second consideration. If they don’t like ours, there’s no need to force cooperation.”

Ruan Xiulian nodded, “That’s true. If they don’t like us, there’s no point in forcing ourselves on them. It’s not worth it.”

Liu Dasheng also said, “That’s right, doing business is all about finding like-minded partners.”

Xia Ge’er nodded along, and the family couldn’t help but tease him, asking if he understood. The little guy shook his head, his voice clear, “Nope, Xia Ge’er is only four～”

His words made the whole family burst into laughter.

At night, after soaking his feet, Song Tingzhu was tidying up the bed and asked the man who had just returned from pouring the foot water.

“Husband, you often work in town. Do you know any familiar taverns or shops?”

Liu Hu thought for a moment, “There are a few, but I can’t really say I know them well.”

“No worries, as long as the shopkeepers recognize your face, at least they won’t kick us out right away,” Song Tingzhu joked half-seriously.

Liu Hu lay down next to him, then stretched out his arm, naturally pulling him into his embrace.

“Are you going to town tomorrow to find a market?”

“Yes, I’ll open the yellow wine in the morning and pack ten small jars, and twenty small jars of the distilled liquor. I’ll start with the shops where you usually sell wild game. If we can find someone to cooperate with, that’s great. If not, it’s alright. There are always the taverns. Our family’s wine won’t have trouble selling.”

As soon as he finished speaking, his earlobe was kissed gently by the man.

“I’ll listen to my wife.”

Song Tingzhu’s ears turned red, and he rubbed his earlobe with his finger, shyly saying, “Not tonight, I have to go out and do business tomorrow.”

Liu Hu stammered, “I-I wasn’t thinking of doing anything, just wanted to kiss you.”

Realizing he misunderstood his husband, not only his ears but also his cheeks turned red. He turned over, pulling the quilt in embarrassment, “Don’t come over.”

“Okay.”

Seeing how straightforward his response was, he felt even more annoyed. Facing the wall, he sulked silently, not even knowing when he fell asleep. He only knew that when he opened his eyes the next morning, he was in his husband’s arms.

Song Tingzhu slowed his breathing, lifting his eyes to carefully examine the man in front of him.

“No wonder it felt prickly, your stubble is coming out but you didn’t shave.”

“Did it prick you last night?” Liu Hu suddenly spoke.

Song Tingzhu was startled. Just as he was about to pull back his hand, it was gently held by the man.

He couldn’t resist when his husband acted like this, as if trying to make amends, making his heart soften.

He nodded, pursing his lips, “I’ll help you tidy it up later.”

“Alright.”

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Author’s Note: Just got back [crying][crying]