You Promised to Be an Idle Son-in-Law, How Could You Become a Land Immortal?

Chapter 71: Chapter 71: If Love Is for the Ages

During dinner.

Pei Guanli was, of course, a mess of wailing and indecision.

One moment, she’d complain about how annoying it was to go back, saying those old hags in her clan would surely try to marry her off, something she despised.

The next, she’d be urging, ”Sister Jinghong, you have to come back as soon as you can!”

But most of all, she talked about Chen Yi, saying she wanted to keep following her brother-in-law because fun things always happened around him.

Xiao Jinghong ignored all of this. After finishing her meal, she took Su Zhenyue and headed back to the wooden building.

As she left, she simply reached out and hauled Pei Guanli away with them.

The Tiger Girl’s face was a mask of tragedy, but she was no match for Xiao Jinghong’s strength and could only follow dejectedly.

’Brother-in-law... *sob*... I have to go back tomorrow... I don’t want to... *sob*...’

Of course, Chen Yi couldn’t hear her inner cries.

Even if he could, with his wife right there, he would have to pretend he hadn’t.

It was no joke. The two of them combined wouldn’t be enough for Xiao Jinghong to deal with using a single finger.

「After dinner.」

Xiaodie helped Xiao Wuge get to bed first, then began tidying up inside and out while chattering about the latest gossip from within and without the estate.

Chen Yi sat in the pavilion, flipping through the Medicine Hall charter written by Xiao Wan’er and occasionally adding a comment or two.

What she called ”gossip,” however, didn’t seem like a big deal to him.

It was mostly about his calligraphy copybooks, a few fanatical teachers at Guiyun Academy, and the Imperial Top Scholar officially starting his new post.

Most of it was stuff he had already anticipated.

Instead, it was the contents of the Medicine Hall charter in his hands that he found interesting.

The Xiao Family had five medicine halls in Shu State. Two were in the Prefecture City, and the rest were mostly in the county seats to the north.

The Jishi Medicine Hall was located in the Prefecture City’s East Market, not far from the stalls where slave traders from the Poshisu Country had previously auctioned off members of the Barbarian Race.

Its patients were typically members of the Mountain Race or other Exotic Race people who made a living in that area.

These outsiders didn’t speak the Wei Language well, which gave the former shopkeeper an opening to exploit them.

For example, a common prescription for a cold, normally priced at ten copper coins, Shopkeeper Wang Ji would sell for a hundred.

That in itself might have been excusable.

If he had recorded the full amount in the ledgers, he would have, at most, gotten a lecture from Xiao Wan’er like the other two shopkeepers.

But since he recorded ten copper coins and pocketed the other ninety for himself, he naturally didn’t meet a good end.

After flipping through the booklets, Chen Yi had a better understanding of the shopkeeper’s role at the Medicine Hall.

In truth, there wasn’t much within the Medicine Hall that required his direct attention.

There were Physicians to diagnose patients and prepare medicine, and an accountant to handle the records.

He just needed to check the books, manage the daily supply of medicinal herbs, and ensure the Medicine Hall ran smoothly.

It was basically no different from being a professional manager.

Once he finished reading, his interest vanished, his mind filling with visions of a life of thankless toil.

’A good horse doesn’t turn back to graze on old pastures,’ he thought. ’I can’t go back to slaving away in this life.’

’I know my own personality. I either don’t do something at all, or I have to do it perfectly.’

’If I really set myself the goal of expanding the Jishi Medicine Hall, I’d probably find a way to open branches all across the Great Wei Dynasty.’

’And I’d have to put up a matching couplet, too.’

’On the left scroll: ”To Heal the Sick and Save the World.” On the right: ”If You’re Broke, Don’t Bother.”’

’He’d even come up with a slogan: ”Jishi Medicine Hall—a savior for men, a savior for women, a savior for the old, and a savior for the young.”’

Of course, Chen Yi only dared to entertain these thoughts in his own head.

If he actually went through with the whole scheme, every Physician in the Great Wei Dynasty would be cursing his name.

They’d be grumbling and cursing, ”Boiled Mugwort water, boiled Sweet Dates water, Dog Skin Ointments... this is all worthless stuff! And you’re selling it for a whole tael of silver, you bastard?”

A smile touched Chen Yi’s lips as he imagined their reactions.

’The world is full of smoke and mirrors, isn’t it? One person is willing to flog, and the other is willing to be flogged. Who can afford to be truly honest?’

Just then, Xiaodie, having finished her rambling report on the gossip outside the estate, noticed his smile and chirped happily,

”Young Master, do you also find it funny that the academy teachers got angry when they saw the students’ copies of the calligraphy?”

Chen Yi hummed in agreement. ”Copying calligraphy is meticulous work. It’s natural not to be proficient after just one or two tries.”

”I also think they’re nowhere near as good as you, Young Master,” Xiaodie said.

”That’s not something you should say outside...”

The two of them, master and servant, continued to chat idly.

Before they knew it, the sky had grown darker and the night deepened.

A hot, humid summer breeze drifted in from all sides.

It brought mosquitoes with it, which began to BUZZ around them.

Chen Yi, however, was unafraid. His physical Cultivation was at a point where, by using the Black Tortoise Concealment Technique to guide his Qi Mechanism and seal his pores, mosquitoes couldn’t bite him. It would be like they were breaking their own stingers.

Xiaodie, on the other hand, fanned herself relentlessly with a palm-leaf fan, but two or three red welts had already appeared on her wrist.

Seeing her pout and scratch at the bites, Chen Yi smiled and told her to go get some rest.

Xiaodie did as she was told, fanning herself all the way back, afraid she might lead the mosquitoes into the wooden building.

With nothing else to do, Chen Yi stood up, looked toward the pond, and stretched his limbs, producing a series of soft pops and cracks.

The breeze felt surprisingly refreshing.

Just then, the door to the adjacent wooden building opened. Xiao Jinghong emerged and walked directly toward him without hesitation.

Seeing her, Chen Yi smiled and waved a greeting. ”What time do you leave tomorrow?” he asked.

Xiao Jinghong came to his side, her half-mask still in place. ”Just after dawn.”

Her voice was clear and carried a rare hint of gentleness.

Chen Yi could tell she was in a good mood. After a moment’s thought, he sat down at the stone table and asked casually,

”I heard from Big Sister this afternoon about the Mutual Market. Did the family put up a lot of silver coins?”

Xiao Jinghong sat beside him and nodded. ”Grandfather was worried the Mountain Race would be displeased if we didn’t spend enough.”

Chen Yi nodded. ’The Xiao Family must be planning to do some business of their own, too,’ he figured.

Perhaps feeling a little guilty or apologetic, Xiao Jinghong felt compelled to explain,

”I had originally planned to stay at the estate for a while this time.”

”But this Mutual Market with the Mountain Race is too important. I have to oversee it myself.”

”I’ll be gone for one or two months at the least, maybe as long as three to five, before I can come back.”

Chen Yi understood her unspoken meaning and smiled. ”It’s a serious matter. It certainly requires careful attention.”

Xiao Jinghong glanced at him, able to see the sincerity in his words.

She relaxed visibly and changed the subject. ”Did Big Sister tell you where you’ll be assigned?”

Chen Yi pointed to the booklets on the table. ”Here. Shopkeeper of the Jishi Medicine Hall.”

Xiao Jinghong glanced at them, but she didn’t know much about such things and didn’t look for long. She just said,

”I already spoke with Grandfather, Second Master, and Second Uncle today. I told them not to be too harsh on you, and they agreed.”

Chen Yi smiled. ”Thank you.”

That took care of one of his biggest worries.

It would save him from being put under house arrest by the family again for his future endeavors.

But then, hearing his thanks, Xiao Jinghong’s eyes shifted to fix on him. ”How about you give me a piece of your calligraphy as a thank-you gift?”

Chen Yi thought for a moment and didn’t refuse. He nodded and asked, ”Is it intended as a gift for the Mountain Race, or...?”

Beneath her half-mask, Xiao Jinghong’s eyes seemed to shimmer. ”It’s for me to keep,” she said softly.

Chen Yi froze, clearly not expecting such a reply.

Sensing the change in his gaze, Xiao Jinghong lowered her head slightly, a subtle ripple disturbing the calm surface of her watery eyes.

”I’ll be gone for months. When I return, I don’t want to feel like you’re a stranger.”

’I’m not a forgetful person.’

’But my current status and responsibilities make it difficult to focus on matters of the heart.’

’Sometimes I think that it wouldn’t be so bad to retire from duty once Wuge inherits the Marquis Position, to come home and spend the rest of my life with my husband.’

Chen Yi, however, wasn’t thinking that far ahead.

Still, over the past few days of getting along with Xiao Jinghong, while they hadn’t made much progress, he certainly didn’t dislike her.

Silence fell for a moment.

Chen Yi stood, went to the study to fetch a brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone, and spread out a sheet of Yunsong Paper.

Xiao Jinghong sat to the side and, of her own accord, began pouring water and grinding the ink.

By the light of the moon and a single candle, their two long shadows swayed and danced, at times overlapping, at others pulling apart.

Chen Yi gazed at her for a moment, and an idea for what to write formed in his mind.

Once the ink was ready, he lifted his brush and wrote three words: Magpie Bridge Immortal.

He then began to write, his brush moving with fluid grace. Faint wisps of his Qi Mechanism stirred the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, and with each stroke, the characters began to bloom with a radiant light:

”Delicate clouds weave their patterns, flying stars convey their grief, as we cross the vast and distant Silver River in secret.

A single meeting in the golden wind and jade-like dew surpasses countless encounters in the mortal world.

This tenderness is like water, this precious date a fleeting dream; how can I bear to look upon the magpie bridge leading home?

If our two loves are destined for eternity, why must we be together from dawn till dusk?”

Xiao Jinghong had been watching him, but the moment the first character bloomed with its fluorescent radiance, her attention was completely captivated.

Her bright eyes were fixed on the sheet of Yunsong Paper, reading the poem word by word.

When she reached the end, only a single word remained in her heart: ”Beautiful.”

’It wasn’t me who was beautiful, but this poem.’

’And the one who wrote it... It would be hard to ever see him as a stranger again...’