I’ll Butcher Pigs to Support You! 74p1

Chapter 74 p1

After working hard for another half a month and paying off her debt to Chi Xiangyue in one go, Song Yugui started saving money again under Shen Xizhi’s supervision.

She wasn’t naturally a saver, but Xizhi had said that if they saved up, they might be able to open a shop or something in the future. It would be convenient to have the money for a storefront and they wouldn’t have to borrow from anyone.

She hated borrowing money the most, simply because the people in her former family had borrowed from everyone—close relatives, distant relatives, and fellow villagers—all to support Shen Yaozu’s studies. They were often cornered at their doorstep by people demanding money, and she loathed the feeling.

Hearing her talk about opening a shop, Song Yugui thought of her own wife’s cooking, which was a feast for the senses, far more delicious than any restaurant outside. Perhaps in the future, they could really open a restaurant in town, a little closer to where she sold meat. It would give her something to do, so she wouldn’t feel like she wasn’t contributing to the family. That would be good too.

From that day on, she began to save money seriously.

In the past, she had always wanted to buy clothes and jewelry for her wife every day. This time, she held back, only buying two sets of thin summer clothes each and nothing else.

She would also wear a hairpin when she went out, but it was her wife’s. She had rarely bought any for herself, but she had bought many for her wife. They were a family, so there was no need to distinguish between you and me. She just used them.

Another day, at dawn, before the sky was light, Song Yugui buried her head in her wife’s embrace and sighed. “Aiya, I’m so sleepy. I really don’t want to work.”

Shen Xizhi stroked her wife’s back and said warmly, “Let’s go to bed a little earlier tonight. If we go to bed earlier, we won’t be so sleepy.”

“Mmm…”

She replied vaguely, then turned over and got up the next moment.

Fortunately, it was early summer now and not cold, so getting up was not as difficult as in winter.

Song Yugui went out, drew some well water, and washed her face with cold water. She was finally awake. After she and Xizhi had washed up, they pushed the cart, slaughtered a pig, and carried the pork to town to have two bowls of wontons for breakfast.

Every morning it was either steamed buns or wontons. Song Yugui looked up and sighed. “I really want to eat a shouzhuabing(Crispy Chinese Pancakes). It would be great if Xizhi knew how to make it.”

Shen Xizhi was bewildered but nodded seriously in reply. “Mmm, you teach me. I’ll make it for you after I learn.”

She looked so obedient.

Song Yugui’s heart was warmed. She went closer and kissed her. “Mmm, I’ll tell you what it’s like later. We can try to make it. If we can, we will. If not, it’s alright.”

There were far fewer seasonings in ancient times than in modern times. Even if she made it, she wasn’t sure if it would be delicious.

“Mmm, I’ll do my best.”

Although it was just a casual remark, Shen Xizhi took it as seriously as if she had received a command.

Song Yugui stroked her head and kissed the corner of her lips again.

The young woman took a half step back, her eyes blushing, and she gripped her sleeve, too embarrassed to speak.

Just then, someone came to buy meat. She only took two steps back and didn’t bully her anymore.

“Two catties of ribs. Here you go.”

“Half a catty of meat, is that right? Alright.”

Shen Xizhi stood on the side collecting the money. Occasionally, when a customer asked if they would get a free bamboo basket for buying five catties of meat, she would quickly reply with a “yes” and then sit down to weave a bamboo basket.

The bamboo baskets were very popular. If they were placed on top, someone would want them.

“Do you want to buy something after we’re done?”

The two of them had saved five taels of silver these past few days. Song Yugui felt that they could buy a few things.

But Shen Xizhi felt that they had only just started saving. Why buy things again?

She was a little resentful and glared at her wife, muttering in a small voice, “All you know is to buy things.”

“Just one thing. Not too expensive, okay?”

The young woman was still unwilling, her red lips pressed together as she said hesitantly, “Let’s see after we’re done selling.”

“Alright then. My wife is in charge of my money. I can’t touch a single bit of it.”

She deliberately sounded pitiful. Shen Xizhi knew she was acting again and glared at her fiercely, but there was no force behind it, not at all intimidating.

Today, the pork was not sold out until the afternoon. Including the baskets, she had earned over one thousand three hundred wen. Shen Xizhi hesitated for a moment, then counted out one hundred wen from it and handed it over, demanding with a feigned coldness, “You can only spend this much.”

Song Yugui took the heavy one hundred wen, feeling a little emotional. She remembered when she had first transmigrated, her family was destitute. After searching the whole house, she had only found four wen!

Now things were better. Her wife even gave her pocket money in hundreds.

“That should be enough. Let’s go, let’s go and take a look.”

Song Yugui led her wife, whose eyes were cautious and grave, afraid that she would spend too much, into a rouge shop.

She was a little surprised. She had thought Yugui-jiejie wanted to buy lipstick, but she hadn’t expected her to want two boxes of vanishing cream.

One box cost as much as fifty wen. Two boxes were exactly one hundred wen.

She had heard of vanishing cream before. The wealthiest family in Shenjia Village had a box, and the other treated it like a treasure, only willing to use a little bit at a time. Now, her wife had bought two boxes in one go…

Shen Xizhi was silent for a moment. Her wife then took the vanishing cream and led her out, raising an eyebrow, her expression quite proud. “Well, I didn’t overspend, did I? Exactly one hundred wen.”

…

What’s the point of you saving some money? You have to spend it all!

She was helpless but couldn’t say anything. Otherwise, Yugui-jiejie would get angry, and she would be the one to worry.

At least this time she had only spent one hundred wen. In the past, it had been a tael of silver at a time.

She could only say perfunctorily, “Mmm, Yugui-jiejie is amazing.”

The two of them pushed the cart along the small path in the fields. Song Yugui kicked stones all the way. Suddenly, she remembered the fun she had heard about these past few days and said to Xizhi with a smile, “That Shen Yaozu who came to our house to show off before has been given up by his family. He’s not studying anymore.”

Shen Xizhi was bewildered, her expression clearly one of disbelief. “How can that be? His parents had such high hopes for him. How could they suddenly give up on him?”

“Perhaps they finally realized he’s not the material for a scholar. I heard that they make him go to the fields to work every day now. He refuses to do it and has even argued with the Shen family on the road several times, almost to the point of breaking ties. The Shen family has long been impatient with him. Life is not easy for him now.”

“Then it’s really a case of evildoers getting their just deserts. The whole family.”

Hearing that their family was not at peace, Shen Xizhi felt comfortable in her heart. But after saying this, she looked back nervously, afraid that her wife would think she was too cruel.

They were her parents, after all.

But her wife was also full of joy. “Mmm, I’m happy to see the people who bullied you not doing well.”

Shen Xizhi thought to herself, No wonder I like her so much. If there’s a next life, I still want to like her.

The young woman’s eyes were filled with a smile. The two of them went home together. She counted the silver and copper coins in the house, one by one. Including today’s, it was already nearly seven taels. She put all the money back into the pouch embroidered with a little pig and handed it to Song Yugui. “You can keep it.”

Song Yugui didn’t take it and lay lazily on their old bed. “You can have it. You’re the housekeeper. From now on, all the family’s money is yours to manage, so you don’t have to always complain about me wasting money.”

Shen Xizhi got up from the stool and, in a few steps, reached the side of the bed. She leaned over and also lay in her embrace, her arms wrapped around her as she defended herself in a small voice, “I wasn’t complaining about you. I just wanted to save more money. You can have it. Just discuss it with me when you need to spend a lot of money. The family’s money is all earned by you. It should be yours to keep.”

“But I earn money just to support you. Since it’s for supporting you, you should be the one to have it.”

Because of her one sentence, ‘just to support you’, a sweet feeling rose in Shen Xizhi’s heart. While shy and happy, she forcefully stuffed the money into her embrace. “I don’t want to manage the money. I want you to.”

She really refused to take it. If she insisted on giving it to her, she would get angry. Only then did Song Yugui take the money back and put it in her robes.

She didn’t dare to tie it to her belt. It was so heavy. What if it fell? She wouldn’t even have a place to cry.

“Let’s go to town tomorrow and deposit it in the bank.”

“Let’s save up ten taels of silver and deposit it all at once. That way, it will be easier to remember.”

“Mmm, that’s also true.”

Shen Xizhi held her wife and turned over.

The two of them lay there for a while. When the hottest part of the day had passed, they took their baskets and went up the mountain to cut pig feed.

On the way, they met a few people from the village. They all took the initiative to greet them, no longer the scene of Song Yugui being disliked by everyone when she had first transmigrated.

Now, everyone saw the life of Song Yugui’s family. It was already very different from before. Every time the villagers passed by the Song family’s gate, they couldn’t help but exclaim at how magnificent the house was, much more magnificent than the village chief’s. Therefore, when they met on the road, they were all exceptionally polite to them.

Having money earned you respect wherever you went. It had been like this since ancient times.

With their current family fortune, going up the mountain to cut pig feed was no longer as easy as each carrying one basket. Instead, they each carried two or three, a full five baskets of grass back. Who told them they were raising five pigs, and each one was a particularly big eater?

When they returned, Chi Xiangyue and her little cousin had also returned.

Chu Wantang was used to wearing magnificent clothes, so she was always the first to be noticed when she appeared.

Her cousin’s expression was exceptionally ugly. It was clear at a glance that something had happened on the road.

Chi Xiangyue was also a little troubled. Seeing Song Yugui, she immediately called her into the house and poured out her troubles. “I ran into Song Xingchuan on the road just now, and for some reason, I invited him to go to town for the Qixi Festival. It scared me to death. It’s a good thing Song Xingchuan refused.”

Although these words had come from her mouth, she felt that she had no control over herself when she said them!

If I had known, I would have listened to my cousin and had the imperial physician take a look at her. I’ve never even heard of such a situation.

Song Yugui’s brow furrowed slightly. Inviting the male lead to go to town for the Qixi Festival?

The Qixi Festival was in half a month. Of course, that wasn’t the point. The point was, in the novel, the male and female leads had confessed their feelings for each other on this day.

She took a deep breath. Chi Xiangyue hadn’t gone to find Song Xingchuan for a long time and had only been playing with her little cousin. She had thought that the influence of the plot had disappeared, but it turned out it was waiting here.

Is it trying to get everything back on track in the end? According to the original plot, my wife will die this winter.

Thinking of this, Song Yugui’s eyes widened little by little, and she no longer dared to ignore the plot.

She was afraid, afraid that if the plot wanted to go back on track, it would make her wife die for no reason.

“You invited Song Xingchuan, and he refused?”

This was also not right. According to the novel, he should have agreed at once.

“He had originally agreed, but then for some reason, he refused me, saying that he had something to do at home that day and might not be free.”

Refused.

He actually refused. Could it be that the male lead could escape the control of the plot?