Chapter 317: with translation of chapter title

"This won't do."

"Next time, when the cattle owner comes, ask about the route and sell those two female cows again."

Du Shanü glared at Chinu angrily and made a decision:

"One female cow is already enough—why need so many! If she ever catches a chill and stops giving milk, at most it's just a few days; once the cow recovers, she'll be fine. Why spend so much money to add more?"

One female cow costs ten taels of silver.

She originally only earned ten taels, so keeping one cow is perfectly normal.

As long as we tidy up and sell those two female cows, we won't be in debt, and then our hearts will be much more at ease......

Du Shanü's heart eased a little, but who would have thought that Chinu, upon hearing her words, would actually not respond.

He lowered his eyes, gently drew his hands into his sleeves, after several breaths, then firmly said:

"Not selling."

Besides these words, there is nothing else.

Du Shanü already had a headache over money matters; hearing this, she bumped him with her shoulder:

"Selling those two female cows is the only way we'll have silver to repay the cattle owner's debt."

Otherwise, what can we do?

We can't have them come collect money while we keep running a tab on them, can we?

This government office is indeed bright, but we can't stand our empty pockets!

The former prefect could freely take money from the commoners' pockets, but Du Shanü would absolutely not be willing.

Du Shanü thought Chinu understood, but who would have thought that Chinu would again fly into a fit of temper over something unknown; previously he was fine, but now he says:

"Not selling! I said I won't sell, so I won't sell!"

"Whoever wants to sell those two female cows, let them sell me first!"

This appearance, he's definitely angry.

Although Du Shanü doesn't know why Chinu is angry, she also knows that when he's like this, it's best not to provoke him.

Thus, Du Shanü could only temporarily set aside her thoughts and turn to Chen Weifang, saying:

"...... Sigh, although making this decision is hard, but right now we truly have no other way......"

Chen Weifang was still attending to the documents on the desk before her; hearing this, she lifted her eyes and gave a slight glance at her Wise Lord:

"Wise Lord, are you planning to again seek loans from city merchants, or go find Liu Ji to lay out the pros and cons, persuading him to join you without needing silver?"

"That Liu Ji, being a rough-and-tumble, probably won't agree. Not only that, he might even suspect that the Wise Lord, clearly possessing several cities, refuses to spend silver and thus cannot be sincere."

Afang's words have always been extremely reasonable.

But at this moment, Du Shanü's thoughts are not really about that.

Du Shanü sighed, then gazed deep into the beautiful eyes not far away, which were like an ancient well, and gritted her teeth:

"I'm thinking, why not let Afang you suffer a bit more...... After all, that lad from Spring Day really does have money!"

"I suspect you don't even need to sleep; just crook your finger and he'll be bewitched into loosening his belt—oh no, I mean, opening his purse!"

Chinu: "......"

Chen Weifang: "......?"

He just said that.

What kind of 'difficult decision' could two people who can sleep together come up with!

All that hard thinking just now was about making money from him, right?!

Chen Weifang sprang up with a bang and stepped toward the door of the study:

"I never expected you two to have become so corrupt nowadays!"

"I devote myself day and night to you, managing the affairs of the whole prefecture, yet whenever you encounter something, you think of selling me!"

"This life is truly unbearable for even a day! Whether earning ten taels or owing twenty, it's none of my concern; I'm packing up my belongings and heading north back to my hometown!"

Chen Weifang spoke urgently, but her steps were not fast; obviously she was waiting for someone to catch up.

However, today for some unknown reason, no one came after her.

Chen Weifang slowed her steps once again; this time, she heard two suppressed soft laughs from behind.

By now, what else is there not to understand?

Chen Weifang suddenly understood the whole story, turned her head, and on her usually calm face there was a rare hint of annoyance:

"You two as a couple really have great rapport!"

Again saying they want to sell his purity, and again wanting to tease him together...

All together, he's the only outsider?

Originally just joking, Du Shanü took a few steps to catch up with her Afang, hurriedly pulling her back:

"Seeing you always put on a face, just saying a few words offhand, how could we dare drive you away...... From now on, we'll have to rely on you, Afang, for everything."

Chen Weifang didn't speak, and followed Du Shanü's pull back to the desk.

Du Shanü was about to continue talking with him about Liu Ji, but she never expected that before she even spoke, out of the corner of her eye she saw Chinu actually leave her, walk into the corridor, heading to the rear courtyard.

Du Shanü was stunned, and Chen Weifang angrily picked up her brush:

"Just now you threw a tantrum, Wise Lord, didn't you notice?"

As for Liu Ji, if we can now win him over, we should do so; the prefecture has just stabilized a bit, and we'd best avoid further warfare. Since he can state conditions, that means there's something to discuss; winning over others also requires silver, so Wise Lord, why not win over whoever is most useful to you right now?

Regarding the silver matter, I'll figure out how to write another letter to Spring Day...... treating it as a loan, to be repaid with interest in the future.

Du Shanü nodded, counting it as agreement, but her mind had already unconsciously wandered off.

Chen Weifang sighed, and also looked toward the direction Chinu had gone:

I'm handling the Wise Lord's affairs; Wise Lord, go chase after Chinu and coax him?

"Earlier you were joking, I was joking too; this year spring came very late, and from time to time there is a late spring chill—Chinu bought three heads, or perhaps there is also a reason..."

"It's just two more oxen; if we argue over twenty taels of silver, that truly is the sorrow of a poor couple in everything."

What a poor couple, everything goes badly for them.

Du Shanü also wanted to sigh, but she hadn't realized she was still trapped in a rural romance.

Du Shanü also wanted to sigh, but Afang was ahead, so she forced herself to hold it in, and said stubbornly:

"Don't worry, it's nothing serious."

"I'll go see where Chinu went, and later I'll bring someone back."

Chen Weifang gave a slight nod, not knowing whether she believed it or not, then raised her hand and placed a vermilion mark on the document before her.

Du Shanü left the study, her steps swift as she followed the direction Chinu had gone, all the way to the inner courtyard bedroom.

The bedroom door wasn't shut tight, leaving a gap.

Du Shanü glanced in, and her heart only thought, "Oh no"—

Inside the bedroom, Chinu sat sideways on the bed, leaning forward to lie on the embroidered quilt, her shoulders and back faintly trembling...

Looking at her, she seemed to be crying.

Du Shanü couldn't hold back; she crept in like a thief, stepped lightly to the bedside, and then, choosing her words carefully, asked softly:

"Good slave slave...... what's wrong?"

This is just an ordinary sentence.

But as soon as the words landed, the Chinu who had been lying on the embroidered quilt instead let out a sob.

Chinu's words came through the embroidered quilt, as if separated by mountains and seas, hazy and hard to discern sunshine from rain.

He said, he said:

"I wholeheartedly follow the Wife Master, bringing you a dowry like Afang's, and running around for you..."

"Let alone anything else, just speaking of these days, the Wife Master demands cow's milk and then has to wait a while—don't you wonder why? It's not that I'm unwilling to bring the milk; it's that the Zhoufu has already dismissed many servants, and I'm afraid the remaining ones each have their own tasks, aren't meticulous, so I have to go get the milk!"

"These past days have been cold, the spring sowing hasn't sprouted—how could the female cow produce milk? It's not just a day or two without milk; often there is none at all, and when there is a little, boiling it away removes most..."

"I worry all day, afraid the Wife Master won't get milk, feeling sorry for her and for the child..."

"Now it's fine—over just twenty taels for a female cow, the Wife Master is going to blame me!"

Human life is suffering, destined to toil through myriad hardships.

But there is a kind of person who thinks, "If you know I'm tired, then I'm not tired."

In the past, with all his efforts, as long as Du Shanü knew he was suffering, he wouldn't feel suffering.

But if Du Shanü doubts him over two oxen, then his heart is truly broken.

What's more...

He said, he feels wronged on Du Shanü's behalf.

In this world, there actually are people who feel wronged because Du Shanü hasn't had a sip of cow's milk.

?? slave slave's status is lowly, but love can always be produced~

? very sad, all day long Baizi didn't pay attention to me, and nobody else. Feeling so wronged, I plan to be late tomorrow, possibly not updating o(￣ヘ￣o＃)