Chapter 41

The next day.

When Chen Wuji woke up, his side was empty again.

Huo Sanniang didn't know when she had already gotten up; Chen Wuji completely didn't notice.

Just as he was getting up and dressing, Huo Sanniang lifted the worn door curtain and walked in, saying, "Hurry up and get up, you foolish husband, quickly have a bite; we'll head to the city early to sell the remaining snake meat."

"All right." Chen Wuji threw on his clothes in a couple of motions, jumped down barefoot, and grabbed Huo Sanniang's slender waist, "Wife, a kiss."

Huo Sanniang blushed and pushed open Chen Wuji's mouth, "Don't fool around in broad daylight; hurry up and wash up, I've cooked some porridge—we'll eat and then leave right away."

"No, just a kiss." Chen Wuji shouted while shaking Huo Sanniang's little waist.

For a grown person who is only five or six years old, acting coquettish is quite normal.

"Okay, okay, here you go—is that enough?" Huo Sanniang quickly pecked Chen Wuji, then said in an annoyed yet flirtatious tone.

Doing this in broad daylight felt to her like stealing; her face almost turned completely red.

"Wife, you're being perfunctory; that doesn't count as a kiss," Chen Wuji insisted.

"I'm really at your mercy... kiss."

Huo Sanniang reluctantly gave in and gave another quick kiss.

This one at least resembled a proper kiss.

Only then did Chen Wuji happily release Huo Sanniang's soft little waist; his heart felt blissfully content—this was what married life should be like.

After washing up, drinking porridge, taking care of his appearance, and offering sacrifices at the Five Organs Temple, Chen Wuji placed the bundled snake meat and the monkey he had obtained the previous day into a basket, hoisted it on a pole, and set off for the county city with Huo Sanniang.

Shen Youwei continued to watch the home.

Today she also had an extra task: to attend to the peacock and the wild boar.

Chen Bushi estimated that contacting the buyer wouldn't happen that quickly, so these two little fellows would certainly need to be kept at home for a few more days.

Stepping on the morning dew, Chen Wuji and Huo Sanniang rushed to the county city.

Today, noticeably more people were entering the city.

When they arrived, the queue at the city gate already stretched several hundred meters out, mostly consisting of farmers carrying grain.

The deadline for tax payments was approaching imminently, and Yunan County was also experiencing the peak of tax submissions.

After obediently queuing and smoothly entering the city, Chen Wuji and Huo Sanniang headed straight for the East Market.

As luck would have it, they met the coffin shop's proprietor beneath the archway of the East Market.

Such a big boss, yet he was nonchalantly tough—he just squatted by the archway, a severely patinated eight‑sided pot placed before him, which he occasionally lifted to sip from its spout.

"Shopkeeper, what are you doing squatting here?" Chen Wuji asked.

"Oh, it's you two." The coffin shop owner lifted his gaze, saw Chen Wuji, and his grim face softened with a hint of a smile.

"I'm waiting for an execution; someone ordered a set of burial clothes and a coffin from me, but that family are all like idiots—several of them don't even know the deceased's height. Not knowing the height, I don't know what size burial clothes to make; with nothing to do this morning, I came here to check in person, then I'll go alter the garments."

"By the way, my surname is Xu, given name Zengyi." Having said that, he proceeded to introduce himself further.

"I think my surname is Chen, given name Wuji." Chen Wuji returned the self‑introduction.

That made Xu Zengyi laugh, "You don't even know your own surname?"

"Shopkeeper Xu, please don't take offense—my husband sometimes acts simple‑minded; just treat him like a child." Huo Sanniang hurriedly explained, and while out in public she didn't want to admit that Chen Wuji was foolish.

But this foolish husband would occasionally blurt out a couple of silly remarks out of the blue.

Xu Zengyi gave Chen Wuji a careful once‑over, "Your brows and eyes shine—you don't look simple‑minded at all; you seem more like a crafty ghost."

Chen Wuji:???

This old geezer seems to be scolding him, huh?

"Shopkeeper Xu's gaze seems a bit off too," Chen Wuji shook his head.

Xu Zengyi chuckled, "I spot ghosts accurately, and people even more so—you're definitely a sly ghost; your recent dullness is probably just something clouding your mind; go eat some pig hearts to clear it, strengthen yourself."

"Huh, why does that sound familiar? I feel like I've heard it somewhere before," Huo Sanniang suddenly said.

Chen Wuji said with a dark face, "I said it—twelve pig hearts to clear the mind's orifices."

He hadn't expected that an offhand joke he'd made would come back to him in this way.

Xu Zengyi looked somewhat surprised, "You know about that too?"

"I've heard of it, but I don't know what medicine is used," Chen Wuji shook his head.

"I know," Xu Zengyi said, "If it truly works, bring me three weasels and I'll tell you the recipe for free—twelve pig hearts will guarantee a cure."

"Shopkeeper Xu, is that for real?" Huo Sanniang couldn't help but feel a little excited.

"Indeed." Xu Zengyi nodded, "Your husband also knows, but only part of it; pig hearts are the main ingredient, yet the other auxiliaries are indispensable as well."

Huo Sanniang couldn't restrain herself and grabbed Chen Wuji's arm, "Wuji, if you can cure this, we finally have a way…"

Chen Wuji wanted to say, "The former Chen Wuji is long dead; the present Chen Wuji has nothing wrong with him."

But he really did need a proper reason to gradually get better.

The ladder Xu Zengyi set up is really not bad.

"Shopkeeper Xu, do you sell that prescription?" Huo Sanniang pressed.

"We sell it, but it's a bit pricey—an exclusive secret formula for two taels of silver." Xu Zengyi held up two fingers.

Huo Sanniang's expression darkened slightly.

"Two taels of silver… as huge as a mountain."

"Wife, we'll earn his favor for nothing—just three weasels," Chen Wuji said.

Anyway, he isn't in a hurry for now, and he actually quite likes Xu Zengyi's condition.

Huo Sanniang nodded resignedly.

Without money, we have no choice but to do this.

But getting three weasels is no easy feat; such creatures aren't something you can just run into anywhere in the mountains.

Chen Wuji crouched down beside Shopkeeper Xu, changed the subject and asked: "Shopkeeper Xu, beheading shouldn't be at noon, right? You're waiting this early in the morning—are you waiting too early? Or are you just too idle?"

Shopkeeper Xu shook his head. "Yesterday someone resisted tax, a stick smeared with feces smashed the county magistrate's sedan chair; at the time the county magistrate was inside the sedan, and the feces ruined his official hat."

"I heard that to vent his anger, that person even beat to death all the hens the county magistrate had painstakingly raised; the county magistrate was furious and ordered that he be executed today, and he is already on the way under escort."

Chen Wuji suddenly thought of the chicken they had eaten yesterday.

"That county magistrate wouldn't need to settle an account even for this chicken, would he?"