Chapter 8 Debt

Hey, this is the long-awaited chapter. I apologize for late update, really, I believe I'm suffering for phone addiction (I cant help but binge-reading novel or comics online ). I'll try to get better, promise !

Full disclaimer this work is not mine. And should the author ask me to take it down, please contact me and I will take it down.

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This is what stopped Pei Shu from talking.

He was stunned for a moment, and then said lightly: "What do you think I am doing in the cloth workshop these days? I'm learning from scratch, mixing dyes, and drying the fabric, I have blisters on my hands. "

Pei Shu had two blisters on his right hand. He was originally a pampered man who had never done any heavy work. He could get blisters even by carrying a bucket.

Gu Yun's eyes flashed with distress. He really wanted to change. "Husband, wait a minute, I'll get the medicine.

"Just a small injury, it's okay. "Pei Shu didn't feel much pain. If it wasn't to dispel Gu Yun's doubts, he wouldn't have said anything.

Gu Yun quickly brought the medicine, applied the light blue ointment, and wrapped it with gauze. Although she felt distressed, she still didn’t understand.

Why can Pei Shu dye a color that even old masters can’t dye? Although she knows that being suspicious of her own husband is wrong, but he never studied before, regardless of the family business, and has never entered the cloth workshop.

Those old masters have been doing this for decades, and Pei Shu has only been doing it for a few days.

Pei Shu can dye cloth, which is as shocking as a newborn child who can walk.

But looking at the injury on Pei Shu's hand, Gu Yun can't be sure. Maybe Pei Shu was smart, to begin with, but he just didn't take it seriously and didn't learn well. But the change is too great. Could it be that getting married can really make people change? If it is really useful, why study? Just marry a wife...

Gu Yun asked "Have you informed the master about the dye recipe? "

Pei Shu nodded. The workers in the cloth mill signed a death contract with the Pei family. However, he really went through a lot of trouble to get into the dye house. Not everyone believed in him like Gu Yun.

Gu Yun frowned, "Then What did the master say? Did he say that husband is talented? "

Pei Shu smiled and said, "That's natural. They said that with this batch of cloth, our cloth shop would be able to come back to life, and if you dye one color, you can dye a second one. In the future, you can wear materials of various colors.. "

This sounds good, but...

Gu Yun sighed, "Husband, try not to get water on your hands these days. Your health is the most important thing. Don't be in a hurry to dye the cloth. Don't tell your parents, don't talk about it yet," Gu Yun had her own plans. The cloth hadn't been sold yet, and she didn't dare to tell Xu everything. "Send some to Pei Xiang and the others, just say they were purchased materials."

Pei Shu thought about telling Gu Yun first, but didn't think about anything else, "You can give your things to whoever you want. "

He didn't think as thoroughly as Gu Yun did. He was preoccupied with dyeing the fabric and bringing it back to Gu Yun to see. As for the other people in the Duke's mansion, they were not very familiar in his memory.

Mrs. Xu is the stepmother, and the eldest sister has already been married. Even when she came back on the wedding day, she didn't say a word. Pei Jing was focused on studying and looked down on him. He didn't talk much to Pei Yuan and Pei Zhen.

As for Pei Xiang, I used to like this biological sister very much. Probably after his reputation became bad, Pei Xiang avoided him when he saw him. The Ying Duke just sighed when he saw him. Pei Shu didn't have a deep relationship with him, so he didn't even think of it.

But after all, they lived together, and that's all for a big family living together. Not bad at all, but fortunately, Gu Yun, although she is young, is thoughtful.

Gu Yun looked down at the materials. This is Pei Shu's hard work. Although he has never done it before, as long as he studies hard, he can do it well. You can't demand him to know everything. It's a coincidence that Pei Shu is good at this. It would be strange if he knew everything rare and precious.

Gu Yun can't take her eyes away from these materials. She will go to donate money tomorrow, how about getting new clothes overnight?

Just make clothes from the snow-green one, embroider the collar, cuffs, and skirt with lilac flowers. The lilacs should bloom in April.

Gu Yun said, "Thank you, husband, the sachet will be embroidered soon." "

Pei Shu coughed. He didn't care about the sachet. This time it was just an excuse. I believe Gu Yun won't be too surprised if he does anything in the future. As long as Gu Yun doesn't say anything, others won't say anything either.

Gu Yun asked Qingyun to take down the material and told her where to embroider and what kind of thread to use.

Pei Shu sat aside and drank tea. He had nothing to do and was light. He could rest for two days before going to the cloth workshop and eat something good in the evening. After a few days outside, he only had to eat a few mouthfuls and didn't even take a nap. The burden was finally lifted and he felt very light. Pei Shu was thinking about what to eat at night. Gu Yun always had porridge and side dishes at night. He couldn't do it. He wished he could eat meat every day. When eating meat, it is best to add more chili peppers. Although the cooking here is time-consuming and labor-intensive, the taste is too bland.

Even if the cabbage is cooked in old hen soup, it is still cabbage and cannot be turned into pork shoulder.

Pei Shu asked the chef to make rock-sugar pork shoulder, sweet and sour pork ribs, spicy chicken, and Sixi meatballs.

The soup is beef soup, and there is no dish without meat.

The staple food is steamed rice.

After Gu Yun finished giving instructions, the cook also went down, and Lao Zhang walked away Shaking his head, he didn't realize it before, but these days he discovered that the heir can eat sweet and sour braised chicken, as well as spicy chicken. He had to choose the tenderest chicken, which had to be deep-fried first and then stir-fried with red chili peppers. I've never made it before, and I don't know if it tastes good.

But Shizi also said that if it's not good, don't serve it.

Pei Shu held his chin and looked at Gu Yun, and he didn't know when his sachet would be embroidered.

Gu Yun left the sachet behind for the time being. The sun was almost setting. She definitely couldn't make it today. She had to go to the cloth shop to donate money tomorrow. She also had to go to the cloth workshop. The sachet could only be embroidered the day after tomorrow.

She also had never seen a tiger, but she saw that Li made tiger-head shoes. Just embroider one for Pei Shu.

But tiger-head shoes are worn by children. When I think of children, I will inevitably think of Pei Shu's hidden illness. He is a good person, and he could dye cloth, but he couldn't have children. Gu Yun stared at the two medical books in front of him and glanced at Pei Shu from time to time. The medical books said that some people were born weak and could take supplements, such as leeks and mutton.

Although she couldn't see it, and it's unclear whether Pei Shu is weak, there is no harm in taking a supplement.

From tomorrow onwards, he will eat leeks and mutton. Pei Shu has figured out a lot of ways to eat mutton. He has been eating it for more than ten days. If this method doesn’t work, let’s think of other things.

Pei Shu had no idea of ​​Gu Yun’s plan. If he knew about it, he would definitely try his best to stop it. Besides, he was not really ill. 

In the evening, he ate four dishes and one soup of rock-sugar pork. Pei Shu’s mouth was full of oil after eating. He couldn’t tell that he was a human being at all. The heir looks like a mud-legged boy who has not seen anything to eat for hundreds of years.

Although Pei Shu is not easy to learn, he can dye clothes and is humble. Gu Yun has seen how the Li family gets along with Pingyang Marquis. In the past month, there have been two times, when Mrs. Li acted like a child, everything she did, said and even dressed according to her father's preferences.

When eating, she would stand aside and serve the dishes in a gentle voice. She couldn't eat a meal at all. After a few mouthfuls, how could he serve her food like Pei Shu did?

Even Mother in the main courtyard looked small when facing her father.

The world only tells women to be humble, to support their husbands and educate their children, and to take the overall situation into consideration, but never says what should a man do for a woman.

It seems that if a man treats a woman better, it is a great blessing for the woman.

Men only need to shine, study, get a job, and make money to support the family, but Gu Yun can do it herself.

"What are you thinking about? You are so lost in thought. If you don't eat it, it will be cold." Seeing Gu Yun in a daze, Pei Shu gave her a small piece of pork skin. It was crystal clear, with little bits of fat attached to it, and there was still sauce on it, " Eat it with rice, it's very fragrant."

Gu Yun stared at the pork skin in the bowl and smiled, "Thank you, husband."

Pei Shu sighed and put down his chopsticks, "I've said it many times, don't say thank you, it's just picking up some food. We are not strangers."

Gu Yun nodded and looked at Pei Shu. It was different. In her memory, her father had never said these words to her aunt. No one was perfect, and Pei Shu could dye fabric that was already beyond her expectations. She couldn't expect him to be good at everything. There is no such person in the world.

Maybe Pei Shu will become his original self, but that will happen in the future.

After dinner, the two of them walked into the small garden to eat. After walking for two-quarters of an hour, Gu Yun had to go back to the room to take care of the books.

After thinking about it for a while, Gu Yun asked Lu Shao to send the litmus and lotus root colored materials to the two sisters' yards respectively, "Let's just say they are newly bought materials. Seeing that they are young and dressed delicately, not to mention they are dyed by the prince." 

"Understood."

Gu Yun was afraid that something might happen, so keep it secret from Pei Zhen. Even though Pei Xiang was Pei Shu's biological sister, when they met by chance on weekdays, she would just give her a cold nod.

It's not that Gu Yun is meddling in other people's business. With such a big family, she will have to take care of all the marriages of her younger siblings in the future. She still needs to keep her face, she is Pei Shu's biological sister.

Pei Shu should be happy when his sister wear his fabrics, so Gu Yun picked the most beautiful litmus color and gave it to Pei Xiang.

Pei Xiang was really surprised when she received the material. The red color was very light and pretty but not flashy. She had never seen anyone wearing it on the street. If it were cut into clothes, it would definitely make every girl envious.

Lu Shao said: "This is a new color from the cloth shop. As soon as it was delivered, the young lady picked the litmus color. She said that the color was too light and suitable for a little girl to wear. She asked the slave to give it to the fifth girl first."

Pei Xiang did not She held back a smile and said, "Miss Lu Shao, thank my sister-in-law for me." She looked down at the fabrics and felt happy. Who doesn't like beautiful clothes? They are all good, but in Shengjing, she is the one who is looked down upon the most.

Lu Shao guaranteed to take Pei Xiang's words to Gu Yun, "If there is nothing else for the fifth girl, I will take my leave."

Pei Xiang asked the maid to send Lu Shao out. When the maid came back, she whispered: "Sister-in-law is a good person."

But her vision is not good. After all, she chose her useless brother as her husband.

Because of Pei Shu, she was teased a lot. At first, she blushed and defended her brother, but later she laughed it off and couldn't help it. She remembered that she was very close to her brother when she was a child, but now, when she met Pei Shu, she wanted to run away.

Her mother's dowry was squandered by Pei Shu, and she would have to rely on her sister-in-law and stepmother to get married in the future.

He went to a gambling house and tavern, and Pei Xiang studied by herself. If her brother couldn't be counted on, she might as well count on herself.

Pei Xiang said: "I didn't know what my sister-in-law was like before, so I didn't care about her. This time she gave me the fabrics, and I had to return the gift. You go to the front yard and keep an eye on her. When will my brother leave? Tell me when you come back. I'll go sit with my sister-in-law for a while in the yard.”

The second sister-in-law, Mrs. Chen, is not easy to get close to, so it’s better to stick to her sister-in-law.

You have to go there while Pei Shu is not around, Pei Xiang doesn't want to run into him.

Pei Zhen was also very happy. Although she and Pei Xiang were both young ladies from the Duke's Mansion, she was always one level behind her. Naturally, she was happy to have new clothes. She turned around and told Mrs. Xu that Gu Yun had sent her materials, and Mrs. Xu didn't either. care. This is a small way to win people's hearts, just like the housekeeper, but there will be no chance in the future.

Looking at Gu Yun day and night, Mrs. Xu even felt a little pitiful for her. If she married a reliable husband, she would not be in this situation. It is a pity that she married Pei Shu and would never have a good life in the future.

Gu Yun didn't know that Pei Shu was so disliked by her own sister. She looked at the account book for an hour and was so sleepy that she yawned. When she returned to the room, Pei Shu was already fast asleep. His hand was on the quilt, still wrapped in gauze. His eyes have dark circles and he is looking thinner than before.

He must have been working hard outside these days. The young master who grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth had never done heavy work. Gu Yun just looked at him like this for a while before blowing out the candle and going to bed to rest.

She tucked Pei Shu under the quilt. It was a cold April night. She made a wish before going to bed, hoping that Pei Shu would never go to the gambling house again.

The next day.

Gu Yun woke up, but Pei Shu hadn't woken up yet, looking very tired.

She got out of bed quietly and put on new clothes. The clothes were brought out overnight. The work was very fine. The collar was pearl white and embroidered with lilac flowers. There were several pleats on the lower skirt, which made stacked layers when she walked, very beautiful.

The small kitchen was already busy. The cook got up early in the morning to make porridge and steamed steamed buns. He put the cooked porridge into wooden barrels and then cooked the next pot. After the porridge and steamed buns were ready, he prepared the carriage to go to the outskirts of the city.

Gu Yun told the little maid that when Pei Shu woke up and asked, she would tell her that she had gone outside the city to give alms and would be back at noon.

The little maid nodded like garlic, "Madam, please come back soon."

Gu Yun smiled and went out with Qingyun, Lu Shao, and Chunyu followed behind. This was her first time working with Gu Yun, so she couldn't make any mistakes.

After leaving Chengxinyuan, she still had to walk for a quarter of an hour. When she arrived at the door, Gu Yun heard a commotion outside the house. Then he saw Huzi running in in a hurry. When he saw her, his face turned pale instantly, or as if he had seen her. ghost.

"Shi...Mrs. Shizi..."

Gu Yun said, "Why are you running? You are in a panic."

Huzi opened his mouth and murmured, speechless, and his legs shook like chaff.

Seeing him like this, maybe something happened to Pei Shu. Gu Yun frowned and took two steps forward. The further he went, the clearer his voice became.

"Pay back the money, pay back the money quickly, the noble prince of the Duke's palace will not pay back his debts!"

​"It is written in black and white, it is a matter of course to pay back your debts.

Huzi forced out a smile, which was uglier than crying, "Madam... I'm so sorry. I do not know!"

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TLnote: I'll try to update weekly, and as this was a MTL translation, I apologize in advance if there was a mistake. Oh, and consider buying me a Ko-fi to reduce my bills *winkwink