Exile with Storage Space: Family Fortunes in the Barren Lands-Chapter 488 - 0462: Lou Chengye’s Acquaintance (1)
Lou Chengye wanted to do many things.
But his family opposed everything, the things they valued, he couldn’t do.
His four elder brothers always called him a useless person, saying he was inferior to them.
With those siblings as shining examples, he became a failure in his parents’ eyes.
Even the guests at home would subtly criticize him, telling him to listen and learn from his brothers.
But his brothers wouldn’t teach him and mocked him instead, saying he couldn’t learn anyway, what was the point? Just wasting their time.
They wouldn’t teach him yet still called him useless, life was unbearable.
In a fit of anger, he packed his bags and left home to seek a career, but unfortunately, his horse and luggage disappeared.
He hitched rides and walked wherever he saw a road, wandering around until he arrived here, stranded for three days without any plans.
Lou Chengye saw Li Xingsheng willing to take him in, so he temporarily stopped worrying about big matters, focusing on finding a place to eat and sleep first.
As the weather grew colder each day, his thick fox fur coat and heavy cotton robe went missing with his horse. Without finding a place to settle, forget big plans, he might freeze to death.
Then, his family would laugh at him even more.
Lou Chengye sighed inwardly.
"Alright, I agree. Li Er, thank you for taking me in." He stood up and bowed to Li Xingsheng.
"Thank me when you’ve achieved success; right now, I just want to hire you as a helper." Li Xingsheng patted his shoulder, signaling him to sit down.
Despite the words, Lou Chengye was still very grateful inside.
Being hired as a helper meant earning money, food, and maybe even a place to stay. In this place, having no money and no acquaintances, such assistance was the greatest kindness.
"Yes, Li Er, I’ll do my best." Lou Chengye nodded.
The small eatery assistant walked over with a bowl of soup noodles.
"Li Er, here are three bowls of beef noodles, steaming hot." The assistant placed the tray on the table at the back of the shop.
He glanced at Lou Chengye and pulled Li Xingsheng outside the shop, whispering, "Li Er, why are you still keeping him? Did he steal something from your house?"
Li Xingsheng shook his head with a smile, "No."
"He’s so poor, maybe today he didn’t steal, someday he will. You should watch out."
Li Xingsheng chuckled, "I have people in the county government. If he dares to steal from my house, he’d be asking to lose an arm or a leg."
The assistant was startled, "What? Li Er, you’re awesome, you even know people from the county government?"
"Of course."
"Which official do you know? Introduce me so I can meet them?" The assistant was skeptical, thinking Li Xingsheng was probably bragging.
"I know..." Li Xingsheng was about to mention Qin Hu who often brought Li Lixing over, when someone ahead waved and called him, "Er! Er, it’s me! Lixing!"
Li Xingsheng laughed, patted the assistant’s shoulder, pointed at Li Lixing who was coming on horseback, and said with a smile, "Look, that’s someone from the county government, I know him."
The assistant didn’t recognize Li Lixing.
A small young lad dressed better than others was a government official?
Such a little rascal, how could he be an official?
Are you kidding me?
Li Xingsheng waved the assistant away, handing him a few coins, "I have a guest coming, let’s not chat. Bring another bowl of beef noodles, quickly!"
"Got it." The assistant glanced at Li Lixing, pursed his lips, and went back to the eatery.
Li Lixing dismounted, ran to Li Xingsheng, and asked immediately, "Is there nothing wrong at home? Yu Zhu and Yuanxiu came back hurriedly, my parents were worried, insisted that I come to check. Oh, my third brother is also concerned about you all."
Li Xingsheng glanced behind him, "You came alone?"
Li Lixing replied, "No, Qin Hu is also here. There are too many people at the market, the cart couldn’t get through, I told him to unload the cart frame. He’s guarding the frame outside the market street, I rode here first to check."
Li Xingsheng said, "Nothing major, it’s just... my mother is arranging a matchmaking for the three sisters, so she urgently asked Yu Zhu to come back."
"Oh, it’s matchmaking, I was worried, thought it was something else important." Li Lixing laughed.
Li Xingsheng tied Li Lixing’s horse to the cart there, brought Li Lixing into the shop.
Lou Chengye and the Commandery Princess each scooped water from the shop’s vat to wash their hands, as he was about to step outside to call Li Xingsheng for noodles, he saw Li Lixing coming in and paused.
Li Lixing saw him and paused too, "You..."
Lou Chengye furrowed his brows, his gaze fixed on Li Lixing.
Li Lixing stammered, eyes wide on Lou Chengye, "You you you, Brother Ye, why are you... Why are you here?"
Lou Chengye shook his head at him.
Li Lixing, "..." What does that mean? Can’t say?
Li Xingsheng was surprised, "Li Lixing, you know him?"
Lou Chengye’s gaze seemed to bore a hole into Li Lixing’s face.
Li Lixing grimaced, one wouldn’t let him speak, the other insisted on asking.
"Uh, met a few times." No, it was being beaten from childhood.
Lou Chengye even knows how many birthmarks are on your butt, and naturally, Chengye also knows whether there are any birthmarks on his own butt.
They grew up playing together, naked as kids.
Li Xingsheng laughed, "Oh, I hired a little worker, and it turns out he knows you? Hahaha, it’s really fate."
Li Lixing followed with a couple of awkward laughs.
It’s clearly a case of enemies crossing paths on a narrow road.
The Second Princess had already started eating her noodles. She said, "Lou Chengye, so you and Li Lixing know each other, huh? Do your families live nearby?"
Lou Chengye shot a look at Li Lixing and said, "My father and his father have met a few times. I’ve only met him once, so we know each other. Right, Li Lixing?"
Li Lixing chuckled awkwardly, "Ah, yeah, yeah." Why wouldn’t Lou Chengye let him tell the truth? Why lie?
But facing Lou Chengye, who could single-handedly take him down in every wrestling match, Li Lixing didn’t dare do anything but follow Lou Chengye’s lead.
He didn’t want to get beaten up.
"It’s like a flood hit the Dragon King’s temple; it turns out we’re all one family!" Li Xingsheng laughed, patting Lou Chengye and Li Lixing on the shoulder, "Sit down, it’s cold, have a bowl of hot noodle soup."
Li Lixing noticed one bowl was missing, "Second Brother, what about yours?"
"You eat first, the waiter will bring more soon." Li Xingsheng replied with a smile.
The Second Princess was hungry and urged everyone, "If you don’t eat soon, the noodle soup will get mushy."
Li Lixing and Lou Chengye finally started eating.
In no time, the waiter brought another bowl of beef noodle soup.
Li Xingsheng took it and ate with everyone.
After lunch, the Second Princess started counting the pastries again, planning to make more.
But Li Xingsheng said, "Now that Lixing is here, don’t bother making more, Second Sister. Let’s go back early." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
The Second Princess replied, "Huh? Second Brother, my matters are what’s important, right? Lixing isn’t visiting for the first time; can’t we go back later?"
"Fool!" Li Xingsheng gave her a look, "We’ll talk at home."
Being ordered by her second brother, the Second Princess had to agree, "Alright then."
The matchmaking matter hasn’t been settled yet; why go back so early? Such a waste of time, the Second Princess grumbled in her heart.
Lou Chengye also said, "I only worked half a day."
Li Xingsheng laughed and said, "We have to see our guest back home; how about you come with us, since you know Li Lixing? Stay at my house, and we’ll be back tomorrow for business."
Lou Chengye was relieved; so they were coming back tomorrow. He thought they no longer needed his help.
"Sure," he replied, "then I’ll trouble Li Er for his hospitality."
Li Xingsheng laughed heartily, "Li Lixing visits my home often; you’re his friend, and he’s our distant kin. By that logic, you’re a friend of our family too, don’t be a stranger—come on, come on."
The Li Family’s Second Brother was so enthusiastic, Lou Chengye was quite happy, "Alright."
Li Xingsheng extinguished the stove fire, did a few more sales, and then called everyone to pack up.
Working together, they quickly tidied up the shop.
Li Xingsheng picked up Lou Chengye’s big luggage and put it on the cart, and left the market street with Li Lixing.
They met up with Qin Hu on a small road outside the street and headed back to the village together.
Uncle Gui opened the door, surprised to see Li Xingsheng return so early, "Second Young Master, back so soon?"
The Second Princess said, "Lixing came, so Second Brother said we’re finishing early today."
Uncle Gui looked behind them and saw, indeed, the Li Lixing family had returned.
However, there was one extra person, wearing wrinkled clothes, looking like a beggar.
While Uncle Gui was puzzled, Li Xingsheng introduced, "Uncle Gui, this is Lou Chengye, a friend of Lixing."
Uncle Gui "Oh"ed and warmly invited him in, "Please come in, please come in."
Lou Chengye greeted Uncle Gui with a courtesy bow, "Hello, Uncle."
Uncle Gui chuckled warmly, "Good, good, good."
Qin Hu went to park the carriage and carry Li Lixing’s gifts.
Li Xingsheng asked the Second Princess to head back to her room first and asked Uncle Gui to take Lou Chengye’s luggage. He then led Li Lixing and Lou Chengye to meet Princess Consort Luling in the rear main house.
But halfway there, Lou Chengye said, "Li Er, I need to use the restroom."
Li Lixing added, "I need to go too."
Li Xingsheng raised an eyebrow at Li Lixing, "Li Lixing, don’t you know where the restroom is? You take Lou Chengye there."
"Alright, we’ll be right back. Li Er, wait for us here," Li Lixing said, pulling Lou Chengye quickly away through the Li Family’s house gate.
The restroom used by the Li Family was outside their house, near the cotton fields.
But the two didn’t go to the restroom. Once outside the gate, Lou Chengye pulled Li Lixing into the cotton fields.
He pressed Li Lixing against the cotton bush and lowered his voice, "If you talk too much, I’ll hang you on a tree."
Li Lixing whined miserably, "Brother Ye, you need to tell me first what’s okay to say and what’s not."
