143 – You Refine Tools; I Refine Pills

“Many thanks for your blessed words.”

Qin Mian picked up Yuanyuan and looked at his serious appearance; he couldn’t help pecking at his tender small face.

The corners of Yuanyuan’s mouth raised into a little smile. He cusped his Dad’s face and smacked a kiss on it.

Not to be outdone, Manman put his arms around Lei Tie’s neck, smacked a loud kiss on his cheek with a ‘’pop’’ sound, and looked at his Gege with his small provocative eyes.

Qin Mian and Lei Tie involuntarily looked at each other and smiled.

Other people, all without exception, envied them.

Uncle Fu entertained all the guests with warmth and attention, “My guests, please come to the banquet table.”

With Leisurely Farmhouse being so elegant, coupled with its owners and servants being so polite, the guests unconsciously put away their usual rough side and changed to elegant manners; they cupped their hands and saluted each other.

“Please.”

“Please, you go first.”

Lei Xiangyi and Lei Xiangli also helped to greet the guests.

“Dad, down.” Yuanyuan pointed to the ground.

Qin Mian hesitated before putting him down. According to the guide book, it was not good for children to learn to walk too early. However, since it was the child’s own will, he believed it was better to follow it. Moreover, as their children were not ordinary, they could not blindly follow the guide in the book.

As Yuanyuan waddled forward, Qin Mian followed after him with outstretched hands, ready to support him at any time.

Manman, who had been looking at his Gege, struggled to slip down from Lei Tie’s arms. When Lei Tie put him on the ground, he got a grin from the little one with his four lovely little teeth the size of corn kernels on display.

Then, the little one slowly walked a few steps. As if he had gained experience, his walking soon steadied. Manman excitedly trotted to Yuanyuan and held hands with him.

Qin Mian crossed his arms over his chest as he looked at the brothers with a contradictory expression of joy and worry on his face.

“What’s wrong?” Lei Tie put his arm around Qin Mian’s shoulders.

Qin Mian sighed, “If a child can walk and run, it means that the child can also be ‘harmed’.”

As soon as he finished saying, he saw Yuanyuan reach for the cup on the tea table. He quickly ran to stop him, “Son, can’t touch this, it’s hot.”

Manman let go of his Gege’s hand and grabbed a flower in the flower pot. His small hand put forth its strength and picked the flower, which he brought toward his mouth to stuff in.

“Can’t eat.” Lei Tie snatched it in time.

Manman looked up at him with a smile that was rather a bit cunning and turned around to go out. His body was small, but his pace was very firm with his small hands clenched into fists – a posture of advancing bravely.

Lei Tie slightly shook his head and kept up with him. Now he understood a little why his wife’s happiness carried along with melancholy.

When Yuanyuan found out, he caught up in small steps.

“Didi.”

Qin Mian watched the two little carrots staggered forward while holding hands and their small buttocks swayed with the pace. Inwardly, he cried out “too adorable” while noiselessly laughing.

Manman turned to look at Qin Mian and Lei Tie, “Old Dad, Dad, clasp.”

Lei Tie cooperatively held Qin Mian’s hand in his and pinched it from time to time.

“Shake,” said Yuanyuan. He even swung his and Manman’s clasped hands back and forth to teach them.

Once again, Lei Tie did as he was told.

Qin Mian’s head was full of black lines as he speechlessly looked at Lei Tie make such childish action with his cold and harsh manly face.

Manman nodded his head in satisfaction and continued to move forward.

The man seemed to be in a good mood and his two sons also looked very happy, so Qin Mian simply let it go. Together with Lei Tie, he swayed their clasped hands and strolled in the quiet front courtyard.

Not far out, they saw Lei Chuntao, who appeared hesitant as if full of worry, under the peach tree. Lei Chuntao was half a year older than Qin Mian and soon to be 18 years old. She was petite, beautiful, and lively. Usually, when she walked around the village, many young men secretly looked at her.

“Aunt.” Manman pulled the corner of Lei Chuntao’s skirt.

Lei Chuntao came back to her senses and said, “Ah! Manman is so smart to actually remember Aunt.” She picked him up with care and rubbed his little head.

“Aunt,” called Yuanyuan, too.

“Yuanyuan, good boy.” Lei Chuntao was in a dilemma; she couldn’t hold two children at the same time.

Lei Tie took Manman from her arms and Qin Mian also picked Yuanyuan up. Then, Qin Mian looked at Lei Chuntao with concern, “Little Sister, why didn’t you go to sit there?”

Lei Chuntao began to speak and then hesitated. Her face was a little pale as she said in a low voice, “Father and Mother have been worrying about my… affairs. Mother prefers a rich man in the town, while Father wants… to betroth me to a Xuicai…”

Generally, girls get married when they were 14 or 15 years old, and some even got married when they were 13 years old. Lei Chuntao would be 18 years old in autumn; it was somewhat late for her to get married. From her tone of speaking, she seemed unsatisfied with either of the two choices; there might be something hidden in it. This girl was simple and kind. Qin Mian really regarded her as his younger sister. However, to be honest, he didn’t want to mix up with the old house. Therefore, he could only say, “You have the best relationship with Fifth Brother. If you have any unhappy things, you may as well have a chat with Fifth Brother.”

After the students passed the provincial examination, the academy did not insist that they must stay in the academy; they could continue to study in the academy, or they could choose another place for self-study. Lei Xiangzhi had always been strict with himself. He still lived in the academy and came back once a month as before. Once a while, when something happened, he also came back several times.

Lei Chuntao was clever and sensible; she understood Qin Mian’s meaning and her flustered self then calmed down. She curtsied to Qin Mian with ease. “Thank you for your advice. But, it’s inconvenient for me to go out. I wonder if I could trouble Eldest Sister-in-law to send a message to Fifth Brother in the county? I’m afraid if it’s late, something else will happen.”

“No problem.” Qin Mian nodded with a smile and immediately called a passing servant. He asked the servant to find someone, who had nothing to do at hand, to go to the county.

Lei Chuntao looked at the servant who ran away and felt a lot at ease. When she thought of herself as a girl who had yet married took the initiative to mention her marriage affair, she blushed.

“Eldest Brother, Eldest Sister-in-law, then I…”

Qin Mian was amused. “Quickly go to have a meal. If late, I’m afraid you can only eat leftovers.”

“En, I’m going. Thank you, Eldest Sister-in-law.” Lei Chuntao lifted her skirt and ran away.

That afternoon, Lei Xiangzhi came back from the county town. A few days later, it was spread in the village that a matchmaker came to match Lei Chuntao, and the match was Huo Sirui, the son of Huo Dean of Qingyun Academy! Huo Sirui was the first place in the provincial examination – a Jieyuan! Like Lei Xiangzhi, he was likely to be the Number One Scholar in the future. How could Lei Daqiang and Du be unwilling?

Later, Lei Chuntao revealed to Qin Mian that Huo Sirui had come to her home several times. She and Huo Sirui had met several times, and both of them had a good feeling for each other. Of course, the relationship was one of affection within etiquettes and mutual ‘give and take’ without selfishness.

What she didn’t know was that when Dean Huo and Madam Huo found out that their son had taken a fancy to Lei Xiangzhi’s sister, they investigated the situation of the Lei family. Madam Huo even secretly met Lei Chuntao once and liked her very much. However, she held Lei Daqiang and Du Shi in contempt, so she had been hesitating.

Huo Sirui consoled her by stating that she would be taking in a daughter-in-law, not marrying off a daughter. Whatever Lei Daqiang and Du Shi’s characters were, it had nothing to do with them. Only then Madam Huo was coaxed and sent people to match-making.

Lei Chuntao’s wedding date was set on the 18th day of the 10th lunar month, half a month earlier than her birthday. She was still going to be 17 years old at that time, and it would be pleasant to hear.

Lei Xiangzhi’s marriage also had been decided. With Dean Huo as the matchmaker, the bride’s party was the daughter of Teacher Li of Qingyun Academy. Teacher Li also had investigated the situation of Lei Xiangzhi’s family. Like Madam Huo, he had not a bit of a favorable impression on Lei Daqiang and Du Shi, but he was truly reluctant to give up Lei Xiangzhi, a good son-in-law candidate. He had to ask his daughter’s opinion in person, and her daughter agreed. Considering his daughter’s decision, she might be able to subdue the parents-in-law, so the matter was decided. Lei Xiangzhi’s marriage date was one month earlier than Lei Chuntao, which was on the 28th day of the 9th lunar month.

Both Lei Daqiang and Du Shi’s son and daughter had found a good marriage; they walked around the village with attitude. There was no need to go into details.

In the 9th lunar month, Lei Xiangzhi got married. Qin Mian and Lei Tie prepared a gift, but they didn’t go to the banquet and also didn’t show up for the ‘visit new in-laws after a marriage’ the next day. Li Shi was a wonderful woman. On the second day after her homecoming,¹ she visited them and gave Yuanyuan and Manman meeting gifts.

Li Shi was as efficient and able as Wei Shi, and could even be counted as shrewish, quite like Wang Xifeng². Qin Mian believed that the days in the old house would become turbulent again.

A month later, Lei Chuntao got married. Married far into the county town, it was hard for the bride alone in a strange place. Besides giving her two dowries, Qin Mian and Lei Tie also gave her 50 silver taels, which were pressed down at the bottom of the box.

Lei Daqiang and Du Shi’s love for this daughter was not much less than Lei Xiangzhi’s. Lei Chuntao was married off to Zhaoyang County in a grand fashion.

After both Lei Xiangzhi and Lei Chuntao had gotten married, Qin Mian and Lei Tie had less contact with the old house. The focus of their life was not only on Yuanyuan and Manman but also on refining pills and refining tools. As Yuanyuan and Manman had turned one-year-old, it was easier for the fathers and sons to communicate with each other; the two children also were easier to take care of than before. Whenever the couple had a chance, they entered the space.

The refining room in the space not only collected hundreds of spiritual tools such blades, swords, bows, crossbows, battle-axes, hatchets, hooks, whips, and anything that one could think of, but also several pieces of tool formulas fused in jade bamboo strips. Meanwhile, the alchemy room had a collection of pills with various effects such as the heart-clearing pill, marrow-washing pill, soul-seizing pill, ageless pill, appearance-changing pill, and so on. In addition to these, there were tens of thousands of pill formulas, which were classified and collected in jade strips by the previous owner of the space. The spiritual garden was even more wonderful. There were countless kinds of spiritual grass and spiritual plants. In the space, the rarest 500-year-old ginseng in the secular world could only be ranked at the bottom.

As to not waste the resources in the space, Qin Mian and Lei Tie discussed and decided that each of them choose one to learn, either refining tools or refining pills. Qin Mian chose to refine pills and Lei Tie chose to learn refining tools.

The first pill that Qin Mian learned to refine was the ageless pill, which could slow down the aging process of ordinary people. After repeated trials, he managed to refine pills comparable to an inferior grade. Twelve pills for one course of treatment with one pill taken monthly, after three courses of treatment, one could be at least 10 years younger. He and Lei Tie especially went to Deng Village to give one course of treatment to both Old Man Deng and Old Lady Deng. The couple said that the medicine was bought in secret at a high price, lest the old man and old lady leak the news, and told them that they would be given medicine for the next two years.

The first spiritual tool that Lei Tie had successfully refined was a protective jade pendant. When the wearer was unable to resist external attacks, such as being unconscious, it could automatically protect the wearer for nine times. He gave the jade pendant to Qin Mian. Qin Mian had been wearing it around his neck. The second spiritual tool made by Lei Tie was given to his two sons. It was a pair of bracelets, which had the function of sensing poison. Yuanyuan and Manman each wore one. The two little ones were still young and had no self-protection ability. Wearing the bracelets could prevent them from being harmed by poisons.

Being put before his sons in Lei Tie’s heart, Qin Mian felt pleasantly sweet in his heart and also sorry for his two sons. After he was pressed on the bed and thoroughly bullied by Lei Tie everywhere several times, he didn’t have the mind to indulge in flights of fancy.

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