Transmigrated into a Blacksmith’s Husband

We’re halfway through with the story. Yay!

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Perhaps it was because he had worked too hard these past two days Qiao Yuan woke up feeling like he had caught a cold, with a sore throat and a stuffy nose.

Yu Dameng heard his voice sounding muffled and nasal, and knew he had a cold, so he suggested to take him to the clinic to see a doctor.

Qiao Yuan refused to go, “I just have a chill, drinking hot water will do.”

Don’t even think about making him drink Chinese medicine, he would rather die!

Exercise more, work out more, eat well and drink well, and your body will be twice as strong!

Yu Dameng’s attitude was firm as he dragged Qiao Yuan out, saying, “You have to go, it will be worse if you delay it.”

“You’ve changed!” Qiao Yuan grumbled all the way.

He was no longer the Yu Dameng who used to listen to whatever he said!

Yu Dameng took Qiao Yuan to Baohe Hall, the largest clinic in Yunshui County. There was an old doctor inside who had very high medical skills.

Naturally, there were many people coming to seek medical advice and treatment.

At this moment, the line of people waiting extended ten meters outside the clinic.

The two of them lined up and heard people in front of them talking about the flower buns from Laike House yesterday.

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“Hey, did you get a flower bun yesterday?”

The person regretfully replied, “No! By the time it was my turn, there was nothing left! My kid at home was crying and asking for it!” He then asked, “Did you get one?”

The person who was asked chuckled, “I did! I got one shaped like a chrysanthemum. I couldn’t bear to eat it when I got home.”

Someone next to him who didn’t get one asked curiously, “Did you eat it in the end? What does it taste like?”

“How could it be my turn? I gave them all to my kids at home. They said it tasted like milk, and it was sweet. After finishing it, they were still crying and asking for more!”

“The person who made them is really skilled. There are so many flowers on top that I can’t even recognize!”

“It’s made by Yu Qiao Ji. It’s right next to Yuhuchun1This is another shop’s name.. I went to check today, but they haven’t started selling yet!”

Qiao Yuan listened attentively, then turned and exchanged a smile with Yu Dameng.

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It was finally Qiao Yuan’s turn. The old doctor with white beard and kind eyes saw him and stroked his beard and smiled, “It’s Qiao Yuan Ge’er.”

Qiao Yuan was surprised, “Do you know me?”

The old doctor stroked his beard and said, “The old man likes the pancakes that Qiao Ge’er sells very much. They are made of coarse grains, which are good for the stomach; they are chewy and tough, which are good for the teeth, and also have the effect of beautifying and nourishing the face.”

The other patients in the clinic were amazed. “Dr. Zhou, these pancakes… have so many benefits?”

Dr. Zhou nodded and explained, “Indeed, these pancakes are made from a variety of grains. They promote intestinal movement and metabolism. They are tough and chewy, which helps with dental health. When eating them, the facial muscles are stimulated, resulting in firmer skin and slows down aging.”

“Wow, that’s amazing! Qiao Ge’er, do you still have some at home? I’ll go buy some later.”

“Me too, me too. I want three jin!”

“And me, and me.”

This trip to the clinic was not in vain!

Qiao Yuan was instantly overjoyed, “Yes! Later, everyone can go to the Yu family’s iron shop later to buy them.”

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Dr. Zhou cleared his throat. This was not appropriate behavior! He instructed the little medicine boy to chase away the people crowding around the consultation seat and make them line up outside.

Qiao Yuan shrunk his neck and tactfully said, “Dr. Zhou, I will make other flavors in the future. I’ll send some over for you to taste.”

Dr. Zhou’s expression eased a bit, and he focused on taking Qiao Yuan’s pulse.

As his brows gradually furrowed, Qiao Yuan started feeling a little anxious. Could something really be wrong?

Yu Dameng became even more flustered, and his voice trembled slightly, “Doctor, is… is my husband okay?”

“He has typhoid fever, and his body is a bit weak. It should be caused by overwork and poor diet when he was young. He needs to take some medicine and eat more nutritious food. He will recover in half a year, but…”

He looked at Yu Dameng and paused before saying, “Try to have less sexual activity and don’t get pregnant for now. It’s important to take good care of his health.”

Yu Dameng’s face turned a little red and he stammered, “Oh.”

Qiao Yuan, on the other hand, didn’t really care. He was a man after all. Why would he need to get pregnant!

But it wouldn’t be bad to have a child with Yu Dameng.

It would be even better if the child looked like Yu Dameng, with a strong and cute appearance.

Qiao Yuan didn’t think about it anymore. He had to take care of his body first. If Yu Dameng dared to dislike him because of this, he would see how he would deal with Yu Dameng!

Dr. Zhou wrote a prescription for treating typhoid fever, and then said, “I also prescribed a tonic for you. Take it after the fever is gone and come back for a checkup every month. And there is also a pill to be taken within six hours after sexual intercourse to prevent pregnancy.”

Yu Dameng felt the prescription for the medicines was burning in his hands. Qiao Yuan felt delighted seeing him like that, but he had to maintain his composure as a ger of this era. Otherwise, he would be criticized!

After leaving the consultation room, the two of them went to queue for the medicine. Yu Dameng blushed and asked Qiao Yuan in a low voice, “Sh-should we still get the contraceptive…pill?”

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Yuan Ge’er’s body still needed to be well taken care of, and he couldn’t engage in that activity. The contraceptive medicine wouldn’t be needed for a while.

Qiao Yuan smirked and deliberately leaned into Yu Dameng’s ear, “Are you feeling shy?”

Yu Dameng’s face turned even redder. “We’re…we’re outside.”

How pretentious!

Qiao Yuan snorted and said, “Let’s take it anyway.”

What if one day they couldn’t control themselves?

This time, the consultation and medicine cost more than five taels of silver, with a total of seven prescriptions to be taken twice a day for seven days. Just thinking about it made Qiao Yuan feel bitter in his mouth, so he dragged Yu Dameng to buy a lot of candied fruits.

Yu Dameng thought for a moment and said, “Let’s buy a servant today. Your health is not good, you shouldn’t tire yourself out.”

With that said, the two of them went back to the iron shop to leave their things. Qiao Yuan specifically grabbed a large piece of dough for Yu Dameng to take along. They went to the same agency they went to before to rent a shop, but this time they were there to buy a servant.

It must be said that these agents were quite capable. They could match names to faces for anyone of importance in Yunshui County. As soon as they saw Yu Dameng and Qiao Yuan, they greeted them, “Are Brother Yu and Yu Fulang here to rent a shop or buy a servant?”

Qiao Yuan replied, “We’re here to buy a servant, a ger who is skilled with his hands.”

The agents were all shrewd individuals. Seeing that the husband was present, they brought out gers who were not particularly outstanding in appearance but looked honest.

“Yu Fulang, some of them are thin and have poor complexion, but it’s just because they have traveled a long distance. You can rest assured that they are not sick. I have been working in this city for a long time and I will never do anything deceitful or fraudulent.”

Qiao Yuan looked around at the group of people who had been brought out, all of whom had papers hanging from their chests with the reasons why they were enslaved written on them. Among them, some people sold themselves voluntarily because their families were starving and couldn’t survive; some were forced into slavery due to their relatives’ involvement, and some were sold because they committed taboos in their masters’ houses. Qiao Yuan felt a lot of emotions in his heart. Selling oneself into slavery was a heinous act, and yet human life could be so easily disregarded in this cruel feudal society.

This further strengthened his determination to establish a foothold here.

Qiao Yuan closed his eyes and said politely to these people, “I run a pastry shop, so this time I’m looking for people who are good with their hands. I’ll use this dough to demonstrate, pinch a small flower, three times in total, and then you’ll try to do it. I’ll choose people based on your results.”

The agent had also seen the flower buns on the day Laike House opened, but he didn’t expect them to be made by Qiao Yuan himself. As a result, his attitude became even more respectful. He took the dough from Yu Dameng’s hand and divided a portion for each person he brought along.

Qiao Yuan slowed down as much as possible and gave them a simple explanation.

When watching, these gers thought they understood, but when they tried it themselves, it was a completely different story. They felt that their hands were not obedient at all, and what they made didn’t resemble the flower at all.

Qiao Yuan picked two of them who were still acceptable. One was called Lin Wen, who was twenty-two years old and had a strong build. He was divorced by his husband’s family after being married for five years without having a child. He had nowhere to go, so he voluntarily sold himself as a slave. The other was called Yang Ke, who was only fifteen years old. His parents wanted to marry off his older brother, so they sold him.

Both of them were from poor families. Because Yang Ke was still an unmarried ger, his price was a bit more expensive. It cost a total of eighteen taels of silver. They signed a contract at the government office and paid another one tael and eight qian of deed tax. This matter was considered settled. Lin Wen and Yang Ke both knelt down and kowtowed to Yu Dameng and Qiao Yuan, “Master, Lord.”

This startled Yu Dameng and Qiao Yuan, but after some thought, Qiao Yuan accepted the gesture. Managing subordinates also required skills. If he was too lenient, they might develop a rebellious attitude. “Get up first. I’ll take you to buy some things. We’ll talk about everything once we’re back at the shop.”

These two people were now alone in the world. Except for the clothes on their bodies, they had nothing. There were a lot of things to buy. It was inconvenient for Yu Dameng to follow along, so Qiao Yuan sent him back to the iron shop first.

The first thing he took them to buy was toiletries. Since he ran a food shop, cleanliness and hygiene were of utmost importance. These two men needed to be neat and tidy. Each person received a basin, two towels, a box of bath beans, a toothbrush, a box of green salt for oral hygiene, and a comb. Qiao Yuan noticed a small comb with exquisite craftsmanship and a carved rabbit on the handle. He bought it on a whim, intending to give it to Liu Ge’er.

Next, they needed to make two sets of clothes. When Lin Wen heard that a ready-made garment cost two hundred wen, he nervously said to Qiao Yuan, “Master… Master, why don’t we buy two pieces of fabric and make the clothes ourselves? I can do it.”

Yang Ke also added, “I… I can help too.”

Qiao Yuan rubbed his nose, realizing that he was the only one who couldn’t do it.

But at the moment, Qiao Yuan wanted to tidy them up, so he said, “Let’s buy one set first, and then you can choose a piece of cloth to make your own clothes later. However, you have to wear the same style.”

Lin Wen nodded and touched the new pieces of cloth, his eyes a little moist. How long had it been since he made new clothes?

Qiao Yuan then went to the clothing store and ordered six aprons, all embroidered with the words “Yu Qiao Ji.” Mr. Wang, the shop assistant, couldn’t stop praising him, saying how beautiful and kind-hearted he was.

Qiao Yuan: “……”

After that, they went to buy bedding. Qiao Yuan learned from the lesson of buying clothes and directly bought two bags of cotton and two bed covers. It was still early in the day, and Lin Wen said they could definitely finish making them.

Qiao Yuan took them to settle down in Yu Qiao Ji, and since they were both gers, it was convenient for them to share a room together.

“Yu Qiao Ji sells food. You two must tidy yourselves up and be clean. From now on, you will work in the shop. Once you are completely settled tomorrow, I will teach you how to do it. You will be paid one hundred wen per month, two sets of clothes per season, and you will receive festival gifts on holidays. If you do a good job, there will also be rewards. But there is one rule: you must be loyal. If you leak the secrets of the shop, I will send you to the officials immediately.”

Lin Wen and Yang Ke quickly knelt down. From the way Qiao Yuan had taken care of every aspect for them, they knew they had encountered a kind and generous person. How could they not cherish this opportunity? “Master, please rest assured, we will never do anything treacherous!”

Qiao Yuan was still a bit unaccustomed and sighed, “There’s no need to kneel all the time. Just focus on doing your own tasks. First, boil some water and take a bath to freshen up.”

Lin Wen agreed and asked Qiao Yuan to give him a new name. In his words, there was a sense of decisiveness, as if he was cutting ties with his past. Seeing this, Yang Ke also expressed his desire to change his name.

Qiao Yuan thought for a moment and said, “Then let’s call you Ming Xu and Ming Chen2明 (Ming) means bright or clear, 旭 (Xu) means sunrise or morning, and 晨 (Chen) means early morning.”

I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. If you want to show your support, you can buy me a coffee. It would make my day! For every five coffees I get, I will release a bonus chapter.

1This is another shop’s name.2明 (Ming) means bright or clear, 旭 (Xu) means sunrise or morning, and 晨 (Chen) means early morning