In the afternoon, Shu Rui fed the donkey water and fodder ahead of time and hitched it to the flatbed cart. When Lu Ling came home from work, the two of them drove out to the countryside together.
Once they left the main road, the trees grew dense and lush, and it was actually cooler than in the city.
Following the address, they arrived at Carpenter Tong’s home. It was practically a small carpentry shop itself—piles of various kinds of lumber were stacked in the yard, along with some finished wooden pieces. Two apprentices were planing wood, learning the craft.
Setting aside everything else, just the look of the place made it clear he was an old, experienced carpenter.
Seeing them arrive, Carpenter Tong and his elderly mother warmly invited them inside, poured tea, and urged them to drink.
There was a faint medicinal smell in the house, along with the cries of an infant, which matched what Carpenter Tong had said earlier when he argued with Qin Er from the oil shop. Shu Rui’s heart finally settled.
After a bit of polite talk, since it was already getting late, Shu Rui and Lu Ling went to look over the Tong family’s woodwork.
The craftsmanship of countryside carpenters really wasn’t inferior to that of the city. Just picking up a table or bench, you could feel how heavy and solid it was. Even someone as strong as Lu Ling couldn’t make it creak no matter how hard he pressed and shook it.
They didn’t just make ordinary tables, benches, and chairs—there were all kinds of cabinets as well: tall cabinets, display cabinets, open shelving units, all beautifully made. There were even larger pieces—luohan beds, canopy beds…
The only difference was that they didn’t have the elaborate carvings common in city workshops, which emphasized ornate beauty.
Shu Rui asked, “Master Tong, you also make beds and daybeds here?”
“Of course. I just don’t usually keep finished pieces on hand. It happened that last month someone from a neighboring village was getting married and asked me to make a new bed. I finished it a few days ago, but they haven’t come to pick it up yet. That’s why there happens to be one for you to see.”
Shu Rui was quite satisfied and turned to look at Lu Ling, who nodded as well.
Only then did they sit down to talk prices.
Shu Rui noticed that Carpenter Tong also had plenty of lumber stacked at home. There was nothing particularly valuable, but there was a lot of common pine and elm. He likely sold lumber as well—after all, in the countryside, it was easier to acquire wood at good prices.
Thinking it might as well be convenient, Shu Rui decided to buy the materials directly from Carpenter Tong.
“I see the flooring in your shop is elm. Since we’re both sincere about this job, I’ll give you a price of three copper coins per floorboard. We’ll settle according to how much is used.”
Shu Rui calculated the price. It wasn’t expensive—city workshops charged four copper coins.
“To be frank, Master Tong, your wood isn’t costly. Just make sure it isn’t green wood.”
“You’ll inspect the lumber before it’s used. I have my own channels for buying wood in the countryside. I’d never pass off green wood as seasoned just to make dirty money.
“And when replacing the floorboards, I’ll only change what you agree is rotten. I won’t pry up boards that can still be used just to sell more wood.”
Hearing this, Shu Rui felt reassured. He also hinted, “If Master Tong does careful, good work, I’ll have more carpentry jobs later—beds, daybeds, cabinets, tables, benches, all of it.”
“Even if your craftsmanship is good and you don’t lack work, taking jobs here and there isn’t as convenient as doing them all in one place. If we get along well, we’ll both benefit, won’t we?”
Carpenter Tong was clearly interested in Shu Rui’s promising job. If he really got all the later furniture work, he wouldn’t need to worry about the rest of the year.
“Rest assured,” he said. “I treat everyone’s work the same. I don’t do one family carefully and slap together another’s job. Just watch—when we get to the later work, we’ll talk then.”
They settled the lumber price, then discussed daily wages. Carpenter Tong had mentioned earlier that he charged one hundred eighty copper coins a day, but said he’d give Shu Rui a better deal.
He started at one hundred seventy-five. Shu Rui didn’t agree right away and talked at length, finally settling on one hundred sixty-five copper coins a day.
They drafted a contract, specifying an estimated ten days to complete the work. If it exceeded that by more than three days, any additional days would be paid at half the daily rate. They also spelled out work hours, wages, and material prices.
They signed and sealed it, and both sides felt at ease.
Shu Rui paid one string of cash up front. The next morning, Carpenter Tong would haul the lumber to the inn and begin work.
With everything settled, it was already late, so they took their leave.
Carpenter Tong cheerfully saw Shu Rui and Lu Ling out.
Lu Ling, who hadn’t said much the whole time, suddenly asked, “How much for that cedarwood dressing table and the tall cabinet?”
Carpenter Tong hesitated and glanced at Shu Rui. From the moment this young man had followed Shu Rui in, he’d felt he wasn’t someone to trifle with. Fortunately, all the business had been discussed with Shu Rui.
Now that Lu Ling suddenly asked about prices, he instinctively looked to Shu Rui for his reaction.
Shu Rui was a bit puzzled. “What for?”
“They’re well made.”
Lu Ling asked Carpenter Tong again, “Have they already been promised to someone?”
“Not to anyone else. My wife gave birth recently—we added a new family member—so we planned to make a new dressing table and cabinet for her.”
Carpenter Tong’s wife was in the inner room, likely still in confinement. She’d heard that people from the city were coming to look at the woodwork. Though she hadn’t come out to meet them, she listened carefully to the conversation outside.
Hearing the question, she called out, “Ashun, if the shop owner likes that dressing table and cabinet, just sell them to him first. We can manage without them for now—we’re not in a hurry.”
Hearing this, Shu Rui lightly tugged on Lu Ling’s sleeve. “What do you need them for?”
Lu Ling said, “I have a use for them.”
Seeing that his wife had spoken and the main business was already settled, Carpenter Tong didn’t jack up the price. He told Lu Ling the two pieces together would be eight hundred copper coins.
Lu Ling said nothing further and simply took out his purse. Shu Rui saw how decisively he moved and didn’t even have a chance to stop him.
So when they left, the flatbed cart carried a dressing table and a tall cabinet—big, awkward pieces. It took them quite a while to hoist and secure everything properly.
On the way back, Shu Rui glanced behind them several times, worried they might bump or scrape the furniture. The official road was smooth, and nothing happened.
“Why buy furniture so early? We could add things bit by bit later.”
Lu Ling pulled on the reins and said, “For your room.”
Although they had a roof over their heads and were safe from wind and rain, the room itself was miserably bare—so bare that even a thief would shake his head at the sight.
Lu Ling didn’t care much, but Shu Rui was a refined sort. He had nowhere to put his clothes and had to fold them into a chest. He dressed himself every day, yet only had a patched-up table to set out his powders and scented balms.
Seeing him apply makeup every day, Lu Ling had long felt that he should have proper furniture.
When he heard at noon that they were going to look at woodwork in the countryside, he’d already decided to buy something good if he saw it.
Hearing Lu Ling’s words, Shu Rui’s expression didn’t change much, but warmth spread through his heart. He really was attentive.
Life could go on without such things, but having them was certainly more convenient. Shu Rui himself had long wanted to furnish the room a bit, but money was always tight, and he couldn’t bear to spend it on personal comforts.
He blinked, thinking that this partner of his really was quite something.
Then another thought struck him, and he looked at Lu Ling. “Where did you get the money? I don’t think it’s payday yet!”
Lu Ling answered honestly, “Borrowed it from Zhong Dayang.”
Shu Rui immediately asked, “How much did you borrow?”
“Not much—just two strings of cash. That guy wouldn’t lend any more anyway. He said the rest is locked away in his money chest so he can save up to start a family.”
Shu Rui’s temples throbbed. “You’ve really got nerve now—actually going out and borrowing money to spend!
“Buying furniture like this isn’t some life-or-death emergency. Why borrow money just to splurge? You should do things according to what you have—spend what you can afford!”
He was a little angry. He knew Lu Ling had done it with him in mind, but he didn’t want the boy to develop bad habits.
“I’ll pay him back tomorrow,” Lu Ling said.
Seeing Shu Rui still unhappy, Lu Ling added, “If you’d said we’d be looking at furniture tomorrow or the day after, I wouldn’t have borrowed from him.”
“You make it sound like you’ll suddenly have money tomorrow or the day after. Is it already time for you to get paid?”
Lu Ling said, “Do you remember that thief we caught at home a few days ago?”
“How could I forget?”
Shu Rui narrowed his eyes slightly and grabbed Lu Ling’s clothes. “Don’t tell me he gave you the stolen goods!”
“What are you talking about? Why would I take that kind of dirty money?”
Lu Ling explained, “It’s from the yamen. They sent word today—the little thief has already confessed, and it turns out he’s a repeat offender. They told me to go to the yamen tomorrow when I have time, and I’ll be able to collect a ten-string reward.”
Shu Rui raised his brows. He really hadn’t expected something this good.
“Did they find out where that thief was from?”
Lu Ling said, “You probably know already—the thief was from that drink shop at the street corner.”
Once the thief landed in the yamen, he’d been stubborn at first. After twenty blows of the paddle and a thorough interrogation by the torture office, even the hardest mouth was pried open, and he spilled everything clean.
He said his wife ran a storefront on South Main Street, just for appearances. To outsiders, it was said that he traveled around doing business, but in truth, he slept all day at home and went out at night to steal.
He’d been at this for many years. Though he lived in the southern part of the city, he didn’t steal there. Instead, he worked the western and northern districts. First, because those areas had more wealthy households and it was easier to get valuable goods; second, because they were farther from the south city, making it harder for him to be recognized.
That day, when a fire broke out on Ten-Li Street, it wasn’t yet time for him to go stealing. Hearing the commotion outside, he knew a fire at an oil workshop would turn into a big incident. Greed got the better of him, and he broke his usual pattern, planning to take advantage of the chaos to grab some valuables.
He hadn’t originally intended to target Shu Rui’s inn. Being a nearby resident, how could he not know how poor that old shop looked? He’d already rifled through the shop up front. When people rushed out to fight the fire, he was nearly spotted, so he ducked into the inn to hide.
Who would’ve thought he’d get caught just like that.
After hearing the whole story, Shu Rui suddenly understood. “No wonder when I went to that drink shop before, I thought the proprietress did business so casually. The shop wasn’t making much money, yet she dressed well. Turns out she wasn’t relying on selling drinks at all. She said her husband was out making big money—stealing from rich households really is a business with no capital!”
He also remembered that the next day, a passerby had muttered something about everything being ‘agreed ahead of time,’ and that the drink shop at the corner hadn’t opened either.
At the time, Shu Rui hadn’t thought much of it. The proprietress always ran her shop lazily; if something came up, it wouldn’t be strange for her to close for a few days.
Now that he thought about it, she’d probably heard her husband had been caught and immediately fled.
Shu Rui shook his head. You really couldn’t judge people by appearances. If nothing had happened, who would’ve known what kind of shady business they were doing behind the scenes?
He felt deeply unsettled, thinking that he’d need to be more cautious in dealing with people in the future.
Back on the street, as they passed the corner, Shu Rui saw a crowd gathered outside the drink shop.
He told Lu Ling to stop the cart and stood up to take a look. Sure enough, four or five constables had arrived and were sealing up the shop with official notices.
Yang Chunhua was there watching the excitement. She spotted Shu Rui right away and hurried over.
“Oh my, this is something! The thief you caught at home that day turned out to be the drink shop owner’s husband! She saw things were going bad and packed up her valuables and ran. Now she’s been caught by the authorities and dragged back.”
“You didn’t see it—the stove in the back courtyard was smashed open, and inside were piles of silver and jewelry, even big gold ingots. There was so much stolen property!”
Yang Chunhua sighed. “I knew that thief looked kind of familiar when they marched him off. I just didn’t realize right away it was that man.”
No wonder he hadn’t left much of an impression. The man rarely showed his face. Even when you did see him, he was always neatly dressed—silk robes, gauze cap—who would ever connect that with a thief dressed all in black, sneaking around like a criminal?
Although Shu Rui had already heard the news on the road, seeing the constables come to search and seal the shop gave him a different feeling altogether.
He chatted with Yang Chunhua for quite a while about all the strange signs from before, then finally went back to the inn.
Seeing the two of them hauling furniture back from the countryside, Yang Chunhua also lent a hand carrying things inside.
Seeing how heavy and well-made the pieces were, she asked about the price. Hearing that the two items together cost only eight hundred copper coins, she immediately praised it as a great deal. She asked who had made them, saying she wanted to commission the same carpenter to make a dressing chest—her younger cousin was engaged, and she wanted to give him a respectable wedding gift.
“I’ve already hired the carpenter to come fix up my shop tomorrow. I’ll put in a word for you, and you can talk to him yourself then. I went to his home today—it’s a very honest family.”
As he spoke, Shu Rui even lowered his voice and told her how he’d found the carpenter.
Yang Chunhua laughed. “Make sure you tell that carpenter to come in through the back courtyard gate. Otherwise, that couple at the oil workshop will be jumping up and down cursing again.
“Their oil really is excellent, but they’re just too fiery. After that fire, the whole street knows what kind of temper they have.”
They talked for a bit longer. Yang Chunhua carefully touched Shu Rui’s new cabinet several times, liking it more and more.
When Song Xiangxue called out from the back courtyard, Yang Chunhua finally left, still feeling like she hadn’t talked enough, to go cook dinner.
Shu Rui was also very satisfied with the new furniture. The fresh wood smell was strong, so he put his scented powder inside first.
That evening, after dinner and washing up, Shu Rui opened the cabinet and, smelling the fragrance inside, began to empty the two chests he’d brought with him.
Clothes that needed folding were folded; those that needed hanging were hung, all neatly put away.
Back at the Bai household, his room had had everything it was supposed to have, but it was all old furniture. Either his aunt would make something new and pass the old pieces to him, or it would be something his second brother had used.
And those pieces might not even have been better than this cedarwood.
As for the nicer old furniture, Madam Jiang would secretly sell it off. She kept a tight grip on money—how could she bear to reward servants or let him use anything good?
His second brother, on the other hand, spent money freely. Anything he didn’t like, he’d generously give to servants, leaving only the worst for Shu Rui.
Shu Rui couldn’t be bothered to argue over these things. Living under someone else’s roof, fairness was hard to come by, and there was no point disputing it.
“I should buy a new lock too, so I can keep the cabinet locked most of the time.”
After a thief had broken in once, he couldn’t help feeling uneasy. In the future, once the shop got going and there were more people coming and going, things would need to be properly secured.
As he tidied up, Shu Rui murmured to himself, unable to hide his happiness.
After placing Shu Rui’s two empty chests on top of the cabinet, Lu Ling sat down at the dressing table by the window and watched Shu Rui clean up.
With nothing to do, he pulled open one of the drawers. Inside were neatly arranged jars of powder and balm, lined up like well-trained little opera students on a training ground.
In the small center drawer, there was nothing else—just a small box. Lu Ling recognized it at once: the pearls he’d given Shu Rui during the Lotus Moon Festival.
The corner of Lu Ling’s mouth lifted slightly as he closed the drawer.
He looked up at Shu Rui. After washing, Shu Rui had let his soft, inky black hair fall loose. His eyes sparkled as he looked at the cabinet shelves, and his face, free of makeup, looked even gentler than during the day.
Lu Ling stared, a little dazed, and crept over.
Shu Rui finished arranging his clothes and saw the person pressed close to him. “Aren’t you going to sleep?”
“I’m properly off tomorrow.”
Hearing this, Shu Rui sighed softly. “That’s really a good job. In just a few days, you’ve already got another rest day. Even when shifts are swapped, you still get a few hours or half a day free.”
Back when he was at the Bai household, he didn’t have any serious duties—either studying or fussing over food. Though he often had to endure cold looks, he still had plenty of idle time.
Now that he was out on his own, those leisurely days suddenly felt rare.
Lu Ling lowered his gaze, watching Shu Rui’s peach-colored lips open and close as he spoke. The oil lamp cast a warm yellow glow, and the words barely registered in his ears.
Seeing the heat in Lu Ling’s eyes, Shu Rui gently pushed him. “Have you bathed?”
“Of course.”
Lu Ling took Shu Rui’s hand and gently pulled him closer. “I even used the bath beans you gave me. Don’t believe me? Smell for yourself.”
Shu Rui’s face reddened slightly. There really was a fresh scent from the bath beans on Lu Ling.
Seeing Shu Rui momentarily distracted and not resisting, Lu Ling leaned down.
This man’s face might look cold, but his lips were soft after all.
Shu Rui had never done this before. He thought a light taste would be enough, but once Lu Ling touched him, he wouldn’t stop. He wrapped an arm around Shu Rui’s waist and tasted him again and again.
His heart pounded, as if it were about to jump out of his chest.
Shu Rui’s legs went weak. He pressed his palm against Lu Ling’s solid chest, not allowing him to go any further.
Lu Ling was obedient enough. Seeing Shu Rui wouldn’t allow it, he didn’t dare force it, only licking his own lips with lingering reluctance.
Seeing that gesture, Shu Rui’s face burned red. He turned and pushed Lu Ling out of the room.
After shutting the door, he quickly burrowed into the bed, pulling the thin quilt over his head.
His heart was still racing. He really had been too bold—letting things get like that with him. Once he got a taste, who knew how far he’d go in the future?
Yet it was also because he’d read too many popular romance books, and his heart was curious about what that feeling was really like.
No wonder it was so easy to be led astray. Letting women and male spouses read that kind of love-soaked fiction—it really was bound to corrupt people.
Lu Ling stood dumbly at the doorway for quite a while longer. Only after he saw the light in Shu Rui’s room go out did he drift back to his own room, dazed and unsteady.
The next morning, after Shu Rui and Lu Ling finished breakfast and tidied up a bit, Carpenter Tong arrived. He brought along one of his apprentices to help out and learn some repair skills on the side.
They had agreed in advance that only Carpenter Tong’s wages would be paid. Whether or not he paid his apprentice was his own business; Shu Rui did not interfere.
This time, Carpenter Tong also hauled over some pre-processed lumber, already cut to lengths suitable for the floorboards.
Shu Rui led them up to the second floor, starting the repairs upstairs first.
With all the banging and pounding in the inn, it was quite noisy, and dust fell into the main hall as well. Naturally, they couldn’t seat customers inside, so they could only set up a table outside. Business immediately dropped off a good bit.
Repairs were unavoidable. Even if Shu Rui stopped operating for a time, he still had to fix the inn properly—this was the real priority. With that in mind, he didn’t dwell too much on the temporary loss of business.
After noon, Shu Rui and Lu Ling went together to the prefectural yamen to collect the reward as promised.
After announcing themselves, they were led to the Six Offices, to the administrative wing. Finances were handled by the Household Office. Lu Ling signed a document, received a few words of commendation, and very smoothly collected the ten strings of cash.
That petty thief was a habitual criminal. The amount of money and valuables he had stolen totaled no less than a thousand strings, yet the bounty was only ten strings. That was why few people bothered to go out of their way to catch thieves.
Lu Ling had caught him by sheer chance. The yamen wanted to make some political capital out of it, so of course they handed over the reward without difficulty.
After thanking the Clerk of the Household Office, Shu Rui and Lu Ling left.
They had barely stepped out when they saw a constable with a dark expression, hands clasped behind his back, striding toward the Six Offices—straight toward the Works Office.
“The Prefect favors you, but appointments and transfers are decided higher up. Timing is hard to predict. Old Wei, everyone knows how you work. There’s still a chance—don’t be disheartened.”
The constable addressed as Old Wei forced a smile. “I naturally follow whatever arrangements are made. I’ve been acting as head of the Works Office these past days, handling everything big and small—it’s been exhausting. Now that I hear an official is coming to take over, I can finally breathe easier.
“That’s a good thing. I’m happy about it—how could I be disappointed? Clerk Zou, don’t tease me like that.”
Shu Rui and Lu Ling only caught a few lines before a junior clerk ushered them out. As idle outsiders, they weren’t allowed to linger long in the Six Offices.
Still, Shu Rui’s curiosity was piqued. Once outside the yamen gates, he slipped the guide clerk a string of cash and asked about what they’d only half overheard.
“It’s nothing secret,” the clerk said with a smile as he pocketed the coins. “Even if I don’t tell you, you’ll hear about it sooner or later.
“The former Clerk of the Works Office was investigated and dismissed, leaving the post vacant. All affairs of the Works Office have been handled by Wei the Assistant Clerk in the meantime. Everyone thought he’d be promoted. Who would’ve guessed that today it was suddenly announced the position had already been filled by someone transferred from elsewhere? The decision was made above; the Prefect only announced it today because he’s been busy.”
“Wei the Assistant Clerk has had people flattering him for quite a while. When he was managing the Works Office, he worked extremely hard. Now this sudden blow—how could he not feel disappointed?”
Shu Rui asked, “Did they say who the new official is?”
“That I really don’t know. In any case, he’ll be taking office soon.”
Shu Rui thanked the clerk and walked onto the main street with Lu Ling. Only then did he speak. “You should be extra cautious back at the martial arts hall. Chief Instructor Wei Jin’s father didn’t get his promotion—he’s probably furious. He might start lashing out at people again.”
Lu Ling replied, “If his father can’t advance and his backing isn’t solid, then he ought to keep his head down and behave properly.”
“Even without the promotion, he’s still an Assistant Clerk—the second-in-command of the Works Office. We’re just small folk running a little business. We can’t afford to offend them.”
As he spoke, Shu Rui shook his head. “The yamen really is deep water. That former Works Office Clerk made such a mess with the bridge collapse, and they dealt with him swiftly enough. But someone still had to clean up the mess. They dangled the juicy vacancy of the Clerk’s position to get the Assistant Clerk to work himself to the bone.
“Now that the mess is cleaned up, they immediately kick him aside.”
Lu Ling said, “At the end of the day, the bridge collapse wasn’t one person’s fault. The entire Works Office shares the blame. If the head was rotten, the subordinates probably weren’t clean either. The Prefect was already merciful not to punish everyone. How could he really promote someone surnamed Wei? This was just using the incident to keep people in line.”
Shu Rui glanced at Lu Ling and saw how clearly and thoroughly he understood the situation. He couldn’t help but look at him with fresh eyes.
Having served in a powerful household before, even without much formal schooling, his insight far exceeded that of ordinary scholars.
Shu Rui let out a soft breath. With that, there was no need to constantly worry about Lu Ling being bullied outside.