Li Feng put down the fan and adjusted him upright, staring into his eyes for a moment. He didn’t see any sign of grievance or frustration in Lu Liu, just a hint of sadness. Realizing it was his own thought, he asked, “Why suddenly think this way?”
Lu Liu smiled. “Because home is important too. You all return home every day. Do you feel it? By evening, when everyone’s back, the alley is lively, and the house has energy. I thought about it, and this is the best choice.”
Li Feng softened at the sight of his smile.
Since their marriage, they had children and had both grown in many ways, yet Lu Liu’s presence still made his heart tender and reluctant to let go.
Lu Liu was thoughtful and considerate. He only wanted to live well—not in a life obsessed with wealth, but in a life where the family was together.
Li Feng had changed too. He used to focus only on Lu Liu, but now his heart could hold more.
Li Feng held him close, running his large hands over Lu Liu’s body, occasionally kissing him, then teasingly nipping.
Lu Liu, tickled and slightly pained, asked him to be gentler.
He asked, “Big Feng, you agreed? So I won’t go to the shop anymore. Tomorrow I’ll tell my brother.”
Li Feng didn’t answer. Lately, he had been seeing more of the world, accompanying Old Fifth Hong and learning many things.
He reached to adjust Lu Liu’s hair tie, leaned down, and kissed him.
Lu Liu, still focused on practical matters, pushed at Li Feng’s head.
“Ah? You won’t agree? Why not? I’m fine at home. I’m actually used to it—doing small business, helping at home, playing with the kids, waiting for you to come back in the afternoon.”
Li Feng refused only with actions, entangling with him, making the night particularly heated. Lu Liu didn’t understand why he had become so fierce, only allowing lighter touch.
Afterward, Lu Liu was exhausted; Li Feng, however, felt refreshed. Seeing Lu Liu’s shy evasions, he kissed him several times. “Why so embarrassed?”
“Shy,” Lu Liu replied.
Emotions often fluctuated. Coming to the city felt like being reborn; familiar things now carried a sense of strangeness. They were accustomed to each other yet still felt shy during intimate routines.
Li Feng spoke to distract him.
“I’ve been asking Manager Hong about many things. They say men manage the outside, wives manage the home—but what exactly do they handle at home?”
Lu Liu’s curiosity peaked, eyes following, waiting for more.
Li Feng didn’t go too far—omitting things Lu Liu wouldn’t want to hear, like husbands serving in-laws, tending children, assisting men, or helping with concubines.
He explained, “Some husbands have dowry shops. When marrying, they bring the shop to the wife’s family. After marriage, the shop remains under their management. A man with pride won’t spend the dowry; he continues running the shop himself.”
Lu Liu asked, “Like my brother?”
Li Feng shook his head. “Not exactly, but similar to what your brother mentioned—owners don’t have to be at the shop constantly; the chief manager handles it, like the shops in the county.”
Lu Liu understood. He had lived in the county before, with the brothers running around and rarely guarding the shop.
Now, even separated, a delivery brings letters, and the county shop hasn’t had issues. His brother could manage without being present.
Li Feng continued, “Some men hold office and can’t run businesses. Estates, workshops, and shops are entrusted to the matron or master. The master is the husband. Once I earn more, save up a family estate, and hire some servants, they’ll call you ‘Master.’”
Lu Liu found the term odd, muttering it a few times while blushing.
Li Feng kissed him, saying, “A master can manage a large estate. No one says you must be at the shop to keep the family’s affairs. Xiao Liu, whether you go to the shop or not, we have few people, so we work harder. I can’t learn accounting well; complex accounts confuse me. You learn and manage them, act as my chief steward, and I’ll run errands for you. Whatever you need, I’ll do it.”
Lu Liu was silent, stunned and moved.
He had always thought life was either-or, a choice to be made. Now he realized a balance was possible; their small experience and abilities had limited them before.
He worried about learning slowly.
“Rebate rates vary. The more, the higher. Two or two-and-a-half percent—I can’t keep track. One hundred taels of goods may return two taels, but a thousand taels may return five. I often miscalculate, using the simple method, counting each hundred taels separately, but rates differ. My brother said I hadn’t handled such large sums before; people pressed me; I panicked. As long as accounts were correct, it was fine. I felt like a burden, thinking maybe I shouldn’t go.”
Li Feng tossed the cloth into the basin, gave him clean clothes, and lay beside him, speaking gently.
“You’re not slow. How long have you been literate? Before and after the small shop, you’ve been the same. Treat a hundred taels like a hundred coins; just remember when writing whether it’s silver or copper.
“I remember you telling me you didn’t know what to do and just watched others. Lu Yang taught you. You’ve done very well all these years. You’re not stupid.”
Lu Liu curled into him, asking, “Should I tell my brother?”
Li Feng shook his head. “No need. Just say you want to learn skills and observe how things are done.”
Lu Liu nodded. “Yes! That way I seem motivated; my brother will like me.”
Li Feng: … Somehow it came back to Lu Yang liking him.
Li Feng said, “I like you.”
Lu Liu laughed, “Even if I’m unmotivated, you’d still like me.”
True enough.
After a while, Lu Liu added, “Yes, I’m unmotivated, but my brother will like me too, hehe.”
Li Feng: … He smiled, inexplicably.
Enough—lights out for the night.
They slept late, rose early.
Lu Liu felt energetic, waking with a good mood, though still slow in work from the previous night’s exertion.
That morning at the stall, Li Feng went with him, driving the cart and calling out sales.
He went along; Er Huang and Wei Feng also went for a stroll.
Lu Yang saw him managing the dogs, telling Wei Meng to follow.
The couple brought three dogs to the stall, drawing attention in the alley. The big dog intimidated, the docile dogs charmed.
All three wagged their tails around people. Some scholars, intrigued, asked to pet them.
Li Feng called out Er Huang for them to touch.
As the eldest son, it was his responsibility.
Those who wanted to pet other dogs had to wait; he called Wei Meng for them instead.
If someone tried to touch Wei Feng, no—she was the female dog, not to be handled carelessly.
The scholars blushed red from Li Feng’s words.
After closing the stall and returning, Lu Yang had already simmered the pork hock and tripe soup, preparing pig hearts for a nourishing broth.
Chen Guizhi and Wang Fengnian went to buy vegetables, taking Lu Erbao along. Lu Yang didn’t need vegetables—he had bought some at the butcher earlier.
With the soup cooking, he and Zhao Peilan went out to the bamboo bed area to play with the children.
Li Feng, after resting, planned to visit the dock briefly. Seeing Lai Zhen approach, his brow twitched—something felt off.
