He had even said he would go over to play, but now he did not dare.
Lu Liu said, “It was my brother-in-law’s birthday. We had a meal at home. Did you eat?”
He Fulang naturally said he had. As for what he had eaten, he did not mention it.
They continued clearing the drainage ditch forward. Lu Liu followed Li Feng step by step. He Fulang did not follow, only stood at his doorway watching them, eyes full of envy. Other men did not look down on their own husbands.
After Shun Ge finished sorting and stacking the bowls and chopsticks, he carried his family’s dishes home. In the alley, he heard Lu Liu ask him, “All done?”
Shun Ge nodded. “Mm. Brother Yang is stewing old duck soup. He will come out to play in a bit!”
Before long, Lu Yang came out as well.
The two scholars at home were discussing their studies. Neither he nor Mother stayed inside, so as not to disturb them.
With the soup simmering and tea brewed, Lu Yang realized they had no tea snacks at home and decided to buy some from the street.
Lu Liu was busy fanning Li Feng. He glanced at his older brother, then at his husband, caught in a small dilemma.
Lu Yang did not spoil his mood and instead called the two fathers to go out with him.
He rarely had free time and wanted to take them for a stroll.
They adapted well. As long as they had work to do, time passed quickly and they felt at ease.
Back in the village, they had not interacted much with relatives. After moving here, life was livelier—step outside and there were people to chat with, children to tease.
Lu Yang asked what they liked most about the city. As expected, both fathers said it was the breakfast stall.
That busy stretch in the morning required them to prepare far in advance.
For example, to ensure enough fresh fish, Lu Erbao had dug a small pond near the vegetable patch to raise fish.
They had no experience raising fish. At first, they kept them in basins and buckets, but the fish did not survive long.
Buying fish every day was troublesome, and they could not always find a fishmonger. There were too many restaurants in the prefectural city; if they went late, there would be none left. So whenever they saw fish for sale, they bought extra.
To give the fish more room, Lu Erbao fenced off a section of land like he did for chickens and pigs, making them a little “home.”
Wang Fengnian followed the same method used for poultry and livestock, changing the water every day. On especially hot, sunny days, he and Lu Erbao even built a shade to keep the fish from being scorched.
Cooking the fish soup was the simplest step. To have fish soup to sell every day, they had put in tremendous effort behind the scenes.
Vegetable seedlings were sprouting in the garden as well. They had not been planted long and were not growing well—after a few meals, they would be gone. Lu Erbao planned to plant more radishes so that in winter they would not lack them.
Chen Guizhi wanted to make pickled radish. It tasted good and would sell well at their stall.
Listening to them speak in quick succession, seeing the light in their eyes, Lu Yang felt happy for them.
He liked buying pastries from teahouses. They had high turnover, so the pastries were served warm, unlike those at pastry shops, which were often cold.
When they arrived at the teahouse, Wang Fengnian said to him, “Yang Ge’er, after a while, once your father and I save a bit more money, we will bring you and Liu Ge’er to listen to storytelling.”
Lu Yang was surprised. “What made you think of bringing us to listen?”
Wang Fengnian said, “Last time Liu Ge’er mentioned it—said it was lively. We wanted to hear it too.”
They had never been to a teahouse and did not know how much storytelling cost.
They had a few taels of silver on hand, but always felt it was not enough. They were embarrassed to ask, afraid the two children would simply press money into their hands. Recently Lu Yang had been busy and would soon go to the provincial capital; they figured they could save up since he would not have time to come.
Finding it novel, Lu Yang led them inside. They arrived just as the storyteller was narrating The Cases of Judge Bao.
While waiting for the tea snacks, the two fathers kept glancing at the storyteller. Though they did not know the earlier parts of the tale, they were already intrigued.
They rarely even stepped out to hear gossip; the pull of a story was obvious.
Lu Yang slipped a small piece of silver to the attendant and gave him a look. The attendant understood and said, “Sir, the pastries you ordered are not out of the oven yet. Would you like to sit and wait?”
Lu Yang sat nearby and had the two fathers sit as well.
They were tense, backs straight, glancing around several times. Only when no one paid them any mind did they relax.
They asked, “Yang Ge’er, how long must we wait? Is it not improper to sit here doing nothing?”
Lu Yang pretended to look at what was on other tables and asked, “Shall we order a plate of peanuts or melon seeds, and a pot of tea?”
They had just eaten and could not drink much more tea.
But since this was a teahouse, not ordering tea felt strange. They looked conflicted and hesitant.
Lu Yang decided for them. “One pot of cheap tea, and a plate of peanuts.”
Wang Fengnian squeezed his coin pouch. “Order good tea. Let you drink something nice.”
It was their first time at a teahouse with Lu Yang. They wanted him to drink well.
Lu Yang listened and ordered a pot of maojian tea.
He had tasted finer teas since, but never forgot the flavor of maojian.
It was his first time in the prefectural city, his first time entering a grand restaurant.
He and Xie Yan had eaten a meal, packed up the leftovers, and finished the tea there.
The storyteller continued. From time to time the three chatted. Lu Yang, being outgoing, clapped along with other patrons and asked about the case’s development.
Lu Erbao and Wang Fengnian, bolstered by good tea, sat straighter and listened in earnest. Occasionally they whispered questions to Lu Yang.
Lu Yang had heard The Cases of Judge Bao before, told by the Luo brothers. He explained the earlier plot and characters to his two fathers—and even gave them spoilers.
They nodded repeatedly, sometimes ignoring the storyteller altogether, eyes fixed on Lu Yang.
He did not want to overshadow the performance, so when he went further, he began to improvise wildly—Judge Bao ascending to heaven to meet the Jade Emperor, summoning the Thunder God and Lightning Mother to strike villains down with heavenly bolts. He left the two fathers stunned.
A patron at the next table overheard and turned to ask, “And then?”
Then Lu Yang stood up to go home.
The patron froze, then laughed and applauded him.
The two fathers did not know how the story truly unfolded. Hearing him praised, they beamed as well.
Since Lu Yang had already paid, they simply took the pastries—crispy cakes, twisted fritters, rice cakes—and headed home.
Wang Fengnian asked the price and insisted on paying for the tea. Lu Yang did not argue.
Lu Erbao asked the attendant, “How much does it cost to listen to the storytelling?”
The attendant smiled. “Today Second Master Qin treated everyone to the performance. Next time you come, if you want to request a story, it is two qian of silver for a session—and the whole room will remember your generosity!”
Only then did they realize that listening to storytelling did not necessarily require payment.
It was not as expensive as they had imagined. If there were fewer customers, one pot of cheap tea and a plate of melon seeds—twenty copper coins—could buy them a whole day.
They left the teahouse in a daze, pausing at the door to look back. From inside, they could still faintly hear the storyteller’s voice.
That half hour felt like a dream. The silver in their purses had long been enough to treat the two children to storytelling.
On the way home, Lu Yang explained the general expenses of city life.
There was a way to live with little money, just as at home. With money, you bought meat and eggs; without, you ate greens and wild vegetables.
Every shop that opened its doors had affordable goods.
With a few taels of silver, they could walk in with confidence.
At Denggao Tower, a banquet for one table cost only three to five taels. It grew expensive only with fine wine; for ordinary meals, one or two taels was more than enough for an excellent spread.
They had been in the prefectural city nearly two months. Daily expenses were manageable—rent was costly, but food and drink were reasonable. What they earned was enough.
“Do not be afraid. You are hardworking people. You can make a living anywhere,” Lu Yang said.
Smiling, they replied, “Then tomorrow we will bring you and Liu Ge’er to listen again. Whatever you like, we will request it. We will order good tea and buy some pastries too.”
Lu Yang agreed. “All right. Tomorrow we will come back for The Cases of Judge Bao.”
When they entered the alley, Li Feng had finished clearing the drainage channels. Everyone was sitting by the bamboo bed, chatting and playing.
