During this meal, Li Feng did not stay to accompany them. When Hai Youtian left the jade shop, he could hear envy and admiration rising all around—many people were asking him for advice, curious how he had managed to climb so high in life.
Hai Youtian felt a pang of fear in his heart. After finishing the wine, he went to bow to Steward Cai.
Cai said, “I raised you for so many years; bowing to me is filial respect. Once you step out this door, don’t kneel or bow lightly again.”
Tears welled up in Hai Youtian’s eyes once more.
That night, he used his deed of servitude to start a fire for warmth. The next morning, under the rising sun, he left the place he had lived in for over ten years. From now on, he was free.
Except for his freedom, he had barely a few coins on him. Carrying only some clothing and shoes, he walked from morning until afternoon to reach his family home.
With the New Year approaching, the household was preparing for the festival and was delighted by his arrival.
It had been a day of extreme highs and lows: Hai Youtian announced he had bought his freedom, and also that he was about to become a son-in-law. The family was thrown into a whirlwind of excitement.
As for his own matters, in mid-December there was a big market. Lu Yang was too busy to manage it, so Li Feng went to the dockside shop to oversee things. He recruited some shopkeepers and assistants to help, but he still felt uneasy and insisted on supervising personally.
Once the market was successfully concluded, Li Feng’s responsibilities would ease in the coming year.
He didn’t hold back, even taking Luo Erwu to the business, explaining that a small study could hardly need more than two people.
Lu Liu was also busy. The snack shop was running smoothly, with the menu set, and opening as usual.
Scholars were sensitive about their reputations. There had even been an incident of a degree-holder fighting in the snack shop, which became well-known nearby. Everyone knew the family had a scholar; since they had not caused trouble before, they dared not in the future.
After He Qingzao arrived at the shop, his mood brightened. With the success of Hai Youtian’s emancipation, he felt less constrained, more at ease.
In the shop, Lu Liu and Shun Geer often spoke with him and taught him various tasks. When not busy, he was invited to their home, where Chen Guizhi personally guided him. His thinking changed dramatically.
Chen Guizhi said that Hai Youtian’s emancipation gave him strength. If he could successfully navigate matters with a degree-holding master, there was nothing he couldn’t handle.
He was diligent, knew how to be grateful, asked questions when uncertain, and was willing to learn. By now, he could even manage the front of the shop and entertain customers.
With him helping, Shun Geer’s recent matchmaking went smoothly, and nothing went wrong in the shop.
The San Shui Lane area was busy. Lu Liu bore the responsibility of looking after everyone. Before the Laba Festival, he took people out shopping for necessities. The Lu and Luo families had moved in temporarily; they knew what was lacking, so they first purchased daily essentials.
The study was just opening; they were busy printing books and wanted to stock up. This trip was only for daily necessities.
Lu Liu thought that the capital city had more and better goods, including items from other regions. He wanted to show them first so they would have more options when buying New Year goods.
After visiting the shops, they stopped dragging everyone through the streets.
As one task after another was handled, preparations for Shun Geer’s post-New Year wedding continued.
Though some said that if he didn’t marry, there would be no dowry, and one should send a betrothal gift, Lu Liu wanted to buy Shun Geer a piece of jewelry.
He consulted Li Feng and decided to buy a pair of wedding bracelets.
The family’s business had not yet yielded profits, so they planned for light, simple gold bracelets. Gold jewelry could serve as currency if needed—the money spent was just another form of wearing it on the wrist, no different from giving cash.
They also prepared gifts for Hai Youtian. For a regular family, betrothal gifts focused on practicality: clothing, fabrics, bedding, and other necessities.
Additionally, there would be silver. Shun Geer’s mother had saved some, and they added a bit more, totaling eighteen taels of silver.
Shun Geer exclaimed at the expense.
Seeing that the other items were essential, he suggested skipping the bracelets.
He could speak now, saying, “The business hasn’t given dividends yet. Why spend this silver? Wait until you earn more, then buy it for me.”
Lu Liu, in charge of the accounts, knew the finances. His snack shop was still profitable.
“Don’t worry. If I don’t buy it, your elder brother will lie awake worried. Do it for him so he can sleep well.”
Shun Geer still muttered, “Even when my elder brother married, he didn’t spend this much…”
He hadn’t earned much; how could he spend more than his elder brother?
Lu Liu rolled up his sleeves and showed him the wheat-ear bracelets.
“When I married your elder brother, the family didn’t have extra silver to buy these. Once we earned more, he bought them for me. Now, for your marriage, the family has a little silver, so you get it. It’s the same.”
After all, they would continue living under the same roof, so there was no need to split hairs.
Shun Geer touched the wheat-ear bracelets and remembered something: “Xiao Mai and Zhuang Zhuang are about to turn one, right?”
Lu Liu nodded. “Their birthday is the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month. Mother noticed they’ve had few illnesses this year. She worries that a big celebration might bring misfortune if the little ones hear their names. She doesn’t want a feast, just cooking extra eggs, steaming buns, and sending some to each household—keeping it simple.”
Shun Geer said, “Then I’ll buy them a gift.”
Lu Liu let him. With the twelfth month beginning, he started preparing New Year goods, including for his elder brother’s household.
His elder brother’s wife was pregnant, his brother-in-law preparing for the imperial exams, and a household deity residing with them. Only Aunt Zhao was busy; Shun Geer lent a hand.
They listed the New Year goods, and Lu Liu brought his newly made hand-warmer set to the next room to show his elder brother.
He had been busy the past few days, missing morning lessons, and today could stay a while.
Four months into the pregnancy, Lu Yang’s belly had grown. Previously small, it had expanded quickly, the baby seeming to explore and stretch inside, enlarging its space and pushing out Lu Yang’s belly.
That morning, their father saw him and said it looked like twins. Lu Yang kept it quiet.
He let Lu Liu check as well. Lu Liu put down the hand-warmer, touched the belly, calculated the dates, recalled Lu Yang’s previous belly size, and hesitated: “It might really be twins.”
Since Lu Yang became pregnant, his thoughts had changed often.
Initially, he had hoped for twins, but seeing the small belly, he gave up the idea.
Yet, during idle moments, playing with Xiao Mai and Zhuang Zhuang, he felt that having two children would be convenient, and the thought lingered.
Now, hearing it might really be twins, he was not very pleased.
He said, “With a bigger belly, my brother-in-law is anxious—he wakes several times a night to check on me. After the New Year, he must go to the capital for exams. He’s naturally worried about me, but if it’s one baby, he’ll go for sure. If it’s two, I can’t control him, and whether he goes or not is uncertain. He’ll have to stay home with me.”
Lu Liu said, “When he’s away, I’ll take you to see the physician. We’ll keep it from him, or I can ask Da Feng to speak with him more.”
Lu Yang decided to wait until the New Year to see the physician. The exam date for Xie Yan would be soon after; then Li Feng and Wu Ping could help persuade him. They needed to ensure Xie Yan reached the capital.
If told too early, Xie Yan’s quick mind would find a way to argue, making persuasion ineffective.
Lu Liu was both happy and sighed. Happy that his brother was being cared for; sighed because “Living with someone clever is difficult.”
Lu Yang laughed. “Who says otherwise? He’s strong, competent, and reasonable. Now, studying under his master, he grows more assertive each day, showing the air of a household head. Yet, when he smiles, recounting what he’s done or said, I feel he hasn’t really grown up.”
Lu Liu didn’t understand. “You two are a couple, not father and son. How has he ‘grown up’ or not? He’s only two months younger than us; how could it be a big deal?”
Lu Yang thought a moment. “He’s cautious, inexperienced. Since I became pregnant, I’ve worried about many things, overthinking. Remember childhood? We were naive, knew little, and couldn’t fully understand adults. When sudden changes happened at home, what could a small child do? With adults shouting, he understood nothing. He wasn’t a child, yet to me, he was no different from one back then. Facing an unfamiliar world, handling things he didn’t understand, nobody gave him a chance to grow or explained patiently. All he heard was one voice: repay the debt. I always felt heartbroken.”
