Because of this, Xiao Mai and Zhuang Zhuang were allowed to play outside in the snow for a while.
They were bundled head to toe in fur-lined clothes, wearing small leather boots and rabbit-fur hats. Dressed in bright red, they touched the snow with their hands, felt the cold, and yet kept plunging into the snow piles with wobbling excitement. Through the thick layers, they didn’t feel cold at all, laughing and shrieking as they played. When they returned home, being scolded and hustled onto the kang, they obediently lay down, even treating the quilt like a snow pile, pouncing on it as if it were snow.
Lu Liu brought them to play with Lu Yang, keeping their older brother entertained.
The two brothers sat together, chatting, while Lu Yang pondered names for the children.
He favored simple, unpretentious names; this time he leaned toward food. If there were only one, he’d call it “Xiao Roubao” (Little Meat Bun), and if two, he’d add “Xiao Tangbao” (Little Sweet Bun).
Lu Liu pursed his lips. “Names like that aren’t as good as something strong-sounding.”
Lu Yang: “…”
He would think of something else.
Still favoring food names, he looked at common New Year treats and said, “How about Nian Gao and Yuanxiao?”
Those were decent enough—easy to say and pleasant to hear.
Lu Liu preferred names with force. “How are Nian Gao and Yuanxiao made? Pounded, rolled… maybe call them ‘Chui Chui Gun Gun’?”
“Hmm… ‘Chui Chui’ doesn’t sound good. Call them ‘Da Da’? ‘Da Da Gun Gun’?”
Lu Liu: “….”
Better stick with something soft and glutinous.
He said, “Brother, you like soft-sounding names.”
Lu Yang had also considered more “normal” names: if one child, “Xiao Man” (Little Full); if two, add “Da Fu” (Big Fortune).
Xiao Man was fine, but Da Fu was over the top. He didn’t dare use it.
Lu Liu liked all of them but couldn’t decide. “Why can’t you have four kids?”
Lu Yang laughed and cried at once. “If I hear more good names later, do I have to keep having children?”
The brothers laughed together.
The next day, a young assistant came to find Lu Yang, but he sent him out to purchase New Year goods, helping the various households.
On the fourteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, the grand market opened.
Life in Shanshui Lane hadn’t changed much; only a few men went out early and returned late, busy. The market was bustling, filled with many shirtless laborers.
The market lasted three days. On the evening of the sixteenth, a celebration banquet was planned.
According to Hong Chu, this year-end market would have lasting influence, stretching into the first month of the new year.
Many merchants would stay in the prefectural city for the New Year. All major shops competed for business, goods vied for attention. Their shop, renowned for mushrooms, attracted a batch of distinguished clients with rare medicinal herbs, and their honey unexpectedly took off. By the minor New Year, merchants crowded the city shops and docks, waiting to finalize orders.
Thanks to the mountain’s bounty, they had established a solid footing in the city. Using the market as a breakthrough, many merchants came to know the “Rely on the Mountain, Eat from the Mountain” reputation.
Before the minor New Year, Hong Chu visited, bringing two boxes of clothes for Lu Yang.
He said, “Many people are preparing clothes and shoes for children now. I won’t compete. These are for you. With your months of pregnancy, keep your belly warm this winter. I had some large cotton-padded clothes made—loose waist trousers and cotton coats. Take them out; you’ll see how to wear them. Just like tying a ruqun, fold each side and wrap at the waist. Warm and convenient.”
And that was the New Year gift.
Afterward, Hong Chu was too busy to come. Before the New Year, ancestral rituals demanded attention, a “hard battle.” Many merchants remained in the city, keeping him occupied after the New Year.
Before leaving, he didn’t know Wu Pingzhi was staying at Lu Yang’s home. In the yard, they bumped into each other, both momentarily surprised.
Hong Chu cupped his hands and smiled. “Wu Gongzi, I benefited greatly last time we met. I’m in a hurry today, but I’ll make it up another time. I wish you success in the imperial examination—may you ascend directly to the Golden Hall and rise high in your career.”
Wu Pingzhi listened, chuckled in reply. “Thank you, no need for gifts. Just arrived?”
Hong Chu looked up at the sky and was about to leave, exchanging brief pleasantries in the yard.
Wu Pingzhi thought for a moment and escorted him to the gate.
Outside, a sedan chair waited. Many accompanied Hong Chu: bearers, guards, a few accountants and assistants. Lai Zhen and Hong Lao Wu were present as well. While Hong Chu visited Lu Yang briefly, they delivered Li Feng’s New Year gift.
Once Hong Chu sat in the chair and the curtain fell, the smile vanished from his face, fatigue showing. The wind lifted the curtain slightly, a detail Wu Pingzhi noticed.
Hong Lao Wu and Lai Zhen walked alongside. Seeing Wu Pingzhi staring, Lai Zhen glared at him.
Wu Pingzhi: “….”
What, can’t even look at a sedan chair?
Returning inside, he met Lu Yang under the corridor.
Wu Pingzhi scratched his head, shifting the topic. “I’ll be heading out these days. At year-end, my father comes to the city to check accounts. I haven’t heard yet, so I plan to visit the shop. If he comes, I’ll spend the New Year with him.”
Lu Yang nodded. While Xie Yan was away, he told Wu Pingzhi something:
“My belly is big—probably twins. I want to wait until the Lantern Festival to check pulses. If there are indeed two children, you must persuade A Yan to hurry to the capital for his exams.”
Wu Pingzhi looked at his belly and promised seriously.
That night, Xie Yan brought home three carts of coal ash. The next day, he laid them out into a small path, mixing with pebbles, tamping it onto the wet yellow soil.
Li Feng and the Luo brothers came to help. The path reached each household, enough for convenient visits.
Later, or after the New Year, they would bring in clay and properly fix the road, so rain or snow wouldn’t be a problem.
Everyone told Xie Yan to rest; they considered him a delicate scholar, but he was energetic.
He was stronger than before, now able to carry his husband for several laps.
As the New Year approached, the examination date neared. He worried and felt guilty. Since marrying Lu Yang, he had run about tirelessly; many days were spent apart.
If he went to the capital for exams, he could return before Lu Yang delivered, but he feared delays along the way. He couldn’t assist during childbirth but wanted to be there for Lu Yang.
With this road repaired, visits were easier. Even if he was away, others could come and keep Lu Yang company.
If Lu Yang felt restless, she could go out and relax. Pregnancy called for movement, but winter limited it, so he improved the path.
Standing at the gate on the new path, Lu Yang watched the men working, then said to Lu Liu, “Your brother-in-law isn’t bad, is he?”
Lu Liu nodded.
When she was pregnant, Li Feng also built a small path and paved the courtyard.
She said, “Ways of caring for husbands all seem the same.”
Life revolved around these things: good food and drink, a warm kang, warm clothes, and a steady road. Care for one’s husband began with these simple elements.
Xie Yan, weaker than the robust men, wanted to rest and urged others too. “Don’t compete with me! Don’t you see my husband watching me?”
Luo Dayong told him to be polite.
Xie Yan quickly smiled. “Big Brother, I mean for you to rest, let me show off a little in front of Jingzhi.”
Luo Erwu commented, “You work like an ox and horse just because your husband glances at you?”
Xie Yan frowned. “Second Brother, what do you mean? I work for him, how is that like an ox or horse? He feels it in his heart.”
Li Feng rolled his eyes. “Lu Yang isn’t even looking; he just doesn’t want his brothers tired.”
Xie Yan: “….”
Li Feng was sly—if he argued, it was Lu Yang not caring; if he didn’t, then Lu Yang wasn’t looking at him.
He said, “You call me brother-in-law. You’re the youngest here; adults speak, you don’t interrupt.”
Li Feng: “….”
Lu Yang was the same age as Lu Liu, only older by a brotherly distinction, which made the boy proud.
