They soon arrived in town and parted as usual in front of Xiangxiang Tower. Shi Wuxiang kept reminding him repeatedly until Yuan Zhao promised not to get lost, before finally being urged inside by the attendants.
Yuan Zhao wanted to return the book first before selling his goods, so he headed into the street.
Before long, people recognized him and began stopping him to buy dried goods. By the time he reached the bookshop area, most of his stock had already been sold.
He simply sat down and waited for Hu Lu.
Soon, Hu Lu arrived with several fellow scholars.
“Zhao boy! You came early—I thought I’d have to wait a while!” Hu Lu smiled brightly. “Have you eaten breakfast? I brought you a pancake.”
“No need, no need,” Yuan Zhao said, handing him the wrapped book. “Check if there’s any damage. If there is, I’ll compensate you.”
Hu Lu barely even looked at it before putting it away, only focusing on talking with him.
Another scholar, Cheng Du, glanced at Yuan Zhao and asked, “So this is Brother Wuxiang’s…”
Hu Lu quickly explained before Yuan Zhao could speak, “He’s Brother Wuxiang’s younger villager brother. He helps with errands in the village. We only recently met.”
“Ah, I see.”
Yuan Zhao, meanwhile, handed over the remaining dried goods. “I was going to sell these, but consider them thanks to you.”
Hu Lu quickly refused, but Yuan Zhao insisted. In the end, Hu Lu accepted, still touched by the gesture.
Yet none of them realized—Hu Lu was thanking the wrong person.
Cheng Du watched quietly, eyes flicking between them, then sighed inwardly.
“Zhao boy,” he said, “since you’re from the same village as Wuxiang, and we haven’t seen him in a while, we were planning to go to Xiangxiang Tower. Why don’t you come with us?”
“You’re not going to the bookshop to buy anything?” Yuan Zhao asked in surprise.
“The bookshop isn’t going anywhere,” Cheng Du replied with a light smile, a glint of mischief flashing in his peach-blossom eyes. “But meeting Wuxiang is a rare opportunity.”
Yuan Zhao didn’t really understand what they were thinking, but since it was just going to see Shi Wuxiang, he might as well go with them. He could greet him and then head back.
Although Xiangxiang Tower wasn’t the largest restaurant in town, business was still very good. On market days especially, many people liked to eat out, so when they arrived, a waiter was already standing at the entrance inviting guests in.
The waiter recognized Yuan Zhao and hurried over with a smile. “Zhao boy, here to see Mister Shi?”
Yuan Zhao shook his head. “These two scholars are here to see him.”
Cheng Du was slightly displeased with that phrasing and half-jokingly complained, “No need to be so distant.”
Then he turned to the waiter. “We’ll take a private room. Please ask Mister Shi to come meet us there.”
For business, there was no reason to refuse. The waiter quickly led them upstairs, served tea, and went to fetch Shi Wuxiang.
At first, when he heard Yuan Zhao was looking for him, Shi Wuxiang wasn’t surprised. He had told the boy to come say a word before heading back.
But when he learned that two scholars had brought him to a private room, he couldn’t sit still.
Yuan Zhao was still young and had only ever lived in a relatively simple village. If he got tricked by bad people in town, he would bear responsibility for it.
He hurried upstairs and pushed open the private room door—only to see two familiar faces.
“Hu Lu?”
“And why are you here too?”
The second question was clearly directed at Cheng Du.
Cheng Du lazily fanned himself with a folding fan at his waist, his peach-blossom eyes narrowing. “You little rascal, meeting you is really difficult.”
He and Hu Lu were only loosely acquainted. If he hadn’t heard that Hu Lu knew a village boy from the same place as Shi Wuxiang, he wouldn’t have gone out of his way to make friends.
Shi Wuxiang sighed helplessly. “Difficult? I’m right here in Xiangxiang Tower. If you had free time, you could’ve just walked over.”
“Um… since you’ve all met, I’ll head back now,” Yuan Zhao said, already feeling he didn’t belong among these scholars. Their way of speaking always carried a strange tone he couldn’t quite follow.
“Be careful on your way,” Shi Wuxiang said.
“Leaving already?” Hu Lu quickly stood up. “Why not stay and eat with us?”
He was a bit overly enthusiastic, but Yuan Zhao didn’t notice at all.
“I won’t. I need to go home. Mother and the others are waiting,” Yuan Zhao said. “If I don’t go back for lunch, they’ll worry.”
“Alright,” Shi Wuxiang nodded.
Watching Yuan Zhao leave, Hu Lu’s smile faded slightly, though he said nothing. Since nothing had been settled, it wasn’t appropriate to show too much emotion in front of others.
Shi Wuxiang walked to the window and watched until Yuan Zhao truly headed toward the town gate before withdrawing his gaze.
Cheng Du observed both of their reactions carefully. Thinking back on what the boy had just said, something felt off.
Too natural. Too familiar.
Could it be…?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible. That boy was decent, but no matter how you looked at it, he didn’t match Shi Wuxiang.
Cheng Du was naturally nosy and couldn’t resist probing further. He turned to Hu Lu and said, “Brother Hu, you seem quite concerned about Zhao boy. I should properly get to know him too.”
Shi Wuxiang lifted his eyes slightly, immediately seeing through Cheng Du’s intentions. This man was sharp and observant—he had likely already noticed something.
Hu Lu, flustered, quickly denied it. “No, no, I just know him casually. It’s not like that.”
Realizing he had overstepped, Cheng Du quickly laughed it off. “My mistake, my mistake. Zhao boy does seem like a good person, and since he’s from the same village as Wuxiang, it makes sense to get to know him.”
“Enough,” Shi Wuxiang cut in lightly, signaling him to stop.
Cheng Du was the most perceptive of them all. If he kept probing, it might damage Yuan Zhao’s reputation.
“Alright, alright,” Cheng Du changed the topic. “Enough about that. How have you been lately?”
Hu Lu and he were both close friends from the academy, along with Fu Ying. Fu Ying was too absorbed in studying to come today and was waiting for news.
Shi Wuxiang paused for a moment, unsure how to answer.
Even he felt that he was adapting surprisingly well to this life—so well that there was no sense of mismatch at all.
“Manageable,” he said. “Though village life isn’t as convenient as town life, it’s roughly the same. I’m working in a restaurant now, so things aren’t too tight.”
Cheng Du nodded in relief. “You have high standards. We were worried you wouldn’t be able to take this kind of setback. That teacher’s daughter from the Cui family really failed in raising her child properly—letting Li Qingwei run wild. That man is still smearing your name in the academy.”
A cold glint flashed in Shi Wuxiang’s eyes.
Li Qingwei was nothing but a cowardly bully. Small pests like that were the most annoying—always popping up when least desired.
“No need to care about them,” Shi Wuxiang said. “Next year’s examination is what matters.”
The topic shifted naturally to studies.
Despite his difficult conditions, Shi Wuxiang still studied whenever he had spare time at the restaurant, treating hardship as a form of discipline.
Cheng Du then said, “People like that will eventually get what they deserve. I have a small residence in town—if you’re tired of commuting, you can stay there for now.”
Shi Wuxiang shook his head. “There’s my mother and younger siblings at home. If no man is there at night, they’ll be afraid.”
“As you wish,” Cheng Du said. He didn’t insist.
Just then, the waiter returned to serve dishes. The shopkeeper, upon hearing Shi Wuxiang’s friends were here, allowed him to stay and accompany them.
Shi Wuxiang ended up eating at the restaurant, enjoying the meal—indeed quite tasty.
In hindsight, he thought, he should have kept Yuan Zhao behind as well.
After the meal, Cheng Du and Hu Lu prepared to leave. Just as Shi Wuxiang escorted them downstairs, they unexpectedly ran into Cui Xiuxiu at the entrance.
This time, she was accompanied by a maid instead of Li Qingwei.
Cui Xiuxiu’s eyes lit up when she saw Shi Wuxiang, but she stood hesitantly, as though she wanted to speak yet didn’t dare approach.
Cheng Du raised an eyebrow. Now this was getting interesting.
“Brother Shi, are you truly not going back to the academy?” Cui Xiuxiu asked softly. “I’ll try to persuade my father to let you return. Can we just… forget everything from before?”
She did like Shi Wuxiang—but she didn’t want to marry a poor, sickly man. Compared to him, Li Qingwei was more suitable.
Still, if Shi Wuxiang performed well in the exams, things might change. Burning bridges completely would not be wise.
Shi Wuxiang disliked this kind of behavior the most—tears before words were even properly spoken.
His tone was cold. “Speak properly. Don’t put on such an act.”
Pfft.
Cheng Du couldn’t help laughing.
As expected—completely different from before. Even the girl he once showed some courtesy toward no longer mattered to him.
“Cheng Du!” Cui Xiuxiu said coldly, then turned back to Shi Wuxiang. “All the teachers say you should prepare well this year. If you don’t return to the academy, your studies will suffer.”
“Not related to you,” Shi Wuxiang replied flatly.
Cui Xiuxiu frowned. “Is it because of that village boy?”
Hu Lu immediately snapped, “Miss Cui, mind your words! Don’t damage someone else’s reputation!”
Shi Wuxiang’s voice turned even colder. “Cui Xiuxiu.”
“I have never had any feelings for you. If not for your father’s care in the past, I wouldn’t have even looked at you twice.”
Even Cheng Du was stunned. That was unexpectedly harsh.
But Shi Wuxiang continued, unmoved. “Everything I do is only because I choose to do it. Never because of anyone else.”
Cheng Du was genuinely shocked now.
He was clearly protecting Yuan Zhao—openly and without hesitation.
This time, the mushrooms, wood ear fungi, and bamboo shoots sold just as smoothly as before. The bamboo shoots were gone almost the moment they were taken out, without him even needing to put in much effort, so he was already preparing to head home with an empty basket.
Suddenly, a series of high-pitched chirping sounds reached his ears.
Yuan Zhao abruptly turned his head and saw a small vendor squatting by the roadside with a group of tiny chicks and ducklings sheltered in front of him.
The fluffy yellow little creatures were strangely tempting. If the family raised some chicks, they could grow into hens that lay eggs, saving them the trouble of buying or bartering for eggs in the future.
“Customer, would you like to buy a batch to raise? The more you buy, the cheaper it gets!” The poultry seller quickly put on a friendly smile and called out to him, without any hint of contempt for him being a young “ge’er.”
Yuan Zhao did want to buy some, but he had come down from the mountains and hadn’t brought any copper coins with him. Moreover, the money he had on hand was meant to be divided among the children, so he couldn’t make the decision alone.
He squatted down and gently touched the chicks.
“How are they sold right now?”
Seeing his interest, the poultry seller immediately replied, “Ten coins each!”
“That’s not cheap,” Yuan Zhao raised an eyebrow. He often came to town and had a rough sense of prices.
“If you’re sincere about buying, I can add a bonus for you—twelve chicks for one hundred coins, how about that?” the seller said quickly, then added with a bitter face, “I really need money urgently at home. If you don’t want chicks, I’ve also got eggs—three eggs for one coin!”
Eggs were indeed inexpensive.
Yuan Zhao was tempted. After thinking for a moment, he asked, “I didn’t bring money today. Can you deliver them to the village? If you can deliver, I’ll take them.”
The seller was instantly delighted. “I can deliver! Which village are you from? When should I bring them?”
“Qingluan Village, you know it?” Yuan Zhao asked.
“I do.”
“Then come early tomorrow. Once you get into the village, just ask for the house of Ge’er Zhao. Someone will tell you where it is.”
“Got it!”
The seller was overjoyed, then suddenly thought of something. “Customer, I can make the trip, but for mutual trust, could you pay a ten-coin deposit?”
“Alright.” Yuan Zhao agreed. He would just take it from his own portion of the earnings.
After settling everything, he hurried back to the village.
He returned the cart of grass and the ox cart to Village Head Niu, then went home.
When he arrived, Shi Zhangshi was teaching Yuan Yuan how to make clothes.
Of the household, only Shi Wuxiang and Yuan Zhao had yet to receive new clothing.
Yuan Zhao knew very well that Yuan Yuan was favored partly because the child was lovable, but also because Shi Zhangshi understood that he cared deeply for the child.
Even among relatives, it was rare to see such consideration, yet this kind of thoughtfulness came naturally from a good mother-in-law.
“Brother, look at my new clothes! Do they look good?” Yuan Yuan ran up to him excitedly, turning in circles to show off the outfit.
It was simple coarse cloth clothing, but the color was a clean, muted light brown that looked neat and pleasant.
“It looks good,” Yuan Zhao said. “Just wear it. When we earn more money later, we’ll buy more cloth and make new clothes for everyone.”
“Cloth is expensive. It’s already good enough to have something to wear,” Shi Zhangshi said lightly.
Yuan Zhao nodded repeatedly, but he already had plans in mind.
“Mother, I want to clean out the chicken coop next to the house and raise some chicks. They’ll lay eggs in the future, and we won’t need to buy or exchange them anymore,” Yuan Zhao said.
“Alright,” Shi Zhangshi agreed. “The fields are a bit more relaxed these days. Raising chickens will give the children something to do at home. How many are you planning to raise? Have you decided where to buy them?”
“Tomorrow a poultry seller will come to deliver them—twelve chicks for one hundred coins. I think it’s a good deal,” Yuan Zhao said. “He also has eggs for cheap, so I’ll buy some of those too.”
“Do as you see fit,” Shi Zhangshi replied.
She truly had no spare silver left. The last three taels had already been used up earlier for Yuan Zhao’s betrothal gift, and now everything at home depended on how they managed day by day.
Still, she also needed to find ways to earn something of her own.
As before, Yuan Zhao divided the copper coins among everyone. This time there were more, and even Shi Zhangshi received ten coins. After all, keeping the household stable was also a form of contribution.
He quickly cleaned up the dilapidated chicken coop, smashed and re-mixed the soil with water, and rebuilt it into two neat enclosures—one large and one small—so the chicks could move around freely.
At noon, he cooked meat dishes and sent a portion to Village Head Niu, Da Liu, and Gouzi’s families.
At night.
Shi Wuxiang returned at his usual time. Yuan Zhao watched him put away the copied pages and couldn’t help asking, “How much have you copied? Is the time enough? If not, you can tell them to return it later.”
“It’s enough,” Shi Wuxiang replied. “Even if it’s for the imperial examinations, not everything will be tested. I only copied the important parts and the ones I tend to forget.”
Yuan Zhao didn’t really understand what was “important” or not. To him, studying sounded complicated, yet Shi Wuxiang made it seem effortless—as expected of the once most promising scholar in the academy.
“No need to think only of me,” Shi Wuxiang added. “I’m an adult. If I’m hungry, I can find something to eat myself.”
“Oh…” Yuan Zhao responded dryly, suddenly unsure what to say.
He had wanted to mention that he had been gathering mountain goods and earning extra money, helping share household expenses…
Shi Wuxiang seemed to read his thoughts and softened his tone. “That’s not what I meant. Mother already told me what happened at home. You’ve done very well. You can do a lot, and I support you.”
“You scholars really are good with words,” Yuan Zhao muttered, turning over with his back facing him.
The words sounded slightly resentful, but his tone was full of quiet satisfaction.
Shi Wuxiang smiled helplessly, blew out the candle, and the two fell asleep under the moonlight after a few more quiet words.