Morning.
Yuan Zhao stood under the eaves, looking at the spacious and beautiful courtyard. His whole body felt relaxed. Even the thought of setting up his stall under the blazing sun didn’t bother him anymore—he felt full of energy.
He quickly prepared breakfast. Now that they had their own ox cart, they no longer had to rush to catch rides, and their schedule was much more relaxed.
They arrived in town at the usual time. Yuan Zhao set up his stall. They now had three or four small money boxes instead of just one. He had considered switching to a larger one, but a big chest of money would attract too much attention—several smaller ones were safer.
The wrap stall was still doing well. Following Shi Wuxiang’s suggestion, he had started making meat sausages and slicing them into the wraps. Some customers paid extra for additional slices, which meant more profit.
After a wave of customers, Yuan Zhao and Yuan Yuan sat under the umbrella, sipping herbal tea from bamboo tubes to cool off. When another customer stepped into the shade, Yuan Zhao immediately stood up.
“Would you like a wrap?” he asked with a smile. Seeing the man dressed in fine fabric, he felt secretly pleased—even wealthy people were eating his wraps now!
“I’ll take one,” the goateed man said. “Your wraps seem easy enough to make, and your business is so good. Do you have some secret recipe?”
Yuan Zhao laughed. “What secret recipe could there be? Everything’s right here—you can see exactly what I’m doing! It’s just a small business. I rely on everyone’s support.”
He spoke pleasantly, but the customer seemed uninterested in praise. Instead, hearing his polite, almost ingratiating tone, the man frowned with a hint of distaste.
The man was a steward from a merchant household, sent to investigate. Recently, a wrap stall had appeared on the street, doing so well that nearby shops and businesses had grown envious.
It looked like an insignificant little stall, but the profits were nothing to scoff at. If they could take control of this wrap business, wouldn’t they make even more money?
At first, they had tried making wraps themselves. After all, it was just batter cooked into a flatbread, then filled with various ingredients—nothing seemed difficult about it.
But the strange part was that no matter how they made it, their version tasted nothing like Yuan Zhao’s.
Yuan Zhao handed over the wrap smoothly and smiled. “We’re just selling convenience, making a few coins.”
At the beginning, it had only been a simple wrap. But after discussing with A Xiang, he started adding more fillings—fried eggs, sliced meat, minced meat, vegetables, and more.
With so many ingredients, most ordinary households wouldn’t be willing to use that much. Even though he made money, it was labor-intensive—so he deserved to earn it.
Of course, he only dared think that to himself.
The steward didn’t believe a word. Looking at the wrap, he swallowed involuntarily, his resentment deepening.
Why should only this person be allowed to sell something this good?!
“You’re just a young man—have you ever thought about selling your stall?” the steward asked, not waiting for an answer before continuing, “Why not sell it to me? I can give you thirty taels.”
Yuan Zhao frowned at him, his gaze filled with confusion and disdain. Where did this man come from? Was something wrong with him? His stall was doing perfectly fine—why would he sell it?
And thirty taels? He had earned thirteen taels in just half a month. Couldn’t he make thirty on his own?
That offer was worse than tossing scraps to a beggar!
Did he look like a beggar?!
“You must be joking,” Yuan Zhao said, still smiling.
The steward took a bite of the wrap, feeling like his words had hit nothing but air. He had come specifically for this matter—if he failed, he would be the one in trouble.
“You’re just a ‘ge’er.’ If you’re out here running a stall, your family must be struggling. If you think thirty taels is too little, I’ll raise it to fifty. You should know—some people never earn fifty taels in their entire lives.”
Yuan Zhao fell silent.
Well, that certainly wouldn’t include him—he planned to keep earning, nonstop!
“Listen to yourself,” Yuan Zhao said lightly. “My stall is right here. If you want to do this business, just go ahead and do it. Why insist on buying mine?”
He was genuinely curious. The stall had been here for over a month—if someone wanted to sell wraps, they could just start one themselves.
“I suggest you stop playing dumb,” the steward said casually as he ate, his tone turning threatening. “This stall will be mine sooner or later. If you don’t want your business completely ruined, you’d better sell it to me now. Do you really think you can stand against the merchants in town? Let me remind you—even if you’re on good terms with a few yamen runners, it won’t help. My young master isn’t afraid of them.”
Yuan Zhao instantly put on a frightened, troubled expression. “Why pick on someone like me? Please, speak to your young master for me. This is just a small business—I don’t make much. If he wants to do it, I wouldn’t object. May I ask who your young master is?”
Seeing his fear, the steward laughed. “Our young master has earned a degree—he’s not someone you can just ask about. Just remember—don’t make him unhappy.”
Of course Yuan Zhao didn’t want to offend them—but giving up his livelihood? Only if he had lost his mind.
He quietly memorized the steward’s appearance. A merchant family with a son who held a degree… A Xiang might recognize him.
“This isn’t something I can decide alone. My whole family depends on this. Could you give me time to discuss it with them?” Yuan Zhao said, eyes reddened, looking thoroughly shaken.
Satisfied, the steward smiled. “A wise man knows when to yield. I’ll be waiting for good news.”
With that, he turned and left.
The moment he was gone, Yuan Zhao blinked rapidly to ease the sting in his eyes. Whoever was behind this, he would never sell his stall.
“Brother… are we going to lose our money again?” Yuan Yuan looked at him with genuinely teary eyes, clearly frightened, as if already imagining their return to poverty.
“No,” Yuan Zhao said, wiping his tears. “Let’s go to the academy first, then we’ll find A Xiang and tell him what happened. Come on, smile.”
Yuan Yuan couldn’t smile, but at least he stopped crying.
Yuan Zhao had already learned the academy’s schedule, so they arrived just in time for the break. Someone stationed by the gate spotted him and quickly called the other students.
Soon, orders started pouring in. Some didn’t want cucumber shreds, some didn’t like vegetables, and some even refused minced meat.
Yuan Zhao remembered all of it clearly and made everything without mistakes.
But today, fewer students bought wraps than usual. Some familiar faces didn’t buy anything at all.
At first, he thought they were simply tired of eating them. But when Cheng Du called him over, he finally learned the reason.
“Those people are close to Li Qingwei, and some are students of Teacher Cui. They don’t dare offend him. That guy is both stupid and malicious—he told his friends not to buy your wraps,” Cheng Du said with disdain.
Those people clearly liked the wraps, but didn’t dare buy them. They could only swallow their saliva while watching others eat.
Even more amusing—Cheng Du had once seen Li Qingwei eat them too. But later, he stopped completely, probably after realizing Yuan Zhao was the seller.
Yuan Zhao sighed. “He’s so annoying… By the way, do you know any students here with degrees whose families are merchants?”
“There are quite a few. Why?” Cheng Du asked.
“A steward came earlier, trying to force me to sell my stall. When I refused, he started threatening me,” Yuan Zhao said, looking miserable.
Cheng Du laughed. “Merchant families with degrees? Plenty. But someone holding a grudge against you? That’s probably just Li Qingwei.”
“Though his real target isn’t you,” Fu Ying added. “He’s aiming at A Xiang. He’s only targeting you because you’re his husband.”
Yuan Zhao realized it must have come from Cui Xiuxiu—she must have told Li Qingwei. Perhaps the two of them had even planned this together.
He didn’t know what to do.
“Don’t panic,” Cheng Du said. “Tell A Xiang—he might have a solution. And this stall is yours. If you don’t sell, what can he do? Force you? If it comes to it, report it to the magistrate. He values A Xiang—he’ll side with you.”
Yuan Zhao nodded.
Business at the academy was slow that day. After waiting a while with no more customers, he packed up early and went to find A Xiang.
At noon, Xiangxiang Restaurant was busy. Yuan Zhao quietly pushed his cart to the back courtyard. Since the staff were occupied, he didn’t want to interrupt, so he made two wraps on the spot—one for himself, one for Yuan Yuan.
Better to eat them than let them go to waste.
“Brother… I can’t chew anymore…” Yuan Yuan said, holding his stuffed wrap, struggling.
Then suddenly—“Ah!” Tears burst from his eyes. “My tooth…”
“Spit it out, quick! Let me see… it’s bleeding!” Yuan Zhao spotted a well nearby, hurriedly drew water, and handed it over. “Rinse your mouth. Later, I’ll bury the tooth—it’ll help the new one grow faster.”
“It hurts…” Yuan Yuan sobbed.
Yuan Zhao’s heart ached, his own eyes filling with tears. “It’s my fault… but losing baby teeth means you’re growing up. That’s a good thing, right?”
“It’s good… but it hurts… I want to help you run the stall forever… it hurts…” Yuan Yuan cried into his arms.
Only in his brother’s embrace did he allow himself to cry so freely.
Yuan Zhao held him, tearing up as well. The two of them sat in the courtyard, quietly sobbing.
When Shi Wuxiang arrived and saw them crying together, he instinctively scanned the area, thinking something serious had happened. A wave of unease hit him, and he hurried over.
“What happened? Did someone hit you?” he asked, his voice steady but urgent.
Yuan Zhao looked up at him, tears sliding down his face. “His tooth hurts.”
Shi Wuxiang wiped his tears, glanced at the blood on the ground, and quickly understood.
He picked Yuan Yuan up, gently comforting him. “It’s just losing a tooth. I’ve heard if you cry too much, the new one grows in crooked…”
“I’m not crying anymore! I’m fine!” Yuan Yuan immediately wiped his tears. “Like this—will it grow nicely now?”
“Mhm, if you don’t cry, it won’t grow in ugly,” Shi Wuxiang said lightly. Then he glanced at Yuan Zhao with a hint of helplessness. “He cries, and you cry with him. Really promising.”
Yuan Zhao puffed his cheeks but said nothing. Was it wrong to feel bad for his little brother?
Shi Wuxiang held one and led the other, and the three of them sat in the shade chatting.
“Why did you come so early today? You didn’t even sell all your wraps—did something happen?”
Yuan Zhao told him everything that had just happened. When he got to Cheng Du and Fu Ying’s guess, he nodded along. “I think it’s him too. There’s probably no one in town more jealous of us than him!”
“You absolutely must not give in on this,” Shi Wuxiang said. “If that man comes again, have Yuan Yuan come find me. This is almost certainly Li Qingwei’s doing.”
If Li Qingwei insisted on making trouble for him, then he might as well return the favor.
“Is his family very powerful?” Yuan Zhao asked, a little worried. Given their current situation, they probably couldn’t go up against the Li family.
“They’re just an ordinary wealthy household. You’re running a legitimate business—don’t worry,” Shi Wuxiang reassured him. “Go home and rest for now. If anything else comes up, we’ll talk tonight.”
Yuan Zhao nodded obediently. “Got it.”
After sending them off, Shi Wuxiang’s gentle expression vanished. If Li Qingwei had come at him directly, he might have respected him a little more—but targeting Yuan Zhao like this was unacceptable.
He turned and went upstairs, quickly wrote something down, then headed out again. After walking a few streets, he found a group of beggars and paid them to deliver a message.
It would be unrealistic to expect them to find the magistrate directly, but finding a patrolling officer to pass along a letter was easy enough. With money as incentive, even fear wouldn’t stop them.
When a patrol officer was stopped, he was initially annoyed, but upon seeing the letter, he reluctantly accepted it. They knew beggars wouldn’t have something like this—it had to be meant for the magistrate.
These days, the magistrate cared about the people. If a grievance was delayed because of them, they’d be in serious trouble.
One officer stayed on patrol, while the other rushed to the county office.
Upon hearing that someone had anonymously sent a letter in such a discreet way, Magistrate Zheng immediately sensed something unusual. He opened it at once.
There were only a few lines, but they made his expression darken.
“Guards!”
“Yes, sir!”
“We’ve received a report—some merchants in town have falsified accounts and are secretly selling ‘Hanshi Powder’ to academy students. Search every shop immediately! If anything is found, arrest them at once!”
“Yes, sir!”
After the officers left, Magistrate Zheng examined the letter more carefully. Most scholars practiced neat standard script for examinations, but this letter was written in flowing cursive—elegant, unrestrained, written in one continuous motion.
Whoever wrote it must have suffered at the hands of those merchants. Otherwise, they wouldn’t resort to such a method.
“My lord, Scholar Shi has sent a letter.”
“Oh? Quickly, bring it here!”
Before the messenger even approached, Magistrate Zheng had already reached out eagerly.
“It was also delivered by a young beggar.”
“If only there were no beggars in the world… but that’s not something I alone can decide,” Zheng said as he opened the letter. “If they can earn a little money running errands and survive, that’s enough.”
Inside was an oddly written proposal about managing street vendors and marketplaces.
If it had come from any other scholar, Zheng might have dismissed it. But since it was from Shi Wuxiang—he read it carefully.
Though simple, the ideas were practical, offering ways to better regulate the streets while protecting small vendors.
Shi Wuxiang was clearly someone with foresight and talent—that was why Zheng valued him so highly.
Still, something felt off. Shi Wuxiang wouldn’t bring this up without reason. Thinking of his husband running a stall in town, Zheng guessed he must have run into trouble.
It seemed he would have to visit Qingshui Town himself tomorrow.
—
“Why are you back so early?” Madam Shi asked, surprised. When she noticed Yuan Yuan’s swollen eyes, her expression changed. “What happened? He’s been crying?”
Crying?
Hearing that, Shi Qingyue and Shi Qingran rushed out, looking them over carefully, as if ready to fight anyone who had wronged them.
Yuan Zhao laughed helplessly. “He knocked out a tooth and cried for a long time. A Xiang comforted him.”
“Bad tooth,” Shi Qingran said, patting Yuan Yuan’s head. “Don’t cry. Which tooth? Upper teeth get buried, lower ones get thrown onto the roof.”
“Upper,” Yuan Yuan sniffled.
Yuan Zhao took out the cleaned tooth, and the whole family solemnly buried it in the flower bed, as if planting something precious.
“Did something else happen? You came back early,” Madam Shi asked gently.
Yuan Zhao told them everything. As he spoke, their expressions darkened.
“I definitely didn’t agree to sell it! A Xiang said to keep doing business as usual!” he added quickly.
“It has to be him. I knew that Cui Xiuxiu wasn’t a good person—and Li Qingwei is even worse!” Shi Qingyue said angrily.
Madam Shi sighed. “In the end, we dragged you into this. If we hadn’t needed money to treat A Xiang back then, we wouldn’t have made peace with the Li family.”
Money could crush even the strongest person. The Shi family had learned that lesson well.
Even Shi Wuxiang had never returned to the academy after recovering.
Yet the Li family continued to push them.
“…We’re family. There’s no such thing as dragging each other down,” Yuan Zhao said with a bright smile. “Families share both hardship and joy.”
Madam Shi patted his hand, feeling that marrying him for just a few taels had been far too cheap. If they had more money, she would give him more.
Yuan Zhao didn’t waste the leftover batter—he made extra wraps and sent them to neighbors they were close with.
Something that normally cost money was now free—of course people were happy. They returned the favor with gifts of their own.
Now that the Shi family had a large new house, villagers often came to chat with Madam Shi. Young men and women also came to visit Shi Qingran.
But Madam Shi saw through it—they were interested in Shi Qingyue.
He was strong, hardworking, and though tanned from the sun, still handsome. Naturally, people were thinking about matchmaking.
And with the family’s improving fortunes, marrying into the Shi household was a good prospect.
Shi Qingyue, however, seemed oblivious. Whenever guests came, he would take his younger siblings out instead, even catching cicadas to feed the chickens.
Yet in others’ eyes, that only made him seem even more capable.
—
That night, when Shi Wuxiang returned, Yuan Zhao told him all this as a joke—but it made him frown.
“He’s still too young. He can’t take on the responsibility of marriage yet, nor does he understand what he wants.”
Yuan Zhao blinked. “What are you talking about? Brother Dashu from Uncle Niu’s family already had a three-year-old child at your age. A Yue may be childish, but he’ll mature after marriage.”
Shi Wuxiang frowned. “That’s nonsense. At that age, he should be studying. His brain isn’t even fully developed, and people are already pushing marriage and children—it’s wrong.”
Yuan Zhao almost said, But I’m the same age as him…
But then he stopped himself. Shi Wuxiang had married him under unusual circumstances and treated him well—there was no need to argue over this.
Still—
“I didn’t say that. Why are you getting mad at me?”
Shi Wuxiang immediately felt guilty. “Whoever said that—I’m upset with them, not you.”
“But you were talking to me. Hearing you angry makes me unhappy. I don’t want to chat with you tonight,” Yuan Zhao said, turning away and lying down, presenting him with a stubborn, lonely back.
Shi Wuxiang: “…”
Hadn’t he explained clearly enough?
Why was he being unreasonable now?
“I’m sorry. I got emotional earlier—I didn’t mean to take it out on you. Can you forgive me this once?” Shi Wuxiang sighed inwardly and pulled out his ultimate move—child psychology.
Hearing him soften his tone, Yuan Zhao’s lips nearly curled into the sky, though he stubbornly kept facing away.
Seeing no response, Shi Wuxiang sighed again. “Are you asleep? Such a good child like A Zhao being upset because of me… it’s all my fault. I’ll fan you all night to make up for it.”
“Ahem!” Yuan Zhao cleared his throat. “What are you muttering about? I’m not mad anymore. Hurry up and lie down.”
Everyone works just to make a living—who can afford to slack off like this, working three days and resting two? And on top of that, there’s rent to pay here. Two hundred copper coins is enough for an ordinary household to live on for a whole month!
Yuan Zhao said, “I’m thinking of pushing the cart through the streets and hawking my goods. I’ve pretty much sold everything here anyway.”