“These are the wraps I made. I didn’t have enough batter left, so I could only make these. If you like them, I’ll make more for you next time and bring them over.”
The two sat down together. Yuan Zhao looked at him expectantly.
Zhou He did not stand on ceremony. He opened the cloth and immediately saw the generous filling inside—meat packed so full it was almost falling out, along with whole fried eggs.
He was shocked. “Did they beat you? How could you bring me something this good! Didn’t they scold you? Even if you’re earning money now, you shouldn’t do this!”
“No, they’re very good to me and Brother Yuan Yuan. I keep all the money I earn,” Yuan Zhao said, pushing the basket toward him. “Just eat. There are two in each wrap—you can share them.”
“It’s good that they treat you well. When you marry into a family, you just want someone reliable,” Zhou He said sincerely. “I’m happy for you.”
Hearing this, Yuan Zhao smiled too. “So you called me over because you have good news too?”
As he spoke, he glanced at the pastries in the room.
Zhou He’s face turned slightly red as he nodded shyly. “He’s a carpenter from Wanjiazhuang. He offered five hundred copper coins as betrothal gift and even brought these pastries. He’s very sincere.”
Five hundred copper coins was already quite a lot for village standards.
“So when is the wedding?” Yuan Zhao asked with a grin.
Just as they stepped outside, they suddenly heard commotion from next door—Yuan Xiangxiang’s cries mixed with arguments. Clearly, she was unwilling, but her resistance meant nothing.
Yuan Xiangxiang stormed out, and Wang Xiaohua chased after her. She immediately spotted Yuan Zhao.
“What are you doing here?” Yuan Xiangxiang snapped angrily. “Are you here to see me make a fool of myself? Yuan Zhao, are you disgusting or what!”
Yuan Zhao was stunned. “Are you crazy? Why would I come watch your joke? Can’t you see your own life is a mess and think everyone else has a problem?”
Zhou He chimed in calmly, “He’s here to see me. It has nothing to do with you.”
“Doesn’t matter? I don’t believe he didn’t know! Yuan Zhao, you must be happy now, right?! Back then you didn’t get married, and now it’s my turn to marry. Are you satisfied?!” Yuan Xiangxiang roared, tears streaming down her face nonstop.
Wang Xiaohua stood beside her, too guilty to speak.
Yuan Zhao listened more and more and felt like laughing: “It’s not like I made you marry him. Whoever forced you into it, go yell at them! If you don’t want it, just split the family and cut ties. Why are you going crazy here? You already knew there was no way to change it, so you’re just throwing a tantrum first to feel better, aren’t you? When I was forced back then, weren’t you the one making sarcastic remarks? You said older ones know how to treat people better—now it’s your turn to ‘be treated well.’”
Yuan Xiangxiang was stunned by his words, her entire expression dazed.
Seeing this, Wang Xiaohua immediately pointed at Yuan Zhao’s nose and cursed, “You little wretch, what are you doing here? Get lost right now, don’t ever come back to our village!”
“Is the village yours?” Yuan Zhao sneered. “Go ask the village chief if he agrees! Take care of your own mess and stop meddling in others’ business. Just seeing you makes me want to laugh!”
Zhou He was very satisfied with his change, patting his shoulder to signal him to leave quickly. If he got entangled with this family, it would be very hard to shake them off.
Yuan Zhao nodded. He hadn’t planned to keep arguing anyway and turned to leave.
But Wang Xiaohua suddenly remembered something Yuan Zhao had said before. Their entire Yuan family had been torn apart because of him—how could she just let him leave so easily?
“Stop right there! Do you know who Yuan Dagang is having an affair with?!”
“What, you want to go make trouble?” Yuan Zhao laughed. “Why should I tell you? If you want to know, go ask Yuan Dagang yourself. Does your man dare to admit what he did?”
Wang Xiaohua was furious. “You’ve torn our family apart, and I can’t even ask a couple questions? Yuan Zhao, don’t you forget your conscience! If someone knew your husband was cheating and didn’t tell you, would you be happy?”
“My husband isn’t Yuan Dagang, and I’m not you,” Yuan Zhao said coldly. “If you want to know, ask him yourself. Anyway, neither of them are good people.”
After speaking, Yuan Zhao exchanged a look with Zhou He and left.
A-Sang would never cheat!
If you want to talk about yourself, talk about yourself—why drag A-Sang into it!
Yuan Zhao carried a basket full of things and walked back toward Qingluan Village. Taking the small path over the slope was quicker. By the time he returned home, Madam Shi Zhang was already cooking, waiting for him.
“I’m back. Brother He said the engagement is set. He’ll let me know the date later!” Yuan Zhao said happily. “He even brought me some sweet buns and pickles. They taste good even with soup.”
“Good!”
After dinner, it was already dark. The days were getting shorter. In the morning and at night, wearing even one layer of clothing wasn’t enough anymore. Yuan Zhao lit a candle and took out thicker clothes, preparing to wear them the next day.
Shi Wuxiang came back in the dark. He was somewhat dissatisfied that Yuan Zhao hadn’t waited at the village entrance for him, but after a while, he couldn’t help laughing at himself. What was he even sulking about? He wasn’t a child anymore.
“Sweet buns?” Shi Wuxiang took a bite. “You made these new?”
“No. I went to Xiahé Village today to find Zhou He. He also got engaged and said he’ll invite me to the wedding banquet after the date is set.” Yuan Zhao was genuinely happy for him. “He and the carpenter from Weng Family Village are really in love. He looked so happy when he talked about it!”
Shi Wuxiang caught something off in that. This wasn’t just about being busy and not going to pick him up—there seemed to be a knot in his heart.
For a moment, he didn’t know what to say. Honestly speaking, Yuan Zhao was very good, but at the end of the day, he was just a child. No one dislikes obedient and sensible children—he was the same.
But treating him as a partner… that went against nature.
He had to admit he couldn’t give Yuan Zhao the kind of emotional response he wanted. But privately, he also didn’t think anyone else could give it either. Everyone around them was still half-grown, what could they possibly understand?
“We’ll just bring a gift and attend the banquet then,” Shi Wuxiang said. “I can go with you.”
Yuan Zhao smiled and refused. “No need. You two don’t really know each other, and you’re busy with the restaurant. You don’t have to go.”
Shi Wuxiang fell silent for a moment, then said, “Since they are your friends, as your husband I should accompany you.”
“We’ll talk about it later,” Yuan Zhao smiled lightly, not wanting to continue the topic.
He shouldn’t forget their original agreement just because life had been too peaceful lately. One cannot have everything—they had to be content.
Shi Wuxiang felt a rare trace of displeasure, but it couldn’t be directed at Yuan Zhao, nor could he resolve it himself. So he let the night slowly wear it away.
That night was unusually quiet. They didn’t talk as they usually did, didn’t share what happened during the day, didn’t lie in bed teasing each other.
They simply lay there in silence. Yuan Zhao faced the wall, the gap behind him widening. He silently pulled his blanket toward the middle, though it was still far from enough.
One blanket could not cover two people.
Yuan Zhao barely slept all night and got up early to work, even preparing breakfast. Madam Shi Zhang immediately noticed something was wrong.
“A Zhao, your face doesn’t look good. Didn’t you sleep well?” she asked, just as Shi Wuxiang came out with bloodshot eyes. Both of them were off.
“The blanket doesn’t cover well. I’ll buy some cotton tomorrow so Mother can make another quilt,” Yuan Zhao said hoarsely. “Two people can never be one person. One blanket isn’t enough.”
Madam Shi Zhang hesitated, then simply responded without offering comfort.
The ox cart arrived steadily in town. Yuan Zhao drove it to the back courtyard of Xiangxiang Restaurant as usual and said goodbye to Shi Wuxiang as usual—only without the earlier warmth.
He understood now: one blanket cannot cover two people.
“Yuan Zhao—” Shi Wuxiang frowned and called after him.
But Yuan Zhao didn’t stop. He pretended not to hear and hurried away.
Shi Wuxiang immediately felt a headache coming on. He had never coaxed a child before, much less a child who was also, in name, his partner. He truly didn’t know what to do.
But he didn’t want to see Yuan Zhao unhappy either.
Sigh.
“Manager?” the shopkeeper asked in shock. “What happened to you? Your face looks terrible. Are you unwell?”
Shi Wuxiang thought for a moment and asked, “If you upset your wife, how do you coax her?”
“Your little husband is ignoring you?” the shopkeeper was even more shocked. “He’s usually so good-tempered and happy to see you—he actually got angry with you? That’s rare. What did you do wrong?”
“Just tell me how to coax him,” Shi Wuxiang sighed.
The shopkeeper straightened up. “Of course you have to cater to what he likes. If you want to coax someone, you have to spend money—buy little gifts, say nice words. Husband and wife relationships are all about making up after fights anyway!”
What does he like?
Yuan Zhao liked many things—food, fabric, pastries, silver…
In that case, he would just buy them all.
At night, he would properly coax him. Surely then he wouldn’t stay upset.
But he also knew this was only temporary peace. The problem between them had always been there.
“Thank you,” Shi Wuxiang said before going upstairs.
The shopkeeper watched his back in thought. He had no idea what kind of argument could make even Shi Wuxiang look so serious.
During his midday break, Shi Wuxiang went out to shop, buying Yuan Zhao’s favorite pastries. He couldn’t buy fabric, but he could buy a hair ribbon—things suitable for a young boy.
He carefully packed everything, waiting to bring it home at night to coax him properly.
Meanwhile, Yuan Zhao was making pancakes but was distracted, relying entirely on muscle memory. He kept forgetting ingredients, so Madam Shi Zhang told him to rest instead.
“Brother, are you okay?” Yuan Yuan asked softly. “Did A-Sang brother make you unhappy?”
Yuan Zhao snapped back to attention and smiled. “No, I was just thinking about things. We definitely didn’t argue. Don’t worry.”
Yuan Yuan simply nodded and said nothing more.
Yuan Zhao cared most about Yuan Yuan. Even for Yuan Yuan’s peace of mind, he didn’t want to argue with Shi Wuxiang.
Truthfully, it was his own fault. Everything had been agreed upon long ago, and he kept forgetting, kept crossing boundaries. That was his problem—he needed to change.
So when Shi Wuxiang got off the ox cart, he saw torchlight at the village entrance. His heart lifted and he walked over quickly.
“It’s cold at night. You didn’t have to come out,” Shi Wuxiang said gently, afraid of upsetting him further.
“It’s fine. I had nothing to do anyway,” Yuan Zhao replied normally. “The weather is getting colder, so I already bought cotton. Mother is making quilts at home. We’ll endure one more day—tomorrow we’ll each have our own blanket, and it won’t leak wind anymore.”
Shi Wuxiang gave a low response. “You… feel better now? Go to bed early since you didn’t sleep well last night.”
Yuan Zhao smiled awkwardly. “I was just upset after arguing with Yuan Xiangxiang. I’m fine now. Don’t worry about it.”
“…Alright.”
They chatted as if nothing had happened, but both knew how strained things were.
Back home, Yuan Zhao went to serve food while Shi Wuxiang went to wash up. Just after taking off his outer clothes, a small figure slipped in.
“Brother A-Sang.”
“Yuan Yuan? Why aren’t you resting yet?” Shi Wuxiang was surprised. “Is something wrong?”
Yuan Yuan looked serious, but carefully fidgeted with his fingers. “I’m here to apologize. Can you go coax my brother? We can take turns apologizing. That way you won’t be at a disadvantage.”
“What?” Shi Wuxiang frowned slightly. What were they even talking about?
“Didn’t you two argue?” Yuan Yuan said very seriously. “You apologize to my brother, and I’ll apologize to you, and then we won’t fight anymore.”
He explained it earnestly, purely because he didn’t want his brother to be unhappy.
“Yuan’er,” Shi Wuxiang said helplessly, gently coaxing him, “your brother and I didn’t argue. It’s just a small disagreement. Once the misunderstanding is cleared up, it’ll be fine. You didn’t do anything wrong, so you don’t need to apologize to me. I promise you, by tomorrow your brother will be fine.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Yuan Yuan blinked. “Then let’s hook fingers and make a promise.”
Shi Wuxiang readily hooked his little finger with his.
The moment they let go, Yuan Zhao pushed the door open and walked in. He looked suspicious. “Why are you still not asleep?”
“I’m sleeping right now!” Yuan Yuan blurted out and immediately ran off.
Yuan Zhao placed the dishes on the table while explaining casually, “Sorry about that. He probably just came to take a look. He didn’t upset you, did he?”
“…No,” Shi Wuxiang said softly.
“That’s good. Eat first.” Yuan Zhao forced a small smile, preparing to sit by the bed as he usually did.
But Shi Wuxiang suddenly spoke, “Bring that bundle over here for me.”
Yuan Zhao didn’t say anything, just immediately did as told, bringing the small bundle over carefully and placing it in front of him.
“Open it.”
“What is it?” Yuan Zhao asked while obediently untying it. Inside were expensive pastries and a carefully wrapped brocade box. “You bought pastries? I’ll take them out tomorrow so everyone can share.”
Shi Wuxiang looked down at him and said softly, almost coaxing, “They’re for you. You can eat them yourself or share them. The box inside is also for you.”
Yuan Zhao suddenly became tense. He carefully opened the box. Inside was a green hair ribbon, the fabric smooth and fine—clearly very expensive.
“This… is also for me?” His voice was soft, already trembling.
“Yes,” Shi Wuxiang said. “I’m apologizing for yesterday. No matter what you’re thinking, can you forgive me? Or if you’re unhappy with anything, you can tell me. If there’s anything you want, I’ll get it for you…”
He paused slightly at the end, clearly a little guilty.
Because he knew exactly what Yuan Zhao wanted most—but he truly couldn’t give it right now.
“I didn’t want to take anything from you…” Yuan Zhao carefully touched the ribbon, tears already falling uncontrollably. He had never expected anything.
He also hadn’t wanted Shi Wuxiang to bear his emotions. He only found himself feeling wronged sometimes, but that anger was always turned inward—at himself.
If he were truly a good enough person, how could Shi Wuxiang possibly not like him?
Shi Wuxiang immediately panicked. He quickly wiped his tears with his sleeve. “Don’t cry. Don’t misunderstand me. I bought these because I wanted to, because I wanted to coax you…”
He was very good. So, so good.
Yuan Zhao knew that more clearly than ever now—but this kind of person would never like him.
His emotions collapsed all at once, breaking through everything he had been holding in.
“A-Sang…” he sobbed uncontrollably, unable to finish his sentences.
Shi Wuxiang’s brows tightened. He pulled Yuan Zhao into his arms, one hand pressing the back of his head against his chest, the other firmly around his waist.
He couldn’t let him break down alone like this.
He had to admit—there were many people in this world who could make one soften, but Yuan Zhao was the one he could not let go of.
“It’s my fault. I said things I shouldn’t have before. If you want, they don’t count anymore. I never meant to drive you away,” Shi Wuxiang said deeply.
Yuan Zhao cried harder. “You did… you clearly did…”
He had come here with what kind of feelings? And now this home—this place—would never truly belong to him and Yuan Yuan. He just wanted a place where they could stay.
“Don’t be angry,” Shi Wuxiang didn’t deny it. Instead, he followed his words. “Even if I thought that before, I don’t now. We live together happily now, don’t we? Who would live so happily with someone they hate?”
“I wouldn’t…” Yuan Zhao choked.
“That proves something, doesn’t it?” Shi Wuxiang asked gently.
Yuan Zhao sniffled. “It means… you like living with us…”
“Yes. So isn’t that enough? Just living together like this, happily. Isn’t that good?”
“I want…” Yuan Zhao buried his face into him, tears soaking his clothes. “But… can’t you like me?”
It was the first time he said it directly.
Shi Wuxiang finally had nowhere left to hide.
“I like you,” he said honestly. “But I can’t give you what you want right now. We can keep living like this, and I promise no one else will appear. Is that okay?”
The words were gentle—but also painfully clear.
He could not give Yuan Zhao what he wanted.
Yet there was still sincerity: at least there would be no one else.
Yuan Zhao trembled. “Is it because I’m not good enough…?”
“No,” Shi Wuxiang immediately said. “It’s my problem. You’re very good. It’s my fault for not being able to accept it. But you can’t force someone to like you. You don’t need to doubt yourself—you’re the most lovable child I’ve ever seen.”
He didn’t want to define Yuan Zhao with anything shallow.
In his eyes, Yuan Zhao couldn’t be reduced to simple words like that.
“Even if I can’t love you, I won’t love anyone else.”
Yuan Zhao had finally calmed slightly, though his voice still carried stubbornness. “But I’m not a child anymore…”
“I know,” Shi Wuxiang said softly. “But I want to treat you like one. Because you deserve to be protected, cared for, praised, and affirmed. That’s my problem.”
Yuan Zhao cried again at that.
He had never received such things before, so even gratitude came out as tears first.
“But I like you. I always like you. What should I do? Will you find me annoying?”
“Then keep liking me,” Shi Wuxiang said gently. “Until the day you no longer want to. And I won’t have anyone else. You will always be my partner until you decide otherwise.”
Yuan Zhao finally laughed through his tears.
That… was enough.
Shi Wuxiang had already retreated as far as he could.