The next morning.
Yuan Zhao woke up with swollen eyes and a swollen face, but his mood was unexpectedly good—better than before.
The atmosphere at home was warmer than ever, and Yuan Yuan was the happiest of all. He felt his words from last night had worked, and kept enthusiastically serving food to Shi Wuxiang, making anyone unaware think Shi Wuxiang had bullied him.
Life proceeded as usual: setting up a stall in town.
As the weather got colder, customers crowded around Yuan Zhao’s stall to warm themselves by the fire, almost wishing they could take over his cooking just to stay warm.
Yuan Zhao thought about building a windproof shed soon so the heat wouldn’t escape and customers wouldn’t have to squeeze together.
By midday, the sun finally rose higher, bringing warmth. It was time to head to the academy to set up the stall.
He originally didn’t want to go, but Shi Wuxiang said he could still go recently, likely because of messages sent through officials.
When they arrived, students were just finishing class, already eyeing the stall eagerly.
“Did something change today? No more hiding it?”
“Is the academy really going to introduce your wraps?”
But Yuan Zhao quickly answered, “Only wraps and egg pancakes today. The grilled meat slices are sold out.”
The students immediately wailed in disappointment.
—
On the way home from the banquet at Wen Qing Shan’s house, Yuan Zhao was still smiling.
“So lively… weddings are so nice. The feast was delicious too. I heard Zhou He’s husband is a carpenter—he must earn well!”
Shi Wuxiang listened quietly, feeling something unpleasant rise in his chest.
If only he had been conscious then…
“Anyone who works hard can earn money,” he said lightly.
Yuan Zhao nodded. “That’s true.”
Then Yuan Yuan suddenly grew sleepy. Shi Wuxiang immediately picked him up.
“Let me carry him,” Yuan Zhao said quickly. “It’s a long walk.”
Shi Wuxiang looked at the child. “Do you want your brother to carry you, or me?”
Yuan Yuan instinctively chose Shi Wuxiang, clinging to him.
Yuan Zhao trailed behind, feeling a little bitter.
Shi Wuxiang reached back and took his hand.
“Walk slower, or should I get a cart to pick you up?”
“Don’t treat me like those aunties!” Yuan Zhao protested, grabbing his clothes in annoyance.
Along the road, people stared and muttered about impropriety.
Back home, Yuan Zhao immediately cleaned and washed clothes, while Shi Wuxiang watched from under the eaves.
Shi Wuxiang suggested hiring help, but Yuan Zhao refused. He worried about spending money.
While they were talking, a figure suddenly rushed into the courtyard.
“Yuan Zhao! Get out here!”
It was Yuan Xiangxiang.
Her eyes were red, her face twisted with hatred.
Shi Wuxiang stepped in front of Yuan Zhao.
“What are you doing here?” Yuan Zhao shouted, grabbing a stick.
Yuan Xiangxiang looked like she had gone mad.
“Why should I leave? Why is your life so good? If not for you, I wouldn’t have to marry that old man!”
Her voice broke completely.
The Yuan family finally arrived, furious.
“What are you doing here causing trouble!” Wang Xiaohua shouted.
Yuan Xiangxiang screamed back, revealing she was being forced into marriage, that she was being touched and abused, that she had no escape.
The Yuan family quickly restrained her and shoved cloth into her mouth.
Before being dragged away, she stared at them with hatred.
Yuan Zhao felt a chill and instinctively moved closer to Shi Wuxiang.
Wang Xiaohua still cursed them.
Shi Wuxiang’s voice turned cold. “Get out. Or I’ll call the village head.”
They finally left.
Shi Wuxiang soon returned with a small black puppy, which filled the house with chaotic barking and warmth again.
But the Yuan household was not at peace.
Rumors spread, and many villagers decided not to attend the upcoming feast.
Even Wang the Widower came to complain.
“If she runs again, I won’t pay the remaining half!”
Yuan Xiangxiang, locked inside, suddenly stopped struggling. Her expression turned eerily calm.
Eventually, she stepped out and said flatly:
“Mother. I’ve thought it through. I won’t run anymore. But I have one condition—I want red cloth for my wedding dress. Otherwise, I won’t marry.”
Yuan Zhao’s expression darkened slightly. “I think I know when she bought the poison. That day we went to deposit the money, I saw her. She could move around freely and even go buy things. She must have been pretending to agree to the marriage the whole time, just waiting for today!”
The moment those words fell, the atmosphere turned heavy.
Shi Wuxiang’s gaze tightened. “Poison?”
Yuan Zhao nodded, his voice lower now. “If she really planned it in advance, then this wasn’t a sudden act. It was calculated.”
Shi Wuxiang’s expression turned cold. “If that’s the case, this is deliberate mass murder. How can the village just handle it quietly without reporting it?”
The women chatting at the door had already rushed off, all of them eager to head to the next village to get more details or see the commotion for themselves.
Yuan Zhao frowned deeply. “I feel like I might know when she bought it. That day I saw her at the market while we were going to the bank. She was allowed out alone to buy things. She probably just pretended to accept the marriage and waited for the right moment.”
He paused, the realization settling in. “So she planned it all along.”
Shi Wuxiang’s eyes were dark. “Then the village will definitely not be able to suppress this matter. No matter how they try to handle it internally, it’s already a case of poisoning.”
Yuan Zhao sighed, feeling a chill creep up his spine. “I just didn’t expect it to happen on the day of the wedding…”
Shi Wuxiang’s tone was calm, but firm. “People pushed too far. When someone has no way out, they will choose extremes.”
Yuan Zhao didn’t respond right away. His thoughts drifted back to Yuan Xiangxiang’s eyes that day—bloodshot, hollow, and filled with something that no longer looked like sanity.
Shi Wuxiang glanced at him. “Don’t think too much about it. This isn’t something you caused.”
Yuan Zhao gave a small nod, though his expression remained uneasy.
The matter of the Yuan family spread through several nearby villages like wildfire. By the afternoon, even those working in the fields had rushed back home to hear the news.
Yuan Zhao had initially been unaware of the full situation until the women who came by earlier explained it to him in detail.
“Yuan family is dead? That Wang widower too? Yuan Xiangxiang poisoned them?”
Yuan Zhao’s eyes widened. “All of them? Today?”
One of the women nodded quickly. “That’s right! It happened around noon. I heard the two sons are still alive, but they were also poisoned—just not as badly. They were the ones who ran to report it to the village chief.”
Yuan Zhao’s brows furrowed. “And Yuan Xiangxiang?”
“She’s been tied up. The village chief doesn’t want to immediately report it to the authorities. He’s trying to handle it within the village first.”
Yuan Zhao let out a slow “oh.”
That was indeed how things often worked in villages like this. Matters involving families were frequently buried or settled privately unless they escalated too far.
He had seen it before—Wang the Widower beating his previous wives to death, and even then, the village tried to keep things quiet, calling it “family matters” that outsiders couldn’t easily judge.
Shi Wuxiang, however, clearly did not agree with this. “This is clearly premeditated murder. How can they handle it quietly?”
Before anyone could respond further, the women had already hurried off again, eager to catch more gossip or see the aftermath in person.
Yuan Zhao stood there for a moment, his face conflicted.
“I think I understand now,” he said slowly. “The day we went to deposit money… that might’ve been when she had the chance to buy the poison. If she was allowed out then, it means she had already convinced everyone she had accepted the marriage. She was just waiting.”
He exhaled softly. “She really planned it from the beginning.”
“That’s the Yuan family’s matter. It has nothing to do with you,” Shi Wuxiang said. “Don’t forget—you cut ties with them long ago. Even if they all died, it wouldn’t be your responsibility.”
“Of course it’s not my responsibility!” Yuan Zhao answered immediately, firm and unhesitating. “I’m just talking about what I saw. Whatever happens to their family is their business. If I hadn’t escaped back then, I probably would’ve ended up the same…”
Shi Wuxiang lowered his gaze. His gentle eyes fell on Yuan Zhao’s slightly thin back.
How could it be the same?
He had been holding up two households on his own—and holding them up quite well.
What happened in the Yuan family could no longer be concealed. By that afternoon, nearly all of Xiahe Village was surrounded by people coming to watch the commotion. Even Shi Qingyue, who had just returned home, didn’t even have time to change clothes—he rushed straight out after parking the carriage.
The village head of Xiahe Village wanted to suppress the matter and prevent it from being reported to the authorities. Otherwise, his position as village head would be over.
Yuan Xiangxiang had been tied up and thrown onto the ground. Her red wedding dress was torn at some point, and she lay there, occasionally letting out eerie, unsettling laughter.
The village head stared at her coldly. “What exactly are you dissatisfied with? The Wang family treated you badly? Look around—how many new brides get to wear such fine red clothes? They have land, they have money. Even if you suffer a few beatings, you’d still live comfortably!”
“Live comfortably… hahahaha…” Yuan Xiangxiang’s laughter turned sharp and piercing as she rolled on the ground. “Then why don’t you send your own daughter or wife to enjoy that comfort?”
“You’re talking nonsense!” the village head snapped. “Filthy mouth! There’s nothing to discuss with someone like you!”
He clearly didn’t want to deal with her anymore, but a murder had occurred within the village. As the village head, he had no choice but to handle it.
Moreover, she was still the nominal wife of Old Wang. In principle, all his property would now fall to her.
No one in the village wanted Yuan Xiangxiang alive. If she could poison her own parents today, she might poison the village well tomorrow.
“Village head, the Yuan brothers have arrived.”
Yuan Jinbao and Yuan Jiegen had each been forced to drink several bowls of medicine water. They had been vomiting and having diarrhea for a while; although the poison had mostly been cleared, their legs were so weak they could barely stand. They had to support each other just to walk.
They had come to protect Yuan Xiangxiang.
Yuan Jinbao spoke with feigned sorrow. “Village head, Xiangxiang is just confused for a moment. But she’s already married into the Wang family. We can’t let her end up alone after Old Wang passes.”
“Yes, village head. We brothers don’t intend to pursue this further,” Yuan Jiegen added quickly. Unlike Yuan Jinbao, his eyes darted around constantly—clearly calculating something.
The crowd watching immediately sensed something was off. Even those who didn’t know the details could tell the situation was being brushed over too lightly after such a serious crime.
But those who understood the situation just sneered silently.
They all saw through it—the Yuan family was clearly eyeing the Wang family’s property. As long as Yuan Xiangxiang wasn’t convicted, she would remain the legal wife, and the assets would belong to her and the Yuan brothers.
So they were willing to drop accountability just to protect her.
The village head naturally saw through it as well. He put on a troubled expression. “What are you saying? The ones she killed were your own parents! Are you still members of the Yuan family? Aren’t you ashamed before your ancestors?”
“My mother loved Xiangxiang very much when she was alive,” Yuan Jinbao said solemnly, as though deeply moved. “She would understand her. Right now, Xiangxiang has lost her mind. As siblings, we can only try our best to protect her.”
He spoke as if he were truly devoted—while conveniently forgetting that he was also one of the people Yuan Xiangxiang hated most.
Yuan Xiangxiang suddenly burst into laughter. “You just want Old Wang’s filthy inheritance, don’t you? All of you are disgusting parasites! You should’ve died too! You’re the reason I ended up like this!”
She wasn’t wrong. Without these two brothers, she might have had a chance at a better marriage. But with them present, she was always treated as something to be sold off.
And yet, what she hated most was that she wasn’t born a man. If she had been, even Wang Xiaohua might have fought desperately for her future.
The village head narrowed his eyes. “Lock her in the ancestral hall for now. No one is allowed to visit her. We’ll decide later.”
This was clearly stalling—leaving room for the Yuan family to maneuver.
Yuan Jiegen grew anxious, but Yuan Jinbao stopped him. They both understood: the village head was asking for compensation. If they couldn’t handle it properly, the matter would spill out.
Seeing there was no more excitement, the crowd gradually dispersed.
Shi Qingyue quickly ran home to report everything.
Yuan Zhao, hearing the news, nodded knowingly. “I knew they wouldn’t report it to the authorities. The Yuan family probably still wants to use her to secure that old man’s property.”
“Big sister-in-law! You’re really accurate—Yuan Xiangxiang said the same thing!” Shi Qingyue exclaimed.
“It’s not good that it’s not being reported,” Shi Zhangshi frowned. “Such a serious matter is just being buried like this?”
Yuan Zhao thought for a moment. “As long as it doesn’t affect their interests, people will always choose to ignore it. But if the inheritance gets divided improperly, then it’ll be reported sooner or later.”
Shi Wuxiang spoke softly. “That village head has been in position for a long time, hasn’t he?”
“Ever since I can remember. At least fifteen years,” Yuan Zhao replied. “He’s good at winning people over. No one in the village dares to offend him.”
“Is there truly no reasonable person in Xiahe Village?” Shi Wuxiang asked again.
“There are a few, but not many. The Liu uncle who lives up in the hills is decent. He used to visit my parents often. After they passed away, he moved deeper into the mountains.”
Shi Wuxiang nodded slightly and said nothing more.
In his view, the villagers had been led astray by that village head. If the leadership had been proper, things would not have decayed to this extent.
The Yuan family matter raged for two days, but in the end, no clear punishment was announced. Yuan Xiangxiang was declared insane, and since mad people were not held fully accountable, she was merely locked away.
Old Wang’s estate was inherited by her, and to appease public opinion, part of the land and silver was transferred to the village head’s household.
Officially, that was the explanation given to outsiders.
Yuan Zhao, however, didn’t care much anymore. He continued his daily work at the stall, still selling only rolls and grilled meat, but their income was more than enough for living.
He thought the Yuan family had already received their punishment.
But Shi Wuxiang was not so forgiving. He sent a letter directly to the county office.
That same afternoon, county officers arrived at Xiahe Village.
The village head panicked immediately. “Officials! I swear I didn’t favor anyone! That Yuan Xiangxiang was already insane, and the Yuan brothers said they wouldn’t pursue it! I had no choice!”
But the officers didn’t listen. They arrested him on the spot.
A clear case of poisoning and multiple deaths—there was nothing complicated about it.
Yuan Xiangxiang’s murder of three people was confirmed. She was sentenced to execution.
The village head was removed from office, punished with fifty strokes, and returned to the village in disgrace.
Yuan Jinbao and Yuan Jiegen were also punished with flogging for their unfilial conduct. Yuan Jinbao, especially, was barred from ever taking the imperial examinations again and fainted on the spot upon hearing it.
The new village head became Liu uncle from the hills.
Xiahe Village changed overnight. Those previously aligned with the old village head now kept their distance, and everyone lived in cautious silence.
“They finally got what they deserved!” Yuan Mian said angrily, fists clenched.
Yuan Zhao smiled faintly. “Don’t worry. Heaven keeps accounts. Nothing goes unpunished.”
Shi Qingyue nodded enthusiastically. “Big sister-in-law is right!”
Yuan Zhao chuckled, though he quietly thought that this outcome probably had something to do with Shi Wuxiang.
That fellow… really was good.
He secretly smiled to himself for a while.
Now, it truly felt as though nothing was holding him back anymore.
The stall Yuan Zhao set up was covered with a simple awning. Customers who were not in a hurry would stand under it and finish their food there. He would even give away free hot soup, which gradually brought in more returning customers.
However, in the past two days, the turnover of the rolled pancake business had declined. Not exactly bad, but compared to before, it was clearly not as good.
“Boss, you don’t know? There’s another stall selling rolled pancakes on the next street now, and theirs is much cheaper. A lot of people have gone there!” a customer who knew the situation told him. “I think they’re using the same method as you, but the taste is off!”
“Hey! I’ve tried it out of curiosity too. It doesn’t taste the same at all. It’s cheaper, sure, but there’s less filling inside—not enough to fill me up!”
Yuan Zhao suddenly understood. “So that’s how it is. I thought my rolled pancakes weren’t good anymore and was thinking of changing the recipe.”
The customers under the awning immediately became excited upon hearing this.
“You’re making something new again? What is it this time? I’ve got to buy it early!”
“You’ll have to ask my husband about that. Scholars have quick minds, they know all kinds of things—and there are even books specifically teaching people how to cook!” Yuan Zhao clicked his tongue in amazement, though there was a faint hint of pride in his tone.
The customers were already used to him like this and would joke back at him in response. Still, they were surprised that such a profitable idea actually came from a scholar. It really seemed that reading more books could help one earn money.
So they urged him to go home and ask the scholar what new food they should make. Yuan Zhao agreed with a smile.
It was only after all the customers had left the stall that Yuan Zhao finally looked a little unhappy.
“I need to go take a look at that other rolled pancake stall.”
This business had been theirs alone. They had been the only ones doing it for over half a year. How had someone suddenly come out of nowhere to compete with them?
Madam Shi Zhang worried he might suffer a loss and hurriedly said, “If you’re angry, fine—but wait until Ah Xiang comes back before you deal with it. It’s so cold out, you shouldn’t go over there anyway. They all recognize you.”
“Brother, don’t go. Anyway, they wouldn’t dare set up a stall in front of the academy. We should go there instead!” Yuan Wen tugged at his arm and pleaded.
Yuan Zhao usually didn’t listen to anyone, but he still had to consider his younger brother’s feelings. So he temporarily gave up the idea and obediently went to set up at the academy instead.
There were very few people in town who dared to set up stalls in front of the academy. Yuan Zhao still had an advantage here. But after they had been there for a long while today, although all the fried meat slices had sold out, there were noticeably fewer scholars buying rolled pancakes than before.
Yuan Zhao was anxious, and it was only after hearing Cheng Du explain that he finally understood.
“There are rolled pancakes being sold in the academy’s dining hall now. The taste is not as good as yours, but it’s similar enough to satisfy the craving, and it’s cheaper. Most people just go there instead and don’t bother being picky,” Cheng Du said.
“What’s going on? We never made any deal with the academy!” Yuan Zhao was completely confused. “How could the academy possibly start selling rolled pancakes!”
Cheng Du thought for a moment and asked, “Is there another stall in town selling rolled pancakes just like yours?”
Yuan Zhao nodded repeatedly. “Yes, there is. I heard from customers that they only started selling in the past couple of days, and they’re relying on low prices.”
“Then it’s probably them,” Cheng Du said. “This kind of thing needs to be discussed with Ah Xiang. In any case, stalls are open for anyone to set up. They must have registered properly, so you can’t find fault with it.”
Even the county magistrate would not be able to object to something like this. After all, there were already plenty of people selling buns, pancakes, and noodles in town. No one could claim exclusive rights just because they were the first to sell something. There was no such rule.
Fu Ying watched Yuan Zhao’s downcast expression and calmly comforted him.
“At least your taste is the best.”
Cheng Du immediately raised his eyebrows. “Ah Ying is right! Some customers prefer cheap prices, but there are always people who value good taste. Don’t overthink it. There are still plenty of people who know quality when they taste it!”
“Thank you,” Yuan Zhao sighed and quickly prepared chicken egg pancakes for them.
It was the first time so much batter had been left over from making rolled pancakes. Yuan Zhao felt a bit unhappy and simply spread the batter into thin small pancakes and handed them out to the street beggars.
He treated it as doing a good deed.
His food was delicious and generously portioned—what was wrong with charging a few extra coins? Ah Xiang said their rolled pancakes were the best! They used the freshest and cleanest ingredients!
If someone didn’t eat their rolled pancakes, they simply didn’t know good food!
“Ah Xiang! Tell me, aren’t they just ignorant of good food!”
Yuan Zhao told Shi Wu Xiang everything that had happened. Angry and aggrieved, he took the chance to lean into Shi Wu Xiang’s arms. Just speaking a few sentences was enough to make him feel even more upset.
Shi Wu Xiang gently patted his back.
“Yes, they’re ignorant of good food… but people have their own preferences. They’re just choosing what benefits them more. There’s no need to be upset over something so small. When running a business, you have to learn to accept things like this.”
Yuan Zhao huffed twice. “I’m not blaming them. I’m just angry…”
“Mm, I know. You’re very good,” Shi Wu Xiang immediately soothed him, praise coming effortlessly.