Hearing all the teasing, Lu Liu was so happy he forgot to feel shy. He stole a glance over that way.
His skin was fair, his eyes soft and dewy, and with his cheeks flushed red, he looked tender and delicate. Someone else said that Li Feng had really married a pretty husband, and the praise made Lu Liu grin from ear to ear.
He told Li Feng, “Da Feng, I tried that meat pie you talked about. It was huge! Really tasty. I couldn’t finish it, so I shared half with Yao Fulang.”
Li Feng, seeing how much he’d enjoyed it, felt the money was well spent. As for sharing it with Yao Fulang—he didn’t mind. When he was out with other men, they shared food too. Since he’d already bought it, whatever.
Lu Liu still had the two pies he’d brought back. He hadn’t thought much when he bought them, but now that they were almost at his mother-in-law’s door, it hit him. Two pies for twenty coins—that could’ve bought over a pound of meat. What a waste.
At the door, Lu Liu hesitated to go in. Instead, he whispered to Li Feng, “I wasted money today.”
Li Feng asked what he’d bought.
Turns out, Lu Liu had just bought three meat pies. He ate one in town, and carried two home.
One was for Li Feng, one was for his mother-in-law.
How was that wasting money?
Lu Liu added, “It wouldn’t have been right to buy more, or I would’ve gotten one for Shun-ge too.”
(As for Er Tian and his wife—forget it.)
Li Feng didn’t think it was wasteful, but he didn’t dare mention it in front of his mother. He asked Lu Liu, “Where are the pies?”
Lu Liu patted his chest. “Right here inside my coat.”
Li Feng frowned. “Why’d you put them there? Isn’t it hot? Take them out before you burn yourself.”
Lu Liu, bundled up this year in his new padded coat, didn’t feel the heat. On the outside was a thick coat; underneath, a light padded jacket. He was fine.
He pulled out the pies. Li Feng tucked one inside his own coat and said, “When you see Mother, just say you bought one pie. Got it?”
Lu Liu nodded quickly. “Got it! I know!”
They went inside. Li Feng handed the pie to Chen Guizhi. “I liked this pie when I tried it. You never buy things like this for yourself, so I asked him to pick one up. He’s so sweet—kept it warm inside his coat the whole way home.”
Chen Guizhi didn’t really want to talk to Li Feng.
Every time he saw her, he couldn’t wait to praise his husband, as if she’d said something bad. When had she ever said she wasn’t satisfied?
She took the pie and offered to have them stay for dinner, but Li Feng declined.
“We need to get back. Our things are still on Da Qiang’s cart—we need to go through them.”
Chen Guizhi turned to Lu Liu. “What did you buy today?”
Lu Liu listed everything—and most of it had to do with Li Feng. This and that, all for Da Feng, Da Feng, Da Feng. Listening to it gave Chen Guizhi a headache.
She asked, “And you didn’t buy anything for yourself? Don’t you need anything?”
Lu Liu, living with Li Feng, hadn’t felt like he lacked for anything.
He blinked, confused. “Mother, did I forget something?”
Chen Guizhi: …
You’re missing a few brain cells, that’s what.
She waved them off. “Go on home.”
As evening fell, darkness came fast. They’d only said a few words indoors before night settled. On the road, the black of night felt like it dropped in right before their eyes.
Er Huang ran ahead to lead the way. The mule cart followed, bumping along until Lu Liu ended up right next to Li Feng. The two of them sat side by side.
Being next to Li Feng filled Lu Liu with such a deep sense of security. He really cherished this feeling of stability and happiness.
He hadn’t thought too much before—he figured since he looked just like his older brother, the swap didn’t matter. Either way, Li Feng needed a husband, and now he was Li Feng’s husband.
But after meeting Xie Yan today, and seeing how much Xie Yan cared for his brother, it hit him: maybe Li Feng hadn’t wanted to swap at all.
Not all husbands were the same. He wasn’t as capable as his brother. When Chen Fulang had scolded him to his face, all he could do was stammer out a few words.
He hoped Li Feng would like him—would care for him the way Xie Yan cared for his brother. That even if Li Feng learned the truth, he’d still choose him, still want to live life together.
But he wasn’t confident. The more he thought, the sadder he got—and before long, tears rolled down his cheeks.
Facing the wind, he wiped at his eyes, his voice thick with emotion when he finally spoke.
“Da Feng… do you think Mother thinks I’m dumb?”
Do you think I’m dumb too?
Li Feng hadn’t expected him to cry. He glanced over—the night made everything blurry, but the tears in Lu Liu’s eyes caught the moonlight, sparkling like tiny stars.
He held the mule’s reins with one hand and used the other to gently wipe Lu Liu’s tears away.
“Don’t overthink it. My mother gave you that money because she wanted you to buy what you needed. When you didn’t buy anything, she just didn’t know what else to say. She doesn’t think you’re dumb.”
His hands were rough and calloused, and every time they touched his skin, Lu Liu felt a ticklish sting—but he never pulled away.
Seeing him cry like that, Li Feng didn’t dare mention that he’d already figured out the truth about the swap. Instead, he called him by his nickname. “Xiao Liu, don’t worry. I want to build a life with you. I’ll make sure Mother likes you too. She means well. Don’t cry.”
Li Feng wasn’t good at sweet talk. Every word came out heavy, like the wind itself.
But he said, “It hurts my heart to see you like this.”
Lu Liu smiled, his eyes curving into little crescents, and more tears squeezed out.
“Mm, I won’t cry anymore.”
When the two of them got back down the mountain, they first stopped at Da Qiang’s house to pick up their things.
Once home, Lu Liu hurried to make dinner.
It was already dark. If he didn’t get a move on, they’d go to bed hungry.
The things they’d bought that day weren’t urgently needed, so Lu Liu decided to leave them for tomorrow.
As soon as he stepped inside, he lit the candles, filling the house with light, then rushed off to the kitchen.
Li Feng said, “Let’s just make fish soup. We can split one of those pies.”
Lu Liu thought about it. Fish soup and pie would be enough for him, but after a whole day of work, Li Feng needed more to fill his belly.
“I’ll make fish soup with noodles,” Lu Liu decided.
He scooped out a bowl of flour, kneaded it into dough, and set it aside to rest, covered. Then he went to the water barrel to grab the fish. To make enough soup with noodles for the two of them and their dog, he needed two good-sized fish.
Lu Liu went outside to clean the fish. There was a big wooden block next to the water jar out back—that’s where they always cleaned fish or butchered chickens.
After feeding the mule, Li Feng came over and lit a lantern for him.
Lu Liu glanced back at him and gave a sweet smile.
He handled the fish deftly. A few knocks of the knife handle stunned the fish, and while its head was still spinning, he split its belly, cleaned out the guts, and scraped off the scales. He rinsed everything with a couple scoops of water, and by the time the fish were clean, so was the block.
Li Feng raised his brows in surprise.
He’d never seen Lu Liu clean fish before.
Inside, Lu Liu worked quickly at the counter. In no time, the two fish were cleanly filleted.
The cold pan took a while to heat. By the time it started smoking, he’d finished prepping the fish. As the oil heated, the fish bones were ready to go in. He stir-fried the bones with ginger slivers, cooking off all the fishy smell.
Fish soup needs boiling water. Afraid the water on the stove wouldn’t heat fast enough, Lu Liu had already ladled out two bowls to pre-boil. Once the water started bubbling, the bones were golden brown. He poured in the hot water, and the rich aroma filled the kitchen.
Since they weren’t making any other dishes tonight, Lu Liu used the waiting time to knead the dough again.
Once the dough was ready, he rolled it out into long strips and sliced it into thick noodles. He strained the bones from the soup, added the fish fillets, let it simmer for a bit, then tossed in the noodles and some seasoning. Soon, dinner was ready.
Lu Liu said to Li Feng, “I know another way to make fish soup. You clean the fish, pan-fry it whole until it’s cooked, then mash it up with a spatula right in the pan. Pour in hot water and simmer it. When it’s done, strain out all the bits, then stir-fry the fish meat and bones with some ginger and scallions. That’s another dish. It’s full of little bones, but when I’m craving it, I love eating it that way.”
It’s the kind of dish you’d nibble on all afternoon, chewing carefully, savoring every bit of the meat before finally spitting out the clean, flavorless bones.
Seeing how Li Feng ate heartily and fast, Lu Liu figured he probably wouldn’t enjoy a dish like that.
And sure enough, Li Feng didn’t. “That’s not much of a dish—you take a bite, and it’s nothing but work.”
But he told Lu Liu, “Next time we have guests over, you should make that.”
Lu Liu burst out laughing. “They’re going to curse you!”
Li Feng shook his head. “Nah. When I go to their place, they make it too.”
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