When they got home and entered their room, Xie Yan eagerly presented his “treasure” to Lu Yang like a kid showing off a prize.
There were seventeen books in total—nine were picture books, eight had text and illustrations. Since a lot of people couldn’t read, illustrated books sold better.
Lu Yang’s eyes widened just like Shopkeeper Wang’s had—surprised, then delighted.
“You’re amazing! I was just worried you might’ve gotten into something shady, but bringing these home—perfect! Now we can study together!”
And maybe cook up some “soup” while reading, heh heh.
Xie Yan’s body was still weak, not yet used to physical strain, and after a sleepless night, he needed to catch up on rest. Lu Yang stayed up and looked at the books on his own.
He’d only ever sneaked glances at these kinds of books before—and never full versions. Tonight was an eye-opener. Now that he was officially a “scholar,” he got really into it, reading late into the night by lamplight.
In the middle of the night, Xie Yan woke up and saw Lu Yang still wrapped in his padded coat, hunched over the low table with a book in hand. Groggy, he asked, “Are you trying to become a top scholar now?”
Lu Yang hadn’t physically made soup, but mentally, his soul had already been simmered in all sorts of it.
His face was flushed, eyes sparkling. He turned to Xie Yan and said, “Taking the imperial exam—so elegant, what a refined way to put it. From now on, let’s not say we’re ‘making soup’ anymore. Let’s just say we’re ‘taking the exam.’”
He’d already come up with a whole vocabulary around it.
“When we go to bed, that’s us taking the exam. When you go in, that’s entering the exam hall. If you make me feel good, it means you aced the test. And if you finish inside—well, congrats, you passed. What do you think? Sounds scholarly enough, right? I’m doing this all for you! With a little husband this thoughtful, you should count yourself lucky!”
Xie Yan just stared, growing more and more confused.
“So… when you call me ‘Top Scholar,’ is that what you mean?”
Lu Yang snorted. “You really are a dummy.”
Still excited, he went on, “Hey, want to take the exam with me? I just saw a few… problems. Let’s call the positions ‘exam questions.’ Sound good? These were drawn by people long ago—tons have read them. Using your terminology, wouldn’t that be called weimo?”
(*Note: “weimo” refers to the secretive exam content locked away in the imperial palace exam rooms.)
Xie Yan perked up, albeit with horror.
Good grief—this was blasphemy.
Lu Yang’s metaphors this time were even more vivid than his “chicken soup” analogies—and far more relevant to Xie Yan’s life.
His whole face flushed red from embarrassment. He couldn’t even get words out, the corners of his eyes turning pink.
But the more embarrassed he got, the more motivated he became. Lu Yang could read him like a book. He carefully stored the books away in the cabinet and went to embrace his “Top Scholar.”
“You’re awake? I’ve already arrived at the exam hall! Wanna come in and take a look?”
Xie Yan’s face was bright red, too overwhelmed to speak. He buried his head and got to work without a word.
He looked just like he did when reading or writing—focused, serious, intense. That same charm carried into the night, and Lu Yang was absolutely hooked.
Lu Yang whispered, “Top Scholar, congratulations… you’ve passed.”
Xie Yan was so embarrassed, his toes curled.
He never should’ve brought those books home.
Disgraceful! Disgraceful! Utterly disgraceful!
Snow fell heavily. Lu Liu snuggled up for another lazy winter, but unfortunately, Li Feng was still busy pounding rice cakes for the New Year—out at dawn, home late at night. They only got to cuddle at bedtime, which left Lu Liu feeling a little lonely.
He used to be fine staying home alone. But ever since getting married, he’d gotten soft. Now that he could eat his fill, drink warm water, and lounge around on the heated bed with nothing to do, he found himself dissatisfied—he just wanted Li Feng to be lazy with him.
But if Li Feng did slack off, their happy days would be over. They’d starve.
After the snow, Er Huang loved jumping into snowbanks. Li Feng told Lu Liu not to worry about him—just let him have fun, as long as he didn’t go messing with that dumb dog.
The dumb dog…
Lu Liu looked at Er Huang and thought of his hopeless canine crush. Suddenly, he understood what it meant to feel like a parent.
There weren’t any pups on the way, but Lu Liu was already grieving on Er Huang’s behalf. He crouched by the snowbank, whispering about how nice that other dog was, hoping repeated praise might make Er Huang fall for someone prettier and sweeter.
But he was just a dog. He could understand simple commands, pick up on his owner’s mood—but long-winded lectures? Totally lost on him.
Instead, Er Huang pawed at Lu Liu, trying to pile snow on him, clearly wanting to play.
Lu Liu had never played in snow before. Growing up poor, he’d always dreaded winter. Couldn’t afford warm clothes, and getting sick meant no medicine. He used to shrink away from the cold, only stepping out to freeze food in the snow outside the door. Playing in snow? Not a chance.
So Er Huang’s invitation stunned him. After a moment, he hesitantly scooped up a handful of snow and tossed it at the dog. Er Huang barked excitedly and joined in.
Maybe sensing Lu Liu wasn’t as strong as Li Feng, Er Huang didn’t pounce—just dug in the snow around him again and again.
Man and dog had a blast. Lu Liu even broke a sweat. Afraid of catching cold, he hurried inside to wipe off and change his underclothes. Then, he rolled up his sleeves to start making lunch.
Li Feng had to finish making all the New Year rice cakes before the fifteenth, so for the past couple of days, he hadn’t been coming home for lunch. Lu Liu figured he’d just make do with whatever was around. But when Li Feng came back to check the kitchen and saw that he’d been eating only pickled vegetables or stir-fried greens, he scolded him good—said he wasn’t taking care of his health.
Lu Liu listened to the lecture, his heart warm and full. His eyes even welled up a little as he smiled. He’s eating his fill these days—and Da Feng still worries about him.
At lunch that day, Lu Liu made porridge with eggs and vegetable greens—egg and veggie porridge used to be a rare luxury for him. He made himself a big pot, couldn’t finish it all, and ended up giving the rest to Er Huang.
Er Huang wasn’t picky. He had his own dog food and loved it, but he also happily ate people food.
Li Feng had said that it was only in the past two years that they’d finally started living a truly comfortable life. Ever since Second Tian got married, Li Feng could finally start saving up his own silver. That gave him more financial freedom, and even the dog got to live well.
Just two years ago, neither of the brothers were married, and just thinking about those times weighed heavily on the heart. Every coin had to be carefully counted. Back then, Er Huang had to share their hardships—he only got to eat more meat when they went up the mountain. Li Feng never brought food with him on hunting trips—he ate whatever he caught. Fresh game didn’t keep long and could attract predators, so most of the time, he and Er Huang shared whatever meat there was on the spot.
Lately, Li Feng had been bringing up mountain stories more often. Lu Liu could hear the longing in his voice. He’d always said Li Feng was a born hunter, so it was only natural for him to miss the wilderness.
Lu Liu asked if he planned to head back up the mountain after the rice cakes were done. Li Feng just said, “We’ll see.”
Since they got married, Li Feng had been reining in the urge to go. And with the New Year approaching, there really was no rush.
He said that twice now, and Lu Liu believed him—though he still worried Li Feng might feel stifled.
But when Lu Liu brought it up directly, Li Feng promised to make him chicken to eat.
“What ‘stifled’? Don’t say weird things like that. We’re living a good life here—eating, drinking, making babies. No need to let your mind wander.”
After finishing his porridge, Lu Liu washed the dishes and scrubbed the pot, then put a pig stomach on to simmer.
After the banquet at San Miao’s house, his mother-in-law had given him the leftover pig stomach to eat. Lu Liu took it as a sign that she liked him now—and that made him genuinely happy.
He sliced it up, gave it a quick stir-fry, then set it on a low flame to slowly stew. It would be served as a soup dish for dinner.
That evening, Li Feng came home carrying a few pieces of freshly made rice cake sprinkled with sesame seeds. They were still warm, and the rich, nutty aroma filled the room the moment he set them on the table.
“San Miao’s husband gave these to us,” he said. “He brought the sesame seeds from his family’s home—over a pound of them. We used some this afternoon to make sesame rice cakes. After splitting them up between a few families, we offered to pay, but San Miao wouldn’t take any. Said his husband was just thanking us for helping with the wedding.”
Lu Liu perked up immediately. “Ah.”
Wow… San Miao’s husband really knew how to handle things properly. Made him feel kind of silly by comparison.
Should he do something to return the favor? But their own wedding had been a while ago—wouldn’t it be too late now?
Li Feng was amused by how cute he looked and reached out to stroke his cheek, planting a kiss on him.
“You don’t have to worry about that stuff. I’ve already been putting in a good word for you outside.”
Whether the sesame seeds actually came from the husband’s family didn’t matter. San Miao said they did, and that’s what people would believe. That’s the kind of unspoken understanding between brothers.
For a little husband who had married into the village, blending in would take time. His husband’s family was his only support, so everyone had to help each other out—for the long haul.
Lu Liu trusted him. If Li Feng said his mother would like him, then she would like him. Heh.
He fetched water so Li Feng could wash his hands and face, and then the two of them sat down to eat.
Lu Liu had played in the snow with Er Huang earlier, and now he chattered away to Li Feng about it.
“His fur had gotten kinda dirty lately from all the mud—little splashes here and there. But after running around in the snow today, he’s all clean again!”
