His mouth was well-trained, spouting strings of hawking phrases outdoors. Family members picked up the lingo, and with so many vendors around shouting their wares, the infectious atmosphere made those who didn’t hawk seem odd. Everyone competed to see who could shout the loudest.
People need to eat and drink, and these days, Lu Yang’s fancy steamed buns were selling well.
Symbolically rich, uniquely shaped, generously sized, and packed with wholesome ingredients—three for just eight cash coins.
Xiaobaozi offered a discount: three for four cash coins. Four-cash buns and eight-cash steamed buns together signified “four-eight stability.” Combined, the six steamed buns and buns represented “six-six smooth sailing.”
The shop was near the county school. After Zhang Tiekong made a sale, he’d return to carry steamed buns out for delivery. The small buns were carried in a bamboo basket.
Each time he went out, Lu Yang would remind him how to hawk his wares, how to call out to customers. Zhang Tieshi was too dense, needing constant reminders.
Sales were brisk, and the dough at home couldn’t keep up.
So Lu Lin brought both older brothers to the shop to rest, catch their breath, drink tea, and knead a few dough balls each before heading back.
Lu Song, Lu Bai, and Zhang Tie rotated shifts. Around the same hour each day, they’d return to the shop to rest, knead dough, and restock.
Lu Lin and Miao Qing would also return, helping make decorative steamed buns during breaks.
Decorative buns sold well but took longer to make than plain round ones, which took just a few kneads to shape.
Sold individually, they fetched only two cash each.
By offering such variety, their shop could charge eight or twelve cash per loaf. Averaged out, the prices were only slightly higher than usual. With such high volume, coins poured into their pockets, creating the illusion that money was easy to earn!
Lu Lin and his group roasted only a little flour—just over a hundred pounds, nowhere near the two hundred pounds Lu Yang had mentioned.
After a few days of selling, they’d run short. Lu Erbao, Wang Fengnian, and Lu Dahe were all roasting in the village. Other relatives saw them and came asking questions.
Lu Yang told them to roast if they wanted, but they’d have to take responsibility for any losses or profits, effectively discouraging a bunch of people.
Those who stayed had their goods hauled to the county town each morning.
This small batch of roasted flour was manageable for Lu Yang. Any unsold stock would linger in the shop to be sold gradually.
Though his business was booming, he himself wasn’t overly busy.
Xie Yan had been home often lately, chasing after Lu Yang with coaxing words, managing to cheer him up a bit. He knew Lu Yang couldn’t stand idleness. With all the businesses booming, it was perfect to have him fronting the shop. That way, Lu Yang wouldn’t have to worry about the outside affairs or the kitchen.
Though there were many people, the shopkeepers didn’t gather together. The inns, restaurants, and teahouses were bustling. Their own shop was quiet; everyone was busy running around outside.
The shop couldn’t close; keeping it open meant someone had to stay behind. Lu Yang found something to occupy himself with, helping make steamed buns up front. After barely two days of this, Li Feng arrived with a delivery of sauces and spring bamboo shoots. Now, he couldn’t make buns anymore, forced to wait for walk-in customers. Otherwise, every time he handled goods or collected payment, he’d have to wash his hands. He didn’t mind the hassle, but seeing the flour washing away into the water still pained him.
Having settled into a quieter life, he avoided worrying to prevent health issues that might disrupt the busy season. Instead, he read books, often sitting by the door to do so.
Sales of The Imperial Examination Answer Manual kept climbing these days: seventy copies on day one, eighty on day two, and a hundred and thirty on day three. By day four, sales began to dip. All the shills had packed up, but word naturally spread among the scholar crowd—no worries about unsold stock.
If it didn’t sell, it meant there were no buyers.
The decline was steady. By the sixteenth day of the second month, total sales reached four hundred and seventy-two copies.
As they had anticipated, some examinees would still buy copies after the exams concluded.
Additionally, private tutors and scholars preparing for the provincial exams would purchase copies to study.
Teachers wouldn’t complain about lacking skills, and with the exam approaching, few could truly relax.
Lu Yang sat by the door, still intending to hawk a few more copies.
But that day, Lu Lin rushed back, hurriedly pulling him inside. He glanced nervously over his shoulder, as if fleeing from a demon.
“What’s wrong? Why so panicked?” Lu Yang asked.
Lu Lin’s face was flushed from running. He stared at Lu Yang, his mind racing through images before asking, “Do you know the Chen family who make tofu?”
Lu Yang suddenly understood. “What about them? Mother often buys tofu from them.”
His calm response left Lu Lin momentarily speechless. After catching his breath and sipping some tea, he briefly recounted the events.
Merchants throughout the county town were bustling about, and Old Man Chen was no exception. He and Lu Sanfeng had set out with their shoulder poles to sell tofu pudding.
They had crossed paths several times in recent days, but hadn’t paid much attention before—mainly because the younger ones like Lu Lin didn’t recognize the Chen family.
By chance, today Miao Qing and Lu Sanfeng met face-to-face.
Lu Sanfeng had once lived comfortably. After months of toil, she looked haggard and aged, though her features remained unchanged.
Miao Qing recognized her immediately. Remembering Lu Yang’s instructions, she publicly acknowledged their kinship, calling out “dearest sister” so insistently that Lu Sanfeng wanted to run away.
But with so many people around, where could she run?
Lu Lin said, “My father wanted to go to the Chen family for dinner, but Old Chen wasn’t happy about it, saying he was too busy. My dad cursed him out right there in the street, cursing both him and his wife. He said all these years they never came home—those who knew said they were busy, those who didn’t assumed they looked down on their poor relatives. When they were making money, they avoided us, pretended not to know us, made all kinds of excuses. But when they needed something, they came knocking? Shouldn’t we have beaten them with brooms? Old Chen got pointed at and gossiped about, so he got scared and brought him home for dinner. My father brought my second brother along. My eldest brother kept selling goods and told me to come back first and tell you.”
With us living so close, running into each other was inevitable.
Lu Yang had prepared for this long ago, having both fathers discuss it with his uncle’s family. They’d been dropping hints around the village lately, laying the groundwork. If they met, they’d just talk about it—reveal the truth about Lu Liu and his twin brother.
He and Lu Liu were biological brothers—all they needed was a formal recognition. No one would suspect they were switched at birth. After that, everything would be settled.
He wasn’t afraid. Instead, he reassured Lu Lin: “It’s fine. We ran into them. Later, you should go to their house for dinner too. Big Brother Song and Second Brother Bai feel awkward eating at my place, so go to the Chen family’s and eat your fill!”
Having spent much time at the shop, Lu Lin had crossed paths with Lu Liu several times and had already pieced together most of the situation. Hesitantly, he asked Lu Yang, “But what if the Chen family comes looking for us?”
Lu Yang crossed his arms, showing no fear.
“Tell them to talk to my top scholar.”
Lu Lin smiled. “Alright, as long as you know what you’re doing.”
He’d returned home, so it was time to eat first.
With the household bustling, noodles had been the staple these past days.
When things got hectic, they’d just slurp down a bowl of noodles tossed with sauce. If it got really crazy, they’d grab a steamed bun and gnaw on it.
Earlier, when customers were few, Lu Yang would head to the kitchen to stir-fry a few dishes to keep on hand.
Everyone else was too busy—Zhao Peilan was practically steaming buns into a daze in the kitchen—so Lu Yang had to lend a hand with the cooking.
The shop stocked plenty of mountain produce. Working physically day after day, he didn’t mind splurging on meat. Bamboo shoots got stir-fried with pork slices, and wild mushrooms got stir-fried with pork slices too.
Lu Liu dug up some wild greens too. He washed them all and made spring rolls and meatballs. The spring rolls were steamed, and the meatballs went into soup.
Lu Lin wanted to go out and sell the spring rolls, but seeing how short-handed the shop was, he didn’t dare voice the suggestion.
Lu Yang sensed his hesitation: “Don’t worry. Even if I could sell them, I wouldn’t. Spring rolls need side dishes, and what we have in the shop is barely enough for our own family. If I asked for more, my brother would have to help too. It’s such a long trip—why make things difficult?”
A small dish of pickled radish sat on the table, brought over by Li Feng last time.
Neither of them had tasted pickled radish before. Its flavor was truly unique—tangy and refreshing, perfect with rice. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much.
Only Lu Yang needed something to whet his appetite; the others could eat straight from their bowls. Having tried it once, they remembered its taste fondly and didn’t compete with Lu Yang for it.
Now, as they ate, it was just the two brothers. Lu Yang picked out a couple pieces of pickled radish for him.
The shop front needed tending, so they carried their bowls and plates to the front to eat.
Lu Yang chatted with him: “Brother Lin, can your family keep up with all the farmland?”
Lu Lin nodded: “It’s busy, but we manage.”
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