Lu Yang had no objections but reminded him, “Don’t keep splitting it up. If you divide it further, the business won’t work.”
Li Feng understood, then asked about the Chen family.
“Quiet? Acting honest?”
Lu Yang shook his head, poured him some tea, and brought out mooncakes.
“How can they be honest? Their household is chaotic, and he can’t spare the time. I figure, by Mid-Autumn, he won’t be able to hold back. I plan to go talk to him.”
Li Feng was about to head up the mountain but told Lu Yang to wait: “No rush—I’ll go trick him later.”
Lu Yang didn’t like Chen the youngest; he wasn’t a good kid, relied on his wits, and might stir up trouble. He said, “Take Chen the youngest along when you trick him; it’ll save me some effort.”
Li Feng agreed and went to Chen’s tofu shop.
Tricking Old Chen was easy; tricking the youngest was even easier. He came bearing festival gifts and mentioned that they had expanded their business to the prefectural city.
Old Chen had already suspected the marriage switch. Facing Li Feng’s firm stance, he felt powerless. Li Feng was strong and unreasonable, and without marital connections, he could only threaten exposure. But the marriage switch had been nearly a year, and the two brothers had already recognized each other. Who would believe him now?
Seeing Li Feng come with festival gifts, Old Chen’s mind softened; the surface-level kinship was enough. After all, he was still Li Feng’s father-in-law.
He invited Li Feng to eat. During the meal, Old Chen the youngest arrived, drawn by the aroma.
Li Feng acted bright and cheerful, celebrating their good fortune: making money, his husband carrying twins, everything going smoothly—nothing to worry about.
He said, “I was going to bring my husband along for the festival, but with his big belly, it’s inconvenient. I’ll host a meal at home—if you want to come, you’re welcome.”
He delivered the words, and Old Chen readily agreed.
Since the two families had married, Li Feng hadn’t visited yet. The children were already six months along—he decided it was time.
The youngest also wanted to go, unaware of the marriage switch; he intended to ask Lu Yang for some silver to spend.
Li Feng told them to come soon: “I’ll be leaving in a few days.”
Old Chen wanted to wait until the sixteenth of the eighth lunar month; the fifteenth was Mid-Autumn, and the county would be lively. He needed to make money.
By the time Li Feng left, the sun was setting.
He hurried to buy some puff pastry mooncakes. Seeing Lu Liu’s supply of lotus root powder was low, he bought another three jin. Wang Meng had asked him to buy some brown sugar, so he got that too. He remembered Lu Liu liked sour things during pregnancy, and to prevent his husband from missing out later, he also bought some sour plums.
After these errands, he went to Old Gong’s to buy large marrow bones. He hadn’t seen his dog son for a long time, and Er Huang was excited to see him; he wanted to get a bone for him to chew. The newly brought-in female dog hadn’t bonded yet, so he bought a bone for her too.
He arrived late; the pig stomachs were sold out, so he bought two jin of fresh meat, three ribs, and a bucket of pork offal. On the way, he saw someone selling lanterns. Thinking of Shun, he bought a round moon lantern for him to play with.
After all this running around, he got home as night fell.
Lu Liu was waiting at Mr. Yao’s gate, chattering with him. Li Feng returned and gave him a ride home.
Mr. Yao waved: “Come play again tomorrow!”
Lu Liu refused: “I’ll be busy!”
Mr. Yao scolded him: “You, Lu, are just using me for fun!”
Lu Liu laughed heartily.
He had turned mischievous. Seeing Li Feng bring home lotus root powder that evening, he made a bowl and had Shun deliver it to Mr. Yao. Shun hesitated for a long time, intimidated by Mr. Yao.
Li Feng pointed to the moon lantern: “If you deliver it, the lantern is yours.”
No one in the village played with lanterns; Shun was tempted. He had thought the lantern was a gift for Lu Liu, but it was earned by his labor, not a handout.
Seeing him leave, Lu Liu laughed again, recalling the lantern story.
Li Feng, noticing how happy he was, asked, “What did you do today to be so cheerful?”
Lu Liu stood by the door and excitedly recounted how Li Feng brought the goods inside, one by one.
“I went to see my husband this morning, made him some lotus root powder, got him all happy and crying. I saw Wang Meng circling him at home, so I didn’t stay to be a bother, then went to play with Brother An.
“Brother An has been bossing Da Qiang around—I listened, it was funny. Da Feng, you wouldn’t know—Huaniu has become obedient. Since Da Qiang can’t assert himself, Huaniu respects Brother An, cowering before him. She’s been so well-behaved.”
Coincidentally, Er Huang was still circling Li Feng.
Li Feng told Er Huang: “Tuck your tail.”
Er Huang actually did, wagging all the more happily.
Li Feng had bought the large marrow bones; he didn’t cut them yet. After dinner, he boiled them in plain water. Er Huang and Weifeng each got one for a festive treat.
Lu Liu took them to the kitchen, adding washed bones to boil. The first boil included ginger slices and scallions.
After the meal, they were cooked, but to make it richer, they could be boiled a second time to create a flavorful broth, which would make the dogs excited.
It had been a while since Er Huang got a special meal. The house had enough firewood, so they handled it that evening.
Li Feng first cut some cooked meat for the dogs, mixing it with rice.
On Mid-Autumn day, they gave the dogs the bone broth. It was a joy to see.
Lu Liu joined in feeding, which was delightful.
When he tricked Li Feng into drinking water, it had been similar—though Li Feng wasn’t as easily tricked as Er Huang.
He then went to the backyard, handled the eggs, checked on the rabbits, and fed them all together.
Though he cared for the chickens and rabbits, he had made a decision.
Now that he and his husband were together, he could see things clearly. He told Li Feng:
“Da Feng, I’ve decided—we’ll keep the chickens and rabbits this year, but next year, no more. We’ll sell them. The household is too busy; once the baby comes, even busier. Better to focus on mountain goods.”
As he said he wouldn’t keep them, he still watched the chickens and rabbits like a child being robbed of treasures, lips pressed stubbornly.
Li Feng looked at him sideways: “Why suddenly say this?”
Lu Liu said, “Not really sudden. Before, when Mother had me manage the household, I couldn’t keep up, managing one thing but neglecting another. Later, you taught me a lot. These past months, I’ve been greedy, trying to hold on to everything. I should have decided earlier but hesitated. Now I understand—I wasn’t born knowing how to raise chickens. I didn’t know how to raise rabbits before. I can learn these, and I can also learn to sell mountain mushrooms.”
Li Feng quoted Shun: “Little Liu, you’ve grown up.”
Lu Liu knew he had made the right choice. He wanted Li Feng to praise him, feeling on the verge of tears.
Li Feng didn’t praise but said, “There’s no right or wrong. You’re thinking for the household. Making choices doesn’t make raising chickens or rabbits wrong.”
Li Feng thought a moment, then said, “Before I was fifteen, I wanted to inherit my father’s hunting grounds. I was impatient; my archery was strong, and no one my age could beat me. I remembered everything he taught me, thinking I was ready to venture into the hunting grounds.
“Later, my father died, the hunting grounds gone. When I finally went into the mountains, I realized there was a difference between learning and doing. I could beat many people outside, but in the wild, facing beasts, I’d get knocked down and bitten. I knew much about forests and animal habits, but animals are like humans—some behaviors are unpredictable. Even with experience, accidents happen. After eight years out there, I could finally say I knew the mountains and could hunt.
“Look at what I’m doing now—I’m learning business. In life, there’s no absolute right or wrong. We choose what suits us best. Taking this step is hard, but not doing it doesn’t mean lifelong regret. If we don’t sell this year, next year, or even in three to five years? Once we leave these mountains, we’re business people. There will be buyers for mountain goods and mushrooms—we just need to sell them. When I go out, I’ll support you. If you want to raise chickens and rabbits, you still can. I’ll even help you catch chicks and rabbits.”
