Wang Fengnian felt slightly relieved. They had come empty-handed today. Li Feng’s arrival at home had been sudden, leaving no time for preparations. Besides, most of the household supplies had been given by Lu Yang, so there was no need to go back and forth moving things.
He glanced again at the goods in the shop. The dried goods were all laid out, including red dates. He had also seen eggs in Zhao Peilan’s room earlier. They said eggs were used in the dumpling filling too.
Sugar, however, was scarce at home. They usually dissolved it in water to mask the taste of medicine. Living in the county made it convenient to buy, so they never stocked much.
Waiting for Lu Erbao to return from catching the chicks, Wang Fengnian told Lu Yang, “Your father and I need to buy a few other things. We’ll go out first and head back to the village with Dafeng later.”
Lu Yang asked what they were buying: ” Do I have any of that here?”
Wang Fengnian replied, “Nothing to eat or drink. Just some needles and thread, that sort of thing.”
Lu Yang didn’t have those.
But when they returned, they brought two packets of sugar.
In the village, to nourish the body, people usually had brown sugar and eggs. If conditions were a bit better, it would be brown sugar and eggs stewed with red dates.
For the wealthier families, it was chicken soup stewed with jujubes.
They’d sold all their chickens last year, so there were no eggs at home. The chicks had just been caught and still needed several months to grow.
Lu Yang had eggs and red dates. They bought two packets of sugar so Lu Yang could stew an egg every day and add a few jujubes too.
“If you’re too busy, just place a bowl in the steamer. When the buns and steamed bread are done, the eggs will be cooked too.”
Lu Yang held the sugar packets, unsure what to say, and simply nodded.
He felt a bit amused. Glancing at them, he couldn’t help but smile.
“Did Brother Liu say something to you? Look how worried you both are.”
Wang Fengnian shook his head. “No, we haven’t seen him. It was Da Feng who mentioned it.”
Li Feng was reliable. He said Lu Yang didn’t look well, so naturally, both fathers were worried.
Lu Yang instinctively touched his face. What did he look like now? He’d fetch a basin of water later to check.
As the sun dipped lower, Xie Yan returned.
He carried a food box, entering through the front gate.
Lu Lin was minding the shop at the front storefront. Xie Yan gave a casual greeting before heading straight to the back yard. His voice carried ahead of him: “I’m back!”
Lu Yang hadn’t yet told Lu Lin the truth. He wouldn’t call him Brother Yang in public, nor could he bring himself to call him Brother Liu.
Previously, when the two were always together, Xie Yan hadn’t found it inconvenient. But after going out several times, he realized the awkwardness. He needed to ask Lu Yang if he had a nickname.
Lu Yang was basking in the sun in the backyard, chatting with his two fathers and mother.
Xie Yan entered, paused for a moment, then called out “Dad” repeatedly before urging Lu Yang to eat.
“I stewed ginseng with black-boned chicken for you. I asked the physician—you can eat more of this. This soup nourishes the heart and calms the spirit. It’s perfect for you.”
The soup simmered for hours, but he hadn’t been idle. He’d taught himself several new dishes from the cook.
Just passing by the shop, he noticed lamb had been delivered again. “Set aside another pound of lamb,” he instructed. “We can make angelica lamb soup. It nourishes qi and blood—you can eat that too.”
When he returned, Lu Yang was silent for a while. Both fathers pressed Xie Yan for details about the doctor’s diagnosis.
Catching Lu Yang’s warning glance, Xie Yan held back half the truth. “He caught a chill recently,” he said. “With the changing seasons and unpredictable temperatures, plus his exhaustion, he hasn’t recovered. His body is weak—he just needs more nourishment.”
In truth, the old doctor had said Lu Yang’s ailments stemmed from a decade-old condition—something impossible to cure in two months. Only the young could be saved; for those older, their time was nearly up.
The root of his illness ran deep. He’d once worked like a beast of burden, full of vigor and spirit, but that had drained his very foundation. Now, recuperating, he naturally felt unaccustomed. Most people start out healthy, only revealing weakness when they fall ill. After taking medicine, they recover and regain their strength and vitality. But Lu Yang was already weak. When the medicinal broth reached his stomach, his frailty became apparent. Though he had been strong before, the medicine made him look haggard. Once he recovers, he’ll truly be well.
Xie Yan hadn’t understood at the time, but the old doctor uttered words he didn’t want to hear.
“Do you know about the deathbed glow?”
A burst of energy before death.
The words were truly unpleasant.
Xie Yan swept his sleeves and left.
A decade-long illness. Ten years prior, Lu Yang was just over eight years old.
Xie Yan’s heart ached unbearably, suddenly harboring deep resentment toward the Chen family he’d barely known.
He’d just told Wu Pingzhi they wouldn’t buy tofu from the Chen family’s shop anymore.
Wu Pingzhi had even teased him about it.
Soup should be eaten hot, and there wasn’t much in the pot—if they shared, he wouldn’t get any. Lu Yang ate alone that time, feeling quite uncomfortable.
Shortly after Xie Yan returned home, Li Feng finished his errands and called from the back yard.
Xie Yan went to open the gate. When they met, he saw Li Feng raise an eyebrow and preemptively declared, “I just stewed some chicken soup for my husband.”
Li Feng: “…”
He hadn’t even said anything yet.
The cart held piglets—six stuffed into two cages. Since the cart couldn’t enter the house, the courtyard gate had to stay open so they could keep an eye on the piglets and prevent theft.
Li Feng unloaded the thirty pounds of pork he’d bought and also brought back several sample books for them.
“Old Master Lu asked me to bring these along for you.”
Books were money-makers; he’d seen the Lu family stockpile quite a few.
If he could sell them all, he could earn over a hundred taels of silver.
He stared at Xie Yan’s head for a moment, thinking, No wonder so many people wanted to study—it was real money spent, but real money earned too.
Xie Yan’s face lit up the moment he saw the sample book. Forgetting to speak with Li Feng, he hurried over to Lu Yang and showed him the book.
It was already February—time to start selling the books.
Lu Yang hadn’t dared press him for updates, but seeing the finished product lifted a weight from his heart. His face flushed with excitement.
He exclaimed several times that it was excellent, then without another word, gave one copy to Li Feng.
He knew Li Feng was competing with Xie Yan, and this book would certainly make Xie Yan look impressive.
Li Feng: “…”
A man without ability speaks without conviction. Li Feng had nothing to say.
It was nearly time for them to return to the village.
Li Feng mentioned something to Lu Yang: “Liu the butcher’s place is too far. When the weather warms up, if buying meat is inconvenient, you can go to Old Gong at the east end of the market. Mention my name, and he’ll give you a discount.”
Since he referred the business, Old Gong would remember him kindly. Next time he bought meat or bones, Old Gong might give him some offal—perfect for feeding Erhuang.
Speaking of which, he wondered if Sanliang was pregnant with puppies. Since he was already here, he’d buy a couple bones to take home. One for Sanliang, one for Erhuang.
Lu Yang knew better and thanked him, telling him to take the pig stomach home: “I bought it for Brother Liu. Give it to him, and he’ll understand.”
Though the gift hadn’t reached Lu Liu’s hands yet, Li Feng understood perfectly. This was the fat rabbit’s return gift.
He tried to refuse, but Lu Yang waved the book in his hand.
Li Feng: “… …”
That book, like the silver, was truly too much for him to bear.
Come to think of it, he’d just asked Old Master Lu whether to print the picture book.
Picture books could make money too. He could visit a few villages and be sure to sell them all.
He put the pig stomachs in the cart, then pulled Xie Yan aside to ask about Lu Yang’s condition.
“My husband worries about it.”
Xie Yan looked gloomy, showing no joy when discussing this matter.
He also had something to ask Li Feng: “How are the Chens?”
Li Feng snorted: “Money-grubbers. Good thing we arranged a marriage exchange. If you’d gone to propose to the Chens, they wouldn’t have left you a single bone.”
Xie Yan didn’t retort, nodding in deep agreement.
His husband was so formidable, yet after leaving the Chen household, he was barely clinging to life. Alas.
He still had to keep studying. Being a scholar wasn’t enough. The Chen family certainly wouldn’t fear him.
Passing the provincial exams would be enough—then he could hold his head high.
He briefly explained to Li Feng: “The deficit is too large; I need to recuperate properly. Oh, and among the soups I’ve studied, several call for mountain mushrooms. None of the recent deliveries had them—keep an eye out for hedgehog mushrooms and cordyceps flowers.”
Li Feng agreed: “Alright, I’ll ask around in the village.”
After settling this matter, Li Feng still itched to make money and asked again: “Can I take the sketchbook to get it printed?”
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