Lu Liu said with a cheerful smile, “I made the last pair for Da Feng. This pair I’m working on is for my brother.”
Yao Fulang nodded, not surprised at all.
“You should make your brother a good pair of shoes. He’s really bringing you honor and backing you up. Now when you go out, hardly anyone dares to say sour things anymore.”
When two people aren’t that far apart, the gossip and snide remarks come by the basketful. But when the gap grows too wide, all that’s left is envy.
Before, people liked to say things like, “So what if he’s a young master from the county? Once he marries into the mountains, he’s just a mountain chicken, never a phoenix.”
But look at things now—when someone from the county supports you, your life really does turn prosperous.
Lu Liu nodded quickly. “I’ll finish this pair first and have Da Feng take them to the county. Then I’ll make another pair and bring them next time.”
He had gotten a lot of fabric this time. There was housework to do and orders to complete, so he wouldn’t have time to make summer clothes. He planned to make a quilted jacket instead.
He still had a bolt of patterned cloth—deep maroon with tiny flower prints. He had wrapped it around himself to check the look. The color was flattering.
A quilted jacket would be perfect for autumn. He heard from Li Feng that his brother had worn a long robe in the county and looked pretty good in it. Lu Liu wanted to make the jacket longer this time.
Down past the knees but above the calf—a long style that could layer over a robe, warm and windproof while still looking nice.
For himself, though, he preferred short jackets—easier to move around in when doing chores.
Yao Fulang liked pretty things. Hearing the design, he insisted on having Lu Liu demonstrate.
Miao Xiaohe had seen similar jackets in the county and gestured along with him.
Yao Fulang seemed to have seen something like it too, but couldn’t be sure, so he urged Lu Liu, “Hurry and make it. Once it’s done, let me see—if it looks good, I want a set too.”
By autumn, the baby in his belly would be born.
Whether it turned out to be a little young master or a little boy, this was his and Da Qiang’s first child. The whole family valued it deeply, and of course they would buy him some fabric to make new clothes—he deserved it.
Both Yao Fulang and Miao Xiaohe brought out their embroidery baskets and sat down to work.
Yao Fulang was making clothes for the unborn baby. The hundred-family blessing vest was already finished; now he only needed to sew some little garments.
Miao Xiaohe was making shoes. Men wore through shoes fast, and thin cloth shoes didn’t last—run a little and a hole would pop out. San Miao loved running up the mountain, walking miles every day, so he needed even sturdier shoes.
Lu Liu had grown up poor and hadn’t seen many shoe designs. Seeing the styles Miao Xiaohe was working on, he scooted over to learn.
Miao Xiaohe laughed when he saw him. “Don’t copy this style for your brother. I’ll teach you another one. Make a flat opening across the top, and add a strap across the instep. You can tie it with a ribbon. Embroider some flowers on the vamp and the strap—or use floral fabric. It’ll look quite handsome.”
Lu Liu couldn’t picture it at first, so Miao Xiaohe drew a template for him. Using scraps of cloth, he pieced together something rough but easy to understand.
Luckily, Lu Liu had only finished the soles and hadn’t started the uppers yet. He really wanted to try the new style and make his brother a nice pair of shoes.
Chen Jiu listened to them chatting away happily, then looked down at his own pile of mushrooms that seemed endless. His brows wrinkled in frustration; he was full of resentment.
Chen Guizhi told him, “Go over and chat with them.”
They were all in the same courtyard anyway. As long as their hands kept moving, it didn’t matter.
Chen Jiu refused.
Chen Guizhi asked again, “Are you two still upset with each other?”
She meant him and Lu Liu.
Chen Jiu tossed the mushroom in his hand into the basket, looking dejected and drained.
He said to Chen Guizhi, “Auntie, back home everything was good for me. My family spoiled me. I never lacked for food or drink. When other boys were busy with chores, I could stroll around the county. After your family got back on your feet, we also often had wild game on the table. I never lacked meat. Before marriage, I had several pieces of jewelry—not gold, of course—but at least a couple of taels’ worth of silver pieces. Then you helped introduce the match, and Wang Meng came with a very generous betrothal gift. It was the best within ten miles. After I married in—not saying the life is extravagant—but it’s not worse than before. I have food, clothes, jewelry…”
He had always been someone others envied, always smooth-sailing, proud and carefree.
But after the Chen family returned to the village, compared to Lu Yang—another boy from Chenjiawan—he was inferior in everything.
He ate well at home, but Lu Yang not only ate well, he could treat outsiders to good meals too.
He had new clothes and jewelry, but Chen’s father was a businessman. Naturally Lu Yang had new clothes and jewelry as well.
And the betrothal gifts—Wang Meng had given him twelve taels, already a rare sum. But Li Feng had given Lu Yang twenty.
He felt crushed in every aspect. Suddenly he realized that he was the mountain chicken, and anyone from the county could outshine him.
His personality wasn’t great, and he didn’t have many friends in the village. Even before Li Feng proposed, he’d already heard the gossip—everyone compared him with Lu Yang.
And after all that comparing, the two ended up being relatives-in-law in the same village.
Even though they were kin, Lu Yang played with Yao Fulang and didn’t come to see him.
And the few times they did meet, even Lu Yang’s smile felt like a stab to the eye.
Over the past weeks, living together, he hadn’t been happy at all. Lu Liu had no bad intentions and yielded in everything, but that only made the words stuck in his chest harder to swallow.
Then Lu Liu’s brother came from the county, and whatever tiny bit of competitive spirit he had left evaporated.
Hearing all this, Chen Guizhi understood his feelings. After thinking a moment, she said, “Why compare yourself to him? Everyone has their own fate. You’ve lived such an easy life—good family, good in-laws, and your husband is capable and treats you well. If you just take care of your own little household, you’ll have a good life ahead. What’s so special about some county-born identity, anyway?”
Chen Jiu nodded. “My dad says the same thing.”
He was just…bothered.
Chen Guizhi patted his hand. “Take a break. Go over and play with them. Your cousin-in-law doesn’t mean any harm. He talks about this and that, but if you listen carefully, you’ll hear that he’s not showing off—he’s just genuinely happy.”
Chen Jiu still didn’t go.
In the afternoon, Chen Guizhi asked him to tie bundles of chives and deliberately called Lu Liu over to help, putting the two together.
Lu Liu set down his needlework and came over.
He was quick and precise—didn’t even need a scale to grab a nearly exact handful. They would weigh each bundle and place them in a tray.
Shun Ge’er tied them with straw.
Chen Jiu was slow. Whenever Lu Liu finished early, he helped tie bundles too, and when the scale was free, he weighed the next handful.
Noticing the irritation on Chen Jiu’s face, and remembering that the last time he was this irritated was when Wang Meng had gone up the mountain, Lu Liu asked, “Is Da Meng not home? You miss him?”
Chen Jiu shot him a baffled look. “Why would you ask that?”
Lu Liu answered honestly.
Chen Jiu stared. “You can actually read expressions?”
Lu Liu: “…”
If he couldn’t, he’d be blind.
He stared back, just as surprised. “Do you think I’m stupid?”
Chen Jiu: “…”
No need to think—the answer was obvious.
Lu Liu didn’t want to be treated like a fool. After thinking for a moment, he muttered back, “If you can’t tell I’m smart, you’re the stupid one.”
Chen Jiu didn’t reply. He picked up the next bundle of chives and passed it to Lu Liu to weigh, then went back to tying chives with Shun Ge’er.
Shun Ge’er looked between the two of them and sensed something…off.
But even after they finished, nothing exploded.
Chen Jiu was like a dud firecracker today.
Lu Liu was confused too. With that confusion, he packed up for the night. After dinner and washing up, when he and Li Feng lay on the heated bed, he said, “Strange, isn’t it?”
Li Feng thought this whole group of little husbands was strange—chattering nonstop every day.
He had to go to the county tomorrow to deliver goods. Once Da Qiang came back, he’d go again.
Lu Liu hadn’t finished the shoes. Hearing this, he tossed all thoughts of Chen Jiu aside and wanted to keep working through the night.
Li Feng took his embroidery basket away and set it aside. “Give your eyes a break. Sewing every day—aren’t they tired?”
Lu Liu rubbed his eyes. “A little.”
