While Chen Jiu was drying the mushrooms, he said to Lu Liu, “No wonder Cousin doesn’t like Hua Niu—she’s too rowdy. I can’t even handle her; she’s going to break all my bones.”
Lu Liu replied, “She’s already smashed them to bits.”
Chen Jiu, not as familiar with coarse language and tired, nodded. “Alright, smashed to bits works too.”
Lu Liu found teasing people amusing. That day, when he went out for a walk, he found Yao and whispered and joked with him, laughing for a long time.
By April, Lu Liu’s birthday arrived.
He was a twin, and he shared his birthday with his brother.
His pregnancy was still in the early months, so he couldn’t go to the county town.
He finished making his leather pouch and stitched a small coin purse from leftover scraps.
At home, he steamed birthday buns, following the style Li Feng had used for his own birthday. Besides noodles, he also made some buns and meat pies with preserved meat.
Lu Yang’s shop sold these items, but Lu Liu thought making them himself showed his thoughtfulness. His brother would surely be pleased.
That evening, he would eat at home and let Li Feng deliver the goods to the county.
This time, he only brought some inexpensive mountain mushrooms for delivery. The shop was small and still had residents, so the mushroom stock was too much to store.
He also packed some fresh vegetables and a few rabbits.
Recently, Li Feng had been going up the mountains whenever free, and with Wang Meng, he had caught many snakes.
Having collected so many, selling them individually seemed wasteful.
At the destination, they suggested selling snake soup.
Unexpectedly, this time, Lu Yang didn’t refuse. Instead, he asked them to help slaughter the snakes and extract their gallbladders.
Lu Yang said, “In April, many students head to the prefectural city. Those taking the county exams can become licentiates. Licentiates then take the provincial exams, and if they do well, they can go to the provincial capital next year for the juren exams. Our county has hundreds of examinees. I plan to make some snake soup and sell it near the private academies and schools, and also near the East City Gate. Those going to the prefectural city leave via the East Gate, which is crowded. People say ‘fish leaping over the dragon gate’; with snakes in the dish called ‘dragon,’ a good name guarantees good business.”
Adding a new venture to the shop would keep him busy.
But with the exam season, he could make a little money from the scholars.
Working hard for a while, he could save the travel funds, and the effort would be worthwhile.
When asked for a good name, Lu Yang suggested: “Spirit Snake Brings Blessings, Auspicious Dragon Strikes Gold—eating it brings fortune and success in the exams.”
A few well-chosen words could help earn money from the students.
The business wasn’t urgent. His younger brother had entrusted Li Feng to deliver his birthday gift, and Lu Yang also had a return gift.
The birthday buns were steamed, and he also made some raw dumplings that could be boiled at home.
Previously, he had received a small bronze mirror from Xie Yan. Remembering how his brother had played with rouge, he took the chance to buy another small bronze mirror and asked Li Feng to deliver it to his brother.
Lu Yang also said, “I need to go to the prefectural city to take care of Xie Yan’s meals and daily life, and to check out the city. Keep collecting mountain mushrooms; after June, the county will run short, and we’ll make a good profit.”
Before he returned, his mother-in-law would watch the house, and Lu Lin would handle the shop.
Receiving goods, checking stock—Lu Lin could manage. He couldn’t handle bookkeeping yet, so their mother-in-law would help with the accounts.
For normal deliveries, the handoff would suffice. In urgent matters, they’d ask neighboring Boss Ding for advice.
Non-urgent issues could wait until Lu Yang returned.
On the twins’ birthday, their fathers went out separately: one to the county town, one to the village.
Previously, Lu Liu had wanted to visit his pregnant brother, but Li Feng had persuaded him to wait. This time, there was a reason to go.
Lu Yang’s health wasn’t great; he’d been taking medicine. It had been a long time since their last meeting.
In the village, Lu Liu’s birthday was quiet—like Li Feng’s, just a family meal, no public announcement.
Li Feng brought birthday buns. Their father brought many eggs to make red sugar eggs, and a pair of cloth shoes. Hearing of Lu Liu’s birthday, Yao gave him two pieces of honeycomb honey.
Different from what Lu Liu had seen, this honeycomb was cut by Big Qiang in the wild. It was so soft it seemed to melt in the fingers, particularly sweet.
The amount was small. Lu Liu cut a piece with a small knife, and the whole family enjoyed the sweetness.
Their father, rarely visiting, chatted with Lu Liu about mountain life and everyday matters—a simple, happy time.
In the evening, Li Feng gave him a pair of silver earrings.
The earrings were shaped like willow leaves—the style Lu Liu preferred when sewing belts.
It was his first piece of jewelry.
In the county town, Lu Yang’s birthday was livelier.
Having escaped hardship that year, with business thriving, past good relations bore fruit.
The Luo brothers brought their families, gifting him two pairs of shoes and socks, letting children offer birthday wishes, sharing some birthday buns to join in the celebration.
Master Lu didn’t come, but his young brother, Lu Xiaoshui, did, bringing a set of carved wooden bowls and chopsticks—bowls with auspicious patterns, chopsticks straight and polished like poplar trees, with branches and leaves carved at the top. Lu Yang loved them.
Their father brought another pair of shoes. Knowing Lu Yang was too busy to make shoes, he had made two pairs, one for each brother. Also, some eggs to nourish Lu Yang.
Lu Lin and his wife, busy traveling to the county town, had little free time, so they made some shoe insoles for him.
Wu Pingzhi visited as well. Owning a fabric shop, he initially wanted to bring two long gowns, but Xie Yan refused, so he brought two bolts of bright, patterned fabric to make whatever clothing he liked.
This year, Lu Yang’s clothes and shoes were all taken care of.
When guests arrived, the household hosted drinks.
Boss Ding, hearing the commotion, asked and, learning it was Lu Yang’s birthday, immediately gifted two jars of fine wine.
Everyone else joined in, curious what this clingy husband would give.
Xie Yan’s gift wasn’t novel—a painting.
Lu Yang loved paintings. Previously, they were small sketchbooks with tiny figures, uncolored, simple outlines.
His birthday gift was a proper figure painting.
In it, Lu Yang wore indigo robes, long enough to cover the shoes, with embroidered tips visible. His hair wasn’t tied in the usual bun wrapped in cloth, but in a high ponytail with an embroidered vine-patterned band.
This hairstyle gave him a spirited air, different from his usual refined look. Anyone seeing it would recognize Lu Yang.
The painting could be hung later; for now, they just admired it, waiting until they moved to display it.
Luo Dayong examined it closely, asking Xie Yan, “Why is it only your husband? Where’s your figure?”
Xie Yan smiled, “I’m here, watching him.”
Lu Yang suddenly understood why Xie Yan’s albums only featured him.
His scholar husband truly enjoyed looking at him—quietly when home, intently in the painting.
He was speechless, then burst into laughter.
There was a boldness in his expression, softened by a gentle smile.
Time had changed him; he could be gentle with others now.
…………………………………………..
After the birthday, Lu Yang packed to head to the prefectural city with Xie Yan.
Clothes, shoes, and socks ready, he prepared two sets of scholar robes for Xie Yan, two cotton Taoist robes, and three homespun jackets.
He would wear the jackets on the journey for convenience, Taoist robes for normal outings or exams, and scholar robes for social or poetry-and-wine gatherings.
After Qingming, the weather warmed. By April, he no longer needed padded jackets but brought two blankets for chilly mornings and evenings.
His own clothes were simple: two homespun jackets and two long gowns.
He didn’t need frequent changes. Only when going out with Xie Yan would he change into long gowns, giving Xie Yan some face.
He also brought Xie Yan’s usual inkstone and two well-trimmed brushes, saying they wrote well.
