Chapter 3
What’s the asking price?
Old Man Chen widened his eyes and pretended to be annoyed. “What kind of question is that? Do you think I’d cheat you?”
Lu Yang silently listened, inwardly scoffing: Yes, cheating the villagers is exactly what you’re doing.
Then, he heard Old Man Chen lower his voice and warn him, “Once you marry into the Li family, you’re not allowed to sell tofu. Otherwise…”
Lu Yang had worked under him for over ten years and knew his temperament well. He also knew exactly how to respond.
Before his mind could even process a response, his face was already wearing a flattering smile, his tone ingratiating. “Dad, how could you say that? Am I the kind of person who doesn’t know where my loyalties lie?”
This vague response didn’t satisfy Old Man Chen.
So, Lu Yang quickly added, “A hunter’s family never lacks meat. When we get fresh game, I’ll be sure to bring some over for you first. Whatever we don’t eat, we can sell, and I’ll save some of the money for our family. The Li family has over ten acres of fertile land—so our household won’t ever lack grain either…”
He listed one thing after another, detailing how they could make money after his marriage.
Hearing this, Old Man Chen nodded approvingly, his wrinkled face stretching into a wide grin.
Lu Yang carefully observed his expression and casually tested the waters, saying, “That’s why I wanted to negotiate with him. If I manage the household, it’ll be much more convenient for us…”
The moment those words were spoken, Old Man Chen’s expression changed instantly.
“Drop it. He hates being controlled. Do you think he’s really going to oversee everything? In the end, you’ll be the one managing the household anyway.”
Lu Yang fell silent.
Old Man Chen continued, “In marriage, you can’t always try to win. Have you ever seen a little brother act all competitive? Being fierce outside is fine, but at home, you need to respect your husband.”
Seeing that Lu Yang still wasn’t speaking, Old Man Chen gave an example. “Your mother was the same way.”
Lu Yang knew when to stop. He smiled obediently and agreed. But when he lowered his head, he rolled his eyes so hard they nearly flipped to the back of his skull.
_If you don’t care about winning or losing, then why don’t you let your wife boss you around?_
—
Having a mule cart meant they got to the county quickly.
Lu Yang, familiar with the route, drove the cart straight to the market.
Since they had a cart, the stall fee was fifteen copper coins. After paying, they received a wooden plaque, allowing them to pick a spot to sell tofu.
Unfortunately, they arrived on a bad day—many hunters from Li Village had come to sell their game. Among them was Li Feng.
The wedding was fast approaching, and the betrothal gifts had already been exchanged, meaning the marriage was set in stone.
Seeing his future father-in-law, Li Feng acted polite and friendly. But when he looked at Lu Yang, his expression turned cold—clearly still holding a grudge over the earlier argument about household authority.
Lu Yang scoffed.
_Ugh. Acting all moody. Who are you trying to impress?_
Without hesitation, he ordered Li Feng around. “This tofu is delicate and can’t be moved too much. Just move the wooden block, and I’ll drive the mule over.”
Li Feng stared at him, his naturally fierce eyes carrying an intimidating presence. When he raised a thick eyebrow, the aura around him became even more menacing.
Ignoring Lu Yang’s words, he insisted on carrying the tofu himself.
“No need to bother with all that. I’ll carry it down for you.”
Old Man Chen chuckled in agreement and even stepped aside to block Lu Yang, subtly pressing his heel against Lu Yang’s foot—a silent warning to behave. If the engagement fell through, he’d be in big trouble.
Lu Yang forced a smile through the pain and watched as Li Feng rolled up his sleeves to move the tofu.
Exaggerating his admiration, Lu Yang said, “Wow! Big Brother Li, you’re so strong! I can only carry one board of tofu at a time!”
Li Feng’s movements stiffened for a second. Then, with a slight adjustment of his grip, he lifted two boards at once and placed them down.
The surrounding hunters from Li Village all held back their laughter. Some of the bolder ones even mimicked Lu Yang’s tone, “Wooow~ Big Brother Li is so strong~~”
The moment Li Feng shot them a glare, they quickly swallowed their laughter.
So much authority.
Lu Yang’s heart sank slightly.
Old Man Chen, seeing that the two hadn’t started bickering, felt relieved and went off to browse the other stalls. Before leaving, he reminded Li Feng, “He’s a little brother—his face is thinner. Help him call out to customers.”
Li Feng: “……”
_This is what you call ‘thin-skinned’?_
As Old Man Chen walked away, Li Feng turned to Lu Yang.
“You did that on purpose.”
Lu Yang smirked. “So what? Are you going to hit me?”
Li Feng, unwilling to waste effort, turned away and shouted, “Selling tofu!” His tone made it clear he just wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible.
Seeing that his temper was still salvageable, Lu Yang leaned in and asked, “Alright, one last time—if I manage the household and you handle everything outside, is that okay?”
Li Feng slapped his palm onto a board of tofu, smashing a large chunk of it.
“I’ll buy all this tofu. Go find your dad.”
Lu Yang understood immediately and held out his hand. “Three hundred copper coins.”
Old Man Chen’s tofu molds were large—one board contained sixty-four pieces. The set price was two copper coins per piece. Two boards totaled two hundred and fifty-six coins, but Lu Yang intentionally asked for more.
Li Feng didn’t even count—he just handed over three full strings of coins.
Lu Yang weighed them in his palm, nodded knowingly, then untied one string and counted out forty-four coins, handing them back with an innocent smile. “I won’t take advantage of you.”
Li Feng was speechless.
He had just bought all the tofu, and yet Lu Yang still found a way to toy with him.
_This is the amazing marriage my mother arranged for me._
_Absolutely fantastic._
—
Meanwhile, Lu Liu arrived at the county market with his father, Lu Erbao, at dawn.
To avoid the main roads, they took small paths and, once inside the city gates, deliberately circled through several side streets before reaching the eastern entrance—hoping to avoid running into acquaintances.
Since they arrived late, most of the good spots in the market were already taken.
Lu Erbao was reluctant to pay for a stall. He handed Lu Liu the carrying pole and personally lifted the two chicken cages to negotiate with the market overseer, promising that the cages would be stacked to save space.
In the end, they paid eight copper coins for a stall plaque and entered the market to sell their chickens.
Inside one of the cages, Lu Erbao had secretly stashed a basket of eggs. Being an honest man, he didn’t dare openly display them, so he stacked them on top of the chicken cage.
If someone bought a chicken, then he’d let Lu Liu hold the basket.
It was only mid-November, not quite the New Year’s season yet, so chickens weren’t selling well—most people were saving up for holiday shopping.
Knowing that matchmaking season peaked at the end of the farming year, Lu Liu tried a different sales pitch.
“Big, fat, farm-raised chickens for sale! Perfect for weddings—great for cooking or making soup!”
He had another line prepared about chicken soup being nourishing for pregnancy, but since he wasn’t married yet, saying that out loud felt too embarrassing.
His calls attracted some customers—including, coincidentally, the Xie family.
Madam Xie froze upon seeing the Lu family. She was so flustered that she even forgot how to address them.
Calling them in-laws was premature, but calling them “Brother Lu” felt too intimate.
To make things worse, her scholar son, Xie Yan, stood silently beside her, making no effort to ease the awkwardness.
As luck would have it, Lu Erbao was also terrible at conversation.
After a long pause, he finally broke the silence with, “In-law.”
Lu Liu nearly buried his face in his hands.
Summoning his courage, he greeted Xie Yan. “Good morning, Brother Xie.”
