Lu Liu said, “We could make lanterns too. You see how lively the new village gets during the Lantern Festival? Maybe this year, our stronghold can have lanterns to look at as well.”
Shun-ge’er didn’t dare imagine it.
“The Lantern Festival is during the New Year period. Mid-Autumn is a big holiday too, but farmers rarely travel far. They just gather every day, maybe buy some mooncakes to eat.”
As they chatted, Lu Liu said he wanted to help in the kitchen, but Shun-ge’er wouldn’t let him.
“The mountain road’s rough. You should rest. Just a few simple dishes—when you get home, I’ll cut some meat and stir-fry it. It won’t take much effort.”
Li Feng asked, “What’s wrong with Jiu-ge’er?”
Shun-ge’er didn’t know exactly. “Lately he’s often had stomach pains and dry heaves. Mom asked before, and he said he’d eaten something bad. Now Wang Meng came home and offered to take him to the physician, but he wouldn’t go. He said that in the stronghold, husbands going to see the doctor is mostly to check fertility. If he wasn’t pregnant, everyone would laugh at him. Wang Meng couldn’t argue him into it and got worried, so Mom had to go persuade him.”
Li Feng frowned. “Such a stubborn nature… I wonder who he takes after.”
Having spent more time with Chen Jiu recently, Shun-ge’er thought he was decent but too headstrong and awkward, poor at expressing himself.
“He really seems pitiable to me,” Shun-ge’er said.
Li Feng told Lu Liu, “Sit for a while. Don’t touch anything outside. I’ll tidy up and then go check on him.”
Lu Liu agreed.
After some casual family talk, he felt fully at home again. Everything familiar in the stronghold came rushing back.
He didn’t rest. He left the big items and only carried in his lantern and books.
The books were beginner’s primers his brother had bought for him. Every day he read them twice.
Each of the three books had only a few lines per page, specially bought with large print. He could recite the Hundred Family Surnames by heart. The Thousand Character Classic he knew a bit less, and he was only familiar with the beginning of the Three Character Classic, still needing extra time to study.
His painting with Li Feng and some recent letters were tucked inside the books.
Though the books were thin, there were many letters. His brother had carefully wrapped them all with large sheets of paper, each letter neatly secured.
He placed the books and letters in the room, along with the lantern.
He lit the oil lamp and tidied the room a bit. The kang bed was already clean, the table free of dust. He realized his mother and younger brother had been keeping up with chores. Warmth and emotion filled his heart.
His brother was right: family treated him well, so he should act appropriately in return.
The room didn’t need much more tidying, so Lu Liu went to the cart to fetch his lotus root starch and took a bowl to the kitchen to mix some up.
Dinner was about to start. He made a small portion to let Shun-ge’er taste it fresh.
The house had walnuts and peanuts. He shelled some, crushed them, and stirred them in. He prepared it so Shun-ge’er could try.
Shun-ge’er tasted the sweet paste and felt the same delight as Lu Liu. He ate only a few spoonfuls before it was gone.
“Delicious, just a little lacking,” he said.
Lu Liu replied, “After dinner, if you want more, I’ll give you some.”
Seeing the small amount left, Shun-ge’er said he didn’t need more.
“Eat, eat,” Lu Liu urged. “It’s just one more mouthful.”
They sat for a while, and then Li Feng and their mother returned home.
Both asked about the situation—whether Jiu-ge’er had gone to see the physician.
Chen Guizhi said, “Strong-willed. I told him, if he didn’t go, I’d have Wang Meng carry him there, which would embarrass him even more. Still, he refused. So I asked Wang Meng to bring the physician over, but he still wouldn’t go. Finally, when Da Feng went, he wouldn’t resist being carried. That’s how Wang Meng got him to go see the physician.”
The physician lived nearby, a simple pulse check, nothing troublesome.
Good news: Jiu-ge’er was indeed expecting. Three months along already. Earlier, during the first months, he had overexerted himself and suffered, and now his abdominal pain and nausea worried him. The physician prescribed medicine to support the pregnancy.
Lu Liu listened, heart racing with worry. “Will the child be safe?”
Chen Guizhi nodded. “Yes. Three months in without issue. Once he heard the good news, his spirits lifted. Take the medicine to protect the baby and rest well—nothing serious.”
Lu Liu breathed easier and wanted to check on Jiu-ge’er, but it was getting dark and inconvenient.
They returned home to eat.
During the meal, there wasn’t much conversation. Li Feng was ravenous, ate two bowls quickly, then chatted casually.
Afterward, they sat and talked for a while.
Nothing had happened in the prefectural capital; business went smoothly, and connections with the dock officials would make things more convenient in the future.
Chen Guizhi asked about Lu Liu’s time in the county town, and he eagerly recounted it. Both she and Li Feng remarked, “Your brother really treats you well.”
They said siblings grow distant after marriage, but the Lu brothers were different—still close even after marrying, no boundaries between them.
That evening, they kept it short to let Li Feng soak and rest early.
The shallow wooden bath tub his brother had arranged had arrived. If Lu Liu wanted, he could heat water and bathe.
He didn’t fuss tonight, focusing on Li Feng instead.
While waiting for the water to heat, Li Feng brought in all the luggage from the cart.
Lu Liu took out his change of clothes and planned to pack the rest later.
He hadn’t brought much to the county town—three sets of clothes and shoes, a embroidery basket, a bamboo pillow, and his pig-hair toothbrush. Also a few small items like a tiny copper mirror. On the return trip, it was the same things, plus an assortment of snacks. Lotus root starch was just one of them.
Once everything was put away, Lu Liu climbed onto the kang, brushed it off, spread out the bedding and pillows, and set his bamboo pillow in place.
Before long, Li Feng returned from his bath.
He carried a bucket of water to help Lu Liu wash his face and soak his feet.
With his twin pregnancy, Lu Liu’s belly was larger. He kicked off his shoes and socks, and Li Feng squatted to help, holding his feet in the basin, asking if the water was too hot.
Lu Liu relaxed, eyes half-closed. “Not hot.”
He wanted to soak his feet with Li Feng, something they hadn’t done together in a long time.
Li Feng agreed at his invitation.
Lu Liu enjoyed pressing his feet against Li Feng’s back, finding it amusing.
Li Feng noticed his feet were a little swollen. Lu Liu explained that normally they weren’t, but he had walked a lot today—visiting Old Master Wu, trekking the mountain road, and he hadn’t had a nap.
Li Feng nodded in understanding. That night, he didn’t fuss, wiped his feet, and they turned off the lights to sleep.
Li Feng hugged Lu Liu from behind, lifting one leg to rest over Lu Liu’s, giving support. Side by side, it made lying down more comfortable. The bamboo pillow was still firm, supporting the belly but not the limbs comfortably.
