Lu Erbao asked, “How many acres are we talking about?”
Xie Yan didn’t know how much land the Lu family had.
He hadn’t been paying attention when he’d looked around, and had forgotten many details.
Lu Yang finished flipping the sweet potato slices and tapped his chopsticks against the stone slab.
When Xie Yan heard him tap six times, he said, “Let’s give away six acres.”
Lu Erbao and Wang Fengnian both leaned back in shock, urgently protesting, “Six acres, all at once? If we give all of it away, there won’t be any left!”
Lu Yang’s laughter shook his frame, but he didn’t respond.
Xie Yan felt the sweat start to bead on his forehead. He forced a smile and tried to backtrack, “Well, giving all of it away isn’t ideal…”
Lu Yang put a chunk of sweet potato in Xie Yan’s bowl.
Xie Yan hesitated before suggesting, “Maybe leave one acre, or sell all of it and buy better land.”
This was just what Lu Yang had said earlier. Lu Erbao and Wang Fengnian exchanged a look. “Did you two already agree on this?”
Xie Yan replied, “No, we haven’t had time to talk about it these past few days.”
At that moment, Lu Yang spoke up: “Honestly, you see how busy we’ve been? We were in the county town yesterday, then came straight here early this morning. Who had time to discuss this? I said it, but if you don’t believe me, he’s a scholar. He knows more, can do the math. You should listen to him.”
Lu Erbao and Wang Fengnian weren’t so eager to listen.
If Xie Yan were truly capable, things wouldn’t have turned out the way they had.
They’d forgotten that, when they first asked Xie Yan’s opinion, it was precisely because they wanted him to help make a decision.
This just showed how much value they placed on the land—even if it was poor-quality land.
Lu Yang always knew the right words to say, and now he added, “You see why people keep eyeing him? Isn’t it because they have money? We don’t know what will happen later, but for now, let’s focus on making some money and filling our bellies.”
This reasoning made sense, and both dads were willing to think it over.
They didn’t need to make a fortune. As long as they had enough to eat and didn’t have to rely on the children, they were fine. Avoiding trouble for the kids was enough.
If they could save up a little, they could even leave something for the kids.
But the land was hard to sell. Those six acres were all low-quality, yielding little, and hard to sell for much.
Lu Yang said, “I’ll go to my uncle’s place and ask him for help. It’s the end of the year, and people have extra cash on hand. If we buy now, we can plow and plant in the spring. We’ll settle it soon.”
He took six big meat buns and called Xie Yan to come with him.
His uncle’s family didn’t have any children yet, and Lu Lin wasn’t home today, so there were six people at the house.
The house was large, with a round courtyard surrounded by walls and only one big gate.
The main house faced the gate, where his uncle and his wife lived, along with a living room and kitchen.
To the east were the rooms of his elder aunt and uncle, with a storage room for grain. After the harvest, it was where they stored their grain, which would be sold or used for tax payments.
To the west were the rooms of his second aunt and uncle, who had a wood storage room for firewood and miscellaneous items.
In the yard, there were chicken coops, a shed for donkeys, and a bamboo rack.
They had prepared early and were now drying cured meat.
Lu Yang liked the layout of their house—a large family, lively, but everyone had their own space. If the house were a little bigger and they could cook indoors, it would be perfect.
Miao Qing greeted them with a warm smile, praising, “Young Master Liu has become so outgoing, still so polite. What are these buns for?”
Since they all lived in the same village, Lu Yang only visited his uncle’s house twice a year.
Miao Qing was surprised to see him, and even more so when he wasn’t empty-handed, bringing such a generous offering.
Then, he looked at Xie Yan, greeting him with a bit of formality, as if he were a scholar’s husband.
They all sat down inside, and Miao Qing offered them tea and snacks.
Lu Yang naturally steered the conversation to Lu Lin:
“This morning, Brother Lin came to visit me. He brought some sunflower seeds and a basket of peanuts. He said it’s close to home, so he didn’t bring much, but when he has time, he’ll come visit you.”
Miao Qing smiled at the news, telling his daughter-in-law to warm up the buns. He noticed how thin and well-filled the buns were and complimented Lu Yang’s skills.
Lu Yang eagerly responded with words of praise, asking them to taste the buns so he could feel more confident.
“If you think it’s good, I’ll feel ready to sell them in the county town!”
The family was shocked when they heard he planned to sell buns. After the surprise, they all turned their eyes to Xie Yan.
Scholars were supposed to be above such things, and doing business was one thing, but selling buns on the streets? That was another matter.
Who knew Xie Yan would say, “I’m the one who’s useless, making him sell buns to support me.”
Lu Dahé’s family stared at him, dumbfounded.
This scholar was different from the rest.
After some pleasantries, Lu Yang got to the point:
“I didn’t marry far away, but it’s still ten miles each way. I really can’t leave my two dads alone at home. With that little land, if someone’s missing, it’s hard to manage. I came today to ask if Uncle and Uncle Miao can help look after things. As for the land, I’ve already talked to my dad, and we’ll sell it by the end of the year. Do you know anyone who might want to buy?”
Lu Dahé and Miao Qing weren’t in favor of selling the land. In the village, people lived off the land. If you sold it, what would you eat? How would you survive?
But seeing that Xie Yan was present, they spoke a little more carefully:
“You’re a dutiful child, thinking about your family, but this isn’t urgent. Get your life on track first, and there will be time for your father to enjoy his old age!”
They didn’t want Lu Yang to start supporting his family so soon after marriage. If he was sending money back to his birth family, what would the Xie family think of him? Good times needed to be cultivated, and you couldn’t rush things.
Lu Yang glanced at Xie Yan, and Xie Yan, realizing what was expected, spoke up.
He repeated the discussion about farming and raising pigs, taking the blame once again, indicating that all of it was his idea.
Lu Yang immediately added, “My dad can also raise chickens. Raising pigs takes manpower too, but with only two people at home, the land is too scattered. It’s low-quality land, so if we distribute it and look for better land, things will be easier.”
Lu Erbao’s land was truly poor; no matter how diligently he worked, it wouldn’t produce much.
When Lu Dahé saw Xie Yan’s stance, he said, “Alright, I’ll ask around. We’ll keep two acres for ourselves and sell the bad land once we buy better land.”
This seemed like a reasonable solution.
Lu Yang responded in kind, not yet mentioning his plan to team up with Lu Lin to sell buns, but instead asking if they wanted to raise piglets.
In business, it’s important to bring a gift first.
Meat buns to open the way, then a little extra sincerity, and the deal was practically done.
Lu Song quickly interjected, “Can we raise pigs too?”
There was a family in the village that had started raising pigs. They had a sow that gave birth to seven piglets mid-year, but even with money, they couldn’t buy any more.
Lu Song had already decided on it. That family sent the piglets to their daughter’s side, which made him very upset for a long time.
Lu Yang nodded. “Xie Yan has some acquaintances in the county. I won’t promise too much, but we can definitely get two. I’ll keep one for my family, and you can raise one. The two families can work together and share tips when raising them.”
He didn’t promise more, and if they ended up with more piglets, it would be a pleasant surprise. If not, that was just how it went.
Xie Yan, who had suddenly become part of a pig-raising network, felt speechless.
After marrying his husband, he’d really become quite remarkable.
Miao Qing looked at him with newfound respect. It had only been a few days since the marriage, yet he spoke so smoothly, confidently, and without stumbling over his words, not afraid to meet others’ gaze. His words were pleasant to hear too.
But Miao Qing didn’t take it too seriously. Even if they managed to get piglets, they wouldn’t end up at Lu Jiacun. The Xie family’s relatives could swallow those piglets whole.
Lu Yang noticed Miao Qing’s skepticism and said, “Uncle A Qing, I haven’t forgotten how poor my family has been all these years, but you’ve always come to visit. I remember that. I’m being honest with you about this. There is a bit of self-interest involved. You know, in every family, they rely on the strength of their children to support them. Xie Yan is a scholar, but his father passed away early. His mother and child have no one to rely on. He married me, and I’m not much use—just two elderly dads left at home. What can we do?”
“I’m thinking that if Xie Yan’s relatives keep causing trouble, then we won’t rely on them. I’m a Lu, and I have Lu relatives. I’m going to lean on you guys, so when things go bad for us, my maternal relatives will be there to help. It’ll show those with bad hearts that we have support. We’re not people you can push around!”
Lu Yang continued, “You’ve probably heard that Xie Yan’s family has a little wealth, but what does wealth really mean? Every family has some silver. The key is to make money in the long term. We’re going to start by raising pigs. Next year, when Xie Yan goes to school, he can meet more people in the county. That’s not even the most important part. A lot of people want to work in the county and avoid working in the fields. Do you know where people are needed in the county? Which jobs are good, and which ones are hard? Those things will be useful later.”
