Luo Da-Yong said, “Now you have a home and someone who cares for you—you don’t need to carry a knife around to guard yourself anymore.”
Lu Yang chuckled. “That’s true. By the way, Da-Ge, what does Magistrate Zhang like? I’ve sent gifts a few times, but it seems I never hit the mark—no response at all.”
Luo Da-Yong shook his head with a sigh. “He’s busy running the county. Xie Yan is off studying at the prefecture school—of course he’s not proactive.”
Lu Yang: “…”
So realistic.
Luo Da-Yong glanced at him and continued, “Once you’ve opened the door, don’t stop giving gifts during New Year or festivals, especially since you’re in business. A yearly profit of a thousand or eight hundred taels isn’t small. If he wants to make a move against you, it’s a blink-of-an-eye matter. Don’t be stingy with what you hand over.”
Lu Yang knew well that as a business grew, dealings with officials became inevitable. Protection fees paid to thugs or to officials were both substantial sums.
He thought it over carefully. “Wait a minute—Xie Yan’s family roots are still in Sanshui County. Even if he went to the prefecture school, he’s still a candidate from here. He doesn’t care at all?”
Luo Da-Yong said, “He’s never been much for cultivating talent. I’ll invite Master Jin for a drink in a few days and discreetly ask him about it.”
Lu Yang frowned. “Forget it, let’s not ask for now. Too little contact, too hard to gauge. He’s an official, we’re commoners. If he doesn’t want to interact, that’s fine. We haven’t caused trouble, so just leave a good impression.”
Sending gifts and then asking for feedback can make people dislike you.
Luo Da-Yong agreed. Once the shop was ready, the two went to inspect it.
October passed in a busy blur. The shop and workshop were being looked after on behalf of Li Feng. A deposit was paid to have the pawnbroker hold them, and once Li Feng returned, they would decide whether to lease them.
At the end of October, Li Feng and his party, traveling out of the prefecture city, encountered a band of robbers.
The robbers openly spoke of revenge, revealing their origins without reservation.
Li Feng, a hunter, acted with speed, precision, and ruthlessness. There was no time for idle chatter. The moment passed in an instant: fail to act, and the prey would strike. Life or death depended on a single decision.
He needed to capture them for the bounty.
Li Feng drew his bow and called to his brothers:
“Don’t treat them like humans. Treat them as wolves and tigers. Finish them!”
Hunters worked with unspoken coordination: against a large beast, fight from a distance, exhausting the opponent first with arrows, then close in for the killing blow.
The robbers had bows too, but their aim was poor. In the open fields, the flight of arrows was clear; they could be seen and heard and thus avoided.
Ten hunters fought fifteen robbers for half a watch of time.
They returned to the city and handed the captured men over to the magistrate.
Unfortunately, not all the water bandits carried bounties. After the effort, they earned only ten taels of silver—one per person. Far less than the previous bounty.
Li Feng and his group were experienced enough now, while the five additional hunters were newcomers.
With the silver in hand, Li Feng bought wine—one bowl per person to celebrate. Drinking too much was risky; one bowl was enough to loosen the mood, with the rest to enjoy safely at home.
Capturing the robbers had delayed their journey by two days, so they returned on the third day of November.
Once home, Li Feng kept his promise and hosted a small celebration. After a night’s rest, there was little leisure time; he quickly checked the drying grounds, assessed the situation, and reported to the stronghold chief about the road encounter with the robbers.
The next day, he hurried to the county to meet Lu Yang, deliver Xie Yan’s family letters, and check on the shop and workshop. Once the arrangements were set, he could finally return home to his husband.
Li Feng asked Lu Yang, “When are you moving to the stronghold? Xiao Liu has been thinking about you.”
Lu Yang replied, “We’ll wait until you leave for the prefecture. Then Mother and I will go to the stronghold. It’s rare for you two to meet; I won’t go to interfere.”
He was more sensible than Xie Yan. Li Feng told him, “Your husband still has much to learn.”
Lu Yang chuckled. “Anyway, you have to call him ‘brother.’”
Li Feng: “…”
Some things, a bed can’t teach—you either get it or you don’t.
Li Feng left, returning home to his husband.
Lu Liu hadn’t been feeling well lately. His body was heavy, and so was his belly.
He’d gained some weight and retained water. His abdomen had grown, always feeling tight.
He couldn’t sleep soundly, couldn’t sit comfortably, and tired after walking only a few steps.
Continuous sleepless nights left him irritable. He wanted to get up immediately, to walk, and felt deeply aggrieved if anyone delayed him.
He knew it wasn’t right, but after bouts of impatience, he felt guilty, blaming himself for his poor attitude. The thoughts turned quickly, and his eyes welled with tears.
Li Feng hurried to take care of the household chores, then returned to accompany him.
Li Feng was strong; whatever Lu Liu needed, he could assist effortlessly.
Lu Liu felt embarrassed having Mother and Shun-Ge rub his legs or scratch him. With Li Feng, he could just make the request.
He felt itchy. Mother said it was normal; pregnancy often caused it.
He asked Yao Fulang, who confirmed it—it was normal and would cause itching.
Lu Liu restrained himself, even in impatience, he didn’t move recklessly. When awake, leg cramps were rare, but at night, they were unavoidable. Stretching legs could trigger cramps.
Recently, when Li Feng wasn’t home, Lu Liu had troubled Shun-Ge quite a bit.
November brought a sudden drop in temperature.
Wrapped up like a bundle, he could barely walk.
Li Feng stayed home, tending to him for a couple of days until his mood improved.
Once Li Liu smiled again, Li Feng brought the items purchased in the prefecture for him to see.
Lu Liu wanted a good winter coat for his mother. Li Feng, seeing Lu Liu had been sewing all year and with winter setting in, bought ready-made clothes.
He picked a deep green outfit: a long coat reaching the knees with a cross-collar top, and loose-fitting cotton pants tapered at the ankles. Only the collar and cuffs had embroidery; the pants were plain indigo. Simple but elegant.
He had seen women dressed like this in the prefecture city—refined and dignified. Seeing Lu Yang wear long robes, he chose this style for his mother. She could try it on, and if it fit, he’d buy more next time.
For jewelry, he purchased a pair of silver earrings and a silver hairpin.
He also bought a beautiful inkstone for Shun-Ge, as promised—a round inkstone, the edges carved with houses and forests, clouds above, and a hollow area for grinding ink below.
Li Feng liked it immediately, as if he’d found a treasure, and bought it without hesitation.
The inkstone was expensive—1 tael and 5 qian of silver.
Lu Liu examined it, enjoying the smooth texture.
He asked Li Feng to unfold the winter coat. Li Feng did so, demonstrating it on himself, teasing Lu Liu until he laughed.
“Looks good! Why did you only bring it out now?”
Li Feng didn’t tie his mood to his words; he said he forgot.
He had also bought Lu Liu a gift: a gold bracelet shaped like wheat ears.
With the silver earned from ginseng sales, he took care of it first—if delayed until the end of the year after the baby was born, the sentiment would change.
Lu Liu, seeing the gold bracelet, was momentarily speechless.
He had calculated household expenses—without the bracelet, the family had spent over thirty taels of silver this year. With it, the expense was enormous.
Li Feng took his hand and slid the bracelet onto his wrist.
“Jewelry can serve as money. If I give it to you, you take it—it’s like our saved gold.”
Lu Liu held his hand still, not daring to move.
“It’s too expensive. Da-Feng, take it off—I’ll wrap it in cloth with our treasures.”
Li Feng held his hand, then took the other hand to feel the wheat ears on the bracelet.
“I put a lot of thought into this. Smile for me.”
Lu Liu smiled. After laughing, he wanted to remove it, but Li Feng kissed him. Again and again. Li Feng said, “If you want me to kiss you, I’ll do it even if you don’t take it off.”
Lu Liu pushed him lightly, then returned to the bracelet, touching the wheat ears and counting each grain.
