In this way, Lu Yang made it convenient for others to learn, and Shun-ge progressed quickly. Soon he would know how to speak properly and be observant, which also made things easier for Lu Yang.
The two brothers sat together chatting, while on the other side, the couple sat together talking as well.
Xie Yan briefly recounted to Lu Yang what he had just discussed with Li Feng, asking him to see if anything had been left out.
Lu Yang gave it a quick listen and waved it off. “Tomorrow I’ll go take a look at the docks. In the morning, you take the dumplings to the prefectural academy. We’ll talk at home tonight.”
Xie Yan agreed, then asked, “I said so much off the cuff—is it too empty, hard to understand?”
Lu Yang shook his head. “Not really. When we go outside to gather news, what we hear is mostly like this—story-like. Right now, you haven’t had direct contact with people, so just noting it down is enough. Once you interact with people and face collisions of ideas, then you’ll know how to handle it.”
Xie Yan rested his hands on the table, speaking gloomily. “I still find it hard to adapt. Thinking about how to deal with people, I can’t imagine the next step. People are just too hard to understand.”
Lu Yang put down his book, copied his posture, leaning on the table with fists stacked under his chin, their eyes meeting.
“You’ve improved a lot compared to before. How long has it been? You haven’t even left the academy, haven’t fought in the real world. If a few debates make you a clever person, that would be too easy.”
Xie Yan laughed softly. “It’s just that I’ve made much progress recently, and it makes me feel capable. When I talked to Li Feng about those matters, I felt my own words dry and stiff, like an official document written on paper. I saw that he hadn’t understood, so I had to explain carefully. After explaining, I worried he might not ask further questions, so I thought of examples. Examples I’m familiar with—I gave many.”
“I realized that for things I don’t understand, my speech becomes dry. If I were as familiar with them as the law, then I’d give examples to make it easier to understand.”
Xie Yan extended one hand straight across the table and poked Lu Yang’s arm. Lu Yang offered his hand, letting Xie Yan grasp and squeeze it.
Xie Yan continued, “Writing also needs examples; arguments can’t be empty words. I think I haven’t actually improved in that regard—I’ve just heard more, recorded others’ words and ideas, and followed suit, making myself seem impressive.”
Lu Yang didn’t let him think that way. This year, Xie Yan had clearly advanced compared to last year. He could combine scholarly knowledge from books with real-world matters. His mindset had changed—he could look forward, not fussing over immediate gains or losses.
Yet this year, he still had doubts and confusion. When resolute, he trusted himself completely and could push down one path with energy. When shaken, he spoke discouraging words and needed Lu Yang to comfort him.
Lu Yang said, “Ah, what are you saying? I don’t understand—it sounds so scholarly. What does it mean? Explain it to me slowly.”
Xie Yan was easy to coax. In just a few words, Lu Yang could divert his thoughts. When Lu Yang asked him a question to discuss real scholarship, Xie Yan completely forgot what he had been saying before and chattered endlessly with him.
He truly loved reading. Those little worries didn’t matter—his eyes brightened, and his words gained force.
Xie Yan’s appearance had a cold air. When serious, he was detached and aloof; when he smiled, he looked childlike. His expressions softened, and his eyes shone with joy.
He wasn’t fully grown yet—still learning how to be a man, learning to hold an umbrella for Lu Yang—yet his manners were very immature. Like a child wearing adult clothes: sitting quietly, he could intimidate, but taking a few steps would reveal the ill fit of his clothes and shoes, making him stumble.
Lu Yang thought: if he likes reading, let him just keep reading.
Ordinary small merchants were everywhere in this world. They had their own ways to survive. With a patron, life was easier; without one, they could still manage.
They chatted late into the night. When it was time to go to the kang to sleep, Xie Yan realized he hadn’t done his homework. He panicked briefly, hurriedly fetched paper and brush, murmuring as he ground ink and recited the Thousand Character Classic to calm himself. After finishing a passage, he put pen to paper, pondered a bit, and wrote an essay.
Lu Yang raised an eyebrow.
A person has strengths—this was true.
Their family’s top scholar candidate was made for reading.
Lu Yang went to sleep first, not waiting for him.
After finishing his homework, Xie Yan carried the candle to the kang, placing it on the kang cabinet, climbed onto the kang to blow it out, and fumbled into the quilt.
The night was cool. He sat for a while, his body warm, but still cool compared to Lu Yang’s hot body.
Lu Yang, used to it, kept his eyes closed, reached out to hold Xie Yan, tucked the quilt around him, and placed a hand on his waist before continuing to sleep.
Xie Yan kissed the top of his head and went to sleep as well.
Early the next morning, Lu Yang and Shun-ge were up.
They made dumplings together—first a pot for Xie Yan to take to the prefectural academy, then another for the family to eat.
After breakfast, Lu Yang took Li Feng to look at houses.
He didn’t have the keys, so they asked the broker to open the doors.
The mud-brick house wasn’t available for viewing. If they really wanted to see one, they could walk a bit further; another street neighbor had a vacant mud-brick house of similar size, which they could peek at.
Li Feng didn’t need to see the mud-brick house. Just hearing the layout and room sizes was enough. They settled on a two-courtyard house as a placeholder.
The house was empty anyway; no one was renting it. Li Feng would rent it a month later.
The broker twitched at the corner of his mouth.
He wanted to say they couldn’t wait, that any good houses would be gone, but seeing Lu Yang standing there with a smile, he didn’t dare.
By now, many examinees were already heading to the provincial capital, all worried about finding housing early. Those who went early secured a place nearby to prepare for the exams, avoiding the August rush when they would have had to sleep in the streets.
At this time, the house had few renters, essentially vacant.
Li Feng agreed, his smile wry: “You can’t trick me—I’ve given you a good price.”
Lu Yang reassured him: “You just take care of the housing arrangements. Later this year, I’ll need you to rent a shop for me.”
The broker immediately grinned, “Then I’ll wait for your good news!”
After seeing the house, they went straight to the docks.
The docks were crowded and chaotic, so Shun-ge didn’t come along.
The academy was far from the docks; they didn’t speak much on the way.
Once there, Lu Yang checked the shop first.
Though the shop had been rented, he hadn’t seen it yet.
Their shop had a sign implying strong backing. At the front, a stall was manned, selling dried mushrooms. The shop door was open, and a few men idly sat there killing time.
The shop was in a market corner. Not terrible, but not prime. It was near the warehouse, with moderate foot traffic. Merchants buying small quantities didn’t need to go to the warehouse, so customer flow would be a little lower.
There was a small courtyard behind the shop, fitted with a large dormitory.
The previous owner hadn’t tidied much. After Li Feng rented it, everything was carefully arranged. The shop was expensive, so the brothers valued it. Following the rules of a safe house, any strange odors had to be cleaned to prevent wild animals from tracking them and to ensure comfortable sleep.
Then there were the kitchen and firewood shed. The firewood shed was large. They hadn’t used it for cooking yet, so it now served as storage.
Many goods were piled inside the shop. Li Feng had people sort them into bamboo baskets, which looked neat and was convenient for sales.
Lu Yang inspected inside and out, then walked from the warehouse end to the market end, pacing back and forth. Their stall was truly inconspicuous.
The wild mushroom trade was decent. With returning customers, they could make some profit—but that wasn’t enough. They needed to attract more customers, draw more eyes to the stall.
Traveling merchants coming to the prefectural city would have eaten in the city and already known mushroom dishes. Let them see the wild mushrooms—even if they bought just a few dozen pounds to try—they could end up taking away over a thousand pounds of goods.
Lu Yang looked at the stall again.
Their stall didn’t stand out. Like most, they simply pulled a board cart forward, placing winnowing baskets on it. Below the baskets were sacks of goods; on top, loose goods for customers to inspect.
Lu Yang said, “This won’t do. Everything inside and out needs changing.”
He was in charge of the shop.
Returning inside, he called everyone over and instructed them to move the goods to the back courtyard first.
