The congratulatory team hadn’t given it much thought; they told Lu Liu the address they had asked about.
Liu Youli was still living in the city, at the prefectural school.
Lu Liu nodded, made a note, and returned home. He and his father brought the children over to congratulate Zhao Peilan. Finally, she had endured and made it through!
Zhao Peilan smiled through her tears, unable to hold them back. Guests came to offer congratulations; she handled the tea herself, then went to offer incense to Xie Yan’s father, speaking of the news.
The news of Xie Yan passing the provincial exam spread quickly. The household’s celebration lasted for several hours.
First came neighbors, then familiar merchants—like Boss Yu from the high-rise and Boss Ding from Ding’s knife-brewed wine tavern.
Unexpectedly, the Hong family also sent a generous gift that day. Hong Lao Wu brought in brocades, silks, ink, and books, each on a carrying pole, signed by Hong Chu.
Xie Yan’s success gave the family’s business newfound confidence.
Li Feng and the others outside, upon hearing the news, were overjoyed. In broad daylight, they rushed home—no more cold notices, no need to post them!
Firecrackers boomed at the door. The two little children, startled but curious, curled up in adults’ arms, covering their ears, eyes blinking rapidly.
As Li Feng and the others returned, more congratulatory visitors arrived.
It was said: one could never give too many gifts. Merchants leaving small tokens or name cards were just establishing goodwill.
Some wealthy patrons, intending to build connections, sent generous gifts.
Zhao Peilan had received such gifts before. When Xie Yan’s father passed the provincial-level exam, affluent families had shown favor. She knew what was appropriate to accept and what was not.
Large silver notes or stacks of ingots, with claims of giving concubines or land, could not be accepted directly. Xie Yan had to return home to decide.
Xie Yan’s father had said those silver coins were meant for travel expenses; they could accept them if needed for social obligations, but never at the expense of the son’s future.
Lu Liu watched closely; he didn’t look pleased at those insisting on giving concubines.
The household celebration even spread to the little food shop. Scholars coming for meals, hearing that Lu Liu’s family had a provincial graduate, asked a few questions and offered congratulations.
Shun Ge’er stayed in the shop, serving honey water to customers as a way to share in the joy.
The celebrations lasted several days before gradually subsiding, eventually overshadowed by the bustle of the upcoming market fair.
Their business didn’t rush to the big fair, but before it, they advertised vigorously. Li Feng’s “cold notices” had paid off—traveling merchants with some spare cash would inquire about the mountain mushrooms.
Some merchants were interested in rare medicinal herbs, which were bought for personal use or gifts. Li Feng, with a clever tactic, bundled some herbs for sale.
For example, a customer buying a hundred taels of mushrooms could then choose a ginseng of a good year. These were the shop’s VIP clients.
No one expected such results; after a few busy days, the ginseng stock was almost sold out!
The dock shop was lively; Li Feng had Da Qiang bring some wild honey to the shop. This batch wasn’t large, and Da Qiang had asked the carriage company about transporting jars, so he knew the logistics and confidently brought fifty pounds of honey as free samples. Customers entering the shop could cut a piece and taste it.
The prices for buying now or later were made clear. Riding on the business momentum, Da Qiang secured an order for over five hundred pounds of honey.
He was delighted, blinking as if stung by bees.
While they were busy celebrating outside, at home Lu Liu hung the menu boards and replaced the windows with beautiful paper panels.
The carpenter had taken care; the windows had simple grid patterns, but the edges were carved with words. Following the menu items, each was meticulously cut, using soup bowls as spacers, creating an elaborate effect.
At first glance, it didn’t look remarkable, but hung in the shop with lanterns lit inside, the effect was striking. Worth every coin spent.
Amidst this bustling scene, Lu Yang and Xie Yan returned home.
Lu Yang felt seasick again; after disembarking, his body was uncomfortable, unable to walk far at the dock. Xie Yan helped him rest inside the shop.
Li Feng, seeing them from afar, hurried over.
Inside, the shop was too crowded for Lu Yang to rest comfortably.
He still worried about the business; while Xie Yan went to the carriage, he asked Li Feng what kind of business they were doing.
Li Feng gave a brief explanation.
Lu Yang retched repeatedly, as if he couldn’t bear to hear about it. He held his chest and told Li Feng, “Forget it, you’re diligent; your business is doing well. I won’t ask more.”
When Xie Yan returned to fetch him, Li Feng called Wang Meng to accompany them and sent Xie Yan to the clinic to check on Lu Yang.
“You’ve never seen someone so seasick. Take care.”
Xie Yan simply acknowledged it, with no interest in other matters.
Outside the dock, Wang Meng drove the carriage, with Xie Yan and Lu Yang seated, eyes scanning the street for the clinic.
Lu Yang didn’t want to go. “I’ll feel better lying down at home, just like last time. Once my feet touch the ground, it’s fine.”
Xie Yan disagreed. Last time conditions were poor; this time, the ship, arranged by Hong Chu, had a better cabin, yet Lu Yang was even more seasick than when going to the city. He couldn’t eat; even a boiled egg smelled foul. Xie Yan couldn’t detect the smell at all.
The two bickered quietly in the back. Lu Yang couldn’t win against Xie Yan regarding the doctor, eventually fell silent.
Wang Meng spoke, “Da Feng asked me to send you. I didn’t know what to say; seeing you still care for your husband as before, I know you haven’t changed.”
Xie Yan said, “Passing the provincial exam is about studying, not how I treat my husband.”
Wang Meng admired him greatly.
Turning a corner, they spotted a clinic. Wang Meng stopped, helped Lu Yang down, and Xie Yan led him inside to line up.
Xie Yan muttered quietly, like at a temple, “Don’t get sick, don’t get sick.” Lu Yang’s heart softened; he squeezed Xie Yan’s hand, reassuring him.
“I’m fine, not that uncomfortable.”
After the Frost Descent, it was very cold; everyone wore jackets, and colds were common.
They waited in line, but the process moved quickly. Patients sat one after another; the doctor checked pulses, wrote prescriptions, and said nearly the same things each time.
When it was Lu Yang’s turn, he sat with his hand on the pulse pillow. The doctor felt his wrist, wrote a few characters, then paused, looking up: “Oh, not wind-cold.”
Xie Yan’s heart jumped!
The first time he took Lu Yang to the clinic, the old doctor had diagnosed a serious illness immediately.
He rushed to explain: “My husband’s seasick, legs weak, can’t eat anything!”
The doctor’s words were interrupted by Xie Yan. He felt the pulse again, then smiled: “That’s right, a joyful pulse. Congratulations—your husband is pregnant!”
Xie Yan was stunned. “What?”
Lu Yang looked up. “Pregnant?”
The doctor didn’t write a prescription: “He’s one and a half months along. Seasickness and morning sickness—just rest at home.”
Xie Yan’s heart skipped a beat, joy mixed with shock.
One and a half months! What had happened a month and a half ago? Early August—just a few days before the exams. He had been taking the test while Lu Yang endured hardship outside: poor appetite, restless sleep, much walking.
Fear gripped Xie Yan; his hands trembled on Lu Yang’s shoulders.
He wanted the doctor to prescribe something to nourish Lu Yang, but the doctor insisted: “Medicine carries toxicity; if there’s no illness, don’t take it.”
Finally, Xie Yan felt reassured; no prescription was needed.
According to small customs, a doctor who diagnoses a joyful pulse receives a reward.
Xie Yan handed over a silver coin, about one qian and five fen—roughly one hundred and fifty-five wen. Very generous.
