Printed editions had more regular characters. Lu Liu liked that kind of writing—horizontal strokes level, vertical strokes straight, with fewer curves. Hand-copied books were much harder to imitate; many strokes were unclear, and he could not tell how they had been written.
He told Lu Yang, “When the baby is born, Da Feng and I will buy a little horse for him to ride!”
They had experience now. The horse should be bought a few years later, when the child was about three. Then the child could learn from adults how to feed it, spend time with it every day, and even climb onto its back to play. A newborn would have no use for such things.
Lu Liu then spread the fabrics onto the kang. He did not mention the whole bolts much—what mattered were the scraps.
“When I sewed the Hundred‑Family Clothes and Hundred‑Family Quilt in the mountain寨 before, I matched the colors and patterns of the cloth as I patched them together. Some colors look nice together, but some really don’t. Sometimes a tiny patch stands out too much and makes the whole garment look dull, or even like it’s stained. Children’s clothes are small, so I picked soft, fresh colors. They’re all good fabric—very soft to the touch. If we finish sewing early, we can rub and knead them from time to time. By the time the baby wears them, they’ll be soft, comfortable, and pretty!”
He knew how to match the fabrics, selecting some to leave here and taking some home. He also planned to make a Hundred‑Family garment for the baby himself.
Lu Yang listened to him line by line, smiling more and more as he spoke. “You’ve arranged everything for me already. What am I supposed to do?”
Lu Liu counted seriously on his fingers. “There’s plenty you can do. Eat when you should eat, sleep when you should sleep. Walk around a bit every day, but don’t go far—just come to my house to see me. If you want to sew clothes, sew clothes. If you want to play chess, play chess. You can read storybooks, practice calligraphy, and study. Didn’t you say you wanted to learn painting before? You were always so busy and couldn’t find the time. Now it’s perfect. You never wanted to rest, but your little baby feels sorry for you, so it’s making you rest!”
Lu Yang felt deeply moved. When Lu Liu had been pregnant before, there had been a period when he carried heavy thoughts and worried endlessly. Now that he had made it through, he could use his experience to guide others.
Lu Yang did not know whether he himself might fall into anxious thoughts later, but in this moment he felt immense comfort. His younger brother had grown up.
The feeling was similar to how he looked at Xie Yan. Both of them had matured—from people who needed care to people who could care for others.
Tears shimmered in Lu Yang’s eyes as he smiled, his gaze bright.
“Our Liu-ge’er really knows how to talk. You’ve made me so happy.”
Lu Liu set the cloth aside, rose, and moved closer until they sat shoulder to shoulder.
He had a naturally affectionate temperament and liked physical closeness. Wrapping his arms around his brother from behind, he pressed his face against his shoulder and said with a grin, “I can even make you cry! I’m very capable!”
The brothers were warmly affectionate in the room, while the two brothers‑in‑law whispered outside.
Xie Yan had just praised Li Feng. After counting through the items, he suddenly said Li Feng did not know how to handle things.
“You should have left me a couple! These plums and chilies—you could have let me buy them. Now it makes me look like I have no sense.”
Li Feng told him to be satisfied. “You’ve just passed the exam. I’m giving you face by letting you talk a bit. Don’t get carried away.”
Xie Yan asked, “So what? What can you do about it?”
Li Feng glanced toward the room and laughed. “I’ll tell your husband you’re complaining that what we bought wasn’t good. He’ll be furious.”
Xie Yan: “……”
He had never said the gifts were bad!
“I’m saying you bought too much. You could have bought less and left some for me.”
Li Feng had indeed left him something. “Today Liu even wanted to buy a calligraphy copybook for Lu Yang to pass the time. I told him Lu Yang could practice by copying your writing instead. Tell me—that’s giving you face, isn’t it?”
Xie Yan burst out laughing and stopped caring about the plums and chilies. Now he began praising Li Feng again for being thoughtful and capable.
After their playful quarrel, they turned to other matters.
Wang Meng and Da Qiang had finished their work and were waiting to return to the county, depending on when Xie Yan planned to leave.
Xie Yan had nothing else to do. Estimating the days, he could depart within the next couple of days—leave early and return early.
This trip home would bring Old Master Lu’s family and the Luo brothers back with him. Li Feng would help find them a house, and they could also begin looking at workshops and storefronts for the study.
Li Feng had already seen several shops. Some were unsuitable for the trading company’s front, but they would be fine for a study.
The trading company needed to be in a busy district. Li Feng had rejected shops near the academy. Xie Yan had said he wanted something larger, with space in the back courtyard for scholars to read, so Li Feng understood they needed a quieter storefront.
Such places were easier to find. A study was different from other businesses—it served scholars. Once it built a reputation among students, even a slightly remote location would attract customers. New books could be announced around town to draw them in.
Li Feng asked, “What’s the budget?”
Xie Yan had just read Lu Yang’s Provincial Capital Notes, so everything was clear.
“A place like that costs about thirty to fifty taels of silver a year. Ideally under forty.
“We’re not choosing a busy district, so the storefront price should stay lower.”
Li Feng memorized this and planned to ask the real‑estate broker another day.
He had something else to ask. “That Liu Youli also passed the exam? Liu told me he’s still living at the academy?”
The moment Xie Yan heard the name Liu Youli, his face turned cold with unmistakable disgust.
When he visited the academy, he had not seen Liu Youli. He asked the instructors and learned that Liu Youli was still in the provincial capital. He had sent letters home and planned to return next year, staying here in the meantime.
“I wanted to beat him up,” Xie Yan said, “but I couldn’t find him.”
Li Feng raised an eyebrow. After asking a few questions, he learned that Liu Youli was equally despicable outside the academy.
He told Xie Yan about He Qingzao’s situation.
“After the announcement of the exam results came to the door, Zao‑ge’er became very frightened and hardly dared leave the shop. Liu says he looks exhausted these days—probably hasn’t rested well. They still haven’t divorced. Dragging things out like this isn’t a solution.”
Xie Yan frowned deeply as he listened. He had known Liu Youli did not care for his husband, but he never imagined he might try to kill him.
Li Feng continued, “After we saved him that time, we thought about reporting it to the academy. But we didn’t dare. Liu Youli has official status now. If he becomes a provincial graduate, what would it mean to deal with someone like He Qingzao? If we speak up for him, we might be accused of stirring trouble. Our family has elders and children—we didn’t dare take that risk. We thought we’d wait for you to come back. No matter what, you’re no worse than Liu. Maybe you can help with the divorce.”
There was a saying: even an upright magistrate finds it hard to judge family disputes.
Xie Yan was not close to Liu Youli; he had no way even to persuade him.
If Liu Youli refused absolutely and insisted on taking He Qingzao back, they could only watch.
A married husband had little control over his own fate. Men decided everything.
After thinking for a while, Xie Yan said, “The only way is to bring it before the magistrate. But even that would be difficult. Unless the prefect is willing to do me a favor, he won’t offend another scholar. The verdict would probably send He Qingzao back to the Liu family.”
Li Feng also felt it was troublesome. After being neighbors for several months, he had sensed a certain ruthlessness in Liu Youli.
If the matter reached court, even if Liu Youli lost, he might return to his hometown and summon He Qingzao’s parents.
Liu Youli was already a respected scholar. If He Qingzao refused to live with him and insisted on divorce, what would the parents think? Once they intervened, no one else would have grounds to help. The matter would end there.
Xie Yan proposed another idea.
“We could send him away somewhere far and have him live under a different name. Liu Youli can’t issue a warrant, and without knowing where he went, he can’t ask others to find him. Honestly, I think Liu Youli would rather He Qingzao disappear entirely and wouldn’t chase after him. After a few years, even if they passed each other on the street, they wouldn’t recognize each other. If He Qingzao wants to return to the provincial capital later, he can. As long as he doesn’t provoke Liu Youli, the matter will fade away.”
Li Feng thought it was feasible. He had connections at the docks now and knew some traveling merchants. They could send He Qingzao along the river for part of the journey. Ideally, he could even be sent back to the mountain寨, where Li Feng could arrange a place for him. They would ask He Qingzao where he wished to go.
But the next morning, before they could act, trouble arrived at the snack shop.
Liu Youli had come.
Somehow he had learned the news that He Qingzao was working as a helper at Lu Liu’s snack shop and living there. Early that morning, he came looking for him—entering through the back courtyard.
