Chapter 52
Lu Liu: ……
He recalled the way his brother and Li Feng looked at each other. It seemed that in Li Village, listening to one’s wife or husband’s words was considered quite shameful.
He would never bring this up to Li Feng again. It was too terrifying.
Lu Liu, fearing that Li Feng might not hear his inner thoughts, even ended up saying it aloud.
“Da Feng, I’ll listen to you from now on.”
Li Feng was delighted.
He was easily pleased when he was in a good mood.
“I’ll discuss things with you if I have any issues.”
Chen Guizhi and San Shun: ……
The two husbands didn’t eat lunch at home. As it neared mealtime, they went to San Miao’s house for a drink.
San Miao was the third in line, with two older brothers who were already married.
His family lived in the New Village, in a newly built house. They had sold the old village’s house to someone else and used the money to build a large house. Now, all three families lived together, with their parents still alive, making the home lively.
Lu Liu looked at their flourishing family and thought about the bullying and disdain he had endured growing up. He couldn’t help but feel envious.
He couldn’t resist touching his stomach, thinking that he wanted to have more children so the house would be full of life. When he and Li Feng got older, their children would help each other out and wouldn’t have to suffer from others’ mistreatment.
Li Feng noticed him touching his stomach and asked, “Are you feeling unwell?”
Lu Liu shook his head.
He looked at the bustling scene ahead and quietly said to Li Feng, “I want to have more children.”
Li Feng unconsciously smiled and, holding Lu Liu’s hand, led him to a seat. His tone softened.
“Don’t worry. We’ll have a lively life too, just like this.”
Lu Liu’s affection for San Miao’s family skyrocketed.
This was his ideal family.
The meal was very harmonious. San Miao had invited brothers they got along well with. They often went hunting together in the mountains and trusted each other deeply.
At this table, Li Feng first mentioned that Lu Liu was shy, and they all kept their conversation in check. There were some playful jokes and a few spicy stories, but none were aimed directly at Lu Liu.
After the meal, Li Feng went with San Miao to buy fish, catching three large ones.
San Miao said, “My father gave half of them to Da Qiang’s family. You live close by; didn’t you go ask him?”
Li Feng replied, “It’s his three fish that made me crave them. He’s really asking for a beating. If I go buy, he won’t sell them to me.”
San Miao laughed for a while and then gave him another fish.
Buy three, get one free—great deal.
The two husbands went to see Chen Guizhi, leaving one fish behind. Lu Liu shared a recipe for fish soup with San Shun, then went with Li Feng to return home.
At home, Lu Liu cooked the fish soup, and Li Feng went to fetch water. Life was peaceful and happy.
The first snow of the winter had fallen.
The trouble stirred up by Lu Yang and Xie Yan was still brewing. They were accused of dubious debts, and while the villagers would occasionally stir things up at Xie’s house, they had no real backing to challenge each other. They only whispered behind each other’s backs, and the gossip kept spreading.
The village was small, and with people idling, they gathered to gossip. Once the rumors spread, contradictions would accumulate, and the eruption was only a matter of time. For now, it wasn’t something to worry about.
However, the snowfall was what bothered everyone. The snow affected Lu Yang’s business, and traveling had become even more inconvenient for him.
He was a very stubborn person—when he set out to do something, he put in all his effort.
On the day it snowed, he called Lu Lin and his wife to his house to knead dough. They had already agreed on the wage: eight wen for half a day’s work. When they started making buns, the price would increase.
The couple kneaded dough together, and in half a day, they could earn sixteen wen. They worked enthusiastically and put in a lot of effort.
Meanwhile, Lu Yang had already gotten the pot out three times to chop and stir, making 25 pounds of meat filling.
The filling and dough were all packed into bowls. He brought the newly purchased large steamer, along with some firewood, and borrowed a donkey cart from Sha Zhu’s house to take the clingy scholar to the county to sell buns.
The filling was steamed in three batches, and at home, they steamed the first batch of buns. It was Lu Yang’s work, completed with meticulous timing.
The newly purchased steamer was large enough to steam twenty big buns at once. One batch could make sixty.
On the cart, Lu Yang said to Xie Yan, “When the shop opens, you should go sell the buns in front. There won’t be many people out in the snow. If you see someone, call out to them, but don’t worry if no one is around.”
He wanted to tidy up the stove room and continue making buns.
This wasn’t the first time Xie Yan had seen Lu Yang work, and each time, he was impressed by Lu Yang’s tenacity.
Lu Yang seemed like a tireless iron man, working tirelessly every day, always staying on track with clear plans. Even if something unexpected interrupted him, he’d quickly get back on track, pursuing his goal—making money and saving it.
Xie Yan’s gaze stayed on Lu Yang, and when he saw snow accumulating on his face, he reached out to wipe it off.
“There aren’t many people on the road. Will it affect business?”
Lu Yang was certain. “It will. We can only hope the God of Wealth looks after us.”
Xie Yan lowered his eyes, thinking for a moment, then said to Lu Yang, “Actually, I have some connections in the county. Should we try using those?”
Lu Yang knew that Xie Yan had a friend from his schooling days, the son of Master Wu, the owner of a cloth shop. His name was Wu Pingzhi.
Last time, they had visited, and the Wu father and son had gone to the prefectural city to check the accounts, but they weren’t sure if they had returned yet.
Xie Yan said, “It’s not the Wu family. It’s some of the local study halls.”
Lu Yang was intrigued. “Study halls? How many buns can they buy?”
Xie Yan wasn’t sure. He hadn’t paid much attention to that area before.
Since they were at a dead end, there was no harm in asking.
Lu Yang smiled and praised him, “You’re becoming more thoughtful.”
Xie Yan smiled in return.
At home, there was only his mother, and the village environment wasn’t great. They still had to head back that night. When they reached the county, Xie Yan, being sensible, didn’t follow Lu Yang around like a shadow. Instead, he took it upon himself to carry sixty large meat buns and go to the study halls to inquire.
Lu Yang stood at the shop entrance, watching Xie Yan walk away, his heart not entirely at ease. He watched his figure and called out, “Xie Yan!”
Xie Yan turned around, a blank look on his face, but then some confusion appeared. Seeing that Lu Yang was only calling him, and without saying anything more, Xie Yan smiled again. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
Lu Yang trusted him. Xie Yan might have been a little slow, but once he got moving, he was stubborn and would stick to his course of action no matter what.
Lu Yang was just worried. Scholars were often shy, and he wondered whether Xie Yan would be mocked or scolded for personally going to sell buns. What would he do if he ran into old classmates at the study hall?
Worrying about it only made things more chaotic. Lu Yang was preoccupied with the thought, forgetting that the pressure Xie Yan had endured over the years couldn’t be compared to a few words of mockery.
He shook his head. Time was tight, and the task was important. He hadn’t even had the chance to visit the neighbors today. Lu Yang hurried back to the stove room, got things ready, and then came out to check again.
After a while, Xie Yan still hadn’t returned, so he went back inside.
There was a well in the backyard. The water wasn’t frozen over yet, so he drew some water, washed a few barrels, and set them aside for later. He stepped outside again, but Xie Yan still hadn’t come back.
Lu Yang went back inside and took out the dough, kneading it, dividing it into portions, and making more buns.
He found himself thinking, perhaps this was how Xie Yan had felt when waiting for him at the village entrance in the past.
He couldn’t put it into words, a mix of hope and disappointment, but quickly reigniting hope, generating boundless motivation, again and again watching the road home.
It wasn’t a bad feeling. It was as if life had something to look forward to.
At this moment, Xie Yan was taking his first step in actively running the business.
He hadn’t been to the county in a while, and the streets felt unfamiliar. After finding the study hall, as soon as he entered, the shop assistant greeted him excitedly. “Scholar Xie! You’re here! Our shopkeeper has been thinking about you! It’s been so long since you last came! How’s it going? What books did you read? We’ve gotten new books in—would you like to buy a couple?”
The assistant’s enthusiasm didn’t change Xie Yan’s expression, which remained flat.
He shook his head. “I haven’t been reading much lately. There’s been trouble at home, and I can’t afford books. My husband is making buns, and I wanted to ask if you would buy some.”
“Huh?” The assistant was stunned.
Xie Yan just looked at him steadily, silently waiting for a response.
Xie Yan had cooperated with several study halls in the past. He was sharp, with almost a photographic memory, and when he came across books that the study halls didn’t have, he could memorize them and provide them. The study halls would buy them.
