Li Feng had a fire set up and called Sun Fulang over to warm himself.
Sun Fulang glanced over and saw the men preparing to cook, so he offered to handle it himself.
Li Feng told him just to look after the children. “The journey is tiring, and there’s little to do on the road. It’s cold and windy—don’t let the kids get sick. You don’t need to worry about anything else.”
Meanwhile, the brothers who had gone to gather firewood returned, reporting no people or animals nearby. Li Feng checked their positions, pointed out a spot to Sun Fulang, and said, “You can use the latrine over there.”
Sun Fulang, having grown up in a village, felt slightly uneasy at the suggestion but said nothing.
There were many men traveling with them, and if anyone had intended harm, it would have been easy. Thinking it through, he left the children with Li Feng for a moment’s care.
Li Feng was good with children; his own, Xiaomai and Zhuangzhuang, already called him “father.”
The men delivering supplies were selected middle-aged men whose own children were grown and who knew how to entertain kids.
They let the children play on the horses. Rural children knew the value of oxen; anyone who got to ride was envied. The kids were thrilled.
The younger one, unable to speak much, squealed excitedly, babbling “riding the cow!”
Not recognizing the horse, he thought he was riding a cow. The older child explained it was a horse, and the two began chattering excitedly.
Li Feng asked their names, but the children clammed up, clearly instructed by Sun Fulang not to speak.
Hearing their laughter, Sun Fulang hurried from the bushes and, seeing them smiling, relaxed.
During this rest, the distance between them closed considerably. Sun Fulang began asking questions.
“How do you usually buy rice, flour, and oil, being so far from the county?”
His wage had been agreed—generous, three taels of silver per month, managing the honey workshop. But as an outsider, he knew many villages were hostile. He had no vegetable plot; to buy food in the village, locals might inflate prices, forcing him to spend silver regardless of his wage.
He said, “Boss Li, I know it’s late to mention this. Now that we’re here, there’s no turning back. I have no prospects in the prefectural city. I can endure hardship for myself, but my two children are so small… when you return to the city, I won’t even be able to send a message.”
Li Feng understood and reassured him: “When my mother and my husband heard your situation, they immediately chose you. Beyond having a scholar in the family to guarantee you, they wanted to help because of your predicament. My father passed early, and it was my mother who raised the three of us. She had little skill, so she borrowed stone mills to grind flour for sale in the county, collected leather for boots, hats, clothes, sold vegetables, mountain goods, even organized a rice cake-making team. Busy all year, she did anything that could earn money. She never remarried—and look at us now.”
They rested according to the road segments. Past noon, they cooked a pot of noodles with sauce. The one-year-old was too small, so Sun Fulang brought finely torn steamed buns, soaked in the noodle broth to make a mush.
Li Feng ate a few bites, looked at the children, and said, “My husband runs a small shop in the village; rice, flour, oil, salt—he has it all. When you work in the honey workshop, apprentices will respect you, and besides delivering meat or bones, if you need anything—say eggs or meat—you’ll have help.”
“I have a house you can borrow,” Li Feng continued, “but borrowing is still living under someone else’s roof. None of our family will be in the village, and you won’t feel comfortable. Better to build a house now—this is off-season, labor is plentiful, building a house won’t be difficult. Construct three rooms early, so when your children grow, you won’t have to worry about accommodation during weddings or family gatherings.”
With living arrangements addressed, Sun Fulang relaxed. Hearing about the house, he furrowed his brows again—he needed the house but couldn’t afford it. He considered deducting the cost from his wages.
Li Feng refused: “Think of it as a settlement for coming here cautiously. It’s your security.”
There was also the village doctor, Hu Langzhong. After he moved in permanently, the chief arranged an empty house for him. When he brought his family, silver was allocated from the shop account to build a small house. The herbal medicine business was his alone, and helping him settle was appropriate.
Similarly, Sun Fulang would work in the honey workshop, earning money and being given a home—ensuring no worries—exactly as it should be.
Having a house gave them roots, allowing them to feel settled.
With no other concerns, Sun Fulang chatted along the way, told the names of his two children, discussed beekeeping and honey production, and even touched on stories of families being separated or sold.
Li Feng assured him: “Our chief has great authority. Once in the village, rest for a night, and I’ll take you to meet him. You have skills—no one will dare harm you and your sons.”
The journey was quiet. Nearing the county, they picked up speed, reaching the city gate early. They split the caravan: half stayed in the county to deliver goods to the shop, handled by Sanmiao and Miao Xiaohe, while Li Feng took the rest toward the village. By the time they reached the new village, night had fallen.
Erhuang entered the village, seemingly tireless, barking like a wolf, eliciting responses from other dogs until the air was full of barking.
Li Feng patted his head and let him play.
Erhuang, recognized by many, would visit any household for food, promising to pay back tomorrow.
He followed the plan, placing Sun Fulang and his sons in the drying-field guesthouse.
Those working there were local men and women, who also took turns guarding at night. Seeing other families and children staying there, Sun Fulang felt considerably more relaxed.
Li Feng visited Erjun’s house to have Erjun’s husband assist—being the eldest and more experienced, he could help, and ideally, call the doctor for ginger tea. The journey had been long and cold; no one should fall ill.
That evening, Li Feng was to meet the chief and discuss Li Fei’s schooling while staying at the chief’s house.
The chief remarked, “You, like your brother-in-law, always arrive at night.”
When Xie Yan arrived previously, a bonfire had been lit and the village celebrated half the night. Li Feng didn’t have that; only hot meals, two pots of hot water, and a welcome after travel.
After eating, he spoke of Li Fei and Sun Fulang’s family, then discussed honey and the workshop.
This return also involved addressing Ertian, the unworthy one.
Li Feng said, “We’ll give him a separate household; he can live independently.”
The chief laughed, shaking his head: “You’ve inherited your father’s impatience and your mother’s spiritedness. Your temperament matches theirs. When you first went up the mountain, I observed how you chose people, thinking you could handle things but not major affairs. Watching the shop this past year, your words confirm I was right.”
Li Feng understood clearly. As the business expanded, he realized he had been too “independent” before—trustworthy people were few, few could work outside, and he had little manpower.
Lu Yang had once said the owner didn’t need to linger at the shop; he had suggested not going daily to the dock, but Li Feng couldn’t relax, distrusting people, doing everything personally.
When selecting partners for the mountain, he was the same—anything unsatisfactory was discarded. Those who remained until the end were not only competent but had personalities he could tolerate long-term.
He lacked patience to wait or accept others’ differences—his weakness.
