Li Feng, rough yet attentive, pressed kisses over Lu Liu’s body, pulling down an inch of clothing with each touch, letting his lips and tongue roam over another inch of skin. The winter cold stayed outside; on the kang, they were warm, and their bodies burned with heat.
Lu Liu felt no chill at all. Even when stripped bare, he was warmed both by the bed and by Li Feng. Li Feng’s large frame pressed over him, enveloping him, and they merged again and again, finally falling asleep in each other’s arms.
They slept particularly soundly, and the next morning, Lu Liu woke with a broad smile on his face.
He carefully took the painting scroll from the pillow and wandered about the room, looking for a place to hide it.
He even teased Li Feng: “Big brother was right—you really are utterly captivated by me!”
Li Feng, watching him pace around, didn’t dampen his mood and replied with a smile, “I was already captivated by you the moment I saw you. Add another person in the painting, two of you staring at one me, and I’d be undone.”
Wow. His Li Feng actually spoke so sweetly!
Lu Liu considered this his own accomplishment: near sweetness breeds sweetness!
He decided not to hide the scroll, placing it in the kang’s cabinet instead. Such a painting was far too intimate to display for others. Between husband and husband, there was no need for secrecy—kept in the cabinet, it was easy to access and enjoy.
Watching Lu Liu busily tuck away the scroll, Li Feng blocked him at the edge of the kang and kissed him for a long while.
Red and swollen-lipped, they stepped outside, pretending nothing had happened.
Shun Gerou blushed, and Chen Guizhi glanced at them a few times. Only after Shun Gerou and Li Fei had left did she scold them: “Enough already! There are children in the house—what do you two think you’re doing? We pretend not to notice, and yet you’re fooling yourselves?”
The two husbands nodded repeatedly, acknowledging their mistake. After the lecture, Lu Liu’s cheeks were rosy, and he whispered to Li Feng, “Big Feng, maybe we should tone it down a bit…”
Li Feng replied, “Hmm, no kissing in the morning—save it for the evening. After a night passes, your lips will be less swollen.”
Lu Liu couldn’t help but laugh.
The new day began with a kiss.
In mid-November, Lu Yang, planning according to the shop’s construction schedule, chose an auspicious day—the twenty-fourth—to open.
He prepared the invitations in advance, writing some himself for family and friends. For merchants hoping to curry favor with Xie Yan, he delegated the writing to Xie Yan.
He also gave Xie Yan another task: to start drafting the annual calendar record book. With the template already printed, Xie Yan just needed to fill in the dates to create a sample for the shop.
Xie Yan happily agreed. A full-year calendar, one page per day, could be done in a day—but he ended up writing five or six pages at a time, producing dozens of days’ records in just a few days.
Lu Yang asked, “…How do you get through your days so fast?”
Xie Yan replied, “It’s for making samples. I write in many styles so that when people see them, they’ll know the options!”
Lu Yang let it go; when Xie Yan did the work diligently, he did not intervene.
The invitations were carefully written, but Lu Yang could only invite a few people. He recognized some from the docks, plus Boss Ding and Hong Chu. The rest were entrusted to Xie Yan.
Thirty invitations were purchased, considering Xie Yan might have classmates to invite. It still wasn’t enough.
Looking over the invitations, Lu Yang found a long list of unfamiliar names. Xie Yan had even included his master and senior apprentices.
Lu Yang asked, “How many are you planning to invite? This won’t do. For an opening, sending invitations is just a notice—those who can come will, mostly as a courtesy. They may give a small gift or buy a book. We’ll attend in kind. If you invite all your classmates like this, you’re putting them in a bind—they may not all have the means. Isn’t that unfair?”
Xie Yan, having already screened his guests, said, “Don’t worry. I checked with Sheng Da and Ji Mingzhu—they said these people are fine to invite. Look at my writing; I’m polite. I mentioned that our study has two small quiet rooms; the academy outside doesn’t, so I invited them to sit and enjoy some tea.”
Opening the invitation, Lu Yang realized the words were just formal courtesy, but Xie Yan had replaced the phrasing creatively. He sighed several times, eventually letting it go.
If Xie Yan’s classmates bought books, he would issue a “reading card” allowing free future access to the study—those diligent enough could recoup the cost of the books. Wealthier guests could pay, no problem.
Still, Xie Yan insisted the invitations weren’t enough, pestering Lu Yang for some small change to buy more from the street.
With the opening approaching, the alley was bustling. Even Li Fei stayed after school to help print calendars. Xie Yan carried the invitations home, saying, “Everyone is so diligent and motivated. Later, I’ll also bind books—now that I know the process, I can finish one quickly.”
Lu Yang stopped him from binding the books, saying, “You must write the invitations yourself; printing and binding can be done by others. Focus on learning. If free, visit Uncle Cui—he takes you as a student without expecting anything. Play a few games of chess with him.”
Hearing chess, Xie Yan laughed. He told Lu Yang, “My senior’s chess is terrible. Last time, when I borrowed the calendar from him, he said I should play five games with my master for him. I agreed, took the calendar, and told my master that day. My senior lost all five! Hahaha!”
Lu Yang: “…”
Was that really how it happened? Why was he laughing so happily?
Holding two invitations in hand, Lu Yang eventually placed them with the rest, thinking perhaps these senior figures would enjoy joining the festivities.
Xie Yan wrote quickly, completing thirty newly purchased invitations. Some names were yet to be filled; Lu Yang asked about them, learning Xie Yan had audaciously included all his fellow examinees, checking with Ji Mingzhu for names he didn’t remember.
Seeing Xie Yan so joyful, Lu Yang could no longer sigh in frustration. Xie Yan had already mastered the art of social interaction, albeit in his own unique way.
The invitations were delivered jointly by Xie Yan and Li Feng. Invitations to merchants, including Hong Chu, were delivered by Li Feng; those to scholars, masters, and senior apprentices were handled by Xie Yan.
As they walked out, Xie Yan asked, “How many characters can you recognize? Can you read the names?”
Li Feng opened the invitations. His literacy was slightly lower than Lu Liu’s; he didn’t recognize all the names but could identify the surnames, which was sufficient.
Xie Yan asked about his plans: “You’re too busy. You should delegate, learn to manage people, and let others work for you. How much can one person handle alone?”
Since returning from Li Village, Li Feng had been thinking along these lines, instructing Hai Youtian to find clever, reliable assistants. Many tradesmen in the city changed employers quickly, and staff turnover was high. He wanted skilled hands to help, to teach them properly.
He asked, “Have you learned anything new recently?”
Xie Yan mysteriously handed him a notebook: “My master taught me the ways of the guan hunzi. I think business is similar. Take a look when you can—learn quickly, work efficiently, and let my husband rest.”
Li Feng: “…”
The last sentence need not be spoken aloud.
The essence of guan hunzi—a crude term—lies in knowing when to advance and when to retreat.
Xie Yan briefly explained: “No profound truths, just this: seize major power but never relinquish it; for minor authority, yield when necessary and never be greedy.”
Li Feng glanced at Xie Yan’s head once more.
When would his strong little one grow up?
After sending the invitations, Hong Chu came to visit the next day.
The new season’s grand market was approaching, and he had been busy preparing.
