Lu Liu did not understand Second Tian, but he cared about Li Feng. “Are you angry?”
Li Feng shook his head. “Do I even dare be angry? I’m afraid of him now. I just hope he behaves himself and doesn’t go in front of Mother and start spouting nonsense.”
Good heavens—even anger was beyond him now.
Lu Liu muttered a few complaints about Second Tian, then thought that once the ancestral hall was completed, their family would return home to pay respects. They would meet him sooner or later, and he could see for himself what kind of person Second Tian had become.
“Don’t worry,” Lu Liu said seriously. “I know how to argue now. I won’t let him scold you.”
Li Feng felt warmth bloom in his chest. He and Lu Liu went back to discussing how to spend their silver.
Aside from the ancestral hall and farmland, the rest would be reserved for emergencies and for waiting until a good shopfront became available.
Lu Liu planned to buy a few pieces of jewelry for Mother—something heavy and dignified.
He would also get several sets of everyday clothes for all seasons, so she would have proper attire when going out.
As for his two fathers, he would use his own private savings. For now, he would buy each of them a silver hairpin. They still needed time to adjust, but he could buy more clothing for them—otherwise, they would never be willing to spend the money themselves.
Then he would take them to a clinic to have their pulses checked and help them recover their health. In their earlier years, they had suffered from hunger, cold, and overwork. Now they looked older than their peers, their lips pale and bloodless. If money ran short, he could take some from the family funds. It would be just enough.
Shun Ge’er’s wedding bracelet had been decided, and he would add a pair of small earrings. He would also add a little more to Hai Youtian’s betrothal gifts, to help fill out the dowry chest.
Li Feng needed several good outfits too. He was often out and about, and appearance mattered. Lu Liu had even visited a blacksmith shop, intending to buy him a short blade. He also wanted to get him a chest guard.
Armor could not be purchased casually, but surely a vest would be fine? He was thinking of getting one.
As for the two little ones—never mind them. At barely a year old, they had already accumulated ten taels of savings!
Lu Liu himself had nothing much to buy. Since getting married, all his clothes had been newly made. During his pregnancy, he had received so much fabric that most of it had barely been worn. After moving to the prefectural city, he had even bought two more outfits. As for jewelry, he had no use for it—he was too busy to dress up, and he had not even looked in a mirror.
Li Feng turned to him. “What did you say when you bought Shun Ge’er’s wedding bracelet? Jewelry is just silver worn on the body—it’s not really spent. So why are you acting like this when it comes to yourself?”
Lu Liu grinned. “That’s called being thrifty. Sure, jewelry can be treated like silver, but the buying and selling prices are different. Since I don’t have time to wear it, I won’t buy any for now. However much you plan to spend on jewelry for me, I’ll set aside that amount as a separate silver note. When we find a suitable restaurant location, I’ll see if it’s enough. If it is, and we don’t need that money, then I’ll go buy some jewelry and wear it all when the restaurant opens—look a bit more distinguished.”
Who knew when that restaurant would even happen? Li Feng told him to buy the jewelry now.
Had they not said before that they would rent a restaurant first, earn money, and then invest in their own property? Silver was meant to be flexible.
Lu Liu admitted he did not know what to buy.
Li Feng said, “We could have a mold made—get you a silver chicken, silver eggs, a silver rabbit. Or even gold—gold chicken and eggs sound nice. We made a lot of money last year, we could make one.”
Since they would not be able to personally raise chickens or rabbits after acquiring farmland—only hire others—he thought a few pendants or ornaments would at least please the eye and ease the heart.
Lu Liu was tempted for a moment, then shook his head. Those were not exactly proper jewelry.
To dispel Li Feng’s idea, he said something teasingly shameless, “Why not make one of yours?”
Li Feng replied without hesitation, “Mine isn’t worth anything. How could it deserve gold or silver?”
Lu Liu could not hold back his laughter. “Da Feng, I’ve been learning business lately. There’s a saying—rarity makes value. Don’t say that. You only have one, so it’s valuable.”
Li Feng nodded. “Makes sense. But every man has one. If there are many, it’s not valuable.”
Lu Liu coaxed him, “But I only have one man. You’re precious. If you’re valuable, then it is too.”
Li Feng hurried to finish what he was doing, pulled Lu Liu along to put away the scissors and file, washed up, and dragged him back inside for some intimacy.
Lu Liu pushed him away, refusing to kiss. “Last time Mother scolded us—you said no kissing during the day.”
If not kissing, then they would nibble elsewhere.
Lu Liu also wanted to bite his broad chest.
After their heated moment, the two came out, each covering their reddened lips, realizing how inexperienced they were.
So even kissing elsewhere could leave their lips swollen and flushed.
Lu Liu nodded thoughtfully, summarizing, “Well, it makes sense. It’s all using the mouth, after all.”
He told Li Feng to go out first and wander a bit. Only when he heard no scolding from Mother did he come out himself.
But the moment he stepped outside, Mother told him to stand there, then called out loudly, summoning Li Feng from the next room. The two of them stood side by side, getting scolded in front of the children.
They pleaded miserably, “Mother, the kids are watching—keep your voice down…”
Chen Guizhi shot back, “Now you care about dignity? Where was that earlier?”
She only said a few sentences this time before sending Li Feng away on errands. Then she had Lu Liu sit down and said, “When Shun Ge’er gets married, you teach him about that—don’t let him go into marriage clueless.”
Lu Liu was puzzled. “Mother, why don’t you teach him?”
Chen Guizhi replied, “You two are about the same age, and you and Da Feng never hid anything. He probably knows the basics. You two can talk—it’ll be easier for him. If he runs into trouble later, he can come to you. It’s not convenient for me; he’d be too embarrassed to speak to me, and only come after he’s already been wronged.”
Lu Liu readily agreed. That very day, he went to his two fathers’ place and picked out some illustrated booklets to bring back.
Li Feng thought he was continuing their earlier intimacy. When he asked and found out it was for Shun Ge’er, he sighed. Ah…
In the blink of an eye, it was the eighth day of the first month. Chen Guizhi took Shun Ge’er to Hai Youtian’s home.
Early in the morning, Hai Youtian came to pick them up. No one knew how early he had risen—his hair was dusted with frost.
The whole family noticed, but they were all perceptive. Seeing Shun Ge’er glance at him several times, they pretended not to notice, holding back their smiles until Shun Ge’er spoke up—offering a cloth to wipe his face and bringing warm water to warm his hands. Only then did they let their smiles show.
No one teased him now. Since the marriage was settled and the two clearly cared for each other, that was enough. Affection could grow over time.
Lu Liu went inside and brought out a hat for Hai Youtian.
It was a fur hat, part of the goods they had brought from the mountain stronghold to sell. There were still some left at home.
Chen Guizhi was generous in handling matters. Hai Youtian had paid for his own redemption, and seeing he did not even have a hat, she guessed his family might not either. After asking, she had Lu Liu count their stock and bring out both fur and cotton hats—one for each family member, as a meeting gift.
Li Feng could not accompany them. At the door, Chen Guizhi reminded him, “Don’t secretly follow us either. His family feels guilty toward him, and while they may agree to the marriage on the surface, they’re still uneasy inside. You’re such a big presence—if you stand there, they won’t feel at ease. I’ll take Shun Ge’er myself.”
Hai Youtian had come on foot, but when going back, they took a carriage.
Li Feng followed them for a while before turning back, worried about the children at home, and stayed with Lu Liu to take care of them.
The snack shop was closed for the New Year, and He Qingzao had been staying with Lu Liu’s two fathers, helping out when needed.
Lu Liu thought this arrangement was good. His two fathers were not talkative, and though they lived nearby, it was not the same as having a young person around. So he cleaned up an empty room and let He Qingzao stay there during his time off, giving him a place of his own rather than keeping him at the shop all the time.
The academy was on break, and Li Fei had free time. While Xie Yan was home, he gathered many questions to ask him. Over the past few days, even a juren had come to pay New Year visits, testing the young student repeatedly.
Li Fei looked miserable every day, even getting laughed at by the children of the Luo family. Lu Yang, mindful of his elder brother, was not lenient—he gathered those children together for study as well. These poor fellows, whenever they had a moment, would squat in a row along the wall, looking like a line of old men from the village.
Passing by with Xiao Mai and Zhuangzhuang in their arms, Lu Liu said, “One day, these two will be squatting there too.”
Li Feng could not stand the sight of such listless boys and chased them off to shovel snow and clear the roads.
