He grinned like a fool. “Heh heh heh, look at you—still trying to tempt me like that.”
Li Feng sat down beside him, arm slipping around Lu Liu’s waist. “Didn’t I already give you a beating with that hunter’s stick? Since you brought it up, I guess I’ll have to give you another one later.”
Lu Liu’s face flushed bright red.
That ridiculous thing he did when they first got married—Li Feng still remembered it!
“You’re such a bad man,” he muttered.
Li Feng nodded without shame.
Yeah, no one’s sleeping tonight.
……………………………………….
Lu Yang returned to Lujiatun and found his two fathers practically falling apart, along with his panicked, trembling scholar husband.
Xie Yan’s face went pale. “The dads are sick! Both of them?!”
Lu Yang, ever the miracle worker, calmly went inside and told them, “I just ran into Li Feng on the road. He finished dropping off the firewood and headed back to Li Village. He said he and his husband are doing great, and you guys don’t need to worry.”
Just like that, the two dads came back to life.
Their slumped bodies on the heated brick bed slowly straightened, color returning to their faces.
Xie Yan: ?
Wow. So they really do like Li Feng better.
Well, who could blame them? Around here, people admire strong, capable men—ones who can work the fields and lift heavy loads. Not like him, who struggles just to carry a single bucket of water.
With the dads taken care of, Lu Yang turned to coax his gloomy scholar husband.
Having just seen Li Feng, he felt a little guilty, so he was extra patient when comforting Xie Yan.
“Scared you, didn’t it? Don’t worry. See? They’re fine now.”
Xie Yan still looked glum.
He figured if he were stronger, his husband wouldn’t have to work so hard all the time.
Lu Yang saw right through him and added gently, “I like you just the way you are.”
Xie Yan lit up for a moment, clearly wanting more—then instantly sank back into gloom.
He was well-practiced at being pitiful. All he had to do was put on his little widow face.
Lu Yang thought for a second, then reached out and brushed the back of his hand against Xie Yan’s lips.
“There. I gave you a kiss. You’d better cheer up.”
Xie Yan: “…”
…Is this how you comfort someone?
Lu Yang almost laughed. Soft won’t work, huh? You want the hard approach?
“I kissed you already. What else do you want?”
Just like that, Xie Yan was fine again—like nothing ever happened.
The two dads who witnessed everything: “…”
Wang Fengnian hesitated and finally spoke. “The snow’s stopped. Maybe you two should head back?”
Lu Yang was planning to visit his uncle’s house anyway. Seeing how rattled the dads had been, he brought Xie Yan along with him.
They were going to deliver some good news.
It was a snowy day, so the whole family was gathered at his uncle’s place.
There were even some neighbors visiting. When they saw Lu Yang and Xie Yan walk in, they smiled and made room for them, politely saying they were just about to leave—but of course, no one actually moved.
Lu Yang had come with good news. The more people who heard it, the better.
Xie Yan didn’t bring any gifts, but Lu Yang took care of all the etiquette. It wasn’t anything fancy—just a bowl of sunflower seeds they’d scooped up from home.
In the dead of winter, with everyone stuck indoors, people always wanted something to nibble on. Sunflower seeds and peanuts were a must. In frugal farming families, when people visited each other, you could tell what kind of household it was. No one with any manners would ever grab fistfuls.
Miao Qing invited them to sit and asked, “What brings you back on a snowy day?”
Lu Yang grinned. “We’re usually busy, and now that the snow’s made it impossible to head to the county, I thought it’d be a good time to ask Da Song for a favor.”
When he had come back to visit previously, he’d painted a pretty picture for them. Miao Qing had hinted that if any good opportunities came up, they’d prioritize Lu Song.
Lu Song’s husband looked up, still a little dazed. “You’re looking for Da Song? I’ll go get him.”
Miao Qing was already catching on. “Whatever it is, just say it. We’re all family here. He’s got nothing better to do anyway, and since you asked, he’ll make sure it’s done.”
The ones sitting around chatting were all wives and husbands—no working men hanging about.
Their uncle’s family was considered well-off by village standards. That didn’t come easy—it only started to get better after his two sons grew up. Back when the kids were small, with not enough hands to work, things had been tough.
Miao Qing said Lu Song was idle, but in reality, both Lu Song and his brother Lu Bai were crammed into the kitchen weaving bamboo baskets. Their father, Lu Dahe, was in the woodshed splitting bamboo to make strips for weaving.
The New Year was coming up, and they could still catch the market rush in the twelfth month. Everyone was hustling to earn a little extra.
Lu Yang had all this in mind, and explained to Miao Qing, “Uncle Qing, here’s the deal. Xie Yan owns a shop in the county. Lately we’ve been buying up vegetables from the village and selling them there—they’re selling well. But folks here don’t have big plots. Each household might have ten or twenty pounds, not enough to justify a trip to town. But I’ve got a storefront. Anything we don’t sell the same day, I can store and keep selling. So I want to ask Da Song to help collect veggies here in Lujiatun. Your family happens to have a donkey cart—makes things easier.”
Lu Yang had already thought through the pay: once the veggies were sold at full price through the shop instead of getting sold cheap by the basket, there’d be extra profit to cover wages. He’d pay fifteen wen a day.
It wasn’t hard labor. There wasn’t much ground to cover in the village, and people were more than eager to earn cash. Most folks would deliver their produce right to him. Da Song just had to sort, pack carefully so nothing got bruised, and then deliver it to the shop. One round trip a day, fifteen wen, and he could still get back in time to weave baskets in the evening.
Who would say no to that?
Miao Qing beamed. “That’s a great deal! We should be thanking you!”
He quickly told Lu Song’s husband to go call him in.
The neighbors visiting all looked on with envy. Good jobs like this didn’t come often. They started asking about vegetable prices.
There were lazy folks in the village, but not many. Everyone needed to eat, and food cost money. They all had land, and grew whatever they could. But they never managed to eat it all—pickled vegetables lasted all year, and even when the next batch came around, they’d still have two jars left. If they could sell it? That’d be ideal.
Lu Yang explained, “I won’t lie to you about prices—veggies go for around four to six wen per catty. That’s what you’d get even if you hauled them to the county yourself. Since we’re just starting out, I can’t promise everything will sell well, and I’ve got overhead—rent, workers—so I’ll be offering half that. It’s like selling grain to a rice shop. You can get a better price selling it yourself, but it’s harder to move it all in one go. Think it over at home, talk with your family. I’m open to whatever works.”
Seeing how well Lu Yang was handling the crowd, Miao Qing didn’t want Xie Yan to feel left out, so he slid a plate of sunflower seeds over to him.
But Xie Yan couldn’t take his eyes off Lu Yang. He gave the seeds a quick glance, then went right back to watching his husband.
Then suddenly, something clicked in his mind—he grabbed a handful of seeds, and started shelling them one by one, not even eating them.
Miao Qing didn’t know what he was up to, but as long as the boy wasn’t bored, he let it be.
Lu Yang leaned over and whispered, “You can’t just sit there staring at me.”
Relationships are built in moments like these. Xie Yan didn’t know how to make small talk—and if you couldn’t talk about the little things, you’d never survive a big argument. These casual words might seem pointless, but if he wanted to learn, he needed to hear more of them. With time, he’d learn to sift through the noise.
Xie Yan was listening. Lu Yang told him to look at others, so he did.
One glance at everyone else, two glances back at his husband.
Lu Yang was about to scold him, but seeing the way Xie Yan stared at him, he couldn’t get the words out. His mouth opened, then curved into a laugh—damn, he was helpless.
Miao Qing smiled. “You two really do love each other.”
Xie Yan finally got a chance to speak. “Yes. He treats me very well.”
Miao Qing: “…”
Been gone a few days and he’s still as weird as ever.
Lu Song and his husband came into the main room, lighting up when they saw Lu Yang and Xie Yan.
He’d thought he’d be sitting around until spring to start raising pigs—who’d have guessed there’d be work before the New Year?
He said honestly, “Lin and his husband live closer to you. Why not ask them instead?”
Miao Qing looked to Lu Yang, already guessing the answer—Lu Yang was probably only asking Lu Song to collect from Lujiatun. The produce from Shangxi Village must already be covered.
Lu Yang grinned. “I’ve already hired Brother Lin and his husband. Remember how I said I wanted to sell buns? I can’t do it all myself, so I asked them to help knead dough. Once Brother Lin gets better at folding buns, I’ll raise their pay.”
What a stroke of luck!
Both Lin and his husband were hired, and now Lu Song too—that made three people from Uncle’s family!
Miao Qing was over the moon, already getting up to make them sweet tea.
Lu Yang cheerfully thanked him and didn’t turn it down.
Uncle’s family had three sons. Hiring two and leaving one out? That would’ve left a bitter taste.
