Lu Yang had wanted to put up a shop sign. Without a banner, his storefront didn’t stand out at all.
Xie Yan had told him to wait a bit—when Wu Pingzhi came back, he’d gift them a good banner.
A good banner needed good fabric, and Lu Yang was tempted.
The Wu family owned a fabric shop, so something like this was nothing to them. But money was tight for Lu Yang and Xie Yan, so they had to save wherever they could.
He said, “It’s already in the works. My husband’s handling it. He’s the serious type—I can’t really rush him.”
The neighbors had only stopped by for a chat. After a few pleasantries, they didn’t want to hold up his business, so each bought a few meat buns on their way out.
Boss Ding from the tavern next door bought especially many. His whole family loved them. He’d bought some to try the other day out of neighborly support, and after one bite they’d been hooked.
Boss Ding was a savvy guy. After another busy spell, Lu Yang made time to go over and buy a small amount of wine—three liang.
Wine was like water, three liang wasn’t much. Poured out, it filled a single bowl.
Feeling a bit stingy, Lu Yang said, “Don’t laugh, but I’ve never had wine before. Let me try it and see what it’s like.”
Boss Ding didn’t call him out on it, just cheerfully poured him a bowl.
Both of them were sharp enough to notice—it was definitely more than three liang. To return the favor, Lu Yang later sent over two heads of cabbage, and with that, the neighborly goodwill was sealed.
Meanwhile, Shazhu shrank into a corner, more afraid of Lu Yang than ever.
Since coming to the county, they hadn’t dared make a peep. But Lu Yang fit right in, saying just the right thing to every person, no matter who they were.
Shazhu was starting to think Lu Yang had been full of hot air when he came to their house talking big. He was going to warn his mother—they’d better keep their distance from Lu Yang. That guy was nothing but trouble.
Lu Yang called out to him, “Go bring out some more radishes.”
Radishes were cheaper than cabbage, and they sold fast.
Shazhu ran off like the wind.
Elsewhere, Xie Yan had arrived at Suyanhua Bookshop.
Lately, he’d been hungry for knowledge. Watching Lu Yang chat with customers at the shop had taught him a few new tricks.
Today he’d come looking for books on making soup, but the first thing he asked was if the books they’d been waiting for had arrived.
“The Laba Festival’s almost here. I’ve been thinking about it.”
He hadn’t forgotten the shopkeeper’s matter, and that made the shopkeeper happy. “They’ll be here any day now. I see you’ve got your shop up and running? I’ll come invite you over when they arrive.”
Xie Yan nodded, then said, “I’d like to look at some books, if that’s okay?”
“Of course.” Back when they’d worked with Xie Yan before, they’d always let him read for free.
Another partnership was on the horizon. Sure, Xie Yan had bought some buns, but buns were buns, books were books.
The shopkeeper said, “What are you looking for? I’ll have the clerk pull them for you. You can take them to the tea room—I’ll even light the brazier so it’s warm while you read.”
Xie Yan pressed his lips together, suddenly feeling a little shy.
Eyes lowered, he said, “Maybe I’ll just look for them myself?”
The books were all on the shelves—if he wanted to browse, he could browse.
While he was searching, Lu Liu and Yao Fulang walked past the bookshop.
Out of the corner of his eye, Xie Yan spotted a familiar figure. He turned and saw Lu Liu and Yao Fulang walking along, munching on flatbreads. With each bite they sighed about how good it was, smiling with squinty eyes, faces full of happiness.
Recognizing him, Xie Yan called out, “Brother Liu? What are you doing here?”
Lu Liu had always been called Brother Liu growing up. Hearing the shout, he answered without thinking.
When he turned and saw it was Xie Yan, he nearly dropped his flatbread in shock!
Yao Fulang didn’t know Lu Liu was this “Brother Liu.” He glanced back too, then said, “We don’t know him—he must be calling someone else.”
Lu Liu forcibly turned his head away and kept walking with Yao Fulang, pretending not to know Xie Yan.
Yao Fulang noticed the look on his face and asked, “What’s wrong? Do you know him?”
Lu Liu shook his head like a rattle drum. “How would I know him?”
Yao Fulang said, “You grew up in this county. It’s normal to have known a few people before marrying Dafeng.”
All Lu Liu could do was force out an awkward laugh.
Xie Yan stepped out of the bookshop and stood there at the door, blankly watching Lu Liu’s retreating figure.
He was stunned—how could things turn out like this?
He was lost—what had he done wrong?
He was at a loss—should he go after him?
Then, dazed, he sank down onto the steps in front of the shop.
His husband must have had his reasons, he thought. Maybe it just wasn’t convenient for him to speak.
But… why wasn’t it convenient?
Xie Yan’s mind was empty.
Meanwhile, Lu Liu turned a corner, his steps growing more and more panicked.
The town is so small, he thought. First time I come back since getting married, and of all people, I run into Xie Yan.
If only it’d been my brother—anything would’ve been easier to explain. But why did it have to be Xie Yan?
When Xie Yan didn’t follow right away, Lu Liu let out a breath of relief—but then dread crept in. What if he goes home and asks my brother about it? What if that puts him in a tough spot?
The more he thought about it, the more anxious he got. He didn’t want to cause trouble for his brother. But if he admitted it outright, wouldn’t that just make things harder to untangle?
He hesitated, heart racing—when suddenly, Xie Yan made up his mind and came running after him.
Whatever happened, Xie Yan wasn’t about to lose his precious husband.
When Xie Yan caught up, Lu Liu had nowhere to hide.
The street was bustling with people, and there was Yao Fulang still munching on his biscuit, watching the drama unfold.
Lu Liu’s face and forehead broke out in a cold sweat, his eyes wide with fear and helplessness.
Xie Yan grew even more confused. What on earth is going on?
His husband would never look at him like this. What’s he so afraid of?
Thinking hard, Xie Yan’s mind kicked into gear—and that’s when he noticed something.
The clothes, the shoes, the headband, even the hairstyle—it was all different from what his husband usually wore.
He wasn’t good at spotting subtle differences in faces, but those eyes—they weren’t the same.
They’d come face-to-face. There was no avoiding it now. Lu Liu turned slightly and said to Yao Fulang, “Could you wait for me? Let me have a word with him.”
Yao Fulang was still enjoying the meat pie Lu Liu had shared with him—he couldn’t say no. “Sure.”
Lu Liu glanced around and led Xie Yan into a side alley.
This is where he and his brother had swapped places.
Xie Yan followed, puzzled. “Do you know me?”
Lu Liu froze. He could’ve just denied it. But now he’s trapped.
All he managed was a clumsy “Mm.”
Once in the alley, the two of them stood there, staring at each other, neither saying a word.
It felt like they might just stand there forever, both too stunned to speak. But Lu Liu couldn’t let it drag on.
He stammered, “D-Do you… have something you want to ask?”
And that look—Xie Yan recognized it instantly.
It took him back. Before their wedding, when he’d come to the market with his mother, he’d teased Lu Liu and made him cry with that exact same look. His mother had scolded him, and he’d gone to apologize, forced to buy a rooster on top of it.
This is Lu Liu. So then… who’s the one I married?
Xie Yan took two steps back in shock and cut him off. “Don’t say it. I don’t want to know. You live your life, I’ll live mine. I’m fine. You go. I’ll act like I don’t know anything.”
Lu Liu: …?
Completely at a loss, Lu Liu listened to this flood of words, confused and anxious.
What does that even mean? What does he think he knows? Is he going to leave my brother?
Lu Liu opened his mouth to try to explain, but Xie Yan stopped him again. “Don’t tell me. We’re already married. Things are good. If you don’t say it, I don’t know it. Let’s just say today never happened.”
Xie Yan didn’t want to dig any deeper. His clever mind had already figured it out—two people looking this alike could only be brothers.
A swapped marriage, that’s all. Doesn’t matter. I don’t care if I married Lu Liu or Lu Whoever—my husband’s at home now, and no one’s taking him away.
So the same man who had chased after Lu Liu out of love now fled from the alley for that same love—leaving Lu Liu standing there, utterly bewildered.
This scholar, Lu Liu thought, seems livelier than when we met for the match.
Back then, Xie Yan hadn’t said so much, hadn’t shown so many expressions.
His panic seemed so genuine. Was he really that afraid of losing my brother?
Lu Liu replayed everything in his mind, bit by bit, and finally felt sure: Xie Yan wouldn’t leave my brother. If he can pretend none of this ever happened just to stay together, then it’s fine.
And he finally breathed a deep sigh of relief.
