By the time Lu Yang reached the academy’s door, all the buns were sold out.
Shopkeeper Wang had wanted to support his business, but didn’t even get a chance to buy one.
Lu Yang grinned. “I didn’t come today to ask for your business. I actually wanted to ask about those books you’re keeping for us. The Laba Festival’s almost here—how come we haven’t heard anything? My husband’s been worrying over it so much he can’t sleep at night.”
When someone cares about your business that much, it’s something to be happy about.
Shopkeeper Wang chuckled. “Should be any day now. Winter roads are rough—they’re coming from way up north. They’ve had to take snow paths and frozen rivers, so it’s no surprise they’re running a bit behind schedule.”
Yesterday, Xie Yan had come by, saying he wanted to look at books. But he’d left without reading anything, so Wang casually brought it up.
That was just what Lu Yang wanted to know. “Why’d he leave?”
Shopkeeper Wang was puzzled. “Didn’t he run off after you?”
After me?
Lu Yang lowered his gaze. I didn’t leave the shop yesterday… did he see Liu Ge’er at the market and think it was me?
He froze for a moment, pretending to think, then smiled. “Maybe I didn’t hear him calling me. Thank you, Shopkeeper Wang. I was carrying buns today, so I didn’t bring vegetables, but I’ll drop some off later. Fresh greens in winter really lift your spirits!”
Shopkeeper Wang politely declined, smiling all the while. Lu Yang knew the dance—he and Wang exchanged the usual pleasantries, and he made his exit.
But as Lu Yang turned down another street, his steps slowed. He couldn’t shake a creeping unease.
Being needed—sometimes it meant you were cherished, that someone couldn’t live without you. But sometimes… it just meant they needed a workhorse.
He loved his new home, loved this life. Sure, it was hard, but it gave him hope. The family was small, his husband’s future looked bright, and his mother-in-law was kind and quiet. It felt like they could really build a good life together.
But he was afraid.
What if, once the Xie family’s troubles were over and they’d clawed their way back up, they wouldn’t need him anymore?
No matter how capable he was, at the end of the day, he was just a young man. He couldn’t win in a fight against his husband. One divorce letter, and he’d have nowhere to go.
He could pour his heart out, lean into Xie Yan’s dependence on him—but what if Xie Yan only pretended to care?
What he didn’t expect was that Xie Yan, knowing the truth, would be even more afraid than he was.
Lu Yang wiped his eyes and lifted his head with a smile.
How lucky—I really am someone’s treasure.
My scholar truly loves me.
The shop usually opened for a short window each day. Normally, Lu Yang tried to keep it open as long as possible. But today, he was eager to get home, to see his little scholar. Besides, with help on hand, he didn’t have to stay put in the shop. He’d made a few runs around town, sold out the buns, and delivered the veggies to Shopkeeper Wang like he’d promised. It was the perfect time to pack up and head home.
Next door, Boss Ding saw him closing up early—and saw how he’d sold out basket after basket of buns. He came over and teased, “Hey, Boss Lu, you even want to be in business? I’ll tell you what—give me a hundred taels, I’ll teach you how to brew wine!”
Lu Yang laughed. “Boss Ding, we’re such old friends—how could you still be joking like that?”
Actually, Lu Yang had been thinking about talking to Ding about business.
He’d been worrying about his younger brother. Back in Lizhai, there were lots of hunters, and the men there loved their liquor—especially in winter when they went into the mountains. They all kept wine in their water skins to keep warm.
He’d learned all this before he got married—and now it could finally come in handy.
If Boss Ding was willing, Lu Yang could buy wine from him—thirty to fifty catties at a time—and have Li Feng bring it back to Lizhai for his brother to sell.
His shop already had sunflower seeds, peanuts, dates, walnuts, and grains. He could send those back too, see what sold well, and adjust future shipments. Whatever didn’t sell could come back to his shop.
Sure, the profits wouldn’t be huge—after all, they weren’t making it themselves like Lu Yang’s buns—but it’d bring in a few hundred coppers a month. Up in the mountains, where expenses were low, that kind of income would help his brother’s standing in the Li family.
Next time he saw Li Feng, he’d bring it up—show some goodwill.
Today, he just joked around with Boss Ding. If Ding showed interest, Lu Yang would follow up.
Boss Ding’s shop already supplied some peddlers who sold wine door-to-door, like those who hawked oil. But none of them sold out in the villages—Boss Ding hadn’t really thought about going after that market.
Lu Yang grinned. “What, you’re looking down on country folk? Just wait—you’ll see.”
Since they were chatting anyway, Lu Yang asked before closing up, “Boss Ding, do you like game meat? My brother-in-law’s a hunter—we can set some fresh stuff aside for you.”
Boss Ding chuckled. He’d come over for a chat, and Lu Yang was already trying to work him over. But truth be told, fresh game sounded pretty tempting.
“I’ll check with my family,” Ding said. “I’ll let you know.”
“Great!” Lu Yang said.
With that, he slid the last board across the door, called for Lu Lin, and they headed home.
In the alley out back, Silly Zhu had already hitched up the donkey cart and was waiting for them.
Lu Lin was buzzing with excitement. It was his first time doing business, and just thinking about all those copper coins passing through his hands made him happy.
He said to Lu Yang, “Liu Ge’er, with smarts like yours, good days aren’t far off! I used to wonder how your family would get by—you’ve only got one man at home, can’t farm much land. But now I see why folks are so eager to move to town. There’s just no future in farming!”
Lu Yang said, “Wages in town are fixed. If you fall in with a bad boss, you can work yourself to the bone all month and still not make enough to get by. There are too many people, too few jobs. The boss scolds you a few times, threatens to fire you, and before you know it, you’re begging to work for less. It’s hard just to survive.”
Running a shop had its own pitfalls. Even mastering a trade kept most people out. And those who did? Plenty got cheated out of what they built—just look at what happened to the Chen family’s tofu shop.
Farming was hard work, but at least what you grew was yours.
If a family had more hands, kept chickens, wove some bamboo baskets or mats—that all helped make ends meet.
“They each have their good points, I guess.”
They chatted the whole way back, and before long they reached the entrance to Shangxi Village.
Of the four villages west of the county, Shangxi was the closest to town.
As they turned into the village path, they could see the big tree at the entrance from a distance.
A snowstorm had stripped it bare—not a single leaf left, just its stark, naked branches reaching up into the sky.
And there under the tree stood Xie Yan, craning his neck, looking down the road for them. He looked like a little old man, hunched over, his head tucked in, hands stuffed up his sleeves for warmth. The moment he spotted the donkey cart coming down the lane, he straightened up, shoulders back, and seemed to come alive. The “faithful stone waiting for his husband” had come to life!
Lu Yang felt his heart melt at the sight. Even when Lu Lin teased him over and over, he just grinned like a fool.
“What can I say? Scholars are just like that—clingy.”
By the time they reached the village, dusk was falling and everyone was making dinner.
Lu Yang had been running the shop for a while now, but the villagers still weren’t tired of watching. In the mornings some were too lazy to get up to see him off, but in the evenings, when he came home, they’d be peeking out from their doors, curious as ever.
Lu Yang ignored them. As soon as the cart reached Xie Yan, he hopped down and didn’t walk on with Lu Lin and the cart.
Xie Yan’s eyes sparkled the moment he saw him, like two bright stars in the twilight. That look made Lu Yang’s heart itch—he wanted to pull him close and kiss him right then and there.
His little scholar really knew how to use those eyes to charm a man. And if Lu Yang did go in for a kiss, he wouldn’t stop at just that—he’d have to take a little bite too. The skin was thin, the filling tender—he wanted more than a taste.
He felt so happy just looking at Xie Yan he couldn’t stop smiling.
Xie Yan had shelled sunflower seeds for him while he was gone. Worried that his hands would get sweaty and dirty them, he’d left them inside. There was over half a bowl waiting.
“I caught up on sleep this morning. Next time I’ll shell you more,” Xie Yan said.
Lu Yang didn’t really care for sunflower seeds or anything hard like that—peanuts, walnuts, none of them were his thing.
“Finish these for me first, then shell more. Heh.”
Xie Yan agreed, pleased.
Since they’d gotten home a little early today, dinner wasn’t ready yet. Lu Yang washed up and was about to head into the kitchen to help, but Zhao Peilan stopped him.
“It’s almost done—go sit by the stove and warm up a bit.”
There was a small stove in the main room, with a little square table nearby. Xie Yan, like he was presenting a treasure, brought over the half-bowl of sunflower seeds for Lu Yang.
Lu Yang cradled the bowl, smiling so his eyes curved like crescent moons. He picked up a seed and popped it in his mouth—it was tiny, but so sweet and fragrant.
Then he tried to feed one to Xie Yan. Xie Yan pressed his lips together, trying to refuse, but when Lu Yang coaxed him to open up, he finally ate a few.
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