The Shi family didn’t own much farmland in the village, but even if it was only a single acre, every grain harvested in autumn belonged to them.
Not to mention how difficult it had been to reclaim the land in the first place—if they abandoned it now, wouldn’t all that effort have been wasted?
After returning home, Jia Xiaomei went to prepare dinner, while Madam Shi took the children to wash up. A-Yue’s academy schedule was strict, with only one day off each month, so going to the fields fell to Shi Wuxiang and Yuan Zhao.
It was the time when every household was coming back from the fields. Seeing the two of them, people greeted them with smiles, and Yuan Zhao responded warmly. After all, the villagers of Qingluan Village were much nicer than those of Xiahe Village.
“Zhao-ge’er, out for a walk?”
“Yeah, just taking a stroll. Uncle, be careful.”
“Got it!”
Their land had been entrusted to poorer villagers to farm. The Shi family didn’t have much land, and those people had no steady income. Being able to work the fields for wages was naturally a good arrangement—one arranged by Village Chief Niu.
Yuan Zhao and the others didn’t mind, as long as the fields were properly tended.
The two strolled leisurely until they reached the fields, where they saw figures hard at work in the distance, guiding oxen to plow.
“Should we go over?” Shi Wuxiang asked.
“Let’s not. They’re busy working, and they still need to get home for dinner,” Yuan Zhao said softly. “Come on, let’s go this way. There’s a small path—we might find some wild greens.”
Shi Wuxiang fell silent for a moment, then said, “So the real reason you changed into coarse clothes was to pick wild vegetables?”
“And you figured it out—A-Xiang, you’re so smart!” Yuan Zhao grinned.
Since the days were getting longer, they followed the small path uphill. Along the way, they did spot some wild greens, though not many. Some grew in hard-to-reach corners, and Yuan Zhao squeezed in himself to pick them, unconcerned since he was wearing old clothes.
By the time they circled back toward the village, they ran into the man farming their land.
“Uncle, perfect timing—we just came back from the hills and picked some wild greens. Take them home to eat!” Yuan Zhao said, handing them over. He even mimed pulling a rope. “We’ll take the ox back for you. You should head home and eat.”
The man silently handed over the rope, nodded, and left.
Shi Wuxiang couldn’t help smiling. So all that effort picking wild greens was just to do a good deed… honestly.
That night.
After washing up, Yuan Zhao lay in bed, rolling back and forth until the blankets were all wrinkled. Then he got up to smooth them out, only to start wriggling again.
“Do you have lice or something?” Shi Wuxiang asked.
“Don’t tell ghost stories!” Yuan Zhao kicked the bed hard. “I’m trying to sleep—if you keep interrupting me, I won’t be able to!”
Shi Wuxiang snorted. “Still not done talking nonsense?”
When had he ever gone to bed this early? He was clearly just trying to stir things up.
“Not done, not done, not done!” Yuan Zhao muttered. “You know what? I’m really tired, but I just can’t fall asleep. Why do you think that is? A-Xiang, do your books mention things like this? Tell me—do they?”
“No, the books mention nothing like that. Alright, enough talking. I’ll close my book and sleep with you,” Shi Wuxiang said helplessly, putting his book aside.
Yuan Zhao chuckled, quickly fixing the blankets again before lying down obediently, leaving a large space for him and even patting it generously.
Shi Wuxiang sighed inwardly. It had been the same the last time… and the time before that… This wasn’t insomnia—it was clearly him fussing for attention.
“Going straight to sleep?” he asked.
“We have to talk first! You’ve only been gone ten days—how have you already forgotten? Ugh!” Yuan Zhao kicked at him. “You’re so annoying, annoying, annoying…”
Shi Wuxiang pressed his leg down, trapping Yuan Zhao’s. “Alright, alright, I won’t tease you. Let’s talk then. What do you want to talk about first?”
“Tell me about your test!” Yuan Zhao loved hearing about the academy—especially his good grades and all the praise he received.
Shi Wuxiang thought for a moment before speaking. “I ranked first. So when I said I didn’t fall behind, I meant that. Our country is prosperous, so the test covered governance and people’s livelihood…”
“So if you pass the provincial exam this autumn, you’ll become a juren?” Yuan Zhao’s voice grew drowsy. “If you pass, will you keep going?”
“Yes. Passing makes one a juren. As for continuing… I haven’t decided yet,” Shi Wuxiang said, though in truth he had not slackened at all.
He feared that if he changed his mind one day, it might be too late.
Yuan Zhao murmured in acknowledgment. “Juren can become instructors, right? You could teach at the academy?”
“Yes.” Shi Wuxiang turned slightly, pulling him into his arms and patting his back. “Your voice is already slurring—you’re exhausted. Go to sleep.”
“Pat me…”
“Alright, I will.”
He gently patted his back until Yuan Zhao fell asleep. Then his hand rested there, pulling him closer.
Mainly because Yuan Zhao always stole the blanket.
Since Shi Wuxiang had gone to the academy, whenever he came back on break, the family wouldn’t go to town. Jia Xiaomei, who usually left early, had been told not to prepare breakfast, so she quietly drove the carriage off on her own.
There probably wasn’t a servant treated better than her—she could even take the carriage herself.
Yuan Zhao only got proper rest when Shi Wuxiang came home. He got up reluctantly, watching Shi Wuxiang busying himself at the stove.
“What are you making?” he asked.
“Flatbread, stir-fried dishes, soup. What else would the young master like?” Shi Wuxiang replied.
“Why not make sweet pancakes?” Yuan Zhao asked, half complaining, half teasing.
Shi Wuxiang snorted. “Early in the morning—are you asking for a spanking?”
Yuan Zhao immediately behaved, brushing his teeth without another word, afraid a slap might land on him out of nowhere.
On this rare day of rest, the family gathered in the main room. Ranran and Yuan Yuan practiced writing; Madam Shi sewed shoes and clothes; Yuan Zhao helped sort threads while chatting with Shi Wuxiang, who was reading.
The sun rose, warming the room.
Yuan Zhao took the bedding out to air, so it would carry the fresh scent of sunlight by night.
As he beat the blankets, he asked, “For the autumn exam, do you have to go to the provincial capital?”
“Yes,” Shi Wuxiang said, flipping through a book of strange tales. “If I pass, I’ll go to the capital for the metropolitan exam next spring… This book is quite good—you should read it sometime.”
Yuan Zhao thumped the blanket hard. “I’m asking something serious, and you’re talking about strange tales? I don’t even want to care about you anymore.”
Shi Wuxiang immediately gave in. “Alright, my mistake. Please continue caring about me.”
Yuan Zhao’s eyes widened in shock. He quickly glanced at Madam Shi, who seemed not to have heard, and only then relaxed.
How could he say something like that in front of his mother?
What if she thought he was some kind of bad ger?
“Speaking of which, I just remembered something I forgot to tell you all,” Shi Wuxiang suddenly said, closing his book with a serious expression.
Everyone immediately tensed, expecting something important.
Even the children sat up straight, eyes shining.
“Hurry, tell us!”
“From now on, students taking the exam only get one day off per month,” he said.
“Oh.”
The children went back to writing.
“Oh.”
Madam Shi resumed sewing.
“Ah?” Yuan Zhao was shocked. He dropped the stick and hurried over. “How can that be? Still only one day off per month? Then what about me? Can I still go visit you?”
“The time is tight, so of course we have to focus on studying,” Shi Wuxiang replied. “There are two short break days at the end of each month. As for you, you can still come every few days—what’s the rush?” He answered each concern patiently. “It’s just that business at the academy might decline a bit from now on.”
That reassured Yuan Zhao. He grinned. “If business drops, then so be it. I’ll just bring food for you—forget everyone else.”
Those words were unexpectedly comforting. Shi Wuxiang couldn’t help reaching out to pinch his cheek. The past couple of months had been easy—nothing required his constant attention, and with better living conditions, Yuan Zhao had grown more refined and striking.
“Oh, pinching cheeks~”
“Pinching cheeks, huh~”
Yuan Yuan and Ranran made exaggerated faces and teased in singsong voices, which made Yuan Zhao blush. He bared his teeth at Shi Wuxiang in mock annoyance, yet didn’t move away from his hand.
Since no one had worked that day, lunch was simple. After eating, they strolled around the courtyard to digest, chatting now and then in a quiet, warm atmosphere.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Is everyone home?” A familiar voice sounded from the gate.
They looked over—it was Aunt Tian from next door.
Yuan Zhao quickly invited her in. “Auntie, come sit. My mother’s inside sewing.”
“The weather’s nice today, so I came by after lunch to sit for a bit,” Aunt Tian said with a smile as she walked in. But her gaze kept drifting toward Yuan Zhao, as if she had something to say but hesitated.
Yuan Zhao noticed, but didn’t press her. If it were something urgent, she would have said it immediately—this kind of hesitation meant it was awkward to bring up.
Madam Shi smiled. “I’m working on summer clothes. Are your fields all taken care of?”
“Not yet—I just came back from the fields and heard some gossip,” Aunt Tian said, sitting beside her and helping with the thread. “Your stitching is good—doubling the seams makes it sturdier.”
“Summer clothes need frequent washing. Better to make them durable,” Madam Shi replied, glancing at Yuan Zhao as he brought tea. “Have some tea, I’ll be done soon.”
Aunt Tian responded, but her eyes stayed on Yuan Zhao. “I heard something in the fields—seems like something happened again with the Yuan family in Xiahe Village.”
Yuan Zhao’s ears perked slightly. The Yuan family only had Yuan Jinbao and Yuan Jiagen left, along with their land and inheritance. As long as they worked steadily, they should have enough to live on—what could have gone wrong?
“What happened?” Madam Shi asked.
“They say the two of them are splitting the household, fighting endlessly over money. Yuan Jinbao’s especially ruthless—he beat Yuan Jiagen so badly he’s still unconscious,” Aunt Tian said with a sigh.
The Yuan family had never been decent, though most of the blame lay with the parents for failing to raise their children properly. Now even the brothers, who relied on each other, were tearing each other apart over money.
Yuan Zhao wasn’t particularly surprised. He knew how selfish they were—especially Yuan Jinbao, who only cared about himself. Of course he wouldn’t willingly share money.
And Yuan Jiagen resented him for years of laziness, wanting a bigger share—perhaps even everything. In the end, it was just two selfish people clashing.
“Useless lot…” Madam Shi muttered. “They have land and savings. Even split evenly, each could get ten taels. If they worked hard and found wives, wouldn’t life improve?”
“Who knows what they’re thinking? That village’s feng shui must be bad…” Aunt Tian clicked her tongue. “Look at it—hardly any good families there. The better ones all live well.”
Yuan Zhao nodded along—he’d long thought there was something wrong with Xiahe Village.
Shi Wuxiang raised a brow. What kind of logic was that? Since when did bad character become a matter of feng shui? If karma were real, those who deserved punishment would have faced it long ago.
“Then this matter will likely fall to Village Chief Liu,” Shi Wuxiang said, steering the topic back. “With so many incidents, he won’t keep tolerating it.”
Aunt Tian waved her hand. “How could he? This is a family matter—he can’t interfere.”
Shi Wuxiang nodded. “That’s true. Then they’ll have to resolve it themselves. Are your fields all replanted? What did you grow this year?”
“The usual—enough to get by…” Aunt Tian suddenly stood. “Oh, I’ve talked too long—I need to get back to the fields. I’ll come chat again later!”
As soon as she left, the atmosphere quieted.
Yuan Zhao didn’t feel much about it. The Yuan family’s affairs had nothing to do with him anymore—he just hadn’t expected things to turn so ugly between the last two brothers.
But while he thought that way, the brothers clearly didn’t.
—
It was just after lunch, when villagers were heading back to the fields, when a figure stumbled into Qingluan Village, shouting as he ran.
“Yuan Zhao!”
“Yuan Zhao, where are you? Save me!”
“Isn’t that from the Yuan family in Xiahe Village? Those troublemakers again! Go get the Shi family—and inform Village Chief Niu!”
People quickly spread the word. Some rushed to help, others simply came to watch the commotion.
When Yuan Zhao heard his name, his face filled with disbelief. Cutting ties had meant nothing—they still came to trouble him?
Yuan Jiagen didn’t know where the Shi family lived, and no one in Qingluan Village would tell him. So he cried out at the village entrance, blood on his forehead, bruises on his face—clearly beaten badly.
Yuan Zhao, curious, grabbed Shi Wuxiang and hurried toward the entrance. He mainly wanted to see how badly the brothers had fought.
“Wipe that smile off your face,” Shi Wuxiang said helplessly. “Someone might think you arranged the beating.”
“Listen to yourself… do I look like that kind of person?” Yuan Zhao scoffed, then added, “If anything, they’d think it was you!”
Shi Wuxiang: “…”
At the village entrance, a crowd had already gathered. Village Chief Niu was angrily scolding Yuan Jiagen, cursing the entire Yuan family.
“Village Chief,” Yuan Zhao called.
“Why did you come?” the chief frowned. “We’re about to drive him out.”
Seeing Yuan Zhao, Yuan Jiagen suddenly dropped to his knees. “Zhao-ge’er, it was all my fault before. Please help me! If even you won’t help, I’ll be beaten to death!”
“Why are you asking me?” Yuan Zhao said innocently. “I’m not part of your family anymore. If you’re beaten, go find your brother. The one who hit you is terrible—you should report him.”
“It was my brother! He wants the money—I wouldn’t give it, so he beat me! Please help me!” Yuan Jiagen cried desperately.
Yuan Zhao covered his mouth in mock shock. “Your brother is that ruthless? But he’s still your brother. Family shouldn’t hold grudges overnight. Why ask outsiders? Just listen to him and it’ll be fine.”
Yuan Jiagen froze. “You… you…”
Yuan Zhao smiled faintly. Back then, whenever he was bullied, they’d say the same thing—family, just obey. Now that they suffered, they forgot those words. How ridiculous.
“Exactly! Get out of here!” Village Chief Niu shouted. “Stop causing trouble in our village!”
Before Yuan Jiagen could leave, Yuan Jinbao arrived.
Seeing his brother kneeling before Yuan Zhao, anger surged. More than the fight over money, he resented Yuan Zhao for everything.
If Yuan Zhao had obediently married that widower, none of this would have happened.
“Yuan Zhao!!!”
With a furious roar, Yuan Jinbao charged forward, brandishing a wood-cutting blade, intent on killing him.
“Move! Move!”
“He’s going to kill someone!”
Yuan Zhao knew the blade was meant for him, yet his legs froze.
Yuan Jinbao moved fast—but another was faster.
A pair of arms yanked Yuan Zhao into an embrace, stepping back just in time to avoid the strike.
In the same instant, a long leg lashed out—kicking Yuan Jinbao square in the lower back. He stumbled and crashed to his knees, the blade flying from his hand.
Villagers rushed forward to restrain him.
Pinned down, Yuan Jinbao spewed curses—filthy, venomous words pouring out endlessly, as if his mouth were a cesspit.
“Shut up!” Shi Wuxiang kicked him hard on the shoulder, took the woodcutter’s axe from a villager’s hand, and slammed it into the ground in front of him. “If you don’t want your head split from your body, keep your mouth shut!”
Not to mention Yuan Jinbao, even Yuan Zhao was startled by his fierce and ruthless demeanor.
Yuan Zhao stepped forward and tugged at Shi Wuxiang’s sleeve. “A-Xiang, put it away quickly. Don’t hold something like that—it’s scary!”
Shi Wuxiang then handed the axe back and pulled Yuan Zhao into his arms, gently patting and soothing him.
The village entrance fell into near silence.
Village Chief Niu let out a sigh. “Take those two back to Xiahe Village and hand them over to Village Chief Liu for handling. Everyone else, disperse!”
The villagers wore complicated expressions—some angry, some resentful, some frightened. None of them had expected the people from Xiahe Village to be this unhinged.
“You all should go home and rest as well. You don’t need to get involved in this anymore,” Village Chief Niu said to Shi Wuxiang and Yuan Zhao.
“Thank you, Village Chief.”
Shi Wuxiang and Yuan Zhao supported each other as they walked home. Fortunately, they had not let Yuan Yuan and the others follow them out earlier, or the children would have been frightened out of their wits.
All the way back, Shi Wuxiang remained silent. Yuan Zhao couldn’t help feeling a little guilty.
“Sorry. If I hadn’t insisted on coming along for the excitement, none of this would’ve happened, and you wouldn’t have been scared, right?”
“Are you comforting me?” Shi Wuxiang asked in surprise. What was there for him to be scared of? He had seen even more extreme scenes in his past life on the news. “I was just thinking about something.”
“What are you thinking about?” Yuan Zhao blinked and tilted his head to look at him. “You’re really not angry?”
Shi Wuxiang’s hand around his waist lightly patted him. “Even if I am, it’s at them, not you. As for what I’m thinking, I’ll tell you when we get home.”
Yuan Zhao immediately quickened his steps, which in turn made Shi Wuxiang walk faster as well. Seeing that Yuan Zhao truly wasn’t frightened, he finally felt a bit more at ease.
The two returned home slightly disheveled. Madam Shi Zhang had already been worried, and seeing them like this made her even more anxious.
“What happened? Did something occur? Have those two from the Yuan family left?”
“It’s fine. Village Chief Niu is handling it and has already had them tied up and sent back,” Yuan Zhao quickly replied. Thinking of Yuan Jinbao holding a knife earlier, he added angrily, “He’s completely insane!”
Madam Shi Zhang looked them over repeatedly, murmuring, “It’s good that nothing happened… it’s good that nothing happened…”
“A-Xiang, what were you going to say earlier?” Yuan Zhao, after comforting Madam Shi Zhang, turned to look at Shi Wuxiang, who was quietly drinking tea.
“We should move to the town,” Shi Wuxiang said.
Though the words were spoken lightly, they carried a weight that settled heavily in everyone’s hearts. No one didn’t want to climb higher and go further out.
“Move to the town? Where would we live?” Madam Shi Zhang asked nervously, though she already had a guess in her heart.
“We’ll buy a house,” Shi Wuxiang said again.
He did not look down on village life, but they needed to leave this environment. In town, no one would come charging into their home with a woodcutter’s axe. They would not have to exhaust themselves traveling back and forth anymore.
“I agree!” Yuan Zhao’s eyes curved with a smile. That was the town!
The atmosphere in the room instantly shifted with his words. The tension and frustration from earlier were swept away.
A faint smile also appeared on Shi Wuxiang’s face. He liked that Yuan Zhao always supported him first in everything.
“How much silver does it take to buy a house in town? I’ll go count the money we’ve saved in the money bank later and withdraw some. We should buy a bigger one, right?” Yuan Zhao leaned excitedly toward him, questions spilling out nonstop.
“Houses in town depend heavily on location. If we want a good location and a spacious courtyard, it will naturally be expensive. We’ll need to ask around properly to know for sure,” Shi Wuxiang replied.
But in his heart, he was already thinking of someone to inquire with. Before buying a new house, however, it would be best if they could repurchase the Shi family’s original home. That courtyard was also quite large.
The Shi family had three siblings, and they could not live together. When they first bought the house, they had already considered this, so the bedrooms were sufficient, though the courtyard was a bit small.
For them, it was already enough to live in. There was no need to buy something excessively large—what mattered was that the whole family could live together.
Madam Shi Zhang clearly thought of the same thing. After some hesitation, she spoke.
“I’m afraid we can’t buy back our old house in town.”
“Why is that?” Shi Wuxiang was slightly surprised.
“After your father had his accident, the shop business couldn’t keep up. The house was used to repay debts and has already been taken by someone else. No matter how much we think about it, it belongs to someone now,” Madam Shi Zhang said helplessly.
Hearing this reminder, Shi Wuxiang recalled it as well. Later, they had rented a house in town, and after his incident, the whole family returned to the village.
He did not care much about it.
“Then we’ll just buy a new one. We can also set up Father’s memorial tablet properly. Once we have a new home, he would be happy,” Shi Wuxiang said.
“Alright, alright,” Madam Shi Zhang wiped her tears, a faint smile appearing. “Your father is the same wherever he is. It’s the living who matter most.”
Shi Qingran quietly walked over and wiped her tears for her. Madam Shi Zhang pulled her into her arms and patted her gently, also pulling Yuan Yuan into the embrace.
Shi Wuxiang continued, “Then it’s settled. Tomorrow I’ll ask my classmates at the academy. Yuan Zhao, you can also inquire about house prices in town. If there’s anything suitable, let me know when I go to the academy.”
“I know!” Yuan Zhao grinned.
They were going to buy a house in town!