Yuan Zhao happily led Shi Wuxiang to the broker’s place, but before entering, Shi Wuxiang forced a serious expression on him and told him to control his emotions.
“Don’t worry, I understand!” Yuan Zhao patted his chest seriously. He knew this kind of situation well—they were here to bargain, not to give away silver.
If they showed too much interest, they would be taken advantage of. When he sold wild goods at his stall, he always looked like it hurt to part with money, but he still made profit.
Shi Wuxiang nodded in satisfaction, and they confidently knocked on the broker’s door.
The broker opened only half the door and saw Yuan Zhao standing there with a cold face. He thought, it’s been half a month—they really came back. That means they truly liked the house. He had to close this deal today.
But when he stepped out, he saw Shi Wuxiang standing beside him. His smile instantly disappeared, replaced with nervousness.
He had originally planned to overcharge while this man wasn’t present—but now they met face to face…
“Master Shi is here as well? Are you here for that courtyard again? I’ll take you to see it right away,” the broker said hurriedly, all previous arrogance gone.
Yuan Zhao’s expression darkened.
Look at this change in attitude.
Shi Wuxiang gave a cold laugh. “Good. Then let’s also talk about how that run-down courtyard is priced at one hundred eighty taels—and we are still expected to pay for repairs.”
The broker shivered. “Misunderstanding! I definitely didn’t say one hundred eighty taels—let’s go take a look first, price can be discussed!”
Shi Wuxiang said nothing more and brought Yuan Zhao into the carriage.
After seeing the house, Yuan Zhao finally understood why he liked it so much. The courtyard faced south, spacious and well-arranged. Bedrooms were enough for their family. The backyard was wide, with a small pavilion and signs that flowers had once been planted. There was even a well—clean and still usable.
Even though repairs were needed, it was clearly worth it.
But Shi Wuxiang still showed no satisfaction.
“Name a price,” he said coldly.
“One hundred seventy taels,” the broker quickly replied. “Repairs still on you.”
Yuan Zhao was stunned. Ten taels cheaper already!
If he had paid a deposit before telling Shi Wuxiang, that money would have gone straight into the broker’s pocket.
This was outrageous.
“This house has been in your hands. Maintenance should have been your responsibility,” Shi Wuxiang said with a cold laugh. “Do you think I’m an easy mark who doesn’t check market prices?”
The broker quickly tried to salvage it. “Then how about we handle repairs ourselves and you just add some labor fee?”
Shi Wuxiang sneered. “At this rate, you’ll never sell this place.”
He turned and left, pulling Yuan Zhao with him.
The broker panicked. “Master Shi! Please wait! We’re still negotiating!”
“One hundred sixty taels. We do not cover repairs,” Shi Wuxiang said firmly.
The broker hesitated, then immediately refused to raise it further.
One hundred sixty-two taels. Repairs included or not included—it was the final line.
He hesitated for a moment, but in the end still agreed.
“One hundred sixty-two taels. The matter of repairs will no longer be our responsibility.”
“Of course.” Shi Wuxiang responded. “We didn’t bring silver with us today. In two days, my spouse will go with you to the county office to complete the property transfer and registration. The yamen officers recognize him, so they will not make things difficult for you.”
The broker’s heart tightened—was that a warning aimed at him?
He quickly nodded again and again. “Y-yes, yes. Then I’ll wait at your shop in two days’ time.”
“You’ve worked hard.” Only then did Shi Wuxiang show a polite smile. Yet the broker still did not dare relax, repeatedly saying it was no trouble at all.
The broker originally intended to escort them out, but Shi Wuxiang declined. He left the residence with Yuan Zhao, and only after they had walked far away did faint smiles finally appear on their faces.
Especially Yuan Zhao—he was practically beaming.
“Axiang, you’re amazing, hahaha… we’re going to have a house in town now!” Yuan Zhao laughed with a hand over his mouth, his bright brows and eyes curved in delight, giving him an unexpectedly refined and noble air.
“After we return from the county city, go find the carpenter at the end of the alley who repairs shops. Have them help renovate the house. They’re honest and skilled, trustworthy people.” Shi Wuxiang instructed in detail, as if he would not see Yuan Zhao again in a couple of days.
Yuan Zhao frowned. “I know already. Why are you talking like you’re giving last words or something?”
Shi Wuxiang lightly reprimanded him. “Nonsense.”
The two returned to the shop. It was not yet time to close, so they rested briefly in the upstairs private room. Only after the afternoon crowd left on their own did they go home with Jia Xiaomei.
As soon as they returned, Shi Wuxiang prepared to bathe.
Even in the academy he washed and wiped himself daily, but it was never truly convenient—how could it compare to soaking freely in one’s own wooden tub?
He removed his clothes. His once somewhat thin frame had, after two months of training, become sturdier. There was now a faint layer of muscle, especially the clearly defined abdominal muscles, making his body look much more solid.
Only after he fully entered the wooden tub did Yuan Zhao knock and come in.
“I’ll help you scrub your back.”
Yuan Zhao pressed the cloth with a bit of force. Perhaps because of the rising steam from the hot water, his face felt unusually warm, and his gaze drifted away, unable to look directly.
Shi Wuxiang rested his arms on the edge of the tub, his chin on his forearm, quietly guiding him to apply more strength—he could take a firm scrub.
However, he was already clean; even with Yuan Zhao using all his strength, only a trace of dust came off, and instead his back turned slightly red.
“Ah!” Yuan Zhao continued scrubbing downward without realizing—
Only to be stopped abruptly by Shi Wuxiang.
“Where are you scrubbing to?!” Shi Wuxiang turned his head in embarrassment and annoyance. Yuan Zhao’s hand had already reached his lower back—one more move and it would be…
Yuan Zhao snapped back to awareness, his face flushing red as he stared blankly at both Shi Wuxiang and his own hand. “I—I was just scrubbing your back… your whole back…”
Shi Wuxiang grabbed his hand and tossed it out of the tub, then promptly chased him out as well.
That little hooligan!
Yuan Zhao angrily wrung the wet cloth. Why was he hiding from him like that? Even if they were going to separate in the future, they were still spouses now!
Hmph. If they really ended up sharing a wedding bed later, he wouldn’t agree to it either!
Shi Wuxiang finished washing shortly after. When he came out, food was already set on the table; everyone else had already finished eating.
“Did you take out your dirty clothes?” Yuan Zhao peeked inside. “I’ll wash them for you.”
“They’re in the laundry basket. I’ll wash them myself later,” Shi Wuxiang said while eating.
The clothes were thin; a quick scrub would do, and a breeze outside would dry them quickly. So he washed frequently, and his clothes were never too dirty.
But Yuan Zhao ignored him, went straight in to fetch them, and even carried out buckets of dirty water to pour away.
Shi Wuxiang quickly wiped his mouth. “You’ve got too much energy with nowhere to use it. I’ll do it.”
Only after everything settled did the sun begin to set.
The family gathered in the main hall eating fruit, while Shi Wuxiang casually told them about the house purchase in town.
It had all been done quietly; the Shi family was stunned, especially Shi Qingyue, who had only been away for a month and felt everything at home had changed.
“You already bought a house in town?”
“Yes. It was decided today. In two days, when we return to town, we’ll directly go to the county office to register it,” Shi Wuxiang explained, then added, “The house will be registered under Zhao Ge’er’s name.”
“Huh?” Yuan Zhao turned sharply to look at him.
He hadn’t even heard of this!
He immediately looked at Shi Wuxiang, then at the rest of the Shi family, afraid of seeing any displeasure. Panicking slightly, he waved his hands. “You’re the head of the household. It should naturally be under your name.”
No household ever registered property under a spouse’s name—this wasn’t a personal purchase just for him.
“This is a small matter,” Madam Shi said gently. “Zhao Ge’er won’t refuse to let us live there. But you should’ve told us before buying such a big thing. It’s not right for you two to bear all the cost alone.”
“I have some private savings too,” Yuan Wan said, raising his hand while chewing fruit. “Maybe I could even afford a house!”
Yuan Zhao couldn’t help but laugh.
The words were childish, but no one mocked him. It was a good thing for a child to already think of the family like this.
“You keep your money. Your brother has money,” Shi Wuxiang said directly.
He then turned to Madam Shi. “Mother’s money should be saved for A Yue and Ranran. A Yue will eventually need to marry, and Ranran will need a dowry. There’s no need to worry about household matters.”
Madam Shi sighed lightly. “A Yue is already at the age where he should be thinking about marriage if he passes the scholar exam…”
“I won’t pass this year,” Shi Qingyue suddenly said. “There’s still half a year. I’m not like my eldest brother…”
The moment he spoke, he even praised Shi Wuxiang.
Madam Shi only smiled. “Then study for another three years. It’s fine to be later. As long as you’re willing to work hard.”
“Alright,” Shi Qingyue nodded.
The matter of the house was settled so quietly, but Yuan Zhao still felt uneasy afterward and brought it up again once they were back in their room.
“I still think this isn’t right,” Yuan Zhao frowned. “The shop belongs to both of us, so the money we earn is also shared. Why is it that when we use our money to buy a house, it’s only registered under my name? Even if Mother and the others don’t say anything, they must feel uncomfortable.”
“You said yourself the money is ours. As the head of the household, I say it goes under your name—do you still want to argue?” Shi Wuxiang said calmly.
In his mind, giving a partner material security was important. Registering the house under Yuan Zhao’s name was meant to provide that sense of security.
But he didn’t realize Yuan Zhao didn’t care about such things at all.
“I’m the head of the household, so it should be under your name. I’m not interested in this kind of thing. Even if it’s under my name, I can still live there!” Yuan Zhao shook his head. “If anything, you might as well just give me more silver.”
“You want to buy something?” Shi Wuxiang was surprised. “Isn’t all the money already with you? Just spend it as you like. Why would I need to give you more?”
Yuan Zhao paused. “Right…”
Shi Wuxiang was speechless. Did he really not realize who was actually managing the household finances?
“Then it’s settled,” Shi Wuxiang concluded.
“Got it,” Yuan Zhao agreed without further argument.
They dropped the matter and lay down to rest.
Rare days of leisure passed quickly. Shi Wuxiang got up and cooked a full table of dishes, which the family finished in silence.
After eating, they began sorting dirty clothes. Shi Qingyue, lacking experience, washed poorly; Madam Shi had to redo everything while teaching him.
“Even scrubbing properly doesn’t work?” Shi Wuxiang said calmly. He let Madam Shi stand aside and had Shi Qingyue do it himself. “Mother, just guide him. Otherwise, at this age, he still can’t even wash his own clothes.”
“Big brother, yesterday you were still saying I’m too young…” Shi Qingyue muttered back while scrubbing clothes, seizing every chance to talk back.
Shi Wuxiang let out a soft, dismissive sound. Shi Qingyue immediately fell silent, scrubbing harder with an obedient “huff huff” effort.
The rare free time always passed quickly—before they knew it, the day to head into town had arrived.
Shi Qingyue had to leave earlier on his side, so it was arranged for Jia Xiaomei to take him along. The carriage was packed with meat sauce, small pickles, and rolled flatbread that Yuan Zhao had specially prepared… basically anything that could be brought along was loaded.
Shi Wuxiang’s side was much simpler. Since he stayed nearby and only went every two or three days, there was nothing much to carry.
Yuan Zhao saw him off at the entrance of the academy. Shi Wuxiang did not forget to remind him, “Be careful on the road. If you don’t feel like driving, just hire a helper. If that broker dares to bully you, tell the yamen officers.”
“I remember. Go on now, you should head in—we still have things to prepare.”
Yuan Zhao watched until Shi Wuxiang’s figure disappeared inside the academy before finally driving the carriage back to the eatery.
The broker had already been waiting there. Seeing Yuan Zhao return, he immediately perked up. Yuan Zhao felt that the trip to the county town might be a bit dull, so he brought along Wenge’er and Ranran as well.
They chatted casually along the way. After passing through the city gate and traveling a bit further, they finally arrived at the county yamen.
On normal days, the yamen area was quite quiet.
They parked the carriage by the roadside and walked up to the yamen entrance. The officers recognized Yuan Zhao and immediately softened their usual cold demeanor.
“Sir officer, we are here to register a household. These are the house deed documents and personal records.” The broker respectfully handed everything over, and Yuan Zhao also passed his documents along.
The officer said, “Understood. Wait here.”
Hearing this, the broker grew anxious and quickly slipped a piece of silver from his sleeve forward. The officer naturally accepted it—money delivered to the door would not be refused.
“Then let’s go back and wait. That should make things faster,” the broker said confidently.
“Why go back and wait? It’ll be out soon,” Yuan Zhao said, first a little surprised, but quickly realizing what was going on. “They handle things quickly now. Just wait a bit.”
The officers had previously been reprimanded, and the magistrate took matters involving the Shi family very seriously. Anything related to them had to be checked quickly, and if there were no issues, it was to be processed immediately.
As Shi Wuxiang would more commonly put it—having someone backing you made things easier.
The broker was initially unconvinced, but thinking of Shi Wuxiang’s protection under the magistrate, he decided it might indeed be true and waited a bit longer.
After about a quarter of an hour, the officers came out again, and he was thoroughly shocked. It was faster than even a savior descending from heaven.
“Then we’ll be leaving first,” Yuan Zhao said without paying attention to his shock, taking the two children and driving the carriage toward the inner streets of the town.
Since they were already here, it made sense to stroll around.
Yuan Zhao tied up the carriage, gave a small coin to the attendant, and led them into the streets.
Prices in the county town were higher than in the market town. Yuan Zhao had deliberately brought a few extra broken silver pieces, which was enough if spent carefully.
The priority was to buy food for the two children. After filling their stomachs, they went to the fabric shop and bargained for three bolts of cloth—enough to make clothes for the whole family.
The shop assistant eagerly asked, “Sir, would you like to look at anything else? Your hair ribbon looks quite old. Why not get a new one? We also have newly made forehead ornaments—they’re very beautiful!”
Hair ribbon?
Yuan Zhao followed his gesture and saw rows of beautifully made silk hair ribbons, shimmering under the sunlight. They looked like something called “Luohui…”
“How much is this hair ribbon?” Yuan Zhao did not even dare to touch it, afraid that the rough calluses on his hands might damage it.
This would be perfect for A-Xiang to tie his hair with.
The assistant, sharp-eyed, immediately stepped forward. “These are leftover premium silk from finished garments. Very fine material—thirty-five wen.”
“Thirty-five wen? That expensive?” Yuan Zhao’s eyes widened. “In our market town this would be fifteen wen at most. Why is yours so high?”
“Well, prices differ by location,” the assistant replied smoothly. “Besides, this is genuine high-quality material. You can feel it—it doesn’t snag.”
He lifted it for Yuan Zhao to touch.
The soft, delicate texture against his hand made Yuan Zhao feel his mood lift. Something this good would definitely suit A-Xiang.
And it really didn’t snag.
“Then I’ll take a blue one,” Yuan Zhao said, pointing.
“Right away, I’ll box it up nicely for you,” the assistant said, immediately understanding it was a gift.
Yuan Zhao lowered his eyes, already imagining Shi Wuxiang wearing it.
“Sister-in-law, are you buying a forehead ornament too?” Ranran pointed at a pale green one. “This one looks nice, you should get it.”
“It’s expensive here. I’ll buy it back in the market town,” Yuan Zhao replied, then looked at her. “Shouldn’t you get a new hair ornament too? Pick a pair. Wenge’er can get a small forehead band as well.”
He wasn’t really asking—more like deciding. The assistant, quick-witted, immediately began recommending items.
Yuan Zhao ended up buying quite a lot, even hand balm for the household. Since they were already here, he figured they might as well look around properly.
By the time they finished, it was already noon. The two children were full from snacks and not hungry, and Yuan Zhao himself did not want to eat in the county town, so they simply headed back.
The official road at midday was quiet, filled only with birds and insects. Going there had felt fine with company, but returning alone felt eerily silent.
Yuan Zhao listened carefully to the surroundings, afraid some wild beast might suddenly rush out. The more he feared it, the more tense he became.
So when he heard a faint cry for help, he first thought he was hallucinating.
“You two wait here. I’ll go take a look,” Yuan Zhao said, grabbing a wooden stick and following the sound. He really did find a luxurious carriage overturned among the woods, with an injured person abandoned nearby.
He hurried over. “What happened? Where are you injured?”
“My leg… my leg is bleeding!” the injured person cried, clutching their leg. “My maids and servants went to find help. I’m so scared…”
Yuan Zhao examined the wound. It wasn’t deep or long, and the bleeding had already stopped.
While comforting them, he tore a strip from his own clothing. “Don’t be afraid. I’ll bandage it first. Once it’s covered, you won’t be so scared.”
The young man sniffled and nodded, teary eyes fixed on him. “You’re really kind.”