Yuan Zhao returned home while carefully timing things.
Before going to the academy, he planned to prepare some food to bring along. This time it was not just for Ah Xiang’s sake, but also for Cheng Du and the others. During the period Ah Xiang had been absent, they had all helped handle matters. Both emotionally and logically, he ought to properly thank them.
The food itself was very ordinary, but it still represented his sincerity.
Though Yuan Zhao learned characters and phrases slowly, he picked up cooking very quickly. Those dishes Ah Xiang repeatedly made for them before—he could now cook them fairly well himself. The brothers all enjoyed eating them too.
Spicy chili chicken, mala fish, braised pork ribs, pearl meatballs, stir-fried choy sum, lettuce stem scrambled eggs… along with a large bowl of soft, perfectly steamed white rice.
Putting all of this together actually took two large food boxes. Although carrying them felt heavy, for Yuan Zhao it felt steady and reassuring. He was only afraid he would make too little and it still wouldn’t be enough for them to eat, and even more afraid that making too little would not look good.
There were more people at home now, so the one driving the carriage became a Zhou man. Xia Lian even wanted to follow outside and walk alongside the carriage, but Yuan Zhao stopped her and made her sit inside instead.
It took nearly half an hour to reach the county town by carriage. Although they were a bit hurried, they still arrived around the time the academy dismissed classes.
The gatekeeper recognized Yuan Zhao. Seeing that it was him, he didn’t say much and directly opened the gate to let him in.
There were already scholars in the courtyard heading toward the dining hall. Yuan Zhao didn’t see Shi Wuxiang at a glance, thinking he was probably still behind, so he waited along the path to the dining hall.
The academy did not require everyone to eat in the dining hall; even eating in the pavilion corridors was fine. Seeing that the usual spot was already taken, Yuan Zhao didn’t squeeze over and simply placed the food boxes down.
“Which household are you from? Doesn’t the academy not allow ge’er to come?” someone eating under the corridor asked him. This person had never seen Yuan Zhao before and didn’t know his relationship with Shi Wuxiang.
The scholar beside him widened his eyes and nudged him. “Are you crazy? He’s Shi-fuzi’s spouse, he comes here often. You just study all day and know nothing about outside affairs!”
After he finished speaking, he looked at Yuan Zhao again and said with a smile, “Shi… Shi-shaomu, Shi-fuzi and our Cheng-fuzi and a few others are talking. They should be out soon.”
Yuan Zhao smiled. “Thank you.”
He just needed to wait a bit longer.
Shi Wuxiang didn’t make Yuan Zhao wait long.
The few of them came out together. With just a casual glance, Shi Wuxiang saw the familiar figure standing on the path they had to pass—someone who had earlier that morning even asked him for an embrace.
Seeing him standing obediently and waiting there, eyes lighting up the moment he saw him, Shi Wuxiang felt a fire burning in his chest, burning away his rationality, making him want to rush straight to him.
He almost did exactly that.
In an instant, he left the few friends behind and strode toward Yuan Zhao. Chengdu and the others clicked their tongues and shook their heads before following after him.
“Ah Xiang!” Yuan Zhao waved with a bright smile, then looked at the three who followed. “It’s been a few days since we last met. Thank you for helping Ah Xiang with things. I specially made food, let’s eat together!”
At first, the few of them intended to refuse, but seeing the two large food boxes beside him, they realized this was specially prepared for them as well, so they no longer refused and accepted gladly.
If it were only Yuan Zhao and Shi Wuxiang, they would have definitely gone to the dormitory to eat, but with the three of them present, it was not appropriate to go there—it would lead to gossip—so they simply ate in the dining hall.
When the food boxes were opened, even Shi Wuxiang was slightly surprised. These dishes were almost as elaborate as a New Year’s Eve meal.
“We really took advantage here. It looks even more sumptuous than a festival,” Chengdu couldn’t help swallowing his saliva. He had always thought Yuan Zhao’s cooking was good.
The fire-cooked home-style dishes carried a unique flavor that even the restaurants couldn’t compare to.
Fu Ying and Hu Lu both softly thanked him. Since there was a share for them, there was no need for excessive politeness—it would only create distance.
Shi Wuxiang smiled as he took rice into his bowl and asked the dining hall for an extra pair of chopsticks, eating together with them.
“Right, there’s still some peach blossom wine at home. If you like it, I can send it to your homes so you can drink a little during your rest days,” Yuan Zhao said while eating, remembering the wine. He and Ah Xiang had both tried it and thought it was very good.
“The peach blossom wine is slightly sweet in taste. I can send a jar to you. If you like it, I can send more,” Shi Wuxiang also added. “It was bought from another county; I heard it was good so I bought some.”
Fu Ying preferred alcohol a bit more and nodded directly. “Then send one jar. It’s good to have with snacks during free time at home.”
Chengdu and Hu Lu naturally did not refuse either and agreed as well.
After eating and drinking their fill, they inevitably chatted for a bit while sitting. However, they also knew Yuan Zhao was there for Shi Wuxiang, so they didn’t say much and left space for the two of them.
Shi Wuxiang stood up to clean up the food boxes and, as if no one else was there, held Yuan Zhao’s hand and left the dining hall, returning to the dormitory.
“Didn’t I tell you to rest well? Why did you still come to the academy?” Shi Wuxiang pinched his cheek; it had gained a bit of flesh.
“No matter what, I still caused them trouble, so of course I should make it up a little. Besides, I can also come see you—killing two birds with one stone!” Yuan Zhao became more and more pleased as he spoke, even proudly lifting his chest.
Shi Wuxiang felt that he was probably in the so-called stage of being deeply in love. At this moment, even if Yuan Zhao peed on him, he would probably think it was cute.
He felt apologetic for this terrible thought, but when he looked at Yuan Zhao, the smile at his lips couldn’t be suppressed at all. Although he was not old, the presence of his young lover made him feel unusually alive.
“What if I don’t want to do anything? I just want to stay at home and guard you,” Shi Wuxiang said, even finding his own words somewhat laughable, feeling a bit unmanly for saying something so embarrassing.
Yuan Zhao, however, immediately brightened. “I can earn money! I can support you!”
Shi Wuxiang chuckled. “You’ve said that many times. How could I be so shameless? If you work hard while I slack off, how unworthy would that be?”
“What’s wrong with that? I’m very willing to earn money. I was even thinking about whether to open another shop and make even more money, bringing all the money of Mingqu County into our pockets!” Yuan Zhao said happily.
Who wouldn’t like money?
Once the thought arose in his heart, Shi Wuxiang knew he had ideas again, so he followed his words and asked.
“Are you thinking of opening another shop in town?”
“I was thinking that—if not, where else—ah! You mean…” Yuan Zhao suddenly exclaimed, covering his mouth, his eyes full of surprise and joy.
“With the Yu family fallen, many of their lands and shops were sold off, even a residence. I have already quietly spoken with the county magistrate; the best ones are being held for me temporarily,” Shi Wuxiang said in a lowered voice. “If you like them, we can buy the shops and residence at the most favorable price.”
County town residences and shops were naturally not cheap, but they did have some savings. Shi Wuxiang would not have brought it up lightly without confidence.
Yuan Zhao nodded quickly, then shook his head. “The house we have is already enough, and the eatery is making money. Let’s save more money for the children instead!”
He would not have dared to say such things before, but since Ah Xiang had teased him like this before, he felt he could say it too.
Besides, what household doesn’t want children?
If they save now, wouldn’t the children have more in the future?
Shi Wuxiang choked. At that time, he had only been teasing Yuan Zhao. Even though he had accepted Yuan Zhao being a ge’er, he still could not imagine himself being involved in such a thing—it went against his long-standing worldview.
Seeing him not respond, Yuan Zhao immediately widened his eyes. “Why aren’t you talking? You don’t want to have children with me?”
“In broad daylight, what nonsense are you talking about,” Shi Wuxiang lightly reprimanded. “These are things for the future. Besides, it’s not like children come so easily. Money should naturally be earned as early as possible…”
Hearing this reminder, Yuan Zhao suddenly remembered his earlier concerns about his abilities and thought he had struck a sore spot.
He quickly nodded. “Right, you’re right.”
Shi Wuxiang helplessly pinched his cheek. “Then I’ll discuss this with the county magistrate later. If the price can be negotiated, I’ll tell you. High risk always comes with high returns—we’ll take the first step.”
“Alright, I’ll listen to you,” Yuan Zhao nodded like pounding garlic.
On these matters, he truly did not have Shi Wuxiang’s vision. Naturally, whatever the other said, he would follow. If they opened shops in the county town, it would also make it more convenient for them to meet.
Yuan Zhao left the academy with swollen lips and returned to the town, where he began sorting the eatery’s earnings and bank notes. He needed to calculate whether they had enough money. If the county town was too expensive, they could wait another half year.
Since opening the eatery, monthly income had been at least eighty to one hundred taels. If they bought shops and a residence at county prices, all their earnings for a year would be used up.
If they didn’t earn more, several hundred taels would be wasted.
Although he trusted Ah Xiang, he inevitably felt some unease. But it was fine—even if they lost money, it wouldn’t matter as long as the eatery in town continued operating normally.
Yuan Zhao was open-minded about it. Everything had a future anyway. Their rolled pancakes were also very popular in the county before; there had been long queues back then.
Lu Xiu saw him looking at account books, sighing and smiling alternately, and thought something had happened to the Shi family, so he quickly asked, “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“No, just calculating and reviewing these two years of hard work,” Yuan Zhao replied. Even though Lu Xiu was a trusted accountant for the eatery, he did not say too much.
After all, the matter had not yet been finalized. It was better not to make it public; otherwise, if people learned that even the county magistrate favored them, it might lead to bad talk.
Seeing his calm expression, Lu Xiu didn’t pursue it further.
At that moment, the runners returned. Yuan Zhao remembered the wine delivery and called Gou Er’er over.
“Go to the house and find Gou Yi. Have him give you three jars of peach blossom wine, and deliver them to the Fu family, Cheng family, and Hu family respectively. Use a carriage. It’s fine if the wine breaks—just don’t hurt anyone,” Yuan Zhao carefully instructed.
When Yuan Zhao had left earlier, he had even bought carriages. Now the household had two carriages and one ox cart. One carriage was driven by Shi Zhang-shi back to the village, leaving only the ox cart at home.
For Gou Yi and the others, it was already enough; as for the carriage, they did not even dare to sit inside it.
“Hey, I heard that! You’re also delivering wine to other households!” a regular customer passing by the counter suddenly spoke up. “I was just saying what was missing in our eatery—it turns out it was wine! Now that I’ve heard it, the shop owner can’t hide it!”
No tavern or restaurant in the town was without wine.
Their eatery was truly the first of its kind—no matter what, they did not sell wine. If they did, wouldn’t business be even better?
Yuan Zhao couldn’t help but smile. “That is our own family’s wine. It’s not meant to be sold in the eatery. Drinking delays matters; the eatery does not do this kind of business.”
After all, they mainly sold morning meals. Business was almost entirely concentrated in the early hours; after eating, everyone had work to do, and none would drink alcohol.
Moreover, there were often groups of young women and young boys coming upstairs together. If someone in the eatery got drunk and caused trouble, wouldn’t it frighten them?
Every time wine was mentioned, the customers had a lot to say. At first they complained, but now they had more or less gotten used to it.
However, if they were to open a small tavern in the county seat, then they would definitely need to sell wine. He did not know whether the peach blossom wine would suit the tastes of the people of Mingqu County; if it was acceptable, perhaps they could cooperate with the people of Xingtao Village.
Yuan Zhao was full of these thoughts, his mind entirely focused on making money. As long as the business in the county seat could be established, the money earned in the future would certainly be several times what it was now. At that time, he would be even more able to support the family, and could also help Xiaolian find a match in the county seat.
How good!
Shi Wuxiang was also a man who did as he said. In his free time, he went to find the county magistrate and asked about shops and residences.
Since he intended to open a shop in the county seat, it naturally could not be like a small storefront in the town—it needed to be a spacious small tavern. By then, all the dishes Shi Wuxiang could make could be handed to chefs and used as signature dishes for their tavern.
The price of a small tavern was not cheap, and the layout inside the tavern was especially suitable. It would not even require much additional effort to modify it. The three to four hundred taels was actually a worthwhile price.
As for the Yu family residence, Shi Wuxiang had already looked over the plans in advance. The layout was also quite comfortable. The Yu family knew how to enjoy life, but in the future it would be their turn to enjoy it.
Shi Wuxiang clarified all of this and returned to the town later that day.
The small tavern and residence together would cost at least eight hundred taels. This was already with the county magistrate giving them a discount.
“Not bad. It’s about what I expected,” Yuan Zhao said. “I also checked today. Without this money, the funds in our money bank would shrink a lot.”
“It’s fine. In the future, more money will be deposited,” Shi Wuxiang gently reassured him. “Of course, I am not forcing you to buy the tavern and residence. In the end, it depends on your will.”
Although saying this only after everything had already been done sounded like the words of a deceiver, if Yuan Zhao felt even a little unhappy, Shi Wuxiang would refuse it even if it meant offending the county magistrate.
Yuan Zhao was slightly surprised and for a moment did not react to why he was saying this. Then he understood—Shi Wuxiang feared that he was being forced. But he truly was only speaking casually.
Since they had the ability, who would not want to buy a residence in the county seat? The more residences and shops they had, the more it would demonstrate their wealth, and it would benefit them greatly in the future. Of course he would not refuse.
“You always think so much. Aren’t you afraid of becoming an old man?” Yuan Zhao said softly while holding his head, then continued to comfort him. “I don’t feel forced at all. Opening another shop was my idea to begin with, and you’re just acting according to my wishes.”
Shi Wuxiang wrapped his arms around his waist and rested his forehead against his chest, unable to help but let out a self-deprecating laugh. “I’m just afraid that I might do something wrong again, and you’ll run away… In the future, if you’re unhappy, just argue with me, alright? I can now understand what you said about quarrels.”
He had never experienced romantic love before, so naturally he did not understand these things. Occasionally when he saw others in relationships, it was either quarrels or disturbances; just watching it already felt exhausting, let alone experiencing it himself.
But now he understood that quarrels meant there was still expectation for each other. If there was truly no expectation for the relationship anymore, then there would not even be the thought of arguing.
He would rather hear Yuan Zhao complain about him over small and large matters every day than wake up one day unable to find him, left only with a messy letter and him having run away.
Yuan Zhao smiled until his eyes curved. “I know.”
The two of them were both very action-oriented. The next day, Shi Wuxiang went first to the academy to report for duty, while Yuan Zhao went to the money bank before heading to the county seat.
They met in front of the county office and went together to see the county magistrate.
Normally, such small matters would not require disturbing the magistrate, but since they had already gone through his channels, they naturally had to meet him; otherwise it would be impolite.
The county magistrate greeted them as usual and invited them to sit. “I will calculate it at the lowest price for you. The tavern is three hundred and fifty taels, and the residence is four hundred and ninety taels. If you find this price acceptable, we will proceed with the registration.”
“Acceptable, acceptable! We brought silver notes,” Yuan Zhao quickly replied, afraid that if he was even a step slower, he would lose such a good deal.
“Very well. Whose names should the tavern and residence be registered under this time?” the magistrate asked with a smile. “Your town residence was only registered under your name.”
As he spoke, he looked at Shi Wuxiang.
Shi Wuxiang turned to glance at Yuan Zhao. He had not expected Yuan Zhao to disagree on this matter. It seemed that at the time he had already planned to leave and had not truly treated the home as a home.
Yuan Zhao awkwardly touched his nose and said nothing.
“Register the tavern under both of our names. The residence can be registered under his alone,” Shi Wuxiang said.
He also said it for Yuan Zhao to hear—the county residence would be their home in the future, so registering it under Yuan Zhao’s name was naturally no issue.
Although Yuan Zhao did not dare object, he also did not oppose it. In the past it was because he knew he would leave and did not dare to cling to anything. Now that he and Shi Wuxiang were living harmoniously, what should be theirs, they should naturally have.
The county magistrate did not say much. Smiling, he handed the matter to his subordinates. With the magistrate personally overseeing it, everything was handled quickly. In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, all the property deeds and documents were ready.
“I still have matters here. You may go take a look at the tavern and residence and make arrangements,” the magistrate said. His favor toward them naturally had no ulterior motive—he simply valued them.
With convenience available, it was only right to give it to one’s own people.
“Many thanks, sir!” Yuan Zhao said happily.
“This student will take his leave.”
Even though Shi Wuxiang’s status now surpassed that of the magistrate, he remained very respectful in front of him, never forgetting the magistrate’s cultivation and protection.
Although it was a small tavern, it was still much more spacious and bright than the town eatery. Upstairs there were proper private rooms, unlike their town setup which only used half-partitioned doors.
Moreover, the furniture and kitchen tools in the tavern were still intact. Because the Yu family had been in a rush when mortgaging it, they had not even bargained much, so everything had been left behind—now benefiting Yuan Zhao and the others.
“Isn’t it a bit of overkill to sell rolled pancakes in such a large tavern?” Yuan Zhao asked softly, wanting to hear Shi Wuxiang’s opinion.
“At that time, we can separate out a menu, like other taverns. Our rolled pancakes and egg pancakes cannot be removed from the menu; they are our signature,” Shi Wuxiang said. “I will draft a plan for you later.”
Yuan Zhao nodded obediently. Since Shi Wuxiang was in charge, he had nothing to worry about.
After looking over the tavern, they went to see the residence. Yuan Zhao had not yet seen it with his own eyes; he had only heard Shi Wuxiang describe it.
At first, Yuan Zhao felt that a residence costing over four hundred taels was still too expensive. But when he actually saw the Yu family residence, he was completely shocked into silence.
Perhaps because it had been occupied until recently, the residence was still clean and tidy. It was even a two-courtyard residence. To them, it was like picking up a tremendous bargain!
Even at five hundred taels, he would not think it was expensive.
“Oh my heavens!”
“This place is really big—it’s enough for grandchildren to live in.”
Yuan Zhao muttered in amazement. He felt that these wealthy people truly knew how to enjoy life. And this was only one of the Yu family’s residences… It seemed that in the future, he would have to work even harder to earn silver, so that the household could have more servants.
Shi Wuxiang smiled at his words. “If you have several children in the future, it still might not be enough for grandchildren to live in. It would be good enough if you don’t squeeze us out.”
“How could that be? I’ll definitely buy you an even bigger residence,” Yuan Zhao said earnestly, patting his back as if coaxing a child.
“Then I will look forward to it,” Shi Wuxiang said with a light laugh.
Act according to one’s ability; Shi Wuxiang was also someone capable of earning money now. He simply liked watching Yuan Zhao worry over him, and Yuan Zhao enjoyed it as well.
The residence did not need renovation. Even the furniture did not need to be newly made; they only needed to bring bedding and clothes and move in. It was already fully prepared.
Yuan Zhao said, “We don’t need to rush to move in. Isn’t it too early for us to buy this now?”
Shi Wuxiang raised his brows teasingly. “Just now you were rushing to buy the tavern to earn money to support me? Then of course we should live in the county seat. Are we supposed to travel back and forth every day? That would be exhausting.”
“Yes, yes, I even forgot about that in my excitement,” Yuan Zhao said, laughing at himself first.
His bright eyes curved into crescents, his smile deep, revealing neat teeth—utterly adorable.
Shi Wuxiang said, “I still have to return to the academy. You should also go back and prepare bedding and clothes. Later, bring Xia Lian and move here. Since the residence has been bought, we should also hire more gatekeepers and maids. I will arrange everything for the tavern. Just follow my arrangements later.”
“I understand.” Yuan Zhao nodded repeatedly, then suddenly thought of something. “We’ve rushed to settle everything like this, and we didn’t even inform Mother!”
In Yuan Zhao’s ingrained way of thinking, a wife should obey her husband in all matters, and even more so the mother-in-law’s opinions were important. Not informing her beforehand felt somewhat discourteous.
“It’s fine. Mother won’t interfere in our affairs,” Shi Wuxiang soothed him. This was their private household matter, and Madam Shi Zhang would not involve herself too much.
Moreover, this was, in itself, a good thing.
Only then did Yuan Zhao feel slightly relieved, and he motioned for Zhou Ren to drive the carriage toward the academy.
Shi Wuxiang left with slightly swollen lips.