Du Heng hurried to open the door. As soon as it swung open, he saw Danshe gripping Chengyi tightly with one hand while the other hand was clenched into a fist, hammering at the door.
Had he come a moment later, the child might have begun kicking it.
“What is it?”
Du Heng asked instinctively. Before he finished speaking, he noticed Chengyi standing behind Danshe with his head lowered, small hands covering his eyes as he cried.
There was blood smeared across the tightly pressed fingers covering his eyes. Du Heng’s heart clenched.
“Chengyi, are you hurt? Did you fall?”
Du Heng stepped forward at once. The moment Chengyi saw his father, he sniffled and threw himself into his arms.
Burying his face in Du Heng’s chest, he called out pitifully, “Father.”
Perhaps because his little face could be completely hidden against Du Heng’s body, shielded from others’ eyes, he cried even harder, his small frame trembling with each sob.
Chengyi had always been obedient and well-loved since childhood. He had never cried so heartbreakingly before.
Holding the child clinging to him, Du Heng felt the little body trembling in his arms. His heart ached. He gently stroked the back of Chengyi’s head beneath the soft hair.
“It is all right, my treasure. Father is here. Everything is fine.”
The other three boys stood as if frozen in place. Seeing Chengyi cry so fiercely, they furrowed their brows anxiously, not daring to speak.
Du Heng and Qin Xiaoman comforted the child for quite some time. Only when Chengyi had calmed a little did they ask, “What happened?”
Sniffling, Chengyi lifted his head from Du Heng’s chest. His eyes and nose were red, his thick lashes wet with tears.
Du Heng gently wiped them dry. Only then did he see the child’s face clearly—and noticed blood at the corner of his mouth.
He quickly tilted Chengyi’s chin up a little. “Why is there blood on your mouth? Did you fall?”
Seeing that his older brother had stopped crying for the moment, Danshe spoke up angrily, “I told Brother not to take the little snake lantern, but Yan Yuan insisted on giving it to him!”
He glared fiercely as he spoke.
Only then did Du Heng and Qin Xiaoman understand. The children had been playing with their lanterns in the garden. Feng Xiaohu had let Chengyi hold his small lantern, and when Yan Yuan saw that, he wanted to give Chengyi his lantern as well.
But Yan Yuan’s lantern was shaped like a small snake. Chengyi was somewhat afraid and did not want it.
Yan Yuan, however, insisted on giving it to him. The two boys were about the same age, and Yan Yuan was sturdy. In the pushing and refusing, Chengyi had been knocked to the ground.
“It is all right. Children fall and then get back up. Did your mouth hit something to make it bleed?”
Du Heng rubbed the pitiful little boy leaning against him and sniffing softly. Hearing the full account, he let out a relieved laugh.
“Open your mouth so Father can take a look.”
At that, Chengyi’s eyes welled up again. He slowly opened the tightly clenched hand he had been holding. In his palm lay a small white baby tooth.
“My mouth is not hurt… but my tooth fell out.”
As he spoke, he buried himself against Du Heng’s chest again and began crying sorrowfully. “I finally grew that tooth after dreaming every day about the big-mouthed monster, and now it fell out! Boo-hoo—”
Qin Xiaoman could not help but laugh in exasperation. “Children lose their teeth when they reach a certain age. After baby teeth fall out, new ones grow in. It is nothing.”
Chengyi blinked through tears. “Really, Daddy?”
“Of course. Children’s teeth are so small. If they did not fall out and grow new ones, would you not have tiny teeth even when you become an adult?”
Chengyi pursed his lips, still teary-eyed. “But… but if I grow new teeth, I will have to dream about the big-mouthed monster again. Chengyi is scared.”
Du Heng hugged the soft little body more tightly. “Do not be afraid. Father will hold you while you sleep. The big-mouthed monster will not dare come.”
After watching the dragon boat races during the day and playing with lanterns long into the night—and then suffering a fright and crying so much—the little fellow was likely exhausted. Nestled in Du Heng’s arms, soothed and comforted, he sniffled a while longer before drifting off to sleep.
Du Heng had no choice but to carry him to bed. Danshe was worried about his brother and abandoned his playmates, hurrying after Du Heng.
Yan Yuan watched Chengyi being carried away in Du Heng’s arms. He pressed his lips together, wanting to apologize. But Danshe shot him a glare as he followed behind, and the words stuck in his throat.
He was the young heir of the Prince of Nanping’s estate. His father was a prince—the emperor’s own full younger brother.
In the capital, his status was exalted. Everyone yielded to him. Adults doted on him, and no child was allowed to make him unhappy.
He had always been somewhat willful, unused to considering others. At the Feng residence, Feng Xiaohu—whom he had known since childhood—often told him how fun the Qin household was, and how there was a pretty older brother there.
Qiuyang County was a remote little place, far less entertaining than the capital. Having heard so much, he grew curious and followed Xiaohu to the Qin residence. He truly had fun there and met the “pretty older brother” Xiaohu had mentioned.
Chengyi really was adorable—and gentle-tempered too.
Whenever there were pastries, he would feed Danshe and Xiaohu first.
Yan Yuan envied how close they were. He wanted to grow closer to Chengyi as well.
When he saw the beautiful lanterns today, he had deliberately chosen the most special one—a little snake lantern—to give to Chengyi. Yet Chengyi preferred Xiaohu’s plain little white rabbit lantern, the kind seen everywhere, and did not want his large, impressive, one-of-a-kind snake lantern at all.
Yan Yuan had never suffered such humiliation in the capital. Whenever he casually offered some trinket, his companions would scramble for it. No child had ever refused something he gave—let alone something he had carefully selected.
He felt something called pride sting sharply. So when Chengyi said he did not want the snake lantern, he stiffened his neck and insisted he take it. He had not meant to push him over.
When Chengyi fell, Yan Yuan had been startled too. He had wanted to help him up. But Danshe and Xiaohu ran so quickly that they reached Chengyi before he could.
He did not know what to do. Then he saw Chengyi crying after being helped up.
He panicked. He had never intended to bully him. In his flustered state, he blurted out, “Why are you so delicate!”
Danshe had been furious. “Brother is bleeding! You are the delicate one!”
Before Yan Yuan could even see clearly, Danshe had already dragged Chengyi away to find Uncle Du.
Only then did Yan Yuan notice the blood on Chengyi’s mouth and hands—and that a baby tooth had fallen out.
Seeing him cry so miserably, Yan Yuan felt deeply regretful. Yet pride, stubbornness, and fear tangled together, leaving him at a loss for words.
“Uncle Qin will escort the two of you back. It is getting late,” someone said gently.
“Chengyi won’t be hurt, right?”
Feng Xiaohu was still worried, even though it was late and they should be heading home. As he walked out, he couldn’t help but glance back.
“Don’t worry, he’ll be fine. When you grow a bit older, you’ll get new teeth too.”
Qin Xiaoman sent the two little ones out of the residence to the carriage. “Come by tomorrow and play with Danze and the big knife again.”
Feng Xiaohu happily replied, “Okay!”
Qin Xiaoman noticed Yan Yuan, who had kept his gaze down the whole time, remaining silent and seemingly unhappy.
Children, when playing in groups, would inevitably bump into each other. These little knocks and scrapes were perfectly normal. Kids would soon forget and continue playing happily together. Adults shouldn’t get petty over minor accidents either.
“Little Prince, don’t take what happened today to heart. Chengyi is fine. You’ll all play happily again.”
Yan Yuan glanced at Qin Xiaoman. “So… can I still come with Xiaohu to see Chengyi and Danze?”
“Of course you can.”
Hearing this, Yan Yuan pressed his lips together and climbed into the carriage.
When Qin Xiaoman returned, Du Heng had just finished cleaning Chengyi’s little face, washed his tiny feet, and tucked him snugly into bed.
Danze had been quietly helping—handing over tissues, fetching shoes, running back and forth.
Seeing his brother settled under the covers, he climbed onto the bed, pressed his cheek against Chengyi’s, whispered a few words in his ear, and only then returned to his own small room.
He was tired too and wanted to sleep. Du Heng had intended to carry him back, but the little one refused, insisting that Du Heng stay in the room with his brother while he returned with the servants to his own room.
The little one was so sensible, which gave Du Heng great comfort.
“Sent them off?”
Qin Xiaoman nodded, eyes still on little Chengyi in bed.
Du Heng stepped forward, stopping him. “I checked just now—one of his lower milk teeth fell out. Chengyi hadn’t lost any teeth before, probably got startled.”
“Those other little ones must have been scared too, seeing such a scene.”
“I’ve already reassured Xiaohu and Yan Yuan,” Du Heng replied.
“That’s good.”
That night, Du Heng and Qin Xiaoman slept with the children. Though little Chengyi slept soundly, the two adults, unaccustomed to sleeping with the little one, didn’t rest well.
Around midnight, the little guy seemed to dream, murmuring in his sleep.
Du Heng picked him up, holding him close and patting his back to soothe him for a long while.
The next morning, Chengyi woke early, his mouth feeling empty with the missing tooth. His tongue kept wanting to explore the gap, but it was uncomfortable.
He clung to Du Heng’s chest; having slept with both fathers the night before, he now seemed even clingier.
Du Heng, seeing the little one’s lethargic attachment, reluctantly took him to breakfast.
The child’s fussiness was, of course, a result of their indulgent care.
After breakfast, Du Heng had to leave for the front office; Chengyi returned to his little father’s arms.
“Daddy said you don’t have to attend Granny Tang’s class today. What do you want to do?”
Chengyi thought a moment. “In the study.”
“Danze will accompany you in the study!”
Qin Xiaoman nodded, sending the two little ones off. He then instructed the kitchen to prepare some cooling herbal drinks for the warm late-morning weather.
Just as he stepped out of the kitchen, a servant informed him that the Little Prince had arrived.
Qin Xiaoman furrowed his brows. So early in the morning, after seeing the little one leave yesterday in a proud mood, he had thought he wouldn’t come again.
At the door, he saw Yan Yuan alone, accompanied by a few maids and carrying several boxes.
“Uncle Qin, I came to see Chengyi.”
Children, when playing together frequently, often referred to adults respectfully as uncle, aunt, or madam to show closeness. Yan Yuan, coming from the capital, usually didn’t call anyone uncle lightly, but today he did.
“Why did you bring so many things?”
Yan Yuan rubbed his hands. “I wanted to apologize to Chengyi. He didn’t like the little flower lantern yesterday. I didn’t know what he liked, so I brought a few things for him to see.”
“You don’t need so much. A small sweet cake would make him very happy.”
Yan Yuan didn’t respond. Qin Xiaoman sighed slightly. “Go ahead. Chengyi and Danze are in the study.”
Hearing this, Yan Yuan’s steps lightened as he ran inside.
“Why are you here?”
Danze, hearing the knock, thought it was food from the kitchen. He was surprised to see Yan Yuan at the door.
“I came to see Chengyi. I want to apologize.”
Chengyi peeked out at the sound and saw Yan Yuan.
“Little brother, you should let the Little Prince come in.”
Yan Yuan hurriedly carried the boxes inside, setting them on the table and pushing them toward Chengyi. “I didn’t mean to upset you yesterday, and I didn’t truly want to say anything bad. Please don’t be angry.”
“I know you don’t like the little snake lantern, but I didn’t know what you liked. When I returned, I asked Granny about it. Look, these are gifts I prepared to make up to you.”
He waved, and the servants brought in five or six small boxes, then withdrew.
Chengyi, seeing a small mountain of gifts, quickly said, “I’m not angry. There’s too much. Danze and I can’t use all of this.”
Seeing Chengyi still refusing his gifts, Yan Yuan pressed his lips tight. He had tossed and turned all night, rising while it was still slightly light, urging the servants to come with him. He hadn’t expected Chengyi still wouldn’t forgive him.
“Then I’ll just choose one. You can accept it as a token of the Little Prince’s heart.”
Chengyi saw Yan Yuan’s disappointed expression and added one more sentence.
Yan Yuan brightened immediately at this and said, “Yes! Great!”
He hurriedly opened the boxes, letting Chengyi choose.
The gifts were truly varied: gold locks, jade and pearls, books with brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, stuffed dolls, cuju balls, rattles… and even a box of delicately made crab paste pastries.
Danze weaved through the pile of treasures, his eyes wide with amazement. “There are as many things as Yun Duo sent before!”
Yan Yuan’s ears twitched. “Who’s Yun Duo?”
Danze raised his hand. “He’s a playmate from our old home in Luoxia County. He’s really good to my brother!”
Yan Yuan quickly added, “As long as Chengyi isn’t angry, I’ll treat him even better than Yun Duo!”
Chengyi hugged a drawing book suitable for copying and said softly, “Thank you, Little Prince.”
Seeing Chengyi finally accept his gift, Yan Yuan was overjoyed. “Chengyi, pick one more if you want!”
“This drawing book is already very good,” Chengyi replied.
“Alright then.” Yan Yuan brought over the crab paste pastries. “Let’s save them and eat together, shall we? I specially got them from Juhezhai. I know lots of delicious pastries. I wanted to get some for you earlier, but the county didn’t have them. Once I return to the capital, I’ll get more for you.”
Chengyi nodded.
Yan Yuan quickly opened a pastry box, taking a piece to hand to Chengyi. Danze noticed that the pastry intended for his brother was now bare in Yan Yuan’s hand, so he grabbed a handkerchief, wrapped the pastry, and gave it to Chengyi instead.
“If you hand it to your brother like that, his hands will get dirty, and crumbs will fall on him. It’s fine for us boys, but he’s your little brother.”
Yan Yuan nodded. “Then I’ll follow your example.”
Chengyi took a small bite of the crab paste pastry. Yan Yuan quickly asked, “Is it good?”
“Yes,” Chengyi replied.
“Don’t call me Little Prince anymore. Call me by my name—Yan Yuan.”
“Okay.”
Yan Yuan instantly smiled.
Danze, also nibbling on the pastry, ignored Yan Yuan. Seeing his brother’s eyes still slightly red and swollen from crying yesterday made him feel protective.
If Yan Yuan hadn’t come to apologize today, he would never play with his brother again, and once he grew up, he’d even take a big knife to avenge him.
But now that his brother had forgiven him, that worry vanished.
Danze observed his brother closely, noticing he was eating smaller bites than usual. “Does your mouth hurt, brother?” he asked.
Chengyi shook his head. “It doesn’t hurt, just feels a bit uncomfortable with a missing tooth.”
Danze recalled how, when he had scraped his knee falling from the rockery, he had been in pain for two days but had barely bled, whereas his brother had bled so much yesterday. It must have hurt, but he hadn’t told him, not wanting him to worry.
“If I give you a kiss, it won’t hurt.”
Danze, like their fathers often did with them, gently pressed a kiss on Chengyi’s cheek.
Yan Yuan, sitting nearby, widened his eyes slightly.
Although Yan Yuan’s household had other children, he was the only legitimate heir at present. The palace encouraged siblings to be close, but it was often just on the surface. Seeing brothers like Chengyi and Danze—so affectionate and caring—surprised and made him a little envious.
“What are you doing!”
Danze covered Yan Yuan’s mouth, pushing him back slightly. His eyes widened further. “I want to kiss Chengyi too!”
“You can’t kiss my brother! He’s my brother, not yours!”
Danze put his hands on his hips, shielding Chengyi behind him. “Daddy said, besides me, no other boys can kiss brother on the cheek!”
Yan Yuan pouted a little, shifting back. His ears tinged red, and he said in a small, aggrieved voice, “Danze, you’re so mean.”
Danze snorted.
The summer in Qiuyang County was as hot as ever. Yan Yuan had spent over a month there, almost always with Danze, Chengyi, and Xiaohu. Yet Chengyi had to study, so he didn’t spend as much time with the three boys.
Even without daily play, Yan Yuan still found ways to bring treats for Chengyi every day.
Letters from the capital said that Qiuyang County’s heat was intense and worried Yan Yuan might not endure it, so they planned to bring him back. When he first arrived, he wanted to return immediately. But after becoming familiar with the county, he was reluctant to leave.
By August, after the South Ping King’s patrol soldiers returned, he was finally taken back.
The children were reluctant to part. Watching the little one he had taken out of the city stay quiet and even seem on the verge of tears, the South Ping King briefly wondered if he had taken the wrong child.
After a few months apart, he noticed Yan Yuan had changed significantly. Once proud and imperious in the capital’s palace, indifferent to anyone, he now hesitated to leave his playmates and thoughtfully arranged gifts to send back to them once he returned.
The South Ping King was pleasantly surprised. He had initially brought him out to toughen his character and prevent him from being spoiled in the palace. Though he couldn’t tour every household and estate outside, Yan Yuan’s temperament had improved, achieving the intended effect in his own way.
In August, on the new arable lands of Qiuyang County, the blooming sesame plants and cotton, puffing out like clouds, intertwined to create a particularly delightful scene.
The early-maturing sesame and cotton were ready to harvest, and farmers carefully collected the first crops from these barren lands.
The sandy soil was poor, not fertile, and it was the first year planting these crops. The yield was modest.
On a newly cultivated acre, the harvest barely reached half a shi to a shi. Anything over a shi was considered extraordinary.
Only the two acres personally cultivated by Qin Xiaoman reached this level, thanks to the substantial fertilizer he had applied.
Even though the harvest wasn’t large, the farmers cheered with joy. After all, this was newly cultivated land; having any yield in the first year was already an achievement, and they couldn’t expect it to match the carefully tended fields they had used for years.
By September, the grain was delivered to the county office as usual, confirming yet again that this year’s harvest had increased.
Besides the traditional crops of rice and corn, there were also sesame and cotton, unlike previous years.
This year, the county had opened 300 acres of new land, of which 200 acres were planted with sesame and cotton.
The total yield reached 120 shi, of which 80 shi were sesame and 40 shi were cotton.
The county collected a portion: 32% of the sesame, totaling 24 shi, and 12 shi of cotton. Although these amounts weren’t huge, cash crops fetched high prices and could be worth quite a bit compared to grain.
Moreover, this was just the first year—the returns were expected to improve in the coming years.
By early summer, several new shops had opened in anticipation: stores for cotton and sesame. By the autumn harvest, the common folk could sell their sesame and cotton directly to these shops.
Before the harvest, Du Heng had already been preparing. He personally financed the purchase of a few shops and selected one to operate as a sesame store.
The family had previously grown rapeseed, so he had some understanding of oil-yielding crops.
Sesame oil was precious, and current market prices were high—over one liang of silver per jin.
A single shi of sesame could produce forty jin of oil, meaning that selling the oil could theoretically bring in forty to fifty liang of silver per shi.
But this was the gross yield; after accounting for labor in cultivation, pressing, and other processes, a shi of sesame wouldn’t realistically earn that much.
After several calculations, he set the purchase price for unprocessed sesame at two to three liang of silver per shi, depending on the quality.
As for cotton, fabric merchants were naturally eager to buy, and the price was established accordingly.
Merchants in the county, knowing the county office intended to support this trade, boldly invested in the business, even though it was relatively unfamiliar to them, and opened shops.
The common folk now had a place to sell their sesame and cotton at favorable prices and were overjoyed, reserving seeds for next year’s planting.
This was precisely the effect Du Heng wanted.
However, he faced a challenge. Qiuyang County was poor; only a few could afford oil made from sesame. Cheap staples like winter melon could still be sold locally, but more refined foods were a different matter.
Currently, the wealthy families in the county were looking to the county office for guidance. If there was no way to sell the crops profitably, merchants would close their shops.
Once the shops closed, the farmers would have no market for their sesame and cotton, and no one would continue planting them—everything would be wasted effort.
Du Heng considered this carefully. Such valuable goods had to be sold externally, to the prosperous and wealthy regions.
How to distribute them properly would require careful planning.
Just as Du Heng was pondering the problem, an unexpectedly large letter arrived.