Lin Yue stared at the doorway in bewilderment. Shen Huaizhi had already strode out.

What was with this guy? He’d piqued his curiosity with a single sentence, then turned and left—and walked so fast. Lin Yue glanced at the night outside. If it hadn’t been so dark, he would’ve chased after him. Seriously.

But Shen Huaizhi was taking an exceptionally long time bathing today. Lin Yue shifted from sitting to lying down, tossing and turning, for a long while. Only then did Shen Huaizhi enter, hair hanging loose, droplets still visible at the tips.

Lin Yue sat up straight at once, his posture perfectly upright, a smile on his face tinged with eagerness. “Come here quickly. I’ll dry your hair.”

Shen Huaizhi looked over, flattered and surprised, meeting Lin Yue’s eyes that sparkled brightly, undimmed even by the night. He instantly understood and spoke up of his own accord: “This morning, I ran into Shang Wencheng in town. He was causing trouble outside the Yang residence…”

Lin Yue’s brow furrowed at the name. As Shen Huaizhi recounted the incident, Lin Yue’s expression shifted through a range of emotions—first boiling anger, then disbelief, followed by a final sigh.

“I thought my own misfortune was bad enough, but Young Master Yang’s plight is even worse. What an undeserved calamity! Shang Wencheng is utterly despicable. Thankfully, Young Master Yang is wise enough not to let him ruin the marriage.”

He slapped his thigh in exasperation. “How can someone be so narcissistic? He thinks a casual glance means he’s smitten with him, then demands to marry him? Shameless!”

Shen Huaizhi watched his chest heave, fearing he might pass out. He quickly reached out to soothe his breathing. “Calm down. The Yang family will handle this. When I left, the onlookers were all consoling Young Master Yang. Everyone feels sorry for him. Don’t worry.”

Lin Yue shook his head, troubled. “You said it yourself—Shang Wencheng suffered a major humiliation today. What if he blames everything on Young Master Yang and looks for an opportunity to retaliate?”

Shen Huaizhi hadn’t anticipated Lin Yue’s concern. After pondering for a long moment, he replied, “Young Master Yang has numerous servants at home. He shouldn’t venture out alone. Besides, his father is a merchant who’s traveled far and wide. He’s surely encountered such people before. The fact that he hasn’t come out today speaks volumes—he clearly doesn’t regard Shang Wencheng as a threat. You shouldn’t worry too much.”

“Moreover, Shang Wencheng still needs to take the provincial exams. If he wants someone to vouch for him, he certainly wouldn’t dare openly commit wrongdoing. And if word of today’s incident spreads, should anything happen to Young Master Yang, everyone will inevitably suspect him. That alone should restrain him somewhat.”

Lin Yue felt considerably reassured upon hearing this. “If that’s the case, it couldn’t be better.”

Seeing Lin Yue’s troubled expression fade, Shen Huaizhi pulled something from his robe and handed it over. “Want some candy? These are wedding candies I received from Young Master Yang this morning, along with two coins as a token of celebration. Let’s share in the good fortune.”

Lin Yue seemed to have developed a fondness for Young Master Yang, mixed with a touch of shared sympathy. He happily accepted the items and placed them on the bedside table. “I’ll save them for tomorrow morning. I’ve already brushed my teeth, so it wouldn’t be right to eat anything now.”

Shen Huaizhi pointed to the oil-paper wrappers on the table and asked, “What about the pastries? Will you eat them now, or save them for tomorrow too?”

Lin Yue, who had been preoccupied with what Shen Huaizhi was about to say, hadn’t noticed the items on the table until now. Seeing the two oil-paper parcels, he asked in confusion, “Why did you buy pastries? Things in the county town must be expensive. I specifically told you just to look around. Really.”

“The shopkeeper said these two pastries are their signature items—one is jujube paste and Chinese yam cake, the other is poria cake. They sell a lot of them, so I thought I’d buy some for you to try and give you some ideas.”

Shen Huaizhi then pulled a pouch from his robe—the very one Lin Yue had embroidered earlier. “I earned four hundred and fifteen coins copying books. After buying the pastries and my daily supplies of paper and ink sticks in town, I still have two hundred and forty coins left. Take them.”

Lin Yue hadn’t known that Shen Huaizhi had taken on copying work. He hurriedly asked, “You have the provincial exam in August. Why take on this extra work? Your studies mustn’t be neglected. I still have some money saved. Earning more isn’t urgent.”

Though he hadn’t studied himself, he’d heard that learning couldn’t be approached with sporadic effort—like farming, if you didn’t work diligently and earnestly, the crops would grow sparse and weak.

Shen Huaizhi raised his hand to ruffle Lin Yue’s hair, soothingly reassuring him, “Don’t worry. I haven’t neglected my studies. Copying books helps me review my lessons. You can spend your own money as you see fit. I’ll handle the household expenses.”

Lin Yue shot him a deliberately sidelong glance. “Aren’t we family? Why all this ‘yours’ and ‘mine’? Are you trying to draw a line between us?”

Shen Huaizhi froze. Though he could tell Lin Yue was playing hard to get, he feared genuine hurt and quickly tried to placate him. “I spoke out of turn. Don’t be upset.”

After more persuasion, Lin Yue finally let the matter drop. He took the money pouch from Shen Huaizhi’s hand. “I keep the money in that small box in the dresser drawer. Just take what you need for daily expenses. We still have several taels of silver. Focus on your studies—don’t worry about money.”

Shen Huaizhi hesitated, then obediently confessed he’d taken on another book-copying job that morning.

Lin Yue: “…”

Before Lin Yue could speak, Shen Huaizhi promised, “Don’t worry. I’ll copy this book after the provincial exam. It won’t interfere with my studies at all.”

With such a promise, what more could Lin Yue say?

“It’s late tonight. Let’s go to sleep.”

Shen Huaizhi didn’t rush to lie down. He pulled something else out from his robe.

Lin Yue: What’s with these clothes? How can they hold so much?

Shen Huaizhi murmured softly, “I wanted to buy you a gift, but time was too tight today. I only had time to visit the pastry shop and bookstore next to the county office. I bought a brush. If you’re willing, I’ll teach you to read and write when I have free time. If you don’t want to, that’s fine too. It’s entirely up to you.”

Lin Yue stared blankly, momentarily speechless. When he was little, he’d visited Old Xiucai Gao’s house to play. Old Xiucai Gao had taught him a few characters. Later, when his parents heard about it, they wanted to send him to study, but Old Xiucai Gao refused to take him. He’d only said he’d never heard of a peasant ger entering a private school. Only the sons and daughters of wealthy families would deliberately study and learn to read. Besides, the private school was for boys only, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for Lin Yue to attend.

He was still young back then. Seeing the usually kind Scholar Gao speak like that for the first time, he refused to go to his house again. All these years later, he had forgotten almost all the characters he had learned, remembering only his own surname. That was something he had managed to remember by drawing it with a twig whenever he was bored.

Lin Yue’s voice sounded hollow. “I… can I learn?”

Shen Huaizhi, unaware of Lin Yue’s thoughts and assuming he was worried about money, replied firmly, “Of course. We still have the calligraphy practice sheets from when I was a child. Learning the basics won’t require much ink or paper. Don’t worry.”

Fearing Lin Yue might be disappointed, Shen Huaizhi added softly, “But I don’t have much free time now. We’ll have to learn slowly. Since you want to set up a stall, we can start with simple arithmetic to help you keep accounts.”

Lin Yue nodded emphatically, clutching the brush in his hand as if reluctant to let go. If he weren’t worried it might get crushed under his pillow, he would have placed it on the bed.

After a long while, Lin Yue finally placed the brush on the bedside table and lay down beside Shen Huaizhi. By then, the moon hung high in the sky.

Early the next morning, Shen Huaizhi rose while Lin Yue still slept soundly. He didn’t wake him, instead taking several pastries, wrapping them anew in oil paper, and heading out to the courtyard.

Song Xunchun was washing up. Shen Huaizhi approached and whispered, “Mother, I came home late last night. Xiao Yue waited for me and ended up sleeping late. Please don’t wake him this morning. Let him sleep in.”

Song Xunchun nodded at first, then scolded playfully, “Yue’er should know better. I specifically told him not to wait for you.”

But her face was full of smiles. Nothing was more precious than a young couple’s affection. Sleep? Not just an extra morning’s rest—he could sleep all day if he wanted.

It was getting late. Shen Huaizhi switched to a larger trunk and headed out. He needed to pick up books from the bookstore at noon today. The previous one couldn’t hold so much, and it would be troublesome if he didn’t switch it out beforehand.

When Lin Yue awoke, the sun was already high in the sky. He hurriedly dressed and stepped outside to find the courtyard deserted. Entering the kitchen, he saw breakfast still warm on the stove. His face flushed instantly—he shouldn’t have slept in so late.

After washing up and eating, not knowing where Song Xunchun and the others had gone to work, Lin Yue grabbed a broom and began sweeping the courtyard. Once finished, he busied himself cleaning the chicken coop and feeding the chickens. The household kept only a few chickens— five laying hens and one rooster that crowed daily. They were all confined to the coop, rarely let out for fear they might peck at the vegetables growing beside it.

The pigsty stood empty. Two pigs had been raised the year before last—one sold, the other slaughtered late last year. With finances tight this year, Song Xunchun hadn’t bought any piglets. Raising pigs was far riskier than raising chickens. A thirty-pound piglet alone cost over three hundred wen, not to mention how difficult it was to raise a single piglet. Those with the means always kept two, requiring at least six hundred wen—it wasn’t something anyone could just decide to do.

Seeing the wilting vegetables in the garden, Lin Yue planned to water them tonight. It was already late, and today’s sun was particularly harsh. By morning, Lin Yue was already drenched in sweat. Watering now would likely drown the plants.

Though hot, it wasn’t quite lunchtime yet. Lin Yue gathered the family’s soiled clothes from the past few days to wash. After bustling about with these small chores, he looked up to find the sun nearly at its zenith. Rolling up his sleeves, he scooped a ladle of water from the cistern to wash his hands before heading into the kitchen to start cooking.

Rice was essential for farm laborers at noon, and meat dishes were served every other day. But today, Lin Yue skipped the meat. Last night, Shen Huaizhi had brought back some pastries. This morning, Lin Yue had smelled the jujube paste and Chinese yam cake and knew it contained oil. Since pastries were a rare treat, they had to be eaten today, saving on meat.

The heat inevitably dampened appetites, so Lin Yue also prepared a pot of cold pea jelly. As she was mixing the seasonings, Shen Lingzhi walked in. Spotting the sliced jelly on the table, he exclaimed with delight, “Brother, we really are on the same wavelength! I just told Mother I wanted some jelly, and now I get to eat it right away.”

Lin Yue turned and smiled. “Come on over. I only made one big bowl of sauce. Help yourself to as much as you like. Haven’t Mom and Dad come back yet?”

Shen Lingzhi’s hands were covered in dirt. After speaking, he dashed outside to wash up. Peering back through the doorway, he called out, “Almost! When we got to the village entrance, Mom saw how lush the grass was by the roadside and dragged Dad off to cut some.”

Lin Yue: “Perfect timing. We’ll eat as soon as Mom and Dad get back.”

“Great!”

Sure enough, the star of tonight’s dinner table was this bowl of tangy, spicy, and appetizing cold noodles.