The lights inside had long since been turned off; only a sliver of moonlight filtered in from outside, making it impossible to make out anyone’s features without a closer look.

Yet even so, Lin Yue could still see the tenderness in Shen Huaizhi’s eyes. Before he could look away, Shen Huaizhi pulled him into his embrace.

“Does your throat hurt? There’s some hot water I poured earlier on the nightstand. Would you like a sip?”

Although going to town every day to do business wasn’t as exhausting as working in the fields, shouting out his wares for half a day at a time had taken its toll. After so long, Lin Yue’s voice had grown hoarse, and Shen Huaizhi had noticed it the moment he returned tonight.

Lin Yue’s voice was a bit hoarse, but he was still in good spirits. “Sure, bring it over.”

“Okay.”

After Lin finished the water, Shen Huaizhi continued, “When I come back tomorrow, I’ll pick some honeysuckle flowers for you to steep in water. It’s perfect for a sore throat.”

“Then pick plenty—Lingzhi’s voice is a bit hoarse, too. We’ll both drink it together.”

“I know. Don’t worry. Go to sleep now. You two have to go up the mountain to pick mushrooms tomorrow; if you stay up too late, you won’t be able to get up.”

When work wasn’t busy, Lin Yue rarely got up early, but ever since the mushroom season began, he hadn’t slept in a single day. Sometimes he even woke up earlier than Shen Huaizhi, his eyes barely able to stay open while washing his face.

At the mention of getting up early, Lin Yue felt like sighing. “Alright, I’m going to sleep. Remember to wake me up tomorrow morning.”

“Mm, go ahead.”

The next day, Lin Yue didn’t go up the mountain.

Shen Huaizhi and Lin Yue had both slept soundly the night before and hadn’t noticed when the rain had started. It wasn’t heavy, but it must have been falling for quite some time; rainwater was still dripping steadily from the eaves.

The Shen family had just reinforced the roof after the last downpour, so this time their room didn’t leak—only the kitchen had a slight leak.

Shen Huaizhi tiptoed out, washed up, and then returned to the room to wake Lin Yue. “It’s raining today. You should sleep a little longer.”

Lin Yue sat up abruptly, then flopped back down with a thud. Rain was great—after the rain, more mushrooms would sprout on the mountain, and rainy days were the only time he could legitimately stay home and rest, even sleeping all day long.

Lin Yue rolled over in bed, watching Shen Huaizhi with half-closed eyes, his voice a bit muffled. “Remember to bring the oil-paper umbrella and the raincoat. Breakfast is in the kitchen. If it’s still raining tonight, just stay at that family’s house—don’t come back.”

Shen Huaizhi nodded in agreement, then added, “I’ve got it all down. You go back to sleep. I’ve packed up the mushroom sauce too; I’ll take it over later. Do you want me to bring some of the tamarinds you picked yesterday?”

Lin Yue yawned and said slowly, “Bring some, but not too much. My parents don’t like them—only my younger brother does. Once I make the tamarind cakes tomorrow, I’ll bring a few extra back for them; they love those.”

“Alright, I’ll be going then.”

“The roads are slippery in the rain. Take it slow. There’s a pair of shoes that just dried by the wardrobe—take an extra pair with you. Wet shoes are uncomfortable to wear.”

Shen Huaizhi nodded again before getting up, grabbing the shoes, and heading out. He’d already been delayed a bit this morning; if he didn’t leave now, he’d be late.

By the time Lin Yue woke up again, an hour had already passed. In the kitchen, Song Xunchun was doing needlework, Shen Zhengchu was mending a bamboo basket, and Shen Lingzhi was squatting by the door washing up—clearly, he had just gotten up as well.

“Brother, wait a moment. I’ll be done washing in a minute.”

“No rush. Take your time.”

Song Xunchun handed Lin Yue a stool and said gently, “Why didn’t you sleep in a little longer? It’s rare to have a day off.”

Lin Yue scratched his head, looking a bit shy. “I’ve had enough sleep. Mother, are you making clothes?”

“I’m mending your father’s clothes. They were made less than two years ago. If I patch up the worn-out spots, they’ll last another year or two.”

Lin Yue looked puzzled. “Mother, we have plenty of hemp cloth this year. Why don’t you make a new set of clothes?”

Then, remembering that Song Xunchun had been busy lately, he suggested, “I’ll go get some fabric later. Since I’m home today, I’ll sew a set for you.”

Shen Lingzhi poked his head out. “Mother, I’ll help my brother make them.”

Song Xunchun laughed as she gently pushed Shen Lingzhi’s head away. “Go on, go on—don’t get in the way. We still have clothes to wear, and we’ve already made a new set. We’re almost done weaving this year’s cloth. Once it’s finished in a couple of days, you can take it to the dye shop in town to have it colored. I wonder what colors are in fashion this year. Once it’s dyed, I’ll make a set for each of you three.”

Lin Yue was washing his face. He wiped his face with a cloth and hurriedly spoke up, “Mother, that won’t do. It’s not right for the younger generation to wear new clothes while the elders wear old ones. Make yours first, and then we’ll make ours with what’s left.”

After saying that, he remembered Shen Lingzhi. Lin Yue hadn’t actually asked him if he had any new clothes, so he added, “Make a set for Lingzhi too. Huaizhi and I just got new clothes, so we’ll wait until next year.”

Shen Lingzhi wasn’t about to agree. Before Lin Yue had even finished speaking, he interjected, “I have some too. I’ll wait until next year as well.”

Seeing the two of them start to argue, Song Xunchun couldn’t get a word in edgewise. Finally, Shen Zhengchu, sitting in the corner, cleared his throat. “All right, our household isn’t that strapped for wen this year. Let’s make a set of clothes for each of you.”

Shen Zhengchu was busy with farm work almost every day and rarely managed household affairs, but when he made a decision, others seldom argued—especially since this wasn’t a major issue. Song Xunchun and the others all nodded in agreement.

“Listen to your father. I’ll take my time making my own and your father’s clothes, and you two can take your time making yours as well. As for Huaizhi’s, we’ll have to trouble Yue to make them.”

Lin Yue shook his head repeatedly. This wasn’t much of a bother. “I know, Mother. I’ll start making them as soon as I’m done with this busy period.”

He had just made a set for Shen Huaizhi not long ago, so Lin Yue thought he’d make a set of winter clothes this time. Although Shen Huaizhi might not go to the private school in winter, just in case—it was so cold in the mornings that he couldn’t go without a cotton-padded coat.

The family of four chatted for a while before going back to their respective tasks. The rain wasn’t heavy today, but it didn’t look like it would let up anytime soon. Fortunately, he’d told the villagers a few days ago that they wouldn’t be collecting mushrooms on rainy days; otherwise, they’d be in a bind today.

Still, Lin Yue planned to make a trip to town this afternoon. Although the mushrooms they’d collected could be sold, they didn’t bring in much profit and were time-consuming.

He’d noticed that restaurant in town before; their specialty lately had been various stir-fried mushroom dishes. It seemed they didn’t have a regular supplier yet and were buying mushrooms from the market. If he could strike a deal to supply them, he’d save a lot of time every day.

Lin Yue worked out the details of this plan before discussing it with Song Xunchun and the others.

Without pausing to think it through, Song Xunchun replied, “If you think it’ll work, go ahead and give it a try. If it doesn’t, we won’t lose anything. But I’m sure you can pull it off.”

Shen Lingzhi nodded in agreement and offered a suggestion: “Brother, I think you should also bring some mushroom sauce. Your stir-fried mushroom sauce goes perfectly with rice—the restaurants might even buy it.”

Although Shen Zhengchu didn’t speak, he nodded as well.

All three agreed, but Lin Yue hesitated—not because he was unsure about the idea itself, but because he feared that if it didn’t work out, his family’s excitement would be for nothing. He needed to think carefully about how to approach the restaurant owner to discuss the business deal.

As the family chatted and laughed, it was soon time for lunch. On days when they didn’t work in the fields, the Shen family usually didn’t steam rice, and today was no exception.

Lin Yue put on his straw raincoat, slipped into his straw sandals, rolled up his pant legs, and headed to the vegetable patch. He quickly picked a few small greens and ran back.

These greens had only been planted recently; each was now about the length of a palm, perfectly tender. When picking them, Lin Yue deliberately chose the densest spots so the remaining plants could grow even larger.

Today, Lin Yue cooked a pot of vegetable congee. It wasn’t made solely of rice; he’d also added some buckwheat, sorghum, and beans. After rinsing them thoroughly, he put them in the pot to boil, then added a spoonful of oil from the mushroom sauce and a pinch of coarse salt. He simmered it over low heat, adding the chopped greens just before it was done.

Shen Lingzhi also fetched a few potatoes from the cellar, put them in the stove to roast, and planned to eat them dipped in sauce later.

After the meal, the rain began to ease.

It’s never good to show up empty-handed when visiting to discuss business, so Lin Yue decided to bring a package of tamarind cakes. Though not particularly valuable, the gesture would convey his goodwill.

The tamarind cakes were made last night. As soon as he picked them yesterday, Lin Yue selected a basketful of fully ripe tamarinds, peeled and de-seeded them, then soaked them in water all afternoon. After dinner, he began boiling the tamarinds,

Once the pulp had softened, he scooped out and discarded the seeds, then strained the pulp through a steaming cloth. He added glutinous rice slurry and brown sugar syrup to the tamarind juice and continued cooking until it thickened, then poured it into molds to cool and set.

The tamarind cake was brown, just like the fruit itself, and looked rather plain, but it had a good flavor and texture. Still, Lin Yue worried that its appearance might be unappealing and it wouldn’t sell, so he planned to cut a small piece for customers to sample when he went to sell it.

The rain hadn’t stopped outside, so Lin Yue decided to go alone. “Lingzhi, I’ll go by myself today. You stay home and rest.”

Shen Lingzhi refused, “Brother, let’s go together. It’s raining outside; it’s not safe for you to go out alone. If I come with you, we can look out for each other.”

Song Xunchun chimed in, “Lingzhi is right. If you hadn’t insisted, you shouldn’t have gone out in the rain—it’s so dangerous.”

Seeing that Shen Zhengchu was about to speak up as well, Lin Yue immediately agreed—any chance to avoid a few more nagging remarks was a chance worth taking.

“Alright then, I’ll go with Lingzhi.”

“Mother, don’t worry. The rain isn’t heavy; it might even stop in a little while. We’re usually busy setting up our stall, so the restaurants must be even busier than us. Today is the perfect time.”

After hearing this, Song Xunchun indeed said no more, only adding, “Why don’t you ask your father to go with you? That would put my mind at ease.”

Lin Yue waved his hands repeatedly. “Really, there’s no need, Mother. Lingzhi and I have walked this path countless times. Father has finally managed to stay home for a day; he should rest properly.”

Seeing Shen Lingzhi put on his straw raincoat, Lin Yue took him by the hand and led him out. They ran all the way to the courtyard gate before turning back to call out, “Mother, we’ll be back early, don’t worry.”

“Oh, you rascal, slow down a bit!”

Although it was raining today, the two were traveling light and moved quickly; they reached the town in no time.

Lin Yue didn’t rush inside. The roads outside the town were dirt paths, and his shoes were now caked with mud. He picked up a stick from the side of the road to scrape the mud off the soles of his shoes, then scooped up some water from a puddle to rinse them off.

Once Shen Lingzhi had cleaned himself up as well, the two of them headed inside.

Yang’s Eatery was located on Lihua Alley. The two had passed by it several times a day while selling pastries; both the proprietor and the diners had purchased their pastries, so they were somewhat acquainted with the proprietor.

It was raining today, so there weren’t many people out on the streets. Since Lin Yue and Shen Lingzhi had arrived outside of mealtime, the restaurant was completely empty at the moment—there was only a waiter wiping tables and the proprietor sitting behind the counter, running his abacus.

As soon as they stepped inside, the waiter came over to greet them. “Are you here for a quick bite or to stay the night? We have a few signature dishes here—they’re all quite tasty. Would you like to try some?”