Seeing Ye Li truly had no intention of taking his savings, Jiang Ji didn’t insist.

It made sense—just over ten taels. Ye Li wouldn’t bother with that.

What Ye Li wanted was a husband who was a Xiucai, a husband who passed the provincial exams.

He murmured softly, “This time back at the private school, I will focus entirely on my studies.”

Ye Li raised an eyebrow—the subtext being he hadn’t been focused these past few days.

But it was understandable.

At this age, having just discovered carnal pleasures, daydreaming was only natural.

He stifled a laugh. “Fine. I know how strong your resolve to study hard is.”

Right now, that part was still pressing against his lower abdomen.

My dear husband was being modest—that level of self-control was truly remarkable.

Still, lying on the kang bed, he was making resolutions… and refusing intimacy.

My dear husband’s emotions were running high.

After a moment’s thought, he adopted a serious expression and declared earnestly, “You’ve seen it yourself—I’m quite capable of earning money. I know my exceptional abilities might put pressure on you.“

Jiang Ji: ”…“

”But you’re not entirely useless. At the very least, you’ve earned me the status of a Fulang.”

Fulang?

Jiang Ji lowered his eyes.

What kind of status is that…

The next moment, Ye Li said, “Don’t underestimate this status. With so many scholars, how many at your age have even passed the county or prefectural exams? Especially considering you also have to take odd jobs!”

“So, my dear husband, if you still haven’t passed the provincial exam by thirty, then the pressure can wait.”

Thirty?

Jiang Ji raised his eyelids in surprise, looking at Ye Li.

“You… are being so lenient with me?”

“Yes. After all, you’re still a promising young scholar now. We’re quite a handsome and talented pair. If you can’t become a distinguished scholar by middle age, only then will I turn on you.”

“After all, by then, not only will my beauty remain undimmed, but my wealth will surely have multiplied many times over.”

“Ordinary mortals wouldn’t be worthy of me.”

Ye Li spoke, raising a hand to brush his face. He truly possessed a certain charm!

Pity he didn’t have a thick gold chain around his neck—that would have made his words far more convincing.

Jiang Ji: “…”

His lips twitched.

But seeing Ye Li’s smug expression, his heart felt lighter.

Of course, it was mostly amazement.

His Fulang was bright and vibrant.

Full of life.

In his gloomy world, he was like the fresh green of spring, bringing him joy just to see him.

He cupped Ye Li’s face and kissed him again.

Ye Li smirked triumphantly—he knew his cheap husband would react just like this!

Still, he obediently parted his lips, exchanging a tender kiss with Jiang Ji.

When the kiss ended, both felt satisfied.

His body felt empty.

Jiang Ji held Ye Li tightly, running his hand over his back a few times. “Sleep now. It’s getting late.”

If he kissed him again, he truly wouldn’t be able to control himself.

Ye Li didn’t respond. He took several deep breaths in Jiang Ji’s embrace. Once the emptiness in his body passed, exhaustion washed over him.

Ye Li couldn’t help but yawn.

He’d spent the entire day frying things, and the physical exertion had taken its toll.

He sat up, blew out the oil lamp, and just as he lay back down, Jiang Ji pulled him back into his embrace.

He smiled contentedly, “Husband, sweet dreams.”

“Sweet dreams.” Jiang Ji held him tighter and closed his own eyes.

Tonight, there was no thunderous snoring to disturb them, nor any strange odors.

Listening to Ye Li’s steady breathing, drowsiness washed over him, and he let himself drift off to sleep.

One was exhausted, the other mentally relaxed, so both slept deeply. At midnight, the rooster failed to wake them.

But soon after, Jiang Dahu and Jiang Liu arrived.

Jiang Dahu pushed the gate, but it wouldn’t budge. He pressed his face against the crack in the gate and peered into the yard. Seeing only pitch darkness, he began pounding on the door.

“Li-ger? Li-ger!”

His loud shouts startled the chickens in the back yard into crowing again.

This finally roused both men.

They hurriedly got up.

After leaving the main hall, Ye Li entered the kitchen.

Yesterday, he had cut a large piece of meat but hadn’t yet delivered it to Jiang Dahu.

Additionally, he needed to count out one hundred and fifty copper coins to give to Jiang Dahu.

Jiang Ji went to open the courtyard gate: “Second Uncle, please wait a moment.”

Hearing Jiang Ji’s voice, Jiang Dahu was taken aback. “Ji, when did you get back?”

No wonder he overslept.

Youngsters these days!

“Something came up last night, so I returned early.”

As he spoke, Jiang Ji unlocked the iron chain hanging on the door and beckoned Jiang Dahu and Jiang Liu inside.

“What was it?” Jiang Dahu inquired curiously.

“My classmate, Bao Beiyuan…”

Jiang Ji briefly explained the reason for his return.

Jiang Dahu knew Bao Beiyuan. The private school required grain payments every three months, and Bao often delivered the supplies by handcart. That’s how he’d met him.

He sighed deeply: “Such a spirited young man. To lose everything so suddenly… It’s truly pitiful!”

“Ji, when you return, try to talk some sense into him.”

“I will.”

Ji nodded earnestly.

“When will you head back to the private school?” Jiang Dahu asked again.

“After breakfast.”

“Alright. Now that Li-ger is here, your cousin isn’t needed anymore. I’ll head back first.”

Jiang Dahu turned to leave.

Just then, Ye Li hurried out of the kitchen, one hand carrying meat and the other a string of copper coins. “Second Uncle, please take this meat back. Datong sent too much—we can’t finish it all. “

”Also, we agreed I’d give Jiang Ji thirty wen daily. Now that he’s back, here’s one hundred and fifty wen for the past five days. I’ll give them to you first.”

Jiang Dahu accepted the meat and coins without hesitation.

Yet, under the dim light spilling from the kitchen, he quietly observed Jiang Ji and Ye Li’s expressions.

Logically speaking, now that Xiao Ji had married, his position as second uncle had become somewhat distant. Especially since Brother Li had proven quite capable—not only did he avoid frivolous spending, but he was actively earning a substantial income.

For him to continue safeguarding the silver Xiao Ji had saved would be neither proper nor justified.

Yet, to his surprise, neither Xiao Ji nor Brother Li seemed inclined to reclaim the silver.

Since that was the case, he might as well play dumb.

Ah, he wasn’t his own flesh and blood after all. Otherwise, why would he feel so uneasy?

No son meant a life of hardship!

Jiang Dahu walked away, his face etched with sorrow.

Jiang Liu entered the mill, ready to begin work.

With Jiang Ji present, how could he let her do such heavy labor?

Jiang Ji stood at the mill entrance and said to her, “Go help your Brother Li make breakfast. I’ll grind the tofu.”

Jiang Liu gripped the mill rod and smiled. “Brother, you should be the one helping Brother Li cook. You only come back every ten days or so. You should spend more time with him.”

“It won’t hurt to wait a little longer,” Jiang Ji shook his head.

“But I think it matters,” Jiang Liu lowered her voice. “Your schoolmate’s situation won’t be resolved anytime soon. Why come back last night?”

Jiang Ji: “…”

Seeing he had no reply, Jiang Liu grinned wider. “Brother, you found this work for me. Don’t hold me back from earning money. Hurry up and help Brother Li.“

Seeing this, Jiang Ji could only say, ”I’ll come help you later.”

With that, he stepped into the kitchen.

Inside, Ye Li was kneading dough.

There were still ten jin of flour left from what Jiang Dahu had bought the day before yesterday.

But today he needed to make fried dough balls, so he took only two catties and added a generous amount of cornmeal.

After the dough was kneaded, it needed to rest for a while. Ye Li instructed Jiang Ji to start the fire first, simmer last night’s leftover meat in a pot, and then boil some rice soup.

Earlier, he had asked Ye Liang to buy two catties of rice. Instead of steaming it for rice, he only boiled it into porridge, which could stretch for several meals.

Since Baxian Town bordered the South-North Canal, rice prices here weren’t exorbitant compared to the vast northern regions—each catty cost only two wen more than wheat.

After putting the rice in the pot, he went to the vegetable garden to pick a few green peppers.

Many vegetables were edible this season, but green peppers paired best with flatbread, cutting through the richness!

He also picked three cucumbers.

Too bad there were no wood ear mushrooms—cucumbers and wood ear mushrooms together are delicious.

He’d ask Ye Liang to buy some wood ear mushrooms today; the dried vegetables at home were running low.

Back in the kitchen, he washed the green peppers and cucumbers, smacked the cucumbers flat, then brought out the stone mortar to pound some garlic paste. After all that bustling about, the dough had risen perfectly.

He transferred the dough to the cutting board, kneaded it, divided it into small portions, and began rolling them out.

The flatbreads he rolled were about the same size as those for regular flatbread. By the time he finished rolling them all, Jiang Ji had also turned off the stove.

He brought out the clay pot holding the meat.

He ladled out the rice soup.

Jiang Ji wanted to relieve Jiang Liu, but Jiang Liu flatly refused. Jiang Ji had no choice but to return to the kitchen to tend the fire while Ye Li began cooking the flatbreads.

The flatbreads were small, and the iron pan was large, allowing Ye Li to cook seven or eight at once.

After two quarters of an hour, he had cooked over twenty flatbreads.

Fresh off the griddle, the pancakes were crispy and flaky. When torn open, their layered interior was exceptionally soft.

Though not puffed, these pancakes tasted excellent on their own.

Ye Li scooped several pieces of marbled meat from the clay pot, chopped them with green peppers, and stuffed the mixture into the pancakes.

“Try one and see how it tastes,” he urged Jiang Ji to eat.

“It’s bound to be delicious,” Jiang Ji replied.

The pancakes smelled wonderful straight from the pan, and now with meat inside, there was no way they could be bad.

“Then eat a few more,” Ye Li said with a smile.

Jiang Ji’s handsome face broke into a smile at the words.

Though he knew no one was at the door, he still glanced outside before swiftly pressing a kiss to Ye Li’s lips.

After this meal, he would have to leave.

Ye Li was delighted, pressing a pancake into his hand and murmuring, “Eat quickly. Once you’re done, we’ll go back inside.”

Jiang Ji understood the unspoken implication. Taking the bun, he bit into it swiftly. The crust was crispy, the interior soft, and the meat filling was not only fragrant and tender but also blended with the mild spiciness and crisp freshness of green peppers.

The texture was indeed delicious.

He couldn’t help but say, “In my opinion, we should have Bao Beiyuan sell these buns.”

“That would take two people. One person can’t manage it alone,” Ye Li shook his head.

Plus, we’d need to find a fixed stall and prepare a stove and charcoal.

The investment would be huge.

If we sold drinks instead, we could prepare them at home and use a small cart to go door-to-door. The investment would be relatively smaller.

Jiang Ji thought for a moment and nodded. “You’re right.”

“Don’t worry. By the time you return next, I’ll definitely have figured out a way to make money,” Ye Li assured him.

“Don’t push yourself too hard. He’s practically wilted like dried grass right now. Give him a few days to recover,”

Jiang Ji immediately added.

“Alright.” Ye Li understood completely.

After such a devastating blow, he truly needed time to heal.

Jiang Ji wolfed down four pancakes in one go, washed them down with a bowl of rice gruel, and finally felt full.

Meanwhile, Ye Li found a clean piece of hemp cloth and wrapped ten meat-stuffed buns for him.

On top of that, she strung together another twenty copper coins.

Once everything was packed, the night sky deepened to a dark blue, signaling dawn was near.

The two returned to the west room, cuddling and kissing, but before they could fully indulge, movement came from the east room.

Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya had woken up.

Reluctantly, the couple parted, then headed together to the east room.

The two little ones looked dazed when they saw both adults coming.

Jiang Mai blinked, still processing the situation, when Jiang Ji announced he had to leave. Instantly, Jiang Mai was consumed by reluctance, all other thoughts fading.

But Jiang Ji had no time to accompany the two little ones for breakfast. The private school was located south of the city, requiring him to cross the entire county town. Leaving now meant he wouldn’t be late for the morning classes.