Although Jiang Mai was shy,  it was clear from his words that the little guy was quite proud of this achievement.

As a proper older brother, Ye Li immediately exclaimed, “Is Xiao Mai really that amazing?”

There was no trace of pretense in his expression or tone. Jiang Mai’s little face broke into a wide smile, but his words were unusually humble: “It’s all thanks to Big Brother’s teaching. It took me two years to memorize all this.”

“That’s still amazing! After all, you and Ya-ger spend every day gathering firewood or cutting grass—you rarely have any free time.”

Ye Li looked at him with approval.

He had only occasionally seen Jiang Mai teaching Jiang Ya arithmetic before; he truly hadn’t known that Jiang Mai could read.

Hearing this, Jiang Mai clutched his palm fan in his small hand and began fanning himself even faster.

His cheeks were a little red.

But he didn’t say anything else to be modest.

Yes, his older brother was rarely home; on the rare occasions he returned, he was either working in the fields or doing odd jobs.

There was very little time left to teach him to read.

It was no small feat that he’d managed to remember so much.

“Then, Master Xiao Mai, from now on, you’ll be the one to teach me to read,” Ye Li said with a smile.

Master Xiao Mai?

Upon hearing this title, Jiang Mai paused for a moment, then shook his head shyly: “I’m not a master; only my older brother is qualified to be one.”

He had specifically asked his older brother about it—not every teacher holds an official title.

Some Xiucai could also serve as teachers.

Upon hearing this, Ye Li looked at Jiang Ji, who was still grinding grain: “We’re just calling each other whatever we like at home; it’s no big deal, right, Teacher Jiang Ji?”

Jiang Ji stopped in his tracks and nodded: “Right. Xiao Mai, your Li-ge is just teasing you. If he wants to call you something, just go along with it.”

“I wasn’t teasing him at all. Xiao Mai is really impressive. In our YezaopoYezaopo he’s definitely worthy of being called ‘Young Pro.’ ”

“…‘Young Pro’?”

Jiang Ji didn’t understand.

Jiang Mai was just as puzzled.

Ye Li explained with a smile: “‘Young pro’ refers to a really impressive kid! Among the seven- or eight-year-olds in our village, only Xiao Mai knows this many characters, right?”

Jiang Ji thought for a moment, then nodded: “Pretty much.”

Only two people in the village had ever attended a private school.

One was him.

The other was Jiang Fuzheng’s second son, Jiang Jinyu.

Jiang Jinyu was a few years older than him, but he’d only stayed at the private school for two years before refusing to continue.

If Jiang Jinyu hadn’t taught Jiang Fuzheng’s eldest grandson to read, then Jiang Mai would be the most literate among the children.

He certainly could be called “Big Brother.”

But Ye Li really had a lot of new terms.

First, there was “rich and beautiful.”

Now there’s “big brother.”

Ye Li didn’t know what Jiang Ji was thinking, but he smiled and said, “So Xiao Mai is the ‘big brother,’ right? Later, when we make leek-stuffed flatbreads, I’ll add a couple extra eggs to Xiao Mai’s.”

As soon as he said that, Jiang Mai’s eyes lit up: “Thanks, Brother Ye!”

Those were eggs he’d earned with his own skills!

“Good boy, Xiao Mai,” Ye Li praised him, then lowered his head to continue sorting the chives.

But soon, he sensed a gaze fixed on his face—one that was intensely intense—and he couldn’t help but look up.

He met Jiang Ya’s big eyes.

Jiang Ya was sitting across from him, staring at him with wide, hopeful eyes.

But the little guy kept his lips pressed together and didn’t say a word.

This…

He immediately racked his brain for a legitimate reason to give himself an extra egg as well. Just then, Jiang Mai spoke up from beside him: “Ya-ger,Ya-ger later on, the two of us will share that egg-topped pancake.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ya beamed with joy and quickly nodded his little head: “Thank you, Second Brother.”

However, his big eyes remained fixed on Ye Li: “Brother Li, does being a teacher mean you get to eat more eggs?”

“Of course. Knowing so many characters is really impressive,” Ye Li nodded solemnly.

This made Jiang Ya want to scratch his head: “I know a few characters too, and I can count! But I’m the youngest in our family—who am I supposed to teach?”

He didn’t want to keep taking things from Second Brother.

He wanted to earn his own eggs.

That was a good question. Ye Li thought it over and was just about to pull Jiang Liu over when Jiang Mai suddenly said, “Ya-ger, don’t worry. Once Li-ge has a little baby, you can teach our nephew.”

Ye Li: “?”

He felt as if he’d been struck by lightning, staring at Jiang Mai in shock.

Jiang Ya, however, cheered, “Second Brother is the smart one! Li-ge, when are you going to have a baby?”

Ye Li: “……”

He instinctively glanced at Jiang Ji.

Jiang Ji was staring right back at him.

As their eyes met, both furrowed their brows.

Neither of them had ever considered this…

Although Ye Li had been reincarnated as a young ger, he had subconsciously blocked out the very idea of pregnancy and childbirth. Now that these two little rascals had publicly exposed this weakness, his face contorted into an expression reminiscent of that of the old man on the subway staring at his phone.

Pregnancy!

Having a baby!

How terrifying!

He pointed at Jiang Ya and Jiang Mai: “Jiang Ji, we’ve got two kids now.”

Jiang Ji nodded: “Let’s wait a couple of years.”

Xiao Mai is a bit older and can handle quite a bit of work.

But Ya-ger is only five—still a bit too young.

Ye Li was busy with his business and wasn’t home most of the time.

There was no rush.

Let’s take it slow.

The two agreed. Before Jiang Ya could even scrunch up his little face, Ye Li brought up Jiang Liu with a smile: “Ya-ger, teach Sister Liu to read. If you do a good job, I’ll give you extra eggs.”

Jiang Ya’s real motive was simply to eat more eggs, and since children’s minds work quickly, he was overjoyed to hear Ye Li’s words.

He immediately waved his little hand at Jiang Mai: “Second Brother, how should I teach Sister Liu?”

Jiang Mai blinked and began to think seriously.

That’s right—he’d have to teach Brother Ye Li, too.

He’d have to give it some serious thought.

Seeing the two little ones taking it so seriously, Ye Li stopped teasing them and bent down to focus on sorting the scallions.

But Jiang Ya’s words from earlier kept circling in his mind, refusing to fade.

Having a baby wasn’t like sewing—something he could simply choose not to do if he didn’t want to.

But the thought still felt… shocking…

He, Ye Li, a man, having a baby.

Those words strung together truly gave him a headache.

After sorting the chives, he fetched water and rinsed them several times, then carried them back to the kitchen to season and mix the dough.

Just as he finished seasoning the chives, Jiang Ji walked in carrying a clay bowl.

Jiang Ji had already ground the walnuts and black sesame seeds into powder.

Since it was for their own use, it didn’t need to be too fine.

Besides, the slight graininess added a unique flavor.

“Put it in the clay jar; I’ll take it with me later,” Ye Li said as he crouched in front of the cupboard and pulled out the mixing bowl.

He was about to knead the dough.

Jiang Ji gave a soft “Mm-hmm.” Last night, he’d brought back the earthenware jar specifically meant for storing the walnut and black sesame powder.

Once that was done, he asked, “Should I roll out the flatbreads later?”

“No need. You should rest first and just wait to stoke the fire,” Ye Li shook his head.

Jiang Ji didn’t insist, but he didn’t rest either. He grabbed the palm leaf fan sitting on the stove and stood beside Ye Li, gently fanning him.

The breeze was hot.

But it was better than nothing.

Ye Li smiled at him. “I’ll give you an extra egg later.”

Hearing this, Jiang Ji smiled too: “No need. The food’s been great lately.”

“It’s just one egg. We’ve got plenty at home.”

Nowadays, whenever a family in the village wanted to sell eggs, they’d bring them over on their own.

Even if there were only four or five, Ye Li would take them.

“Then have an extra one for yourself, too. You work the hardest in our family,” Jiang Ji said.

Ye Li smiled in agreement. “Alright, we’ll both have an extra egg.”

After saying that, he met Jiang Ji’s gaze, and he smiled back.

But Jiang Ji quickly turned his head to glance toward the doorway.

The doorway was empty.

Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya were crouched by the well, chopping pig fodder.

Jiang Ji withdrew his gaze and asked in a low voice, “Don’t you want to have a baby?”

At those words, Ye Li’s kneading slowed, and he asked in return, “What about you?”

“It depends on you. If you don’t want to have one of these next few years, then we won’t.”

“Our parents passed away early. And with Xiao Mai and Ya-ger being so young, these past few years, all I’ve been thinking about is how to raise them properly.”

Even when he’d once daydreamed about life after marriage, he’d never thought about having children.

An older brother is like a father; Xiao Mai and Ya-ger were his children.

His answer put Ye Li’s mind at ease.

Ye Li immediately said, “Then let’s hold off on having kids for now. I’ve been busy making money these past few years.”

Even if they were to have children, it should be after he’d amassed a fortune.

His children should inherit his wealth, not his poverty.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ji advised, “Don’t work yourself too hard. The hottest part of summer is just around the corner. Why don’t we build a stove in the courtyard so you can fry things out there from now on?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Ye Li agreed, “Sure!”

In the middle of summer, with no air conditioning, standing over a pot of oil for nearly two hours was a grueling task.

That kind of agony—only those who’ve done it know.

“Go over to Second Uncle’s place right now and get some mud bricks. When Big Brother arrives this afternoon, have him start building the stove right away.”

It was an ordinary request, but to everyone’s surprise, Jiang Ji shook his head. “I’m not going.”

Not going?

Ye Li froze, lifting his eyes to look at him.

“I rarely come back, so I just want to stay here tending the fire. I don’t want to go carry bricks.”

Jiang Ji looked straight into his eyes and explained with a straight face.

Ye Li burst out laughing.

Just want to stay here tending the fire?

He clearly just wants to stay by his side.

“Fine, fine, fine. If you don’t want to go, then don’t go.”

He said this, pouting his lips slightly.

Jiang Ji understood immediately. He leaned in and gave his a quick, butterfly-like kiss on the lips.

After the kiss, they smiled at each other, their hearts as sweet as if they’d just sipped a bowl of sugar water.

Soon, the dough was ready, and Ye Li took out the rolling pin to start rolling it out.

Jiang Ji brought out the small stove, placed the little iron pot on top, added the rinsed mung beans, and then had Jiang Ya tend the fire.

He, meanwhile, went into the kitchen to help Ye Li tend the fire.

By the time the villagers came to buy tofu, the family’s lunch was already ready.

Mung bean soup sweetened with sugar. And thick, stuffed chive flatbreads.

The flatbreads were as big as a fan; Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya could both get full from sharing just one.

As for Ye Liang, he was currently busy buying eggs to make preserved eggs, and since there was no work to be done in those two mu of cornfields for the time being, he had been coming in only in the afternoons these past few days.

After lunch, Jiang Ji returned to the east room, dug out the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone he had discarded from the private school, and wrote down more than ten idioms with auspicious meanings.

Once finished, he didn’t linger. He put on his straw hat, slung his basket over his back, and hurried off to the county seat.

It was hot, and he couldn’t walk fast. He’d already taken the morning off; he couldn’t afford to miss the afternoon class.

Jiang Ji was gone again.

But Ye Li was busy and didn’t have time to think about him for the moment.

Ye Li first gave the idioms to Jiang Tong, then went to find Jiang Dahu. If they were going to build a new stove, they would definitely need to put up a shed as well.

The shed by the well already housed a stone mill; there was no room for an earthen stove.

After hearing his proposal, Jiang Dahu agreed immediately. As soon as Ye Li left, he grabbed an axe and headed up the mountain to chop down trees.

Two days later, a wind-open shed had appeared beside the well, and beneath it stood a newly built stove.

When Ye Li fried food again, he didn’t sweat buckets like before.

Back in the county seat, after class that day, Jiang Ji ran to the kitchen and grabbed a few vegetable dumplings. He ate them as he walked toward the small courtyard Bao Beiyuan had rented.

The courtyard was quite a distance from the private school, and even jogging, it took him two quarters of an hour to arrive.

Standing at the gate, he knocked and called out, “Bao Beiyuan?!”

He’d barely finished speaking when Bao Beiyuan’s voice came from inside: “Coming, coming.”

A moment later, the gate swung open, and Bao Beiyuan’s sweat-drenched face appeared.

“What are you up to?” Jiang Ji asked.

“Grinding glutinous rice flour,” Bao Beiyuan replied, grabbing the cloth hanging around his neck to wipe the sweat from his face.

“…Why don’t you take the glutinous rice to the mill to have it ground? It’s hot out; if costs go up, so be it. It’s no big deal to make a little less profit.”

Jiang Ji suggested.

There was a dedicated mill in the county town, powered by draft animals.

The prices were fairly reasonable.

“No need. I’ve got nothing else to do anyway. Come on, sit down. I’ll pour you a bowl of mung bean soup.” Bao Beiyuan said, heading toward the kitchen.

The courtyard wasn’t large, but it had everything it needed.

Jiang Ji had worked up quite a thirst on the walk over, so he followed him to the kitchen.

Seeing Bao Beiyuan emerge from the kitchen carrying a bowl of mung bean soup in one hand and a white flour flatbread in the other, he didn’t hesitate to take both.

“If you don’t want to go to the mill, you could just buy a mule,” he added as he ate.

Bao Beiyuan grabbed a palm leaf fan, sat down beside him, and shook his head at the suggestion: “I’ve never raised such a large animal before. If I were to let it die, the loss would be immense.”

Jiang Ji: “……”

He gave Bao Beiyuan a thorough once-over and frowned. “Why are you doing this to yourself? If Bao Bo’s spirit were watching from above, he certainly wouldn’t want you to punish yourself like this.”

No need to suffer needlessly!

Bao Beiyuan, however, gave a light chuckle and changed the subject immediately: “Speaking of which, does Brother Li still make those preserved eggs?”

“Why?” Jiang Ji asked.

“It’s getting hotter and hotter. Sheng’s cold noodle shop isn’t doing nearly as well as before, so I was thinking—if he could start serving cold marinated preserved eggs, maybe business could bounce back to what it used to be.”

“But preserved eggs are only sold in town, and they’re always in high demand. There’s no supply over here in the county seat, so I thought I’d ask you.”

“You really do worry about everything,” Jiang Ji remarked with a touch of admiration.

If he’s concerned about these things, Bao Beiyuan must be doing just fine.

“It’s a win-win situation. Both you and Brother Sheng have helped me a lot; I want to see you both do well.”

“Just give Brother Li a nudge and tell him to make more preserved eggs.”

Bao Beiyuan said with a grin.

“Alright, I’ll give him a nudge. Next time the preserved eggs are ready, instead of taking them to town to sell, we’ll supply them to the jelly shop.”

Jiang Ji agreed.

Ye Liang sells the preserved eggs at his pancake stall for free.

Ye Li’s preserved eggs are carried back by Ye Liang.

But once Jiang Liu, Jiang Yu, and Jiang Tong’s preserved eggs were ready, they had to deliver them to the Ye family themselves.

Ye Liang would then haul them to town on a handcart to sell.

Rather than put Ye Liang through the trouble for nothing, it would be better to take them directly to the county seat.

After all, there was no shortage of buyers.

Come to think of it, the preserved eggs were selling exceptionally well.

Ye Li’s third batch of five hundred preserved eggs had long since sold out.

The five hundred from the fourth batch had also been sealed in jars for ten days.

Since Bao Beiyuan had now made the request, the five hundred from the fourth batch would be supplied to the noodle shop.

Hmm, he’d make a trip back to the village then…

Just as Jiang Ji was planning his return home, at Yezaopo, Jiang Fuzheng arrived at the Jiang household as evening fell.

When he arrived, Ye Li was washing Jiang Ya’s hair.

Jiang Mai was crouched by the well, holding a twig and writing large characters, waiting for Ye Li to finish so he could teach him to read.

As soon as Jiang Mai saw him, he hurriedly dropped the twig, stood up, and greeted him: “Village Chief, please sit down. I’ll go get you some water.”

Jiang Fuzheng smiled and said, “Don’t rush, Maike. I’ve come to speak with your brother.”

Though he said this, Jiang Mai still ran into the kitchen and poured Jiang Fuzheng a bowl of cool boiled water.

He also fetched the sugar jar and added a spoonful of cane sugar to the water.

In the courtyard, Jiang Fuzheng told Ye Li to continue washing Jiang Ya’s hair. The little head was only halfway washed; if they didn’t finish quickly, Jiang Ya would be very uncomfortable.

However, when he saw the characters Jiang Mai had written, he couldn’t help but ask, “Why is Xiao Mai writing these characters?”

“I’m learning to read with Xiao Mai. Now that we have more income at home, I need to learn how to keep accounts.”

Ye Li explained.

“It’s about time you learned to read.”

Jiang Fuzheng agreed wholeheartedly and was very supportive.

Just then, Jiang Mai came out of the kitchen carrying a bowl, and he took it and sat down.

He took a sip, and the sweetness instantly spread through his mouth.

He glanced at Jiang Mai and couldn’t help but recall the time Jiang Mai had called him over to catch Ye Li.

That day, Ye Li had taken the initiative to add sugar to the tofu pudding, but Xiao Mai wouldn’t even taste it.

Now, however, the boy was free to use sugar as he pleased.

And Ye Li was even washing Ya-ger’s hair!

Such a dramatic change—how could he not be moved?

Thinking of his own purpose, he pushed aside his emotions and looked at Ye Li: “Young man, do you still have any preserved eggs at home?”

“There are still over ten left, Uncle Jiang. If you’d like to buy some, I’ll have Xiao Mai pack them up for you right away,” Ye Li said.

The fifth batch of five hundred preserved eggs would be ready in another two or three days.

Therefore, he had nearly finished the ones he’d saved from the previous batch.

Jiang Fuzheng waved his hand. “No need. I’m not buying preserved eggs.”

“A few villagers have approached me; they want to learn how to make preserved eggs from you, too.”

This came as a bit of a surprise, and Ye Li was taken aback: “Huh?”

Jiang Fuzheng added, “Let me explain.”

“They went to town to check it out. The preserved eggs are selling out fast—so fast that there are often none left for days on end.”

“So they’re thinking that once the preserved eggs are ready and your family’s supply is sold out, they’ll move to town to sell them. After all, this stuff can last for half a year—it doesn’t matter if they start a few days early or late.”

“They won’t be competing with your three families for business.”

“Plus, they’re willing to pay you. As long as you’re willing to teach them, whether you want money or meat, whether you want it all at once or each time they make a sale—it’s all up to you.”

“It’s entirely up to you; everything is negotiable.”

“They seem quite sincere, and I figured this might be beneficial for you too, so I came over to ask what you think.”

“It’s fine either way—I’m just passing along the message. I won’t pressure you.”