With so many people, they set up two tables.

The dishes were the same at both tables: braised pork, stir-fried pork slices with potatoes, sweet and sour fish, plus congee with century eggs and lean pork, wood ear mushrooms tossed with century eggs, cold shredded radish, and quick-stirred lotus root strips.

Since they were all family, everyone could sit at whichever table they pleased.

Ye Daji wanted to drink rice wine, so Ye Li brought out the cooking wine to serve him. This rice wine was low in alcohol content, so it was fine to have a drink now and then.

It was a rare chance to dine with Ye Daji, so Jiang Ji sat down next to him. However, his bowl was filled with rice wine, just like Ye Li’s.

Jiang Ya sat next to Ye Li. The little guy first downed half a bowl of sweet rice wine before picking up his chopsticks and digging into the meat. With the table laden with delicacies, his big eyes darted from one dish to another, overwhelmed by the feast—he wished he had an extra mouth.

Ye Daji took a sip of yellow wine. As the flavor spread in his mouth, he happily picked up a strip of lotus root.

The lotus root was crisp and refreshing, with a hint of sweetness amidst the spice. The unique flavor startled him, and he instinctively glanced over at Ye Li at the other table.

Needless to say, this must have been Ye Li’s handiwork.

In their family, the only dish that used sugar for flavor was the cold-served century egg.

He just hadn’t expected sugar to be added to lotus root strips—and for it to blend so perfectly with the spiciness. With culinary skills like that, no matter where he went, he’d never have to worry about cash.

He spoke up, “Li-ger, have you told Xiao Ji about your plans to build a house?” 

“He told me,” Jiang Ji chimed in immediately from the side.

Ye Li swallowed the piece of meat in his mouth and said, “Tomorrow we’ll pay a visit to Master Han and stop by the brick shop on the way. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, we’ll break ground in the next few days.”

Ye Daji nodded.

“As long as the two of you have agreed, that’s all that matters.”

“When the time comes, your older brothers and I will come to help.”

“No need. We can just hire the villagers,” Ye Li shook his head.

“But doesn’t that cost twenty wen a day? If the three of us come, we’ll save you sixty wen a day.” 

“…Alright then.”

Ye Li didn’t refuse any further.

Ye Liang cleared his throat. “Li-ger, just use whatever’s in the vegetable garden that day—don’t go out of your way to buy meat.” Given his third brother’s appetite, if the three of them were staying for a meal, they’d definitely have to buy meat.

A single impulse buy would wipe out sixty wen. Wouldn’t that defeat the whole purpose of saving money?

So he had to give them a heads-up first.

Upon hearing this, Ye Li smiled and said, “Alright, then we’ll have pancakes and tofu every day.” 

“This food is great—we couldn’t even get this back in the day,” Ye Liang said contentedly.

Liu Yi sat across from Ye Li, his head bowed as he savored the lotus root strips seasoned with cane sugar.

These lotus root strips had been briefly stir-fried in hot oil and then tossed with cane sugar—a departure from the usual cold salad preparation. But they were indeed delicious, and he found himself unable to stop eating, taking one bite after another.

However, upon hearing the conversation between Ye Liang and Ye Li, he couldn’t help but smile.

As Ye Liang’s husband, he knew better than Ye Daji just how much Ye Li loved to eat. He couldn’t help but look up at Ye Li.

Since Ye Li’s wedding, this was the first time he’d sat face-to-face with him over a meal.

Watching Ye Li pick up a piece of fish belly, remove the large bone, dip the snow-white flesh in the sweet-and-sour sauce, and only then place it in Jiang Ya’s bowl, he was taken aback.

He had experienced firsthand what Ye Li used to be like.

Later, after Ye Li made the fried tofu puffs, his temperament had changed, but he hadn’t witnessed it firsthand—

Ye Wen’s wedding didn’t count; he’d been running around nonstop that day, and Ye Li had gone straight to the bridal chamber after arriving at the Ye household. They’d merely exchanged greetings and hadn’t spoken much.

Therefore, over the past six months, whenever Ye Liang came to work or bought some meat, he never interfered. He would also remind Ye Liang to work harder so that Ye Li could rest.

But his own attitude toward Ye Li was one of respectful distance.

Earlier, when Tang Yu had given Ye Li a handkerchief, he hadn’t reacted at all.

So, seeing Ye Li being both kind and patient with Jiang Ya right now—the impact of this scene was enough to outweigh all the praise Ye Liang had heaped on him over the past six months. This younger brother-in-law has truly changed his ways.

Recalling his coldness over the past six months, he immediately wanted to make amends.

He couldn’t give Ye Li anything at the moment, so he decided to make small talk first. “Li-ger,” he asked, “what kind of house are you planning to build?”

Ye Li was unaware of Liu Yi’s inner turmoil. Upon hearing the question, he outlined the plans they had finalized the day before.

But when he got to the part about his warm chamber, before he could even finish describing it, Ye Daji cut him off: “No, no, you can’t build it like that.”

“Huh?” Ye Li looked over, puzzled.

Ye Liang also frowned deeply: “Putting a long, narrow room in the middle—isn’t that… you know? It’s so unlucky. We can’t build it like that.” 

“Exactly. You’re just a kid, acting on a whim. No, no.”

Ye Daji shook his head repeatedly, his tone leaving no room for argument. 

Ye Li: “……”

He blinked, and it finally clicked.

Muttering a couple of curses under his breath, he scratched his head and looked at Jiang Ji.

Jiang Ji also wanted to scratch his head; earlier, he’d simply been thinking about the need for warmth and hadn’t read too much into it. Seeing Ye Li looking over, he said, “Then let’s change the layout.”

Change the layout.

Ye Li furrowed his brow, but after a moment, an idea struck him: “Here’s what we’ll do: all three rooms will be the same size. We’ll build a wall in the middle of our room, put in a door to divide it into two, creating a one-bedroom, one-living-room layout. How about that?”

In that case, the only way to get light into the inner room would be to open a window at the back of the house.

But he wanted a warm room; if a window were cut into the wall, given current insulation technology, it would surely let in drafts. If a window were to be installed, it should go at the front, designed as a bay window to borrow light from the living room.

After he finished explaining, everyone present pondered it for a moment. Finding no flaws in the plan, they nodded in agreement: “Let’s go with that.” It was a bit of an odd arrangement, but not entirely unacceptable.

That way, it’s sure to be warm!

The conversation then shifted to the house itself.

The Ye family’s house was getting old too. Given their current income, they planned to build a new house next year—a big one, just like the Jiang Tong family’s.

When this topic came up, everyone in the Ye family had a lot to say.

Liu Yi and Tang Yu had no intention of splitting up the family. They got along quite well, and the family business required everyone’s help. If they split up, they’d have to run the business and do farm work at the same time—they certainly wouldn’t be able to handle it all.

Consequently, the two of them joined in the discussion with great enthusiasm, creating a lively and harmonious atmosphere. Everyone’s faces were flushed with color, and their eyes sparkled.

Jiang Ji watched the scene and couldn’t help but glance at Ye Li.

Ye Li seemed to have been stung by the spice; he was holding a cup of rice wine and sipping it in small sips. His bright red nose made him curl the corners of his mouth upward. Adorable.

Every one of Ye Li’s movements was adorable.

Recalling how Ye Li had taken his hand of his own accord in front of the entire Ye family that morning, the sweetness in his heart grew even stronger. It was a pity there were so many people around; otherwise, he would certainly have pulled Ye Li back into the room for a proper kiss.

After the meal, Ye Daji and the others didn’t linger. They took the tofu with them, planning to bring it back to the Ye household to fry it into fried tofu puffs. Ye Li still had things to do; tomorrow, Jiang Ji was going to pay a visit to Master Han, so he planned to make Sichuan pepper chicken for Jiang Ji to take along.

Last time, when Jiang Ji passed the prefectural examination, Liang Erxiang had prepared a few pounds of spicy peanuts as a thank-you gift for his teacher. This time, with the family’s finances in good shape, the standard of the thank-you gift naturally had to be raised.

So, as soon as the Ye family left, Ye Li and Jiang Ji got right to work. First, they boiled water to pluck the chickens.

Today, Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya didn’t need to go out to gather firewood, but Jiang Mai was still excited about his slingshot and wanted to go up the mountain. Jiang Ya thought about it for a moment, then slung a large pouch over his shoulder and followed him.

Having eaten his fill, he wanted to go for a stroll.

Once the two little ones had left, only Ye Li and Jiang Ji remained at home. Jiang Ji immediately put his earlier thought into action: the pile of pots and pans on the table could wait to be washed; first, he’d head back to the bedroom for a kiss!

Ye Li agreed.

Ye Li, head over heels in love, could only wish they were together more often!

After a round of hugging and cuddling in the bedroom, about fifteen minutes later, the two emerged from the west room with rosy cheeks. Indulging in passion in broad daylight was still a bit too thrilling!

The fire in the stove had gone out, so Jiang Ji relit it. Afterward, the two of them properly washed the pots and pans used for lunch. By the time they finished, the water had come to a boil.

Jiang Ji went to pluck the chicken, while Ye Li prepared the Sichuan pepper water.

The recipe for Sichuan pepper chicken is simple: as long as you have enough Sichuan peppercorns, Sichuan pepper, and chili peppers, the flavor won’t be bad. Ye Li had bought two liang of each of these three spices that morning, enough to last for several meals.

Ye Liang had also bought the young roosters—three in total. Two were for gifts, and one was for their own family to eat.

Once Jiang Ji had prepared all three young roosters, Ye Li scooped out the soaked Sichuan peppercorns, Sichuan peppercorns, and chili peppers, stuffed them into the chickens’ bellies along with scallions and ginger, then sealed the openings with bamboo skewers. Now it was time to season the pot and start the stew.

Farm-raised young roosters are actually very easy to stew; the meat falls off the bone in just half an hour.

But to ensure the flavors penetrated the breast and feet thoroughly, they needed to simmer for another half-hour and then marinate overnight—then it would be indistinguishable from the Sichuan pepper chicken sold in restaurants.

By the time Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya returned home, the scent of Sichuan peppercorns filled the courtyard. Jiang Mai couldn’t help but take a deep breath, and his gloom lifted considerably.

He’d had bad luck today—the slingshot hadn’t come through—but with his brother Ye Li’s Sichuan pepper chicken smelling so delicious, how could he possibly keep a long face?

Dinner time came quickly. Ye Li scooped a piece of Sichuan pepper chicken from the small cast-iron pot, tore it apart, and served it on a plate.

The Sichuan pepper chicken was perfectly seasoned—not too salty—and the meat was tender without being dry. Even the chicken breast was full of flavor, causing Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya to keep exclaiming how delicious it was. With a plate of Sichuan pepper chicken like this on the table, the meat dishes left over from lunch seemed to lack flavor in comparison.

Of course, that was only true for Jiang Mai.

Jiang Ya didn’t notice any difference between the two and ate until his belly was round and full.

After the meal, he and Jiang Mai took out the cash they had earned to count it. Tomorrow, they were going to the county town to go shopping!

The next day, Jiang Dahu came to take Jiang Liu to work, bringing the mule cart along.

After entrusting the chickens and pigs at home to Jiang Liu, the family of four—after breakfast—grabbed two Sichuan pepper chickens, a back basket of jujubes, and a back basket of century eggs, and hopped onto the mule cart bound for the county seat.

Since it wasn’t a holiday, Master Han had classes at the private school. Jiang Ji knew Master Han’s schedule well, so the four of them went to the school first. Upon arriving, they asked the gatekeeper to keep an eye on the mule cart while the four of them went together to Master Han’s office.

Seeing Jiang Ji, Master Han was quite pleased.

Having passed the Xiucai examination at just eighteen and now a scholarship student eligible to study at the county academy, Jiang Ji had plenty of time to prepare for the Juren examination. His future looked bright!

He offered Jiang Ji a few words of encouragement, then praised Ye Li for his virtue and kindness, and Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya for being sensible and adorable. He also inquired about Jiang Mai’s studies.

Jiang Mai would be eight next year; if he were to pursue the imperial examinations, he would have to start attending the private school next year.

However, his student’s wife was truly a gem—his cooking skills were second to none. He had no idea what was in that back basket he’d placed on his desk, but the aroma kept wafting into his nose!

The family of four didn’t notice Master Han’s subtle thoughts. They stayed with him for nearly half an hour, and only when it was time for his class did they follow the teaching assistant to the private school’s backyard to pack their belongings.

Before the provincial exams, since it was uncertain whether he would pass, Jiang Ji’s bedding and some of his books had remained at the private school. Now that they were moving, all these belongings had to be taken home.

After packing everything and loading it onto the mule cart, Jiang Ji cast a glance at the house where he had lived for ten years. Then he climbed onto the cart, cracked his whip, and rode away. This was no permanent farewell.

Master Han was a Juren, a man of immense learning, and his own mentor; Jiang Ji would visit him often in the future. It was still early when they left the private school.

The four of them took a mule cart to the brick shop.

After inquiring about the prices of blue bricks and lumber, the four did not linger; they turned and left the brick shop.

They weren’t buying anything today; they’d just come to get a sense of the market.

To determine exactly how many bricks and how much lumber they would need, they had to consult a mason first. With that business taken care of, it was time to go sightseeing.

Ye Li asked Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya where they wanted to go.

This stumped them both—they’d never been to the county town before, so they didn’t know where to go! In the end, Ye Li made the decision.

Ye Li sent Jiang Ji to buy fabric to make cotton jackets.

At the fabric shop, Ye Li bought two pretty hair ties for Jiang Ya.

Coincidentally, Jiang Ya had his hair in two little buns today, so Ye Li tied the new hair ties onto them. The little ger looked so beautiful that he stood in front of the copper mirror, reluctant to leave.

Looking at himself in the mirror, he suddenly knew exactly what he wanted to buy. He wanted a brass mirror!

From now on, every morning when he woke up, he would look in the mirror and admire himself. Ye Li agreed to his request and had Jiang Ji turn the cart around to head to the mirror shop to buy a copper mirror. But Jiang Mai wasn’t interested in such things.

He and Ya-ger had worked hard to earn their cash, so they had to spend it wisely. For instance, if he were to go to school, tuition alone would cost six taels of silver a year.

Not to mention the cost of books and the daily expenses for ink, brushes, paper, and inkstones. Li-ger was his brother-in-law, not his biological mother—he’d better save as much cash as he could.

However, if he really went to a private school, only Li-ger and Ya-ger would be left at home… His little face crumpled.

Li-ger and Ya-ger would have a hard time.

Ye Li sat in the middle of the mule cart, with Jiang Ya sitting in his lap. The little one’s tiny hands clutched the hair ribbon hanging down to her ears; she was so adorable as she wriggled about in Ye Li’s arms, even discussing with him what hairstyle she should wear tomorrow.

After finishing their discussion, Ye Li turned his head and saw that Jiang Mai, sitting beside him, looked distracted and had a frown on his little face. He couldn’t help but ask, “Xiao Mai, what’s wrong?”

Hearing this, Jiang Mai shook his head hurriedly. “Nothing’s wrong.”

“There’s definitely something wrong. It’s rare for us to come to the county town to play, and you’re not even half as excited as Ya-ger. How can you say nothing’s wrong?”

Jiang Ya looked over, tilting his little head and asking, “Second Brother?”

Jiang Ji, who was sitting on the yoke driving the cart, turned around. “What’s wrong?” 

Jiang Mai: “……”

Feeling a bit embarrassed, he scratched his head and said, “I was wondering if I should go to school.”   

“If you like it, then go ahead,” Ye Li said.

This little guy always seemed quite proud whenever he talked about learning to read. He must have wanted to study.

So why was he hesitating now?

Jiang Mai continued scratching his head: “It’s expensive. Plus, if both my older brother and I are in the county seat, won’t it just be you and Ya-ger left at home?”

“……Haha.”

Ye Li burst out laughing.

This little guy really knows how to worry.

He couldn’t help but reach out to ruffle Jiang Mai’s little head.

Jiang Mai tried to dodge, but the mule cart was cramped, and his arm was long, so Jiang Mai couldn’t get away.

He gave Jiang Mai’s head a few rubs as he’d intended, then said with a smile, “From now on, your brother won’t have to pay tuition to study. Besides, the family will have a new source of income, so you don’t need to worry about cash.”

“As for me and Ya-ger, we don’t have to work in the fields—just feed the pigs and chickens. It’s not hard work at all.”

“But we still have to make tofu and deep-fry fried tofu puffs,” Jiang Mai reminded him.

“That’s easy enough to handle. You’ll find out in a few days,” Ye Li said, keeping him in the dark.

Jiang Mai was completely baffled.

Jiang Ji said, “Xiao Mai, listen to your brother Li. Don’t worry about the cash. As long as you want to study, just go ahead and do it.”

“That’s right. Study hard and aim to follow in your older brother’s footsteps—pass the exams and become a Xiucai. Then we’ll have two Xiucais in one family; that’ll sound impressive when people hear about it.”

Ye Li added.

Of course, it would be even better to have two Juren in the same family.

A “Juren” is akin to the Foundation Establishment stage in cultivation wen. Once one establishes their foundation, they can be called an “Ancestor,” and from that point on, they are no longer ordinary mortals. They have truly transcended their social class.

If there were two Foundation Establishment cultivators in the family, then in the mortal world, as long as the family members didn’t break the law or commit crimes, they could live comfortably for the rest of their lives, with nothing left but enjoyment. Persuaded by Ye Li and Jiang Ji, Jiang Mai began to waver.

Did he really not need to worry about cash? And what did “tofu will be easy to handle” even mean?

Did that mean from now on, his Liang-ge and his brothers would bring tofu back to the Ye family, and his Li-ge would stop making fried tofu puffs? Jiang Mai couldn’t wrap his head around it, but now that his eldest brother was also encouraging him to study if he wanted to,

So naturally, he wanted to study.

How wonderful it is to study—even if he only learned a few characters, he would be respected.

If he passed the exam to become a Xiucai, just look at the food he’d been eating these past few days and the smiles on the villagers’ faces. How wonderful that would be.

Back when he lived with his second uncle, even though his second uncle treated him like a son and he had no real memory of his own father, he still had his own older brother.

Every time his older brother came back, he would remind him to be obedient, to be sensible, not to be mischievous, not to ask his second uncle for things, to help with the chores, and to look out for Ya-ger…

His older brother gave him so many, many instructions.

So much so that he would secretly wipe away his tears.

He wanted to act like the other boys in the village, throwing tantrums at his own father and demanding this and that. But he didn’t have a father of his own.

He could only passively accept what his second uncle gave him.

Of course, he was grateful to his second uncle; without him, he wouldn’t exist. But it would be so good to have an official title.

Once he passed the imperial exams, he would be just like his older brother—he would have everything. He wouldn’t even have to ask for anything; it would all be his.

He had to study!

He absolutely had to study!

He looked at Ye Li, his little face full of determination: “Li-ge, I want to study.”  

“Good, you have ambition! Go study next year and aim to come back with the title of Xiucai.”

Ye Li agreed immediately and offered his encouragement. Jiang Mai nodded earnestly: “I’ll do my best.”

“Then, while your older brother hasn’t reported to the county school yet, have him teach you well and lay a solid foundation for you. From now on, don’t go gathering firewood in the afternoons.”

Ye Li said.

Jiang Mai looked at Jiang Ji ahead of him.

Jiang Ji nodded without turning his head: “Alright, it’s settled.”

As it happened, his books had already been moved back home from the private school, and he could spare a few of his elementary textbooks for Jiang Mai. The family of four chatted and laughed as they quickly arrived at Jingpu.

Jiang Ya refused to accept Ye Li’s cash; his own wages were quite substantial. During the summer, Ye Li not only gave him and Jiang Mai a heat allowance but also raised their daily wages to two wen.

Occasionally, he’d even give him a bonus. After saving for half a year, he now had over a thousand wen in his possession!

But he had no intention of spending it all.

He planned to stop by the pastry shop later to buy some dim sum.

So he browsed around and spent one hundred wen on a small mirror the size of his palm.

The moment he held the mirror, he couldn’t bear to put it down, gazing at his reflection all the way from the mirror shop to the dim sum shop. Once he arrived at the dim sum shop, lured by the array of colorful dim sum, he completely forgot about the mirror.

He wanted to try every single one; the more he looked, the more he craved them.

He pointed to the dim sum on the counter and asked Ye Li, “Li-ge, can I really buy whatever I want?” 

“Of course, as long as you have enough cash, go ahead and buy whatever you like.”

Ye Li smiled and pinched his little cheek.

This made him happy—like a little mouse that had fallen into a rice bin—and he had the shop assistant wrap up two of each kind for him. He didn’t know which one tasted best, so he decided to try a sample first.

Two pieces of each meant four pieces in total—one for each of the four of them! Before long, he had spent over two hundred wen.

Jiang Mai, standing nearby, winced in pain at the thought of the expense. Yet he was also amazed by Ye Li’s generosity.

He never expected that when Li-e said to spend freely, he really meant it.

In Yezaopo, let alone kids—even adults didn’t have the guts to buy over two hundred wen worth of dim sum in one go. But Ya-ger did it.

Li-ge truly kept his word—he meant what he said and followed through.

With a Li-ge this wonderful, he’s bound to pass the imperial exams in the future and repay him properly.

Ye Li had no idea about Jiang Mai’s little scheme. Once Jiang Ya had finished shopping, they left the shop carrying several bags of dim sum.

After confirming that Jiang Mai wasn’t buying anything, they turned around and headed home.

Having fulfilled the promise of “Zengzi Slaughtering the Pig,” it was now time to focus on building the house. That afternoon, they went to consult with the mason about the matter.

They aimed to have the house built before Jiang Ji started school.