Bao Beiyuan’s courtyard was located in the southwest of the county town, while the county academy was in the northeast corner.

After leaving the county academy, Ye Li and Jiang Ji rode in a mule cart that jolted along the road. By the time they arrived at Bao Beiyuan’s place, he was in the middle of eating lunch. Hearing Jiang Ji knock on the door, he hurried out of the kitchen to open it.

Upon opening the courtyard gate and seeing that, in addition to Jiang Ji, Ye Li, Jiang Ma, and Jiang Ya were also there, he was taken aback but quickly invited them inside: “Perfect timing—the herbal tea and beverages are still too hot to drink. I’ll go serve you some.”

Jiang Ji led the mule cart into the courtyard and said, “You’re eating?” His mouth was greasy.

“Yes, I bought some fried dough cakes from the neighbor’s house up the street.”

Bao Beiyuan explained.

His meals were always simple: a large fried cake wrapped around shredded pickles, washed down with a bowl of herbal tea—that was all he needed. But precisely because of this, now that Jiang Ji and Ye Li had arrived with the two little ones, he could only offer them herbal tea.

“What a coincidence! We just bought two braised chickens and some xiaolongbao on the way here. Let’s eat together,” Ye Li said with a smile.

Hearing this, Bao Beiyuan felt a pang of embarrassment—how could he have let Brother Li bring his own food?

He stopped in his tracks and looked at Ye Li: “There’s a noodle soup shop nearby—it’s pretty good. Why don’t we go out and get some?” 

“I bought several baskets of xiaolongbao. We don’t need to go out.”

Ye Li shook his head.

“Exactly—don’t be so polite. You’re not a stranger, after all,” Jiang Ji said as he parked the mule cart.

He lifted a basket from the cart, which contained braised chicken and xiaolongbao.

There was also a jar of walnut-sesame powder.

Actually, he and Ye Li had originally planned to report for duty at the county school this afternoon. But last night they decided to buy some leisure reading, so they changed their plans to report in the morning instead.

It had been nearly a month since the two of them had seen Bao Beiyuan, so Ye Li set aside half of yesterday’s walnut-sesame powder and made a special detour to Bao Beiyuan’s place today to see him.

Jiang Mai jumped down from the mule cart, tilted his little face up, and said with a smile, “Big Brother Bao, Ya-ger and I have never been to your place before. Let’s have lunch at your house.”

Jiang Ya nodded in agreement: “Brother Bao, that braised chicken smelled so good—it’s definitely going to be delicious!”

Hearing this, Bao Beiyuan couldn’t help but laugh. He raised a finger and pointed toward the kitchen: “All right, let’s head to the kitchen then.” In the kitchen, the goat’s milk was still simmering in the large iron pot.

He ladled out four bowls.

Then he added the condiments to each bowl one by one.

The toppings were the same as always: sweet red beans, rice mochi, and small glutinous rice balls.

As the weather turned colder, people preferred thicker, heartier soups and broths, so he had stopped making jasmine green tea and was now selling only soy milk with rice mochi. Ye Li set the braised chicken and xiaolongbao on the dining table.

The braised chicken had already been chopped.

The xiaolongbao were wrapped in oil paper and a cotton jacket; they were still warm after the walk over.

However, upon seeing Bao Beiyuan’s lunch on the table, he couldn’t help but say, “You should at least add an egg.” No vegetables—that’s one thing.

But there wasn’t even any protein—though the soy milk rice mochi was all-natural and additive-free, the addition of tea leaves turned it into milk tea, and Ye Li automatically ignored the protein it contained.

Bao Beiyuan smiled and said, “I was in a hurry to set up my stall, but I’ll eat a better meal tonight.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Li still looked thoroughly disapproving.

A sixteen-year-old living alone, with no one to help him cook, naturally just made do as best he could. Currently, he was in mourning and couldn’t get married.

But after spending more than half a year healing on his own, the worst of the pain had probably subsided. So Ye Li suggested, “Why don’t you find someone to share an apartment with?”

“No, thanks. I prefer the peace and quiet of living alone.”

As Bao Beiyuan spoke, he set the milk tea on the dining table. “Drink up—it’ll warm you up.”

Jiang Ya didn’t stand on ceremony. He smiled, called out, “Thanks, Brother Bao,” and then picked up a spoon to start drinking. His brother Ye Li found it too much trouble and hadn’t made soy milk rice dumplings in ages.

He really missed this beverage.

The slightly hot yet sweet beverage flowed down his throat—the taste was simply wonderful. He looked at Bao Beiyuan with satisfaction: “It’s delicious!”

Bao Beiyuan couldn’t help but smile: “Then have another bowl later.” 

“No need—I want to eat little buns and braised chicken!”

Jiang Ya shook his head.

He’d never tried xiaolongbao before. These little steamed buns were not only plump and round, but their skins were also soaked in oil—they were sure to be especially delicious! Braised chicken was a hassle to make, and his Brother Li hadn’t made it in a long time.

He wanted some. Sigh.

He only had one stomach. What a dilemma.

Bao Beiyuan was amused by Jiang Ya’s little expression. As he handed Jiang Ya his chopsticks, he couldn’t resist ruffling his little head.

Watching this scene, Ye Li felt even more strongly that he needed to interact with people more often.

But since Jiang Ya and Jiang Mai lived in the countryside, they couldn’t come over every day. So this matter would require careful consideration.

Ye Li said nothing more and picked up his chopsticks to eat.

Jiang Ji also picked up his chopsticks and began eating. He started talking about the county school, and Bao Beiyuan asked a few questions here and there, making for a fairly lively meal. Before they had finished eating, the middle-aged woman Bao Beiyuan had hired arrived.

Hearing the woman calling him from the doorway, Bao Beiyuan couldn’t help but slap his forehead: “I forgot something!”

As he walked out, he explained, “Aunt Zhou’s family sells oil cakes. She saw that Brother Sheng’s family’s fried tofu puffs were selling well, so she wants to buy some!” With that, he stepped out of the kitchen.

Standing at the kitchen doorway, he called out toward the courtyard gate, “Auntie, come on in first. I haven’t finished my lunch yet.” Hearing him, Auntie Zhou pushed open the gate and stepped into the courtyard.

The recipe for the milk tea was a closely guarded secret, so she always waited for Bao Beiyuan’s permission before entering. Bao Beiyuan saw her and smiled, “Auntie, you’re here just in time. Have a seat and try some xiaolongbao. Besides, we were just talking about Brother Li yesterday, and here he is now.”

Aunt Zhou had already spotted the mule cart in the courtyard, and upon hearing Bao Beiyuan’s words, she was pleasantly surprised: “That really is a coincidence!” She hurried toward the kitchen.

Her family lived on the street right in front of this small courtyard and made a living selling fried dough cakes.

After she and her husband finished frying the oil cakes in the morning, they kept a small portion at home to sell to neighbors. The rest were carried by her husband as he went door-to-door hawking them.

Bao Beiyuan went to the cold noodle shop every day, and over the past few days, she’d noticed a new dish on the menu: fried tofu puffs in chili oil.

It was mixed with chunks of radish and cabbage leaves.

After observing for a few days, she noticed that every time she went by, the bowl of chili oil fried tofu puffs was nearly empty. So yesterday, when she returned from selling her dough fritters, she asked Bao Beiyuan about the fried tofu puffs.

Gong Lisheng had bought some steamed buns to sell alongside the fried tofu puffs. But her family’s business was selling fried dough cakes!

Her family’s fried dough cakes were puffy right out of the fryer, fragrant and chewy—truly delicious. But the profit margin was slim, and just about anyone could make them.

Therefore, she still had to go out and take on odd jobs.

Now that such an opportunity had presented itself, she naturally wanted to seize it. Her family was much better suited to selling red-oil fried tofu puffs.

But she never expected that just yesterday she’d mentioned this, and today she’d actually run into the person in question!

She entered the kitchen with a look of eagerness on her face. Spotting Ye Li, she hurriedly smiled and said, “Oh my, Xiao Yuan, you never told me your Brother Li was this handsome! Just look at that fair complexion and that figure—anyone who didn’t know better would think he was some Fulang.”

“…Hello, Auntie. Please sit down and have something to eat.”

Ye Li also put on a smile and invited her to sit down.

“No, no, thank you. I already ate at home before coming over. You two take your time; there’s no rush.”

Aunt Zhou waved her hands hurriedly.

Ye Li urged her several more times, but seeing that she still refused, he sat back down and began talking to her about the fried tofu puffs. He asked Aunt Zhou how many jin she planned to buy.

“I’ll start with five jin for now, just to test the waters.”

Aunt Zhou said. This stuff is expensive.

Plus, she could sell them alongside radishes and Chinese cabbage. There was no need for her to buy too much all at once.

“Sure,” Ye Li nodded.

“Then how about you go pick up the goods at the noodle shop every afternoon? While you’re there, ask Sister Cuihua to teach you how to make chili oil fried tofu puffs.”

Ye Li suggested.

It’s quite a distance from here to the noodle shop, and with only five jin to pick up, it’s not worth it for Jiang Tong to go out of his way like that.

“All right, let’s settle on that,” Aunt Zhou said with a smile, nodding. Everything went smoothly!

Once she gets the fried tofu puffs tomorrow, she’ll be able to sell them the day after. That means a little extra income for the family.

Aunt Zhou was happy, and Ye Li was delighted too.

Now they’d have an extra twenty wen coming in every day. Soon, lunch was over.

It was time for Bao Beiyuan to set up his stall.

Ye Li and Jiang Ji were also ready to take the two little ones out for a stroll. The couple said goodbye to Bao Beiyuan and headed straight for the bookstore.

The “leisure books” at the bookstore referred to those unrelated to the imperial examinations—things like storybooks, novels, and travelogues. Ye Li flipped through them one by one; to be honest, none of them interested him.

How could those vernacular novels compare to the online novels he’d read in his previous life? Not to mention that even the cheapest ones cost several hundred wen!

But thinking of how boring the evenings would be, he eventually bought a travelogue to pass the time.

He also bought the cheapest set of writing implements—a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone—so that he, Jiang Mai, and Jiang Ya could practice their calligraphy. Since the items were so cheap, they could practice as much as they wanted without feeling the pinch.

After leaving the bookstore, they headed to a pastry shop.

This time, he didn’t make Jiang Ya pay; he bought two jin of pumpkin cakes and two jin of mung bean cakes, and then the family of four headed to the grain shop. He’d given away too much walnut powder, so he needed to make some more for Jiang Ji.

In addition, Liu Yi and Tang Yu had given him a padded jacket and shoes, so he certainly couldn’t offer walnut flour in return; he planned to bake some pastries instead. By the time he finished all these purchases, it was already the end of the Shen hour.

It gets dark early in winter, and today was overcast as well, so by the time he dropped Jiang Ji off at the county school, it was nearly dark. Jiang Dahu was waiting at the school gate.

That morning, Jiang Ji had told him to go home with Ye Li and the two little ones. This time, both Ye Li and Jiang Ji were quite composed as they parted ways.

After all, he had to make deliveries every day, so as long as Ye Li was willing, the two of them could see each other daily.

So, standing at the gate of the county school, Jiang Ji simply ruffled the little heads of Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya, then urged them to go home. Ye Li waved to him, took the reins of the mule cart, and followed behind Jiang Dahu, quickly disappearing into the night.

Jiang Ji turned away and walked into the county academy.

As a newly admitted scholarship student, his classes wouldn’t officially begin until tomorrow.

So he went to the dining hall to eat first, and after finishing his meal, he returned to his dormitory.

The living conditions in the dormitory were much better than at the private school; each room housed only two people, and the heated beds were separate. Anyone who wanted to heat their bed simply had to pay for the firewood.

As luck would have it, the scholarship student sharing Jiang Ji’s dormitory was none other than the scholarship student surnamed Hou, who had traveled with him to the provincial exam. The two had shared a room during their journey to the exam.

Scholar Hou was older, had a son and a daughter, and lived at home year-round, so what was technically a double room was actually a single room for Jiang Ji—a rather peaceful and quiet place.

After a simple dinner, he returned to his quarters and lit the candles that Ye Li had bought a few days earlier while delivering goods to the county town—candles were brighter than oil lamps and were easier on the eyes when reading by lamplight at night.

Of course, Ye Li actually disapproved of him reading at night, saying it would give him nearsightedness.

But despite his objections, Ye Li had still bought him the candles.

Thinking of this, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. He stared at the candle for quite a while before picking up the wooden basin to wash up and tidy up. As he went about his chores, his thoughts drifted to Yezaopo.

By now, Ye Li must have finished his dinner, right? 

Ye Li had indeed already eaten his dinner.

After putting away his bowl and chopsticks, he headed to the bathroom to heat some water for his evening wash. With Jiang Ji away, it fell to him to take care of things.

Once the hot water was ready, he had Jiang Mai, Jiang Ya, and Ye Fulang wash up. After making a quick round to check that the courtyard gate was locked and the pigs and chickens were all right, he finally went to wash up himself.

Once he climbed onto the kang, the excessive silence in the bedroom made the large bed feel even more empty. Although the blankets were still warm, they lacked the warmth of a hot chest.

He lay sprawled on his back under the covers, staring blankly at the wall for a while. Then he yawned; after running around all day, he was starting to feel sleepy. This drowsiness came at just the right time, sparing him from lying awake with his mind full of thoughts of Jiang Ji.

He blew out the oil lamp, wrapped himself tightly in the blankets, and let sleep wash over him. Time to sleep!

When he woke up, the room was pitch black, still enveloped in the quiet of the night. He didn’t know if the rooster had crowed yet.

For the past month, with Jiang Ji at home, the task of opening the door for Jiang Dahu hadn’t fallen to him, so he’d allowed himself to sleep as he pleased. Plus, without a watch, he really had no idea what time it was.

The kang was no longer warm, but the bed was still toasty, so he lay there without moving.

After quite a while, he heard faint voices coming from behind the house. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Since work had already begun, it must have been his father who’d gone to open the gate.

So he’d just lie there.

He reached out his arm, feeling for the spot where Jiang Ji had been lying.

With no one there all night, the kang had lost its warmth, and that spot was, of course, ice-cold. But he didn’t pull his arm back.

He rested his hand on the coarse, stiff cotton sheet and stroked it back and forth a few times. When drowsiness overtook him again, he rolled over and went back to sleep. When he woke up this time, it was still dark outside, but the voices from behind the house had grown much louder.

Upon hearing Jiang Liu’s voice, he didn’t dawdle any longer.

Although he felt a sense of emptiness inside, life had to go on.

He stepped out of the house without washing up and headed straight for the shed. Jiang Liu, Ye Fulang, and Jiang Yu were sifting through the soybean pulp.

Jiang Dahu and Jiang Tong were grinding beans.

As soon as Ye Fulang saw him, he said, “Go wash your hands. There’s hot water on the stove. Come help out after you’re done—I’m going to cook.” Ye Li rubbed his eyes and pointed at Jiang Yu, asking, “Why is the Yu-ger here, too?”

Jiang Liu explained with a smile, “Brother Ji went off to school. We were short a hand to strain the bean pulp this morning, so I was worried I wouldn’t be able to handle it all by myself—that’s why I called Yu-ger over.” 

Jiang Yu chuckled and said, “Brother Li, don’t give me any extra pay—I’ve got nothing else to do at home anyway.”

“Exactly,” Jiang Dahu chimed in. “He’s just sitting around at home anyway.” 

Ye Li: “……”

Currently, their production of fried tofu puffs had reached 245 jin.

One jin of tofu yields half a jin of fried tofu puffs, so they need to make 490 jin of tofu every day. With that much tofu, just straining the soybean pulp takes quite a bit of time.

The time needed to fry the fried tofu puffs in the afternoon had also increased, so they had to start frying before lunch.

It gets dark early in winter, so the earlier they make the deliveries, the better.

Now, everyone’s workload has increased—to be precise, it’s nearly doubled. With the workload doubled, wages naturally need to be raised.

But the workers probably wouldn’t agree.

So he smiled and said, “At the end of next month, I’ll give everyone a bonus.”

Two hundred forty-five jin of fried tofu puffs, minus Ye Liang’s thirty jin, left two hundred fifteen jin. At five wen and seven li per jin, two hundred fifteen jin would earn one thousand two hundred twenty-five wen and five li.

Add to that the 81 wen earned from Ye Liang, and he could earn a total of 1,306 wen and 5 li.

After deducting 285 wen in labor costs, he would net 1,021 wen and 5 li for the day. In other words, he could earn one tael of silver in a single day!

Not counting the income from century eggs and milk tea, he could earn a thousand wen a day just from this small workshop! With his own family working so hard, how could he not give them a bonus?

He absolutely must!

But upon hearing this, Jiang Dahu immediately shook his head: “No, no—the wages you’ve paid are already generous enough.” 

“Brother Li, you should go wash your hands and face.”

Jiang Liu smiled and changed the subject.

Upon hearing this, Ye Li didn’t press the matter and said with a smile, “Alright, I’ll wash up and then come help.” He’d just hand out the bonuses then.

The warm water washed away his drowsiness, and after washing his face, he felt much more alert. It was another overcast day.

While straining the soybean pulp, the cold soy milk made his hands turn bright red.

After finishing his chores and eating breakfast, the two little ones, Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya, went back to their room to study their lessons, and he returned to his own room as well.

He took out some shea butter to moisturize his hands, then dug out the travelogue he’d bought yesterday, planning to glance through it briefly before making some pastries.

The pastries he’d bought the day before were the kind his family ate every day. He planned to make some small cookies for Liu Yi and Tang Yu.

Good cookies have plenty of eggs and less sugar—they’re packed with protein and carbohydrates, making them perfect for a snack. Jiang Ji could enjoy them too.

However, after flipping through just a few pages, he changed his mind.

With Jiang Ji not by his side, these old-style books with their traditional vertical columns were just too soporific. Even if the entire text were written in vernacular, he couldn’t bring himself to read it.

So he closed the book and headed to the kitchen to make the cookies.

But just as he stepped out of the room, he noticed a horse-drawn carriage pulling up at the gate. He let out a surprised “Huh?” and quickened his pace toward the entrance.

After just a few steps, Mr. Yue, wrapped in a fox-fur coat, appeared at the courtyard gate.

Upon seeing Ye Li, Mr. Yue immediately broke into a beaming smile: “Jiang Fulang! It’s been a long time. How have you been?” Ye Li smiled back: “I’m doing just fine. Come on in—it’s cold out here. I’ll light the fire.”

He’d figured Mr. Yue wouldn’t be able to come until the end of the month. The century egg and lean pork congee was selling well in the county town, so it was bound to do well in the Prefectural City too. Besides, Mr. Yue’s was the only place in the Prefectural City offering it—he practically had a monopoly.

But who would’ve thought Mr. Yue would arrive sooner than he’d expected!

When Mr. Yue left last time, his house was only half-built; at most, only a little over half a month had passed since then. Factoring in travel time, Mr. Yue had been selling this congee for less than half a month.