That night, taking advantage of the dead of night, Zheng Beiqiu took advantage of the quiet to climb over the wall into Luo Xiu’s courtyard, carrying bags of all sizes.

The two puppies sleeping by the stove were startled awake. They barked twice, but once they recognized him, they wagged their tails and came over, nipping at his pant legs.

“Get out of the way—don’t let me step on you.”

The puppies didn’t understand human speech and continued to bounce and skip along behind Zheng Beiqiu.

Inside the house, Luo Xiu woke up at the sound of the dogs barking. He listened for a moment and realized it was Zheng Beiqiu, causing his heart to skip a beat.

A moment later, there was a knock at the door. “Are you asleep yet? I bought you something and left it by the door. If you’re still awake, bring it inside so the dog doesn’t chew it up.”

“Squeak.” The door opened from the inside, and Luo Xiu, wrapped in his robe, stepped out, looking a little nervous.

“I went to town this afternoon to buy a few things. Let me carry them inside for you.”

Luo Xiu stepped aside to let him through. Zheng Beiqiu hoisted a pile of items into the house. The rice and flour were stacked in the corner, the fabric was placed on the kang, and the meat—which wouldn’t keep—had to be stewed until tender and then salt-cured; Zheng Beiqiu had even bought the salt for him.

“Why did you buy so much…”

“I saw you didn’t have anything, so I bought a few things. It didn’t cost much.” It really hadn’t cost much—only those few bolts of cloth were worth anything; the rest of the odds and ends added up to less than one tael of silver.

Luo Xiu felt embarrassed to accept these things from him. The two of them were currently in a relationship with no official status; if his cousin ever changed his mind, he wouldn’t be able to repay him.

“Why don’t you just take them back… I don’t need this much…”

“Once a gift is given, it’s not proper to take it back. Just use them with peace of mind. Once we’re married, I’ll buy you better ones. Where’s your oil lamp?”

Luo Xiu felt around on the kang and found the small oil lamp he’d made himself. The lamp oil—a tiny bit given to him by his aunt next door—had been used up the last time it went out, and he hadn’t used it since.

Zheng Beiqiu pulled a bottle gourd out of his bundle. “This is full of lamp oil. Pour a little when you need it, and keep it here to ward off fire when not in use.” 

“Oh.” Luo Xiu took it and cradled it carefully in his arms.

Zheng Beiqiu took out a tinderbox and lit the oil lamp; the room was finally illuminated. Luo Xiu looked at the several bolts of brightly colored fabric, her eyes brimming with delight.

At his age, it was the perfect time to wear bright colors—how could he not love such beautiful fabrics? But after giving it some thought, he decided it wasn’t quite right. “I’ll take the rest, but please take these fabrics back, Cousin.”

“Why?”

“They’re too expensive, and the colors are too pale. Fine cloth isn’t durable—it’d be a waste to wear it while working.”   

“It’s fine. If you wear them out, I’ll buy you new ones. They’re not worth much anyway.”

“Even if you have money, you shouldn’t waste it like this. We have a long life ahead of us, and the silver we have will eventually run out. What will we do then?” After saying this, Luo Xiu felt a twinge of regret. They weren’t even married yet—would meddling like this make him angry?

To her surprise, Zheng Beiqiu laughed heartily. “You’re right. Let’s keep two bolts of this fabric, and tomorrow I’ll trade the rest at the fabric shop for some coarse cloth. When you have a moment, could you make me a spring outfit too?”

“Sure,” Luo Xiu nodded in agreement.

Once everything was settled and the room fell silent, the sound of their heartbeats became strikingly clear.

Zheng Beiqiu reached out to take his hand.

But Luo Xiu was so startled that he quickly tucked his hands behind his back—he wasn’t ready yet…

After all, they’d only known each other for less than a month—wasn’t it a bit too soon?

“It’s getting late… Cousin…”

“Are you afraid of me?” Zheng Beiqiu took a step forward; the vast difference in their heights left Luo Xiu gasping for breath. “A—a little.”

“I promised I wouldn’t lay a finger on you before the baby is born, and of course I won’t go back on my word. Don’t be afraid of me.”

Luo Xiu looked up and saw the smile in his eyes; his heart gradually settled. “Thank you, Cousin.” Zheng Beiqiu reached out and pinched his cheek, then went back to tending the fire to cook the meat.

Luo Xiu stood by his side to help. He was small and thin, but his belly was round and plump—he looked rather pitiful.

“Once the meat’s done, I’ll serve you a portion to eat first. Season the rest with salt, then cover it with a wooden board so the rats don’t get in.” “I can’t eat that much. You should take it home.”

“Eat more—you’re skin and bones.”

“That’s not true…” Luo Xiu lowered his head to add firewood to the stove; his heart felt warm, and a faint smile appeared on his face. Soon the pot came to a boil, and the aroma of meat wafted out, making two hungry little dogs circle the stove, whining with anticipation.

Luo Xiu kept swallowing hard; he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d eaten meat. Last New Year’s, he’d bought a piece of meat about the size of his palm, but his mother-in-law had chopped up two taels of Chinese cabbage and wrapped them into a pot of dumplings—he hadn’t even tasted the meat.

Going back even further to their wedding day, Liu Changfu had secretly stashed a chicken drumstick for him.

Thinking of Liu Changfu, the smile on his face gradually faded, and even the meat in the pot lost its flavor.

Zheng Beiqiu didn’t notice the change in him. Seeing that the stew was nearly done, she scooped it out, cut a piece of meat with a good balance of fat and lean, and handed it to Luo Xiu. She sprinkled salt on the rest and carried the pot into the house.

“I’m heading back. Make sure to bolt the door and get some sleep early.”

“Mm…”

“Don’t feel obligated. I’m giving you these things because I want to. Even if you don’t want to marry me in the future, I won’t take them back. Just eat and use them as you please. When you run out, just let me know.”

Luo Xiu felt even more guilty. He waited until he had walked far enough away before locking the door, then began eating the meat in small bites.

Fresh pork tastes good even when simply boiled in water, especially for someone like her who was so malnourished—it was truly delicious. Perhaps the baby inside him could taste it too, because it kept kicking her belly with its little feet.

Luo Xiu couldn’t help but laugh. “You little glutton, does the meat smell good?”

The little feet kept kicking his belly, as if to say, “Yes, it’s delicious.”

“Ah…” Luo Xiu sighed, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

No matter how good Liu Changfu had been to him, he was gone now, and those still alive had to carry on with their lives.

Zheng Beiqiu was a good man who treated him generously; since he’d made a commitment to him, he would live a good life with him from now on.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

With the busy farming season over, building Zheng Beiqiu’s house was put on the agenda.

Zheng An rounded up seven or eight hard-working men from the village to help out, offering thirty wen a day plus lunch. With nothing to do during the off-season, this was a great opportunity, and everyone scrambled to sign up.

At noon, Liu Hua came over to help cook. The ingredients her cousin had prepared were incredibly generous—not only was every meal millet rice, but the dishes also included meat. Everyone gave him a thumbs-up, praising his generosity, and worked even harder as a result.

A few days later, the bricks and tiles arrived—all delivered by horse-drawn carts, ten cartloads in total.

When the blue bricks were unloaded, it drew quite a crowd of onlookers. Most villagers built their houses using yellow mud bricks they rammed themselves, and some of the more discerning ones used stone for the foundation, but very few used blue bricks—this was a first for Dahe Village!

“Daqiu, are you planning to build a brick-and-tile house?” asked a neighbor in the crowd.

“Yes. I’ve seen many houses built this way in town. I hear they’re rainproof, and the inside stays clean without any mud falling off.”

“Wow, that must cost a pretty penny!”

“It didn’t cost that much.”

Someone whispered, “Looks like Daqiu struck it rich in the army. Otherwise, how could he afford to build such a big house?” 

“Yeah, if I’d known he was this rich, I would’ve married my daughter off to him back then.”

“It’s not too late to set her up with him now—he hasn’t married yet, has he?” 

“True, he hasn’t. But my daughter’s already engaged.”

“Oh my, that’s such a shame. I actually have a niece on my mother’s side who’s still unmarried. I’ll ask her when I get back. If she takes a liking to him, she’d have a wonderful life here.”

Many people shared this sentiment. After all, it wasn’t easy for a farm girl to find a well-off family to marry into. Every household was so poor they couldn’t even get enough to eat, and very few could afford to build such a large house. Zheng Beiqiu suddenly became a highly sought-after catch.

News of Zheng Beiqiu’s plan to build a large house also reached Old Mrs. Zheng’s ears.

As soon as she heard it, she thought to herself, “Something’s not right here.” Just a few days ago, when her eldest son came back, he said he had no money, yet he insisted on taking the thirty taels of silver from her second son—so how could he suddenly have enough money to build a house now?

That blue-brick house would cost at least several dozen guan to build—where on earth did he get that much silver? Could it be that he was just pretending to be poor in front of her?

The old lady grew increasingly suspicious as she thought about it, so she immediately put on her shoes and made her way to the east bank of the river.

When she arrived, everyone was hard at work building the house, and the stacks of blue bricks piled up nearby left her staring in amazement.

“Daqiu!” Old Mrs. Zheng called out, her hands tucked into her sleeves.

As soon as Liu Hua saw her second aunt, she knew nothing good could be coming, so she hurried to the back to fetch Zheng Beiqiu. “Beiqiu, your mother’s here.” Zheng Beiqiu wiped the sweat from his forehead and walked over. 

“Mother, you’re here.”

“You still know I’m your mother?”

“What kind of thing is that to say? Do you think I was found on the street?”

His mother was momentarily speechless, then waved her hand impatiently. “Don’t try to talk your way out of this. I’m asking you—where did you get the money to build this house?” 

“I borrowed it.”

“Borrowed?” Old Mrs. Zheng couldn’t believe it. He’d just returned from the military camp—who on earth would lend him that much silver?

“I took out a high-interest loan from the gambling house in town—fifty taels, with three percent compound interest.”

Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Zheng’s eyes widened. “Three percent interest? Have you lost your mind?”

“I had no choice. Where would I live to get married if I didn’t have a house? I can’t very well sleep on the street with my wife and kids, can I?”

“Couldn’t you have just built a mud house? Why did you have to build a tiled-roof brick house? You’re acting like a dung beetle rolling a dung ball—I don’t know what you’re trying to show off!”

Zheng Beiqiu grinned. “You don’t have to pay me back, so don’t worry about it. Besides, I’m getting on in years—how am I supposed to find a wife if I don’t build a decent house?”

Old Mrs. Zheng was thoroughly exasperated. “Fine, fine, fine. I’m not going to bother with you anymore. Is there any money left from the loan? Bring me thirty taels.”

“No.”

“You spent it all?”

“I spent it all. Thirty guan on bricks, ten guan on tiles, and the rest went to pay the workers’ wages and feed them. The house is finished, but I haven’t even started on the furniture yet. I was just thinking of asking you for a little more.”

Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Zheng quickly backed away and said, “I don’t have any silver. Let me tell you this: your younger brother is about to take the imperial examinations. Go borrow some more silver to cover his travel expenses. Once he passes and becomes a juren, do you think he’ll ever forget your kindness?”

“No, let someone else reap that reward. I just can’t bring myself to borrow any more.”

Seeing that he was absolutely determined not to part with a single coin, Old Mrs. Zheng spat twice in frustration. “I wasted my time raising you!” With that, she turned and walked away.

After she left, Zheng An walked over and patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t take it personally, Second Aunt; she might just be momentarily confused—deep down, she still cares about you…”

Zheng Beiqiu gave a wry smile. “Cousin, don’t try to talk me out of it. I know exactly what she’s thinking—she just wants to squeeze every last drop out of me. I’m no fool; I’ve got to leave myself some room to maneuver.”

Zheng An sighed. Every family has its own set of problems; Second Aunt’s favoritism would surely come back to haunt her one day. This was just a minor incident, and Zheng Beiqiu didn’t let it weigh on his mind.

He’d already made arrangements with Zhang Linzi regarding the high-interest loan: whenever his mother or younger brother asked, he’d stick to his story that he’d borrowed fifty taels of silver at three percent interest.

He figured they wouldn’t dare confront those thugs and ruffians to verify the truth.

Once the house was finished, if they tried to take it from him, they’d have to think twice—whoever lived there would have to pay back the high-interest loan, and just make sure not to run away when the time came.