Yan Qi paid no heed to what Huo Ling said—or rather, he dared not take it to heart.

He didn’t believe his cooking skills were anything special, worthy of people spending money to eat.

If this venture were like digging and selling wild vegetables—no upfront costs—that would be one thing. But to truly run a food business, from pots and pans to rice, flour, salt, and oil, every single item required silver.

If he spent capital and couldn’t earn even a fraction of profit, how could he face Huo Ling?

Seeing Yan Qi fall silent, Huo Ling rubbed his young husband’s shoulders tenderly through the quilt.

His husband was an exceedingly obedient ger. Though he possessed an inner resilience, outwardly he always presented the docile, well-behaved demeanor that elders favored most.

One could easily imagine how his unseen father-in-law and mother-in-law had raised their only child.

They must have hoped he would master cooking and needlework, marry a suitable young man of equal standing, and live a stable, peaceful life.

“I was just saying. I don’t have that kind of skill.”

Yan Qi curved his lips. “Go to sleep. You’ve had a long day.”

Earlier, they’d nearly squeezed onto one pillow while talking. Now Yan Qi tried to shift back to his own pillow, but Huo Ling caught his arm.

Yan Qi: “…”

Truth be told, sometimes he couldn’t quite grasp Huo Ling’s clinginess.

Here was a man who’d lived in the mountains for years—how could he suddenly need to hold someone just to sleep?

He himself was fine, but Huo Ling’s posture? Maintaining that all night meant his shoulders ached every morning.

Last time he noticed and asked about it, the man wouldn’t admit it. Thinking about it, it was utterly helpless.

With that thought, he stopped fidgeting and let Huo Ling tuck him into his embrace like a long bamboo pillow used for cooling off in summer.

Since they had to descend the mountain tomorrow, both behaved themselves and didn’t do anything unnecessary.

The ger’s ear rested against a strong, steady heartbeat, and soon he drifted off into dreams.

The next day brought another long journey.

They say climbing up is easy, but descending is hard. Compounding this, rain had fallen throughout the night and into the early morning, and now drizzled incessantly. Though they wore straw hats and raincoats, their steps were uneven, their straw sandals caked with wet mud, making the journey increasingly irritating.

Unexpectedly, before they had fully left the mountain path and were still circling the foothills, Dager suddenly dashed ahead. Seeing something, it returned and barked urgently at Huo Ling and Yan Qi, signaling them to hurry up.

“Big Brother, what are you doing here?”

After a few steps, they spotted Huo Feng waiting cheerfully by the roadside, waving at them. “My timing was spot on—just in time to meet you two.”

Huo Ling carried a grass cage holding wild game. Worried the already frightened rabbits and hazel grouse might catch a chill in the rain, he’d wrapped an outer layer of straw mats around it—a cumbersome burden that made carrying it awkward.

Huo Feng noticed this and stepped forward to take it. Huo Ling’s hands instantly felt lighter.

“Thanks, Brother. Did you come here on purpose?”

Yan Qi tightened the straps of his backpack, waved to Huo Feng, and then asked.

Huo Feng smiled. “I woke up to rain. There have been times when it rains harder on the mountain than down below, even causing landslides. Since you two were heading down today, I figured the path might be treacherous. Your sister-in-law asked me to come meet you.”

He inquired about the mountain’s rainfall. Huo Ling replied, “It poured pretty hard this morning—quite sudden. We waited a bit before leaving, or else we’d have been out earlier. How long have you been waiting, Brother?”

“Not long. I just arrived myself.”

Huo Feng turned and walked ahead. Huo Ling noticed his straw cloak was already soaked through—he’d clearly been out for some time.

A flood of memories washed over him. Back when he first entered the mountains, rain or shine, his eldest brother would always be waiting to greet him on the descent.

Later, as he grew older and gained experience as a mountain runner, he became a seasoned bachelor past marriageable age. It seemed pointless to have someone wait for him anymore.

Even so, whenever rain fell, his elder brother would still come. Today was no exception.

He couldn’t help but call out, “Brother.”

Huo Feng glanced back at him. “What?”

Huo Ling paused. “Nothing. Just saying hi.”

Huo Feng raised an eyebrow. “You little rascal, making fun of your own brother.”

He laughed before finishing his sentence.

The brothers bickered, much like they did when they were children.

Dager disliked baths but loved the rain. Seeing his masters chatting and laughing, he too walked out with his fur dripping wet, his steps cheerful.

 ━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Piles of tender thorn buds were covered with a thin layer of rainwater. Though they looked fresher, they were meant for sale tomorrow. Shaking off the water and air-drying them would be better.

Upon entering, Yan Qi prepared to work, calling out to Huo Ling to fetch straw mats from the woodshed. Yet Ye Suping urged him not to rush.

“You’ve been drenched all the way here—what’s the hurry? A large pot of hot water is boiling on the stove. We’re not like those rough men. Go take a hot bath first to drive out the chill. Don’t risk catching a cold.”

Yan Qi touched his damp hair. The mountain wind mixed with raindrops, and his straw hat hadn’t provided full protection. His straw raincoat, designed for mountain trekking, was lightweight and short, covering only his upper body. His lower legs and feet were thoroughly soaked, leaving him distinctly chilled.

Huo Ling and Huo Feng were equally drenched, but their robust constitutions kept them unfazed by the cold indoors. They’d already dried off with cloth towels and let their hair air-dry.

“Exactly. Go wash up now.”

Hearing his sister-in-law’s words, Huo Ling turned to Yan Qi: “In that case, my brother and I will wash too. We’ll just quickly rinse with hot water.”

Ye Suping agreed repeatedly, “Yes, we have plenty of firewood.”

She also mentioned adding some old ginger to Yan Qi’s bathwater.

“You didn’t know that after you last went up the mountain, Yingzi caught a cold. She’s only just fully recovered these past couple of days.”

Only then did Huo Ling and Yan Qi realize Huo Ying had been ill. No wonder she seemed less spirited than usual when they first saw her at the door. They’d been chattering away, assuming the rain kept her cooped up and unable to play.

“Let Uncle take a look—has she lost weight?”

Huo Ling beckoned Huo Ying over. She came forward with a pout, complaining as she walked: “I had to drink bitter medicine, and my dad won’t even give me candy!”

Huo Ling feigned anger, his face stern. “How could he do that!”

“Exactly!” Huo Ying perked up, egging Huo Ling on. “Uncle, you have to stand up for me!”

“How do you want Uncle to stand up for you?”

Huo Ling stifled a laugh. “Should I beat your father, or buy you candy?”

Huo Ying fiddled with her fingers, hesitating for a long while before shifting her gaze from Huo Ling to Yan Qi.

Yan Qi smiled without comment. Huo Feng and Ye Suping had actually been standing by the doorway for quite some time, deliberately not entering to see what their daughter was up to.

She was usually so clever and crafty, full of tricks.

After a long pause, Huo Ying finally stammered, “Uncle, both my dad and mom said hitting people is wrong, so I think… just buying candy is fine.”

After all that roundabout talk, it turned out she just wanted candy. It was both expected and perfectly reasonable.

Hearing this, Ye Suping entered with a mix of laughter and exasperation. She gently tugged her ear and said, “You just love picking on your uncle and aunt.”

Huo Feng chimed in, “Don’t listen to her. The other night, when she caught a chill and ran a fever, we rushed to Ma’er Village to see Bearded Ma. She mentioned her toothache from a few days back, so we asked Bearded Ma to take a look. Turns out she had a rotten tooth! Luckily, it was one that would fall out anyway. Once it’s gone, a new one will grow in. We told her to cut back on sweets.”

Seeing Huo Ying still pouting with a look of grievance, Ye Suping threatened her, “You’ve just developed a sweet tooth. Don’t you fear ending up with a gap in your teeth? Everyone else has perfectly good rows of teeth, crunching through pork ribs with gusto. Only you’re missing one. Keep being greedy, and soon you’ll be missing several. Then when others eat meat, you’ll only get to eat tofu!”

Her well-reasoned speech truly stunned Huo Ying, who stopped mentioning candy altogether.

After Huo Feng took his daughter to feed the wild rabbits, Huo Ling whispered to Yan Qi, “Maybe I should buy Yingzi fewer snacks, too. She’s still so young—ruining her teeth is a big deal. Her constant cravings make it hard for her parents to discipline her.”

Yan Qi knew Uncle Huo Ling doted on his niece, but on this point, he was absolutely right.

Of course, Brother and Sister-in-law wouldn’t blame Huo Ling for this, but raising children was no easy task, and they didn’t want to make things harder for him.

Every time they went to the market, they often saw little children crying and rolling on the ground, demanding their parents buy them treats.

Some were more obedient; if they didn’t get what they wanted, they’d just stare longingly for a while before being pulled away. Others were clearly more stubborn, their cries echoing for miles, sitting on the ground and refusing to be dragged up.

Yan Qi pondered for a moment before suggesting, “We only come twice a month. Perhaps we could buy less next time—skip the overly sweet, sticky treats. Enough for one or two meals should suffice.”

Huo Ling looked troubled, scratching his head as he agreed, “Alright, we’ll do it that way.”

When he was a child, sweets were rare. Living in the mountains, buying anything was difficult. His parents were frugal, saving silver to buy land down the mountain. Beyond grains, salt, and sugar, most of their food came from the mountains.

They didn’t even press vegetable oil; instead, they rendered lard from wild boar fat.

This way, they spent little yet lived quite comfortably.

Now that he was an uncle, everything felt fresh and new. He thought his niece was as clever and adorable as a little doll. With more disposable income, he bought whatever he deemed good for the family. People teased him, saying that if he ever had his own child, he’d probably climb up to the moon to pluck it down.

“When we have our own child someday, we must also keep a close watch on their sugar intake from a young age.”

Yan Qi, who had been sipping a cup of hot water, nearly choked upon hearing this.

Yet, as Huo Ling turned to fetch more water from the kettle, he silently placed a hand on his belly.

Their marriage was still young, and no signs of pregnancy yet seemed normal.

Besides, Bearded Ma had warned that his frail constitution meant pregnancy would be risky for both mother and child.

Setting that aside, children weren’t something one could simply will into existence. Countless couples remained childless for years after marriage, their lives often ending in utter chaos.

If every family were granted their wish in this matter, the incense offerings to the City Goddess and the Child-Granting Guanyin would surely not be so abundant.

Lost in these thoughts, the ger suddenly heard Huo Ling call him to bathe. Judging by the tone, it seemed they were to go together. He thought he must have misheard.

“Aren’t you going with your brother?”

Huo Ling, however, remained perfectly composed. Drapping a washcloth over his neck, he said, “It’s all about conserving water. Washing together is just as good.”

The logic was undeniable. Yan Qi found no rebuttal and simply followed Huo Ling into the bathing hut.

Only when they both stepped into the large tub, their bodies submerged in the steaming water, did Yan Qi sense something was amiss. But it was too late. He raised his hand to cover his mouth, daring not utter a single word.