Shen Linchuan also picked up a forkful of stir-fried leeks with pork kidney and offered it to Zhou Ning. “Try some. It’s delicious.”

Zhou Ning tried to dodge, but Shen Linchuan had already placed it in his bowl. There had been a time in Zhou Ning’s childhood when he didn’t always get enough to eat. Any food that landed in his bowl had to be finished.

Zhou Da found today’s dishes particularly flavorful, perfect for washing down with liquor. There was still some sorghum wine left over from a family banquet, so he got up and fetched some. “Would you like some, Linchuan?”

“No, Father. I have to get up early tomorrow and don’t want to mess things up.”

“Right, right. You scholars should drink less. Clear-headedness is best.”

Zhou Da poured himself half a bowl. Among all the dishes, the stir-fried leeks with pork seemed the perfect match for liquor, so he couldn’t help but pick up a few extra bites.

Zhou Ning stared at the pork kidney in his bowl, hesitating. He wasn’t unfamiliar with this dish—it was usually awful. Forcing himself, he picked a piece and chewed. To his surprise, it was unexpectedly delicious: spicy, crisp, tender, and refreshing. Zhou Ning couldn’t help but pick up another piece.

Shen Linchuan gave him a knowing wink. “Delicious, huh? You still don’t trust my cooking?”

Zhou Ning hummed in agreement. “It’s good.”

Over at Zhou Da’s end, he’d already smacked his lips and downed two gulps of liquor. “What kind of meat is this? Sliced like a flower roll? It’s too dark in here to make out clearly.”

“Dad, it’s stir-fried pork kidney.”

“Kidneys? Pig kidneys?” Zhou Da was skeptical, holding the oil lamp closer to inspect. Even leaning in, he wouldn’t have recognized them if Shen Linchuan hadn’t pointed them out.

“Pork kidneys? That stuff’s so gamey, hardly anyone likes it. Never thought it could taste this good.”

Zhou Da felt a bit awkward. His son Ning-ger had asked him to save the pork kidneys yesterday, thinking they were for his son-in-law’s health. Now he’d eaten quite a bit himself.

“Then Linchuan, you should eat more, eat more.” Zhou Da chuckled awkwardly to cover his embarrassment.

“Father, everyone should eat! These kidneys are nourishing. You’ve all worked hard, so replenish yourselves. And this pork liver and spinach soup is also nourishing—everyone should have some.”

“Hey, hey, hey.”

Though slightly awkward, Zhou Ning couldn’t resist the dish’s deliciousness and ate quite a bit. His father, now tipsy from drinking, kept saying it was for Shen Linchuan, yet he himself kept serving himself generously. Zhou Da, protective of his son-in-law, piled extra portions onto Shen Linchuan’s plate.

When Shen Linchuan mentioned that the pork liver and spinach soup was nourishing too, Zhou Ning promptly served him two full bowls. Shen Linchuan was stuffed to the gills, sitting there belching contentedly.

After the meal, while everyone was still present, Shen Linchuan brought up today’s debt collection matter. Zhou Ning handed the money to his father, but Zhou Da refused to take it. “You two are married now. You can’t go around with no silver at all. Just keep this.”

After all, they were family. It would be inconvenient to have nothing at all. Shen Linchuan nodded and accepted it, instructing Zhou Ning to put it away. They would treat it as their private nest egg.

Shen Linchuan cleared his throat. “Father, these copper coins are truly hard to collect. From now on, we won’t extend credit to those households anymore, especially the Diao family. They claimed they had money but refused to pay, and the whole village heard it.”

Zhou Da slapped his thigh in anger. “That damn Diao woman! When she borrowed meat, she claimed her family was so poor they couldn’t even afford to lift the lid off the pot. Who knew she’d be such a pain in the neck? No more credit for her!”

Shen Linchuan deliberately mentioned this. He’d only been a son-in-law in Dayangshu Village for a few days before taking Ning-ger to collect debts. He knew the old woman would likely gossip behind his back again. Fine, let her talk. It wouldn’t cost him a single piece of flesh or a single copper coin.

But this debt must be settled properly. He knew his father was a straightforward man, still carrying some of that old-timey streetwise spirit. To prevent him from feeling sorry for others’ hardships and recklessly extending credit again in the future, this time, he’d make it clear to avoid future troubles.

They say a bowl of rice creates gratitude, but a bushel breeds resentment. Just like Zhou Er’s family—they’d gotten used to getting that extra bushel. Now that it stopped, they were unhappy, and trouble was bound to come.

Zhou Ning nodded in agreement beside him, adding, “She even called Shen Linchuan a good-for-nothing son-in-law!”

“That old hag! Just wait till she comes to buy meat—I won’t give her a single penny off!”

Zhou Da feared most that Shen Linchuan would overhear and damage their relationship. Scholars value face above all—if resentment took root in his heart, how could the couple live together? Zhou Da was furious, cursing the Diao family in his mind.

Shen Linchuan secretly gave Zhou Ning a thumbs-up. Not bad, this ger sure knows how to back him up. Just look how furious his father is now. Thankfully, his father was a level-headed man—stubborn but not foolish. From now on, those folks wouldn’t be able to run up tabs anymore.

Zhou Ning cleared away the bowls and chopsticks. Shen Linchuan, stuffed from eating, strolled out into the courtyard. He gathered some grain husks to feed the chickens. Zhou Da also brought the unsold pork to the kitchen to store.

“Dad, is that pig head still here?”

“Yeah, it’s still here. Didn’t sell today. That pig head’s a pain to handle, not much meat on it, nobody wants it, hard to sell.”

“Dad, aren’t we heading back to Xinghua Village tomorrow? Let me boil that pig head and take it with us.”

“Ah, we’ve plenty of good meat at home. Just cut whatever you like. What use is that thing? It’s not even tasty. Your older brother’s family is struggling too. Take more meat over there.”

“Father, I know how to prepare it. Let me boil it. It’ll be delicious.”

“Fine.”

A pig’s head this size would only fetch fifty or sixty copper coins. It wasn’t that Zhou Da was stingy about the head itself, but he felt it would be embarrassing to bring it back to his in-laws’ village. He feared they’d laugh at him for being so cheap.

Shen Linchuan was idle and stuffed from eating. He decided to prepare the pig’s head to take to his elder brother tomorrow for a taste.

Zhou Ning was washing dishes in the kitchen. With only the dim oil lamp lit, Shen Linchuan brought the main hall’s lamp over to rest on the large stone by the kitchen door. He fetched some straw from the storage shed, lit it, and tossed the entire pig’s head inside to singe off the bristles.

Zhou Da came over to watch the commotion. His family had cooked pork before, but nothing compared to the aroma of that marbled pork belly. His son-in-law loved fussing over things, so let him at it—it wasn’t anything valuable anyway.

Zhou Ning finished washing the dishes and came over to help Shen Linchuan. Shen scrubbed the pig’s head clean with a loofah, while Zhou Ning fetched water nearby.

He’d eaten too much tonight and couldn’t sleep even if he went to bed early. Since Shen Linchuan wanted the pig’s head, he might as well prepare it.

“Ning-ger, we have Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon bark, cardamom… these, right?”

Shen Linchuan rattled off a string of spices. Zhou Ning shook his head. “We have peppercorns and star anise—those are for dispelling wind-cold. What do you need these herbs for?”

“Braising the pig’s head! It’ll be so fragrant! But I forgot we don’t have those ingredients. Now that the head’s cleaned, what are we to do?”

“What’s the big deal? Doctor Zhang’s place definitely has them. Just go buy some, Ning-ger,” Zhou Da said.

Zhou Ning nodded and went to buy the herbs. When he arrived at the Zhang residence, Doctor Zhang was out treating a patient. Only Zhang Xiaoyi was there, grinding herbs. Seeing Zhou Ning, he greeted him cheerfully, “Ning-ger, what’s the matter? Where does it hurt? Let me take a look.”

Zhang Xiaoyi rose enthusiastically to take Zhou Ning’s pulse. “Steady pulse—you’re in fine shape. Just a bit of heat from what you ate today.”

Zhou Ning wasn’t used to interacting with others. He was accustomed to keeping to himself in the village, only exchanging a few words with Zhang Xiaoyi. After all, who in the village didn’t occasionally suffer from a headache or a fever?

“Nothing, I’m fine. I just need to buy some herbs. Shen Linchuan said he needs them for cooking.”

At the mention of Shen Linchuan, Zhang Xiaoyi rolled his eyes. “Him? He’s the one sending you to buy herbs? Why not have him come see me instead? I’ve heard he can barely carry water without swaying, and today I saw him chopping bamboo like he was trying to fling the axe away. Ning-ger, what on earth are you doing with someone like that?”

“Yi-ger, don’t speak of Shen Linchuan like that. He’ll get upset if he hears you.”

“I’m just saying a few words about him, and you’re already displeased? We’ve known each other for over ten years—am I really less than him?” Zhang Xiaoyi grew increasingly aggrieved, wiping his tears with his sleeve, convinced Zhou Ning had stopped playing with him now that he had a husband.

Zhou Ning couldn’t figure out why he’d suddenly burst into tears. Maybe the ger was just being a bit sensitive. Feeling awkward and unsure what to do, Zhou Ning stammered, “Um, I won’t buy it after all. Stop crying. I’m going home.”

As Zhou Ning turned to leave, anger flashed across Zhang Xiaoyi’s small face. “Come back! I never said I wouldn’t sell to you!”

Zhang Xiaoyi snorted and went to gather the herbs for Zhou Ning. He carefully wrapped each one in paper before handing them over, charging only thirty copper coins.

As he handed the money over, he muttered, “He’s just some useless scholar nobody wants. Ning-ger, don’t be too nice to him. I heard this Shen Lichuan is a troublemaker in town—not a good sort at all.”

“Yeah, I know. Stop saying bad things about him. He’ll get upset if he hears.”

Zhang Xiaoyi stomped his foot in frustration. “Who’s talking nonsense! I’m done with you. Just go!”

“Alright, I’m leaving then.”

Zhou Ning walked off with his purchases, leaving Zhang Xiaoyi even more furious. He was convinced Shen Lichuan was nothing but a smooth-talking, lazy, good-for-nothing poor scholar!

Ning-ger had finally come to visit his home, and he’d just shooed him away like that. He hadn’t really meant to drive him off; he knew Ning-ger had that straightforward, no-nonsense temperament.

Zhou Ning took the herbs and headed home. Shen Linchuan had already blanched the pork in wine-infused water, with Zhou Da watching nearby. He wasn’t stingy about the pig’s head—it was the wine poured into the water that pained him. His precious wine! He rarely even drank it himself!

Zhou Da felt the sting of loss, but he said nothing. He didn’t want Shen Linchuan to think he was making things difficult for his ger son-in-law. As long as the family was harmonious, the wine was gone—so be it.

“Ning-ger is back.”

“Mhm.”

Zhou Ning handed the ingredients to Shen Linchuan. Linchuan measured them out one by one, stir-fried the sugar glaze, then simmered the pig’s head in it. He added the spices to the water, covered the pot, and stuffed firewood into the stove’s base.

Zhou Ning sniffed the air. It smelled quite fragrant—nothing like his own cooking, which was bland and tasteless, even when he managed to cook pork.

“It’s done. Let’s go back to bed. I’ll get up later to add more firewood.”

The pig’s head needed to simmer well into the night, then steep overnight. By early morning, the flavor would be at its peak.

The three tidied up and retired to their respective rooms to rest.