Shen Linchuan worked up a sweat practicing his morning martial arts routine. Eager to build strength, he knew progress wouldn’t come overnight—slow and steady was the way. He’d also been fetching water for several days now, and his technique had improved considerably since that first day when the bucket swayed so violently he ended up with a leg full of water.

Zhou Ning had already prepared breakfast and brought it out. He’d baked some flatbreads in the small pot—no oil needed, just baked directly in the pot. The pork head meat in the pot was still warm; he sliced a plateful and served it with a bowl of millet porridge. This morning meal was better than most people’s evening dinners.

Zhou Da sat down at the table with a thud. “Linchuan, this pork head you’ve prepared smells so good I couldn’t sleep all night.”

Shen Linchuan dampened a handkerchief to wipe his sweat. “Father, try it. This pork head is perfect with alcohol, but since it’s early morning, let’s skip the liquor.”

Zhou Da burst into laughter. “No, no. I still need to go to town to sell meat later.”

Shen Linchuan spotted a few sparse green onions in their garden plot, plucked them, and brought them to the table. “Try wrapping these green onions in the rolls—it enhances the flavor.”

By the time Shen Linchuan sat down, father and son had already rolled up their flatbreads and were eating. Zhou Ning’s cheeks were puffed out from chewing, leaving him no time to speak to Shen Linchuan. He simply nodded, indicating he’d heard.

Last night, Shen Linchuan had only given him a single bowl, which he’d polished off in three bites. Now that he could eat freely, Zhou Ning had no time to chat with Shen Linchuan.

He’d never tasted such delicious stewed meat before. Adding herbs had given it an incredibly fragrant aroma.

Zhou Da couldn’t stop nodding as he ate. “Who knew a pig’s head could taste this good? Next time we slaughter a pig, we’ll keep the head and cook it ourselves.”

Shen Linchuan rolled himself a flatbread, adding a scallion to cut the richness. Having gone so long without pig’s head meat, he was craving it too. He tore off a piece and took a bite. His Ning-ger really knew how to cook—this oil-free flatbread wrapped around the meat was simply delicious.

If the flatbreads were fried in oil and paired with fatty pork, it would be too rich. This way was just right.

Shen Linchuan smiled and said, “Alright, next time we’ll boil a pig’s head again. I just worry you’ll get sick of it if you eat too much.”

Zhou Ning shook his head. “No way. This is delicious.”

Zhou Ning sliced a plateful of pork head meat and polished it off completely. He then carved out another half-plateful before he felt satisfied. Zhou Da was quite the meat lover. He’d eaten four flatbreads rolled with meat that morning before stopping, yet he still felt he hadn’t had enough.

“Ning-ger, slice some pork head meat for your father and pack a few more buns. I’ll have these for my first meal of the day.”

“Yes, Father.”

Zhou Ning hurried to the kitchen to slice the meat. Remembering today was the day to return to his in-laws’ home, Shen Linchuan had mentioned wanting to bring some back to the Shen family, so he sliced it up without hesitation.

Zhou Da also jumped into the chicken coop, grabbed a chicken, and carried it out with its legs tied. Shen Linchuan hurriedly stopped him: “Father, we’re already taking too much back. Let’s not take the chicken.”

“Oh, don’t be silly. Your brother and sister-in-law have had a tough time, too. Take more things over. We’re all family—why would they mind?”

Zhou Da felt it would be embarrassing to bring too little, and he also knew the Shen family wasn’t doing well. Though his own household had little silver left, they were butchers—never short on food. Besides, it was all their own stuff anyway.

Zhou Da insisted they take a chicken too, then grabbed a knife to slice off a prime piece of pork belly. Zhou Da didn’t hold back—that single cut yielded at least five pounds of meat. “Father, Father! It’s too much! This is far too much!”

Five pounds of meat—that was no small amount. It filled the basket completely. Even rural families buying meat for the New Year wouldn’t splurge on that much.

“It’s for your brother and sister-in-law. It’s nothing, really.”

He then banged out some spare ribs, grabbed some oil paper, and wrapped them up in no time. “You two should head out soon. We slaughter pigs for a living—meat is the last thing we lack. Why are you so stingy?“

”Father, it’s not that I’m stingy about the meat. It’s just… this is really too much.“

”Not too much, not too much.” Zhou Da waved his hand dismissively.

Shen Linchuan couldn’t help but feel touched. Though his family sold meat, every penny was hard-earned. This large portion of meat meant giving away his father’s hard-earned copper coins.

Zhou Ning also carried a basket to pack the items. “Father, the two bags of malt sugar and two jars of wine you bought yesterday are packed.”

“Alright, I’ve prepared the meat and chicken for you. You two can take them with you later.”

“Got it, Father.”

Zhou Da specifically reminded, “Ning-ger, don’t forget to change into your new clothes later.”

“Got it.”

Zhou Da knew his family had taken in a son-in-law. Their Ning-ger had struggled to find a match, drawing plenty of gossip. Now that they had a son-in-law, some busybodies in the village were saying he wasn’t capable of hard work, being a son-in-law who hadn’t married into the family. Zhou Da feared that Shen Linchuan might hear such talk and feel uncomfortable, so he treated him with unparalleled kindness.

After making arrangements for the two, Zhou Da pushed his cart, ready to leave. “It’s getting late. I’m off now. Once you’re ready, head over early.”

“Yes, Father.” Both nodded in unison.

Only then did Zhou Da depart. With the two children returning to their in-laws’ home today, he’d been delayed a bit. His pace quickened slightly, but his stride was swift. He arrived in town just as the bustling morning market was in full swing.

He was brimming with energy now. With another mouth to feed at home, his son-in-law had said he wouldn’t go to school for the time being. But he was still a scholar, and if he needed to return to school later, it would inevitably cost silver. Plus, now that they were married, who knew when a child might come along? He absolutely had to earn more silver.

Zhou Da walked toward town with a beaming smile.

Shen Linchuan and Zhou Ning also went inside to change into the new clothes they’d worn on their wedding day. They were about the same height, and standing together, they made a very well-matched pair.

“Let’s go.”

“Wait for me. I want to take some pork head meat over to Auntie Wang next door.”

“Go ahead. Has Auntie Wang been good to our family?”

“Yeah, we always get our sewing done by her,” Zhou Ning said, looking a bit embarrassed. “I’m not very good at needlework.”

“It’s fine. I can’t sew either. Neither of us can.”

Zhou Ning feared that Shen Linchuan might look down on him for lacking needlework skills. In the countryside, it was rare to find a woman, fulang, ger, or girl who didn’t know how to sew. He hadn’t learned because his other father had passed away early, leaving no one to teach him.

Whenever he or his father needed new clothes or mending, they simply asked the neighbor, Auntie Wang. A small token of appreciation sufficed, and Auntie Wang did an excellent job.

Shen Linchuan knew his Fulang had a kind heart—he’d repay even the smallest kindness a hundredfold. Today, when Auntie Wang happened to pass by their door and asked a question, the ger had already insisted on bringing her some gifts.

“I’ll go with you. I picked some pumpkin seedlings from Auntie Wang’s garden just the other day.”

Zhou Ning flashed a smile. He’d been worried Shen Linchuan might refuse to let him go. Remember that day when he mentioned his father’s unpaid debts? His father hadn’t dared utter a word. Though Shen Linchuan hadn’t said anything harsh, his stern expression was still quite intimidating.

Zhou Ning had already sliced the pork head and placed it in a bowl. He carried it out of the kitchen. Such a large pork head—they’d eaten some and given some away, and it was gone. It was incredibly tasty.

The two headed next door to Aunt Wang’s house. Zhou Ning called out first, “Aunt Wang! Aunt Wang!”

“Aye!”

Auntie Wang emerged from her room. Seeing Shen Linchuan and Zhou Ning, she warmly invited them inside. Shen Linchuan smiled, “We’ll come another day. We still need to head back to Xinghua Village shortly.”

“Look at my memory! I completely forgot you were supposed to return today.”

“Auntie Wang, Shen Linchuan brought some pork head meat. Please try some.”

“No, no! How could I possibly accept meat from your family?”

Auntie Wang saw they were offering her meat. She refused—they were businesspeople; she couldn’t possibly take advantage of them for free.

Shen Linchuan also urged her, “It’s just pork head meat, hardly worth any silver. Please accept it.”

Only then did Aunt Wang take the bowl. “Well then, I shan’t be polite. Look at me at my age, still craving food. Last night it had me itching and scratching, ha ha.”

Auntie Wang went inside to fetch her own bowl, washing Zhou Ning’s clean before bringing it out. She even added a few dried persimmons inside. “Get back to work quickly. I won’t keep you from heading home.”

“Alright.”

Zhou Ning let out a faint smile. He’d been worried Auntie Wang might refuse his gifts.

After delivering the gifts, the two set out with their baskets. Each carried one—one filled with meat and ribs, the other with malt sugar, liquor, and pork head meat, plus a chicken flapping its wings.

This gift was more than enough to feed a starving man. Even when Shen Linchuan had just graduated from university and was dirt poor, he could only afford a tiny piece of meat when craving it.

Zhou Ning carried the basket of meat, worried Shen Linchuan might struggle with it. He could handle it himself.

Though Zhou Ning didn’t say it, Shen Linchuan knew perfectly well. His Fulang was looking out for him without even mentioning it. Shen Linchuan felt sweetly touched inside. It must be because he’d saved someone and done good deeds in a past life that he’d met such a wonderful person in this one.

Truthfully, the things in his own hands weren’t light either. His father had made him carry far too much. Two jars of liquor alone were heavy, not to mention a chicken weighing five or six pounds.

Shen Linchuan recalled that Spring Festival Gala lyric: “A chicken in the left hand, a duck in the right, and a chubby baby on the back.” He chuckled softly. His current trip to his wife’s family home was practically identical—the only difference being the absence of that chubby baby. But that would come later.

Zhou Ning blinked, watching Shen Lichuan laugh for no apparent reason. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, just remembered something amusing—a little ditty. I’ll sing it for you.”

Shen Linchuan recited the lyrics to Zhou Ning, who also began to laugh. Shen Linchuan found himself staring, mesmerized. This ger rarely smiled, but when he did, it was exceptionally captivating—like a sunflower bursting into vibrant bloom.

How lovely.

Zhou Ning suppressed his amusement with a light cough. “We don’t have a baby yet.”

“Then I’ll try harder.”

Zhou Ning nodded earnestly. “Yeah, our dad likes it too. He’s been wanting to hold a baby for ages.”

Zhou Ning frowned again as he spoke. “If only we could conceive sooner. But it’s hard for a ger to get pregnant. We still have to do that thing. If only it could happen right away.”

“What’s wrong? Don’t you like that thing?”

“I don’t like it. It’s not comfortable at all.”

Shen Linchuan had only asked in jest, never expecting Zhou Ning to say he disliked it!

Shen Linchuan was utterly thunderstruck, his footsteps halting completely. Wait—he’d assumed Zhou Ning enjoyed it! Turns out he just wanted a child!